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May
22, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 10Oakland,
CA
 |
Pop
radio priest CNS Photo/Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin |
Vatican
oks revised norms
on sex abuse
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With Vatican approval, the head of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops has issued the revised special norms adopted by the
U.S. bishops to deal with clergy sexual abuse of minors. Bishop William
S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., USCCB president, decreed that the revised
“Essential Norms” were to take effect May 15.
The norms, which have the force of law in all U.S. dioceses, require each
diocese to have written policies on clerical sexual abuse of minors, an
assistance coordinator for victims and a review board that advises the
bishop on individual cases and on policy.
They also spell out detailed procedures for handling any allegation of
abuse, for removing clerics who sexually abuse a minor from ministry and
for applying other penalties, including laicization.
The revisions, adopted by the bishops at their June 2005 general meeting
in Chicago, are few and limited in scope. Several simply reflected more
precision in legal terminology, such as inserting “canonical”
before “due process” or changing the term “dispensation”
from the church’s statute of limitations to a more canonically precise
term.
Opus
Dei says ‘Da Vinci Code’ exploited them
ROME (CNS) -- The head of Opus Dei said “The Da Vinci Code”
had exploited his organization and launched “grotesque” accusations
against the Catholic Church. Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez said the
novel’s author, Dan Brown, had joined a long line of critics who
attack Opus Dei in order to make points against the faith.
In the novel, Opus Dei, a personal prelature, is portrayed as a power-hungry
and sinister organization whose members are willing to murder in order
to obtain ancient secrets about the church.
Calif.
Congressman seeks better video-game ratings
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic congressman, Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., is
calling on the video-game industry to improve its ratings systems and
give parents “clear, accurate information that they can understand”
so they know what video games are appropriate for their children.
Results of a new study released by the Harvard School of Public Health’s
Kids Risk Project found that 81 percent of video games rated “M”
for mature, contained sex, profanity, violence or other objectionable
content not labeled on the game box.
Domino
founder’s plan for town sparks debate
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- A Catholic philanthropist’s plans
to develop a town around the new site of a Catholic university in Florida
has raised concerns from critics both within and outside church circles.
But Tom Monaghan remains firm in his commitment to the project and its
prospects for success.
Monaghan, who made his fortune as founder of the Domino’s Pizza
chain, broke ground in mid-February for Ave Maria town, a 5,000-acre,
11,000-home community to be built around Ave Maria University, which he
established as an interim campus in 2003.
He founded Ave Maria College near Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1998, but later
elected to move the institution to Florida, prompting a mix of praise
and criticism even from his own faculty and administration.
More recently, he has faced a media backlash over his stated desire to
create a family-friendly atmosphere in Ave Maria, one free of morally
problematic elements such as pornography, contraceptives and abortion.
AIA
honors nuns for ‘green’ motherhouse
MONROE, Mich. (CNS) -- The American Institute of Architects has given
the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary one of its top 10
green projects awards for their motherhouse in Monroe. The 376,000-square-foot
motherhouse, completed in 2003, was honored for its integration of architecture,
technology and natural systems.
Among the motherhouse’s features are a geothermal heating and cooling
system, natural light throughout the building, reused doors and windows,
and marble bathroom partitions.
Masses
suspended until town apologizes to priest
MADRID, Spain (CNS) -- The archbishop of Valencia has suspended the celebration
of all Masses in the town of Sinarcas following a series of incidents
culminating in what he says was the attempted beating of the town’s
parish priest.
Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco Vicente said he will not permit Mass to
be celebrated in Sinarcas until the town council “publicly asks
forgiveness for what has happened and expresses its full support of the
pastor,” Father Javier Abad Chismol. Father Abad has been threatened
and pressured since speaking out last summer in a homily against the town’s
decision to let young people parody the church and make fun of the sacrament
of the Eucharist during the town’s annual fiestas.
During a May 7 Mass, Father Abad criticized what is known in Spain as
a “botellon,” a large gathering of young people who meet to
consume alcohol in the street. Afterward, 60-70 people demonstrated outside
the church, banging on pans and booing the priest.
Ohio
priest convicted in 1980 murder of nun
TOLEDO, Ohio (CNS) -- Father Gerald Robinson, a retired priest of the
Diocese of Toledo, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison May 11
for the murder more than 26 years earlier of Mercy Sister Margaret Ann
Pahl. Father Robinson, 68, could be eligible for parole in 15 years. The
jury deliberated for six hours and 25 minutes before handing down the
verdict.
“This is a sad day for the Diocese of Toledo,” Bishop Leonard
P. Blair said in a statement.
Boston
College faculty protest honor to Rice
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Boston College’s decision to award an honorary
degree to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at its May 22 commencement
has caused sharp division among faculty at the Jesuit-run institution.
Some faculty members see the decision, which includes having her give
the commencement speech, as the college’s support for the Bush administration’s
Iraq War, which Pope John Paul II and the U.S. bishops opposed on ethical
grounds.
Opposition to honoring Rice is also a sign that Catholic institutions
should not single out abortion when it comes to taking a stand on public
policy issues, said Jesuit Father David Hollenbach, theology professor.
College officials and other professors said that Rice’s career makes
her worthy of an honorary degree and that honoring her does not automatically
mean the college supports U.S. policy on Iraq.
Mass
attendance steady despite sex abuse crisis
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The clergy sex abuse crisis has produced little change
among Catholics in Mass attendance and monetary contributions to parishes,
said a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. However,
contributions to annual diocesan fundraising campaigns have suffered significantly,
it said.
An overwhelming majority of Catholics also said that the crisis has hurt
the church’s credibility on political and social issues, the study
said. CARA is the Catholic research organization based at Georgetown University
in Washington.
Britain
urged to support asylum for prostitutes
LONDON (CNS) -- The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has
urged the British government to sign an international convention that
would allow foreign prostitutes to claim asylum in the United Kingdom.
At present, foreign prostitutes are allowed to stay in the United Kingdom
only if they assist in the prosecution of human traffickers and members
of the criminal gangs who run the sex trade.
The bishops said they believe many of the women are victims of crime and
should therefore be granted the opportunity, under the terms of the Council
of Europe’s Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings,
to stay in the country indefinitely.
Nuns
issue protest leaflets for World Cup
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Polish nuns, anticipating an increase in human
trafficking and prostitution during the World Cup in Germany, have issued
anti-prostitution leaflets in multiple languages for circulation during
the competition in 12 German cities June 9-July 9.
“We’re deeply concerned at reports that men’s lives
are to be made nicer by importing 100,000 young women from Europe’s
poorest countries,” said Ursuline Sister Jolanta Olech, president
of Poland’s Conference of Superiors of Female Religious Orders.
CRS
gives $100,000 to expand fair trade
BALTIMORE – Catholic Relief Services surpassed $1 million in fair
trade sales last year and has given more than $100,000 in grants to help
expand the fair trade market. Its most recent grant will help artisan
groups in Madagascar bring their fair trade products into the U.S.
The CRS fair trade program promotes fair trade products including coffee
from Nicaragua, chocolate from Ghana and handcrafts from a dozen countries.
