Vatican does not endorse Lincoln excommunication
CTA members in Lincoln, Neb., recently received word from the Vatican's Apostolic Signature regarding their appeal. Contrary to what Bishop Bruskewitz has been claiming, the Vatican has not made a judgment about the attempted excommunication. Our canon lawyers tell us that the Signatura considers Bruskewitz's excommunication threat to be a "legislative action,” and thus only available for appeal to the Council for Interpretation of Legislative Texts. Also, the letter our members received in December from a Vatican Cardinal that Bruskewitz has been touting as a confirmation of excommunication actually has no official value and is nothing more than the personal opinion of Cardinal Re, not that of the pope or a Vatican congregation.
Despite the emotional tumult of this 11-year struggle, our members in Lincoln remain steadfast in their faith. They will continue their appeal and move forward in their quest for Gospel justice in their diocese. They were heartened of late by an editorial, “Excommunications are not the Answer,” in the March 2007 issue of St. Anthony Messenger, a publication of the Franciscans. (www.americancatholic.org/Messenger)
Resisting Bishop Bruskewitz, and trying to get him to act justly on other matters, such as accountability to the Dallas Charter for the protection of children against clergy sexual abuse, is part of CTA-USA’s JustChurch project.