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Monsignor Harry J. Byrne, JCD * * * Comment/contact:larchstar@aol.com

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Location: 3103 Arlington Avenue,, Bronx, NY 10463, United States

April 19, 2008

BENEDICT XVI VISITS NEW YORK

I Benedict's first comment in the US dealt with the sex abuse crisis in his Church in response to a reporter's question on his airplane just before arrival in Washington. Please see my Post of 4/16 for this item.

II With President Bush, he warmly greeted the American people, noting the religious freedom that reigns here: "Historically, not only Catholics, but all believers have found here the freedom to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of a commonwealth in which each individual group can make its voice heard." COMMENT: A FAR CRY FROM PIUS IX's DENUNCIATION OF SUCH FREEDOM, A LONG EMBARRASSMENT TO THE FAITHFUL.

III At the UN,Benedict expressed his esteem for the UN praising its goal of "harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of the common ends" of peace and development. The principle of subsidiarity is to be respected in resolving conflicting tensions. With no explicit reference to the Iraq war, he speaks of the "paradox of a multilateral consensus that continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a small number...".

Some quotations from this speech demonstrate Benedict's understanding of the basic principles that must undergird the relationships among nations:
There is never required "a choice to be made between science and ethics: rather it is a question of adopting a scientic method that is truly respectful of ethical imperatives".
"If states are unable to guarantee such protection (of its citizens from denial of human rights), the international community must intervene with the juridical means provided in the UN Charter and in other international instruments."
"What is needed is a deeper search for ways of pre-empting and managing conflicts by exploring every possible diplomatic avenue, and giving ...encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation."
"Human rights must be respected as an expression of justice, and not merely because they are enforceable through the will of legislators."
"Dialogue should be recognized as the means by which the various components of society can articulate their points of view and build consensus around the truth concerning particular values or goals."

COMMENT: BENEDICT ARTICULATES A CLEAR-RINGING INTELLECTUAL AFFIRMATION OF BASIC PRINCIPLES REGARDING HUMAN RIGHTS. BUT IN LIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE PRINCIPLES AMONG NATIONS WOULD THEY NOT BE OF SIMILAR VALUE WITHIN THE CHURCH?

IV Homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral:
Benedict uses the cathedral itself as a framework for his reflections. The stained glass windows appear dark from the outside but allow light to enter and transform the interior into a place expressive of love and faith.

"The unity of a Gothic cathedral, is not the static unity of a classic temple, but a unity born of the dynamic tension of diverse forces, which impel the architecture upward, pointing it to heaven." He speaks of the variety of gifts and graces to be coordinated into a unity of the Church's mission. He laments the conflicts in the years after Vatican II. The horrible experience of the abuse crisis is acknowledged with his assurance of being close to his hearers as they "strive to respond...to the continuing challenges that this situation presents". He urges that there be a time of purification for all and that his hearers will "cooperate with your bishops, who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue". He turns to the thought of the spires of St. Patrick's, set amid the busy city's skyscrapers, as a "vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God". COMMENT: A REALLY SPECTACULAR HOMILY, THE CATHEDRAL IMAGERY SO CREATIVE, HIS IDEAS SO EFFECTIVELY LINKED. QUESTIONS: DO ALL NEED PURIFICATION? HAVE THE BISHOPS REALLY WORKED EFFECTIVELY IN THIS MATTER? THEIR OWN NATIONAL REVIEW BOARD DOES NOT THINK SO BECAUSE OF SECRET REASSIGNMENTS OF MISCREANT CLERGY BY MANY BISHOPS. (NRB report of Feb. 2004)

V At St. Joseph's of Yorkville, established in 1873 for German-speaking people, he spoke of the importance of friendly relationships among Christian churches.
At his historic visit to Park East Synagogue, headed by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a holocaust survivor, Benedict spoke of "his esteem for the Jewish community of New York City" and extolled the virtues of "building bridges of friendship between people of all faiths".

COMMENT: BENEDICT HAS BEEN RECEIVED IN NEW YORK WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT. HE HAS BEEN PRAISED FOR HIS CANDOR IN ADDRESSING THE ABUSE CRISIS, FOR HIS INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL ARTICULATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FOR HIS WELL SAID AFFIRMATIONS OF INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERFAITH AMITY.

April 16, 2008

POPE, BISHOPS AND CANON LAW

Pope Benedict XVI arrived yesterday in Washington. He has been received with widespread attention and commentary, mostly favorable, in the media. A general respect for Catholics as neighbors and for their church on the part of the American public seems to have counterbalanced any ill-feeling heritage from the abuse crisis.
B16 notably praised our secular democracy as an appropriate theater for religious freedom and activity. He expressed his sadness at the devastation wrought on children by pedophile priests and the $2 billion lost from settlements and court judgments.

But the pope made no mention of the mismanagement by many bishops in secretly transferring pedophile priests,which exponentially multiplied the injuries to so many children. And it was not the pedophiles who paid the monetary price; it was the bishops, who were deemed responsible by the courts for the harm done. They were to pay for their own failures in due diligence and responsibility. But they did not pay from their own pockets, but from the church's resources, established from the contributions of the faithful. If the faithful must ultimately pay for damages, they should have a role in that administration in order to be held responsible for its failures. That role has been consistantly denied by most bishops. There is need here for structural change.

The bishops appear to be considered by themselves and the pope as above canon law. Canon 1395 requires that an abusing priest "is to be punished". Not sent for treatment! Not secretly reassigned! Canon 1389 requires that a bishop be punished for not enforcing Canon 1395. There is no record of this Canon ever having been applied in the US to a bishop who secretly reassigned an abuser.

Another example: When a credible allegation of abuse is made against a priest, he is to be immediately removed from ministry. But that is not the case for an accused bishop. Cardinals Joseph Bernardine of Chicago and Ted McCarrick of Washington and Bishop Hubbard of Albany were the targets of allegations, later established as untrue. But none was removed from ministry before the process. The press reported that Hubbard engaged Ms. Mary Jo White, the former US Attorney in Manhattan, in his defense, paying her $600 per hour. The total cost of his defense has been estimated at $2 million. Paid by his diocese, i.e.from contributions of the faithful. This is a significant contrast with cases of accused priests.

Benedict XVI similarly seems to regard bishops as above Canon Law, since he makes no mention whatever of their well-known role involved in the damages to children and to the funds established by the faithful. This is a problem in hierarchical thinking that calls for change. It is shown by the assignment by Pope John Paul II of Cardinal Bernard Law, driven from Boston by his people and priests as the poster boy for reassigning pedophiles, as the rector of a major basilica in Rome with staff and an annual six figure salary. This kind of thinking is at the root of the abuse problem and other problems. It would be helpful for the pope to acknowledge this.

April 17, 2008
Later in the day of April 15, B16, in speaking to the US bishops, declared that the abuse crisis was "badly handled". The use of passive voice avoided any implication as to who "badly handled" the matter. The pope has, thus, not pointed to or criticized any bishop for complicity in causing damage to children or participating in the loss of $2 billion in church funds. The many bishops, who knowingly reassigned abusing clergy, remain cloaked in immunity from canon law and from papal action or disapproval.