Voice of the Faithful Focus, Feb. 14, 2013

Highlighting issues we face working together
to Keep the Faith, Change the Church

TOP STORIES

Pope Benedict XVI Says He Will Resign
Citing advanced years and infirmity, but showing characteristic tough-mindedness and unpredictability, Pope Benedict XVI shocked Roman Catholics on Monday, Feb. 11, by saying that he would resign on Feb. 28, becoming the first pope to do so in six centuries.
— Pope Benedict XVI’s Resignation Announcement
— Pope’s Resignation Was His Most Important Act
— Why Resignation May Mean a Conclave Open to Change
— New Pope? I’ve Given Up Hope
— ‘Constant Drumbeat’ Sped the Pope’s Exit
— Pope Benedict’s Legacy Is One of Paradox
— Pope Benedict XVI Relinquishes Leadership of Worlds 1.2 Billion Catholics
— Succcessor to Benedict Will Lead a Church at a Crossroads
— Tributes to ‘Courageous’ Pope
— Pope Plans to Retire to Monastery after Resignation
— Pope Benedict Announces Resignation
— Last Pope to Resign did so in Midst of Vatican Leadership Crisis
— Catholics React with Shock, Sympathy and Muted Criticism
— Frail Pope Breaks Tradition and Resigns
— Pope Benedict Leaves behind Legacy Full of Ups and Downs
— Pope’s Mission to Revive Faith Clouded by Scandal
— In Picking a Successor, the Vatican Must Decide What’s Needed in a 21^st Century Pope
— The Pope Could Still Right the Wrongs
— Next Pope’s In-Tray: Five Key Issues for the Catholic Church

Gomez, Mahony and the ‘Sodano Rule’
From experienced Vatican watcher John L. Allen, “… most basically, the culture of the church is evolving in the direction of greater accountability. Yes, it’s happening under external pressure, and yes, it’s taking an awfully long time. Nonetheless, the wheels are slowly grinding in the direction of the idea that when someone drops the ball, there need to be consequences?”
— New Documents Show Catholic Leaders in Los Angeles Protected Abusive Priests
— Vatican Official Thanks Media for Uncovering Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
— The Archbishop Rebukes the Cardinal
— Cardinal Mahony Used Cemetery Money to Pay Sex Abuse Settlement
— California: Archdiocese to Release More Documents
— Clergy Files Produced by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
— Will Cardinal Mahony Face Any Consequences
— California: Detectives Examining Church Documents
— LPD reviewing LA Catholic Church Sex Abuse Files for Evidence of Criminal Activity
— Did Anything Really Change for Cardinal Mahony?
— Sex Abuse Is a Blemish on the Powerful Catholic Clergy
— Los Angeles Archdiocese Is Accused of Failing to Release All Abuse Records
— Cardinal Sins
— Church Sex Abuse Scandal Brings Reflection at L.A. Congregations
— In Los Angeles, a Victory for Truth
— Mahony Defends Actions in Abuse Cases
— Diocese Papers in Los Angeles Detail Decades of Abuse
— No Comment from Vatican on Mahony
— Mahony Responds to Ban: ‘Not Once’ Did Successor Raise Questions
— Retired Los Angeles Cardinal Punished over Abuse Revelations
— Cardinal in Church Sex Scandal Stripped of Duties
— Cardinal in Los Angeles Is Removed from Duties

U.S. Bishops to Replace Staffer behind Theological Investigations
The U.S. bishops’ staffer behind several controversial criticisms of Catholic theologians in recent years is stepping down. Capuchin Fr. Thomas Weinandy, head of the bishops’ office tasked with upholding church teaching, is to leave his post as executive director for the bishops’ Secretariat of Doctrine in August. Mercy Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. bishops’ conference, confirmed the departure Wednesday

Ex-Teacher and Priest Are Convicted in Abuse Case
A Roman Catholic priest and a former Catholic school teacher were convicted on Wednesday on nine charges relating to the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old boy at different times more than a decade ago.
— Prosecutors: Priest Trial Verdict a Victory
— Catholic Priest, Teacher Guilty of Abusing Altar Boy

CALIFORNIA

The Priest That Preyed
Autumn of 2003, wife and teenage son at a large table groaning with plates of Mexican food and soft drinks and wine, celebrating sister’s anniversary, and like most Mexican parties in Los Angeles, a member of a religious order is in attendance to share in the family’s joy.

Los Angeles Archbishop Gomez Wins the Renault Shocked, Shocked Award
Archbishop Jose Gomez is “shocked, shocked” to learn from the court-ordered release of files on priests that sex abuse has been going on in the archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Archdiocesan Official Are Finally Stepping Out of Their Bubbles
The stories of abuse are harrowing, but the cover-up is worse. News accounts detail how parents and brothers and police investigators all reached out to Cardinal Roger Mahony and other church officials, firm in belief they would do the right thing in the face of such depravity. But as we have known for too long a time now, they did not.

Sexual Abuse Scandal Grips and Divides Hispanic Parishioners in Los Angeles
At Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, there was no shrinking from the news reverberating through the pews. The Rev. Scott Santarosa spent time usually reserved for the homily talking instead about what he called “really painful stuff.”

L.A. Catholic Church Abuse Files: Archdiocese Gives Up on Fight to Redact Names
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will soon reveal 30,000 pages of confidential personnel files without blacking out the names of the church leaders who knew about sexual abuse by priests and made key decisions on how to handle it, an archdiocese attorney said Jan. 30.

MINNESOTA

Priest Gets Five Years in Child Sex-Abuse Case
A Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to 20 counts related to child sex abuse and child pornography was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison. Curtis Wehmeyer, 48, was taken into custody at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center in St. Paul after his sentencing Friday afternoon.

NEW JERSEY

Newark Archdiocese Stands by Ministry of Priest Accused of Sex Abuse
The Archdiocese of Newark affirmed its decision to allow a priest accused of abusing a minor to remain in ministry, stressing that they are complying with authorities and prohibiting any interaction alone with children.

Newark Archdiocese Elevates Priest Who Admitted Groping 14-Year-Old Boy
Can a priest, who admitted to groping a 14-year-old boy on two separate occasions, and was allowed to enter a Pre Trial Intervention program for first time offenders, still be allowed to remain a priest?

PENNSYLVANIA

Ex-altar Boy’s case May Revive Suit against Philly Archdiocese
The criminal case resulting from the serial sexual assault of a 10-year-old Northeast Philadelphia altar boy may well have ended with Wednesday’s guilty verdicts against a priest and a former Catholic-school teacher.

TENNESSEE

Pope Benedict Officially Removes Knoxville Priest from Priesthood
A former Knoxville priest convicted of child rape has been formally removed from the priesthood. William Casey was sentenced in 2011 to a 35-year prison term for aggravated rape and sexual misconduct in a case dating back to the 1970s.

GREAT BRITAIN

Catholic Priest Held over Guesthouse ‘Child Sex Abuse Ring’
A Catholic priest was one of two men arrested by detectives investigating allegations of historic child abuse centering around a guesthouse and a care home in south west London.

IRELAND

Magdalene Laundries – Report Not Final Chapter in Tragedy
Magdalene report joined a litany of eviscerating documents detailing our past of neglect, abuse, and harrowing inhumanity.
— Ireland Oversaw Harsh Catholic Laundries
— Magdalene Laundries report Finds Direct State Involvement
— ‘All We could Think of Is We Are Going to Die Here. That was an awful Thing to Carry’
— Expert Panel: Ireland Oversaw Forced, Unpaid Labor in Catholic Laundries for ‘Fallen’ Women
— Ireland Admits Involvement in Catholic Laundry Slavery
— Magdalene Laundries Report Published Today

MAGESTERIUM

Putting the Church’s Shifts in Spheres of Authority in Historical Perspective
This is the third article in this series. The first two articles looked at the scriptural and historic evidence of women’s leadership in the church. — The proper role and function of the magisterium continue to be a source of controversy in many corners of the Catholic Church today. Any fruitful reflection on the magisterium requires that we place the topic in its proper historical context.

A Convenient Morality

Last week, the Obama administration proposed a further tweak to its rules about insurance coverage of contraception, trying to quiet religious organizations’ complaints that the edict tramples on their beliefs. Roman Catholic officials have been especially vociferous. Their moral conviction, they insist, cannot be slave to secular convention. Except, that is, when it works to their advantage.