1. US Bishop Hoeppner resigns after Vatican probe into cover-up, By Associated Press, April 13, 2021, 7:50 AM
A Minnesota bishop who was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse has resigned, the Vatican said Tuesday.
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Hoeppner and named a temporary replacement to run the Crookston diocese, the Holy See said in a statement. Hoeppner is 71, four years shy of the normal retirement age for bishops.
The Vatican did not say why Francis accepted the resignation, but the Vatican in 2019 authorized an investigation into claims that Hoeppner had engaged in “acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-bishop-hoeppner-resigns-after-vatican-probe-into-cover-up/2021/04/13/edbab96c-9c43-11eb-b2f5-7d2f0182750d_story.html
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2. Vatican event on priesthood to explore topic of celibacy, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, April 13, 2021
A top Vatican official in charge of organizing a major symposium on the priesthood next year has said the discussion will touch on several controversial hot-button issues such as priestly celibacy, the women’s diaconate, clericalism, and the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
Speaking to journalists during the April 12 presentation of the event, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet said, “the question of celibacy is important.”
“We have all spoken about it, and it will be discussed, but it will not be the central theme of the symposium,” he said. “It is not a symposium on celibacy, like it needs to be taken up deeply. It’s a broader perspective.”
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/04/vatican-event-on-priesthood-to-explore-topic-of-celibacy/
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3. Rome judge orders arrest of Vatican suspect in London deal, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, April 12, 2021, 1:06 PM
A Rome judge ordered the arrest Monday of an Italian businessman living in London who is a prime suspect in the Vatican’s two-year investigation into the Holy See’s 350-million-euro ($416 million) investment in a London real estate venture.
Judge Corrado Cappiello said there was an “absolute concrete” risk that Gianluigi Torzi could commit crimes if he isn’t taken into custody, saying the evidence showed he engaged in a “true economic strategy aimed at defrauding” tax authorities.
Torzi’s lawyers immediately filed a motion to contest the order before it passes onto Interpol and British police. They noted in a statement that a British judge recently dismantled much of the Vatican’s case against Torzi in a related asset seizure ruling.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/rome-judge-orders-arrest-of-vatican-suspect-in-london-deal/2021/04/12/5f392670-9bb1-11eb-b2f5-7d2f0182750d_story.html
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4. Catholic Schools Blaze New Ground Amidst Pandemic Pressures, Plus, reporters and experts on EWTN News In Depth cover Catholic priorities that depend on Republicans’ ability to filibuster., By Kathryn Elliott, National Catholic Register, April 12, 2021
The state of Catholic Schools amidst COVID 19 — including a look at funding and enrollment — leads the agenda on the April 9 episode of EWTN News In Depth. With the academic year drawing near to its close, EWTN News’ Mark Irons talks with Catholic school leaders about the challenges they faced this past year and what may lie ahead.
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Ashley McGuire, a Senior Fellow at the Catholic Association and mom of primary schoolchildren, gives an insider’s perspective on distance learning and the impact of school choice for families.
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/ewtn-news-in-depth-20210409
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5. Investigation points to Parolin and Becciu in Vatican financial scandal, By The Pillar, April 12, 2021
Italian authorities announced on Monday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Gianluigi Torzi, who brokered the Vatican’s 2018 purchase of a London property.
The Italian court order raises a startling assertion from Vatican authorities: that the Secretariat of State acted outside its legal authority when it invested hundreds of millions of euros of Church funds, and when it put Peter’s Pence funds up as collateral for high risk investments.
The charge could render the transactions void, and implicate Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Angelo Becciu with final legal responsibility for the scandal.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/investigation-points-to-parolin-and
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6. Indiana bill would make religious services ‘essential’ during declared emergencies, By Catholic News Agency, April 12, 2021, 3:01 PM
The Indiana legislature on Thursday sent a bill to the governor which would classify religious services as essential during declared disaster emergencies, and would prevent the government imposing any restrictions on religious services that are more restrictive than those imposed on other essential organizations.
“Religious organizations provide essential services that are necessary for the health and welfare of the public during a disaster emergency,” the bill reads.
The bill does not exclude the government from imposing health, safety, or occupancy requirements on religious services, provided that they are equally applied to other operations deemed essential.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247249/indiana-bill-would-make-religious-services-essential-during-declared-emergencies
___________________________________________________________TCA Media Monitoring provides a snapshot from national newspapers and major Catholic press outlets of coverage regarding significant Catholic Church news and current issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally or prominently engaged. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Association. |
