News Vatican Information Service 03/13 - 15/2010

SUMMARY: 13 -15 MARCH

- Prime Minister of Croatia Meets with Pope
- Sudanese Bishops: Preach Reconciliation and Forgiveness
- Pope to Spend the Entire Summer at Castelgandolfo
- Angelus: Parable of Prodigal Son Is a Peak of Spirituality
- Benedict XVI Visits Rome's Evangelical-Lutheran Church
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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PRIME MINISTER OF CROATIA MEETS WITH POPE

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

  "This morning the Holy Father received in audience Jadranka Kosor, prime minister of the Republic of Croatia. The prime minister subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

  "The focal point of the cordial discussions was a fruitful exchange of opinions on a number of current international questions, and on the situation in the region. Particular attention was given to the condition of the Croatian community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the three peoples who make up that country. Subsequently the parties reconfirmed their mutual will to continue constructive dialogue on matters of joint interest for the Church and the Croatian State. Finally attention turned to certain themes concerning Croatia's path towards full integration into the European Union
OP/CROATIA/CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER                             VIS 100315 (170)

SUDANESE BISHOPS: PREACH RECONCILIATION AND FORGIVENESS

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received prelates of the Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference at the end of their "ad limina" visit. "Your fidelity to the Lord and the fruits of your labours amid difficulties and sufferings bear eloquent witness to the power of the Cross which shines through our human limitations and weakness" he told them, beginning his English-language address.

  "I know how much you and the faithful of your country long for peace", he added, "and how patiently you are working for its restoration. Anchored in your faith and hope in Christ the Prince of Peace, may you always find in the Gospel the principles needed to shape your preaching and teaching, your judgements and actions.

  "Inspired by those principles, and echoing the just aspirations of the entire Catholic community, you have spoken out with one voice in rejecting 'any return to war' and in appealing for the establishment of peace at every level of national life", noted the Holy Father, likewise highlighting how, if peace is to triumph, "efforts must be made to diminish the factors contributing to unrest, particularly corruption, ethnic tensions, indifference and selfishness. Initiatives in this regard will surely prove fruitful if they are based on integrity, a sense of universal brotherhood and the virtues of justice, responsibility and charity", he said.

  Benedict XVI then called on the prelates to draw inspiration from the recent Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops "as you continue to preach reconciliation and forgiveness. The effects of violence may take many years to heal, yet the change of heart which is the indispensable condition for a just and lasting peace must even now be implored as a gift of God's grace".

  The Pope went on: "As heralds of the Gospel, you have sought to instil in your people and in society a sense of responsibility towards present and future generations, encouraging forgiveness, mutual acceptance and respect for commitments taken. You have likewise worked to advance fundamental human rights through the rule of law and have called for the application of an integral model of economic and human development. I appreciate all that the Church in your country is doing to assist poor people to live in dignity and self-respect, to help them find long-term work and to enable them to make their proper contribution to society".

  The Holy Father then turned to consider the bishops' relations with their priests, in which context he told them "you yourselves must be the first teachers and witnesses of our communion in faith and the love of Christ, sharing common initiatives, listening to your collaborators, helping priests, religious and faithful to accept and support one another as brothers and sisters, without distinction of race or ethnic group, in a generous exchange of gifts".

  Finally Pope Benedict expressed his appreciation to the bishops for their efforts "to maintain good relations with the followers of Islam. As you work to promote co-operation in practical initiatives, I would encourage you to stress the values that Christians share in common with Muslims as the basis for that 'dialogue of life' which is an essential first step towards genuine inter-religious respect and understanding. The same openness and love should be shown to people belonging to the traditional religions".
AL/.../SUDAN                                                                                  VIS 100315 (560)

POPE TO SPEND THE ENTIRE SUMMER AT CASTELGANDOLFO

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office has announced that in summer this year the Holy Father will travel directly from Rome to Castelgandolfo, where he will spend the entire summer period.

  Benedict XVI, the text continues, "greatly appreciates all the invitations he has received to spend several weeks in alpine locations and sincerely thanks the bishops who sent them, but this year he prefers to start the summer period of rest and study immediately, without the commitment of further transfers".
OP/PAPAL VACATION/...                                                             VIS 100315 (100)

ANGELUS: PARABLE OF PRODIGAL SON IS A PEAK OF SPIRITUALITY

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2010 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square.

  Before the Marian prayer the Holy Father reflected on today's Gospel reading, saying that St. Luke's narrative "represents an all-time literary and spiritual high point.

  "What indeed would our culture, our art and, more generally, our civilisation be without this revelation of a Father God full of mercy?" he added. "Once Jesus told us of the merciful Father, things were not as they were before: now we know God. ... Our relations with Him are constructed over the course of time, just as happens with a child and his parents. At first he is dependent on them, then he claims his own autonomy and finally - if there is a positive development - the relationship matures, based on recognition and authentic love".

  The Pope went on to point out that these stages in human relations reflect the various moments in a human being's relationship with God, which "may also have a phase similar to infancy: a religion inspired by need and dependency". Then, as a person grows, "he wishes to free himself from this submission" and "to become capable of looking after himself, of making his own independent choices, sometimes thinking he can do without God".

  This delicate phase, noted the Holy Father, "can lead to atheism, but that too, not infrequently, conceals a need to discover the true face of God. Luckily for us, God never fails in His faithfulness and, even if we move away and become lost, He continues to follow us with His love, forgiving our errors and speaking to our conscience in order to call us back to Him".

  "Only by experiencing forgiveness, by recognising that we are loved with a gratuitous love that is greater than our own abjection, and than our justice, do we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God", Benedict XVI concluded.
ANG/DIVINE MERCY/...                                                                 VIS 100315 (350)

BENEDICT XVI VISITS ROME'S EVANGELICAL-LUTHERAN CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2010 (VIS) - This afternoon, Benedict XVI visited the Evangelical-Lutheran church of Rome, a building inaugurated in 1922, where he was welcomed by Jens-Martin Kruse, pastor of the city's Lutheran community. John Paul II visited the same church in December 1983, for the fifth centenary of the birth of Martin Luther.

  As the Pope and the Lutheran pastor advanced towards the altar, a choir of Lutherans and Catholic seminarians sang Mozart's "Jubilate Deo".

  Following a greeting from the president of the Lutheran community, Pastor Kruse and the Pope both delivered homilies. Benedict XVI gave thanks for the fact that "we are gathered here on this Sunday, singing together, listening to the Word of God, listening to one another and looking towards the One Christ, bearing witness to the One Christ".

  Continuing his homily, delivered off-the-cuff in German, the Holy Father noted how "we hear many complaints about the fact that there are no longer any new developments in ecumenism. Yet", he insisted, "we can say with gratitude that there are many elements that unite us".

  "We must not content ourselves with the successes of ecumenism over recent years, because we still cannot drink from the same chalice or gather together around the same altar", he said.

  "This", he went on, "cannot but make us sad because it is a situation of sin; and yet unity cannot be achieved by men. We must entrust ourselves to the Lord, because He is the only one Who can give us unity. Let us hope that He brings us to that goal".

  Recalling words used by Pastor Kruse in his homily, the Holy Father agreed that the main common ground between Lutherans and Catholics "must be the joy and hope we are already experiencing, and the hope that our current unity may become even deeper".

  At the end of his visit the Pope gave the Lutheran community of Rome, which is made up of 350 faithful, a mosaic depicting Jesus Christ, reproduction of an original located under the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter's Basilica.
BXVI-VISIT LUTHERAN CHURCH/.../...                                      VIS 100315 (360)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, president of the Italian Episcopal conference.

 - Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine.

 - Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine.

 - Four prelates of the Conference of Bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Anselme Titianma Sanon of Bobo-Dioulasso.

    - Bishop Basile Tapsoba of Koudougou.

    - Wenceslas Compaore of Manga.

    - Bishop Lucas Kalfa Sanou of Banfora.

  On Saturday 13 March he received in separate audiences

 - Four prelates from the Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop of Khartoum, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Marco Kur Adwok.

    - Bishop Macram Max Gassis M.C.C.J. of El Obeid, accompanied by Bishop Antonio Menegazzo M.C.C.J., apostolic administrator "sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis".

 - Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
AL:AP/.../...                                                                                      VIS 100315 (170)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Bishop Zelimir Puljic of Dubrovnik, Croatia, as archbishop of Zadar (area 3,009, population 164,840, Catholics 158,985, priests 118, religious 184), Croatia. The archbishop-elect was born in Kamena, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 1990.

 - Msgr. Stanislav Lipovsek of the clergy of the archdiocese of Maribor, Slovenia, pastor of the cathedral, as bishop of Celje (area 2,711, population 291,300, Catholics 238,800, priests 136, permanent deacons 2, religious 62), Slovenia. The bishop-elect was born in Vojnik, Slovenia in 1943 and ordained a priest in 1968.

 - Fr. Vicente Bokalic Iglic C.M., former provincial of the Congregation of the Mission in Argentina, as auxiliary of Buenos Aires (area 203, population 2,847,000, Catholics 2,609,000, priests 849, permanent deacons 6, religious 2,144), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Lanus, Argentina in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1978.

  On Saturday 13 March it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M., prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, as his special envoy to the sixteenth Eucharistic Congress of Brazil, due to take place in the country's capital city of Brasilia from 13 to 16 May.

 - Appointed Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent, apostolic nuncio to Madagascar and apostolic delegate to Comoros with functions as apostolic delegate to Reunion, also as apostolic nuncio to Mauritius and Seychelles.

 - Appointed Bishop Ricardo Blazquez Perez of Bilbao, Spain, as metropolitan archbishop of Valladolid (area 8,172, population 521,661, Catholics 466,412, priests 462, permanent deacons 9, religious 1,659), Spain. The archbishop-elect was born in Campillo, Spain in 1942, he was ordained a priest in 1967 and consecrated a bishop in 1988.

 - Accepted the resignation from the diocese of Kerema, Papua New Guinea, presented by Bishop Paul John Marx M.S.C., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Patrick Taval M.S.C.

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, presented by Bishop Ramon Jose Viloria Pinzon, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
NER:NEA:NA:NN:RE/.../...                                                             VIS 100315 (360)

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News Vatican Information Service 03/13/2010

SUMMARY:

- Note Issued by Holy See Press Office Director
- Promoter of Justice at Doctrine of Faith on Paedophilia

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NOTE ISSUED BY HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE DIRECTOR

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. today issued a note entitled "A clear route through stormy waters".

  "At the end of a week in which a large part of the attention of the European media has been focused on the question of sexual abuses committed by people in institutions of the Catholic Church, we would like to make three observations:

  "Firstly, the line being taken by the German Episcopal Conference has shown itself to be the right way to face the problem in its various aspects. The declarations of the president of that conference, Archbishop Zollitsch, following his meeting with the Holy Father, recap the strategy laid down in the conference's recent assembly and reiterate its essential operational aspects: recognition of the truth and help for victims, reinforcement of preventative measures and constructive collaboration with the authorities (including the judicial authorities of State) for the common good of society. Archbishop Zollitsch also unequivocally reiterated the opinion of experts according to whom the question of celibacy should in no way be confused with that of paedophilia. The Holy Father has encouraged the line being followed by the German bishops which - even taking account of the specific context of their own county - may be considered as a useful and inspiring model for other episcopal conferences that find themselves facing similar problems.

  "Furthermore, an important and wide-ranging interview given by Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a detailed explanation of the significance of the specific canonical norms established by the Church over the years to judge the heinous crimes of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy. It is absolutely clear that these norms did not seek, and have not favoured, any kind of cover-up of such crimes; quite the contrary, they initiated intense activities to confront, judge and adequately punish the crimes in the context of ecclesiastical legislation. And it must be remembered that all this was planned and set in motion when Cardinal Ratzinger was prefect of the Congregation. The line he followed was always one of rigour and coherence in dealing with even the most difficult situations.

  "Finally, the archdiocese of Munich has replied, with a long and detailed communique, to questions concerning the case of a priest who moved from Essen to Munich at the time in which Cardinal Ratzinger was archbishop of that city, a priest who subsequently committed abuses. The communique highlights how the then archbishop was completely unconnected with the decisions in the wake of which the abuses took place. Rather, it is evident that over recent days some people have sought - with considerable persistence, in Regensburg and Munich - elements that could personally involve the Holy Father in questions of abuse. To any objective observer, it is clear that these efforts have failed.

  "Despite the storm, the Church clearly sees the route she must follow, under the sure and rigorous guidance of the Holy Father. As we have already had occasion to observe, it is our hope that this torment may, in the end, help society as a whole to show ever greater concern for the protection and formation of children and adolescents".
OP/SEXUAL ABUSE/LOMBARDI                                                           VIS 100313 (560)
 
PROMOTER OF JUSTICE AT DOCTRINE OF FAITH ON PAEDOPHILIA
 
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an interview, published today by the Italian newspaper "Avvenire", with Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, concerning the investigative and judicial activities of that dicastery in cases of "delicta graviora", which include the crime of paedophilia committed by members of the clergy:

  Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna is the "promoter of justice" of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is effectively the prosecutor of the tribunal of the former Holy Office, whose job it is to investigate what are known as "delicta graviora"; i.e., the crimes which the Catholic Church considers as being the most serious of all: crimes against the Eucharist and against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, and crimes against the sixth Commandment ("thou shall not commit impure acts") committed by a cleric against a person under the age of eighteen. These crimes, in a "Motu Proprio" of 2001, "Sacramentum sanctitatis tutela", come under the competency of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In effect, it is the "promoter of justice" who deals with, among other things, the terrible question of priests accused of paedophilia, which are periodically highlighted in the mass media. Msgr. Scicluna, an affable and polite Maltese, has the reputation of scrupulously carrying out the tasks entrusted to him without deferring to anyone.

  Question: Monsignor, you have the reputation of being "tough", yet the Catholic Church is systematically accused of being accommodating towards "paedophile priests".

  Answer: It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were, in practice, too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon. And I say in practice because, in principle, the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal. Suffice it to recall, to limit ourselves just to last century, the famous Instruction "Crimen sollicitationis" of 1922.

  Q: Wasn't that from 1962?

  A: No, the first edition dates back to the pontificate of Pius XI. Then, with Blessed John XXIII, the Holy Office issued a new edition for the Council Fathers, but only two thousand copies were printed, which were not enough, and so distribution was postponed sine die. In any case, these were procedural norms to be followed in cases of solicitation during confession, and of other more serious sexually-motivated crimes such as the sexual abuse of minors.
 
  Q: Norms which, however, recommended secrecy...

  A: A poor English translation of that text has led people to think that the Holy See imposed secrecy in order to hide the facts. But this was not so. Secrecy during the investigative phase served to protect the good name of all the people involved; first and foremost, the victims themselves, then the accused priests who have the right - as everyone does - to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The Church does not like showcase justice. Norms on sexual abuse have never been understood as a ban on denouncing the crimes to the civil authorities.

  Q: Nonetheless, that document is periodically cited to accuse the current Pontiff of having been - when he was prefect of the former Holy Office - objectively responsible for a Holy See policy of covering up the facts...

  A: That accusation is false and calumnious. On this subject I would like to highlight a number of facts. Between 1975 and 1985 I do not believe that any cases of paedophilia committed by priests were brought to the attention of our Congregation. Moreover, following the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, there was a period of uncertainty as to which of the "delicta graviora" were reserved to the competency of this dicastery. Only with the 2001 "Motu Proprio" did the crime of paedophilia again become our exclusive remit. From that moment Cardinal Ratzinger displayed great wisdom and firmness in handling those cases, also demonstrating great courage in facing some of the most difficult and thorny cases, "sine acceptione personarum". Therefore, to accuse the current Pontiff of a cover-up is, I repeat, false and calumnious.

  Q: What happens when a priest is accused of a "delictum gravius"?

  A: If the accusation is well-founded the bishop has the obligation to investigate both the soundness and the subject of the accusation. If the outcome of this initial investigation is consistent, he no longer has any power to act in the matter and must refer the case to our Congregation where it is dealt with by the disciplinary office.

  Q: How is that office composed?

  A: Apart from myself who, being one of the superiors of the dicastery, also concern myself with other matters, there are the bureau chief Fr. Pedro Miguel Funes Diaz, seven priests and a lay lawyer who follow these cases. Other officials of the Congregation also make their own vital contribution depending upon the language and specific requirements of each case.

  Q: That office has been accused of working little and slowly...

  A: Those are unjustified comments. In 2003 and 2004 a great wave of cases flooded over our desks. Many of them came from the United States and concerned the past. Over recent years, thanks to God, the phenomenon has become greatly reduced, and we now seek to deal with new cases as they arise.

  Q: How many have you dealt with so far?

  A: Overall in the last nine years (2001-2010) we have considered accusations concerning around three thousand cases of diocesan and religious priests, which refer to crimes committed over the last fifty years.

  Q: That is, then, three thousand cases of paedophile priests?

  A: No, it is not correct to say that. We can say that about sixty percent of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another thirty percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining ten percent were cases of paedophilia in the true sense of the term; that is, based on sexual attraction towards prepubescent children. The cases of priests accused of paedophilia in the true sense have been about three hundred in nine years. Please don't misunderstand me, these are of course too many, but it must be recognised that the phenomenon is not as widespread as has been believed.

  Q: The accused, then, are three thousand. How many have been tried and condemned?

  A: Currently we can say that a full trial, penal or administrative, has taken place in twenty percent of cases, normally celebrated in the diocese of origin - always under our supervision - and only very rarely here in Rome. We do this also in order to speed up the process. In sixty percent of cases there has been no trial, above all because of the advanced age of the accused, but administrative and disciplinary provisions have been issued against them, such as the obligation not to celebrate Mass with the faithful, not to hear confession, and to live a retired life of prayer. It must be made absolutely clear that in these cases, some of which are particularly sensational and have caught the attention of the media, no absolution has taken place. It's true that there has been no formal condemnation, but if a person is obliged to a life of silence and prayer, then there must be a reason...
 
  Q: That still leaves twenty percent of cases...

  A: We can say that in ten percent of cases, the particularly serious ones in which the proof is overwhelming, the Holy Father has assumed the painful responsibility of authorising a decree of dismissal from the clerical state. This is a very serious but inevitable provision, taken though administrative channels. In the remaining ten percent of cases, it was the accused priests themselves who requested dispensation from the obligations deriving from the priesthood, requests which were promptly accepted. Those involved in these latter cases were priests found in possession of paedophile pornographic material and, for this reason, condemned by the civil authorities.

  Q: Where do these three thousand cases come from?

  A: Mostly from the United States which, in the years 2003-2004, represented around eighty percent of total cases. In 2009 the United States "share" had dropped to around twenty-five percent of the 223 cases reported from all over the world. Over recent years (2007-2009), the annual average of cases reported to the Congregation from around the world has been two hundred and fifty. Many countries report only one or two cases. There is, then, a growing diversity and number of countries of origin of cases, but the phenomenon itself is much reduced. It must, in fact, be borne in mind that the overall number of diocesan and religious priests in the world is four hundred thousand, although this statistic does not correspond to the perception that is created when these sad cases occupy the front pages of the newspapers.

  Q: And in Italy?

  A: Thus far the phenomenon does not seem to have dramatic proportions, although what worries me is a certain culture of silence which I feel is still too widespread in the country. The Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) offers an excellent technical-juridical consultancy service for bishops who have to deal with these cases. And I am very pleased to observe the ever greater commitment being shown by Italian bishops to throw light on the cases reported to them.

  Q: You said that a full trial has taken place in around twenty percent of the three thousand cases you have examined over the last nine years. Did they all end with the condemnation of the accused?

  A: Many of the past trials did end with the condemnation of the accused. But there have also been cases in which the priest was declared innocent, or where the accusations were not considered to have sufficient proof. In all cases, however, not only is there an examination of the guilt or innocence of the accused priest, but also a discernment as to his fitness for public ministry.

  Q: A recurring accusation made against the ecclesiastical hierarchy is that of not reporting to the civil authorities when crimes of paedophilia come to their attention.

  A: In some English-speaking countries, but also in France, if bishops become aware of crimes committed by their priests outside the sacramental seal of Confession, they are obliged to report them to the judicial authorities. This is an onerous duty because the bishops are forced to make a gesture comparable to that of a father denouncing his own son. Nonetheless, our guidance in these cases is to respect the law.

  Q: And what about countries where bishops do not have this legal obligation?

  A: In these cases we do not force bishops to denounce their own priests, but encourage them to contact the victims and invite them to denounce the priests by whom they have been abused. Furthermore, we invite the bishops to give all spiritual - and not only spiritual - assistance to those victims. In a recent case concerning a priest condemned by a civil tribunal in Italy, it was precisely this Congregation that suggested to the plaintiffs, who had turned to us for a canonical trial, that they involve the civil authorities in the interests of victims and to avoid other crimes.

  Q: A final question: is there any statue of limitation for "delicta graviora"?

  A: Here you touch upon what, in my view, is a sensitive point. In the past, that is before 1889, the statue of limitations was something unknown in canon law. For the most serious crimes, it was only with the 2001 "Motu Proprio" that a statute of limitations of ten years was introduced. In accordance with these norms in cases of sexual abuse, the ten years begin from the day on which the minor reaches the age of eighteen.

  Q: Is that enough?

  A: Practice has shown that the limit of ten years is not enough in this kind of case, in which it would be better to return to the earlier system of "delicta graviora" not being subject to the statue of limitations. On 7 November 2002, Venerable Servant of God John Paul II granted this dicastery the power to revoke that statue of limitations, case by case following a reasoned request from individual bishops. And this revocation is normally granted.
CDF/DELICTA GRAVIORA/SCICLUNA                                     VIS 100313 (2070)

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The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

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