Posted on 07/24/2011 3:53:48 AM PDT by markomalley
The Apostolic Nuncio to the USA is gravely ill. I suggest prayer for him and his family.
From the CNS blog:
Vatican ambassador to U.S. on ‘assisted ventilation’
Posted on July 22, 2011 by Jim LackeyUPDATED 7/23
By Julie Asher
Catholic News ServiceArchbishop Pietro Sambi, papal nuncio to the United States, “has been placed on assisted ventilation” since experiencing complications after he underwent “a delicate lung surgery” two weeks ago, according to the apostolic nunciature in Washington.
The ventilation is necessary “to attempt recovery of his lung function,” the nunciature said in an announcement released in the early evening July 22.
“The apostolic nunciature and the nuncio’s family kindly ask that bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful offer sacrifices and prayers for the health of the apostolic nuncio,” it said.
A veteran Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Sambi was named as papal nuncio to the U.S. by Pope Benedict XVI in December 2005. At the time of his appointment he was the Vatican’s representative to Israel and Palestine, where he helped arrange Pope John Paul II’s historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000.
After he arrived in the U.S. Feb. 24, 2006, he said in an interview with Catholic News Service in Washington that that he is impressed by the vitality of U.S. Catholicism, the level of weekly Mass attendance among U.S. Catholics and their generosity toward others.
As a papal diplomat “I travel a lot throughout the world,” he said. “It is difficult to find a part of the world where the charity of U.S. Catholics did not reach the poor or sick people.”
The archbishop is known for his warm and affable manner, sense of humor and being open and ready to listen to people.
During Pope Benedict’s April 2008 visit to the U.S., Archbishop Sambi accompanied the pope and during the pontiff’s stay in Washington hosted him at the nunciature, where the pope had a historic private meeting with five victims of clergy sexual abuse.
Please join me in prayer for his recovery!
Please ping this prayer request for Archbishop Sambi to your lists as soon as possible. Thanks.
prayers for Archbishop Sambi requested.
Truly. He is in my prayers.
Alas! I do not know the man.
I have read before that, over the years, this office was usually filled by do-nothing placeholders.
Nobody even seems to remember who held the office during the pedophile eruption a decade ago.
That’s terrible! I have nver met him personally, but he always seemed like a good person and has given us some very good episcopal appointments.
Prayers for him!
I do.
Archbishop Montalvo. He was my wife's confessor. A very gentle man.
Unfortunately, I also recall the one truly responsible for that regrettable period: Archbishop Jadot. (He is the one who recommended the likes of Law, Mahony, et al, for their ordination to the episcopate)
Heartfelt prayers offered!
Prayers up.
Prayer ping!
*rayers up.
Prayers up.
He seems to have done well with his recommendations for bishops. I pray that the Lord returns him to good health.
“The apostolic nunciature and the nuncio’s family kindly ask that bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful offer sacrifices and prayers for the health of the apostolic nuncio,” it said.
Will do.
Prayers for his health.
Prayers going up for the Archbishop.
It was individual priests who abused young people, and it was some of their Bishops who, when discovering the abuse, initially treated them in the manner all who had sexual problems were treated during that time (70s and 80s), by sending them off to 'get healed'. That the Bishops let the secular notions of 'psychological healing' take precedence over the religious idea of sin and repentance, is one of the reasons for the problems they encountered later. We know now that predators cannot be 'healed', but the Bishops didn't have that information then. When the Bishops became aware of that reality, they began treating these men in a different way, and the instances of sexual abuse dropped dramatically. How many cases of abuse after that time are being discussed?
Almost ALL of the abuse being discussed occurred in the 70s and 80s. Blaming Bishops who came into their Episcopates on the tail end of that time, for allowing abuse that occurred before they arrived on the scene, isn't quite fair. In many cases, the statute of limitations had expired, and the abusers couldn't be prosecuted; the only thing the Bishops could have done would be to remove them from direct contact with young people. That some DIDN'T do that is a scandal, but I believe that placing full blame on them for what happened before they were in Pastorship over these men is wrong. The ones who deserve the most blame are the ones who KNEW of the abuse as it was happening, covered up the wrongdoing, or worse, bullied parents into not reporting it, and continued to allow these men to minister to young people.
Cardinal Law didn't act strongly against the priests abusers he found out about, ones who had committed the abuse before he'd taken over the Boston Archdiocese, and it's extremely disappointing to us that he didn't, especially since it was clear, from his previous actions in MS, that he was willing to do so. He admitted that, when he gave his deposition to the District Attorney, and he was cleared of any legal responsibility in the matter. It was instructive to me that, during the press conference in which he publicly cleared Cardinal Law, the District Attorney actually stated that he was sorry there wasn't any wrongdoing with which the state could charge Cardinal Law. Frankly, I think that was an unprofessional statement, and it also showed an extreme bias on the part of the District Attorney's office. None of the psychologists or psychiatrists who cleared these men for continued ministry were ever called for questioning, as far as I could tell, but the DA sure wanted to 'get' the Church.
It's interesting to note that in Boston, Geoghan and Shanley were known abusers, but the District Attorney failed to bring any charges against either man. It's also interesting to note that both those priests were very big Democrat supporters, and were apparently protected by their buddies in the police and court system. That fact never seemed to make it into the Boston news, which was, at the time, fully intent on destroying the Church's influence on the homosexual marriage debate. The media, at least in the Boston area, made it seem like MOST priests were abusers, because of the nature of the Catholic faith, and it soured many already horribly catechized Catholics on their Church. Thankfully, many have now realized how sensationalized the media coverage was, and are not automatically negatively judging the priests in their Parishes.
Very special prayers going up.
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