Tag Archives: Vatican

Yesterday,

Clerical abuse survivor Marie Collins discusses on American Catholic cable channel EWTN her hopes for the Papal summit on child sexual abuse which began this morning in Vatican city.

Meanwhile…

This morning.

So far at pope’s anti-abuse summit, survivors are stealing the show (CruxNow)

Pope vows ‘concrete’ measures at child sexual abuse summit (The Guardian)

This morning.

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Former Fianna Fáil TD and former Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern; Former Fianna Fáil Minister Michael Woods ,who brokered the indemnity deal with the religious.

“I spoke to him in no uncertain terms about the separation of powers in Ireland and how the Irish State was a Republic and about the redress board [set up to compensate people who had been in religious-run institutions as children].” (Dermot Ahern, “Vatican proposed State indemnify it against clerical abuse claims”)

Was it not Mr Ahern’s FF colleague Michael Woods who passed on the compensation bill of a cool billion for clerical child abuse to the innocent taxpayer; and the same paragon of republican secularism, himself, who blessed us with our current theocratic blasphemy law? In no uncertain terms.

D Flinter,
Headford,
Co Galway.

No uncertain terms? (Irish Times letters page)

Vatican proposed Irish State indemnify it against clerical abuse claims (Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, August 8, 2018)

Previously: Spotting The Woods For The Trees

Pic: Jadedisle

From top: Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington DC, stripped off his rank as cardinal and ordered him to live in seclusion; Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic cleric to have been found guilty of concealing child sex abuse.

The Vatican has announced the resignation of the Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic cleric to have been found guilty of concealing child sex abuse….

….The resignation came two days after the Vatican announced that the pope had stripped Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington DC, of his rank as cardinal and ordered him to live in seclusion.

Previously: Couldn’t Happen Here

 

Cardinal George Pell will be the most senior Vatican figure ever to face a criminal trial

Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic and the controller of the Vatican’s finances in Rome, has pleaded not guilty after he was ordered to stand trial over historical sexual offence allegations.

Pell has always denied the allegations against him, but it was the first time he had been required to enter a formal plea.

The decision came after a dramatic four-week committal hearing in March in which the Cardinal’s lead barrister, Robert Richter, said the accusers were lying and had a vendetta against Cardinal Pell.

Who is Cardinal George Pell and what is he accused of? (Guardian)

Pic: Getty

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Earlier this morning.

At the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnuala met Pope Francis.

Mr Kenny gave the pope a print of a stained glass window by Harry Clarke while the pope gave Mr Kenny an etching of St Peter’s Basilica.

*It’s not a caption competition until you say so.*

Issue of silenced priests expected to be raised by Kenny at Vatican meeting (RTE)

Pics via Tony Connelly

UPDATE: 

Pope Francis has confirmed to Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he will visit Ireland in August 2018 for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin.

Pope_Francis_at_Varginha_(2)

Pope Francis said that staying childless will ultimately bring married couples nothing but “the bitterness of loneliness”.

The Pope also counselled childless couples to be fruitful and multiply, and not spend time raising pets when they could be raising children. He said that while a childless life offers better vacation opportunities, it will end in solitude:

This culture of well-being from ten years ago convinced us: ‘It’s better not to have children! It’s better! You can go explore the world, go on holiday, you can have a villa in the countryside, you can be care-free… it might be better – more comfortable – to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog. Is this true or is this not? Have you seen it? Then, in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness. It is not fruitful, it does not do what Jesus does with his Church: He makes His Church fruitful.

Maybe Eamon Casey and Michael Cleary had the right idea after all…?

Pope Francis Urges Couples To Raise Kids, Not Cats And Dogs (Maya Rhodan, Time)

Pic: Wikipedia

Collins

[Marie Collins who, as a child, was abused by a priest and assaulted by a hospital chaplain, at the publication of the One in Four 10th anniversary annual report last year]

 

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland