Mois : octobre 2023

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Vie de l'église

Synod’s focus on listening may signal power shift in Catholic Church, says sister

Listening is a key word at the synod, but it’s also a way to « shift the feeling that the truth resides at the top of the hierarchy » in any church structure, said Sr. Patricia Murray, just before the start of the first session of the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 4.

Murray, a leader of the Rome-based umbrella group representing Catholic sisters across the world and one of about 40 sisters taking part in the Synod, said: « We’re saying the truth resides in the body [of the church]. We listen to the body. »

« Now, those who have responsibility in the church and in religious congregations, having listened, then are better informed to take a decision in the Holy Spirit, » Murray, executive secretary of the International Union of Superiors General, or UISG, told Global Sisters Report.

Don’t count on the synod’s monthlong focus on listening as a one-time event or one that will stay in Rome, said Murray, adding that the process may become « a new way of life, a new way of leading » the church and its organizations.

« When we’re discussing things or looking at important issues, we often we leap right into the business, if you like, without listening to one another, listening to the word of God, » said Murray, a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as the Loreto Sisters. « However, this is a way of really going a bit deeper, much deeper, as a Christian community gathered, and to listen to what’s moving in the hearts of people. »

UISG already has started a process trying to inculcate that « new way » to follow among religious communities that the organization serves globally, she said, with introductory sessions in multiple languages via Zoom before the synod that will continue for the next three years. 

« What does it look like? It will look like formation, understanding what synodality means, because there’s a lot of confusion about the term, » Murray told GSR. « It’s a way of really deep listening to God’s Spirit in leading us, whether at a personal level or at group level. »

If the first day of the synod is any indication, it involves some reflection, a little bit of music, some quiet time, prayer, silence and listening — to oneself and others. And it offers a glimpse at what synod members like Murray are experiencing this month.

« We’re searching for guidance of the Holy Spirit, so in a sense, often we begin a meeting and we pray for guidance to the Holy Spirit. However, this is a way of really going a bit deeper, much deeper, as the Christian community gathered, and to listen to what’s moving in the hearts of people, » she told GSR. 

Murray is one of five UISG members participating in the synod, which includes the organization’s newly appointed president, Sr. Mary Barron, of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles; Mercy Sr. Elizabeth Mary Davis; Sr. Elysée Izerimana, of the Working Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth, and; Sr. Maria Nirmalini, a member of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel.

While listening and praying already are prevalent in religious communities, the synod’s process offers a slightly different style, one similar to the process of discernment posed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, Murray said. 

« There are other spiritualities that have other ways of discerning, but one way is to name what is moving within you? Where do you feel God is calling? Where is the Spirit calling me personally at this time? We share around the circle, » she said. 

« Then in the second round, we say: ‘What have I heard my brothers and sisters saying that really has struck me or touched me, moved me?’ Then we share that again without discussing. It’s deep listening. It’s listening to God speaking to each one of us, because that’s what we’re saying, it’s our baptismal authority, that God speaks to each person. The task is to listen. »

Following that step, there is a « third round, » she said. 

« We begin to say, ‘Now, what’s been said to us here?’ It’s a much more free-flowing, open discussion, but having listened deeply. So often, we get into a … debating mode in meetings, whereas this is inviting us to a deeper way of listening. »

And it’s a process that can be implemented at any level in the universal church, Murray said, but for the purpose of UISG’s members, it means introducing leadership in religious congregations and those leading provinces to a new path. 

« It’s learning to be much more attentive. It’s a practice, it’s a spiritual practice, » she said. 

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Vie de l'église

In ‘Laudate Deum,’ Pope Francis presents a compelling climate crisis apologia

With a degree of urgency appropriate for the planetary catastrophe we face today, Pope Francis’ latest apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum, « to all people of good will on the climate crisis, » builds on the important insights of his 2015 encyclical letter « Laudato Si’, On Care for our Common Home. » That the pope has explicitly described the current state of the climate as a « crisis » could be viewed as affirming what climate activist Greta Thunberg said in her 2019 address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland: « Our house is on fire. I am here to say, our house is on fire. » 

Later in the same address, Thunberg pleaded to all who would listen: « We are now at a time in history where everyone with any insight of the climate crisis that threatens our civilisation — and the entire biosphere — must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be. We must change almost everything in our current societies. »

Laudate Deum is, in a sense, Pope Francis’s response to Thunberg’s own exhortation.

Like the oracles of other prophets, the pope’s message is one sure to upset the powerful, wealthy and comfortable. 

While in the buildup to its release some people have been describing this document as a second Laudato Si’ or, more colloquially, its « sequel, » the pope presents this text as more of an addendum and update to his earlier encyclical. He states in the opening section of the new exhortation that Laudato Si’ was his effort to share with us his « heartfelt concerns about the care of our common home. » However, in the eight years since Laudato Si‘ was promulgated, the situation has grown into a graver emergency with the stakes increasing by the day. 

He writes: « with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point. In addition to this possibility, it is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons. We will feel its effects in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migration, etc. »

What follows is both an exhortation in the truest sense — a written or spoken message that emphatically urges someone to do something — and an apologia, a theological and rhetorical defense of truth and faith. On this latter point, Laudate Deum reads like the treatises of the early Christian theologians (think the second century St. Irenaeus of Lyons, for example) who sought to articulately defend the fundamentals of Christian faith against cultural and religious skepticism or hostility. These theological « apologists » often also used the best intellectual and cultural resources of the time to make their points.

In this exhortation, Pope Francis does likewise. He draws on clear, intelligent, scientific data from sources that include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme and the National Oceanic and the U.S. Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He also draws on many great resources from within the Catholic Church, including previous encyclicals, Scripture and spiritual writings like that of St. Francis of Assisi, of course.

What is striking about the powerful tone of Laudate Deum is the way in which the pope does not shy away from addressing climate change deniers head-on, including those within the faith community. In fact, he says: « I feel obliged to make these clarifications, which may appear obvious, because of certain dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions that I encounter, even within the Catholic Church. » 

There is a clear prophetic valence to this text, and it bolsters the rhetorical style of an exhortation and apologia. The biblical prophets were always able to see at once both the world as it truly is (« the signs of the times, » as the Second Vatican Council put it) and the world as God intends it to be and calls us to live. The prophet proclaims the gap between those two visions, and exhorts the hearers to repent, change and live according to God’s will. And Pope Francis spends a good amount of time examining the world as it truly is, decrying the worsening circumstances of our « common home » on account of human indifference and what he calls the « technocratic paradigm. »

Like the oracles of other prophets, the pope’s message is one sure to upset the powerful, wealthy and comfortable. In our contemporary context, those who benefit most from the circumstances that are contributing to the climate crisis are those who live in the Global North, especially in North America. Pope Francis explicitly calls out the United States and similar countries for their disproportionate impact and, therefore, disproportionate responsibility to do something.

If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact. As a result, along with indispensable political decisions, we would be making progress along the way to genuine care for one another.

As Scripture recounts, those who benefit from the unjust status quo are typically not happy with the prophetic message and seek to silence the prophet, which might explain why the center of anti-Francis hostility is found in the United States. 

It is also interesting that, early in the document and shortly before mentioning the United States for the first time, Pope Francis notes that the climate crisis is a life issue! He writes: « This is a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life. » As someone who has previously argued in these pages that « climate change is the most important life issue, » I was delighted to see the pope directly expressI this point.

Overall, I think this apostolic exhortation is an important addition to Laudato Si’, which is itself prophetic in so many ways. However, for all that the prophetic and apologetic tenor Laudate Deum accomplishes, it still falls short of fully embracing the radical vision of God’s family of creation found in the writings and model of the pope’s namesake: St. Francis of Assisi. 

It’s true that Pope Francis comes close — drawing on the medieval saint’s inspiration to frame his magisterial teaching — and even affirms the inherent interconnectedness and interdependence of the community of creation. « God has united us to all his creatures. Nonetheless, the technocratic paradigm can isolate us from the world that surrounds us and deceive us by making us forget that the entire world is a ‘contact zone.' » And, later, he adds: « human life is incomprehensible and unsustainable without other creatures. »

Earlier in the exhortation, he also stated that, « the world that surrounds us is not an object of exploitation, unbridled use and unlimited ambition. Nor can we claim that nature is a mere ‘setting’ in which we develop our lies and our projects. » He then quotes Laudato Si’ and writes: « For ‘we are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it,’ and thus ‘we [do] not look at the world from without but from within.’  » 

And yet, if unbridled anthropocentrism and uncritical embrace of a technocratic paradigm are at the heart of the urgent climate crisis before us, then perhaps we need a paradigm shift, a different hermeneutical approach to seeing ourselves and the rest of creation. St. Francis of Assisi made it clear that he recognized that we are part of God’s creation, that indeed we are creatures too, and that until we recognize that we are part of the divine family of creation and not merely stewards, gardeners, tillers or any other sort of hired hand on behalf of God, then we will continue to delude ourselves into thinking we are always an arm’s-length (or more) from the rest of the created world. 

Despite the areas that could have been improved in the tradition of St. Francis, Pope Francis’s exhortation is still a powerful apologia for why people of faith cannot exempt themselves from the work that is needed today. As he says near the conclusion of the text, there is always something we can do and « every little bit helps. » 

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Vie de l'église

Boston Archdiocese opposes canceling civil statute of limitations for abuse claims

Advocates say getting rid of the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse is a matter of moral justice, but the Archdiocese of Boston says the move will hurt its own efforts to help sexual abuse victims.

The Massachusetts Legislature is considering eliminating the civil statute of limitations for adult victims of child sexual abuse. The current law allows victims to file civil lawsuits up to 35 years after the abuse.

The state lawmaker behind the effort, Democratic Sen. Joan Lovely of Salem, said victims still need more time to reckon with the trauma they suffered as children.

Lovely, who says she is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, told WGBH’s « Greater Boston » news show that many victims are unable to come forward until well into adulthood.

« We want to make sure people have the opportunity to bring action when they are ready to do so, » Lovely told WGBH.

Lovely did not respond to OSV News’ requests for comment.

Terrence Donilon, secretary for communications and public affairs for the Boston Archdiocese, which is led by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, provided a statement from the archdiocese opposing Lovely’s bill. According to the statement, removing the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits would put at risk the archdiocesan aid program for sexual abuse victims.

« The legislative changes currently proposed and under consideration would jeopardize our ability to continue to (assist victims) and would make it difficult to sustain the many works of mercy the church is committed to through social justice and support for the neediest, » the statement said.

But Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney for numerous clergy sexual abuse victims, including some in Boston, said lifting the statute of limitations is imperative.

« Not passing such legislation sends a message to the victims that he or she does not matter, and also allows the sexual abuser, negligent supervisor and entities to escape accountability, » Garabedian said.

David Vicinanzo, a New England attorney who has represented both sexual abuse victims and Catholic institutions throughout his career, called completely lifting the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims « almost an incontrovertible good policy. »

« From a moral perspective it’s not a close call, it’s the right thing to do, » Vicinanzo said.

A former federal prosecutor as well as a practicing Catholic, Vicinanzo represented neighboring New Hampshire’s Catholic Church in the 2000s after the Boston sexual abuse scandal broke. He helped the Manchester Diocese set up its settlement system to make it easy for victims to seek damages. Currently, he is one of the lead attorneys for more than 1,200 victims suing the state of New Hampshire after they were abused as children while detained in the Sununu Youth Development Center.

Vicinanzo has seen adult victims come forward after living with their abuse for decades, and many state legislatures have or are now considering removing their state’s limits.

« It’s something that legislatures are becoming enlightened to, the fact that childhood abuse often takes many years to recognize or even report because of the unique traumatic effects it has on a juvenile brain, » Vicinanzo said.

Statute of limitation laws can stop victims from being able to seek some form of justice when they are finally ready to come forward. In cases where the alleged abuser is dead and cannot be criminally charged, it is the only justice for which these victims can hope, he said.

Making it easier for victims to seek justice also creates accountability for large institutions, like the church or a state government. Such accountability and scrutiny means abusers will be named and the public protected, Vicinanzo said.

« If you don’t make it easy for people to report abuse, it allows the abusers to continue. Until people report it, until people know about it, it continues to happen and more kids get harmed, » Vicinanzo said.

O’Malley is the Vatican’s point man on dealing with clergy sex abuse. He was appointed president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2014. O’Malley also is a member of the international Council of Cardinals, the body instituted by Pope Francis to assist in governing the Catholic Church and institute reforms to the Vatican bureaucracy.

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Vie de l'église

Clergy abuse survivors propose new ‘zero tolerance’ law following outcry over Vatican appointment

Clergy sexual abuse survivors on  unveiled a proposed new church law calling for the permanent removal of abusive priests and superiors who covered for them, as they stepped up their outrage over Pope Francis’ choice to head the Vatican office that investigates sex crimes.

The global advocacy group End Clergy Abuse unveiled the draft law at a press conference following days of protests around the Vatican, and before taking their complaints to the U.N. in Geneva. They are seeking to draw attention to the ongoing scandal in the Catholic Church and the failure of Francis and the hierarchy to make good on years of pledges of « zero tolerance » for abuse.

Specifically, the survivors have expressed astonishment at Francis’ nomination of an old friend and theologian, Cardinal Victor Fernández, to take over as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, given Fernández’s record handling cases as bishop in his native Argentina.

When Fernández was bishop of La Plata, Argentina, he refused to promptly remove one of his priests, Eduardo Lorenzo, who was repeatedly accused of abusing teens. Ten years after a victim first came forward, and hours after learning that an Argentine judge had ordered his arrest, Lorenzo was found dead in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide. Fernández had stood by Lorenzo and officiated at his funeral.

The Vatican office that Fernández now heads has processed priest abuse cases globally since 2001, meting out church punishments that are never more severe than being defrocked, or « reduced » back to being a layman. After bullish years under the late Pope Benedict XVI, who defrocked nearly 850 priests in a decade, the office in recent years appears to have taken a more lenient approach as cases poured in from around the globe.

Francis himself had a big learning curve on abuse, arriving at the Vatican in 2013 claiming to have never handled a case and then botching a big scandal in Chile in 2018. He did an about-face, vowed « zero tolerance » for abuse and marshalled through a new church law holding bishops accountable when they cover up cases.

But recently, the momentum appears to have waned, transparency has remained elusive and victims have sensed a backsliding — perhaps none more so than in Francis’ nomination of Fernández to head the Vatican’s sex abuse office.

« We easily went back 10 years on this issue this week, » said Peter Isely, a founding member of both End Clergy Abuse (ECA) now and its U.S. partner organization, SNAP.

One of Lorenzo’s victims, Diego Perez, was in Rome this week and said he couldn’t believe Fernández was now in charge of the office that processes abuse cases globally.

« Surely he shouldn’t be in this position, » Perez told reporters.

Fernández acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year that he made mistakes in the Lorenzo case, saying he should have removed him from ministry earlier and treated his victims better. He blamed his own inexperience and what he said were unclear church procedures.

The online resource BishopAccountability.org has documented two other cases that it said showed Fernández stood by his priests rather than their alleged victims.

Francis made Fernández a cardinal on Sept. 30, after telling him in his letter of appointment that he wouldn’t have to handle abuse cases personally in his new Vatican job. Francis said the office’s small discipline section, headed by an Irish priest, would handle the dossier, even though the scale of the problem has long cried out for authoritative, high-ranking leadership in a hierarchy still resistant to removing abusers.

The proposed new church law that ECA unveiled on Oct. 2 calls for any priest who commits a sexual offense against a minor or « vulnerable adult » to be dismissed from the clerical state. Any bishop or religious superior who fails to report sex crimes to law enforcement would also be removed.

Janet Aguti, an ECA member from Uganda, said the cover-up of clergy abuse cases in Africa is even worse than elsewhere because of the stigma of sexual crimes and the exalted status that priests have in African communities. That makes it hard for victims to come forward, much less find justice from the state or church authorities, who typically respond by moving abusers to new dioceses, she said.

« They (priests) have helped us to build schools, they have helped us to build hospitals. And you don’t want to be the first to come out and point fingers at them because then the community is going to turn against you, » she said.

Organizers said they have tried in various ways to get the text of the proposed « zero tolerance » law into Francis’ hands, including via a high-profile cardinal helping to run the Vatican’s big meeting of bishops this month, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich.

Hollerich told organizers he’d give Francis a copy in December.

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Catholisisme

Power of Mercy

(Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time-Year A; This homily was given on September 30 & October 1, 2023 at Saint Augustine Church in Providence, Rhode Island; See Philippians 2:1-11 and Matthew 21:28-32)