Grupo de adultos jovenes aprenden sobre la fe en una manera divertida

WINONA – Un grupo de 22 adultos jóvenes de la Catedral de San Pedro y Santa Teresita en Jackson, Nuestra Señora de las Victorias en Cleveland, St. James en Corinth y St. James en Tupelo se reunieron el sábado 3 de junio para un taller de YouCat en el Misión del Sagrado Corazón en Winona.

WINONA – Una de las dinámicas que los adultos jóvenes utilizaron para trabajar con el YouCat y así poder hacer más divertido y profundo su crecimiento en la fe.

También asistieron el padre Ted Dorcey de Greenwood y el seminarista Josean Montoya de Nueva York, ahora parte de los sacerdotes redentoristas del Delta. El grupo aprendió acerca de lo que es el YouCat, por qué fue escrito, para quién fue escrito y la estructura de sus preguntas y respuestas.
YouCat, que es corto para el Catecismo Juvenil de la Iglesia Católica, fue escrito para  jóvenes de escuela secundaria y adultos jóvenes. Fue distribuido por primera vez en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud 2011 en Madrid, España. YouCat contiene gráficos agradables, está escrito en forma de pregunta-respuesta y ofrece explicaciones, resúmenes y definiciones. También incluye citas bíblicas y citas de santos y otros. En la terminología que atrae a los jóvenes, el YouCat explica lo que nosotros los católicos creemos y por qué (doctrina), cómo debemos vivir (vida moral), y cómo debemos orar (oración y espiritualidad).
Después de una mañana llena de aprendizaje y exploración, los jóvenes pasaron la tarde participando en actividades y juegos en grupos pequeños.

WINONA – El grupo de adultos jóvenes comparten sobre la estructura y formato del YouCat, el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, quien lo escribió y con qué motivo. Explican que el Papa Emérito Benedicto XVI tuvo la iniciativa de escribir el YouCat de una forma atractiva para los jóvenes en forma de preguntas y respuestas con símbolos, explicaciones y definiciones sencillas de comprender. (Fotos de Verónica López)

Grupos de jóvenes en Greenwood abrazan la diversidad de los miembros

Por Maureen Smith
GREENWOOD – A medida que la Diócesis de Jackson desarrolle las nuevas Prioridades Pastorales, Mississippi Católico compartirá las metas, proyectos e historias de éxito de diferentes grupos. El primero proviene de un ministro de la juventud en el Delta. Los grupos de jóvenes del Corazón Inmaculado de María y San Francisco de Asís están centrando su año en la prioridad de “abrazar la diversidad”.
“Tenemos alrededor de 30 niños en nuestro programa LifeTeen entre las dos parroquias”, dijo Derrick Faucheux, ministro de la juventud de ambas parroquias. “Y son todos de diferentes culturas.” La mitad son hispanos. El resto son afroamericanos o caucásicos. El grupo se ha estado reuniendo y conociéndose, pero Faucheux estaba listo para dar un paso más.

Durante la Jornada de la Juventud de Guadalupe, los adolescentes participaron en deportes y actividades al aire libre, pero también exploraron la espiritualidad hispana de la devoción a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. (Fotos cortesía de Derrick Faucheux)

Cuando el grupo comenzó a reunirse, Faucheux dijo que los niños no se sentaban todos juntos, pero se sentaban en grupos. “No estábamos seguros de cómo íbamos a romper ese molde”, dijo. Una noche, los estudiantes y un grupo de líderes adultos jugaron un juego de rompehielos y todo cambió. “Ni siquiera recuerdo lo que era el juego, pero esa noche, había una electricidad. Los chicos comenzaron a hablar entre sí “. Este avance fue el primer paso en un proceso de un mes para unir a los miembros del grupo.
“Estos niños van a cinco o seis escuelas diferentes, públicas y privadas, vienen de diferentes orígenes culturales, raciales y socio-económicos. Si no fuera por este grupo juvenil, probablemente nunca se hubieran conocido.
Cuando los estudiantes se sintieron más cómodos juntos, Faucheux comenzó a trabajar en formas de explorar sus antecedentes diversos como un grupo. Empezaron con un retiro en el centro de retiro Locus Benedictus en el borde de la ciudad. La reunión, el sábado 6 de mayo, ofreció una vislumbre de la devoción hispana a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. La comunidad Redentorista en Greenwood ayudó con la Jornada de la Juventud de Guadalupe, proporcionando información y la ubicación. Los estudiantes participaron en un juego de fútbol, un picnic y otras actividades al aire libre, pero también pasaron tiempo explorando cómo las culturas hispanas honran a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
“La Iglesia Católica es universal. Aunque Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe es en su mayoría una devoción hispana, ella pertenece a todos”, dijo Faucheux. Quería que los adolescentes vean cómo pueden adorar o participar en devociones específicas de su cultura, pero también apreciar las devociones de otras culturas.
Faucheux planea ampliar estas lecciones durante el año, examinando la cultura y los líderes católicos afroamericanos, el catolicismo del sur, cualquier cosa que muestre a los estudiantes cómo pueden ser diversos, pero también unificados. “Quiero que los niños vean que la Iglesia es universal.” Algunos miembros del grupo de jóvenes fueron a Abbey Youth Fest juntos. El viaje permitió a los adolescentes pasar mucho tiempo juntos para conocerse mejor dentro de un contexto católico.
Faucheux asistió a una reunión nacional de ministros de jóvenes en la que preguntó a otros sobre sus desafíos con la diversidad. “Pocos tienen un grupo tan diverso como este”, dijo. El Delta de Mississippi es único en su mezcla de culturas. En lugar de sentirse desanimado, Faucheux considera que el reto es la manera perfecta de mostrar cómo la Iglesia Católica puede abrazar a todos. “Algo me decía que pusiera a todos estos niños juntos porque es un testimonio de la Iglesia Católica que podemos estar juntos, somos universales”.

GREENWOOD – El líder del ministerio juvenil Derrick Faucheux dijo que un rompehielos proporcionó una oportunidad para que sus grupos de jóvenes comenzaran a comunicarse unos con otros.

Equipo bilingüe de recursos de la Prioridad Pastoral ayudará a las parroquias con el despliegue del plan

Por Maureen Smith
GLUCKSTADT – Los miembros del equipo de recursos de la Prioridad Pastoral del Obispo Joseph Kopacz se reunieron el sábado 3 de junio en la parroquia St. Joseph para exponer sus planes para ayudar a las parroquias a implementar las nuevas prioridades pastorales de la Diócesis de Jackson. Las prioridades forman parte de una nueva misión y visión que la diócesis viene formulando desde hace más de un año.
El Obispo Kopacz recorrió la diócesis para presentar la misión, la visión y las prioridades e invitó a cada pastor y ministro laico a incorporarlos en la obra de su parroquia.
Los equipos de recursos bilingües acompañarán a las parroquias a medida que establezcan metas nuevas y alineen su trabajo con las prioridades utilizando recursos en inglés y español. Los miembros del equipo están disponibles para reunirse con los equipos parroquiales o pastores que quieren orientación adicional y reportarán el progreso al obispo regularmente. Cada miembro del equipo se asociará con varias parroquias para que cada uno tenga una persona de contacto. Pero los equipos de las parroquias establecerán sus propias metas para ajustarse a los sueños de sus comunidades.
“Realmente queremos que esto sea un esfuerzo de base, pero queremos apoyar el trabajo de las parroquias en todas las formas posibles”, dijo el padre Kevin Slattery, vicario general y líder del equipo.
En la reunión, los miembros del equipo hablaron sobre lo que ya están escuchando de algunas parroquias y sobre  maneras de compartir las mejores prácticas y recursos con los equipos parroquiales. El plan, junto con algunos recursos preliminares, está disponible en línea en http://jacksondiocese.org/vision.

 

Creating culture of compliance, transparency, trust

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
In this week’s column I am highlighting our diocesan office for the Protection of Children to mark the 15th anniversary of the Catholic bishops’ Dallas Charter, also known as the Promise to Protect and the Pledge to Heal, promulgated in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in 2002. This is in sync with the report to the Catholic bishops by the head of the National Review Board at our just finished conference in Indianapolis.
A summary of this report is included in this publication (see page 1) as well as the homily of Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta during the bishop’s Mass of Prayer and Penance at the Conference (see page 16). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote and promulgated the Charter in 2002 in order to hold accountable all Catholic dioceses, eparchies and religious orders serving in the United States with respect to their commitment to protect children and young people. Most recently, I was appointed to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ standing committee for the protection of children and young people and it is a privilege to serve this cause. During the last 15 years, the Diocese of Jackson has worked earnestly to create a culture of compliance and transparency to protect our children and young people as well as to provide the opportunity to heal for those who suffer from sexual abuse. Furthermore, all credible allegations are reported to law enforcement, whether or not the statutes of limitation have run.
What are we up against? By its very nature the demon of child sexual abuse feeds on secrecy, manipulation and lies and its deeds must be brought out of darkness into the light of truth, healing and hope. Wherever and whenever it occurs the abuse of minors is a crime and maintaining a steady state of vigilance on behalf of our children and young people is our diocesan standard. Those who have the urge to abuse minors are driven by their baser instincts and safe environments undoubtedly keep the wolf at bay. We can never become complacent. You might ask, what precisely is the Diocese of Jackson doing on a regular basis to cultivate a culture for safe environments?
The diocesan office for the protection of children, directed by Vicki Carollo, and under the auspice of our vicar general, Father Kevin Slattery, is accountable for achieving the goals of the Charter by participating in an annual audit performed by Stonebridge Business Partners. Stonebridge is contracted through the USCCB. The Diocese of Jackson has been found compliant with all articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People each year since 2003.
Each employee and volunteer working with children and young people receives a booklet containing the policy of the diocese with various components on the prevention of child abuse and procedures to be followed when reports of child abuse or sexual misconduct by church personnel are received.
Since October, 2002, the Diocese of Jackson has initiated criminal background screenings and safe environment training sessions for 14,647 adults. There are currently 4,934 active employees and volunteers working with children and young people in the diocese.
A criminal background screening is conducted prior to and during an applicant’s service. A criminal background rescreening is initiated every three years. All clergy, religious, employees and volunteers working with children and young people must complete the screening process and the Diocese of Jackson application. Applicants sign a form acknowledging they have read and understand the policy prior to beginning a ministry.
The Diocese of Jackson has designated that all new employees and volunteers working with children and young people participate in an initial safe environment training session facilitated by a diocesan trainer. Each new applicant is required to sign an attendance record of the training attended.
Beginning in September, the Diocese will implement VIRTUS’ Protecting God’s Children Awareness Program for new employees and volunteers. The program educates adults on how to better protect children from abuse. There are three training-the-trainer sessions scheduled in September.
All active employees and volunteers working with children and young people participate in VIRTUS’ web-based program. This online program consists of a monthly safe environment bulletin. The adult reads the bulletin, answers a multiple-choice question and submits the answer to VIRTUS. The bulletins provide invaluable knowledge and ongoing formation for the prevention of child abuse.
Children and young people in the parishes and schools are required to receive an annual age-appropriate safe environment lesson. The lesson is designed to help children keep themselves safe by providing the important skills they need to protect themselves from abuse. The lesson additionally provides dialogue between children and adults about keeping safe.
Each parish and school presents a parent information meeting annually. Parents have an opportunity to opt their children out from the safe environment lesson. Of course, we hope parents who decide to opt out will review the lesson material with their children on their own.
The Diocese of Jackson is committed to ensuring that no one being served by the church be at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation by clergy, religious or lay church personnel. The parishes and schools work very hard to stay in compliance with the Protection of Children program.
Recently, the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection included our Protection of Children Electronic Communications Policy in the new “resource toolbox.” This is certainly an accolade for our program. The resources are shared with all Catholic dioceses in the United States.
Like a finely-tuned engine the above course of action has many moving parts and is only as strong as its weakest link or non-implemented step. Complacency and/or shortcuts can put a child or young person in harm’s way and this is a violation of trust. Striving for excellence with safe environments in all church related gatherings is our goal in the Diocese of Jackson.
To achieve this high standard, it takes the full and active participation of many throughout the diocese. Thank you to all who serve on behalf of our children and young people. These are God’s children, members of the Body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. May they thrive as members of our church.

Loneliness still plagues ‘connected’ society

Light one Candle
By Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
In a videotaped address to the 2017 TED conference, a yearly gathering where innovative thinkers give talks about their ideas, Pope Francis recently spoke about the value of every person in society, saying, “Quite a few years of life have strengthened my conviction that each and everyone’s existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions.”
The Pope’s TED talk provided a moving moment during a conference focused on technology and the future. Northeast Public Radio’s Nina Gregory watched from a simulcast viewing area outside the theater and said of the talk, “There were people around me who cried, others who watched, rapt…. He got a standing ovation in the theater.”
Pope Francis has spoken in the past about the need to harness technology to bring people together rather than simply allowing modern innovations to diminish human interaction. In his message delivered ahead of the 48th World Communications Day, Francis talked about loneliness in the modern world, saying, “A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive…. The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.” But later he says, “The speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment…. The desire for digital connectivity can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbors, from those closest to us.”
Our Christopher News Note on loneliness highlights that a sense of isolation is not unique to modern existence. In his spiritual classics “The Ascent of Mount Carmel” and “Dark Night of the Soul,” St. John of the Cross, a 16th century doctor of the Church, explores the loneliness that can occur in our relationship with God. He explains that sometimes God allows us to feel isolated in order to draw us into a deeper relationship. St. John knew loneliness well. His writings evolved out of mystical poetry he penned while locked in a 10-by-6 foot cell during a time of persecution within his own order.
Mother Teresa’s writings reveal that she experienced a long “dark night of the soul,” resigning herself to do God’s will and help others despite her own sense of spiritual isolation. She wrote of her relationship with God: “Let Him do with me whatever He wants as He wants for as long as He wants if my darkness is light to some soul – even if it be nothing to nobody – I am perfectly happy to be God’s flower in the field.” Mother Teresa understood that the trials she experienced could help her grow closer to God by prompting her to live a life dedicated to alleviating the sense of isolation experienced by others.
In his recent Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis talked about how we overcome loneliness to find friendship with God through our interactions with others, saying, “The Risen Shepherd goes in search of all those lost in the labyrinths of loneliness and marginalization. He comes to meet them through our brothers and sisters who treat them with respect and kindness, and helps them to hear his voice, an unforgettable voice, a voice calling them back to friendship with God.”
When we experience a sense of isolation, we must recognize God’s call to reach beyond our own suffering to offer friendship to those in need, and when we do that for each other, we discover the friendship of God.
(For free copies of the Christopher News Note OVERCOMING LONELINESS, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@

Focus on love of father, family key to evangelization

Our Sunday Visitor
The arrival of Father’s Day in contemporary society raises what can be a challenging issue for passing on the faith from one generation to the next. When a third of millennials don’t affiliate with any kind of religion – in effect forswearing any kind of family belief – while a quarter of the generation had parents who were divorced or separated, one has to wonder whether God the Father has become an inadvertent stumbling block in people’s spiritual development.
On the one hand, we have a generation that has fallen victim to what Pope Francis calls the “throwaway culture.” Permanence is shirked, not always by choice. Young adults frozen out of the job market feel “crushed by the present,” the pope once noted. They cannot even lift their eyes to dream of a better future or take the practical steps necessary for starting out on their own in a lifelong commitment with a husband or wife.
Add to this the residual wounds that can so often accompany father figures – disappointments, betrayals, abandonment – and we can understand more clearly how family life has become another casualty of the throwaway mentality, as evidenced by declining rates of people seeking out the sacrament of matrimony.
On the other hand, the church worships God the Father as the first person of the Trinity and the source of all creation, someone Jesus taught us to lovingly relate to as “abba” – daddy – to whom we entrust our needs, problems and desires.
It’s trusting in God the Father and fostering that deep relationship with our creator who adopts us as his own children upon our baptisms that allows us to grow as persons and respond to the call to be disciples. This is why the church has put so much emphasis on the evangelizing nature of the family in recent years. In the 2014-15 Synods of Bishops, the issue emerged time and again that the family is where young people learn and receive the spark of faith.
Those gatherings, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, said last November, “were called to assure families that God is close to them in moments of joy and sorrow, and that the church is near, accompanying them on this pilgrimage of faith, where each domestic church can show solidarity with and charity toward other families, especially struggling ones.”
The nuncio added that the fruits of the synod “show forth the merciful face of the Father to men and women, husbands and wives, to the elderly and to our children.”
Picking up on this important work of bringing people to the God the Father, the Vatican will hold another assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2018, looking specifically at young people and the challenges of discernment.
It’s an endeavor worth so much of the church’s energy, time and focus – helping others to hear the call of God the Father in their lives and accompanying them as they unlock the mystery of God’s loving plan for them. We must make clear his desire for a deep, trusting and loving relationship with each of us. This is the power of a church that goes to the peripheries and tends to the “field hospital.” It’s the merciful healing power of God the Father who lovingly creates us, reflected in the world.
(This unsigned editorial titled “Focus on the Father” is from the June 7 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic newsweekly based in Huntington, Indiana.)

Archbishop Gregory asks survivors for forgiveness

(Editor’s note: Bishop Joseph Kopacz participated in this Mass during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s gathering. See related stories on pages 1 and 3.)
WASHINGTON – As they began the spring general assembly, bishops from across the U.S. gathered June 14 at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis for a Mass of Prayer and Penance for survivors of sexual abuse within the Church. The Mass was held in response to a call from Pope Francis for all episcopal conferences across the world to have a Day of Prayer and Penance for victims of sexual abuse within the Church.
The bishops gathered together in solidarity to pray for victims and to acknowledge the pain caused by the failures of the Church in the past. The Mass marked the opening for the June plenary assembly of bishops held June 14-15 in Indianapolis.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was the principal celebrant.

Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory delivers the homily during Mass June 14 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual spring assembly. (CNS photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion)

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, of Atlanta, and former president of the USCCB, was the homilist.
Following is the full text of Archbishop Gregory’s homily.
In the very same chapter of his Gospel in which St. Matthew presents his rendition of the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that He has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Clearly, the Beatitudes are in fact a startling new edition of God’s Law. Jesus is Himself both the new law and the fulfillment of the old law. He calls us to see with new eyes how to live in a world so continually filled with sorrow, injustice and violence and how important it is to acknowledge our own share in causing or compounding the sorrows, suffering and violence that often seem to surround us.
We bishops have learned a great deal about the sorrow and pain of those we love and serve, even as we have to acknowledge humbly, publicly and pitifully our share in bringing much of that pain to bear. We feel, we see, we live with, as they do in much greater measure, the impact of behaviors, responses and revelations that have no place in Matthew’s Gospel, in the Beatitudes, or in the narrative of Jesus’ promise to fulfill God’s Law. And yet only there, by His Grace and His unwavering example, can we begin to learn to heal and to reconcile — to bind the wounds and to assuage the sorrow. We recognize this even as Paul reminds us that we have been qualified for this ministry only by God’s purpose and designation.
Pope Francis has summoned us as bishops to find occasions and opportunities to pray earnestly for God’s grace to bring about the healing and the reconciliation of those who have been harmed in this tragedy that has hurt far too many of His people and far too much of His Church. The Holy Father has called us respectfully to acknowledge our own share in causing the pain that so many are still enduring.
At this Mass, we bishops humbly and sincerely ask for the forgiveness of those who have been harmed, scandalized or dispirited by events that, even if they happened many years ago, remain ongoing sources of anguish for them and for those who love them. We humbly seek forgiveness from the faith-filled people of our Church and from our society at-large — and especially from those whose lives may have been devastated by our failure to care adequately for the little ones entrusted to us and for any decision that we made or should have made that exacerbated the sorrow and heartache that the entire Church has felt and continues to feel — for what we have done, and for what we have failed to do. We can never say that we are sorry enough for the share that we have had in this tragedy of broken fidelity and trust.

Clergymen pray during Mass at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual spring assembly June 14 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. (CNS photo/Mike Krokos, The Criterion)

With hearts that are contrite we ask the forgiveness of God, our Almighty Father, under whose purpose and designation we are entrusted with this ministry, and whom we disgrace most profoundly when we fall so woefully short.
There have been many procedural and educational expressions of our commitment to reform and renewal that have been put into place in the past 15 years. They are sincere, state-of-the-art, and effective. Nevertheless, this expression of our sorrow is far more important at this time, in this place, than any administrative process or training effort, however beneficial to the Church and to the world.
While we have had many opportunities to pray in our own dioceses with survivors, their families and our people, we gather this evening as a community of bishops to pray together for the grace of healing and reconciliation that only the Lord Jesus Himself can bestow upon His Church. While there is still more, always more, that must and will be done to assure our people of our dedication and commitment to safeguarding the innocent lives of our young and vulnerable faithful, this evening we acknowledge that ultimately it must be the Lord Himself who heals and reconciles the hearts of those who live with the pain of God’s law unheeded.
For that Grace, with sincere hearts, with contrite spirits and with a renewed promise to protect, we simply pray this evening. Amen

Clergymen pray during Mass at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual spring assembly June 14 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. (CNS photo/Mike Krokos, The Criterion)

Bishops also address religious liberty, healthcare, sacramental guidelines

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) tackled a number of issues during its spring meeting in Indianapolis. Here is a brief outline of some of their actions other than the safe environment report.
• The bishops voted June 15 to make the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty a permanent standing committee. The bishops’ action came less than a week before the start of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fifth annual Fortnight for Freedom June 21-July 4. It is a two-week period of prayer, advocacy and education on religious freedom.
• Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, briefed his brother bishops on the sobering topic of international persecution and human rights violations, and what his committee has been doing the prelates behalf to improve the situation. Bishop Cantu’s trips are called “solidarity visits.” His mandate as chairman “includes sharing and promoting the social teaching of the church, especially human rights and religious freedom.”  
• As the country awaits the U.S. Senate’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in the coming weeks, the U.S. bishops made it clear that their efforts are focused on “ensuring the fundamental right of medical care” for all people. The Conference also reinforced its stand that the American Health Care Act passed by the U.S. House May 4 needs major reform – to provide quality health care for the “voiceless,” especially children, the elderly, the poor, immigrants and the seriously ill. “Within two weeks, we may see a federal budgetary action with potentially catastrophic effects on the lives of our people, most especially children and the elderly, the seriously ill, the immigrant and our nation’s working poor,”said Bishop George L. Thomas of Helena, Montana, in his remarks to his fellow bishops.  
• The body overwhelmingly approved revisions to the guidelines governing the celebration of sacraments for people with disabilities that take into account medical and technological developments. The revisions in the “Guidelines for the Celebration of Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities” updates a document that was adopted in 1995. The guidelines were developed as a tool to improve access to the sacraments by persons with disabilities and reduce inconsistencies in pastoral practice.

U.S. bishops urged to be vigilant, never complacent, in stopping abuse

By Catholic News Service
INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) – Francesco Cesareo, chairman of the National Review Board, urged the U.S. bishops June 14 during their spring meeting in Indianapolis to continue to keep their commitment to stopping clergy sexual abuse and supporting victims of abuse “at the forefront” of their ministry.
He said sexual abuse of minors by clergy is “not a thing of past” and stressed the bishops have to always be vigilant and be sure to not “let complacency set in” in their efforts to stop it.
The review board is a group working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to address and prevent sexual abuse of minors in the U.S. by clergy and other church personnel.
Cesareo pointed out there was still work to be done in this area, but he also praised the bishops for what they’ve accomplished and stressed that dioceses in the United States are among the safest places for children and are also models for rest of the world.
In his report to the bishops, he presented some of the key points of the recently issued 14th annual report on diocesan compliance with the U.S. Catholic Church’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”
The report – based on audits conducted between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016 – shows that 1,232 survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy came forward with 1,318 clerical abuse allegations in 132 Catholic dioceses and eparchies. The allegations represent reports of abuse that occurred from the 1940s to the present.
The review board chair said he was pleased with the high number of dioceses participating in the audit, noting that only two did not participate, down from six the previous year. He said all dioceses have indicated that they will participate in the next audit.
The value of participating in the audit “can’t be overemphasized,” he said.
One weak spot he noted in the audit process is the overall lack of parish participation, which he urged bishops to do something about to provide full transparency.
Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, stressed that the review board wants to help the Catholic Church by providing tools to implement the charter and even to work on improving the charter by making it more specific.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has appointed four new members to serve on the review board. The new members, announced June 14, are: Amanda Callanan, director of communications for the Claremont Institute, a California-based think tank; Suzanne Healy, victims assistance coordinator for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 2007-2016; Dr. Christopher McManus, who practices internal medicine and is an active member of the Northern Virginia Guild of the Catholic Medical Association; and Eileen Puglisi, former director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York.
Cesareo will continue to chair the review board until his term expires in 2020.
Prior to his presentation to the bishops, Margaret Simonson, chair of the U.S. bishops’ National Advisory Council, a group of laypeople who advise the bishops, gave her report.
She said the council supported several items on the bishops’ agenda for their June 14-15 meeting, particularly discussion about religious liberty, which she said was so important in “this particular time in history.”
She also said the council supported the “Mass of Prayer and Penance” being celebrated in the early evening June 14 for survivors of sexual abuse within the church, the discussion of revised guidelines for people with disabilities and an update on the upcoming convocation for Catholic leaders taking place in Orlando, Florida, July1-4.
(Editor’s note: Bishop Joseph Kopacz has joined the committee for the protection of children. Read more about his appointment and child protection efforts in this diocese on page 3 and 16.)