The Cardinal George Fan Club

Cardinal George Thanks St. Agatha's and Installs New Pastor to Parish

2007-09-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

Quoted from CNA.

Cardinal Francis George faced the mostly African-American congregation at St. Agatha Church on Sunday and thanked them for their patience during "that terrible tragedy of sexual abuse," reported the Chicago Sun-Times.

It was the first time Cardinal George had addressed parishioners since St. Agatha's former pastor, Daniel McCormack, was sentenced July 2 to five years in prison for molesting boys.

"I'm grateful to you and proud to be your bishop," Cardinal George reportedly said, prompting applause. "I thank you also for your patience as we have tried to figure out where were the betrayals, what went wrong."

The parishioners were delighted to see the Cardinal at their parish and anxious to have a clean start with a new priest.

"We're starting fresh," said Marcy Bledsoe-Hicks. "I want to let bygones be bygones. I don't think this will ever happen again."

Cardinal George has publicly apologized for mishandling aspects of the case and allowing children to be in the presence of McCormack even after the allegations of sexual abuse. But both he and the parishioners appeared ready to move on as the new pastor, Fr. Larry Dowling, was installed, reported the Sun-Times.

Outside the church, representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) urged Cardinal George to refuse the presidency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Memo to SNAP: I don't think Cardinal George nor most faithful catholics care what you think.

Cardinal George reacted Monday to the landmark clergy abuse settlement in Los Angeles

2007-07-16T19:21:00.000-05:00

Cardinal George who was attending a dedication of a new senior residence in Chicago on Monday offered his thoughts about the Los Angeles settlement saying, "The process is come to a conclusion, and anything that helps healing and brings a sense of order and peace to victims' lives is a very good thing. This is obviously a very large number of people, and I hope that the settlement will be very helpful to them. We all pray for that."

He also set the record straight over comments about Fr. McCormack's guilty plea made from his spokeswoman, Colleen Dolan.

"Abuse is abuse," George said. "A child's life is interrupted, and the consequences are severe. We had nothing to do with the pleading or anything else -- that was the state moving in a criminal case and the lawyers took care of that. So, whatever happened, it wasn't because of anything that the Archdiocese had anything to do with. We have to try to respond to the victims now, and we'll try to respond as best we can."

The process of formally removing Fr. McCormack from the priesthood which must also be passed through the Vatican is underway.

joyful soundings of ecumenical goodwill

2007-06-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

H/T to Whispers in the Loggia:

As all systems rev up for his November coronation as maestro of the US hierarchy, the archbishop of Chicago conducted some joyful soundings of ecumenical goodwill last night:
Cardinal Francis George took the baton as the guest conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and its orchestra at Ravinia Wednesday night, shocking attendees.
The gesture was an outgrowth of the [2004] expression of regret passed by the Legislature at the request of state Reps. Dan Burke and Jack Franks over the death of Mormon leader Joseph Smith outside Nauvoo in the 19th century, and the forced expulsion of his followers, known as the Latter-day Saints.
Even Ald. Ed Burke, who attended Ravinia with his wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, was unaware of the cardinal's decision.
One of the Windy City's top power couples, while the alderman had drafted the original regret resolution, his jurist-spouse is better known in church circles as the former chair of the bishops' National Review Board on sex-abuse.

According to an attendee, George guided the ensemble through the paces of "This Land is Your Land."

Cardinal George Recipient of "Agent Of Hope" Award

2007-06-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

Cardinal George was the recipient of the "Agent Of Hope" award from Gilda's Club during a luncheon at the Ritz Hotel. The cardinal was diagnosed and treated for bladder cancer last year. The “Agents of Hope” Award, celebrates the full and abundant life many people with cancer are living. Gilda’s Club Chicago is the only cancer support community in the city dedicated to men, women and children diagnosed with any type of cancer, and family members and friends.

Top 10 Lessons Cardinal George has learned in his 10 years as Archbishop

2007-05-14T19:26:00.000-05:00

Article by Susan Hogan/Albach Special to the Daily Southtown

1. The grace of God works. "This is the most important lesson I've learned," he said. "The immense outpouring of concern and support during my illness was very humbling. But it means I can count on that. Others can, too. It's there for everybody."
2. What's unexpected can be a blessing and a curse. "Much of the response to the sexual abuse scandals has been on how to contain it. But you have to respond in a way that leaves your integrity intact. You also need to help people find hope in the midst of all the sin and the scandal."

3. People's biggest fear is fear of love. "It's the reason there are fewer priests, nuns and marriages. When people betray us, our lives become more brutal. The lack of trust is the reason for much unhappiness."

4. You can't have a church without bishop pastors. "Of all the positions I've held, this is the one that most constrains me and keeps me locked in administrative duties and (religious) celebrations. That doesn't leave a lot of time to be with people. Consequently, I've asked our auxiliary bishops to be with the priests and the people a lot more."

5. It's a lot of fun to be a cardinal. "Sometimes, I get impatient because it can seem pretentious. But I don't think it is. Chicago is not a city given to pretension."

6. Electing a pope makes you self-conscious of history. "Most of my life is bound up with day-to-day things. When the (papal) conclave happened, all of a sudden I was in an arena where the whole world was watching. It's a momentous decision to put a name on a piece of paper. You realize this is only the 265th time this has happened."

7. When working with popes, listen very carefully. "You only have a limited time with the pope -- make best use of it. But don't be afraid to speak up about your concerns. They expect that."

8. Health is a gift; cherish it while you have it. "I know what I have to do to maintain health -- eat sensibly and do more exercise. But if I find the time to do it, I often don't have the will to do it. I'm awfully fond of chocolate."

9. When closing schools and parishes, involve as many people as possible. "People resent change. There's anger and sadness, even when they recognize it's necessary for financial reasons. Assure them that even though the institution has closed, the church has not abandoned them."

10. Religion protects freedom and is not a danger to freedom. "Historically, the effort to create purely secular utopias has resulted in great human misery and death. You think of ... communism. No God was permitted. I don't want our own history to go that way in the name of individual rights."

May God bless Cardinal George and all others in positions of authority throughout the world.

Cardinal George Celebrates Decade In City

2007-04-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Cardinal George as he celebrates his 10 year anniversary as head of the Chicago Archdiocese.

In his 10 years here, the challenges have come one after the other. First and foremost was the difficulty in replacing one of the best-loved,most-respected church leaders in America, closing of schools and churches and,finally, the sex abuse scandal. He took a leadership role with his fellow bishops, but also listened to the victims in those incidents.He has been moved by the victims and challenged to come up with an appropriate response -- not an enviable dilemma.

I hope we all take time to pray for Cardinal George as he continues to lead all faithful Catholics in the Chicago land area.

Cardinal George Attends Canonization and will meet with Vatican Officials this Week

2006-10-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

Cardinal George attended the canonization ceremony of Mother Theodore Guerin while in Rome as the Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

On Monday, he will meet with various Vatican officials to discuss issues of USCCB conern, including the current condition of American Catholic seminaries. He also hopes to meet with Pope Benedict XVI.

Source: WBBM Chicago

Cardinal George Resumes Public Schedule

2006-10-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

Almost 2 months after having his cancerous bladder removed, Cardinal George resumed his public schedule yesterday. One of the thoughts he experienced after the first surgery, was that of death, in the belief that he was dying.

From Catholic OnLine:

"The important thing when you die is to be ready to surrender your whole life to the Lord," he said. "When you've done that, when you've given the Lord your life, that brings a certain peace. After that, it's up to the Lord to take care of you, and he will. That's his end of the bargain."

And, while being in pain makes it difficult to think, Cardinal George said he could feel the prayers thousands of people were saying for him.

"I knew I wasn't alone," he said. "I could sense that I was in people's prayers. I could also sense the presence of the Lord. The Lord was with me, and he brought his friends – and quite a few of my friends, too."

Thankfully, Cardinal George will remain with us for a while longer, until the Lord calls him to His side.

Second Surgery

2006-07-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

The Archdiocesan website reports that Cardinal George had to undergo an additional surgery to repair a bleeding blood vessel in his pelvis after the Cardinal experienced unstable blood pressure and a falling blood count after receiving repeated transfusions. The second surgery was successful, the bleeding was stopped and Cardinal George is again resting comfortably. Again, please keep him in your prayers.

Cardinal George Update

2006-07-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

The Archdiocese of Chicago website reports that Cardinal George's surgery today for bladder cancer was successful and that he is doing well. If you go to the Archdiocesan webpage and scroll down you will see an amazing schedule of prayer and all night vigils for the Cardinal's recovery.

This is a very encouraging display of the love and concern that so many in the Archdiocese have for their spiritual father. Would that all Catholics throughout the world come to appreciate, pray for, and honor the shepherd that Christ has put there to guide them in thier own dioceses as these in Chicago are doing. Would that all shepherds be as faithful and deserving of this kind of response as is Cardinal George.

Please Keep Cardinal George in Your Prayers

2006-07-26T18:22:00.000-05:00

“Tomorrow morning I will undergo surgery at Loyola University Medical Center to remove cancer discovered very recently in my bladder."

Authentic Spiritual Fatherhood: A Testimony

2006-06-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

Recently, a sharp critic of Cardinal George's provided a moving testimony to the Cardinal's great gift as a spiritual father. Thomas Roeser describes Cardinal George's visit to one of his dying priests, who happened to be Roeser's cousin. Roeser writes:

The hospital room was filled with elderly priests, one in a wheelchair, colleagues of Fr. Helfrich, his family, and loved ones: priests who had not spent much time in the presence of a bishop. They made way for the cardinal to approach the bedside. Lowering his head and speaking distinctly so as to be heard by Fr. Helfrich, the prelate spoke in calm, measured, and powerfully edifying tones.

“George, the Lord Jesus Christ loves you,” he said in a voice that gave a kind of thrilling affirmation of the fact. “Moreover, all the suffering you are enduring now and have endured is being put up for you as a treasure for your eternal reward. And let there be no mistake: All of us must, one day, face the same trial you do today — and God grant that we will do so with the courage you are exhibiting today which is such an inspiration to us all. You are indeed a champion and we are proud of you and love you.”

It was not just the exquisite words but the tender solicitude of a loving father that Cardinal George displayed; the gentle stroking of the dying priest’s brow, the brushing back of his unkempt, disheveled hair (incredibly for this always preoccupied elderly priest who never primped and had to be reminded to go to a barber, not a gray strand among it), the prelate’s soft patting of the patient’s sagging, stubble-filled cheeks with the skill of a medical nurse — all done with such care that the medical personnel, standing around, waiting to react in case of emergency, were stunned.

This was a cardinal who knew how to soothe, who could easily become, with the delicacy and grace he showed, an expert caregiver himself. The soft words, barely audible, reflected the cardinal’s praise for the life of Fr. Helfrich that was so humble. Cardinal George stirred Fr. Helfrich, himself an intellectual, to see that the nature of the priest was to repudiate the egotistic pleasure employed since Adam to find fulfillment beyond and above himself. It was the cardinal’s greatest sermon, delivered to an audience of one.

Cardinal George is much more than simply an intellectual. He is more than just an orthodox bishop. Rather, he also has the heart of Christ; one who puts into practice the faith he professes and the vocation to which he has been called. I am sure that he would be the first to say that he is no saint; though, I would add, he certainly appears to be one in the making. Let us pray for his continued fidelity to his calling.

Source article:

SNAP Continues To Show Its Colors

2006-05-25T08:24:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday of this week, reports started coming out that Cardinal George has asked a priest to step down from his parish while allegations of misconduct dating back to the 1980s are being investigated. The priest has agreed to do so and is staying at a private residence away from the parish. The Archdiocese has announced the information above to his parish.

The Archdiocese has also reported the allegations to the Cook County State's Attorney's office and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The Archdiocese has not released the priest's name because they do not yet have enough information to even begin an investigation or to determine the credibility of the allegations.

Unfortunately, one news source revealed the parish of which he is pastor though (laudably I suppose?) not releasing his name, another went ahead and published his name. O.k. so what is the issue here?

Our mistress of suspicion, SNAP founder and president Barbara Blaine is reported to have said that the Archdiocese is still cloaking abuse allegations in secrecy. She complains that the Archdiocese did not tell the current parish or the priest's previous parishes that the allegations were of sexual abuse of a minor. Blaine said that Cardinal George should visit the priest's previous parishes to take questions and apologize for having made such a vague announcement.

Blaine, as usual, jumps to the conclusion that an allegation means that the priest is guilty. The Archdiocese has said that they do not even have enough information yet to begin an investigation. Nevertheless, SNAP thinks they should act as if he is guilty. One might even argue making this announcement as it is, is unfair to the priest (though we do not know how much information the Archdiocese has...nor do we need to know). Even if one does not trust the Archdiocese (though I contend there is little rational justification for such mistrust) there is obviously no secrecy. It has been publicly released (Blaine knows about it) and the authorities have been notified. It seems to me that Blaine's reaction reveals a pathological distrust of the Church and Church authorities that undermine her credibility and her relevance.

SNAP's paranoia and the media's fetish with the issue of suspicion about priests has gone too far. An anecdote demonstrates what over reporting can lead to: a couple of years ago, there was a Catholic conference in a small town in central Illinois. During the lunch break, a group of priests went out for a stroll through a nearby neighborhood. Unbelievably, a woman called the police reporting that priests were wandering through her neighborhood and there were children present. Even more unbelievably, the police actually came out to the conference to investigate what was going on. When it got to the mayor, cooler heads prevailed and he came to the conference to apologize. While anecdotal, but does help to show what the ramifications of the lopsided media treatment of this issue.

When the estimates are that the incidents of minor abuse is much lower among Catholic priests, even with the spike in the 70's and 80's, than in the public at large, than among Protestant clergy, and especially among public school employees, but the only systematic treatment of the problem the press has cared to look at is with the Catholic Church, one is not out of line to suspect an agenda is afoot. You even have some hacks throwing up the abuse issue amidst completely unrelated complaints, which of course reveals mushy headed thinking and/or very weak arguments supporting their main concern. This is not surprising but it is an indicator of the way that these hacks see that media coverage has affected public thinking about the Church.

It is time for the leadership of SNAP to seek professional help with their unresolved "issues" if they really want to be of service to those who have been abused at the hands of priests. However, if they continue to hyperventilate and point accusatory fingers at the most responsible of Church leaders, they will soon be seen as the reactionary skeptics that they are. Their relevance will wane when the press finally tires of this issue.

"Christ’s resurrection and the mystery of God’s mercy"

2006-04-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

Cardinal George's latest column:

Christ’s resurrection and the mystery of God’s mercy
Christmas is easy. The lovely manger scene and the sentiment that surrounds it make an immediate appeal. Christmas tugs at the heartstrings of millions of people who may or may not understand the mystery of the incarnation of the eternal Son of God.
Easter is, literally, another story. The historical event itself is a challenge. Jesus, who truly died on the cross, just as truly rose in his body from the dead. Though the Gospels and the letters of St. Paul affirm this truth, they do not actually describe how it happened. It is a divine event attested to in human history, but it is finally beyond the grasp of both history and our human intellects.
Read the rest.

Church is changed but vital, involved - Catholic New World

2006-04-15T13:48:00.000-05:00

From the Catholic New World, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Chicago:

By Tom Sheridan
Editor

Cardinal George painted a picture of a vital—if reduced—Catholic Church in Chicago, a church engaging society at many levels and striving to tell people that God loves them at an April 6 talk to the City Club of Chicago.The cardinal acknowledged that the church has changed in the last half-century, but said it continues to confront important issues, within and without its own community. [More]

Matters take a nasty turn in Chicago: an overview.

2006-04-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

A very sad occurrance occured today in the Cathedral of Chicago:

A man was arrested for criminal trespass after he reportedly yelled at Cardinal Francis George during a mass Thursday at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, according to police.
Colleen Dolan, communications director for the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, said the cardinal told her that the man carried a knife and a sign demanding the cardinal step down, but police said they found no knife or sign.
The incident occurred sometime after 5:15 p.m.
Police said that the man had been warned against entering the church, but that he went inside and created a disturbance. He was charged with criminal trespass, according to Police Officer Hector Alfaro.
According to the cardinal's version, the man stood up at the rear of the church and began shouting at him. [source]

A bit more backstory has since been revealed:

(STNG) CHICAGO A man has been charged with criminal trespass after he was arrested for causing a disturbance at Holy Name Cathedral on Thursday.
Joseph Quinn, 46, was charged with one count of criminal trespass after entering and causing a disturbance at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, according to police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.
Quinn, of the 7300 block of South Phillips Avenue, had been previously warned not to be on the property, Kubiak said.
...
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said protesters were outside the cathedral Thursday evening, but she said she had not heard about the arrest.
A grassroots gathering of those calling for the cardinal's resignation was scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Friday in front of Holy Name, according to Blaine. A speech would be made at the gathering, she said.
Dianne Dunagan, spokeswoman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, said she was aware that a group was planning to meet outside the cathedral Friday, but could not
immediately provide information about Thursday's alleged incident."
Maybe this guy got a jump on the planned activity, I don't know," Dunagan said. [source]

The group holding the protest outside the Cathedral, according to my sources, was the Louisville chapter of Voice of the Faithful,* who now join S.N.A.P. and the Rainbow Sash Movement in calling for the Cardinal's resignation.

The United Press International reports that Quinn's mother, who lives on the South Side of Chicago, said she hadn't seen him in more than a year. [source]

In recent weeks, two more groups have called for the Cardinal's resignation (as Shelray has blogged on below):

Michael Tario of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Prevention of Clergy Sex Abuse, and Paul Picchietti of the Roman Catholic Faithful lambasted George as being unresponsive to parishioners' concerns about sexual misconduct committed by priests.
They made their allegations at a press conference held outside the Archdioceses of Chicago's offices at 155 E. Superior.
"It just doesn't seem like our leadership is willing or able to do anything about it," said Picchietti, whose group condemns homosexuality and nontraditional Latin masses.
...
Tario asked all Catholics to withhold donations to the church during the Easter weekend because he believes the money will be misspent on payoffs to keep victims of priest sex abuse silent.
Roman Catholic Faithful founder Stephen Brady said the week's religious significance was also a factor in his group's decision to publicly call for George's resignation.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [SNAP] national director David Clohessy, whose group organized Wednesday's press conference, said he welcomes the support of the conservative groups.
"We don't necessarily agree with them on a whole host of issues," he said, "but we will gladly accept the help of any organization that seeks Cardinal George's resignation."

News coverage of groups that have been supporting the Cardinal, however, seem to be relegated to last-paragraph mention:

While the archdoicese preferred to comment off camera on Wednesday, Ahern said a spokesman pointed out that a large group gathered Tuesday night at Holy Name Cathedral in support of the cardinal. The group met, she said, knowing that the cardinal is facing tough criticism. [source]

It looks like the Cardinal and the members of the Archdiocese of Chicago could use all of ours prayers, especially this Good Friday.

* Oddly enough, it seems that the Chicago-based VOTF membership has not joined in calling for the Cardinal's resignation - source.

"Conservative" Catholic Groups Join in Call For Cardinal George To Resign

2006-04-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

There are two more groups who are asking for the resignation of Cardinal George. These two groups, the Ad Hoc Committee for the Prevention of Clergy Sex Abuse and the Roman Catholic Faithful have gone as far as to call for all donations to be withheld on Easter Sunday, as it is believed that this money will be spent on "payoffs" to keep victims of sexual abuse silent.
These two groups have been assumed to be "conservative" and catholic. They join in with the other packs, including SNAP, in seeing that Cardinal George is removed from office.

For "conservative groups", I find their tactics and paranoid demands very disturbing. Withhold offerings because they believe the funds will be used to pay off victims?!! How long do they recommend doing that? Just Easter? If "payoffs" was their only concern, don't they think the "payoffs" could just wait another week? I think someone needs to "shake" themselves and come down off what ever trip they're on, and just think about what they are doing! Something is wrong here. I guess just because one has similar "conservative" opinions as the church, doesn't necessarily make one a good Catholic. Who knows, I maybe way off base and the "paranoid one".
CBS2 Chicago

Cardinal George on John Paul II

2006-04-01T00:37:00.000-06:00

A short (~ five minutes) but very moving interview with Cardinal George (and a couple others) on the memory of John Paul II:

Click here to watch (pop-up window)

"Mission Chicago seeks to ‘jump-start’ evangelization"

2006-03-29T14:35:00.000-06:00

From the Catholic News Agency:

Chicago, Mar. 29, 2006 (CNA) - The Archdiocese of Chicago has taken on a mega-evangelization project in an effort to draw back lapsed Catholics and to re-energize practicing Catholics in their faith. It’s called Mission Chicago 2006 and, according to a New York Times report, Chicago is the largest archdiocese to organize such wide-ranging events focused on evangelization. [more]

Absence of Logic

2006-03-28T11:16:00.000-06:00

Chicago freelance columnist, Dennis Byrne, has decided to weigh-in on the recent issues affecting the Chicago Archdiocese. In an op-ed piece he not surprisingly got published in the Chicago Tribune, and which he publishes on his website, he demonstrates able rhetoric devoid of logic or facts. He calls it "Absence of Moral Authority."

Now it is no doubt a fact that what has happened in Chicago recently does reduce the moral authority of the Church in the eyes of not a few. However, Byrne, who seems to think that the perceptions of the masses dictates reality, takes this as an opportunity to call into question the basic structure of the Church and the sacramental priesthood. He must have been uncritically reading SNAP and Voice of the (un)Faithful tracts.

His main point seems to be that based upon the problems found in the recent independent investigation, this proves that the entirety of Catholic Church leadership is incompetent and unworthy of trust. Of course, he tries to make his case in the form of questions. Most of which are inane and point out that either he did no research whatsoever before spawning his blather or he did the research and finding it did not support his argument, he ignored it and hoped none of his readers would either.

Some examples of questions that he says should be posed:

Are clergy more prone to child abuse? Are they more prone to same-sex abuse? Do other denominations have this problem and to what extent? If they don't, is there something specific about the Roman Catholic priesthood that leads to greater incidence of child sexual abuse? Is the something related to the vow of celibacy? Does it have something to do with the priesthood's male-dominated environment? Is it an institutional problem, flowing from the authoritative, hierarchical structure of the church?

His first commenter provides him with a link to an article that answers most of the questions. Essentially, the answer is that the problem of sexual abuse seems to be lowest among Catholic clergy, followed by clergy of other denominations. It is much higher in the general public and if we are really concerned about our children's safety, we will start paying serious attention to the child sexual abuse pandemic in public schools.

At the end Byrne throws in a canard about Church silence during the holocaust (I am surprised he left out many of the others, he must have been in a hurry) as he only datum for trying to extend the problems in Chicago to the entire Church and so suggest that She cannot be trusted. He finally implies that perhaps it is time for the laity to rise up and take over.

Rhetoric is very effective in cases like these because trust is a very fragile commodity and suspicion in our fallen state is so tempting. Byrne may not be very gifted in his theological understanding of the Church or his ability to compose a tight logical argument with compelling facts to support it. However, he is sufficiently clever to realize that in the current context he need not be; he can take advantage of suspicion to make common cause with those who would wish to undermine the ability of the Church established by Christ, to bear witness to the Gospel in an increasingly hostile world.

"In Chicago, Energizing the Catholics"

2006-03-26T23:30:00.000-06:00

"In Chicago, Energizing the Catholics"

By Gretchen Ruethling, The New York Times

"In defense of a cardinal who's trying"

2006-03-24T23:32:00.000-06:00

"In defense of a cardinal who's trying"

By Andrew Greeley, Chicago Sun-Times

Findings and Solutions: The Report

2006-03-21T14:19:00.000-06:00

As Thomas posted yesterday, Cardinal George released a statement on the status of the investigation regarding what went wrong in the Fr. MacCormack case. The Cardinal’s letter was accompanied by a letter from his Chancellor, Jimmy Lago, and a public release of the entire report of an independent investigation done by Dallas based investigators, Defenbaugh and Associates. The report appears scathing on the surface but it also makes it clear that it focused only on what went wrong. That is, it identifies solely the problems found and does not try to contextualize these problems in an overall assessment of the program.

In all, the report identifies 33 separate items for which the independent investigators recommended remedial actions to be taken. The most serious were two cases in which Archdiocesan employees violated state reporting statutes. There were three in all but one was past the statute of limitations. These failures to report occurred in the office of the Vicar of Priests and the Office of Catholic Schools.

Many of the items were recommendations for correcting or improving administrative processes. However, as one could guess would be the case gleaning details from the fragmentary reporting from the MSM, the report identified a great need for improving training for mandatory reporting positions. The offices which turn up in the report most often as having had information available that could have aided in decision making at some point in time were the offices of the Vicar of Priests and the Office of Catholic Schools. In fact, the primary cause for the late removal of Fr. MacCormack from his parish seems to have been associated with personnel from these two offices.

In general, there was a failure to share information and to document it in such a way that it was retrievable and available for decision making. In line with our previous position, the report seems to substantiate the Cardinal when he declared that he made his decision not to remove Fr. MacCormack based upon the premise that the priest had no adverse background except for the August 2005 arrest that had resulted in no charges being filed and came with no further information about the case.

Another major finding, as we suspected, was that the monitoring system was not adequately implemented. In fact, the Archdiocese had a separate investigation of this process by Community Corrections consultant, Terry B. Childers. He had seven major findings with recommendations. He found that although the Archdiocese made a good faith effort to implement a monitoring policy, because it did not take into account the character of child predators it was insufficient. It relied too much on assuming the priests being monitored could be trusted. In the case of Fr. MacCormack, because the monitoring procedures were not adequately defined, the monitoring priest did not clearly understand his role and the Vicar of Priests did not do a sufficient job of keeping up with the monitor. This led to Fr. MacCormack being able to take three children to Minnesota while his monitor was away for Christmas.

To his credit, the Cardinal takes full responsibility for the failures of his people and promises that the recommendations will be implemented. Throughout this affair the Cardinal has been completely forthright and never made excuses. He immediately began the investigation and has not quibbled with the findings or the recommendations. Gauging from those who have reported on it, he obviously takes this situation very seriously.

He is not infallible, but from all available evidence has done the reasonable thing but when that was not good enough he commits himself to correcting it. Nevertheless for those predisposed to suspicion, for those dissenters who wish to capitalize on this tragedy to push their anti-ecclesial agenda, for those who make their living with rumors and the appearance of intrigue, I am sure that this will not silence them. However, for those who recognize Cardinal George as an honest, conscientious, caring pastor of souls, his apologies will be accepted and trust will be given that these hard lessons have helped to make children in Chicago a bit safer.

Cardinal George releases official statement on Archdiocesan review

2006-03-20T13:24:00.000-06:00

We've reprinted the entire statement below (it is available in PDF here).

A variety of additional information is available on the AoC's website.

Report on Clerical Sexual Abuse of Minors, Findings and Solutions, March 20, 2006
Statement of Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. Archbishop of Chicago
Sexual abuse or molestation of a child by any adult is disordered. It is a sin and a crime.
When children or young people are robbed of their innocence and suffer the pain, anguish and anxiety caused by the illegal and immoral actions of a priest, a person of trust, the tragedy of sexual abuse is compounded.
As you know, Father Daniel McCormack has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing three children. There are additional accusations by more families. This is a tragedy for the children, for their families and all who are involved. But it also represents failures within the Archdiocese to react promptly and appropriately to what happened in these cases. It is up to the legal process now to determine innocence or guilt on the part of Father McCormack; but we have tried to examine our own actions and mistakes.
We are here today to report to the people of the community on how we intend to move forward to further strengthen our commitment to the protection and safety of children.
I have asked Chancellor Jimmy Lago, an expert in child welfare, to take a hard look at what went wrong and to implement changes. But first, I wish to express some personal thoughts:
For the many missteps in responding to the accusations of sexual abuse of minors by Father McCormack, I accept responsibility. For the tragedy of allowing children to be in the presence of a priest against whom an accusation of sexual abuse had been made, I am truly sorry. I should have focused more clearly on the actions we needed to take and I should have taken them more quickly.
For not following the advice of our independent Professional Responsibility Review Board to remove Father McCormack temporarily, even without a judgment about his actions, I am deeply sorry.
I am committed to a full disclosure of the facts and to the implementation of deliberate, meaningful changes to do all in our power to ensure that such events never happen again.

Catholic Citizens of Illinois call out double standard

2006-03-16T11:13:00.000-06:00

Catholic News Agency has the story:

Chicago, Mar. 16, 2006 (CNA) - The group, Catholic Citizens of Illinois, are calling on Governor Rod Blagojevich to remove homosexual activist Rick Garcia from the Governor’s Commission Against Discrimination and Hate Crimes because of what they see as his own hate-filled agenda.
Garcia recently called Chicago’s Francis Cardinal George a “bigot” for his, and the Catholic Church’s stance against homosexual marriage and the practice of homosexuality.
Mary Anne Hacket, president of Catholic Citizens of Illinois, said that “We are offended by Garcia’s frequent attacks on the Catholic Church and all Christians for their belief in biblical values.”
She added the group’s disdain for “his attacks on the Illinois Family Institute which has been effective in the defense of marriage and efforts to place a referendum on the ballot to define marriage in Illinois as a union between one man and one woman.”
“The type of hatred Rich Garcia spouts on a regular basis”, Hacket charged, “has no place on a commission financed by the taxpayers and he must be removed from the Commission at once.”

Watch Cardinal George on TV

2006-03-16T02:36:00.000-06:00

[click on image for details]

Cardinal George gives St. Patrick's Day dispensation

2006-03-16T02:32:00.000-06:00

A decent article from the Chicago Tribue focusing on the Irish-American members of the Archdiocese of Chicago:

CHICAGO - Tipping his red hat to Chicago's Irish Catholic heritage, Cardinal Francis George has again taken action to resolve a St. Patrick's Day dilemma:
Every few years, the holiday falls on a Friday during Lent, when consuming meat is traditionally forbidden. But what would St. Patrick's Day be without corned beef and cabbage?
So George has declared an exception that permits his flock to eat meat on Friday. At least 76 other U.S. bishops reportedly have granted similar dispensations, including Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch.

Archdiocese complies with request for documents in abuse case

2006-03-16T02:31:00.000-06:00

Associated Press has the story:

CHICAGO - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has turned over documents requested by prosecutors in the case of a priest accused of sexually abusing three boys, a lawyer for the archdiocese said.
The items include personnel records, incident reports and documents "dating back to (Rev. Daniel) McCormack's seminary days," Church attorney James Geoly told the Chicago Tribune for a story posted on its Web site Wednesday night.

Another Group Attempting Re-invent the Faith by Changing the Church.

2006-03-11T13:43:00.000-06:00

On Friday, national leaders for "Voice of the Faithful", said Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Cardinal Francis George, vice president had failed to comply with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young Adults, and should temporarily step down during an independent investigation. "This situation requires immediate action by the [conference] to name an interim leader of unquestioned integrity and commitment to the charter," the statement said.
Voice of the "Faithful" asks - Join our campaigns to ensure financial accountability in our church and to reform sexual abuse laws for the protection of children. Why financially? Why is money so important in accountability in their own Church? Specifically because so many want to Keep their own rendition of faith, they want to dismantle the authority of the Church. Another example of a group who have assumed leadership positions as a result of the priest sex scandal.

Source Article
Voice of the "faithful" Website

"Why SNAP has ZERO credibility."

2006-03-10T16:48:00.000-06:00

Fr. Martin Fox has a short posting today on SNAP's credibility:

Yesterday, the Archdiocese [of Cinccinnati] announced that a priest, accused of many acts of abuse of young men, had been laicized by the pope.
Here's what appeared in the Dayton Daily News today:
"Strittmatter still poses a threat to children," SNAP said. "His defrocking does not mean that he has been 'fixed.'"
It simply means that Archbishop Pilarczyk can now officially 'wash his hands' of him from now on."
Now[,] use your imagination to see what SNAP would have said had the Archbishop not sought the man's laicization. In fact, try to imagine all the various permutations, and then guess what SNAP would have said.
See how they work? No matter what you do, they're gonna bash you.
(Now let's see how they try to hit me because I dare to criticize their behavior.)

Domenico Bettinelli has added his own comments as well.

Cardinal George's message for Lent 2006

2006-03-04T22:38:00.000-06:00

The merciful gaze of Jesus: Lent, 2006
by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.

Lent has begun. Last Wednesday we took the blessed ashes upon our foreheads and accepted the invitation of the Church to go into the desert with the Lord.

The desert is the place where Jesus prays and fasts to prepare for his public ministry. It was not the fasting sometimes fashionable today—dieting to have better health or a more attractive figure or to train for a sporting event.

Like Moses in the desert, the pious Jew of Jesus’ day would fast from earthly nourishment in order to become hungry for divine food, to become hungry for God. In the desert for 40 days, Jesus fasted to become empty in order to receive and carry out the will of his Father.

We, the followers of Jesus, need to fast to become free for God. The Church no longer has precise rules for substantial Lenten fasting, except for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the result might be that we too easily drift through Lent and find at Easter that we have not made any serious effort. This is greatly to our spiritual loss and that of the Church.

Read the rest.

Two new articles at Catholic New World

2006-03-04T15:15:00.000-06:00

Catholic New World, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Chicago, has two new articles today:

Festival of Faith demonstrates unity
Sex-abuse policies toughened: Archdiocese, DCFS agree to new rules

Perspective piece on clergy sex-abuse scandal by John Maher

2006-03-04T15:11:00.000-06:00

John Maher tries to put the clergy sex-abuse scandal in some perspective:

(begining midway through the article...)

Cases of sexual abuse of children are not rare. Roughly 1.15 million cases were reported between 1990 and 2002. In 1990, there were 119,000; the number was down to 88,000 in 1999 and remained at about that number up to 2002, the latest year of publication of government statistics for such offenses.
In April 2002, Time magazine cited studies indicating that half of child sexual abusers are the parents of the victims, and 18 percent are other relatives of the victims. Pedophiles also include teachers, coaches, Scout masters and others who work with youngsters.
Priests accused of sexual abuse of children are a fraction of 1 percent of all such abusers. Ideally, there should be no priest who sexually abuses a child, but, ideally, no parent should sexually abuse a child.
To turn from the ideal to financial reality, while most sexual abusers of children are not sued for damages, Catholic dioceses have been sued for negligence for not removing accused priests from ministry.
Since the 1950s, the Catholic Church in the United States has spent about $1 billion in costs related to child sex abuse cases.
...
A report published by the Chicago Archdiocese in January 2003 said that, in the past 40 years, 55 allegations of sexual abuse of children by 36 archdiocesan priests were determined to be founded. Other allegations had been found to be foundless accusations of innocent priests. At the time the report was published, there had been no allegations of sexual misconduct in the previous 12 years.
The archdiocese had spent $7.9 million on counseling, settlements, and other forms of assistance to victims. It had spent $4.3 million on legal fees, including $1.3 million to defend a priest and school principal found not guilty by a jury.
The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin was accused of sexual abuse by a former seminarian who later recanted.
Contrary to the traditional legal principle, priests accused of sexual abuse of children are apparently deemed guilty until proved innocent. Moreover, while conviction in a criminal trial requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard for finding liability in a civil suit for damages is less rigorous, and settlements are sometimes made both to avoid the cost of the trial and the possibility of a jury finding that is more costly than a settlement.
The pain experienced by sexual abuse victims is real and deserves compensation, but, as the latest episode in the scandal unfolds, it should be remembered that false accusations have been made and that very few priests have been found, in fact, to have sexually abused children.
John Maher is a free-lance writer from Jefferson Park.

Sex-abuse policies toughened -- Archdiocese, DCFS agree to new rules

2006-03-04T15:07:00.000-06:00

As should be the case, Cardinal George did not respond to SNAP's delusional call for his resignation. Several new protocols to strengthen the already revamped policies were agreed to following a series of meetings with the state Department of Children and Family Services.

“I believe the cardinal has acted very responsibly,” said archdiocesan Chancellor Jimmy Lago. “We’ve got a whole approach to make sure that what happened with the McCormack case does not happen again. I think calls for his resignation are irresponsible. We’ve had good policies and practices going back 15 years.”

The cardinal has publicly apologized several times for his handling of McCormack’s case, and instituted a series of changes in procedures aimed at preventing a similar situation from happening again.

Story in the Catholic New World

Cardinal George speaks on Pro-Choice politicians and Conscience

2006-03-04T15:05:00.000-06:00

A quotation from the National Review Online:

Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, [states], bluntly, "Do all Catholic politicians understand their obligations in conscience? Apparently not, which means that their pastors have to take the time to speak with them personally." Moreover, "the objective 'disconnect' between professing the faith and voting 'pro-choice' creates tension in the community of faith, even at the altar." According to Cardinal George, objectively, no "pro-choice" politician should receive Holy Communion. But "subjectively a politician may have convinced himself he is in good conscience."
Cardinal George concedes that a conversation between pastor and politician about personal conversion "is hard to have in the midst of the pressures of electioneering." Nevertheless, as the conversations continue, pro-choice politicians will "inevitably find themselves ever more estranged from their own community of faith. This is tragic, not only for politicians, most of whom went into public service for generous motives, but for the faith community itself," maintains the Cardinal.
Read the rest of the article.

Models of the Church

2006-03-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

In the early 1970's, long before he was made Cardinal, Avery Dulles first published his well known book, Models of the Church. It has been updated and republished several times since its first publication. One of the criticisms of the book was that of a somewhat fragmented view of the Church. In other words, at least his earlier presentation suggested the models as "either/or" propositions rather then as manifold aspects of the One True Church.

The lack of appreciation that the Church is many things at once, seems to be a perennial problem for those raised in Western society where analytical thinking led to fragmentation of knowledge and a fragmented view of reality. Thus, it is common to take our favorite or most familiar secular institution that seems to correspond to the Church and impress this as a model for understanding, and more importantly, criticizing Her.

Thus, if our model is the military, and the bishop does not lead like General Patton he is criticized. If our model is a corporate structure, and he does not manage it like a CEO, the bishop is likewise, open to criticism. But the many models of the Church can best be encompassed in the idea of a family and the bishop a father. He is the father over all of his flock including his priests and he must have a fatherly solicitude for everyone.

Can fathers err. Of course they can. Sometimes they can let their love for their children allow them to misjudge situations. This does not mean that one fires him. In the case of Cardinal George and Fr. MacCormack, I do not suggest that he erred in his decision. Certainly, he is not infallible and could have made an error in judgment. However, I believe that at this point only a predisposition to mistrust could lead someone to conclude he had erred, or even worse lied, based upon the available information. Nevertheless, each new piece of data prompts certain groups to jump again to unfounded claims.

Within Chicago, there are many who are becoming more vocal in their support for the Cardinal but that does not seem to be the case yet in the blog-o-sphere. Considering only those Catholics who do not have a "Voice of the (un)Faithful" type agenda, there seems to be two types of response. The first, seems to be those who have adopted a faulty model of the Church and so a worldly view of how the bishop should lead his flock. They agree with the SNAP crowd, at least to the point that they think good bishops should have been "kicking butt and taking names" from their first day in office (military jargon for cleaning house in a very aggressive manner). Generally they will be unwilling to support a bishop unless his patron saint is General Patton.

There is another group that is sitting quietly on the sidelines, thinking maybe it is true that Cardinal George did make a mistake. To these I would say, maybe he did. However, supporting Cardinal George is more support for the Church's hierarchical structure. The issue at hand here is that this Saul Alinsky, type of aggressive activism that is now being used as a method for influencing change in the Church against him is not Catholic.

Whether he erred or not, Cardinal George is faithful Shepherd and deserves support. But this is also a defense of the Church against those who would redefine Her structure through their aggressive, activist type tactics. As long as they think that they can influence public opinion and thereby get the Church to change they will continue. The added effect will be to confuse the average Catholic and damage the Church's mission. They will not go away, but I believe that popular support for the Cardinal will attenuate this as a story of interest for the MSM and blunt the affect these activists can have.

Vile Accusations Aimed At Cardinal George

2006-03-02T00:11:00.000-06:00

A psychologist chosen by America's Roman Catholic bishops to address them about the clergy sex-abuse crisis when it erupted four years ago sent a scathing letter to Cardinal Francis George this week, suggesting he might be considered "an accessory to soul murder" for letting Rev. Daniel McCormack remain in ministry after being accused of abuse. "Jesus was so clear - anyone who harmed a child should tie a millstone around his neck and drown himself in the sea," she wrote. "Lake Michigan is rather chilly at this time of year. Surely, however, you could choose symbolically to embrace the Gospel instructions."

Vile, venomous tone, bad theology, and an ax to grind. Here is her comment she made in September, on the same-sex abuse scandal, "Vatican officials, in their search to blame the sexual abuse scandal on someone or something external to institutional and doctrinal failings of the church itself, conflated sexual orientation with psychosexual maturation and with criminal behavior". Enough said!

Sources: Chicago Tribune & Find Articles.com

Support Remains Strong

2006-02-28T09:13:00.000-06:00

The Survivors Network Against Priests, or SNAP, is staying the course, as self appointed judge, jury and executioner. SNAP somehow assumed a delusional sense of authority as they called for George's resignation Saturday after learning that a church-appointed review board made an informal recommendation that the Archdiocese of Chicago remove Rev. Daniel McCormack from St. Agatha Church on the West Side in October, about three months before McCormack's arrest in January on molestation charges.

Unlike SNAP, Cardinal George made a decision based on all of the information he had at the time. He has admitted that everyone involved should have been more aggressive in getting firsthand information and has since taken measures to improve its protocols.

George, who presided over Sunday mass at St. Michael Archangel Church on the South Side, did not address the controversy. Instead, he focused parishioners on the meaning of Lent, and asked for prayers and promised to pray for those in attendance.

After mass, parishioner Rhonda Grayson that SNAP has gone "too far" in calling for George's resignation. "I feel like he's appointed by God and God will sort it out," Grayson said.

Tom Utrata said that although each new abuse allegation feels like a "wound reopening," George stepping down would not solve anything. "Flaws in the system have been discovered and they need to be tightened up," Utrata said. "I feel for the cardinal and for all the priests and the victims."

During a news conference Sunday outside Holy Name Cathedral on the Near North Side, SNAP President Barbara Blaine demanded that George reveal the identities of the nine-member review board. She said victims would feel more comfortable coming forward if they knew that board members were not associates of suspects, she said. "We know Cardinal George is not doing a good job," Blaine said. "We know children are recklessly being put at risk." Tensions erupted into a confrontation between parishioners and SNAP members at the end of the news conference at Holy Name Cathedral.

In my opinion, some of those in authority of SNAP appear motivated by their own activist agenda, and are using victims as mere pawns in their mission to dismantle the Catholic Church.

Chicago Tribune

More Chicagoans show support for Cardinal George this Sunday

2006-02-26T17:21:00.000-06:00

Newsradio WBBM 780 reports:

Cardinal George Gets Sympathetic Hearing At South Chicago Church
St. Michael's Church in the 8200 block of South Shore Drive was more packed than normal during Sunday morning's 9:30 service. That's because parishioners wanted to hear what Cardinal George had to say.
While the church leader didn't address the priest sex abuse scandal during his sermon, people like Martha Andrez says that's OK.
She echoes the comments of other parishioners here, who think he should stay on as head of the Chicago Archdiocese.
Read the rest.

February 26 - Update on situation in Chicago

2006-02-26T13:07:00.000-06:00

Local Catholics continue to support Cardinal George despite SNAP's recent call for his resignation:

CBS 2 Chicago has the story (with video):

(CBS) CHICAGO Despite an advocacy group's call for Francis Cardinal George's resignation regarding his handling of a Chicago priest sex abuse scandal, some local Catholics say they still support their leader.
"He should not step down because I think that the church is more than just the cardinal," said Holy Name Cathedral parishioner Gay Thomas. "And his leadership has been in line with the way the church works."
Added Holy Name parishioner Dave Archibald: "I do support Cardinal George, and I think that we all just need to pray about it and that he's doing the best he can and hopefully will do ever better."
...
A spokesman for the Archdiocese has said that SNAP has no authority to call for George's resignation and that the cardinal will not be resigning.
"The cardinal has acknowledged that they should have acted faster and he has taken steps to strengthen their procedures," the Archdiocese spokesman added.
...
"...SNAP members went door to door handing out flyers calling for people in the neighborhood surrounding St. Agatha's to push for the Cardinal's resignation."
Read the rest.

An interesting quote from Barbara Blaine, president and founder of SNAP:

Blaine did not indicate whom she believes would be a good replacement [for Cardinal George], or whether it should be one of the Cardinal's auxiliary bishops. But she said she believed any archbishop appointed by Pope Benedict would want to "clean up this mess."

Is Blain seriously claiming that John Paul II, who made Cardinal George the archbishop of Chicago - wanted this type of mess? Or would not want it cleaned up?

I believe this quote (and others) demonstrate that SNAP's call for Cardinal George's resignation is not balanced with any sort of serious attempt to constructively make things better - as Cardinal George, on the other hand, has been doing, through words and action.

As for the possibility of resignation - first, it is not Cardinal George's choice to make (the most he could do is submit a letter of resignation to Pope Benedict) and second, there has been absolutely no sign that Pope Benedict would accept a resignation or ask for it in the first place.

For a group that claims to have the answer to the problems of the Catholic Church - SNAP is demonstrating a recurrent and deep ignorance of the institution they alone can supposedly heal.

Pope Benedict blesses stoles for Mission Chicago

2006-02-26T13:01:00.000-06:00

[photo caption:

"Pope Benedict XVI blesses priests' stoles for Fr. Robert Barron during a recent papal audience. The stoles will be used during the special "24 Hours of Grace" project March 3-4 during which about 70 priests will staff six archdiocesan parishes around the clock to encourage individual reconciliation."]

News story:

"24 hours of Grace" part of Archdiocese's Evangelization focus this lent.

Chicago (February 23, 2006) For a 24-hour period, March 3-4, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago, whether they have been active or not, will have an opportunity at six locations throughout the Archdiocese to participate in individual reconciliation.
The project, “24 Hours of Grace,” is part of Mission Chicago, an effort to focus on evangelization in the Archdiocese. This event will offer Catholics the opportunity to visit one of six parishes that will be open and staffed around the clock with priests hearing confessions and administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation for 24 hours beginning at 9 a.m., March 3, through 9 a.m., March 4.
Organized by Fr. Robert Barron, who begins a series of Lenten missions across the Archdiocese this week, this special period is a means of providing a way for people to come back to a stronger participation in the faith life of the Church. Approximately 70 priests have been recruited for “24 Hours of Grace”.
The parishes that will be part of “24 Hours of Grace” include: St. Mary, Lake Forest; St. Monica, Chicago’s Northwest Side; Holy Trinity Polish Mission, Northwest Chicago; Our Lady of Tepeyac, Chicago’s West Side; St. Frances of Rome, Cicero; and St. Catherine of Alexandria, Oak Lawn.
Complete information on the special missions of Fr. Robert Barron and other evangelization activities at parishes and schools in the Archdiocese during Lent is available at www.archchicago.org.
[source]

Editor of the Catholic World Report supports CGF's SNAP analysis

2006-02-23T21:37:00.000-06:00

Domenic Bettinelli, editor of the Catholic World Report, today posted about our recent response to SNAP on his personal weblog:

Speaking of SNAP
"Speaking of the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priest, they sent an open letter to Cardinal Francis George of Chicago in which they demand that the cardinal throw out canon law and Church teaching and act like a dictator when it comes to allegations of sexual abuse."
Read the rest.

DCFS failed to notify archdiocese in priest abuse case

2006-02-23T13:35:00.000-06:00

An important story...

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services apparently violated its own policies when it failed to notify Catholic officials the agency had found credible evidence that a West Side pastor had abused a child, according to a Tribune review of DCFS procedures.
Agency policies available online state that if DCFS investigates a person who is in a job that puts him in frequent contact with children, the agency is required to notify employers about the allegations of abuse and the result of the investigation. If the person works for a school, the school administrator must be told.
But DCFS has said it did not notify Cardinal Francis George, other Chicago archdiocese officials or the school where Rev. Daniel McCormack worked that it was investigating him, and it also did not tell them the outcome of the investigation.
Read the rest.

Cardinal George collaborates with priest in New Evangelization efforts

2006-02-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Winnetka talk has the story:

Priest set to bring Catholics back
Sundays, for the vast majority of Chicagoland Roman Catholics, are spent anywhere but in a church.
It's not a new trend. Only about one in five of the 2.3 million Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago -- and that number is down 5 percent since 1990 -- attend Mass.
Rev. Robert Barron has been asked to change this.
Cardinal Francis George approached the 46-year-old theology professor at University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein last November and said he wanted Barron to "jump-start evangelization."
Read the rest.

On SNAP and Accountability

2006-02-23T08:13:00.000-06:00

Shelray over at Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex has an excellent post this morning providing a little more insight into SNAP. It seems that this group that claims concern for truth and justice has been guilty of publicly accusing priests of sexual abuse even before any police investigations are undertaken. So far, a couple of dozen priests SNAP has publicly accused have been exonerated when the police have investigated. Is there any accountability on the part of SNAP? You would think they might want to demonstrate some...but go see what Shelray reports that they have to say on the matter.

If wasn't already, it should be coming much clearer that SNAP has an agenda against Catholic priests and the Church. SNAP demonstrates that they cannot be trusted with telling the truth. Crying wolf a couple of times maybe, but 24 times... It's time for a more responsible advocacy group to step in because SNAP has shown itself to be unprincipled and incompetent, and in truth, not much different than the predators they claim to be trying to weed out.

SNAP Has SNAPPED

2006-02-21T07:37:00.000-06:00

The "victim advocacy group," SNAP, just sent an open letter to Cardinal George demanding some changes. The changes they demand are explicitly not in the Archdiocesan child abuse policies but rather demands for changes in Church governance; more on this later. In the letter they claim to identify seven priests as credible child abusers who were not previously identified as such. They spin the scant information that they provide in a way to make is appear to support their claim that "It's the Cardinal's flawed actions, not his flawed policies," that are the problem.

As I stated in an earlier post, the public information is currently insufficient to draw any other conclusion but that Cardinal George made sound decisions based upon the information he had available at the time...that is unless you are predisposed to doubt his credibility in which case suspicion can lead one to any sort of speculations. Pathological suspicion appears to be SNAP's most obvious motivation. Therefore, I think it appropriate to focus on SNAP's letter because it appears to me that their agenda comes through quite clearly in it.

As I stated, SNAP is not interested in a new or improved policy. Rather, they seem to be driven by ideology. In their view, the Church and Her structure are the fundamental problems, apparently because it is not built on the American democratic model (obviously, there needs to be checks and balances in any purely human system of governance). This is how they describe the Church hierarchy and the authority of the bishop in explaining why they think Fr. MacCormack could have been removed in August 2005, even though the police found no evidence to substantiate any charges:

The Catholic church is a monarchy. In Chicago, you are the king. Priests have no union. You can suspend a priest anytime for anything. To claim otherwise is ludicrous. (Does anyone really think these priests would have remained in active ministry for years while your staff allegedly investigated allegations that they stole money or advocated abortion?)

The only thing ludicrous here is their assertion about the structure of the Church and a bishop's authority. It reveals that they let their biases get in the way of even doing the most basic research. Their view that the Church structure is an absolute monarchy reflects an ignorance of basic ecclesiology (they might try reading Lumen gentium) and their claims that a bishop's authority over his diocese is arbitrary and absolute shows an ignorance of Canon Law (perhaps they might consult CIC 1740-1753).

This is why they are not interested in any new policies. They do not trust the Church. They demand that non-Catholic authorities be brought in to advise the Church on changes to be made. Why must they be non-Catholic except for pathological suspicion? They claim that they cannot trust that any useful changes that have been made since 2002 because it is the same bishops who caused the problem who have implemented the changes to fix it. The John Jay study shows that the problems occured before most current bishops were installed, but even so, to paint all bishops as guilty for the sins of a few reflects pathological suspicion. Thus, they already knows the answer and so they demand:

Cardinal George, after years and years of scandal, we have sadly become convinced it's not the church's procedures that are flawed, it's the church's leadership that is flawed. (And it will remain flawed until lay people insist on real change, not cosmetic, paper "reforms.")

So this is what SNAP is about. They are doing the bidding of dissenters using Saul Alinsky types of tactics because they have an issue in which the press revels. I understand that abuse manifests an inability to trust and if SNAP's leadership is comprised primarily of abused victims themselves, it is understandable (though not justifiable) why they have adopted a Protestant ecclesiology. Their alliance with Voice of the (un)Faithful does not help any either. Reforming the Church into a democracy is not possible, nor would it help any way. By and large, that is what we had in the dioceses that experienced the most serious problems anyway. In addition, the government school systems in the U.S. have a much greater problem with child abuse than the Churdh ever has, but this is the type of structure that SNAP mistakenly thinks will help.

Tragic cases like that of Fr. MacCormack unfortunately will continue to occur. However, if as Cardinal George is doing, we learn what went wrong, fix them and share them with other dioceses we can make these cases less and less common. However, SNAP thinks differently and this is what distrust risen to the level of pathology does to logic. With the case of Fr. MacCormack, SNAP trotted out names of 6 other priests, in cases that happened well before Cardinal George was installed, and argues in non-sequitur fashion that since the new policies did not prevent abuse decades ago then the only solution is that Church must be governed by the laity. A lay governed Church is in fact their ultimate goal.

If SNAP is really interested in helping to make children safer then they will first come to understand what the Church is, that Her hierarchy is divinely instituted and so it cannot be changed. Then instead of working like social activists who use public pressure to attempt to force changes in Church structure that just will not happen, they will start to work from within the Church, in a cooperative manner, especially with faithful and caring Shepherds like Cardinal George. They must also do something about their inability to trust. Severing their relationship with dissenting groups like Voice of the (un)Faithful is a necessary first step. They should also bring people into SNAP leadership positions who are also committed to helping those who have suffered from abuse but who do not suffer from the same issues of an inability to trust Catholics and the Church.

However, I do not expect to see this. I fear that if they will attack a gentle and faithful Shepherd like Cardinal George based upon little more than suspicion, then there is no bishop with whom they will work cooperatively...unless he shares their same ecclesial ideology.

The "I Support Cardinal George" Initiative

2006-02-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

Do you want to show lend support to Cardinal George and the members of the Archdiocese of Chicago in these trying times?

Here at the Cardinal George Fan Club (CGF) we do.

The "I Support Cardinal George" Initiative is an easy way to demonstrate support and solidarity for His Eminence and other members of the Catholic Church who are doing their very best to shepherd souls and practice their faith through the recent hardships they have experienced.

Becoming a member of the "I Support Cardinal George" Initiative involves three simple steps:

Pray for Cardinal George and his work on behalf of the Catholic Church, as well as for all the members of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
If you run a blog/website, copy the above PNG "brilliant button" and display it on the homepage of your blog/website, and link back that image to the Cardinal George Fan Club homepage (http://cardinalgeorge.blogspot.com).
Send us an email at "cardinalgeorgefanclub [at] gmail.com" so we can add you to our sidebar's list of supporters once we verify that the image is functioning.

We hope that this initiative will create a network of prayers for and promote solidarity among the members and leaders of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Thank you, and may God Bless Cardinal George and the Archdiocese of Chicago.

AOC's Festival of Faith Draws Thousands of Participants

2006-02-19T17:08:00.000-06:00

The Chicago Sun-Times has the story:

Thousands of Catholics from parishes across the Chicago area streamed into Rosemont on Saturday to celebrate their faith, share information and get some inspiration -- in English, Spanish and Polish.
"People are isolated in their parishes at times," said Cardinal Francis George. "The people have come in, and in greater numbers than last time. They feel very encouraged."

More than 6,500 people, from toddlers to senior citizens, attended the second Catholic Festival of Faith Thursday through Saturday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
Read the rest.

Latest Cardinal's Column - Feb 19, 2006

2006-02-18T17:14:00.000-06:00

Finding the face of Christ: What kind of year will 2006 be?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

After the Year of the Eucharist in 2005, the bishops and priests of the Archdiocese have called for a Year of Evangelization in 2006. Evangelization, conversion to Christ in his Body the Church, is the constant purpose and mission of the Church; but this year a special emphasis will be put on re-thinking how this might be done in the parishes. As special events, Father Robert Barron of Mundelein Seminary will lead an Archdiocesan mission with public homilies and added opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Festival of Faith in February has as its general theme the New Evangelization. Many parishes will find their own way to implement the Archdiocesan evangelization guide, “Spreading the Holy Fire.”

A year of evangelization means a year of conversion. I have begun to add some extra time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to my own daily schedule in order to ask God’s forgiveness for the sin of sexual abuse of minors. In this time before the Lord, I try to bring to mind, besides the many victims I have personally met and prayed with in recent years, all those who might not have yet come forward and the many more victims who are suffering silently in our society. Prayer for our own complete conversion to Christ and for the conversion of the world must become part of a year of evangelization in our homes and in the parishes.

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Picture of "Catholics for the Cardinal"

2006-02-18T17:13:00.000-06:00

[source]

Cardinal George ordains vicar general George Rassas as Bishop

2006-02-18T17:10:00.000-06:00

Catholic New World:

When the Archdiocese of Chicago welcomed its newest bishop Feb. 2, it was truly a celebration of a favorite son. Cardinal George ordained Bishop George Rassas, 63, with his parents, Frances and George J. Rassas Sr. in the front pew at Holy Name Cathedral, and dozens of other family members in attendance.

The rest of the cathedral was filled with well-wishers who knew Bishop Rassas from his nearly 38 years of ministry in the archdiocese, including 14 years as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Lake Forest, and 15 years working in family ministry at the archdiocese’s pastoral center while assisting in other parishes.

For the past year, Bishop Rassas has served as vicar general, a post in which he is expected to continue for the immediate future.

Read the rest.

CNS on recent changes in the archdiocese of Chicago

2006-02-17T23:24:00.000-06:00

Catholic News Service has published a good compehensive article on the situation:

CHICAGO – The Archdiocese of Chicago has hired an investigator to conduct an independent overview of its handling of recent abuse cases and asked for a complete review of its policies and procedures for monitoring clergy accused of sexually abusing children.
Both moves came as Cardinal Francis E. George named Jimmy Lago, chancellor, as the person responsible for overseeing the efforts of all employees and offices to make sure children are protected.
Read the rest.

2006-02-17T22:53:00.000-06:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

More information on this weekend's Catholic Festival of Faith

2006-02-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

More information on the Catholic Festival of Faith (Feb 16-18):

Open to Catholics of all ages and to all those interested in the Catholic faith, the three-day Catholic Festival of Faith will offer Catholic liturgies, opportunities for prayer, concerts, keynote speakers and hundreds of workshops. Individuals may register for a single day’s events for $35, or for all three days of the Catholic Festival of Faith for $70.

Cardinal George will be leading many of the workships:

At 1:45 p.m. on Friday, February 17, and on Saturday, February 18, Cardinal George will offer a workshop entitled, "Evangelization: Creating Something New." In this workshop, the Cardinal will explore the meaning of the late Pope John Paul II's call for a "New Evangelization," noting that the Holy Father wanted to place change -- "radical newness" -- at the center of evangelization, to ask what is created anew in a person's life or in society when the Gospel is effectively lived.
At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 17, Cardinal George will meet with Catholic youth to discuss "Our Call To Be Radically New,” concerning his experiences of World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, his understanding of Pope Benedict XVI's message to youth, and the baptismal call to be made new in the life of the Eucharist.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 18, Cardinal George will host a conversation about the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, in which the highlights and surprises of the new pope's first year of papal leadership will be discussed.
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 16, Cardinal George will celebrate the closing liturgy of the Catholic Festival of Faith.

Admission to the closing liturgy and to any or all of the Cardinal's workshops are complimentary with admission to the Catholic Festival of Faith.

Additional questions about the Catholic Festival of Faith can be answered via email to catholicfest@archchicago.org or by phoning the Archdiocese of Chicago at 312/751-8388.

It is being held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5500 N. River Rd., Rosemont.

[source]

Cardinal George spearheads revitalization of Chicago Archdiocese

2006-02-16T22:01:00.000-06:00

Zenit has the story on Mission Chicago 2006:

CHICAGO, FEB. 16, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A yearlong series of Masses, prayer novenas, discussions and other events is under way in an effort to revitalize Catholics in the Chicago Archdiocese.
Cardinal Francis George has commissioned the project called Mission Chicago 2006 in response to lower Sunday Mass attendance, new allegations of sexual abuse by priests, and fallen-away Catholics who may have soured on the Church.
The mission is beginning with a three-day Catholic Festival of Faith in suburban Rosemont. It will continue with six revival talks at parishes from Feb. 23 to April 9.
Read the rest of the article.

Doing the Right Thing

2006-02-15T15:30:00.000-06:00

The press and others have been very vocal in the last few weeks, working very hard to keep what they seem to see as a very juicy story, in front of the public eye. Some have taken to dredging up decades old accusations in which the alleged perpetrators were gone from the priesthood well before Cardinal George was installed as Archbishop of Chicago. Lest the audience not see that these accusations were intended to besmirch Cardinal George, they included an inane quote saying that action should be taken against him because he is ultimately responsible.

Well, lets look at the facts as they are out in the public:

- Last August, an allegation of sexual abuse by Fr. McCormack was made to the police, not to the Archdiocese
- The Archdiocese was advised by the civil authorities that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against Fr. McCormack, and no charges were filed
- The Archdiocese asked the police to request the parents of the accuser (whose identity was unknown to them) to come forward so an Archdiocesan investigation could begin (they did not)
- Fr. McCormack was told not to be alone with children and was assigned a personal monitor
- The Archdiocese, despite many requests, has still not received either the police interview of last August or any allegation against Fr. McCormack that could be used to begin an investigation
- On January 18 an allegation was made to the Archdiocese by an eighth grade student at St. Agatha’s school and school officials followed Archdiocesan policies, calling the police and notifying the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS)
- On January 20, Fr. McCormack was arrested and charged
- On January 21, after consulting the Review Board, the Vicar General, in Cardinal George's absence, removed Fr. McCormack from ministry

Let's see... Was there a cover-up? No. The police were the first to know about the August incident and decided there was not enough evidence to do anything. In the St. Agatha incident, the Archdiocese reported the accusation immediately to the police. I wonder why we do not see a clamoring for the resignation of the police chief or the Mayor for not locking Fr. McCormack up due to the accusation?

Was there a failure to follow policy? Well, it appears that there may have been. But not in the two cases mentioned above. Apparently, there was an accusation of abuse against Fr. McCormack in 2000 in a diocesan school that did not make it to the Archdiocese office. The mother of the child decided not to make a report so the principle did not report it to police. She did however, send a letter to the Archdiocese which has not been found. Not reporting to the police was a grave mistake which does require investigation and correction. There is also a disagreement between the mother of the August 2005 victim, who is now suing Cardinal George and the Archdiocese, and the diocesan office responsible for handling the reports as to when they talked and what information was provided. The press has presented the mother and her lawyer as saying that Cardinal George is lying about it. The evidence suggests that Cardinal George was not involved in whatever occurred between the mother and the archdiocesan representative.

Was there a failure of the policy itself? That is an open question. The Archdiocese is reviewing the policy and trying to determine if there is anything that could allow removal of a priest in such a situation. They admit that even if they had known about the 2000 accusation, without the family reporting the case to the Archdiocese, under Canon Law no action would have been authorized. But this is moot here because it was not a matter of putting Canon Law before children's welfare. And remember, before the second allegation all the Archdiocese knew was that an accusation was made and the police did not find enough evidence to press charges. Did the Archdiocese ignore the situation? No, they assigned a personal monitor for Fr. McCormack and warned him to have no contact with children. So at this point what we have appears to be posturing for legal action (and other unseemly agendas) than any evidence of negligence or even poor prudential judgment.

So the question then is, if the accusation is that the Archdiocese did not act responsibly then are we saying that any accusation should be taken as sufficient to remove someone from their position without an investigation or would this lack of due process be only reserved for priests? Remember, even with no information the Archdiocese restricted some of Fr. McCormack's freedoms and assigned him a personal monitor.

I understand the skepticism from those jaundiced by loaded press reporting, but based upon this information I honestly do not understand the criticisms from faithful Catholics. Suspicion and skepticism of every bishop because of the failures of a few is unreasonable. This is especially the case with a faithful Shepherd like Cardinal George. This caustic approach would be destructive for any family and the Church is no different.

[comments made prior to Haloscan switchover can still be seen here]

Cardinal George appoints chancellor to review archdiocesan policies

2006-02-15T15:00:00.000-06:00

The Chicago Tribune has the story:

By Manya A. Brachear
Cardinal Francis George has tapped the chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago to oversee future allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.
In his new role, Jimmy M. Lago has ordered an independent review of the policies and procedures that left Rev. Daniel McCormack and Rev. Joseph Bennett in ministry for months while abuse allegations against them were under church investigation.
Lago has also commissioned an outside firm to review the archdiocese's monitoring practices for priests permanently removed from ministry and for those awaiting a determination on the credibility of allegations made against them.
...
Lago is an experienced child advocate who has been associated with the archdiocese since 1976, George said. He serves on the Ethics Commission of the Inspector General's office of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
An Oak Park resident who is married and has two children, Lago played a part in the passage of the state's Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and was the author of the 10-year report on clerical sexual abuse in the archdiocese in 2003.
Read the full article.

Cardinal George to announce changes in archdiocesan policy soon

2006-02-14T09:23:00.000-06:00

Cardinal George is scheduled to announce changes in policy for the Archdiocese of Chicago in dealing with cases of clerical misconduct, possibly today. Updates as they arrive.

Letter of Cardinal George to Parishioners

2006-02-14T09:20:00.000-06:00

[also available in Spanish and Polish]

February 8, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

As you know, in June 2002, the U.S. bishops promised that victims of sexual abuse would be attended to; that priests who were shown to have ever abused a minor, even once, would be permanently removed from public ministry if not from the priesthood; and that programs would be set up to protect young people from harm. The Archdiocese had started on all of this long before 2002, but new initiatives were begun for training all adults to protect children and the processes to examine allegations were reviewed and strengthened. Records were re-examined to be sure that all priests ever accused of any such sinful activity were not in ministry. The Archdiocese has had a deservedly good reputation in responding to this crisis. It has conformed to national standards and to audits. It has reported, for many years, to the civil authorities every allegation it has received. Many fine and dedicated people have cared for victims and reviewed cases. In particular, we should all be proud of the Victims’ Assistance Ministry, the Independent Review Board and the Professional Fitness Office. These people’s work has been conscientiously and professionally done.

The case of Father Daniel McCormack undermines all this now. When an accusation of sexual abuse of a minor is made against a priest, the Professional Fitness Review Administrator receives it from the accuser, reports it to the civil authorities and presents it to the Independent Review Board for their consideration. During this first investigation, the priest accused is told of the allegation, his ministry is restricted, he is given a monitor and asked if he has a defense against the accusation. If the Board decides, after their preliminary, but careful, consideration of the accusation, that there is reasonable cause to suspect something happened, I remove the priest from ministry, the various parishes at which he served are notified, any other victims are asked to come forward, the investigation is completed and the case is sent to the Holy See for permission to remove the priest from public ministry. This process did not occur in the case of Father McCormack.

Father McCormack was not in any sense “protected” from the civil authorities by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Before any allegation came to the Archdiocese, he was arrested by the police, questioned and let go. When I learned of his arrest three days after it occurred, I restricted his ministry while we waited for an allegation to begin the process of investigation. It now seems that additional information was available that did not reach our offices. The process we have used well to remove predators was not engaged quickly enough.

I must apologize to all of you for the great embarrassment every Catholic must now feel in the light of media scrutiny of these events. In particular, I am deeply sorry for the pain of those Catholics who are part of St. Agatha’s Parish. They were especially in my prayers on February 5, their feast day. I pray as well for those who have brought these allegations against Father McCormack. He and his family also warrant inclusion in our prayers.

To be sure that the protection of children remains paramount, we will continue to examine what happened with the help of experts not connected to the Archdiocese of Chicago. We will work to be more immediately responsive and to move cases along more quickly. We’ll have to be sure that all information from any source gets to the Archdiocesan offices and is more widely shared, with the civil authorities as usual, but also with others. A case ordinarily begins with a call to the Archdiocesan hotline for sexual abuse reporting (312-751-5205), and we will check on how we might improve that service.

All of this is necessary; none of it will of itself remove the pain of the moment. We can only pray that pain will be redemptive in this case and that the Lord will heal us. I pray that a failure to act more quickly on my part will not harm the Archdiocese itself. You are in my prayers; please keep me in yours. God bless you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.

Archbishop of Chicago

[republished from the Archdiocese of Chicago website]

"Hundreds rally to support Cardinal George"

2006-02-13T02:18:00.000-06:00

Update 1: The Chicago Tribune also covers the story.

Original post:

ABC Chicago 7 reports:

[click on link above to watch video coverage of this story]

Hundreds rally to support Cardinal George

February 12, 2006 - Francis Cardinal George has been under a lot of scrutiny lately for the decision the archdiocese made on recent allegations of sexual abuse against two local priests. Sunday afternoon a group gathered at Holy Name Cathedral to show their support for the Cardinal.

In the past few days, one priest has called for Cardinal George's resignation, another group is calling for a federal investigation into the Cardinal and the archdiocese. The Cardinal's supporters finally say they've had it with just sitting back. That's why they came out Sunday to rally.

"We love Cardinal George!" were the shouts as demonstrators gathered outside Holy Name Cathedral. Following weeks of public criticism over the way Cardinal George has handled the allegations of sexual abuse, hundreds of Catholics came out to support him.

This is awful for the Cardinal. Anything to attack a good shepherd here in Chicago to lead the sheep. I think it's outrageous that they're doing this to him," said Danita Covington.

They chanted, prayed and even shouted ballgame like cheers for the cardinal.

Read the full article.

Cardinal George's reflection on Valentine's Day

2006-02-13T01:14:00.000-06:00

[From the Catholic New World]

The love of God and Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day is marked each year as a celebration of human friendship and romantic love. In some people’s minds, romantic love is quite different from love of God or God’s love for us. Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical tries to show how every example of love feeds into every other. “God is love,” the Pope tells us again, echoing St. John the evangelist; and God’s love for us shows itself in the love of husband and wife.

Often we presuppose that there must be a separation between eros—understood as human desire, sexually expressed—and agape, a selfless, spiritual love. But every genuine love is a form of self-giving. Love is not a thing to be exchanged, but a gift that brings the giver intimately into another’s life. Love transforms the lives of both lovers, because each receives his or her self back, transformed by their mutual love. Every love entails sacrifice for the beloved, but love makes even sacrifice a joy.When being in love means a commitment only to an experience, then love disappears with the experience. When being in love means commitment to a person, then love lasts as long as the person loved.

Modern culture has magnified the idea of love as spontaneous over the reality of love as a series of choices. People talk about being “swept away” and losing control of themselves. Yet if passion is the essence of love, then loving brings loss of the very freedom that people claim they want to preserve when they hesitate making a permanent commitment to one another. During a conference to discuss the new papal encyclical last week in Rome, people from the world of films and popular communication spoke about how love as an experience is easier to portray on film than love as a personal commitment.

The Pope’s letter also speaks of love’s relation to justice. Again, some would separate charity from justice, as others separate God’s love from romantic love. And, again, that would be a mistake. A perfectly just world would still need love. An economic and political system is never equal to the dignity of the human person if it is constructed apart from the dynamics of love. Officials of the World Bank and other economic institutions participated in the conference to speak to the connection between charity and economic and social development.

True love asks for nothing in return, for this kind of loving is how God loves us. The Blessed Trinity is a unity created by the total self-giving of the three divine persons, each to the others, for the others, in the others. The giving of oneself to others constitutes the nature of God. A gift of self is feared if it brings with it some kind of onerous demand, an obligation to the person giving. God’s love teaches us that there are persons who make no demands in loving, who are not in competition with those they love. Experiencing divine love prepares us to love fully and gratuitously all those God places on our path of life, our family, friends and neighbors, even our enemies.

The Church, Pope Benedict explains, is to be a network of charity, a sacrament of God’s love in the world. The Church is as committed to the service of charity in the form of Christ-like love as she is to the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments. As Christ commissioned the Twelve to go, baptize, preach and make disciples (Mt. 28, 18-20), so the apostles early in the Church’s life commissioned the Seven to the work of charity (Acts 6: 1-7). Think of the more than 600 deacons ordained for the Archdiocese in the past generation and their charitable service in our parishes and institutions. Think of the organization of loving service in the form of Catholic Charities, so well-developed here in the Archdiocese. Think as well of all the volunteers in every parish and family, giving of their time and goods to help with love the needy, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner, the hungry and homeless. This charity makes credible to the world the Gospel’s proclamation that “God is love.” Of course, the Church has no corner, no monopoly on work for the poor and for the elimination of economic and political injustice. The work of charity is ecumenical and universal, both in its scope and its workers.

This Valentine’s Day, read with someone you love the Song of Solomon (Canticle of Canticles) in the Old Testament and the parable of the Good Samaritan in the New Testament (Luke 10: 29-37). Pope Benedict reflects on both these passages from Holy Scripture in this first Encyclical. May God’s holy word touch your hearts and open them to the divine love that gives us the gift of our being and the promise of eternal life. God bless you.

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