Volume 25, Number 2    September 2003

Getting Around

Vatican 1962 document: a smoking gun?
A top secret 1962 document from the Vatican's doctrinal office instructed bishops to keep certain cases of clergy sexual abuse secret under pain of excommunication. Discovered by victims' lawyers in Boston and Houston, Crimen Sollicitationis is being seen by some lawyers as the "smoking gun" that proves the hierarchy systematically concealed abuse cases as a matter of policy. Fr. Thomas Doyle, canon lawyer who has helped victims' groups for years, said "the document did not cause the clandestine mode of dealing with clergy sex abuse." But he added, "If this document has been used as a justification for intimidating victims into silence, then possibly we have a blueprint for a cover-up. This is a big 'if' which requires concrete proof."

O'Malley tackles abuse crisis in Boston
New Boston archbishop Sean O'Malley, installed July 30, made a good first impression by wearing his humble Capuchin Franciscan robes and by not moving into Cardinal Law's palatial suburban mansion but taking up modest residence in the inner city cathedral rectory. He also quickly revived stalled negotiations with lawyers of 542 alleged victims of priest sexual abuse by making a $55 million offer, and soon raising it to $65 million. Plaintiffs say it's not enough but welcomed the progress as talks continued. A long-awaited grand jury report from the Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly put the total number of victims in the Boston archdiocese at nearly 1,000, and gave much more evidence that Law and his bishops covered up priest abuse cases. Reilly regretted that he could find no legal way in Massachusetts to prosecute Law. Reilly also complained that the new archdiocesan abuse policy favors the accused over alleged victims. O'Malley met with Reilly to ask his advice. In late August O'Malley moved four more accused priests out of parishes and placed them on indefinite leave while their cases are investigated. The president of the Boston Priests' Forum was encouraged that the four priests had been consulted first, not summarily removed.

"We're Not Making This Up" Department

• The Ben Martinez family of Chama, N.M., is suing the parish for punitive damages after a parish priest preaching at their father's funeral said he had been "lukewarm in his faith" and that "the Lord vomited people like Ben out of his mouth to hell." Both the priest and officials of the Santa Fe archdiocese deny the charges.
• A group of Virginia Catholics has a website - www.gunsaint.com - promoting the recognition of St. Gabriel Possenti as the patron saint of handgunners. Possenti is credited with using a handgun to scare off mercenaries terrorizing a northern Italian village in 1860.

Afrocentric songs and stories to be performed at CTA
Chicago performers Glenda Baker and Emily Hooper Lansana will again bring to the CTA conference "In the Spirit," a program of interactive and uplifting tunes and tales that celebrate the African spirit of survival and community. (Click here for more information.) Vocalist Baker and storyteller Hooper Lansana have been a performance duo for 13 years, enlivening black history for children in Chicago schools, then expanding to adult audiences in community settings, national conferences and universities. Baker was also a featured actress in CTA's performng arts ministry in the late 1980s. She was in the national touring cast of several of CTA's original musical dramas: Between the Times about economic justice, Peace*Works, based on the 1983 peace pastoral, and All That I Am, a portrayal of six women of church history.

CTA News wins award
The Catholic Press Association has awarded CTA News first place in 2003 for general excellence in the special interest newsletter category. Last year CTA won this award for ChurchWatch. Of CTA News in calendar 2002 the judges said, "Touches important issues in a timely way - sexual abuse in April; peace in both April and September. A lot of credit is due for going after the important issues."