Homily - The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 19 August 2018

The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Dear brothers and sisters,

The counsel of Saint Paul, which we heard just a few moments ago, seems particularly timely in light of the dreadfully demoralizing and heart-rending news of these past few days (I will speak only generalities so the young ones can stay). “Watch carefully how you live,” he says, “not as foolish people but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). We are learning in greater detail what we already learned many years ago, namely, how foolish those who were supposed to be wise have been and how those who should have been attentive shepherds did not watch carefully even over their own lives.

In these evil days, we are reminded once again of the pitiful condition of fallen humanity and of the reality of pride and sin. Even those consecrated to God through the Sacrament of Holy Orders are not immune from sin – not even from mortal sin – and must strive each day to “understand what is the will of the Lord” (Ephesians 5:17).

We know that through the grace of Baptism every sin committed until the moment the water passes over the head are forgiven. But we also know that

certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weakness of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, “the tinder for sin;” since concupiscence is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ. Indeed, “an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (II Timothy 2:5).[1]

In a time when many people – both within and without the Church – deny the reality of sin, the reality of sin now stares us in the face and we see, once again, the need for confession, a firm amendment of life, and of penance.

Each Sunday, we profess our belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Given what many churchmen have been involved in, how can we continue to make this profession? We can do so because Christ Jesus “loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her” and “joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.”[2] It is his love and her union with him that makes the Church holy. At the same time, however, “in her members perfect holiness is yet to be acquired.”[3] We know this even in our own daily lives; we fail to love as fully as we should and every sin is a failure to love; we are not all saints, though we are called to be.

What is more, although our Lord “knew nothing of sin, but came only to expiate the sins of the people,” the Church is always “clasping sinners to her bosom” and so is “at once holy and always in need of purification” and “follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.”[4] In all of this, we cannot forget that

The Church is therefore holy, though having sinners in her midst, because she herself has no other life but the life of grace. If they live her life, her members are sanctified; if they move away from her life, they fall into sin and disorders that prevent the radiation of her sanctity. This is why she suffers and does penance for those offenses, of which she has the power to free her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.[5]

Those who enter fully into the life of the Church understand this.

None of this is said to excuse what has been done by some within the Church. The acts committed are heinous and mortally sinful, and place the souls of those who committed then in grave peril without a sincere repentance.

Because of our different personalities, each of us will respond to such news in different ways. Some will be spurred to more frequent prayer and penance; others will be justifiably angered and work towards reform; still others will become despondent and consider leaving the Church.

Facing a different set of difficulties in his own day, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of his reaction to scandal within the Church to one of his sons. He said:

I think I am as sensitive as you (or any other Christian) to the scandals, both of clergy and laity. I have suffered grievously in my life from stupid, tired, dimmed, and even bad priests; but I now know enough about myself to be aware that I should not leave the church (which for me would mean leaving the allegiance of Our Lord) for any such reasons: I should leave because I did not believe, and should not believe anymore, even if I had never met anyone in [holy] orders who was not both wise and saintly. I should deny the Blessed Sacrament, that is: call our Lord a fraud to His face.[6]

Now is not the time to abandon the Church, but to entrust ourselves all the more to the merciful love of God and to beg him to make a saint of each one of us. Where else could we go? Where else can we receive the Bread of Life? Where else can we live the full life of grace?

What, then, is the will of the Lord for us in all of this? How can we make the most of the opportunity that confronts us? It is for each one of us to draw near to him. It is time to heed the admonition of Saint Augustine to “cry to him in such a way that even if you have possessions, you do not trust in your own resources, [to] cry to him in a frame of mind that understands your need, [to] cry to him in the knowledge that you will always be a pauper as you do not possess him who makes you rich.”[7]

Anger and sadness are the correct response to the travesty of sin and a negligence of true pastoral care. This we see in the life of Jesus himself. His anger and sadness led him to intense prayer so that he might sanctify us and make us holy. Let us today, then, offer our anger and sadness to the Lord and ask him to purify his Church again, as he has done throughout the centuries. Let us watch carefully over how we live and beg the Lord to make us a community of saints. Amen.

---

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1264.

[2] Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10.

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 825.

[4] Lumen Gentium, 8 §3.

[5] Blessed Pope Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, 19.

[6] J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter to Michael Tolkien, 1 November 1963.

[7] Saint Augustine of Hippo, Expositions of the Psalms, 34.11.

A news round up - 15 October 2014

Here are few items of news you might have missed:

• Police in Utah are searching for a woman who robbed a Super 8 motel while, according to witnesses, dressed like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. Though she apparently wore a black mask over her face, my guess is she had Raphael in mind; this seems like something he might do when angry.

• The U.S. Department of Justice created a Facebook page under the name of a woman and with pictures taken from her cell phone  - without her knowledge or permission - to help, they say, in criminal investigations. She is now suing the government for a breach of privacy and is seeking more than $250,000 in damages.

• The budget deficit of the U.S. federal government has now fallen to just $486,000.000,000. This is down from a budget deficit of more than $1,000,000,000,000 in President Obama's first term and after hitting a record $1,400,000,000,000 in 2009. This fall of the budget deficit is, I suppose, good news. Still, I wouldn't mind a personal budget like this.

• After studying data collected from the temperature of the oceans at various depths, the National Aeronautics and Space and Administration reports that it is unable to explain why global warming (even in the waters) has slowed over the last ten years, in clear contradiction to the projections of the computer models.

• As further proof that saints are just like us, Saint John Paul II was a fan of the classic movie, The Princess Bride. According to Cary Elwes, the late Pope called the movie, "Very good film. Very funny." That's a good enough endorsement for me.

• A petition on the web site of the White House to "Investigate Jehovah's Witness' [sic] Leaders for Child Abuse Cover Up and Protecting Child Abusers" has 191 signatures since being posted on Monday. 

• I'm not sure how I managed to miss this one until today, but a prisoner in Santa Fe is suing the state of New Mexico because his First Amendment freedom to practice Satanism is not being respected.

• The tallest cow in the world - standing at 6'4" - lives in Orangeville, Illinois (I didn't know where it was, either).

A news round up - 30 August 2014

Here are a few news items you may have missed:

• This story is a bit old, but new to me. Senator John Hoffman (D-Minnesota) believes that calling a certain fish Asian (as in the Asian Carp) is "hurtful" and "offensive," so much so that he introduced legislation to change the name of the Asian Carp to the Invasive Carp.

• Just in case you somehow never learned how to toast a marshmallow over a fire, the U.S. Forest Service has compiled a helpful (?) guide on how to do so (though the administration does not yet have a strategy about what to do with ISIS).

• Governor Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) lost the primary note in a recent - and historic - vote as he sought another turn at governing the Hawaiian islands. Governor Abercrombie attributes his loss to his decision to legalize same-sex 'marriage'. I hope he's right.

• After years of increasing violence against Christians in north Nigeria and after watching the growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram has declared the beginning of an Islamic State in Nigeria. The reaction from world leaders has been minimal.

• After months of verbal abuse and threats of physical violence, a group of orthodox Jews have abandoned their homes in Guatemala to seek new homes elsewhere.

• Krista Hodges, a teacher in California, has been reprimanded after tweeting that she wanted to stab some of her students and her "trigger finger is itchy." That's right; she wasn't fired, only reprimanded. We are assured by her supporters that she is a "great teacher". Hodges has apologized and said she was only kidding. Some joke.

• More than 1,400 children were sexually abused by Asian members of a gang in Rotherham over a 16 year period. The South Yorkshire Police and the Rotherham council knew of the abuse and yet did nothing about it so as not to appear racist.

News round up - May 14th

The news you may have missed:

• The Department of Defense has paid out hundreds of dollars to settle allegations of sexual abuse against civilian workers in Hawaii.

• Archaeologists may have discovered the wreckage of the Santa Maria, the flagship of Christopher Columbus.

• A new global poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League concerning anti-Semitism suggests 4% of the global population deny the Holocaust occurred. Other findings from the survey are both surprising and concerning.

• A Florida couple has been fined and threatened with imprisonment for feeding the homeless.This story is yet another part of the frequently asked question, Why doesn't the Church do more to help the poor?

• According to a survey conducted by The Art Newspaper, the Vatican Museum ranks as the fifth most visited art museum in the world.

• "The Big Read" program of the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a $9,000 grant to the Quincy Public Library.

• In what seems to be a rather ridiculous stunt, the Military Association of Atheists and Free Thinkers plans to ask the military for "chaplains". Why an atheist should have need of a chaplain - a word which, even in its etymology, only refers to a minister of a chapel or one who prayers - is quite beyond me.

News round up - April 30th

The news you may have missed:

• The State Journal-Register reports that a proposed tax in Illinois on sugary beverages "may be falling flat" with legislators. When news of this proposed tax first surfaced, I offered my thoughts on it: a foolish bill that, if passed, would simply backfire.

• President Obama told a gathering of Malaysian youth yesterday that "the world is less violent, it is healthier, it is wealthier, it is more tolerant and it offers more opportunity than any time in human history for more people than any time in human history." If you live in the Middle East or in Africa, you probably haven't noticed a less violent world. You won't have noticed a healthier world if you life in the U.S.A. where childhood obesity continues to rise, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this month. Likewise, the poor of the world aren't getting any wealthier and Christians throughout the world remain the most persecuted people in a more tolerant world, and face growing persecution besides as John L. Allen, Jr. has recently demonstrated in his book, The Global War on Christianity.

•  Bryan Singer, the director of the forthcoming X-Men movie called a lawsuit alleging he sexually abused a minor some years ago "a sick, twisted, shakedown."

•  After he quoted Sir Winston Churchill in reference to Islam, Paul Weston, who ran for political office, was arrested for racially aggravated crime.

• Tens of thousands of Hungarians marched on Sunday in protest to the growing anti-Semitism in Hungary after the Jobbik party recently won 21% of the national vote.

• Doctors in Britain who object to "any form of contraception" because of their conscience are no longer eligible for specialization as obstetricians or gynecologists. Roman Catholics are particular singled out. In all likelihood, we will see this soon in the U.S.A., as well.

News round up - April 22nd

Here are several news stories you may have missed:

• At least 9 people were killed and 35 people were wounded (including 5 children) in Chicago of the Easter weekend.

• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - a.k.a. Obamacare - may be responsible for a drop in sales at the Quincy Mall.

• Kenneth and Helen Felumlees were married for 70 years and died 15 hours apart. Not that long ago, doctors would have said that Kenneth, who died after Helen, died of a broken heart.

• Government waste is worse than you thought: The Department of Health and Human Services has spends $123.2 million each year on e-mail for its employees.

• Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood whom President Obama asked God to bless, called for "no more babies" because it is "more practical and more humane" for women not to have babies. And still people support Planned Parenthood.

• More than 50% of babies in France and Sweden are born to unborn mothers; in the U.S., 41% of babies are born to unwed mothers. The percentage is better, but it is still far from good.

•  The Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Cameron, has been accused of fostering divisions after he called Britain a "Christian country." Similar accusations will soon be made within the United States of America.

•  Two school districts in Illinois are being sued for failing to protect a child from sexual abuse.

• Michael Egan, previously a child actor, has filed lawsuits alleging sexual abuse when he was a minor against director Brian Singer and Garth Ancier, Gary Goddard, and David Neuman. Egan says there is a "sex ring" in Hollywood through which minors are abused. You may recall that Corey Feldman made the same claim some years ago. Egan says additional lawsuits will be filed in the coming weeks.

California Governor vetoes bill extending statute of limitations against Church but not against public schools

A short time ago California legislators sent Senate Bill 131 to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown that would lift the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases against children involving Catholic priests, but the same legislation would not the lift that statute in cases of sexual abuse against minors involving others:

The current bill from Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, would have lifted the statute of limitations for a group of alleged victims who are 26 or older and missed the previous window [the statute of limitations had already been lifted in such cases in 2002] to file lawsuits because of time and age restrictions.

Catholic Church leaders, including the Diocese of Monterey, and representatives of other organizations in opposition, such as private schools and the State Alliance of YMCAs, said the proposal to allow claims is unfair because it does not allow accusers to sue public institutions [more].

Governor Brown courageously and rationally vetoed the legislation for the very reason the Church and other organizations opposed its passage.  In his veto statement he said:

This bill does not change a victim's ability to sue a perpetrator.  This bill also does not change the significant inequity that exists between private and public entities.  What this bill does do is go back to the only group, i.e. private institutions that have already been subjected to the unusual "one year revival period" and makes them, and them alone, subject to suit indefinitely.  This extraordinary extension of the statute of limitations, which legislators chose not to apply to public institutions, is simply too open-ended and unfair.

The discrimination between public and private institutions in California law has a long history and allows victims to sue the Catholic Church but not the public school system, a history which Governor Brown explores in his statement and calls "unreasonable, if not shocking."

It's about time

I'm glad CNN is finally covering a story I covered last December.

It's not just a Catholic problem

Back in August I posted an article describing a conference aimed at normalizing and de-criminalizing pedophilia on the part of psychologists and others who argue pedophilia is not immoral but only a way of showing love:

The August 17 Baltimore conference is sponsored by B4U-ACT, a group of pro-pedophile mental health professionals and sympathetic activists. According to the conference brochure, the event will examine “ways in which minor-attracted persons [pedophiles] can be involved in the DSM 5 revision process” and how the popular perceptions of pedophiles can be reframed to encourage tolerance.

Lest anyone think this group acts alone, the government of Greece has now added pedophilia to its list of "disabilities".  Where is the public outcry about this?

In related news, officials in Australia are reporting an increasing number of cases of children sexually abusing children which is believed to be a result of pornography:

VICTORIAN children as young as five are being referred to specialist programs to address sexually abusive behaviour - and the number of minors exhibiting such behaviour is exploding.

The availability of pornography through portable devices drastically affects a child's understanding of acceptable sexual behaviour, according to experts, and is being blamed for the rapid escalation in cases.

No doubt the scope of this serious problem extends far beyond Victoria.

Child sexual abuse: It's not just a Catholic problem

The other day Deacon Kandra linked to an article by the Los Angeles Times about pedophilia in Hollywood (with my emphases and comments):

Advocates and professionals who work with victims of child sexual abuse say predators exploit the glittery lure of Hollywood to prey on aspiring actors or models. They assert that the problem is more widespread than the industry is willing to acknowledge and have called for tougher laws and better screening of those who represent or work with children (where is the author's - and society's - outrage about this?).

"Unlike other settings, such as Little League, Scouts, day care and school volunteers, where adults who have unsupervised access to children are required to comply with fingerprinting requirements, there are no such standards in the entertainment industry (this is simply shocking and inexcusable)," said Paula Dorn, co-founder of the BizParentz Foundation, a nonprofit group for families of child actors.
.... 

The recent arrests prompted a bill, expected to be filed this month with the California Assembly, that would require licensing and criminal background checks for those who work with actors under age 16 (why is the age not under 18, so as to cover work with all minors?  Clearly, Hollywood has learned nothing from what the Church has done). It would prohibit registered sex offenders from serving as child managers, photographers, career counselors or publicists.Experts say addressing the problem is overdue. 

.... 

"This is just like the Catholic Church pretending that priests never molested people in the past," said Dr. Daniel D. Broughton, a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic and expert on child sexual abuse. "What's surprising to me is why it hasn't come out even stronger and sooner."

Dr. Broughton is right: it's very surprising and inexcusable that this scourge in Hollywood has not yet been addressed, particularly considering the news stories that circulated when Corey Feldman described pedophilia as "Hollywood's biggest problem" in August of 2011.  Curiously, Feldman was not mentioned in the LA Times' article.

Carl Olson isn't surprised that Hollywood has until now done nothing to address the scourge of the sexual abuse of childen:

Part of the problem is obvious: journalists and writers who cover Hollywood rely on connections and relationships with insiders to get scoops, exclusive information and special access. That means, um, cozying up to those who control the doors and corridors of Tinsil Town. Researching stories on abuse, molestation, and related evils surely raises red flags on the part of those with a vested interest in keeping such filth under wraps. There has been much written over the years about the secrecy and stonewalling within the Catholic Church. But that is hardly a trademark of Catholics; covering up sin is the natural instinct of sinners who refuse to admit their sins. The surprise, really, is that any sane person might think Hollywood is somehow free and clear of such sickness. 

One third of accusations of sexual abuse against Boston priests were false

David Pierre, who recently published Double Standard: Abuse Scandals and the Attack on the Catholic Church and Catholic Priests Falsely Accused: The Facts, the Fraud, the Stories, sat down for an interview with Catholic World Report that is well worth your reading.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview that are particularly good:

Indeed, the inordinate amount of media coverage has enabled the Church to shine a light on the “filth” (the term of Pope Benedict) that infected it and rid itself of an atrocious problem. The harm to victims has been immeasurable, and we must not forget this.On the other hand, Catholics are justified in being upset with the media’s coverage of this narrative.

and

The most obvious example of this double standard is with the public school system. Even the education establishment has acknowledged that it has a serious problem in dealing with child molesters. Education Week, the leading education periodical, has reported that the practice of “passing the trash”—quietly shuffling an accused molester from one school to another—is “no secret” in education circles.

and

Indeed, there is a double standard. Recently there have been a number of alarming news reports indicating that the Hollywood community has a very serious child abuse problem on its hands. Veteran actor Corey Feldman recently proclaimed, “The number-one problem in Hollywood is pedophilia.”Well, where are the breathless cries in the media for accountability? Where is the outrage over“cover-ups”? Where are the angry demands that Hollywood studios install tougher screening policies? Where are the ultimatums that studios implement “abuse review boards”?

and

Another section of that report chronicled an early 1990s study that revealed that zero of 225 cases of teacher sex abuse in New York were reported to police. Two hundred and twenty-five abusers. None of them reported to police. By all measures, this would be defined as a cover-up. Yet the media has never seemed too motivated to follow up on this.

Be sure to read the entire interview.

A papal mission

In a move that should underscore the seriousness with which Pope Benedict XVI has worked to address the scourge of clerical sexual abuse, particularly in Ireland, the Holy Father will, in a short time, ordain Archbishop-Elect Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.  At the same time, he will also ordain Archbishop-Elect Marek Solczynski, Apostolic Nuncio to Georgia and Armenia, whose episcopal ordination will, sadly, likely be overshadowed.

As I understand it, after he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop-Elect Brown requested episcopal ordaination at the hands of the Holy Father, with whom he had closely worked in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Since an Apostolic Nuncio is the Pope's personal representative of the Holy Father to foreign governments, it is especially poignant that the Pope himself will ordain his Nuncio to Ireland, which is suffering so terribly from the revelations of clerical sexual abuse.  Pope Benedict's decision to personally ordain Archbishop-elect Brown should demonstrate clearly his concern for the faithful of Ireland and his desire to continue to set things right.

As I consider the significance of today's ordination, I am reminded of days gone by when bishops were more routinely sent directly by the Pope in response to specific crises and for specific missions.  I am especially reminded of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, whom Pope Saint Gregory the Great personally sent to England in 595 to introduce to the Anglo-Saxons the Christian faith.

Archbishop-elect Brown will likewise have a specific mission as he is personally sent by Pope Benedict XVI to Ireland, a similar task as was given by the Lord to Saint Francis of Assisi: to rebuild a church that has fallen into ruin.

Why is this not all over the news?

On December 11, 2011, the New York Post reported a troubling account of an Orthodox rabbi who has been indicted for child sexual abuse:

In 1985, Avrohom Mondrowitz — a Hasidic “therapist” working in Brooklyn — was indicted for abusing five young boys. Police suspected he abused well over 100 more.

Mondrowitz fled to Israel, where he remains a free man to this day.

Even more troubling is the news published the same day that the Orthodox Jewish Liaison for the Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Hynes,

not alert the press on most arrests. It refused to name 85 Orthodox molesters arrested since the program started in January 2009, saying that might reveal victim identities.

Also that same day, a story was published on the 85 molesters (a few of whom are named) involving 117 victimes.

Yet none of this has covered the headlines across the nation with the time it warrants.  Why?  When will our nation and our people get serious about addressing the scourge of sexual abuse that runs rampant like the plague?

Writing for The Vatican Insider, Marco Tosatti quotes TheMediaReport.com on these stories that still have not been reported in the New York Times (emphases Tosatti's):

However, the one news outlet where you will not find any information on this, is the New York Times, even if these disgusting crimes occurred in its own backyard. Is this another case of “not the Catholic Church”? It seems so. The Times has never been shy in trumpeting cases, attaching allegations of abuse by Catholic priests that took place decades ago. Just last week, for example, it wrote an unconfirmed story about an archbishop in Ireland, who died in 1973, had been accused of abuse years after his death. A clear case of double standards? Certainly. We must truly seek justice and compassion for the sexual abuses of priests. But we demand fairness, justice and perspective in reporting on the abuses of the Catholic Church. And the New York Times still does not do any of this.

Surprising news

Today I read the surprising news that lawmakers in New York will consider lifting the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases in the wake of the increasing scandal with Sandusky and others.

This is good news and should be a help toward addressing this serious plague on society, but only if they do it properly.  Keeping the statute of limitations in effect for public schools is a serious mistake and an affront on justice.

Anti-Catholicism is alive and well

The Creative Minority Report points out the obvious anti-Catholic bias of the USA Today in it's headline regarding this morning's news of Penn State that in no way involves the Catholic Church.

I've been complaining about this bias for a long time and calling for the media to report accurately, as they claim to do.

Perhaps Matthew Archibold puts it best when he asks, "Why report facts when Catholic-bashing is so much easier?"

Sexual abuse in Great Britain's Islamic schools

Marco Tosati has written a piece examing child sexual abuse in the Islamic community in Great Britain, a topic that is receiving little attention by society as a whole.

The current situation is not insignificant:

Islamic schools in Britain, known as “madrasas” are faced with more than 400 allegations of sexual abuse over the past three years, according to a survey performed by the BBC, but only a very small number of these led to a successful formal legal inquiry. The situation brought about the need for a statute to formally regulate the activities of these schools, which greet approximately 250 thousand Muslim children every day for lessons on the Koran. The situation is so serious that the President of the Commission of Mosques and National Council of Imams stated that he would address the issue as a matter of urgency [emphases original].

Note well: that's 400+ cases in only the past three years.

Of a total 421 cases of abuse, only 10 were presented in court.  In 2009, there were 89 cases of sexual abuse; in 2010, there were 178 cases; in 2011 (which has, obviously, not yet come to a close), there have been 146 cases and may reach 200 by the end of the year.

With so many cases, one might well think this would merit the attention and coverage of the media.

It might be argued that this situation is in Britain so the American media wouldn't cover it.  By the American media did cover the abuse crisis in Ireland so that argument doesn't hold much water.

Could the media have covered the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church so thoroughly because of the cover up by some bishops and priests?  Perhaps, but there also seems to be some level of a cover up here:

A problem within the problem is the behaviour of the communities and families of children that are victims of the abuse. Very often, families were strongly pressured not to file claims to the Courts, or even to lodge protests or formal complaints at schools. And according to a judge the numbers only represent the tip of the iceberg of a problem that is in fact much greater.

We even know who seems largely responsible for encouraging victims not to present their claims: Mohammed Hanif Khanm.

Where is the media?  Where is society's concern for the safety of the children?  Where is the same anger and outrage hurled at the Catholic Church?

Sex offenders, some against children, now working in healthcare have licenses revoked

This morning the State Journal-Register carries the news from the Associated Press that the State of Illinois has revoked the licenses of thirty-five health care workers (with my emphases):

State officials say they have taken licenses away from 35 doctors, nurses and other health care workers since a new law barring sex offenders from practicing medicine took affect two months ago.The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reported the actions Friday.

The Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington reports those who lost their licenses included doctors who have practiced in the past or were currently practicing in Decatur, Streator, Moline and Carmi. Most of those doctors were convicted of crimes against children.

The law allows state officials to revoke licenses without a hearing.

Some health care workers have filed lawsuits against the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, arguing the law shouldn't apply to them.

Why is this story so brief?  Where is the outrage and the cry for justice?  How long have these people been working as doctors, nurses, etc?  Have they abused any children since they started working as doctors and nurses?  If they are convicted sexual offenders, how did they receive their liceses in the first place?  Is there a cover-up here?  Where is the call for someone's firing?

If these were thirty-five Catholic priests, imagine the very different character of the reporters words.

Irish government to cooperate with Holy Spirit

In the Holy See's response to the Cloyne Report which documented the sad state of clerical abuse in Ireland, it was proposed that the Holy See and the Irish government might engage in a fruitful and constructive dialogue to "work together to ensure that the Church and, indeed, society in general will always be safe for children and young people."

The Irish government has accepted this proposal.

This is welcome news indeed.

Holy See responds to Cloyne report

Today the Holy See issued its response to the Cloyne Report - an investigation into the sexual abuse of minors by Churchmen in Ireland - and the accusations leveled against the Holy See by the Report and by Irish politicians.

The official summary of the report follows, which contains a link to the full English text, with my emphases:

VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, under secretary for Relations with States met this morning with Helena Keleher, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See, and consigned to her the "Holy See's Response to the Irish Government concerning the Cloyne Report".

The Cloyne Report was published by the Commission of Investigation into the Diocese of Cloyne. Eamon Gilmore, Irish deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and trade, in the course of a meeting on 14 July with Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, apostolic nuncio to Ireland, requested him to convey a copy of the report to the Holy See, together with the Irish Government's views on the matters raised, to which the minister requested a response.

Recognising the seriousness of the crimes detailed in the report, which should never have happened within the Church of Jesus Christ, and wishing to respond to the Irish Government's request, the Holy See, after carefully examining the Cloyne Report and considering the many issues raised, has sought to respond comprehensively.

A summary of the response is given below. The full English-language text is available here.

1. General remarks about the Cloyne Report

The Holy See has carefully examined the Cloyne Report, which has brought to light very serious and disturbing failings in the handling of accusations of sexual abuse of children and young people by clerics in the diocese of Cloyne.

The Holy See wishes to state at the outset its profound abhorrence for the crimes of sexual abuse which took place in that diocese and is sorry and ashamed for the terrible sufferings which the victims of abuse and their families have had to endure within the Church of Jesus Christ, a place where this should never happen. It is very concerned at the findings of the Commission concerning grave failures in the ecclesiastical governance of the diocese and the mishandling of allegations of abuse. It is particularly disturbing that these failures occurred despite the undertaking given by the bishops and religious superiors to apply the guidelines developed by the Church in Ireland to help ensure child protection and despite the Holy See's norms and procedures relating to cases of sexual abuse. However, the approach taken by the Church in Ireland in recent times to the problem of child sexual abuse is benefiting from ongoing experience and proving more and more effective in preventing the recurrence of these crimes and in dealing with cases as they arise.

2. Issues raised by the Cloyne Report

The Holy See's Response addresses in detail the various charges made against it, which seem to be based primarily on the Cloyne Report's account and assessment of the letter addressed to the Irish bishops on 31 January 1997 by the then apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Luciano Storero, concerning the response of the Congregation for the Clergy to the document "Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response" (the Framework Document). The Commission of Inquiry asserts that this response gave comfort to those who dissented from the stated official Church policy and was unsupportive especially in relation to reporting to the civil authorities.

The Holy See wishes to state the following in relation to the response of the Congregation for the Clergy:

The Congregation described the Framework Document as a "study document" on the basis of information provided by the Irish bishops, who described the text not as an official document of the Irish Bishops' Conference, but, rather, as a "report" of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by Priests and Religious, recommended "to individual dioceses and congregations as a framework for addressing the issue of child sexual abuse".

The Irish bishops never sought the "recognitio" of the Holy See for the Framework Document, which, in accordance with canon 455 of the Code of Canon Law, would have been required only if they intended it to be a general decree of the conference binding on all its members. However, the lack of "recognitio" itself did not preclude the application of the document's guidelines, since individual bishops could adopt them without having to refer to the Holy See. This is, in fact, what generally happened in Ireland.

The Irish bishops consulted the congregation to resolve difficulties relating to some of the content of the Framework Document. The congregation offered advice to the bishops with a view to ensuring that the measures which they intended to apply would prove effective and unproblematic from a canonical perspective. For this reason, the congregation drew attention to the requirement that these measures should be in harmony with canonical procedures in order to avoid conflicts that could give rise to successful appeals in Church tribunals. The congregation did not reject the Framework Document. Rather, it wanted to ensure that the measures contained in the Framework Document would not undermine the bishops' efforts to discipline those guilty of child abuse in the Church. At the same time, it is important to bear in mind the decision of the Holy See in 1994 to grant special provisions to the bishops of the United States to deal with child sexual abuse in the Church. These provisions were extended to the bishops of Ireland in 1996 to assist them to overcome difficulties that they were experiencing at that time (cf. part six of the response).

Meeting canonical requirements to ensure the correct administration of justice within the Church in no way precluded co-operation with the civil authorities. The Congregation for the Clergy did express reservations about mandatory reporting, but it did not forbid the Irish bishops from reporting accusations of child sexual abuse nor did it encourage them to flout Irish law. In this regard, the then prefect of the congregation, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, in his meeting with the Irish bishops at Rosses Point, County Sligo (Ireland), on 12 November 1998 unequivocally stated: "I also wish to say with great clarity that the Church, especially through its pastors (bishops), should not in any way put an obstacle in the legitimate path of civil justice, when such is initiated by those who have such rights, while at the same time, she should move forward with her own canonical procedures, in truth, justice and charity towards all". It should be noted that, at the time, not only the Church but also the Irish State was engaged in efforts to improve its own legislation on child sexual abuse. To this end, the Irish government organized an extensive consultation on mandatory reporting in 1996 and, after taking into account the reservations expressed by various professional groups and individuals in civil society - views broadly in line with those expressed by the congregation - it decided not to introduce mandatory reporting into the Irish legal system. Given that the Irish government of the day decided not to legislate on the matter, it is difficult to see how Archbishop Storero's letter to the Irish bishops, which was issued subsequently, could possibly be construed as having somehow subverted Irish law or undermined the Irish State in its efforts to deal with the problem in question.

3. Issues raised by Irish political leaders

The Holy See wishes to state the following in relation to some of the reactions of Irish political leaders:

While the Holy See understands and shares the depth of public anger and frustration at the findings of the Cloyne Report, which found expression in the speech made by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, in Dail Eireann on 20 July 2011, it has significant reservations about some aspects of the speech. In particular, the accusation that the Holy See attempted "to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago" is unfounded. Indeed, when asked, a government spokesperson clarified that Mr Kenny was not referring to any specific incident.

In fact, accusations of interference by the Holy See are belied by the many reports cited as the basis for such criticisms. Those reports - lauded for their exhaustive investigation of sexual abuse and the way it was managed - contain no evidence that the Holy See meddled in the internal affairs of the Irish State or was involved in the day-to-day management of Irish dioceses or religious congregations with respect to sexual abuse issues. Indeed, what is impressive about these reports, and the vast information that they rely upon, is that there is no support for these accusations.

In this regard, the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that it in no way hampered or sought to interfere in any inquiry into cases of child sexual abuse in the diocese of Cloyne. Furthermore, at no stage did the Holy See seek to interfere with Irish civil law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of its duties.

The Holy See would also point out that the text of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger quoted by Mr Kenny in his speech is taken from No. 39 of the "Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian", published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 24 May 1990. This text is concerned neither with the manner in which the Church should behave within a democratic society nor with issues of child protection, as Mr Kenny's use of the quotation would seem to imply, but with the theologian's service to the Church community.
In his meeting with the apostolic nuncio, Eamon Gilmore deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and trade, stated that "among the most disturbing of the findings of the Cloyne report is that the Vatican authorities undermined the Irish Church's own efforts to deal with clerical child sexual abuse by describing the framework document adopted by the bishops' conference as a mere 'study document'". As is made clear in the Holy See's response this description was based on the explanations of its nature as provided by the Irish bishops and in the published text itself. In no way was it a dismissal of the serious efforts undertaken by the Irish bishops to address the scourge of child sexual abuse.

With regard to the motion passed in Dail Eireann on 20 July 2011, and by Seanad Eireann a week later, deploring "the Vatican's intervention which contributed to the undermining of the child protection framework and guidelines of the Irish State and the Irish bishops" the Holy See wishes to clarify that at no stage did it make any comment about the Irish State's child protection measures, let alone seek to undermine them. The Holy See observes that there is no evidence cited anywhere in the Cloyne Report to support the claim that its supposed "intervention" contributed to their "undermining". As for those of the Irish bishops, the response offers sufficient clarifications to show that these were in no way undermined by any intervention of the Holy See.

4. Concluding remarks

In its response, the Holy See offers a presentation of the Church's approach to child protection, including the relevant canonical legislation, and refers to the Holy Father's "Letter to the Catholics of Ireland", published on 19 March 2010, in which Pope Benedict indicates his expectation that the Irish bishops will co-operate with the civil authorities, to implement fully the norms of canon law and to ensure the full and impartial application of the child safety norms of the Church in Ireland.

The publication of the Cloyne Report marks a further stage in the long and difficult path of ascertaining the truth, of penance and purification, and of healing and renewal of the Church in Ireland. The Holy See does not consider itself extraneous to this process but shares in it in a spirit of solidarity and commitment.

In a spirit of humility, the Holy See, while rejecting unfounded accusations, welcomes all objective and helpful observations and suggestions to combat with determination the appalling crime of sexual abuse of minors. The Holy See wishes to state once again that it shares the deep concern and anxiety expressed by the Irish authorities, by Irish citizens in general and by the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of Ireland with regard to the criminal and sinful acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy and religious. It also recognises the understandable anger, disappointment and sense of betrayal of those affected - particularly the victims and their families - by these vile and deplorable acts and by the way in which they were sometimes handled by Church authorities, and for all of this it wishes to reiterate its sorrow for what happened. It is confident that the measures which the Church has introduced in recent years at a universal level, as well as in Ireland, will prove more effective in preventing the recurrence of these acts and contribute to the healing of those who suffered abuse and to the restoration of mutual confidence and collaboration between Church and State authorities, which is essential for the effective combating of the scourge of abuse. Naturally, the Holy See is well aware that the painful situation to which the episodes of abuse have given rise cannot be resolved swiftly or easily, and that although much progress has been made, much remains to be done.

Since the early days of the Irish State and especially since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1929, the Holy See has always respected Ireland's sovereignty, has maintained cordial and friendly relations with the country and its authorities, has frequently expressed its admiration for the exceptional contribution of Irish men and women to the Church's mission and to the betterment of peoples throughout the world, and has been unfailing in its support of all efforts to promote peace on the island during the recent troubled decades. Consistent with this attitude, the Holy See wishes to reaffirm its commitment to constructive dialogue and co-operation with the Irish government, naturally on the basis of mutual respect, so that all institutions, whether public or private, religious or secular, may work together to ensure that the Church and, indeed, society in general will always be safe for children and young people.
OP/ VIS 20110903 (2360)

Illinois paid convicted sex offenders to babysit children

Many within the media have criticized the actions of certain Churchmen for a lack of due diligence and caution in regards to the sexual abuse of abuse, but, I wonder: will the same media persons and outlets criticize - and even condemn - the State of Illinois for paying sex offenders to babysit children?

Sadly, I do not expect they will; after all, this story does not involve the Catholic Church and everyone knows the sexual abuse of children only occurs in the Catholic Church, right?

The Chicago Tribune has been updating their story this morning which has already undergone several name changes, so I will provide you with the coverage from the Daily Mail (with my emphases and comments):

Convicted rapists, child molesters and other violent felons have been paid [by the State of Illinois] to babysit the children of poor families.

The government programme has given sex offenders access to the children over the past decade [where is the outrage and the calls for firings, trials, imprisonments, etc.?], while paying them as much as $5,000 each in public money.

The money comes from a $750 million-a-year program that subsidises child care for more than 150,000 impoverished Illinois families.

The Child Care Assistance Program program, has come under scrutiny before, A law passed in 2009 forced the state's Department of Human Services to do a better job of vetting potential participants [So there's a history here and still no real outrage or condemnation of those involved?  We aren't even given the names of the officials involved.  Could this not be a cover-up?].

The aim was to prevent convicted rapists — like a man who earned $5,000 baby-sitting two children over a two-year period — from taking part.

But it took nearly 18 months to start the improved vetting procedures [this is simply inexcusable!], an investigation by the Chicago Tribune found.

Even today there are not sufficient safeguards to prevent people who live in homes with sex offenders and other felons from participating, the newspaper found.
State officials, after learning of the findings, have vowed to implement further reforms, the paper reported.
Republican Senator Matt Murphy said: 'You are talking about not only the state sanctioning, but the state creating an economic incentive for someone with a criminal record to be in a room with a kid.' '[So that State is providing the opportunity for the exploitation of children?]That's frankly not a situation that I find acceptable.'

Supporters say there are no problems with the vast majority of those who participate in the program [So they're ignoring the problem?].

Maria Whelan, the president of the non-profit Illinois Action for Children said: 'This is a program that is absolutely essential if we are going to, with a straight face, tell families that if they work and if they continue to develop themselves, we can help them make a difference for their families.'

The Department of Human Services did not do full background checks on sitters and instead depended on an honour system where it relied on criminals and sex offenders to be honest when applying for jobs with the programme [Have they learned nothing from the media's focus on the Catholic Church and from the John Jay Report?].
Cornelius Osborne had been convicted of raping two women and had been to prison repeatedly for a succession of felonies, from robbery to failing to register as a sex offender, state records show.
But when he filled in an application to babysit his sister's children he did not declare the full extent of his criminal record.
His response showed 'drug trafficking' but he didn't mention prison stints for rape, robbery and kidnapping which would have disqualified him from benefiting from the scheme.

The state did not check Osborne's record and over more than two years, the state paid Osborne nearly $5,000 [At the very least this should qualify for a charge of endangerment of children.  Where are the lawyers?  Where is Mr. Anderson?]. Eventually another conviction — for dealing drugs — put him back behind bars.

Darron Walker spent more than a dozen years in prison for his role an attempted sexual assault and a homicide, according to court records.

Yet the Department of Human Services sent him more than $3,600 in checks from 2006 to 2008 to care for a child who was not a relative, according to state and court records.
Officials later discovered Walker was a registered sex offender, and the agency sued him, demanding he pay back the money.