Ruling on clergy abuse may yield new cases

In some cases, the crimes happened so long ago that criminal charges were out of the question. Statutes of limitations — time limits for prosecution — were a roadblock to many attorneys wanting jail-time for abusive priests.

But some attorneys — among them St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce — began to look for ways to file charges.

Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled that no statute of limitations existed to bar Joyce's prosecution of a priest accused of child sex abuse in the late 1970s.

As the article states, all of this hinges on the proper interpretation of the meaning of "or" and "during". A way was 'found' to get around the statute of limitations.

In 2002, Joyce charged [priest Thomas] Graham under a 1969 law that says anyone convicted of "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" can be given two years to life in prison. Because the code does not specify a time limit on prosecution, Joyce argued that the statute of limitations must be determined by the sentencing options.

Until crime code changes in 1979, Missouri law explicitly gave no statute of limitations for crimes punishable by "death or by imprisonment in the penitentiary during life." Most at issue in the code are the words "during" and "or."

The panel's July 6 opinion found that "during life" meant a life sentence. And "or" meant the crime did not have to have both the death penalty and life imprisonment as a sentencing option.

Thus, sodomy, for which an offender could receive two years to life in prison, has the same statute of limitations as does murder, which allows for both a life sentence or the death penalty.

Setting aside the statute of limitations issue for a moment, one thing I noticed immediately was that sodomy is referred to as "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" and it was punishable from 2 years to life.

One wonders, considering the relentless push for homosexual "unions", if sodomy, primarily practiced by homosexual males, is still "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" as it was before 1979 when Missouri crime code changes occurred or if it is now viewed as "loving and life-giving relationship" by the Missouri statutes - I guess I should check that out...

Anyway, as anyone who studied civics in high school may remember, there are valid and compelling reasons for statutes of limitations. "Memories fade. Documents are lost. People disappear."

On the other hand, David Clohessy of SNAP argues that:

[V]ictims frequently sit in silence. They are often convinced that the abuse isn't actually abuse. Sometimes they block out the incidents altogether.

"They don't understand first that it's abuse, second that they're being harmed," Anderson said. "It takes them time to come forward to report it, to take legal action."

Time limits are imposed for most crimes to avoid the "he said, she said" conundrum, especially when there is little or no physical evidence.

Some expect the ruling to be overturned on appeal - others are confident it will stand. I guess now we wait and see.

Article here.

Bishop DiLorenzo not ready to support diocese split

In a reversal of his predecessor’s position, newly installed Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo has decided not to support a proposal to split the Richmond diocese and create a new Catholic diocese with Hampton Roads at its core.

“The decision to split the diocese comes from a recommendation of the diocesan bishop, and he is not convinced it needs to be done, and he is not recommending it be done,” said Robin A. Price , a spokeswoman for DiLorenzo and managing editor of The Catholic Virginian, the diocesan newspaper.

Link

Spanish sect leader says he is the real Pope

Papal pretender "Gregorio XVII" is leader of a self-styled church in Spain who says God crowned him after Pope Paul VI's 1978 death, that Satan controls the Vatican and that the devil will crucify him at the start of an apocalyptic end of an era.

"Rome...is no longer the capital of Christianity; the new Rome is the Sacred Place of El Palmar de Troya," a booklet from Gregorio's church quotes God as telling him.

Article

In 1980 'pope Gregorio' introduced 'palmarian rite' of Mass, which includes almost only the Consecration. During next few years he changed all rites. New ones are probably invalid.

We should also carefully examine so-called 'Palmarian Catechism'. The catechism teaches that in the Holy Mass are two sacrifices - the Christ's one and the Mary's one. 'Pope Gregorio' says also that the Mary's body and blood are present in the Holy Communion and that we receive a bit of her blood during Baptism. He thinks that somewhere in the Space there is a place kept away from the first human sin - he calls it the Planet of Mary. On the other hand there is also a place where one can't hope for salvation - the Planet of Antichrist.

Creatures, who live on the Planet of Antichrist come from the fourth dimension, and people who live in the Planet of Mary, including Eliash, Henoh, Moises and saint John, look at the Space from the eight dimension. During the Armageddon people from the Planet of Mary will come back on Earth to help us in the battle.

On the other hand we should remember that the 'Palmarian Catechism' clearly reaffirms main evangelical principles, forgotten by so many modern 'neochristians'.

Source...

Archbishop Chaput: SSPX barred from shrine

The Denver Roman Catholic Archdiocese again has rebuffed a breakaway traditionalist Catholic church that wanted to end a two-day, 50-mile pilgrimage with a Mass at a mountaintop shrine west of Denver.

The pastor of Mission of St. Isidore the Farmer several weeks ago asked the archdiocese to approve an Aug. 7 Mass at the Mother of Cabrini shrine, which towers over Interstate 70 near Golden.

But Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput declined, saying the congregation is out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church and with the archdiocese. An identical request was refused two years ago for the same reasons.

Link...

Diocese of Jefferson City and bishop will pay in abuse cases

The Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City and a former bishop have agreed to pay settlements to two former high school seminarians who allege they were sexually abused while they were students.

The two men had filed suit against the diocese and the Rev. Anthony J. O'Connell, who resigned in March 2002 as bishop in Palm Beach, Fla., after he admitted to having molested a third seminarian. O'Connell was a teacher and rector of the former St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal, Mo., for about 25 years until 1988.

Post Dispatch Link.

Kill scientists, says animal rights chief

A top adviser to Britain's two most powerful animal rights protest groups caused outrage last night by claiming that the assassination of scientists working in biomedical research would save millions of animals' lives.

Article

Satanism Linked to Priest's Murder in Chilean Cathedral

Assailant Invoked Devil's Name, Says Servite Superior

Cardinal Arinze Outlines Pope's Contributions on Liturgy and Eucharist

This is another article of Cardinal Arinze's talk in Pittsburgh.

The centrality of the liturgy, with the Eucharistic sacrifice as its apex, is one of key reasons why John Paul II's pontificate stands out, according to Cardinal Francis Arinze.

The prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments recently spoke on the Pope's teachings on the sacred liturgy and the Eucharist to more than 300 attendees at Christendom College's Summer Institute, which was entitled "Confronting the Culture of Death: John Paul II's Prophetic Vision for the Renewal of Christian Culture."

Zenit link

“The Passion” for Christians Only in Malaysia

After box-office records in the Arab world, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ will soon be released in Malaysia, but for “Christian eyes only.” Some months ago Catholics and Protestants were worried that the Film Censorship Board might block its release, but following the intervention of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the movie was approved for “Christians only,” for viewing “at designated cinemas,” and without prior advertising.

Link.

A Lucid Response to a 'Confused' Commonweal Author

Fr Rob Johansen has an excellent article, clarifying the Church's teaching and shedding much needed light on the confusion regarding the "persistent vegetative state". This is one of the best articles I have read on the subject!
Link here.

Science and Vatican Agree: Cognitively Disabled Can Recover

On September 11, 2001, while the world was riveted to the sight of two planes crashing into the World Trade Towers, a 60-year-old Missouri man was fighting for his life in a St. Louis hospital. Hit by a truck, he suffered massive head injuries and was flown to a state-of-the-art intensive care unit where doctors applied every ounce of their skill to save his life.

Three days later, he was still alive, but in a coma and breathing only with the aid of ventilator. Doctors saw little hope that he would recover and recommended that the family withdraw treatment and let him die. They refused.

"When the family wouldn't withdraw treatment, the hospital told them they had to put him somewhere else because he was never going to recover," said ex-trauma nurse and spokesperson for the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses, Nancy Valko. "They told the family he was going to die. He would never get off the ventilator. There was absolutely no chance of recovery."

The man was transferred to a nursing home, where patients are likely to receive little or no rehabilitative help. Thankfully, Valko visited him weekly and, together with the family, employed nothing more than a few simple sensory stimulation techniques she learned on the job. Ever so gradually, they began to see signs of awakening. "By Thanksgiving, the man was awake and talking and able to start eating by mouth," Valko said. "He's made a full recovery."

Valko is one of many in the medical profession who greeted the pope's recent statement about the ethical care of persons in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) with tears of joy rather than outright derision.

Good article...

Seattle: a longtime liberal archdiocese leans right

When John Barnes heard Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett declare this week that it was impossible for Roman Catholic politicians to keep the faith and support abortion rights, he cheered.

My first thought was, it's about time," said Barnes, a member of St. Cecelia Catholic Church in Stanwood. "It's long overdue."

Yes...about 30 years overdue in many places...But...

Carrie Sheehan, who worshipped at St. Joseph Church in Seattle for 44 years but no longer attends, said her greatest disappointment is the current divergence from the liberalizing reforms of Vatican II -- particularly with regard to women's involvement.

Still waiting for women priestesses? The liberalizing reforms of Vatican II are there if one submits oneself to the "authentic" affirmations of the council, such as that of laity's obligation to confront and change the world...And she no longer attends Mass - this is what decades of defective catechesis has wrought.

"There was this tremendous hopefulness for a whole new openness, but no -- it's still just a male hierarchy," she said.

As it always has been and always will be, just as Christ ordained it. The hopefulness is in Christ and Him crucified, and the Church and sacraments are His channels of grace for us. One must look with humility, docility, and obedience to the Church and the Holy Father as our sure guides in fulfilling our hopes to be in union with Christ.

While Sheehan, a 75-year-old mother of seven, considers herself a loyal, lifelong Catholic, none of her eight grandchildren has been baptized.

"The old me would have agonized over that," she said. "But I see that they are still beautiful, spiritual people and the church doesn't speak to their values."

But now, there is no agony because she and many others have been mislead by those who bring division into the Church, acting as agents of the evil one. She may consider herself a loyal Catholic, but the fact that she is now comfortable that none of her grandchildren have been baptized reflects an abandonment of the faith and a lack of concern for the eternal life and happiness with God of her own family. How truly sad these situations are - the complete and utter disregard for the spiritual welfare of one's family members.

It seems many have fallen into apostacy and are not even aware of it, because true charity has been lost or denied - that love by which people are counseled with the truth and prayerfully led toward the path of eternal life.

We must continue to pray for the Holy Father, our bishops, priests and religious, and for all so that we may be more receptive to the graces God bestows on us in order to that we may do His will rather than our own will.

Article.

The Paulist Center, where people who hate the Church go to church

There are no kneelers in the church and the atmosphere is decidedly casual. (Of the hundred or so people at Mass on Sunday morning, only two men wore coat and tie.) At times the Mass departs from the Catholic text. During the Nicene Creed, for example, the sections on believing in only "one Lord" ("We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God . . .") and only "one holy Catholic and apostolic Church" are excised from the prayer.

On the back of the Sunday bulletin, the Paulist Center carries ads, like all Catholic churches do. Where most Churches have ads from local florists, funeral homes, hotels, and restaurants, the Paulist Center carries ads for the Animal Rescue League and "Yoga of the Future." The biggest block of ads is from psychotherapists. More than a fifth of the ads in the Paulist Center bulletin are from "Jungian psychoanalysts" who offer counseling, "body psychotherapy," and even "dream interpretation."

The people who come to the Paulist Center aren't your typical Catholics. "The congregation is not geographical, but ideological...

The ideology which brings people to the Paulist Center is best explained by the Center's Mission Statement which declares, "Attentive to the Holy Spirit, we are a Catholic community that welcomes all, liberates the voice of each and goes forth to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Before Mass, this Mission Statement is projected, in large type, onto the wall above the alter, on either side of the statue of Christ.) In their Vision Statement, the Center goes on to explain that they aspire to serve "those persons searching for a spiritual home and those who have been alienated from the Catholic Church."

It should come as no surprise, then that Fr. John Ardis has been invited to the give the invocation at the Democratic convention...Evidently, he is an expert at confirming people in their errors and sins. No fraternal correction is allowed here unless, of course, one happens to be faithful to the teachings of the Church.

Article.

When shepherds vacillate, the sheep stray.

The numbers prove that if every Catholic voter, acting on an informed conscience, refused to vote for any politician — Democrat, Republican or independent — who supports abortion, the scourge could be eliminated almost overnight.

A Catholic bloc vote against abortion would stun the Democratic Party into renouncing its abortion platform and serve notice to the wobbly Republicans, especially their Catholic sell-outs.

Beyond John Kerry, the bishops have a lot of work to do with the flock. The unanswered questions are: Do they recognize it, and do they have the will?

When Bishops Fear to Lead.

Archbishop O'Malley not invited to offer blessing for Democrats

In a break from past practice, the Democratic Party is not inviting the archbishop of Boston to offer a blessing at the Democratic National Convention, but instead is inviting a Paulist priest who has taken Senator John F. Kerry's side in a national debate over whether politicians who support abortion rights should receive Communion.

The Kerry campaign said last night it is seeking to have the Rev. John B. Ardis, director of the Paulist Center, deliver an invocation at the convention. The Paulist Center is on Beacon Hill, where Kerry lives, and the senator and his wife have often worshiped at the chapel there.

One wonders just exactly who or what they 'worship' at the chapel....

Article here.

Cardinal Arinze captivates audience

Cardinal Francis Arinze, one of the most powerful men at the Vatican, is known for an acerbic wit in defense of church teachings.

He did not disappoint 112 people who had paid $250 to hear him at a benefit dinner in the LeMont restaurant Friday night, where miniature papal flags on toothpicks decorated their creme brulee. But Arinze was as critical of conservative Catholic foibles as of liberal ones, and his descriptions of his own work were charmingly self-effacing.

Arinze spoke for an hour, drawing rave reviews.

"He made the complicated issues of faith very clear and very joyful," said the Rev. Joe Codori, parochial vicar at St. Theresa of Avila in Perrysville.

Article here.

Eucharistic Congress Planned in Washington

A Eucharistic Congress planned for Sept. 24-25, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, takes its theme from John Paul II's 2003 encyclical.

Speakers at the congress will include Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C.; Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments; Cardinals James Francis Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary; and Sister Nirmala, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity.

The CMSWR (The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious) Web site has a link for those who want to register for the congress, or to obtain information.

Zenit Article

Kerry Thinking on Abortion Same as Supreme Court on Allowing Slavery

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry gave an interview on abortion yesterday on ABC news. Host Peter Jennings asked Kerry about his statement that "life begins at conception" to which Kerry responded by drawing a distinction between the beginning of human life and 'personhood'.

What a statement of imbecility! I would imagine that those who are stricken with some sort of debilitating disease or are old and sick lose their 'personhood' at some point also?

Catholic League president William Donohue remarked on Kerry's statements pointing out that in distinguish between human life and personhood, Kerry mirrored the dichotomy that was advanced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 in the Dred Scott decision that legalized slavery. "In that ruling, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote that members of 'the negro race' were 'not regarded as a portion of the people or citizens of the Government.' Similarly, he concluded that 'it is too plain for argument, that they have never been regarded as part of the people or citizens of the State'," said Donohue.

Lifesite Article

Bishops' stances not supported by the Church

Here is another attempt to spin the truth with flawed opinions and previously refuted 'facts'. This article by Jimmy Patterson of the Midlan Reporter-Telegram is laced with error even though he has some truth in it. Not only that, but the innuendos of the article can be seen as attempts to discredit both Archbishop Raymond Burke and Bishop Michael Sheridan.

Was he [Archbishop Burke] in error for acting as judge and jury in a case involving someone's [John Kerry] personal convictions?

The simple answer, which Mr. Patterson fails to note, is no. It is the obligation of the bishop to teach, govern and sanctify, and protecting the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege and protecting the faithful from scandal are duties entrusted to him.

[W]as the archbishop's assertion simply a case of trying to sway his Catholic electorate by casting the Democratic candidate in a negative light?

Had the author read or listened to any of Archbishop Burke's responses over the past several weeks or months, he would not hav had to even ask this question - but - this rhetorical question was asked precisely to cast doubt and confusion among unsuspecting readers.

Whatever the ultimate agendas of these two representatives of the church, local Catholic officials say the statements of the two are theirs alone and insist the church does not practice the withholding of Holy Communion from its faithful because personal beliefs may differ from the dictates handed down by the Vatican.

Here the author is dead wrong...the discipline of the Church demands that Holy Communion be withheld in cases involving obstinate and manifest grave sin. Merely because the discipline has not been enforced, especially here in the US does not mean that the Church condones the failure. This is evident in Cardinal Ratzinger's "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles".

And personal beliefs which are contrary to what the Church proposes for us to believe separate one from communion with the Church - it is a sin against faith. Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God, believe in all that God has said and revealed to us, AND believe in all that the Church proposes for our for our belief, because He is Truth itself (CCC 1814). To reject a truth of the Faith is to reject God. One's personal beliefs, therefore, must be in accord with the teachngs of the Church if one is to remain in communion with Christ and His Church.

The author proceeds to quote both Bishop Michael Pfeifer, of the Diocese of San Angelo, who says he would do things differently, and Fr. Tom Kelley, parish priest at Our Lady of San Juan Catholic Church. Fr. Kelley states,

"I would give him Communion, I wouldn't hesitate. Kerry is not saying he believes in abortion. What he is saying publicly is that he believes in our country and that the United States is based on the Constitution and the decision that everyone has a right to make his or her own decision."

Thankfully, Fr. Kelley is not a bishop and were he to be in a diocese where the bishop stated otherwise, one would hope he would be obedient at least to the bishop since he evidently pays no attention to the Holy See which has stated:

When “these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,” and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, “the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it” (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration “Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics” [2002], nos. 3-4).

The eminent Fr. Kelley proceeds:

Kelley said Burke and Sheridan's views were "out of it, quite frankly."

"If a person came to Communion who really very publicly had caused even a major scandal of some sort, even then (withholding Communion) would be a judgment call. When (Burke) suggests not giving Communion to Kerry, he has made a decision that Kerry has a moral flaw."

The priest is wrong again. As the Holy Father has previously stated and as Cardinal Ratzinger made perfectly clear recently:

This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.

Once again one has to question what, if any, theological education some of our priests and bishops received? It seems that many may have been absent during several of the classes.

Article is here.

Shrine hosts annual Healing Novena

Father Louis Studer and other priests from around the country will preside over the annual Healing Novena July 28 through Aug. 5 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.

Each weekday of the Novena, various speakers will speak on the ministries and mission work of the Missionary Oblates at 10 a.m. in the Shrine Hotel conference room. The rosary will be recited at 3 p.m. each day in the Hotel Chapel.

The evening Novena Masses begin at 7:30 p.m. It is free of charge and open to the public. Participants will be given a complimentary prayer book.

Link