Changes to be Made to ‘Our Father’ Prayer, in Italian

Currents News Staff

Over time, changes have been made within the Catholic Church to the Mass and various prayers, but a Vatican official has clarified that is not currently happening to the ‘Our Father’ in English.

Rumors that the ‘Our Father’ is changing are true, but only for Italians.

The English version will stay exactly the same, for now. Archbishop Arthur Roche, the Secretary for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, asserts it was not Pope Francis who pushed for this change, but the Italian Episcopal conference.

“No, the pope isn’t changing the ‘Our Father’?” he asked. “How could he change what is in Scripture?”

“You see,” he explained, “the most fundamental text for liturgical translations is the

Bible. Because the prayers of the Mass are mainly taken from the Scriptures. So the texts of the Mass have to correspond to the Bible.”

Archbishop Roche acknowledged that each Episcopal conference around the world has a responsibility to make all liturgical texts coincide with the Bible translation in their native tongue.

This change is taking place now because the Italian Episcopal conference is remaking their

Roman Missal.

The entire process has taken them over 10 years to complete.

Archbishop Roche said the phrase “and lead us not into temptation” is the one to be replaced.

“Because it says in the Italian text, ‘not to abandon us into temptation,’ That is why the

Italian bishops have chosen to use that phrase,” he explained.

The expected publication date for the Italian Roman Missal is Advent 2019. Once published,

this is when the change for the ‘Our Father’ will officially take place in all Italian Masses.

Archbishop Roche insisted that each translation and prayer should adhere to the vernacular of the country.

In the past, New Zealand even had a different ‘Our Father’ than that in the United States.

But now, he said all English speakers have the same prayer, and that is not going to change anytime soon.

U.S. Bishops to Follow Pope’s New Mandate on Accountability

Currents News Staff

In May, Pope Francis issued a new law that pledges an “all-out war” on abuse.

Watching their meeting very closely is Kevin Clarke, the Chief Correspondent for America Magazine.

He joins us to discuss the developments from the spring meeting, and how the bishops will be expected to measure up to the pontiff’s declaration between now and next national meeting in November.

Lay Mission Helpers

Joe Estevez visits an organization of lay missionary helpers, a group who volunteer to assist missionaries during their overseas ministries.

‘Kids in Cages’ Draws Attention to Plight of Migrant Children

By Antonina Zielinska

The shocking images of realistic-looking dolls wrapped in emergency thermal blankets laying in small cages greeted New Yorkers during the morning commute on June 12.

People took double and triple takes as they passed by what appeared to be a child sleeping in a cage at the York Street subway station in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. There were prominent signs that stated #nokidsincages and a smaller sign explaining the display.

James Johnson’s 7-year-old daughter noticed the figure in DUMBO as the two walked by on their way to school. She asked if it was a real lady.

Her father assured her that it wasn’t, but struggled to explain what she was seeing.

Similarly, several people who didn’t speak English stopped, concerned that a real child was in immediate danger. Friendly passersby assured them that it was fake.

It was one of two dozen artistic depictions installed by Raices Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services as a protest against the treatment of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. The group cites instances of immigrant children being held in large outdoor cages in freezing temperatures with little more than emergency thermal blankets for comfort.

In parts of Manhattan, police were called by people who believed the displays were real. Many of the displays had sound installations of real children crying for their parents. Early in the morning, according to a recording on social media, police broke one of the locks to confirm the child wasn’t real by removing the wig. In other locations, police or workers removed the displays as seen on social media photos and videos.

Despite the shocking and disturbing portrayal in public view, Johnson said he approved of the message and the manner in which it was conveyed. He said it forced people to stop and pay attention to an important issue, himself included. He noted that many simply walked by seemingly without noticing.

It was morning rush hour in New York City, after all.

Later in the day, Carlos Abreu stopped to look at the display by the subway station in DUMBO. Shock filled his face, soon replaced by sorrow as he realized what he was looking at.

“It hurts,” he said.

Abreu was in DUMBO to protest the nonunion work being done at a nearby worksite. Having fought one battle for justice, he said he now realizes he cannot ignore a dilemma that is too often put out of sight.

“I have kids,” said the father of two. “I can’t … I can’t allow this.”

“It makes my heart heavy as I stand here,” said longtime educator Kathy Kennedy. “I just feel like people have not treated these people as people.”

She said she approved of the display being set out in a business district in New York because it puts the issue the issue of migrants the Southern border front and center and forces people to reflect.

Luciana Arias, a tourist from Argentina, stopped in her tracks when she saw the display.

“I thought it was real,” she said.

It took her a couple of minutes to connect the dots and remember the news reports of the migrant children being locked in cages in the United States.

She said she was thankful to have seen the display on her visit to New York. She believes that it will have an impact on people and help them better understand the situation.

U.S. Bishops Vote to Design Hotline for Reporting Complaints Against Bishops

By Christopher White, The Tablet’s National Correspondent

BALTIMORE – As the U.S. Catholic bishops inch closer to enacting new protocols for bishop accountability, they concluded the second day of their high stakes spring meeting by approving a measure to design a national third-party system for reporting claims against bishops.

The third party reporting system is meant to serve as a confidential mechanism, via telephone or online, for complaints against bishops for either abuse or its cover-up. The vote on Wednesday gives approval for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to develop a more detailed reporting system before a full vote by the bishops later this year in November.

The administrative committee of the USCCB will vote in September on the financial and structural specifics before the November General Assembly.

Under the approved plan, the bishops committed to activating the third-party reporting system no later than May 31, 2020.

While the price tag has not been finalized, USCCB officials estimated that the new system would cost $30,000 for an initial set-up fee and $50,000 annually to maintain.

The reporting system will be managed by an independent body that will receive complaints that will be reported to the metropolitan (or regional) archbishop who, in accordance with Pope Francis’s new ‘motu proprio’, Vos estis lux mundi (“You are the light of the world”), is responsible for investigating claims against bishops.

Vos estis requires that local bishops’ conferences must establish a “public, stable and easily accessible” system for submitting abuse claims and also that the reports are sent to the metropolitans (or their senior suffragans if the report is against the metropolitan). In the United States, there are 32 territorial archdioceses (or metropolitans).

USCCB General Counsel Anthony Picarello told the bishops that the reason that the system will not go into place until next May is to give each metropolitan the time to establish the appropriate offices and individuals to receive the complaints. He said that May 31, 2020 is a ceiling to comply with the Holy See. However, if all the metropolitans had effective systems in place beforehand, they would allow for the possibility that it could launch sooner.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago urged that the implementation of the system be enacted with a sense of “urgency,” saying when similar mechanisms are implemented by corporations, they do so with haste.

“We all would like it done much sooner,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo added.

During the discussions ahead of the vote, multiple bishops spoke of the need to guarantee effective advertising of the reporting system, adherence to civil law and appropriate authorities, and the ability for the mechanism to be able to field inquiries unrelated to abuse.

While dioceses throughout the country have their own local hotlines for reporting sexual abuse of priests or other improprieties, the new system would exist strictly for receiving complaints against bishops.

Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles and Vice-President of the USCCB said that the victims of abuse are the priority in this process, noting that while bureaucracy is necessary, it is to aid in the “healing process.”

On Thursday, the final day of their three-day gathering, the bishops will vote to enact new directives modeled after Vos estis, which will empower the metropolitan archbishop to investigate claims against abuse or cover-up by bishops with the support of lay experts.

At the start of the USCCB spring assembly on Tuesday, numerous questions were raised regarding the extent of the laity in bishop oversight.

Thursday’s final votes are widely expected to pass, however, consensus has yet to be reached on the lingering questions regarding lay involvement.

USCCB Vote On New System To Ensure Bishop Accountability

By Tim Harfmann

U.S. bishops voted on Wednesday in a big step forward for bishop accountability and protecting young people.

The major decision on day two of the bishops Spring meeting was establishing a third-party reporting system for allegations of abuse and any mishandling of cases by bishops.

Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles voted in favor of the reporting system, which would be set-up to receive accusations either by phone or email.

“We feel very strongly about getting something in place very rapidly,” he said.

The majority of bishops, over 180 of them, agreed.

Now, a committee will create a detailed proposal on how the system would work and present it to the bishops at their next meeting in November.

Holding bishops accountable is a major new development since establishing the Charter for Protecting Minors and Young People in 2002, better known as the Dallas Charter.

“Since 2002 this has been in place with regard to priests, and so with the McCarrick part of this scandal, we’ve now begun to address the bishop issue,” said Bishop Barron.

Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vermont was once the spokesperson in the Archdiocese of Boston, where the abuse scandal broke in 2002.

He said it’s been a long, 17-year process, but bishops are taking strides.

“It’s been very frustrating because there are things that we still need to deal with, but there’s so much that we already accomplished,” he said.

That includes establishing reporting lines in individual dioceses across the county. Now, they’ll do it on a national level.

“For the most part,” Bishop Coyne added, “almost every diocese as brought into place protocols and procedures and guidelines to protect children. In the last 16 or 17 years, we’ve seen an incredible drop in the amount of cases that have been reported.”

Currents News for Wednesday, June 12, 2019

On the newscast: Team coverage of the U.S. Bishops in Baltimore. They are approving a new system to handle allegations of abuse; The Justice Department is siding with parents who are suing for help with religious school tuition; The first black priest in the United States is one step closer to becoming America’s first black saint; Depictions of kids in cages are popping up on New York streets. They are sparking a lot of reaction.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

House Judiciary Committee Votes in Favor of 9/11 Victims Fund

By Emily Drooby

Nearly two decades after September 11, 2001, Congress has finally taken the steps to remedy its slow-motion response to funding compensation for survivors and first responders.

The lawmakers passed a bill that would support those who’ve given so much of their life in the war on terror.

The unanimous vote brings the 9/11 compensation fund one step closer to becoming permanent.

“Every sick responder and survivor should be treated with the same dignity and compassion and all responders and survivors whether they got sick in 2015 or will get sick in 2025 or 2035 should be properly compensated,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.

The health care program that now exists for first responders and other 9/11 victims is running out of money.

Today’s vote is the first step toward finally fixing the problem permanently.

John Feal, a 9/11 responder, is advocating for all those who responded to the terrorism on 9/11.

“Over 95,000 people in the WTC health program, being treated across our great nation are being forgotten by our Federal government, by congress. A dysfunctional body of work who continues to fail us. We have battled these people now for over 15 years,” he said.

Today’s committee vote comes after Jon Stewart addressed the House yesterday in an emotional plea for help.

“They responded in five seconds. They did their jobs, with courage, grace, tenacity, humility… 18 years later — do yours,” said Stewart.

Stewart blasted committee members who skipped the hearing and the opportunity to listen to those who risked their lives on 9/11.

Since that horrible day, many have developed a slew of illnesses. Brian McGuire is one of them and he was forced to retire from a 9/11 related illness.

“Just last week alone we had a rough week of 9/11 first responders. We had 7 first responders and recovery workers die due to 9/11 cancer. We are here to try and help those families and bring some closure,” he said.

Since the 2001 attack about 10,000 first responders and victims have been diagnosed with cancer and at least 2,000 people have died from a 9/11 related disease. The risk of some cancers among first responders is 30 percent higher than the general population.

Agreement Reached in Albany Over Rent Reform

By Michelle Powers

It’s been a long, hard battle over rent reform. Just over a week ago hundreds of activists protested on the steps of the state capitol – many of them arrested, but undeterred.

“I think we need to put people first and not profits for a handful of landlords,” said Charlie Dulik of Churches United for Fair Housing.

Now, democratic leaders in albany say they have deal on a far-reaching set of provisions that will affect almost two and a half million people in nearly one million rent-regulated apartments all across the city.

The new protections limit rent increases, bar building owners from deregulating apartments, and close certain loopholes that lets them raise rents.

The bill also makes many of the changes permanent and allows rent protections to expand statewide.

Lawmakers are calling the agreement the strongest tenant protections in history. In a statement to Currents News, Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Myrie said:

“This bill is the strongest package of tenant protections New York has seen since World War II. For decades, our communities have lost hundreds of thousands of rent regulated units, but with this legislation, we are putting power back in the hands of tenants.”

But real estate trade groups fear the changes could put smaller landlords out of business and lead to deteriorating housing conditions saying:

“This legislation fails to address the city’s housing crisis and will lead to disinvestment in the city’s private sector rental stock.”

Tenant activists insist the new legislation will impact the lives of millions of renters while keeping the real estate industry in check.

Both chambers of the legislature are expecting to vote on the package sometime this week before the current regulations are set to expire. Governor Cuomo says he will sign the bill.

Pope Strongly Denounces Abortion During General Audience

By Currents News Staff

Pope Francis spoke from St. Peter’s Square today making a bold statement on abortion. He said life must be “defended and served” from conception to natural death.

During the General Audience, the pope harshly criticized abortion. He was speaking to Polish pilgrims who had just held the “March for Life” in their country on Sunday.

“Many of you and thousands of your countrymen last Sunday participated in ‘March for Life’ parades, bringing the message that life is sacred, because it is a gift of God,” said Francis.

Pope Francis always shows this tenderness for the gift of life at the General Audience. He greets everyone from the smallest in the crowds to those with disabilities.

“We are called to defend and serve life from conception in the womb until advanced age, when marked by disease and suffering. It is not lawful to destroy life, to make it the object of experimentation or false conceptions. I ask you to pray so that human life is always respected, thus witnessing to Gospel values especially within the family,” he added.

He recently has spoken boldly about respecting life, including with Mexican Televisa journalist, Valentina Alazraki in a private interview.

Additionally, last month he met with participants from 70 countries attending the anti-abortion “Yes to Life” conference held at the Vatican.

The March for Life originated in the United States in 1973. This is not the first time Pope Francis applauds March for Life participants. Maybe next January, he could send a direct message to organizers in Washington, D.C.