Friday, May 20, 2011






Handel - Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Who's On First?


John Jay College Reports No Single Cause, Predictor of Clergy Abuse
Clergy abuse consistent with social patterns at the time, says Karen Terry of John JayWhat we are doing works and we need to keep learning, says Bishop CupichPositive news cannot make us complacent, warns Diane Knight, Review Board chair
WASHINGTON (May 18, 2011)—A landmark study by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, which examined the causes and context of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church, concluded that there was no single cause or predictor of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The report added that that situational factors and opportunity to abuse played a significant role in the onset and continuation of abusive acts. “The bulk of cases occurred decades ago,” said Karen Terry, PhD., John Jay’s principal investigator for the report. “The increased frequency of abuse in the 1960s and 1970s was consistent with the patterns of increased deviance of society during that time.” She also stated that “social influences intersected with vulnerabilities of individual priests whose preparation for a life of celibacy was inadequate at that time.” Terry also said that neither celibacy nor homosexuality were causes of the abuse, and that priest candidates who would later abuse could not be distinguished by psychological test data, developmental and sexual history data, intelligence data, or experience in priesthood. The development of human formation components of seminary preparation for priesthood is associated with the continued low levels of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the United States, she said. The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010 report by a John Jay College research team was made public May 18 in Washington. Terry presented the report to Diane Knight, CMSW, Chair of the National Review Board, a group of lay Catholics who oversaw the project and to Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Washington, who chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People. The study also found that the initial, mid-1980s response of bishops to allegations of abuse was to concentrate on getting help for the priest-abusers. Despite the development by the mid-1990s of a comprehensive plan for response to victims and the harms of sexual abuse, diocesan implementation was not consistent or thorough at that time. Yet, the decrease in incidence of sexual abuse cases by clergy was more rapid than the overall societal patterns. Knight, a social worker from Milwaukee, lauded the work of John Jay. “Through its extensive processes of data collection and statistical analyses,” she said, “the researchers found that the crisis of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests is an historical problem.” She added that “researchers also concluded that much of what has been implemented through the Charter is consistent with a model response to the prevention of child abuse. However, this in no way should lull us as a Church into complacency.” The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 and has guided their response in dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy. Bishop Cupich found hope in the documented progress that shows that “what we are doing works” in addressing child sexual abuse. He said that the inability to predict individual sexual deviance “makes the safe environments programs valuable and necessary.” He added that “the Catholic Church has taken a position of zero tolerance of any cleric who would sexually abuse a child.” “Such a position protects children,” he said. “But it also protects the tens of thousands of priests who have suffered greatly in this crisis, all the while quietly serving with honor and self-sacrifice every day of their lives.” The way forward for the bishops must be marked by humility and partnerships with others, Bishop Cupich said. “The shame of failing our people will remain with us for a long time. It should. Its sting can keep us resolute in our commitments and humble so as to never forget the insight we came to nearly a decade ago in Dallas. We cannot do any of this on our own.” The report can be found at http://www.usccb.org/mr/causes-and-context-of-sexual-abuse-of-minors-by-catholic-priests-in-the-united-states-1950-2010.pdf Established in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York is an international leader in educating for justice. It offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law.--- Keywords: Catholic Bishops, clergy sexual abuse, John Jay College, Karen Terry, Bishop Blase Cupich, Diane Knight, National Review Board, U.S. bishops, United States Conference of Catholic bishops
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Friday, May 13, 2011

Gather us in

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

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BINLADEN-RELIEF May-11-2011 (990 words) xxxn
Bin Laden's death brings relief, chance to reflect on a violent world
By Dennis SadowskiCatholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It has been nearly 10 years since her death, but for Thomas Heidenberger, his wife Michele remains foremost in his mind.
Michele died as a crew member on American Airlines Flight 77, which hijackers crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001. Memories of the life the two shared in their Chevy Chase, Md., home and the devotion to family are what Heidenberger tries to keep alive.
Never mind that Osama bin Laden is dead, said Heidenberger, a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in suburban Washington.
"For myself and my children, it (bin Laden's death) did not make an iota of difference," he told Catholic News Service May 10. "It doesn't change things.
"To a certain amount of people, they call it justice," he continued. "I wouldn't even call it that on account it did not bring Michele back. It will not bring back any of the 3,000 who perished that day. To the families themselves it doesn't change things in the broader spectrum."
Heidenberger, now 65, said he's not bitter about Michele's death. Neither does he feel that the man who controlled the al-Qaida terror network got what he deserved because he cannot, as a Catholic, rejoice in the death of another human being. He said he harbors no doubts, however, that the violence that bin Laden espoused and the equally violent assault on his compound feeds a spiral that does little good.
"Violence begets violence. Here in Washington and New York, they're all waiting for the next shoe to drop," he said.
"Where does it get you? I don't want 3,000 people or one individual to go through what we had to go through 10 years ago."
Heidenberger's sentiments were echoed by others who lost family members in the terrorist attacks in the wake of bin Laden's death.
Elsewhere, pastors in parishes that continue to reach out to family members of those who died in the gruesome destruction of Sept. 11 adopted much the same message offered by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, May 2 hours after bin Laden's death became public. In a statement, Father Lombardi called upon Christians not to rejoice in a man's death, but to work toward greater peace and reduced hatred.
Colleen Kelly, a nurse practitioner who is a member of Visitation Parish in the Bronx and whose brother died in the World Trade Center, told CNS that even though she felt relieved that bin Laden was no longer a threat, she still wondered if there was a way he could have been captured rather than killed.
A founder of September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Kelly noted that it was diligent intelligence gathering as opposed to the long-term wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that unearthed bin Laden's whereabouts.
Another member of Peaceful Tomorrows, Anne Mulderry, a Catholic who lives in Kinderhook, N.Y., said that while she adheres to nonviolence, the action taken against bin Laden was "the much better choice" over widespread bombing in a civilian neighborhood.
Mulderry's son, Stephen, 33, died in the attack at the World Trade Center.
"I felt sad and it surprised me how filled with sadness I was," Mulderry said of bin Laden's demise.
"On the other hand, I have to admit, I do feel that Osama bin Laden was a voice preaching hatred and a voice the world must cope with," she added. "The world must still those voices teaching hatred if the world is going to respond responsibly.
"In one sense, Osama bin Laden had chosen his own death. He lived by the sword and he died by the sword."
In a brief message in the parish bulletin May 8, Msgr. Joseph Masiello, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Westfield, N.J., said he believed the action against bin Laden was appropriate. He noted that Americans learned of bin Laden's death on the night of May 1, the same day in 1945 that Germany announced the death of Adolf Hitler.
"When no amount of words will ever make a difference, then the sad, painful, so difficult decision must be made, after much and profound reflection and as a truly last resort, to take up arms to show love of and provide protection for a neighbor under attack," he wrote. "And so, if ever a 'moral' war were fought, I believe it to be World War II and the war against terror."
Msgr. Masiello, whose parish lost four members at the World Trade Center, told CNS that even though he found the death of bin Laden was just, "death is not something to celebrate."
The death toll from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in suburban Ridgewood, N.J., was 10 and Father Ronald Rozniak, pastor, said he made sure to reach out to as many parishioners as possible who lost a family member at the World Trade Center in the days following the U.S. raid in Pakistan.
"I offered them a word of concern, knowing that this raised the whole memory of what happened on 9/11 to a new level. I don't think it's ever out of their memories," he said.
"Most that I talked to were in between," he explained. "As Christians they knew that you can't rejoice at someone's death and yet at the same time they felt somewhat of a relief that at least that page had been turned."
At St. Joseph Parish in Jersey City, N.J., just across the Hudson River from the southern tip of Manhattan where the World Trade Center was located, Father Thomas Iwanowski, pastor, said the death brings "a sense of closure" to families but that it deserved little other attention.
"It was the death of one man," he said. "I don't think he deserved any more attention than that. Then (by focusing on bin Laden) we make him out to be more important than he was. He was a misguided evil person. It's time to move on. His death is not going to make anybody's life better."
END
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright (c) 2011 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250

Friday, May 6, 2011

MVI 0122

Inn Video

Celtic Alleluia

Bin Laden killing poses questions for moral debate
A worker looks over memorial items left on a fence at the former World Trade Center site in New York May 3. The Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attack on the trade center's towers killed 2,752 people. (CNS/Mary Knight)
By Patricia ZaporCatholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As word got out that Osama bin Laden had been killed by a Navy SEAL strike team in Pakistan, television and the Internet quickly began to feature images of spontaneous celebrations outside the White House and at ground zero in New York.
Just as quickly, blogs and social media pages such as Facebook began to rage with debates: about the morality of bin Laden's killing and how it was accomplished and about the appropriateness of the celebratory atmosphere. Others questioned the meaning of the "justice" described by President Barack Obama in announcing bin Laden's death.
"We must be clear what we understand when President Obama says 'justice has been done,'" said Gerard Powers, director of Catholic Peacebuilding Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, in an exchange of emails with Catholic News Service.
"Justice has been done in that the killing of bin Laden was necessary to defend the common good against terrorism," Powers wrote. "Justice has not been done if we revel in his killing as an act of revenge for 9/11. It is unclear if justice has been done in the sense of holding bin Laden legally accountable for his past crimes against humanity, especially the 9/11 attacks."
Also unclear was whether bin Laden could have been captured and brought to trial, Powers said. "If it was possible to capture bin Laden and he was killed anyway, then justice was not done."
Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Va., whose diocese includes the Pentagon, wrote that bin Laden's death brings back painful memories for many in the community, which requires a note of caution.
"It is important that we recognize the distinction between support for this act of justice defending our nation and a misguided sense of revenge," he wrote. "Let us not turn toward resentment or bitterness, but rather toward a deeper trust in our Lord. With confidence in his mercy and guidance, let us pray for those serving our country, for a conversion of heart among those who support the evils of terrorism and for the growth of faith and a desire for peace within our own hearts."
The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding and the Islamic Society of North America were among those applauding the elimination of the threat posed by bin Laden, but warning against misdirected hatred and stereotypes.
"We hope his death will bring some relief to all the families, of every faith and walk of life, who lost loved ones on 9/11 and in every other terrorist attack orchestrated at the hands of Osama bin Laden," said a statement from the Islamic society, which said bin Laden "was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims."
The Islamic society said al-Qaida, the terrorist organization bin Laden headed, "has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity."
A statement from the Tanenbaum center voiced gratitude that bin Laden, "one of history's most infamous voices of hate and terror... is silenced and can no longer promote a violent agenda."
But it cautioned against the "voice of hatred" emerging amid the scenes of national jubilation.
"On Twitter today, we see racial epithets used to describe bin Laden. We see stereotyping of all people who follow Islam. The venom expressed is not different in kind from the hatred that Osama bin Laden spewed," said the Tanenbaum statement. "The question for those who tweet, write blogs, participate on Facebook and join in the media debate is: 'Why do you think your blind hatred, unjust stereotypes of Muslims and promotion of violence is so different from bin Laden's hate?' And the answer, of course, is that it isn't."
The Tanenbaum statement went on to say: "Failing to recognize our common humanity is the first step in dehumanizing others, and a dangerous progression toward creating a country based on hate rather than respect, justice and inclusion."
In one of the Catholic blog discussions, Jesuit Father James Martin, culture editor of the Jesuit magazine, America, captured some of the more charitable threads of the Internet debate:
"Osama bin Laden was responsible for the murder of thousands of men and women in the United States, for the deaths and misery of many thousands across the world, and for the deaths of many servicemen and women, who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives. I am glad he has left the world. And I pray that his departure may lead to peace," wrote Father Martin.
"But as a Christian, I am asked to pray for him and, at some point, forgive him. And that command comes to us from Jesus, a man who was beaten, tortured and killed. That command comes from a man who knows a great deal about suffering. It also comes from God."
Franciscan Brother Daniel Horan, a member of the theology faculty at Siena College in New York, questioned the point raised by some on his "Dating God" blog that "because we believe in the Resurrection, every death should be celebrated."
"Well, I understand that sentiment, but what we really do at something like a funeral Mass is celebrate the life, both earthly and the next, of the person who has died -- we don't laud death as a good in itself," he wrote.
The Vatican was among the religious organizations that were quick to weigh in with a statement acknowledging bin Laden's faults, including: "spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions to this end." But the Vatican also admonished against the gleeful response: "In the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred."
Powers said that there are other thorny moral issues raised by the case of bin Laden. They include the difference between attempts to assassinate heads of state, such as Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, versus attempts to kill heads of terrorist organizations, such as bin Laden, which is less morally problematic, he said. Also subject to moral review might be whether the United States violated the sovereignty of Pakistan by waging the assault on bin Laden's hiding place.
"Yet in Catholic teaching sovereignty is not an absolute," Powers said. "If it was clear that Pakistan was unwilling or unable to take appropriate action against bin Laden and other terrorists in its midst, then, at some point, Pakistan cannot complain when others fulfill the responsibilities it cannot fulfill itself."
Finally, Powers said, "even though we can justify the killing of bin Laden, we do so with a sense of deep regret and with a recommitment to develop nonmilitary ways to defend against terrorism and address its deeper roots, while cultivating the peaceable virtues without which no lasting peace is possible."
END
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright (c) 2011 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250