1. Most Priests Fear Being Falsely Accused, By Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2022, Pg. A5
Eighty-two percent of Catholic priests in the U.S. fear being falsely accused of sex abuse, according to a study released Wednesday by researchers at the Catholic University of America.
The survey, which the university says is the largest of its kind in more than 50 years, also found that only 51% of diocesan priests in the U.S. think their bishops would support them if they were falsely accused of abuse, and only 36% think their diocese would provide them with sufficient resources to defend themselves in court.
Only 24% of all U.S. priests surveyed expressed confidence in the decision-making and leadership of the U.S. bishops in general.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/most-u-s-catholic-priests-fear-false-abuse-allegations-study-finds-11666198699?
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2. US priests are ‘flourishing’ – but they don’t trust their bishops, Why one bishop said a new report on priests is an “examination of conscience.”, By The Pillar, October 19, 2022, 1:05 PM
Priests and bishops in the United States report overwhelmingly that they are “flourishing” in ministry, despite pressures caused by two decades of clerical abuse scandals and Church responses.
But while U.S. priests report high levels of personal well-being, they also have a widespread lack of confidence and trust in their bishops, according to a study released Wednesday by The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
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The survey report, “Well-being, Trust, and Policy in a Time of Crisis: Highlights from the National Study of Catholic Priests,” was published Oct. 19 by The Catholic University of America’s department of sociology, in conjunction with The Catholic Project, a university institute founded to facilitate collaboration between the Church’s hierarchy and laity, in the wake of the McCarrick sexual abuse scandal.
The survey compiled data from 3,500 priests across 191 U.S. dioceses, and surveyed bishops, achieving a 67 percent response rate among the American episcopate.
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The relationship between priests and their bishops emerged as a central point of concern in the survey findings.
Asked to rate their faith in their own diocesan bishop’s leadership and decision-making, fewer than half the respondents (49%) said they had “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of confidence in the bishop.
When asked about the U.S. bishops as a group, the share of priests expressing high levels of trust in their leadership fell to less than a quarter — 24 percent.
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The survey identified that fallout from recent sexual abuse crises has contributed to a breakdown of trust between priests and their bishops.
When asked about the reforms to clerical abuse policies in the United States over the last two decades, including the USCCB’s 2002 Essential Norms and the Dallas Charter, more than two-thirds of American priests said the “zero-tolerance” approach to clerical sexual abuse demonstrated the Church’s “values” and contributed to rebuilding trust.
But 40 percent of priests also said that “zero-tolerance” policies are more broadly applied than necessary, with one priest saying: “I [understand] zero tolerance for priests abusing children, okay. But we’ve got zero tolerance for priests doing anything wrong at this point.”
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The Catholic University report included a section summarizing recommendations made by priests to improve trust in their bishops, with the desire for “open,” “transparent,” and “non-bureaucratic” communication with priests featuring prominently.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/us-priests-are-flourishing-but-dont-trust-their-bishops/
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3. South Carolina Supreme Court takes up state’s abortion ban, By James Pollard, Associated Press, October 19, 2022, 5:16 PM
South Carolina Supreme Court justices grilled lawyers over the extent of the right to privacy in a case Wednesday that could determine the scope of the state’s abortion restrictions.
The hearing marked the latest legal challenge to South Carolina’s 2021 ban on abortions after cardiac activity is detected, typically around six weeks, with exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or those that endanger the patient’s life.
The law — previously suspended by federal courts — took effect shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The state’s high court temporarily blocked it in August as the justices considered this case.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/south-carolina-supreme-court-takes-up-states-abortion-ban/2022/10/19/6852a9e4-4faf-11ed-ada8-04e6e6bf8b19_story.html
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4. Vatican: Pro-abortion member of Pontifical Academy for Life contributes to ‘dialogue’, By Zelda Caldwell, Catholic News Agency, October 19, 2022, 2:45 PM
The Pontifical Academy for Life issued a statement Wednesday defending the recent appointment of an outspoken advocate for abortion rights on the grounds that members are chosen to contribute to “fruitful interdisciplinary, intercultural, and interreligious dialogue.”
An Italian-American economist and professor at University College London, Mariana Mazzucato, was among seven academics appointed by Pope Francis on Oct. 15 to serve five-year terms with the academy.
As CNA reported Oct. 18, on several occasions Mazzucato shared her pro-abortion views on Twitter when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252589/vatican-press-office-pro-abortion-pontifical-academy-for-life-member-contributes-to-dialogue
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5. European court rules in favor of feminist claiming to ‘abort Jesus’ in a church in Paris, By Solène Tadié, Catholic News Agency, October 19, 2022, 7:20 AM
The judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have ruled unanimously that a feminist who simulated aborting Jesus on the altar of the Parisian church of La Madeleine, bare-breasted, was exercising her “freedom of expression.”
In an Oct. 11 decision, the ECHR condemned France for having pronounced a suspended prison sentence against Eloïse Bouton, a former member of the group Femen, for acts of sexual exhibition.
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“Christmas is cancelled!” Femen wrote on its Facebook page following the desecration. “From the Vatican to Paris. The international relay of Femen against the anti-abortion campaigns led by the Catholic lobby continues, the holy mother Eloïse has just aborted the embryo of Jesus on the altar of the Madeleine.”
A complaint filed by the church’s priest led to the conviction of the activist, a judgment confirmed on appeal as well as before the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial court in France.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252582/european-court-finds-in-favor-of-feminist-claiming-to-abort-jesus-in-a-church-in-paris
__________________________________________________________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. |
