From Vatican News: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.” These words, taken from St Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, struck the key note for Pope Francis in an impassioned letter addressed to the whole People of God. The letter comes in response to an ongoing crisis of sexual abuse by “a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons” – crimes that were covered up and perpetuated by those who should have been protecting the vulnerable. In... Read more
This account appeared on Twitter Sunday, written by Catholic theologian Dr. Susan Reynolds. It’s quickly become one of the most talked-about, read, shared items on social media. Attention must be paid. Here it is, pieced together from multiple Twitter posts: This morning at Mass, I witnessed something I have never seen, and words still mostly fail me. Our priest gave a powerful homily. He explained how poor ecclesiology has disempowered lay people &, in simple terms, how we must view this... Read more
Late today, a friend on Facebook noted that his priest got choked up tonight during the consecration at Mass — an example, perhaps, of the toll the present crisis is taking on our clergy. Along those lines, I got this email from a priest friend tonight: The grand jury report was a part of my homily. Overall, I spoke of our need for perspective and commitment. I started off by saying, as you did, what a rough week it has... Read more
My friend and brother deacon from the Diocese of Brooklyn, Dr. Phil Franco, posted this reflection on Facebook Thursday. He himself is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, and has spoken about it at healing Masses and in interviews. I repost his thoughts here with his kind permission. + The disgusting news of the past few weeks has certainly cost me some sleep. It has cost others a lot more than that. I have received a tremendous amount of calls... Read more
Thursday, I found myself in Maryland for a family funeral. One of the first people I saw was one of my nephews, Frank, a young husband and father in his early 30s with four sons under the age of 7. Frank’s wedding was the first one I took part in as a deacon 11 years ago, just days after I was ordained. My wife and I are godparents to one of his sons. After chatting for a few moments, he... Read more
This story is far from over. More seminarians are talking to Catholic News Agency: Recent allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick include reports that he made sexual advances toward seminarians during his tenure as Bishop of Metuchen and Archbishop of Newark. CNA recently spoke to six priests of the Archdiocese of Newark, and one priest member of a religious order who was a seminarian in New York in the early 1970s, while McCarrick was a priest of the Archdiocese of... Read more
From Vatican News: On Thursday evening, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, issued the following statement regarding the report of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury issued earlier this week in the United States over the sexual abuse of minors. “Regarding the report made public in Pennsylvania this week, there are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow. The Holy See treats with great seriousness the work of the Investigating... Read more
God rest her soul. You haven’t heard this immortal hymn until you have heard it from the Queen of Soul, singing to the Queen of Heaven. Recorded live in Detroit in 1987. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1ONGBiCLMw Read more
The latest, from the USCCB: Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement after a series of meetings with members of the USCCB’s Executive Committee and other bishops. The following statement includes three goals and three principles, along with initial steps of a plan that will involve laity, experts, and the Vatican. A more developed plan will be presented to the full body of bishops at their... Read more
From The New York Times, a story about something so many of us are feeling right now: John Cabon stood quietly and crossed himself before a statue of the Virgin Mary outside St. Paul’s, the mother church of the Pittsburgh Diocese. “I keep the faith” said Mr. Cabon, 64, on the way to noon Mass. His sister, he said, had left the faith when explosive revelations of sexual abuse rocked the Roman Catholic Church in 2002. He had refused. “You... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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