Vatican City, Feb 29, 2016 / 01:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The film Spotlight, which won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday, is a courageous movie that is not anti-Catholic, the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano said in two articles dedicated to comment on the Oscars. Historian and journalist Lucetta Scaraffia, in an op-ed titled “It is not an anti-Catholic film,” writes that Spotlight “is not anti-Catholic, as has been written, because it manages to voice the shock and profound pain of the faithful confronting the discovery of these horrendous realities.” The movie “does not delve into the long and tenacious battle that Joseph Ratzinger, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as Pope, undertook against pedophilia in the Church,” says Scaraffia, but “one film cannot tell all, and the difficulties that Ratzinger met with do not but confirm the film’s theme, which is that too often ecclesiastical institutions have not known how to react with the necessary determination in the face of these crimes.” “Not all monsters wear cassocks. Pedophilia does not necessarily arise from the vow of chastity. However, it has become clear that in the Church some are more preoccupied with the image of the institution than of the seriousness of the act,” the op-ed says. According to Scaraffia, “the fact that a call arose from the Oscar ceremony – that Pope Francis fight this scourge – should be seen as a positive sign: there is still trust in the institution, there is trust in a Pope who is continuing the cleaning begun by his predecessor, then still a cardinal. There is still trust in a faith that has at its heart the defense of victims, the protection of the innocent.” In another article published in the same edition, L'Osservatore Romano's movie reviewer Emilio Ranzato writes that Spotlight “is not an anti-Catholic film because Catholicism in itself is not even mentioned.” “It runs the risk of being against the Church because it tends to generalize; but generalizations are inevitable when stories have to be told in just two hours,” he adds. Spotlight, Ranzato writes, “is without doubt a film with the courage of denouncing cases that need to be condemned without hesitation. And it does it in a detailed manner, grounded in an investigation that is both serious and credible.” “A film like ‘All the President's men’ remains distant, but McCarthy's instead is a good work, done in a very non Hollywood-style,” he concludes. Several leading U.S. bishops have also commented on the movie Spotlight. Last November, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops discussed the role of the media in promoting accountability. “The media was one of the major forces pushing the Church to respond in a way that it had failed to do up to that point, and we are better for it,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville said in a blog post at the time. He noted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002. The charter directs efforts to create a safe environment, report suspected abuse and cooperate with civil authorities, discipline offenders and work toward healing and reconciliation for victims. Stressing the need for continued transparency and vigilance, Archbishop Kurtz reiterated his sorrow for all those who have been victims of abuse. “We can only be healthy as a Church and as a society if we honestly confront the sexual abuse of children and rebuild relationships one at a time,” he said. “I have been inspired by those victims I have met, and I encourage all victims of sexual abuse and all those who know of any abuse to seek help and to contact law enforcement. I know our pastors, counselors, and all in pastoral ministry stand ready to reach out and support you.” “Please join me in seeking forgiveness for the sins of members who have hurt children and work with me in efforts to protect our children and youth. May God’s grace guide us.”   Read more

Vatican City, Feb 29, 2016 / 01:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Today's martyrs have become “the seed of Christian unity,” Pope Francis said Monday during an audience with the leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and his delegation. “The ecumenism of the martyrs is a summons to us, here and now, to advance on the path to ever greater unity,” the Pope said at the Feb. 29 meeting at the Vatican with Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox. “Just as in the early Church the shedding of the blood of martyrs became the seed of new Christians, so today the blood of the many martyrs of all the Churches has become the seed of Christian unity.” The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. These Churches reject the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and its followers were historically considered monophysites – those who believe Christ has only one nature – by Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. This meeting was the first between Pope Francis and Abune Mathias. Mathias' predecessor, Abune Paulos, however, had met with both St. John Paul II in 1993, and Benedict XVI in 2009. Pope Francis acknowledged the long history of martyrdom within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which today is seeing a “devastating outbreak of violence” against Christians and minorities in the Middle East and parts of Africa. In April 2015, he had sent his condolences to Abune Mathias when the Islamic State released a video showing a mass execution of Ethiopian Christians by its militants in Libya. “We cannot fail, yet again, to implore those who govern the world’s political and economic life to promote a peaceful coexistence based on reciprocal respect and reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and solidarity,” he said during the meeting. Quoting St. Paul's words to the Corinthians that “If one member suffers, all suffer together,” the Roman Pontiff noted that “Shared sufferings have enabled Christians, otherwise divided in so many ways, to grow closer to one another.” “The martyrs and saints of all the ecclesial traditions are already one in Christ. Their names are inscribed in the one martyrologium of the Church of God.” Pope Francis said the visit to Rome by Abune Mathias “strengthens the fraternal bonds already uniting our Churches.” “In the early Church, it was common practice that one Church would send representatives to the synods of other Churches,” he said, adding that a Holy See delegation was present at the 2012 funeral of Abune Paulos. The Roman Pontiff lauded the advance in“theological dialogue spearheaded by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. “We are happy to note the increasing participation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in this dialogue,” he said. Through the commission, “we have come to see that we have almost everything in common: one faith, one Baptism, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” he continued. “We are united by virtue of our Baptism, which has made us members of the one Body of Christ. We are also united by the various common elements of our rich monastic traditions and liturgical practices. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.” “As has often been observed, what unites us is greater than what divides us.” Pope Francis praised Ethiopia's advancements in improving “the living conditions of its people” and building “an ever more just society, based on the rule of law and respect for the role of women.” He also spoke of cooperation between the Churches in serving the common good and protecting the environment. “I am certain of the readiness of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia to work together with the Orthodox Tewahedo Church over which Your Holiness presides.” The Pope concluded his address by expressing his “fervent hope that this meeting will mark a new chapter of fraternal friendship between our Churches.” “We are conscious that history has left us with a burden of painful misunderstandings and mistrust, and for this we seek God’s pardon and healing,” he said. “Let us pray for one another, invoking the protection of the martyrs and saints upon all the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care.” “May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten us and guide our steps towards harmony and peace. May he nourish in us the hope that one day, with God’s help, we will be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion.” Read more

Vatican City, Feb 29, 2016 / 09:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the first day of his video testimony to Australia's Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sex abuse cases, Cardinal George Pell said that while the Church has made “enormous mistakes” in the handling of abuse cases, he had no role in covering them up. “Let me just say this as an initial clarification: I'm not here to defend the indefensible,” Cardinal Pell said during the hearing. The Church “has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those,” he admitted, adding that in many places, and certainly in Australia, the Church “has mucked things up, has let people down.” However, he also recognized that “there are very few countries in the world who have advanced as far as the Catholic Church has in Australia in putting procedures into place nearly 20 years ago.” Cardinal Pell is a member of the Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis and a past archbishop of the Sydney and Melbourne archdioceses. He is also the prefect of the newly formed Secretariat for the Economy which is overseeing Vatican finances. He is currently testifying before Australia's Royal Commission regarding claims that surfaced last year accusing the cardinal of moving “known pedophile” Gerald Ridsdale, of bribing a victim of the later-defrocked priest, and of ignoring a victim’s complaint. Established in 2013, the Royal Commission is dedicated to investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse. Despite having testified before the commission twice before on the same charges, Pell was again summoned to return to Australia for deposition in December. However, the cardinal’s doctor advised against the long flight, due to health issues. As a result, Cardinal Pell volunteered to appear by way of video conference from Rome. His proposal for the video conference was accepted. The cardinal’s third hearing began with a four-hour session at 8 a.m. Feb. 29 local time in Sydney, 10 p.m. Feb. 28 in Rome, where he is giving his testimony from the Verdi Room of the city’s Hotel Quirinale. The hearing is expected to last through Wednesday. A group of 15 abuse survivors and their family members traveled from Australia to Rome in order to be present for the hearing. They launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money to send them, so that Cardinal Pell would have the same sort of public hearing as he would have in Sydney. The hearing largely focuses on Cardinal Pell’s time as a priest in Ballarat and how the Melbourne archdiocese responded to abuse accusations, including during the time that the cardinal served as auxiliary bishop. Cardinal Pell was ordained in the diocese of Ballarat in 1966, where he served as a priest and later as a consulter to Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who oversaw the diocese from 1971-1997. Pell was appointed auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of Melbourne in 1987, and was named archbishop in 1996. Gail Furness, the lead counsel assisting the commission, questioned Pell about the Vatican’s current efforts to address the scandal of child abuse, and about how he dealt with abuse allegations in his role as educator and adviser to Bishop Mulkearns. Now 85, the retired Mulkearns is known to have moved Gerald Ridsdale, one of Australia’s most notorious abusers, between parishes for several years while being fully aware of the former-priest’s abuses. Ridsdale is known to have committed more than 130 offenses while chaplain at Ballarat’s St. Alipius school in the 1960s-1980s. Pell himself lived with Ridsdale in a seminary in the early 1970s, but stressed that at the time, he had been unaware of the priest’s crimes. He voiced his criticism for the way Bishop Mulkearns had dealt with Ridsdale, saying it was “a catastrophe for the victims and a catastrophe for the Church.” Mulkearns, he said, “shifted” Ridsdale and gave him “chance after chance after chance, shifted him around, and, initially at least, trusted excessively in the possible benefits of psychological help.” “If effective action had been taken earlier, an enormous amount of suffering would have been avoided," Cardinal Pell said, and admitted that while he is now aware of Ridsdale's crimes, at the time they lived together he was unaware of both the abuses and Bishop Mulkearns' knowledge of them. In addition to Risdale, other cases Cardinal Pell was questioned on were those of Fr. Paul David Ryan, who in 2006 was imprisoned for three charges of indecent assault, and on numerous accusations against members of the Christian Brothers who were teaching in Catholic schools at the time. Pell recognized that there had been “a pattern” of moving known pedophile priests, including Ryan and Ridsdale, under Mulkearns, and said the bishop would be a good candidate for the Vatican's new tribunal in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In June 2015, Pope Francis approved of the establishment of a special tribunal within the congregation to specifically judge bishops accused of protecting priests that had sexually abused children. When questioned about the Vatican’s current stance in terms of reporting child abuse, Cardinal Pell stressed that “the law of the land should be followed.” In a Feb. 28 statement released by his office, the cardinal emphasized his support for the commission’s work, and said he would be available to meet with the abuse survivors who have come to Rome for the hearing. He expressed his hope that the coming days “will eventually lead to healing for everyone,” and said he had tied a yellow ribbon to the fence of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes inside the Vatican Gardens as a sign of solidarity with the “Loud Fence” initiative, which was launched in Ballarat to support abuse survivors. Read more

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2016 / 06:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- God's patience towards sinners is without limit, yet the time for conversion is now, Pope Francis said during his Sunday Angelus address at the Vatican. “It is never too late to convert, but it is urgent, it is now! Let us begin today,” said the Pope Feb. 28 to the crowds in St. Peter's Square. Delivering his remarks before leading those present in the Marian prayer, the Pope spoke on Jesus' “invincible patience,” explaining how God's “unyielding concern for sinners” should provoke impatience in ourselves. “Have you thought of God's patience? Have you even thought of his unyielding concern for sinners, how this should provoke impatience against ourselves?” “It is never to late to convert! Never! Up until the last moment: The patience of God who waits for us.” Pope Francis recounted the story from St. Therese of Lisieux, who prayed for the conversion of a criminal who had been condemned to death, and had refused interventions from the priest. It was not until his final moment that he took the Crucifix held by the priest and kissed it. “The patience of God! And he does the same with us, with all of us!” the Pope said. “And this is his mercy.” Reflecting on the day's readings, Pope Francis remarked how everyday newspapers report on violence and catastrophes. He tied this to the Gospel reading which refers to two tragic events of the time: the Romans sacking the temple, and the collapse of the Siloam tower in Jerusalem which killed eighteen people. The Pope says Jesus knows his listeners are “superstitious” in interpreting such events as punishment for sins. “Jesus definitively refutes this point of view, because God does not permit tragedies to punish sins,” he said, but “asserts that those poor victims were no worse than others.” Rather, Jesus uses these examples as warnings that sinners will perish as these victims did if they do not repent, the Pope added, citing the Gospel. Even today, there is the temptation to blame disasters on the victims, “or even on God himself,” the pontiff said. However, in order to take the path of the Gospel, Jesus “calls us to change our heart, to radically make an about turn in our life, abandoning our compromises with evil,” the Pope said, citing hypocrisy as an example. “I think we all have in us a little bit of hypocrisy,” he said in an off-the-cuff remark. Stressing the need for conversion, the Pope warned against the temptation toward self-justification: “From what do we need to convert? Are we not all good people, believers, even sufficiently practicing?”     Despite being like the fig tree which fails to produce fruit, Jesus “with limitless patience” delays killing the tree for another year, Pope Francis observed. He reflected on the Jubilee Year of Mercy as a “year” of grace, the period in the Church and our lives before Christ's “glorious return,” and which is “punctuated by a certain number of Lents which offer us opportunities for repentance and salvation.” The Jubilee of Mercy is an Extraordinary Holy Year which officially commenced December 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica. It will close Nov. 20, 2016 with the Solemnity of Christ the King. After the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on the ongoing crisis of refugees fleeing from “war and other inhumane situations.” He especially acknowledged Greece and other countries “on the front line” for their work in offering “generous assistance” to those crossing their borders, and called on the international community for a “unanimous response” in helping distribute the weight of the crisis. “For this reason, we need to firmly and unreservedly focus on negotiations,” he said. The pontiff went on to welcome “with hope” the current ceasefire in Syria involving government and rebel forces, which has entered its second day. “I invite all to pray so that this window of opportunity can give relief to the suffering people, encouraging the necessary humanitarian aid, and open the way to dialogue and much desired peace,” he said. Pope Francis went on to extend his “closeness” to the  people of Fiji, where tropical cyclone Winston killed more than 40 people and left tens of thousands more homeless.   “I pray for the victims and for those engaged with the relief efforts.” Read more

Vatican City, Feb 27, 2016 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Before meeting with the president of Argentina Saturday, Pope Francis stopped by the funeral of Miriam Wuolou, a Vatican employee who died last week along with her unborn child, to pray and leave ... Read more