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By Christine Rousselle/CNA. | WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholics attending Mass at the Conservative Political Action Conference convention, held outside Washington, DC, this weekend, told CNA their…
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Vatican City, Mar 3, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- The Vatican is sending Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeo to Mexico this month to meet with sex abuse victims and to strengthen the Mexican bishops’ fight against sexual abuse.
“We have tried to fight in a responsible, transparent and clear way against the culture of abuse and cover-up that allows it to perpetuate itself. This conviction, which stems from accompanying the victims in their pain, seeking justice and healing, led us to request support from the Holy See through the Apostolic Nunciature,” the Mexican bishops’ conference said in a statement March 2.
Scicluna and Bertomeu will travel to Mexico March 20-27. This team from the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith previously investigated the Church in Chile’s response to sex abuse allegations in 2018, which eventually led every Chilean bishop to submit their resignations to Pope Francis.
During their trip to Mexico, the two are scheduled to meet with all of the country’s bishops in Casa Lago outside of Mexico City on March 20. They will meet with the superiors of religious orders in Mexico on March 23.
For the remaining five days, Scicluna and Bertomeu will be available at the Mexico City nunciature to meet with sex abuse victims or “anyone who would like to share their experiences.” A statement put out by the Apostolic Nunciature provides a phone number and email address for people who would like to schedule a meeting.
In the past decade, 271 priests in Mexico have been investigated for sexual abuse and 152 priests have been removed from ministry due to incidents of abuse, according to the Mexican bishops’ conference president Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera.
A report released in December by the Legionaries of Christ religious order stated that since the group’s founding in Mexico in 1941, 33 priests of the Legionaries of Christ committed sexual abuse of minors, victimizing 175 children.
Scicluna, the archbishop of Malta, is widely known for his expertise in the canonical norms governing allegations of sexual abuse. In 2015 he was named by the pope to oversee the team in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith charged with handling appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse. He served as the congregation’s promoter of justice for 17 years and conducted the investigation into the Legionaries’ founder Fr. Marcial Maciel in 2002-2003.
The Church in Mexico has expressed its support in 2020 for several bills to eliminate the statute of limitations for the sexual abuse of minors, which stands now at ten years.
The Mexican bishops’ conference said they hope the visit by Scicluna and Bertomeu will help to protect and benefit “the most vulnerable.”
“We trust that it will serve to improve the response to these cases, seeking the action of civil and canonical justice under the principle of ‘zero tolerance’ so that no case goes unpunished in our Church,” Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera of Monterrey and Auxiliary Bishop Alfonso G. Miranda wrote in a statement.
“We pray to God and Our Lady of Guadalupe, so that this important mission helps us as a Church to act promptly and fairly to eradicate these crimes and all forms of abuse against minors, inside and outside the Church; and to strengthen the faith, hope and charity of the people of God who pilgrimage in Mexico,” the bishops said.
By Mary Farrow/CNA. | ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Catholic bishops of Minnesota have published guidelines regarding gender identity and Catholic schools, emphasizing the Catholic mission of schools and the…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Archdiocese of Baltimore, Archdiocese of Washington, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, Catholic Church, Catholic News Service, Central America, Church in the US, Maryland, migrants and refugees, News, prison ministry, USCCB |
A pair of bishops who spent two hours at a Maryland detention center praying and talking with a small group of immigrants facing deportation saw how strong family bonds are.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Associated Press, Catholic Church, Church in the US, Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, News, Online |
It would be a crime in Kentucky to spread personal information of a minor online with the intent to harass, abuse or frighten, under a bill the state Senate passed Monday. The legislation stems from an interaction between Kentucky teenager Nick Sandmann and a Native American activist that went viral in early 2019.
Read MoreBy Catholic News Agency | BEIJING, China — New pictures and video appear to show Catholics praying outside of churches closed by the government in the Diocese of Mindong, China.
Pictures and…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | News, Pope and Holy See |
Francis Calls for Participation in ‘Laudato Si’ Week This May
The post Pope Renews ‘Urgent Appeal’ to Take Care of God’s Gift of Creation appeared first on ZENIT – English.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Associated Press, Catholic Church, Church in the US, clerical sexual abuse, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, News, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report |
A mid-level appeals court decision issued last summer that allowed some victims of childhood sexual abuse a way to pursue lawsuits despite time limits will be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the justices announced Monday.
Read MorePope Francis was reportedly tested for the novel coronavirus, with negative results
The post Pope Francis does not have coronavirus, Italian media reports appeared first on Catholic Herald.
Read MoreBy Catholic News Agency | DETROIT, Mich. — The Archdiocese of Detroit announced Sunday that Pope Francis has granted the title of minor basilica to Ste. Anne Church in Detroit, one of the longest…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Human Rights and Justice, News |
Aid to the Church in Need Interviews Bhsakar Sunamajhi
The post Christian in India Released on Bail After 11 Years in Jail on False Accusation appeared first on ZENIT – English.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | News, Pope and Holy See |
Will Take Place in October
The post Pope’s Global Compact on Education Also Postponed in Response to Worldwide Coronavirus Concerns appeared first on ZENIT – English.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Chile, Church in the Americas, clerical sexual abuse, Coping International, Jordi Bertomeu, lead, Mexico, News, Pope Francis, Vincent Doyle |
ROME – Pope Francis is sending two top aides to Mexico to help the local bishops address the clerical abuse crisis in Mexico. The pontiff tapped Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Spaniard Father Jordi Bertomeu, the same duo he had sent to Chile in 2018 in the aftermath of the
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Articles, Featured Highlights, News |
David Bentley Hart has recently suggested that the Eastern Orthodox practice of divorce is more coherent and compassionate than the Catholic practice of annulment. The key premise of his argument is that divorce, though always sad, is sometimes the best option for couples; sometimes even for couples whose marriages the Catholic Church considers indissoluble. As[…]
The post Compassion is not cynical: a reply to David Bentley Hart on Annulment and Divorce appeared first on Catholic Insight.
Read MoreMission of the Holy See
The post Mexico: Archbishop Scicluna Advises Bishops & Superiors in Matters of Abuses appeared first on ZENIT – English.
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | Human Rights and Justice, News |
‘People are Dying Daily’
The post Bishops Lead Peaceful Protest Against Extremism in Nigeria appeared first on ZENIT – English.
Read MoreVatican City, Mar 3, 2020 / 04:10 am (CNA).- Pope Francis was reportedly tested for the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, with negative results, an Italian newspaper said Tuesday.
Last week, the pope began to show symptoms of a cold. “His doctors imm…
Read MorePosted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | News, Politics/United States |
Not much more entertaining than this final dramatic speech by Britain’s Nigel Farage as he and his associates wave good-bye to the EU at their assembly.
They all waved good-bye with their now-independent British flags. Worth a watch!
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Posted by bcadmin | Mar 3, 2020 | News, Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction |
Often when I propose the possibility of a contemplative or kneeling theology, someone normally asks about upholding academic rigor. The presumption is that a theology that is not primarily concerned with the questions of the academy is not likely to be demanding. In this worldview, admittedly the dominant view in most theological faculties, prayer is […]
In a case described as the first major abortion case of the Trump era, the justices will examine the constitutionality of a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admission privileges at local hospitals.
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