Philadelphia, Pa., Jun 1, 2016 / 05:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia described as “misleading” an article claiming that his leadership of a working group on the Pope’s most recent document “sends a signal” regarding U.S. policy on Communion. “Our ‘committee’ is very ad hoc and may exist for only three or four months,” Archbishop Chaput told CNA June 1. “Our goal is to gather what the bishops of the USA are doing and share that information with the other bishops, and then also send a report to Cardinal (Lorenzo) Baldisseri who has asked for reports from the various conferences.” In a June 1 article, the Catholic Herald reported that Archbishop Chaput had been named chairman of a five-bishop committee that was working on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for a positive reception and implementation of Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. “The news sends a signal on the question of admitting divorced and remarried people to Communion,” the Catholic Herald said, citing instances in which Archbishop Chaput has affirmed Church teaching on the subject. However, Archbishop Chaput said that the Catholic Herald’s characterization was not entirely accurate. “There is no policy dimension to what we are doing,” he said. “The bishops in the group are currently the chairmen of various committees and I am the chair-elect of the committee on Laity, Marriage, Family and Youth.” Amoris Laetitia, released April 8, is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today. While much of the Western secular media focused its coverage on homosexuality and the question of communion for the divorced-and-remarried, actual topics discussed in the meetings were much broader, with synod fathers touching on themes such as domestic violence, incest and abuse within families, and marriage preparation. Both of the synods sparked controversy amid speculation over whether there would be a change in the Church’s practice that the divorced-and-remarried may not receive Communion. In accordance with the words of Jesus that “anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery,” the Church says that those living in adultery – or any other unrepentant grave sin – may not receive Communion. Pope Francis did not make any changes to Church teaching in the document, but one of its chapters – dealing with those in irregular marriage situations – has been the subject of much post-synod debate. Vague language in the chapter has allowed a variety of interpretations. Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, maintains that it does not change the Church's discipline on admission of the divorced-and-remarried to Communion. Cardinal Walter Kasper, on the other hand, has said it “opened a door” to admitting the divorced-and-remarried to Communion, and that the document marks the “turning of a page” in the Church's history “after 1,700 years.” However, the matter was dealt with explicitly by St. John Paul II, who wrote that “the Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried. They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist.”   Read more

Washington D.C., May 31, 2016 / 05:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With thousands of displaced Christians in Iraq subsisting on humanitarian aid, advocates are asking if they have a future there once the Islamic State is removed – and what that might loo... Read more

St. Paul, Minn., May 31, 2016 / 04:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is eager to see a quick end to its reorganization plan so that victims and survivors of clerical sex abuse can see more compensation sooner, according to its bishop. The plan of reorganization is part of the bankruptcy process, for which the archdiocese filed in January 2015. “Victims/survivors cannot be compensated until a Plan of Reorganization is finalized and approved. The longer the process lasts, more money is spent on attorneys’ fees and bankruptcy expenses; and, in turn, less money is available for victims/survivors,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda wrote in a May 26 letter to the faithful of the archdiocese. “In other dioceses, that approval process has taken years. For example, in Milwaukee, the process took more than five years and only $21 million was available to compensate claimants. We are submitting our Plan now in the hope of compensating victims/survivors and promoting healing sooner rather than later.” A reorganization plan is a required step in the process of bankruptcy, and must be accepted by an entity's creditors. Archbishop Hebda noted that to prepare for filing the reorganization plan, the archdiocese had sold real estate assets, will lease less expensive office space, and is cutting its budget. “For over a year, we have worked cooperatively with others. We have also participated in mediation to help determine the value of insurance coverage.” He said that while “progress has been made, the insurance companies and attorneys for those asserting claims of sexual abuse have not been able to agree on the proper value of the insurance proceeds for the claims.” The plan of reorganization has three pillars, according to the archbishop. First is a settlement made last December which ensures child protection policies in the archdiocese, and second is a $500,000 victim counseling fund. “And third, the creation of an independent Trust,” Archbishop Hebda explained. “The Archdiocese has proposed that the Trust will initially be funded by $65 million or more in proceeds from Archdiocesan cash and the sale of our properties, proceeds from insurance settlements, and contributions of insurance settlements from our parishes.” “In addition, all insurance proceeds, including those that have not yet been agreed upon between the insurance companies and those filing claims, will be put in the Trust. A court-appointed Trustee will then control the Trust and have the authority to pay claimants.” The archbishop emphasized that the archdiocese considers the reorganization plan to be fair, but that some might object to it. “Reorganizations sometimes involve modifying an initial Plan,” he noted. “We are committed to working earnestly with everyone involved to find a fair, just and timely resolution.” He also responded to claims by the lawyers of some abuse victims that the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese had not made public all of its assets when it filed for bankruptcy. “Let me be clear: The Archdiocese has disclosed all of our assets and has followed all of the rules set forth by the Court and all directives from the judge. I know that for at least the last 11 months we have been working extremely hard to marshal and maximize our assets with the hope of providing the most for the most.” Archbishop Hebda concluded by saying, “We will never be able to undo the harm caused, but, we will compensate those harmed, help in any way we can with their healing, and create and maintain safe environments for all children today and always.” Archbishop Hebda was appointed Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in March, though he had led the archdiocese as its apostolic administrator since June 2015. He succeeded Archbishop John Nienstedt, who resigned after the archdiocese was charged on six counts of failure to protect minors.   Read more