This blog has news, Mass times, up-to-date information and opinions. Opinions expressed, if identified as such, are those of the parish priest.
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You are being transferred
18/04/10 17:49 Category: Parish Priest
I have migrated the parish blog to blogger. This is an experiment which will allow somewhat more flexibility. Do let me know what you think. You should be transferred automatically.
A perspective and challenge
16/04/10 21:45 Category: Parish Priest
in terms of the risk of sexual abuse, the most dangerous place for a child is their own home, and the most dangerous people are not intruders or strangers, but family and friends
He argues that such data does not support any direct link between mandatory celibacy and paedophilia. The data also shows that children are at no greater risk in ‘the setting of the Roman Catholic Church than in any other setting where adults have unsupervised access to children’. Would that the risk were not present at all. But that would be pretending that the Church is cocooned off from the rest oft the world. We must seek to make our institutions and ourselves as accountable as possible.
He then goes on to challenge some of the institutionalised ways of behaving which characterise us as Church. His critique does not make for easy reading, but then conversion is not easy. Do read the article.
You may not agree with everything, but he seeks to ground his critique in the demands of the Gospel and it is that spirit that we should read it. His peroration is hopeful:
Jesus shares our life: not just those aspects which we might see as ‘more appropriate’, but all that makes up our life. And in sharing our life, Jesus opens it to the power of the resurrection – not just those aspects which we might see as ‘more appropriate’, but all that makes up our life. So it is in the presence of the Resurrected One that we move into this period of Kairos, where by facing the brokenness and sin that are part of our story as Church, we can allow the Spirit of Jesus to lead us into a still deeper conversion as Church, and so recover the deeper and fuller story that tells us what it is to be the community of the followers of Jesus.
Mass times for week beginning 18 April
16/04/10 16:15 Category: Mass Times
Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 9.00am at SJP
Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 8am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP
The Friday morning Mass is open to parishioners and visitors - motorists should use the Stoneham Rd entrance. After this Mass we go out for a coffee. All welcome.
Sunday 9.00am at SJP
Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 8am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP
The Friday morning Mass is open to parishioners and visitors - motorists should use the Stoneham Rd entrance. After this Mass we go out for a coffee. All welcome.
The Spire for week beginning 18 April
16/04/10 16:12 Category: The Spire
To view the parish bulletin just click here.
'For papa Benedetto
16/04/10 15:58 Category: Parish Priest
everything is grace, including aggression against the Church.’ 
The headline of Sandro Magister’s latest blog is a pithy summary of one facet of the Holy Father’s homily to the members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Listen to Vatican Radio’s report here.
The mob and the empty vessels
16/04/10 15:37 Category: Parish Priest
And an atheist reflects critically on the vitriol of Dawkins et al. The article makes mention of Dawkins’s recent views on the scandal of child abuse; read about them for yourself. He has had a rather dramatic change of heart!
The righteous Fran, the actor and the Cardinal
15/04/10 12:28 Category: Parish Priest
This morning’s Breakfast programme on Radio National included an interesting interview with Sir Ian McKellan, a fine actor. The interview was spoilt because of the ultimate question; Fran asked Sir Ian about Cardinal Bertone’s comments linking homosexuality and paedophilia. The response was to be expected. It was the response Fran expected, but why was it asked? Does she ask every guest on the show about things of which they have no particular knowledge? Does she ask every guest to give vent to their prejudices? Was any context offered? Fran was looking for sensationalism and got it. Perhaps she should leave journalism behind and become a shock-jock in name as well as in truth.
On the point of the Cardinal Secretary of State’s comment. Cardinal Bertone said that there is a connexion between homosexuality and paedophilia. At the time I thought it worded ambiguously and so somewhat unfortunate. Fr Lombardi has sought to clarify the comments.
• He starts out by making the obvious point that we have to depend on experts: ‘Ecclesial authorities do not consider it within their competency to make general affirmations of a specifically psychological or medical character and therefore naturally must refer to the study of specialists and the inquiries they carry out.’
• He then states that the Cardinal was referring to the problem of abuse in the Church and not commenting on the problem as it exists in the world at large - ‘alla problematica degli abusi all'interno della Chiesa e non nella popolazione mondiale’.
• Church statistics reveal that of the abuse committed by churchmen, 10% is paedophilia in the strict sense, 90% is ephebophilia which involves adolescents. When one breaks down the latter category, 60% is committed with an individual of the same sex and 30% is heterosexual in character - ‘in cui si parlava di un 10% di casi di pedofilia in senso stretto, e di un 90% di casi da definire piuttosto di efebofilia (cioè nei confronti di adolescenti), dei quali circa il 60% riferito a individui dello stesso sesso e il 30% di carattere eterosessuale»’
The media have criticised the Cardinal for making uninformed comment, but it seems to me that that was just what Fran Kelly and Sir Ian were doing on the ABC. They were just giving vent to their prejudices, speaking of a criminal act committed by a tiny minority of priests. It was uninformed comment, but obviously Fran is convinced that she is on the side of the angels and so is not open to other perspectives.
By the bye, McKellan’s comment won’t stop my trying to see Waiting for Godot.
A must read article
14/04/10 17:41 Category: Parish Priest
‘Should I stay or should I go?’ an article by the former Master of the Dominicans, Fr Timothy Radcliffe is essential reading.
Explanation of procedures
12/04/10 20:43 Category: Parish Priest
The Vatican web site has published information to help the public to understand the guidelines which govern the Church’s procedures in cases of child sexual abuse. These have been in effect since 2001 and what has been published is a sort of explanatory note.
The text of the explanation as published by the Vatican Information Service is as follows:
A: Preliminary Procedures
The local diocese investigates every allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.
If the allegation has a semblance of truth the case is referred to the CDF. The local bishop transmits all the necessary information to the CDF and expresses his opinion on the procedures to be followed and the measures to be adopted in the short and long term.
Civil law concerning reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities should always be followed.
During the preliminary stage and until the case is concluded, the bishop may impose precautionary measures to safeguard the community, including the victims. Indeed, the local bishop always retains power to protect children by restricting the activities of any priest in his diocese. This is part of his ordinary authority, which he is encouraged to exercise to whatever extent is necessary to assure that children do not come to harm, and this power can be exercised at the bishop's discretion before, during and after any canonical proceeding.
B: Procedures authorized by the CDF
The CDF studies the case presented by the local bishop and also asks for supplementary information where necessary.
The CDF has a number of options:
B1 Penal Processes
The CDF may authorize the local bishop to conduct a judicial penal trial before a local Church tribunal. Any appeal in such cases would eventually be lodged to a tribunal of the CDF.
The CDF may authorize the local bishop to conduct an administrative penal process before a delegate of the local bishop assisted by two assessors. The accused priest is called to respond to the accusations and to review the evidence. The accused has a right to present recourse to the CDF against a decree condemning him to a canonical penalty. The decision of the Cardinals members of the CDF is final.
Should the cleric be judged guilty, both judicial and administrative penal processes can condemn a cleric to a number of canonical penalties, the most serious of which is dismissal from the clerical state. The question of damages can also be treated directly during these procedures.
B2 Cases referred directly to the Holy Father
In very grave cases where a civil criminal trial has found the cleric guilty of sexual abuse of minors or where the evidence is overwhelming, the CDF may choose to take the case directly to the Holy Father with the request that the Pope issue a decree of "ex officio" dismissal from the clerical state. There is no canonical remedy against such a papal decree.
The CDF also brings to the Holy Father requests by accused priests who, cognizant of their crimes, ask to be dispensed from the obligation of the priesthood and want to return to the lay state. The Holy Father grants these requests for the good of the Church ("pro bono Ecclesiae").
B3 Disciplinary Measures
In cases where the accused priest has admitted to his crimes and has accepted to live a life of prayer and penance, the CDF authorizes the local bishop to issue a decree prohibiting or restricting the public ministry of such a priest. Such decrees are imposed through a penal precept which would entail a canonical penalty for a violation of the conditions of the decree, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state. Administrative recourse to the CDF is possible against such decrees. The decision of the CDF is final.
C. Revision of MP SST
For some time the CDF has undertaken a revision of some of the articles of "Motu Proprio Sacramentorum Sanctitatis tutela", in order to update the said Motu Proprio of 2001 in the light of special faculties granted to the CDF by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The proposed modifications under discussion will not change the above-mentioned procedures (A, B1-B3)
The text of the explanation as published by the Vatican Information Service is as follows:
A: Preliminary Procedures
The local diocese investigates every allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.
If the allegation has a semblance of truth the case is referred to the CDF. The local bishop transmits all the necessary information to the CDF and expresses his opinion on the procedures to be followed and the measures to be adopted in the short and long term.
Civil law concerning reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities should always be followed.
During the preliminary stage and until the case is concluded, the bishop may impose precautionary measures to safeguard the community, including the victims. Indeed, the local bishop always retains power to protect children by restricting the activities of any priest in his diocese. This is part of his ordinary authority, which he is encouraged to exercise to whatever extent is necessary to assure that children do not come to harm, and this power can be exercised at the bishop's discretion before, during and after any canonical proceeding.
B: Procedures authorized by the CDF
The CDF studies the case presented by the local bishop and also asks for supplementary information where necessary.
The CDF has a number of options:
B1 Penal Processes
The CDF may authorize the local bishop to conduct a judicial penal trial before a local Church tribunal. Any appeal in such cases would eventually be lodged to a tribunal of the CDF.
The CDF may authorize the local bishop to conduct an administrative penal process before a delegate of the local bishop assisted by two assessors. The accused priest is called to respond to the accusations and to review the evidence. The accused has a right to present recourse to the CDF against a decree condemning him to a canonical penalty. The decision of the Cardinals members of the CDF is final.
Should the cleric be judged guilty, both judicial and administrative penal processes can condemn a cleric to a number of canonical penalties, the most serious of which is dismissal from the clerical state. The question of damages can also be treated directly during these procedures.
B2 Cases referred directly to the Holy Father
In very grave cases where a civil criminal trial has found the cleric guilty of sexual abuse of minors or where the evidence is overwhelming, the CDF may choose to take the case directly to the Holy Father with the request that the Pope issue a decree of "ex officio" dismissal from the clerical state. There is no canonical remedy against such a papal decree.
The CDF also brings to the Holy Father requests by accused priests who, cognizant of their crimes, ask to be dispensed from the obligation of the priesthood and want to return to the lay state. The Holy Father grants these requests for the good of the Church ("pro bono Ecclesiae").
B3 Disciplinary Measures
In cases where the accused priest has admitted to his crimes and has accepted to live a life of prayer and penance, the CDF authorizes the local bishop to issue a decree prohibiting or restricting the public ministry of such a priest. Such decrees are imposed through a penal precept which would entail a canonical penalty for a violation of the conditions of the decree, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state. Administrative recourse to the CDF is possible against such decrees. The decision of the CDF is final.
C. Revision of MP SST
For some time the CDF has undertaken a revision of some of the articles of "Motu Proprio Sacramentorum Sanctitatis tutela", in order to update the said Motu Proprio of 2001 in the light of special faculties granted to the CDF by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The proposed modifications under discussion will not change the above-mentioned procedures (A, B1-B3)
For shame Prime Minister
12/04/10 16:47 Category: Parish Priest
It did not take the Rudd government very long to drop its principled approach to the refugee issue and take up populist cudgels. The Opposition has to take its share of blame for insisting on politicising the issue and playing on people’s fears, but it is the government which is in power. Rudd has shown a shameful lack of integrity on refugees. An unbiased observer would be unable to claim that Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are now safe places. Those who come to us seeking refuge should have their cases considered by the tribunal in the normal fashion. Shame on the Prime Minister. Shame on the Leader of the Opposition.
“You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
Good web site
12/04/10 16:45 Category: Parish Priest
A good source of reliable information on the accusations levelled against the Pope is Mercator.net
Calumny - not my ABC
12/04/10 16:38 Category: Parish Priest
The media have been carrying the news that there is a piece of paper which proves that Cardinal Ratzinger collaborated in covering up abuse. A little digging shows this to be false. I do not see the media rushing to make known the real state of affairs. The ABC and the Fairfax stable (the SMH, the Age and WAToday) have been particularly egregious in their anti-Catholicism. It is no longer my ABC!
Here is what Phil Lawlor wrote on the ‘smoking gun’ in CatholicCulture.org
• Was Cardinal Ratzinger responding to the complaints of priestly pedophilia? No. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which the future Pontiff headed, did not have jurisdiction for pedophile priests until 2001. The cardinal was weighing a request for laicization of Kiesle.
• Had Oakland's Bishop John Cummins sought to laicize Kiesle as punishment for his misconduct? No. Kiesle himself asked to be released from the priesthood. The bishop supported the wayward priest's application.
• Was the request for laicization denied? No. Eventually, in 1987, the Vatican approved Kiesle's dismissal from the priesthood.
• Did Kiesle abuse children again before he was laicized? To the best of our knowledge, No. The next complaints against him arose in 2002: 15 years after he was dismissed from the priesthood.
• Did Cardinal Ratzinger's reluctance to make a quick decision mean that Kiesle remained in active ministry? No. Bishop Cummins had the authority to suspend the predator-priest, and in fact he had placed him on an extended leave of absence long before the application for laicization was entered.
• Would quicker laicization have protected children in California? No. Cardinal Ratzinger did not have the power to put Kiesle behind bars. If Kiesle had been defrocked in 1985 instead of 1987, he would have remained at large, thanks to a light sentence from the California courts. As things stood, he remained at large. He was not engaged in parish ministry and had no special access to children.
• Did the Vatican cover up evidence of Kiesle's predatory behavior? No. The civil courts of California destroyed that evidence after the priest completed a sentence of probation-- before the case ever reached Rome.
So to review: This was not a case in which a bishop wanted to discipline his priest and the Vatican official demurred. This was not a case in which a priest remained active in ministry, and the Vatican did nothing to protect the children under his pastoral care. This was not a case in which the Vatican covered up evidence of a priest's misconduct. This was a case in which a priest asked to be released from his vows, and the Vatican-- which had been flooded by such requests throughout the 1970s -- wanted to consider all such cases carefully. In short, if you're looking for evidence of a sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, this case is irrelevant.
Here is what Phil Lawlor wrote on the ‘smoking gun’ in CatholicCulture.org
• Was Cardinal Ratzinger responding to the complaints of priestly pedophilia? No. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which the future Pontiff headed, did not have jurisdiction for pedophile priests until 2001. The cardinal was weighing a request for laicization of Kiesle.
• Had Oakland's Bishop John Cummins sought to laicize Kiesle as punishment for his misconduct? No. Kiesle himself asked to be released from the priesthood. The bishop supported the wayward priest's application.
• Was the request for laicization denied? No. Eventually, in 1987, the Vatican approved Kiesle's dismissal from the priesthood.
• Did Kiesle abuse children again before he was laicized? To the best of our knowledge, No. The next complaints against him arose in 2002: 15 years after he was dismissed from the priesthood.
• Did Cardinal Ratzinger's reluctance to make a quick decision mean that Kiesle remained in active ministry? No. Bishop Cummins had the authority to suspend the predator-priest, and in fact he had placed him on an extended leave of absence long before the application for laicization was entered.
• Would quicker laicization have protected children in California? No. Cardinal Ratzinger did not have the power to put Kiesle behind bars. If Kiesle had been defrocked in 1985 instead of 1987, he would have remained at large, thanks to a light sentence from the California courts. As things stood, he remained at large. He was not engaged in parish ministry and had no special access to children.
• Did the Vatican cover up evidence of Kiesle's predatory behavior? No. The civil courts of California destroyed that evidence after the priest completed a sentence of probation-- before the case ever reached Rome.
So to review: This was not a case in which a bishop wanted to discipline his priest and the Vatican official demurred. This was not a case in which a priest remained active in ministry, and the Vatican did nothing to protect the children under his pastoral care. This was not a case in which the Vatican covered up evidence of a priest's misconduct. This was a case in which a priest asked to be released from his vows, and the Vatican-- which had been flooded by such requests throughout the 1970s -- wanted to consider all such cases carefully. In short, if you're looking for evidence of a sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, this case is irrelevant.
Good News
11/04/10 18:22 Category: Parish Priest
Something to celebrate. At the Easter Vigil two adults received the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. And one baby was baptised. We are delighted to receive them into the Church. The adults are Lainie Rowe and Kerryn Middleton. The baby is Anja Middleton, Nina and Vince’s daughter. Welcome to the family!
99.6%
11/04/10 17:39 Category: Parish Priest
A shocking statistic, but 99.6% of Catholic priests in England and Wales have never been tainted by accusations of abuse. The figures would be similar here in Perth and indeed, according to columnists in the Wall Street Journal, in the Church worldwide. 1 in 200 priest’s offending is too high, but one would think it were higher from the media. The scandal, I think, is the failure of some bishops and religious superiors to deal properly. I do not wish to excuse such failure, but it is hardly limited to the church; see this NYT article.
The Church needs to get her house in order and Pope Benedict is leading us in the right direction. The lack of perspective in the media - the ABC has been egregious in its coverage - hinders society’s dealing with the issue. That bigot, Negus, is no credit to SBS either.
The Church needs to get her house in order and Pope Benedict is leading us in the right direction. The lack of perspective in the media - the ABC has been egregious in its coverage - hinders society’s dealing with the issue. That bigot, Negus, is no credit to SBS either.
'Following Holy Week, holding our course'
09/04/10 23:31 Category: Parish Priest
Padre Frederico Lombardi SJ, the Holy See Press Office Director, has issued a text which merits our consideration:
“The debate concerning sexual abuse, and not only that committed by the clergy, continues with news items and comments of various kinds. How can we sail through these stormy waters while maintaining a secure course and responding to the evangelical motto 'Duc in altum - Put out into the deep'?
In the first place, by continuing to seek truth, and peace for the victims. One of the most striking things is that today so many inner wounds are coming to light, wounds that also date to many years (sometimes decades) ago, but evidently still open, Many victims do not seek financial compensation but inner assistance, a judgement on their painful individual experiences. There is something that we have yet to fully understand; perhaps we need a more profound experience of events that have had such a negative impact on the lives of individuals, of the Church and of society. One example of this, at the collective level, is the hatred and violence of conflicts between peoples which are, as we see, so difficult to overcome in true reconciliation. Abuse opens wounds at a deep inner level. For this reason, certain episcopates were right when they courageously resumed developing ways and places in which victims could express themselves freely, listening to them without taking it for granted that the problem had already been faced and overcome by the workshops established sometime ago. For this reason also, other episcopates and individual bishops were right to intervene paternally, showing spiritual, liturgical and human concern for victims. It seems certain that the number of new accusations of abuse is falling, as is happening in the United States, but for many people the road to profound healing is only now beginning, and for others it has yet to start. In the context of this concern for victims, the Pope has written of his readiness to hold new meetings with then, thus sharing in the journey of the entire ecclesial community. But this journey, in order to achieve profound effects, must take place in respect for people and the search for peace.
Alongside concern for victims we must continue to implement, decisively and truthfully, the correct procedures for the canonical judgement of the guilty, and for collaborating with the civil authorities in matters concerning their judicial and penal competencies, taking the specific norms and situations of the various countries into account. Only in this way can we hope effectively to rebuild a climate of justice and complete trust in the ecclesiastical institution. It has happened that a number of leaders of communities and institutions, through inexperience or unpreparedness, have not had a ready understanding of the protocols and criteria for intervention which could have helped them intervene decisively even when this was very difficult or painful for them, also because they were often surprised by the accusations. But, while civil law intervenes through general norms, canon law must take account of the specific moral gravity of an abuse of the trust placed in persons who hold positions of responsibility within the ecclesial community, and of the flagrant contradiction with the conduct they should show. In this sense, transparency and rigour are urgent requirements if the Church is to bear witness to wise and just government.
The formation and selection of candidates for the priesthood, and more generally of the staff of educational and pastoral institutions, is the basis for an effective prevention of the risk of future abuses. Achieving a healthy maturity of the personality, also from a sexual point of view, has always been a difficult challenge, but today it is particularly so, although the best psychological and medical knowledge is of great help in spiritual and moral formation. It has been observed that the greatest frequency of abuses coincided with the most intense period of the 'sexual revolution' of past decades. Formation must take account of this context and of the more general context of secularisation. In the final analysis, this means rediscovering and reaffirming the sense and importance of sexuality, chastity and emotional relationships in today's world, and doing so in concrete, not just verbal or abstract, terms. What a source of disorder and suffering their violation or undervaluation can be! As the Pope observed in his Letter to Irish Catholics, a Christian priestly life today can respond to the requirements of its vocation only by truly nourishing itself at the wellspring of faith and friendship with Christ.
People who love truth and the objective evaluation of problems will know where to seek and find information for a more overall comprehension of the problem of paedophilia and the sexual abuse of minors in our time, in different countries, understanding its range and pervasiveness. Thus they will be able to achieve a better understanding of the degree to which the Catholic Church shares problems that are not only her own, to what extent they have particular gravity for her and require specific interventions,and, finally, the extent to which the experience the Church is going through in this field may also be useful for other institutions or for society as a whole. In this context, we truly feel that the communications media have not yet worked sufficiently, especially in countries in which the Church has a stronger presence and in which she is more easily subject to criticism. Yet, documents such as the national US report on the mistreatment of children deserve to be better known in order to understand what fields require urgent social intervention, and the proportions of the problem. In the U.S.A. in 2008 alone, 62,000 people were identified as having committed acts of abuse against minors, while the proportion of Catholic priests was so small as not to be taken into consideration as a group.
The protection of minors and young people is, then, an immense and unlimited field, which goes well beyond the specific problem concerning certain members of the clergy. People who sensitively, generously and attentively dedicate their efforts to this problem deserve gratitude, respect and encouragement from everyone, especially from the ecclesial and civil authorities. Theirs is an essential contribution for the serenity and credibility of the education and formation of young people, both inside and outside the Church. The Pope rightly expressed words of great appreciation for them in his Letter to Irish Catholics, though naturally with a view to a vaster horizon.
Finally, Pope Benedict XVI, a coherent guide along the path of rigour and truth, merits all respect and support, testimony of which is reaching him from all parts of the Church. He is a pastor well capable of facing - with great rectitude and confidence - this difficult time in which there is no lack of criticism and unfounded insinuations. It must be said that he is a Pope who has spoken a lot about the Truth of God and about respect for truth; and he has become a credible witness of this. We accompany him, learning from him the constancy necessary to grow in truth and transparency, continuing to open our horizons to the serious problems of the world and responding patiently to the slow and gradual release of partial or presumed 'revelations' which seek to undermined his credibility, and that of other institutions or individuals of the Church.
This patient and solid love of truth is necessary, in the Church, in the society in which we live, in communicating and in writing, if we wish to serve rather than confuse our fellow men and women".
Counter-current
09/04/10 14:25 Category: Parish Priest
The Wall Street Journal has recently published two articles which offer alternative analyses of the Holy Father’s rôle in the abuse scandal. One is by Peggy Noonan; the other by William McGurn.
Neither attempts to absolve the Church from blame (and nor should they), but they offer some balance and proper perspective. The Australian, another Murdoch paper, has printed a few different perspectives lately. Here’s one. Please note the figure he quotes: approximately 1 in 200 priests have had allegations of sexual impropriety levelled against them. Even 1 in 200 is too high, but it means that 99.5% of priests have never been accused of abuse.
Neither attempts to absolve the Church from blame (and nor should they), but they offer some balance and proper perspective. The Australian, another Murdoch paper, has printed a few different perspectives lately. Here’s one. Please note the figure he quotes: approximately 1 in 200 priests have had allegations of sexual impropriety levelled against them. Even 1 in 200 is too high, but it means that 99.5% of priests have never been accused of abuse.
Going against the flow
09/04/10 14:03 Category: Parish Priest
A Jewish intellectual, Vittorio Dan Segre, has commented on Cantalamessa’s Good Friday homily and expressed support for the preacher to the papal household. You can read it here.
I am not sure that I would agree with his comparing the Holy See and the State of Israel, but it is interesting to note that the Jewish friend whom Padre Cantalamessa quoted in his homily is not alone in his sympathy for the Vatican.
A few of the points Dan Segre makes:
‘There is a link between these attacks on the Church and the persecution of the Jews. This consists of two elements: 1) The inability of the Vatican State and the State of Israel (inasmuch as it is erroneously identified with Judaism) to deal with a media attack aimed at delegitimisation; 2) the differing abilities of the Church and the Synagogue to explain the meaning of ‘election’ which the two defend.’
He also seems to support Cardinal Etchegeray’s assertion that the Church is ‘disliked especially by those do not support her action in defence of the sanctity of the family founded on marriage between man and woman, the more just distribution of the earth’s resources and a ethical alternative to the profit logic.’
I am not sure that I would agree with his comparing the Holy See and the State of Israel, but it is interesting to note that the Jewish friend whom Padre Cantalamessa quoted in his homily is not alone in his sympathy for the Vatican.
A few of the points Dan Segre makes:
‘There is a link between these attacks on the Church and the persecution of the Jews. This consists of two elements: 1) The inability of the Vatican State and the State of Israel (inasmuch as it is erroneously identified with Judaism) to deal with a media attack aimed at delegitimisation; 2) the differing abilities of the Church and the Synagogue to explain the meaning of ‘election’ which the two defend.’
He also seems to support Cardinal Etchegeray’s assertion that the Church is ‘disliked especially by those do not support her action in defence of the sanctity of the family founded on marriage between man and woman, the more just distribution of the earth’s resources and a ethical alternative to the profit logic.’
Mass times for week beginning 11 April
09/04/10 13:15 Category: Mass Times
Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 9.00am at SJP
Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 9am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP
There is no Mass at Santa Maria College during the school holidays.
Sunday 9.00am at SJP
Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 9am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP
There is no Mass at Santa Maria College during the school holidays.
The Spire for week beginning 11 April
09/04/10 13:15 Category: The Spire
To view the parish bulletin just click here.
YouTube
07/04/10 11:21 Category: Parish Priest
The Holy Father a short time ago challenged us to make use of all the new media. We’re a bit late in taking it up, but the parish now has a YouTube page! The address is www.youtube.com/user/sjpignatelli. Do take a look. It is rather sparsely populated at the moment, but we’ll be adding more content. Parishioners who wish to contribute are welcome to do so.
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