| |
Please send
comments and inquiries to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
"The
Church is not the petrification of what once was,
but its living presence in every age. The Church’s
dimension is therefore the present and the future
no less than the past." Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI
In
this Issue:
VOTF Accountability Campaign Updates and Resources
are drawing more participants. All are welcome
to join local VOTF affiliates on the two-part
Campaign for Accountability. Interested in the
Protect Our Children effort? Click
here to connect
with your VOTF state level contact. For the Financial
Accountability effort, click
here to connect with
VOTF members in your state to join with others
in your area.
- Speaking
of financial accountability, here
are links to the state of affairs in Ohio: www.cleveland.com/abuse; www.toledoblade.com and
go to 'religion'; and www.cincypost.com (go
to the archive section on coverage). Also, in
Cincinnati, CH9
TV has an extensive series of both video
and text articles. For ongoing coverage of bankruptcy
proceedings in Spokane, WA, go to the Spokesman-Review.
- Financial vulnerabilities on the parish level
are well considered by Michael Ryan at www.ChurchSecurity.info
- The cost of care for retired sisters and others
in religious orders threatens to dwarf the cost
of the abuse crisis. See Associated
Press coverage.
National Representative Council Update:
In Region 2 (NY), Ed Wilson has been elected to
replace Mary Pat Fox following her election as
VOTF president; Region 14 (FL, GA, NC, SC) said
farewell to Dee Esteva and Marge Lynch and elected
Doug Roach and Rosa Montenegro; and in Region
6 (MI, OH) former VOTF vice-president Kris Ward
was elected to replace Mary Collingwood who is
returning to doctoral studies. There are pending
elections in Regions 4 (DC, DE, MD, VA) and 7
(IL, IN, WI). Click
here if you don’t know who
your Council representative is.
The nominating committee appointed by the VOTF Board of Trustees has selected John Hushon (DC), Bill Casey (VA), David O’Brien (MA), and Elia Marnik (MA) to serve three-year terms on the Board of Trustees, beginning August 2006. The National Representative Council approved the selection by the nominating committee. They will be joined by NRC members Ron Dubois (Region 1) and Dan Bartley (Region 2) who were recently elected by the NRC to sit on the Board of Trustees.
Diocese/State
Watch: A federal Violence
Against Children Act is gaining momentum; VOTF Boston
has met with Cardinal O’Malley and VOTF Northern
California has met with Abp. Niederauer (San
Francisco); in Ohio, a kickback scheme
unfolds with alarming layers; in Springfield,
IL, “An internal investigation of the Catholic
diocese that includes Madison County acknowledges
that "a culture of secrecy has protected diocese
priests who engaged in sexual and financial
misconduct”; Bishop Walsh (Santa Rosa, CA) whose
delayed response to an admitted abuser priest
gave the priest time to flee the state, issued
an apology; reactions have been mixed. See
Commentary “From
Apology to Justice”.
Parish life update: Catholic
News Service reports: “When a bishop suppresses
a parish, its assets and liabilities must go
to the parish or
parishes that receive the parishioners, not to
the diocese, a top Vatican official said in a
letter to U.S. bishops.” Read
more.
- See
Boston, MA in Diocese/State Watch for “lay
involvement in the selection of a new pastor.”
Protecting
Our Children: An increasing
threat from the internet industry of child abuse
was noted in a New York Times front-page
story on August 21: “What started online almost
two decades ago as a means of swapping child pornography
has transformed in recent years into a more complex
and diversified community that uses the virtual
world to advance its interests in the real one.” Subscribers
can access the whole
story and read VOTF’s
response.
Survivor Community News: In a rare move
by the print media, the Philadelphia Inquirer has
posted on their web site a video produced by SNAP
that features survivors reflecting on their abuse.
The paper also printed a critical letter written
by two attorneys who were assistant DAs involved
in preparing the Philadelphia District Attorney's
Grand Jury Report on the actions of the Philadelphia
Archdiocese and its history of sexual abuse; VOTF
National issued a press
release in support of
the O’Connell family’s efforts in seeking to force
the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to
disclose the names of all proven, admitted and
credibly accused abusive priests; and more.
SAVE the dates: VOTF 2007 National Convention
will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center
in Providence, Rhode Island, October 19-21, 2007 |
Something
to think about: Professor
Daniel C. Maguire at Marquette University has written
a thought-provoking
essay, “The Church IS a Democracy”. In his comments
Maguire quotes theologian Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza: “While
the post-Pauline and post-Petrine writers seek to
limit women’s leadership roles in the Christian community
to roles which are culturally and religiously acceptable,
the evangelists called Mark and John highlight the
alternative character of the Christian community,
and therefore accord women apostolic and ministerial
leadership.” For the entire essay, which argues against
two truisms that threaten to thwart real reform in
areas of clergy sexual abuse, click
here.
BOOK
Notes: Bill
Casey shares some thoughts
on Parker Palmer’s latest book A
Hidden Wholeness, the Journey
Toward an Undivided Life. Parker
Palmer is well known for his
work in education, spirituality
and
social change in institutions. Also note the following.
- The newest Complete Idiot’s Guide
to Understanding Catholicism notes VOTF, listed
after Opus Dei in a chapter titled “It’s a Big Tent”, says: “Apparently
VOTF seems to know its stuff and more than a little
about Church stuff, too.” A concluding statement
reads, “The spirituality of VOTF follows the prophetic
tradition of calling leaders to accountability by
speaking out. It also puts universal values to work
by protecting the most vulnerable in the flock.
Members of VOTF know that whether or not they will
succeed in their goals of establishing dialogue
with bishops and creating accountability by speaking
out they are expressing their faith.”
- Charles Curran’s new book Loyal
Dissent – Memoir
of a Catholic Theologian is available in paperback.
In 1986 Curran was fired from his teaching position
at the Catholic University of America after a finding
by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
that he was “neither suitable nor eligible” to be
a professor of theology. Curran continues to defend
the possibility of legitimate dissent from Church
teachings that fall outside the infallible. A review
of Curran’s book will be in an upcoming Vineyard. If
you get to it first, please let us know at pthorp.ed@votf.org.
SITE-Seeing, Etc.
The Catholic Common Ground Initiative’s 10th
anniversary lecture was delivered on August 11 by the
bishop of Las Cruces, NM Ricardo Ramirez C.S.B. “Building
a Church of Communion” is available here.
A Catholic News Service recap is posted
here.
The “Report Card on Women in the
Church” is
under way and inviting your participation; Gaile Pohlhaus
found a useful internet link for comprehensive
Catholic news and issues coverage; Boston
College has posted its C21
Fall program.
An interesting proposal has produced some sparks
among Catholics worldwide. The conversation is in the
works here.
In the latest issue of Teologia, the Journal
of the Theological Faculty of Milan and Northern Italy, Alberto
Bonandi proposes a new “path” for admitting to communion,
under particular conditions, divorced and remarried
Catholics. Bonandi, a priest of the diocese of Mantua,
teaches fundamental moral theology and is one of the
most authoritative theologians in his field.
Mike Nicholas at VOTF New Zealand (votfnz@yahoo.com.au)
notes an excellent monthly publication Tui Motu, which
means “stitching the islands together” and invites readers
to join discussion of spiritual and social issues in
the light of gospel values. The current issue is on
the Tui Motu web
site.
- Of particular interest is a thoughtful commentary
on the lost history of women in the Church. Read
more.
The
Aug. 14-21 issue of America magazine includes
a commentary “The Way Things Are Going – Should
I leave the Church?” written by a mother whose
daughter is a lesbian. While her pastor has asked
her to stay
in her role as a CCD instructor, parishioners have complained
that she isn’t qualified. There are many parallels to
be drawn from this mother’s experience. Subscribers
may access America online.
Next issue of In the Vineyard: September 7,
2006. |
