A ten-page booklet with Interim Guidance on Leave from Ministry in cases of allegations of sexual abuse of children has been issued by the National Board for Safeguarding Children. It is dated January 2012. It is available on the website of the Irish Catholic Bishops:
http://www.safeguarding.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Ministry-Leave-2012.pdf
Pádraig McCarthy
The ACP Leadership Team sent this message today to all members; it gives advance notice of some events already organised for the Autumn
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) has produced the first edition of their new newsletter, ‘Leading’.
Mary Bergan Blanchard , editor, says that the newsletter “discusses who we are, why we’re here, and what we do…..
We are a prophetic movement. Organized religion needs to be reorganized. Millions of Catholics have given up their faith in disgust. If we do not regenerate the interest in the simplicity of Christ’s message, who will? It is buried in over 1,750 man-made Canon Laws. Women and all their contributions have been ignored for nearly two thousand years. Enough!………………… We are trying our best to inform all curious people exactly what we are about.”
Bill Tammeus, a Presbyterian elder, suggests a short list of disagreements Protestants might have with Pope Francis. (First published in the National Catholic Reporter on 19 March 2014: read original article and comments here.)
Tony Flannery reports on the first two events of his planned speaking engagements, under the title “Repairing a Damaged Church”.
Joshua J. McElwee presents Pope Francis’ dialogue with the leaders of the international umbrella group for men’s communities, published on Friday 3 January in an Italian Jesuit magazine (this account is from the National Catholic Reporter: read original version and comments here ).
Homily of Archbishop Eamon Martin for the Mass of Chrism –
“We must not think we have always to be in control, always to be ‘the fixers’, the ones with all the answers, forgetting that we too are human; we have our own sinfulness, vulnerabilities and needs. It is not a sign of weakness as a priest to admit that you sometimes fail, or need help and accompaniment.”
Page 5:
“As part of a risk management plan, the making of a public statement is a matter of necessity where the respondent remains resident in the parish/congregation.”
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Why is this? If a lay school teacher is suddenly accused of molesting a minor, say 20 years before, and continues to live near the school, does the headmaster call a public meeting to broadcast the fact that an allegation has been made? Does any other organisation outside the Catholic Church behave like this?
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Appendix 1
Note on canonical procedures
“When an allegation or concern has been received, and a referral to An Garda Siochána/PSNI/HSC/HSE has been made, a preliminary investigation should be initiated when the Ordinary receives information which has at least the semblance of truth regarding an offence (canon 1717; canon 695).”
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What does “at least the semblance of truth” mean IN PRACTICE? Does it simply mean that the priest was in the country (or at least the Continent) at the time the allegation refers to?
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There was a case in Australia couple of years ago, in which a senior Vincentian was accused of abusing a child 20 years before. The police arrested him amid huge publicity. By producing his passport he was able to prove that he was not in Australia at the time! Presumably this type of allegation would lack “the semblance of truth” as per the The National Board For Safeguarding Children? Are there any OTHER circumstances in which the semblance of truth would be considered to be lacking?