Vatican City, Jul 17, 2010 / (CNA).- Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said Saturday that the new norms on sexual abuse are an "important step," but, he warned, law "is not everything" in the battle against serious sins. He observed that the Church's path to a "purer and more evangelical witness" will not be short.
Fr. Lombardi reflected on the effects of the updates to Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) norms concerning the "most serious" sins on his weekly Vatican Television editorial "Octava dies." The details of the updates were released during a press briefing he gave on Thursday with CDF promoter of justice, Msgr. Charles Scicluna.
In his editorial, the Vatican spokesman said that with the publication of the norms, "the Church has taken an important step in addressing the question (of sexual abuse) with responses that will be lasting and have a profound impact.
"Clear and well-known laws are an essential guide for any large community, such as the Catholic Church, which must have its own common rules." These rules remain autonomous from those of the many countries in which it exists, he explained, adding that "the just civil laws must obviously be respected and put into practice by men of the Church, as by every citizen, also for the crimes of abuse."
Highlighting some of the standout elements of the quite extensive updates to canonical procedures, he said that the modifications enable "faster and more effective" trials and greater assistance due to the presence of lay experts on ecclesiastical tribunals. They also increase the statute of limitations and officially consider abusing those with "a limited use of reason" and the possession of pedophile pornography as among the gravest of sins, he outlined.
But, while "law is necessary" to combating sexual abuses within the Church, "it is not everything," Fr. Lombardi pointed out.
Change must come about through "commitment to education, the formation of clergy and staff who work in institutions linked to the Church, information and prevention, dialogue with and personal care for the victims," he said, noting that it is a “huge area in which the Church has mobilized itself, as urged for by the Pope, in many countries.
"For its part, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continues to work to give aid to local bishops in formulating coherent and effective guidelines,” Fr. Lombardi underscored. “The new law is important, but we know well that our commitment to a purer and more evangelical witness must be a long road."
zondag 18 juli 2010
Purification of Church from 'serious sins' a long process, says Fr. Lombardi
Msgr. Scicluna: New norms important, ongoing action needed
Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- Monsignor Charles Scicluna took part in a press briefing on Thursday for the release of modified Vatican norms on how to examine and punish cases involving the "most serious sins." He fielded a number of questions as to its content but underscored the importance of ongoing action for successfully bringing about change in the Church.
Journalists in the Holy See's Press Office spoke of the encounter as "unseen since the days of Cardinal Ratzinger." The Maltese promotor of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith fielded questions on complex matters with apparent ease, answering journalists' queries regarding many aspects of the updates to the Motu Proprio of 2001 in both English and Italian.
About the concern in the media that sexual abuse against minors was being equated with the attempted ordination of women in the eyes of canon law, Msgr. Scicluna said in English, "They are not on the same level." Serious sins are divided into those against Christian morality and those committed during the administration of the sacraments, he explained.
Sexual abuses of minors and child pornography are the graver sins and represent "an egregious violation of moral law." And while the attempted ordination is grave, it's "on another level," he said, explaining that it is a wound that goes against the Catholic faith and the sacrament of Holy Orders.
"So they are (both) grave but on different levels," Msgr. Scicluna said, noting in Italian that their comparison is incidental as both "are found in the only document that attempts to put in order all of the competence on the delicts that are reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."
He also defended Pope Benedict XVI's stance on the obligation to obey civil law in cases of sexual abuse of minors. Msgr. Scicluna said the Pope has been "very clear. The Christian obeys civil law when it is just and there is no doubt that in this case civil law is just."
The promotor of justice added that when the law allows the victim to choose whether or not to report a crime, their wishes must also be respected.
He also called an additional wording that gives the CDF the ability to examine the actions of Church prelates and functionaries an "important signal because it means that the congregation will be able to investigate and then submit its results to the Pope."
On behalf of the CDF, Msgr. Scicluna thanked the Holy Father for his "stamp" on the revision of the norms.
"So," he concluded, "I think this is a very important step from the point of canon law, from a technical point. But, a document is always a document, it does not solve all the problems. It is a very important instrument, but it is the way you use the instrument that is going to have the real effect on the Church."
CDF to publish directions for local bishops on handling abuse cases
Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- During a briefing today with journalists for the release of new norms on cases of "the most serious sins" in the Church, Fr. Federico Lombardi spoke about the work that continues to be done in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). He said that the congregation is working on new, comprehensive documents compiled from the experiences of individual bishops' conferences to create better guidelines for handling abuse cases on a local level.
The announcement came within an officially published comment from Fr. Lombardi, who explained the scope of the direction further during the briefing.
The Vatican spokesman informed reporters that the CDF is "currently examining how to help the bishops of the world formulate and develop, coherently and effectively, the indications and guidelines necessary to face the problems of the sexual abuse of minors, either by members of the clergy or within the environment of activities and institutions connected with the Church ...”
These additional documents, he said, will bear in mind “the situation and the problems of the societies in which they operate."
Straying from his prepared notes, Fr. Lombardi explained, "It has always been said that the episcopates that know the different situations in the different countries and the different norms and cultural situations should make their own guidelines to confront the problem of the abuse of minors by clergy ... and (in) other Catholic institutions.
"Episcopates," he went on, "have an important role because they know the specific situations in each place. The CDF is studying and working, based on the experience of the different guidelines given by the Episcopates to give the directions to help to establish a coherent framework between the different episcopal conferences" to take advantage of positive contributions offered.
"It's a work of coordination, integration, suggestions and harmonization of the guidelines but without eliminating the role of the Episcopates in this field."
While there is no time line for the release of these guidelines and it is still unknown what form the documents might take on, Fr. Lombardi assured that "they are working (at the CDF).”
"This is an important element to keep in mind," Fr. Lombardi explained. "It isn't as if with the publication of the norms concerning the delictus gravioribus, the congregation has finished its task and won't think about it any more. It works, rather, to help develop, clarify and coordinate."
Going back to his prepared remarks, he said that "This will be another crucial step on the Church's journey as she translates into permanent practice and continuous awareness the fruits of the teachings and ideas that have matured over the course of the painful events of the 'crisis' engendered by sexual abuse by members of the clergy."
Fr. Lombardi explains newly published norms on sex abuse, serious sins
Vatican City, Jul 15, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday, the Holy See published new norms for the treatment of crimes considered to be "most serious" within the Church. In a press briefing, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi explained the updates, including an extension of the statute of limitations for cases involving the sexual abuse of minors and the official addition of other "delicta graviora" to the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
The release of the updates took place in an unannounced meeting with the press in the Holy See's Press Office, which was hosted by Fr. Lombardi and Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the promotor of justice within the CDF. The modifications are included in 31 articles divided into two parts: Substantive Norms and Procedural Norms.
Fr. Lombardi released a statement meant to facilitate the reading of the norms for the "non-specialist public," in which he outlined the most important elements of the modifications to the "most serious sins" or "graviora delicta." They were originally promulgated by John Paul II in the motu proprio "Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela" in 2001.
According to the Vatican spokesman, the updates to this document were meant to "organically integrate" the "new 'faculties'" given to the CDF by the Pope for the last nine years, "so as to streamline and simplify the procedures and make them more effective and to take account of new problems."
Although the norms touch on a variety of sins considered to be "most serious,” Fr. Lombardi's explanation of the modifications concentrated mostly on Church policy regarding the sexual abuse of minors.
In that regard, he first pointed out that updates incorporate measures to "accelerate procedures," particularly wording that gives the CDF the possibility of reaching a decision in cases without a full judicial process. Further modifications also establish that particularly serious cases are to be sent straight to the Pope, who will decide whether or not to dismiss the offender from the priesthood.
Fr. Lombardi noted there is another simplifying norm which establishes that a doctorate degree in canon law is no longer required for a person, including members of the lay community, to take part in the judicial process as a member of the tribunal, a lawyer or a prosecutor.
He went on to explain that the statute of limitations for pursuing a case of sexual abuse against an alleged abuser was increased from 10 to 20 years after the victim's 18th birthday, with the possibility of further extension on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, the mentally disabled will be considered on par with minors in the consideration of cases of sexual abuse, and involvement with pedophile pornography is now counted among the most serious sins of the Church.
In the explanatory note, Fr. Lombardi stressed that the question of collaboration with civil authorities "remains untouched" in the documents published on Thursday. "It must be borne in mind," he said, "that the Norms being published today are part of the penal code of canon law, which is complete in itself and entirely distinct from the law of States."
The matter of collaboration with civil authorities, he explained, was taken up in the guidelines released by the Holy See last April. In that document, the CDF suggested that local Church authorities "comply with the requirements of law in the various countries, and ... do so in good time, not during or subsequent to the canonical trial."
Fr. Lombardi went on to say that "Today's publication of the Norms makes a great contribution to the clarity and certainty of law in this field; a field in which the Church is today strongly committed to proceeding with rigor and transparency so as to respond fully to the just expectations of moral coherence and evangelical sanctity nourished by the faithful and by public opinion, and which the Holy Father has constantly reiterated."
Turning to further modifications to the norms, the spokesman outlined three in particular, noting that they are already in force.
"These include crimes against the faith (heresy, apostasy and schism) for which competency normally falls to ordinaries, although the Congregation becomes competent in the case of an appeal; the malicious recording and disclosure of sacramental Confession about which a decree of condemnation was published in 1988; and the attempted ordination of women, about which a decree was published in 2007."
They should not be considered as "novelties," Fr. Lombardi observed, rather they are norms that were already in practice that have been "inserted" into the wording of canon law.
Holy Father chooses religious freedom as theme for 2011 World Day of Peace
Vatican City, Jul 13, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict decided the theme for the 2011 World Day of Peace celebration will be “Religious freedom, the path to peace.”
A communique released on July 13 stated that the event, “will therefore be dedicated to the theme of religious freedom. It is well known that in many parts of the world there are various forms of restriction or denial of religious freedom, from discrimination and marginalization based on religion, to acts of violence against religious minorities.”
According to the Vatican, the World Day of Peace has been celebrated every year on January 1, since 1968.
Emphasizing that religious freedom is about man coming to understand himself, the Holy See said in its communique, “Religious freedom is authentically realized when it is experienced as the coherent search for truth and for the truth about man. This approach to religious freedom offers us a fundamental criterion for discerning the phenomenon of religion and its expressions.”
The statement also underlined that the approach “necessarily rejects the 'religiosity' of fundamentalism, and the manipulation of truth and of the truth about man. Since such distortions are opposed to the dignity of man and to the search for truth, they cannot be considered as religious freedom.”
Quoting the words of the Holy Father when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2008, the statement said, “Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom, understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian - a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and that of the believer.”
“Today,” the communique added, “there are many areas of the world in which forms of restrictions and limitations to religious freedom persist, both where communities of believers are a minority, and where communities of believers are not a minority, and where more sophisticated forms of discrimination and marginalization exist, on the cultural level and in the spheres of public, civil and political activity.”
“It is inconceivable,” Benedict XVI remarked during his address to the U.N., “that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature.”
“Refusal to recognize the contribution to society that is rooted in the religious dimension and in the quest for the Absolute - by its nature, expressing communion between persons - would effectively privilege an individualistic approach, and would fragment the unity of the person,” the Holy Father told the U.N.
Tuesday's communique concluded by emphasizing that, in light of the Pontiff's words, “man cannot be fragmented, and separated from what he believes, because that in which he believes has an impact on his life and on his person.”
Vatican claims net financial loss, sees improvement over 2009
Vatican City, Jul 10, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican's accounts continue to run in the red but have improved from last year, the Holy See announced on Saturday. Deficits from the past are gradually being reabsorbed.
Three days of meetings took place this week between members of the Council of Cardinals, the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and the Vatican City State Governorate. The sessions focused on organizational and economic matters of the Holy See and the governorate in 2009.
Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, president of the prefecture and incidentally named the Pontifical delegate to the Legion of Christ on Friday, reported a nearly $5.2 million deficit for 2009 in the Holy See's balance sheet, which contained over $321 million in expenses.
On a positive note, the Holy See's statement explained that the "negative fluctuations" which had been "suspended" in 2008 were "absorbed" this year. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists that these "fluctuations" amounted to between eight and ten million Euro ($10.1-12.6 million).
Expenses largely result from the activities of Vatican dicasteries and other bodies, including Vatican Radio, that "participate in the pastoral care of the Pontiff of the Universal Church."
The Governorate of the Vatican City State, which is economically independent from the Holy See, reported a deficit of $9.8 million, a little less than half of last year's declared shortfall. While the negative figure was attributed to the effects of the global economic crisis, its "containment" gave the governorate the opportunity to regain momentum from financial losses in 2008.
The Vatican statement underscored that the administration of the governorate does not depend on contributions from the Holy See and that it "autonomously confronts its own economic necessities."
Among the most notable costs during 2009 were those for a study carried out for a new communications infrastructure, improvements to the Vatican Museums, the care of Vatican patrimony which includes all of the Papal basilicas, security within the Vatican and restructuring of the Vatican Apostolic Library.
The three major sources of income for 2009 were contributions from Peter's Pence of $81.5 million, from the Catholic dioceses of the world of $31.5 million and from other institutions including the Vatican's Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) which donated $63.2 million.
The statement concluded with words of gratitude from members of the Council of Cardinals to all who, "in a generous and often anonymous way, sustain the apostolic and charitable ministry of the Holy Father in service of the Universal Church."
