[Just Posted] Holy See: Full text of final communique of US cardinals

The Holy See - www.Vatican.va ^ | 4-25-2002 | Vatican

[Notwithstanding]

1) The sexual abuse of minors is rightly considered a crime by society and is an appalling sin in the eyes of God, above all when it is perpetrated by priests and religious whose vocation is to help persons to lead holy lives before God and men.

2) There is a need to convey to the victims and their families a profound sense of solidarity and to provide appropriate assistance in recovering faith and receiving pastoral care.

3) Even if the cases of true pedophilia on the part of priests and religious are few, all the participants recognized the gravity of the problem. In the meeting, the quantitative terms of the problem were discussed, since the statistics are not very clear in this regard. Attention was drawn to the fact that almost all the cases involved adolescents and therefore were not cases of true pedophilia.

4) Together with the fact that a link between celibacy and pedophilia cannot be scientifically maintained, the meeting reaffirmed the value of priestly celibacy as a gift of God to the Church.

5) Given the doctrinal issues underlying the deplorable behavior in question, certain lines of response have been proposed:

a) the Pastors of the Church need clearly to promote the correct moral teaching of the Church and publicly to reprimand individuals who spread dissent and groups which advance ambiguous approaches to pastoral care;

b) a new and serious Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and other institutes of formation must be made without delay, with particular emphasis on the need for fidelity to the Church’s teaching, especially in the area of morality, and the need for a deeper study of the criteria of suitability of candidates to the priesthood.

c) it would be fitting for the Bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to ask the faithful to join them in observing a national day of prayer and penance, in reparation for the offenses perpetrated and in prayer to God for the conversion of sinners and the reconciliation of victims.

6) All the participants have seen this time as a call to a greater fidelity to the mystery of the Church. Consequently they see the present time as a moment of grace. While recognizing that practical criteria of conduct are indispensable and urgently needed, we cannot underestimate, in the words of the Holy Father, "the power of Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God, which reaches the depths of a person’s soul and can work extraordinary change". At the same time, as His Holiness also stated, "People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that Bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality, a truth as essential to the renewal of the priesthood and the episcopate as it is to the renewal of marriage and family life".

[Notwithstanding]

INCONTRO INTERDICASTERIALE CON I CARDINALI STATUNITENSI (SALA BOLOGNA DEL PALAZZO APOSTOLICO VATICANO, 23-24 APRILE 2002) (IV) , 24.04.2002

INCONTRO INTERDICASTERIALE CON I CARDINALI STATUNITENSI (SALA BOLOGNA DEL PALAZZO APOSTOLICO VATICANO, 23-24 APRILE 2002) (IV)

• FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ

• CONFERENZA STAMPA

• FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ

Questa sera, a chiusura dell’Incontro interdicasteriale con i Cardinali statunitensi nella Sala Bologna del Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano, è stato rilasciato il seguente comunicato:

On April 23-24, 2002, an extraordinary meeting was held in the Vatican between the Cardinals of the United States and the leadership of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and the heads of several offices of the Holy See on the subject of the sexual abuse of minors.

The meeting was called with three goals in mind:
- on the part of the American Bishops, to inform the Holy See about the difficulties which they have faced in recent months,
- on the part of the Roman Dicasteries, to hear directly from the American Cardinals and the chief officials of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops a general evaluation of the situation,
- and together to develop ways to move forward in addressing these issues.

As is known, the Holy Father received the working group in his private library late in the morning of Tuesday, April 23, and gave a programmatic address. Today, at the end of the morning session, His Holiness invited the American Cardinals and Bishops to lunch, to continue their discussion of some of the themes raised at the meeting.

The participants first of all wish to express their unanimous gratitude to the Holy Father for his clear indications of direction and commitment for the future. In communion with the Pope they reaffirm certain basic principles:

1) The sexual abuse of minors is rightly considered a crime by society and is an appalling sin in the eyes of God, above all when it is perpetrated by priests and religious whose vocation is to help persons to lead holy lives before God and men.

2) There is a need to convey to the victims and their families a profound sense of solidarity and to provide appropriate assistance in recovering faith and receiving pastoral care.

3) Even if the cases of true pedophilia on the part of priests and religious are few, all the participants recognized the gravity of the problem. In the meeting, the quantitative terms of the problem were discussed, since the statistics are not very clear in this regard. Attention was drawn to the fact that almost all the cases involved adolescents and therefore were not cases of true pedophilia.

4) Together with the fact that a link between celibacy and pedophilia cannot be scientifically maintained, the meeting reaffirmed the value of priestly celibacy as a gift of God to the Church.

5) Given the doctrinal issues underlying the deplorable behavior in question, certain lines of response have been proposed:

a) the Pastors of the Church need clearly to promote the correct moral teaching of the Church and publicly to reprimand individuals who spread dissent and groups which advance ambiguous approaches to pastoral care;

b) a new and serious Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and other institutes of formation must be made without delay, with particular emphasis on the need for fidelity to the Church’s teaching, especially in the area of morality, and the need for a deeper study of the criteria of suitability of candidates to the priesthood.

c) it would be fitting for the Bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to ask the faithful to join them in observing a national day of prayer and penance, in reparation for the offenses perpetrated and in prayer to God for the conversion of sinners and the reconciliation of victims.

6) All the participants have seen this time as a call to a greater fidelity to the mystery of the Church. Consequently they see the present time as a moment of grace. While recognizing that practical criteria of conduct are indispensable and urgently needed, we cannot underestimate, in the words of the Holy Father, "the power of Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God, which reaches the depths of a person’s soul and can work extraordinary change". At the same time, as His Holiness also stated, "People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that Bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality, a truth as essential to the renewal of the priesthood and the episcopate as it is to the renewal of marriage and family life".

Again in the Holy Father’s words, neither should we forget the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing. The Catholic Church in your country has always promoted human and Christian values with great vigor and generosity, in a way that has helped to consolidate all that is noble in the American people. A great work of art may be blemished, but its beauty remains; and this is a truth which any intellectually honest critic will recognize. To the Catholic communities in the United States, to their Pastors and members, to the men and women religious, to teachers in Catholic universities and schools, to American missionaries in all parts of the world, go the wholehearted thanks of the entire Catholic Church and the personal thanks of the Bishop of Rome".

For this reason, the Cardinals and Bishops present at the meeting today sent a message to all the priests of the United States, their co-workers in the pastoral ministry.

As part of the preparation for the June meeting of the American Bishops, the United States participants in the Rome meeting presented to the Prefects of the Roman Congregations the following proposals:

1) We propose to send the respective Congregations of the Holy See a set of national standards which the Holy See will properly review (recognitio), in which essential elements for policies dealing with the sexual abuse of minors in Dioceses and Religious Institutes in the United States are set forth.

2) We will propose that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recommend a special process for the dismissal from the clerical state of a priest who has become notorious and is guilty of the serial, predatory, sexual abuse of minors.

3) While recognizing that the Code of Canon law already contains a judicial process for the dismissal of priests guilty of sexually abusing minors, we will also propose a special process for cases which are not notorious but where the Diocesan Bishop considers the priest a threat for the protection of children and young people, in order to avoid grave scandal in the future and to safeguard the common good of the Church.

4) We will propose an Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and religious houses of formation, giving special attention to their admission requirements and the need for them to teach Catholic moral doctrine in its integrity.

5) We will propose that the Bishops of the United States make every effort to implement the challenge of the Holy Father that the present crisis "must lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier Church" by calling for deeper holiness in the Church in the United States, including ourselves as Bishops, the clergy, the religious and the faithful.

6) We propose that the Bishops of the United States set aside a day for prayer and penance throughout the Church in the United States, in order to implore reconciliation and the renewal of ecclesial life.

From the Vatican, April 24, 2002

[00658-02.01] [Original text: English]

 

• CONFERENZA STAMPA

Concluso l’Incontro interdicasteriale con i Cardinali statunitensi, si è svolta questa sera - alle ore 22.00 - nell’Aula Giovanni Paolo II della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede, una Conferenza Stampa per illustrare ai giornalisti accreditati il comunicato finale dei lavori.

Con il Direttore della Sala Stampa, Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, hanno preso parte alla Conferenza Stampa il Card. Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Arcivescovo di Washington; il Card. James Francis Stafford, Arcivescovo emerito di Denver e Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio per i Laici; S.E. Mons. Wilton Daniel Gregory, Vescovo di Belleville e Presidente della Conferenza dei Vescovi Cattolici degli Stati Uniti d’America.

[00664-01.01]

---

• L’UDIENZA GENERALE
  
• RINUNCE E NOMINE
  
• INCONTRO INTERDICASTERIALE CON I CARDINALI STATUNITENSI (SALA BOLOGNA DEL PALAZZO APOSTOLICO VATICANO, 23-24 APRILE 2002) (III)
  
• INCONTRO INTERDICASTERIALE CON I CARDINALI STATUNITENSI (SALA BOLOGNA DEL PALAZZO APOSTOLICO VATICANO, 23-24 APRILE 2002) (IV)
  

[SoothingDave]

a) the Pastors of the Church need clearly to promote the correct moral teaching of the Church and publicly to reprimand individuals who spread dissent and groups which advance ambiguous approaches to pastoral care;

Bye bye to Dignity and bye bye to other open dissenters.

b) a new and serious Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and other institutes of formation must be made without delay, with particular emphasis on the need for fidelity to the Church’s teaching, especially in the area of morality, and the need for a deeper study of the criteria of suitability of candidates to the priesthood.

Clean out the seminaries. Sounds good to me. Now the bishops have to know that they need to do it, or move out of the way for someone who will.

SD

[Notwithstanding]

Number 5 indicates the heretics will finally be rooted out of the Church's inner circles. Amen.

The Vatican always couches new policies in very careful language. This is a very very strong statement that indicates the Vatican will no longer assume the healing will occur spontaneously - rather, the long-needed first aid is to be applied post haste.

[Campion]

the Pastors of the Church need clearly to promote the correct moral teaching of the Church and publicly to reprimand individuals who spread dissent and groups which advance ambiguous approaches to pastoral care ... a new and serious Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and other institutes of formation must be made without delay, with particular emphasis on the need for fidelity to the Church’s teaching, especially in the area of morality

My dear brother bishops of the USA, if you had been doing your job these past 20 years, this problem never would have happened.

[browardchad]

the Vatican will no longer assume the healing will occur spontaneously

When Cardinal Law steps down, I will believe this is true.

The Holy Father stated: "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young."

Cardinal Law has harmed the young by enabling pederasts to continue to defile the young in his diocese for many years. There is no place in the religious life for Cardinal Law or others who have done likewise.

[Notwithstanding]

Amen. Amen. Amen.

[Little Bill]

They will play dodge ball, half of them are involved and the rest don't care.

[ex-snook]

"4) We will propose an Apostolic Visitation of seminaries and religious houses of formation, giving special attention to their admission requirements and the need for them to teach Catholic moral doctrine in its integrity. "

This is one/half of the solution because it addresses the future. The other half concerns the past - personal responsibility. Who was responsible for the seminaries getting that way and who, with subsequent knowledge, did not do anything when problems surfaced. Resignations and reassignments are in order ASAP.

[Chad]

The more I read about the problems of the Catholic Church, the more I applaud the Boys Scouts for standing against gays serving as scout leaders.

[mhking]

The solutions is so damned simple, it's a shame that we've had to go this far. It only takes three words:

CALL. THE. POLICE.

[Mike Fieschko]

1) We propose to send ... a set of national standards

2) We will propose ... a special process for the dismissal from the clerical state

3) While recognizing that the Code of Canon law ... we will also propose

4) We will propose an Apostolic Visitation

5) We will propose that the Bishops ... make every effort to implement

6) We propose ... a day for prayer and penance

I will be very charitable and neutral: this is weak.

[Campion]

That's part of the solution, but it won't prevent the problem.

[SoothingDave]

My dear brother bishops of the USA, if you had been doing your job these past 20 years, this problem never would have happened.

20? More like 40. But it is a sad commentary that orthodox Catholics applaud the fact that our Cardinals have put into writing that they will teach the authentic moral teaching of the Church and speak out against those who dissent.

One imagines this used to be understood as the job of a bishop.

[VRWC_minion]

I will be very charitable and neutral: this is weak.

Looks pretty strong to me.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Perhaps some no-nonsense bishops should, if in fact they have highly-suspect seminaries in their jurisdiction, employ some stealth in getting in there and find out [even if through a kind of espionage] exactly what is going on (books are coming out re: what many have been suspecting).

And if evil and scandal is found, take administrative action right away and likewise report such findings and results to the faithful. This is hard ball now, but it would not be necessary were it not that so many boys (and some girls) have been mistreated by perverts.

If not, why then perhaps some irate lay Catholic activists in the ranks are liable to employ their own undercover PI's to get to the 'bottom' (sorry for the double entendre) of this mess in the most 'notorious' lavender seminaries.

[Mike Fieschko]

This is one/half of the solution because it addresses the future.

Why can't the bishops just do this? If there's anything which stops them, I'm not aware of it. (Apostolic visitation = the bishop or his delegate going in and investigating, no?)

Why does it have to be 'proposed'?

[SoothingDave]

I will be very charitable and neutral: this is weak.

On the contrary, this is very strong. Do you suspect that the Pope is expecting the full meeting of the American bishops to take these proposoals seriously?

The language seems weak, but the message is loud and clear.

SD

[MarkWar]

>The Holy Father stated: "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young."

Well, it seems to me there are still three things worth saying.

1) The creeps and weirdos who have sex with kids -- from what I've read -- do not think of themselves as hurting the kids. Rather, they see themselves as initiating the kids into adult pleasures and deep personal experiences. So, the priests who follow that lifestyle can go on mouthing platitudes like this, and then turn around and invite the alter boy to his office...

2) Catholics do not live with Scripture as much as Evangelicals do, but even Catholics can't get away from things like Matthew 18:21-22 --

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

The Church can't simply kick out priests if the priests actually seem to repent their awful actions. But the Church needs to find a way to forever keep such priests away from children...

3) The media is singling out the Church for failing to deal with pedophilia, but isn't pedophilia also a crime in society overall? Just because a guy is a priest, that doesn't put him outside our regular legal system. Why the heck doesn't the media come down hard on our police and judges who can't find ways to punish these priests in the secular courts?!

Mark W.

[Notwithstanding]

Link to Over 20 Brand New Articles About the Homosexual Scandal