5 Headlines You May Have Missed (11 July)

0

Catholic HeadlinesNews from around the Catholic world for the week ending 11 July.

DOWNLOAD (Right click to save) (11:30 mins)

•  Pope Francis meets with victims of clergy sexual abuse

•  Cardinal Pell announces first stages of financial and administrative reform at the Vatican

•  Murder of PNG priest suspected to have triggered further payback killings

•  Retired bishop of Broome passes away at 94

•  NAIDOC week celebrations wrap up across the country.

TRANSCRIPT

BOBBIE: Pope Francis has on Monday of this week met with six victims of clergy sexual abuse.

The gathering began with morning Mass, in which the Holy Father’s homily expressed the deep sadness he feels that men of the cloth betrayed so many children.

The Pope said that for some time now he has felt deep pain and suffering in his heart.

“Those few who began to weep have touched our conscience for this crime and grave sin,” Pope Francis said.

“This is what causes me distress and pain at the fact that some priests and bishops, by sexually abusing minors, violated their innocence and their own priestly vocation,” he said.

Pope Francis described the fact of clerical abuse of children as a “sacrilegious cult”, saying “these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of their own concupiscence. They profane the very image of God in whose likeness we were created.”

Pope Francis closed by saying “I am grateful for this meeting. And please pray for me, so that the eyes of my heart will always clearly see the path of merciful love, and that God will grant me the courage to persevere on this path for the good of all children and young people”.

The Mass was followed by 30-minute private meetings between Pope Francis and each of the victims. Marie Collins, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and herself a victim of child sexual abuse, spoke to Vatican Radio about her impressions of the meeting.

MARIE COLLINS: what I was most impressed about the meeting was the fact the Pope gave so much time, there was no hurry, there was no clock-watching. Each survivor got the time they needed to tell their story, and whatever they wanted to say to the Pope, they got the opportunity. I spoke to most of the survivors as they came out from their meetings and the general feeling was they felt they had said what they wanted to say and had been heard…. I feel the Pope was giving an example to other bishops and archbishops around the world as to what they should be doing… not just (hearing) a group of survivors, but sitting down and listening to personal stories, one-to-one…..it’s a win-win situation, for survivors it can be very healing but also from the point of view of the clerical side, they learn more about the effects and that can help in dealing with it too…”

You can hear that interview via Vatican Radio.

Cardinal George Pell has this week announced the first stages of administrative and financial reform at the Vatican.

On Wednesday local time, Secritariat of the Economy Cardinal Pell appeared at a press conference where he announced changes throughout the Vatican and Holy See’s economic and administrative management.

Cardinal Pell stated that it was his aim for all levels of financial administration to be brought up to a world standard.

CARDINAL PELL: “What are we trying to do? First of all we are working so that international financial standards will be followed in all the dicasteries and sections of the Holy See and Governatorato”

BOBBIE: Cardinal Pell’s key financial reforms include the implementation of stronger reporting and auditing measures, and changes to the Vatican’s banking, property and pension organisations.

Cardinal Pell said, “…our ambition is to become something of a model of financial management rather than a cause for occasional scandal.”

An overhaul of Vatican Media was also announced with an 11-member committee formed to guide the Vatican’s future communication efforts, headed by former Hong Kong Governor and chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Christopher Patten. The committee will look at how the Vatican can adapt to contemporary media trends and reduce communication costs.

More information on the press conference and announced reforms can be found on the Vatican Press Office website. The full story is also available via Vatican Radio.

 

The Bereina Diocese of Papua New Guinea are still awaiting a report on the murder of a Catholic priest more than four weeks ago, with rumours circulating of more payback killings following his death.

Father Jerry Inao was shot in May this year in Goilala, Papua New Guinea. While the death has widely been attributed to tribal feuds, little can be confirmed without a police report.

Bereina’s Bishop Rochus Tatamai said police have run out of funds and have consequently left the area without completing investigations.

“We only know what people say and it’s not good news,” Bishop Tatamai said.

“The rumors are that seven murders have followed, including that of the young culprit,” he said.

Fr Rey Caigo, a frend of Father Jerry’s, said the late priest had himself spoken out about the revenge killings that so often take place in Goilala.

“Fr Jerry was particularly concerned about the youth and the way he could bring about the end of the killings and stable peace in his home place,” Fr Rey said.

Before he was murdered Fr Jerry had reportedly recommended to his family that his death not be avenged. However, when a person is killed in Goilala, retaliation is often inevitable.

This event is not new for the people of Goilala where violence, murder and drug addictions are a frequent occurance. Despite these difficulties, the Church today continues to help where she can by providing education and health services to the people of the mountains of Goilala.

Bishop Emeritus John Jobst of Broome has passed away at 94 years of age.

The German-born Pallottine served as Bishop of the Diocese of Broome in northwestern Australia for 36 years from 1959 to 1995.

Bishop Jobst was known for flying his own plane around his vast outback diocese, a practice that earned him the nickname “the flying bishop”.

Bishop Jobst was instrumental in establishing education in his diocese, founding eight schools in remote Aboriginal communities, as well as the University of Notre Dame’s Broome campus.

In a statement, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Dennis Hart offered condolences.

Archbishop Hart said, “The Australian Bishops remember Bishop John Jobst with affection and gratitude as a man of integrity and priestly goodness, and a true missionary. His care for the diocese of Broome and its aboriginal people was highly esteemed from 1959 – 1995 when he retired. May the Lord grant him the reward of his labours.”

The current Bishop of Broome, Most Reverend Christopher Saunders, highlighted Bishop Jobst’s strength and courage in the face of trial, stating “[h]e turned determination into an art form and failure was something that he didn’t live with very well”.

Bishop Saunders also noted that Bishop Jobst’s final words were about his former diocese.

Bishop Saunders said, “I was told by his carers that is last words were about the Kimberley and wanting to return there. ‘I must go back to the Kimberley. I want to see them. I want to see they are cared for.'”

Vice Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia, Professor Celia Hammond credited Bishop Jobst as being a ‘pioneer of remote education’. “It was Bishop Jobst who led the initiative that saw the establishment of Notre Dame’s Broome Campus in 1994, a brave endeavour given the fragile resource base and extreme challenges associated with establishing Australia’s most remote university campus,” Professor Hammond said.

“Bishop Jobst’s fierce determination, intelligence, integrity and care helped shape the Kimberley community and, in particular, the work of Notre Dame Broome,” she said.

Bishop Jobst’s funeral will be held in Frauenzell, Germany next Friday.

NAIDOC week celebrations are wrapping up around Australia, with dozens of events taking place in Catholic schools and the broader community.

NAIDOC, which originally stood for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, presents a particular opportunity to recognise the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

For Catholics, the week begins with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, which this year carried the theme ‘Praise to You, Lord of Heaven and Earth’. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday is an initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and is a chance to ‘celebrate and acknowledge the gifts that Indigenous people bring to the Catholic Church in Australia.’ The way in which the day is celebrated is left to the discretion of each community.

In the Archdiocese of Sydney, Aboriginal elders Dr Elsie Heiss, Sue Bryant and Gloria Martin were honoured for their service to the Church and to their people through Sydney’s Aboriginal Catholic Ministry. They will be the founding members of the Hall of Fame at the Church of Reconciliation in La Parouse.

At Sunday’s Mass in the small, crowded church, Jesuit priest Fr Frank Brennan quoted St John Paul II’s address to the Aboriginal community on his 1986 visit to Alice Springs.

“The Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received for others,” he said.

You can access St John Paul II’s 1986 address via the Diocese of Lismore website.

Music Credit: Waking Up by Dexter Britain.

 

About Author

Leave A Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.