Friday, November 22, 2024
Cistercians confirm closure of Mount Melleray Abbey
The Cistercian Abbey near Cappoquin in County Waterford is to close in January due to the falling number of vocations and ageing communities.
Mt Melleray was founded in 1883 on the slopes of the Knockmealdowns
The order confirmed the closure this morning with the remaining monks in Melleray relocating to Mount St Joseph in Roscrea.
Monks from Mellifont in Co Louth will also be moving to North Tipperary.
Court rejects petition by convicted priest’s family for control of charity
Stamatia Georgianti, the wife of Father Antonios Papanikolaou, and his mother, Despina Papanikolaou, had filed a petition with the Supreme Court to regain control, as sole partners, of the children’s charity “Kivotos tou Kosmou” (Ark of the World), which the convicted priest headed after establishing in 1998.
Last week, the 54-year-old Father Antonios was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, converted into a financial penalty, after being found guilty by an Athens court of multiple counts of physical abuse against children under his care.
Four former employees of the charity also received sentences, most of which were suspended pending appeals.
In addition, early this year, Father Antonios and his wife were charged with financial misconduct following months of investigation into the financial management of the organization.
A temporary administration was appointed in November, 2022, based on a decision by the Labor Ministry. This appointment was extended last November by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, prompting the convicted priest’s wife and mother to file the Supreme Court petition.
The court ruled that appointing a provisional administration is necessary for public interest, ensuring proper care for beneficiaries and fulfilling the state’s duty to protect children and youth.
Priest indicted along with Bolsonaro and military officers for conspiracy in Brazil
The list, which is formed mainly by high-ranking military officials connected to Bolsonaro, curiously includes a Catholic priest, Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva of the Diocese of Osasco, on the outskirts of São Paulo.
After several months of investigation, the police concluded this week an inquiry on an attempted coup planned in 2022, after Bolsonaro was electorally defeated by Lula.
Bolsonaro had been claiming in the months before the election that the voting machines used in Brazil were not trustworthy and that any result that was different from his victory would be false. After he lost the race, many of his supporters promoted protests all over the South American country, blocking roads with their trucks and camping in front of military barracks.
On January 8, only one week after Lula took office, hundreds of Bolsonaro backers invaded government buildings in Brasilia, vandalizing them and calling the armed forces to take control of the country. The event was largely compared to the January 6 Capitol riots in the United States.
The police now discovered that several officials, including colonels and generals who were part of Bolsonaro’s cabinet or of his entourage, conspired to take control of the country. General Walter Braga Neto, who was Bolsonaro’s Minister of Defense and was his running mate in 2022, and General Augusto Heleno, also a minister of Bolsonaro and one of the most important voices during his administration, are on the list.
According to the investigation, the suspects organized activity groups – some of them were in charge of spreading fake news concerning the voting machines, others were responsible for intelligence, and others should prepare the decrees that would be promulgated.
On Nov. 19, the federal police revealed that some of those conspirators were planning to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is in charge of the inquiry on the coup. The idea of the group was to poison them or kill them with explosives.
Father de Oliveira e Silva, according to the police, was part of the legal group. He had already been targeted by a search and seizure operation in February, when he had to hand his smartphone to the authorities. Since then, he has been forbidden to leave the country.
The police said Silva visited the presidential palace in November of 2022, along with two other suspects. They supposedly discussed a coup against Lula.
Silva has over 420,000 followers on Instagram and 130,000 on YouTube. He gained notoriety over the past years for his harsh criticism of abortion, feminism, and gender ideology and for his defense of traditionalist Catholicism. During the elections in 2022, he posted a picture of his pulpit covered with a Brazilian flag, a national symbol that was sequestered by the Bolsonaro campaign.
Silva claimed in February that he never took part in any discussion about abolishing the rule of law in Brazil, “something that would be profoundly contrary to [his] principles.” He also said that he is usually called to provide spiritual assistance to many people not only in Osasco, but also in other parts of Brazil.
Silva, who is an ecclesiastical assistant of the Brazilian Union of Catholic Jurists, appointed as his attorney Miguel Vidigal, who heads the association. In a statement released on Nov. 7, after a hearing of Silva with the police, Vidigal said that the agents “rummaged talks between the priest and laypeople and religious who are spiritually directed by him” on his smartphone.
Vidigal emphasized that such talks are under the protection of priestly secrecy and didn’t have any relation with the investigated matters, being taken out of their original context. He recalled that Brazil and the Holy See have a treaty in which priestly secrecy is ensured.
“If it wasn’t enough, beyond the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, there are several legal articles that ensure that the priest and the faithful can keep their conversation in total confidentiality,” Vidigal said.
Concerning the disclosure of the list of indicted people on Nov. 21, Vidigal said that it was “abusive” given that Justice de Moraes has been keeping the inquiry secret. The federal police said it received authorization from the Supreme Court to release the list.
According to newspaper O Globo, the participation of a priest in the conspiracy was revealed by Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, formerly a close aide of Bolsonaro who agreed with the investigators to provide critical information in exchange for legal benefits.
No information on the potential detention of the indicted suspects has been disclosed by the Brazilian authorities.
Church of England suspends four priests after Justin Welby's resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury
The Diocese of London has withdrawn permission to officiate from three priests, whilst the Diocese of Gloucester has suspended another, pending investigation into their alleged knowledge of abuse carried out by John Smyth.
The suspensions follow recommendations that those criticised in the Makin report should step back from ministry during investigations.
The suspended priests include Hugh Palmer, who served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth from 2012 until 2020.
Sue Colman, who along with her husband Sir Jamie Colman - heir to the Colman's mustard dynasty - was asked to step back from roles at a Hampshire church last week.
Rico Tice, who previously served at All Souls, Langham Place in London until leaving last year, had been granted permission to officiate by the Diocese of London.
Rev Nick Stott, a priest from Cheltenham, has had his permission to officiate suspended by the Diocese of Gloucester.
The suspensions will remain in place while the Church investigates information contained within the Makin report.
The Makin report alleges Palmer visited a victim in 1982, telling them he was "extremely sympathetic to abuse suffered at hands of John Smyth."
The report suggests Sue Colman was aware of allegations before her ordination, with her husband reportedly writing in 1990 about being told of the abuse matters.
According to the report, Tice was informed of the abuse in 1987, with someone allegedly detailing "the scale and the nature of the abuse."
Stott was allegedly advised against joining Smyth in Zimbabwe but went anyway, reportedly witnessing "surprising behaviour" at camps. He said he was told of an issue with Smyth but received no details.
Palmer and the Colmans have not responded to comment requests.
The Bishop of Newcastle, the Right Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, told Channel 4 News that anyone named in the report should resign or "at the very least, to start off with, step back from whatever public ministry they occupy pending an independent investigation."
Rico Tice said his "heart aches" for Smyth's victims, explaining: "As a university student in the spring of 1987, I was told that boys at Iwerne camps had been beaten. At that time I was not aware of the dreadful severity of those beatings."
He added that he had made his concerns known and reported what he knew to senior people at the Iwerne camp "more than once."
Speaking for the first time since his report's publication, Keith Makin said: "I'm very pleased with the impact it is having."
When asked about potential cover-ups mentioned in his report, Makin stated: "I do think that there needs to be consideration given as to whether police action needs to be taken. I actually don't know the answer to that."
Stott told the Makin report he had felt it wasn't his place to investigate rumours, though he now wishes he had done so.
He added he was confident any matters would have been investigated and dealt with by people he trusted.
US bishop calls for return to meatless Fridays
Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, the committee charged with advancing Catholic social teaching, made his remarks at the conference’s annual fall meeting in Baltimore on November 13.
In 1966, the USCCB (then called the National Conference of Catholic Bishops) removed the obligation of the faithful to abstain from meat on Fridays except during Lent. The tradition of fasting on Fridays dates back to the early Church but was codified in canon law in 1917.
“We could renew the tradition of Friday abstinence from meat,” said Gudziak, the metropolitan archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. “A return to Friday abstinence would be good for the soul and for the planet, maybe for something else, uniting our devotion to the Lord and reverence for the Lord’s creation.”
He noted that in 2011, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales introduced the pre-Vatican II practice, inspired by a pastoral visit to England by Pope Benedict XVI, who he said was known as the “Green Pope” for his emphasis on the importance of caring for creation.
Reintroducing fasting on Fridays would also bring the Roman Catholic Church closer to its Eastern brothers, he said.
“Furthermore, fasting could be an opportunity for synodal engagement, exploring ancient practices in the Latin rite, such as Ember Days or Advent fasts, and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others,” Gudziak said. In addition to fasting, Gudziak suggested Catholics honour the Sabbath and turn to the sacrament of the Eucharist.
“In a world of constant work and stimulation, with ever-present photos, screens, and gadgets, in essence, our world does not rest and struggles with leisure. Perhaps, providentially, 2025 memorialises not only Laudato Si’ but also the jubilee, a special year rooted in Sabbath rest,” he said.
“Our hyperactive world yearns for the Sabbath, which is expressed in the Sunday Eucharist when the Lord makes all things new,” he continued. “On this theme, I would suggest efforts centred on contemplation of creation, leisure, and celebration. This could lead to a pilgrimage to a significant local shrine, basilica, or ecological site in your diocese or eparchy that evokes the marvel of God’s creation.”
He suggested bishops consider celebrating a special Mass for care for creation on the feast of St Francis or “preaching on the union of creation and the divine in the Eucharist.”
“To be truly restful, such an initiative should be oriented to the sacraments and overflow with celebration and joy,” he said.” The goal of this suggestion is not to do something but to experience something, the mystery of God’s presence in the sacraments and in creation.”
New archbishop appointed in La Plata, after predecessor’s surprising resignation
The 51-year-old Carrara, who hails from Buenos Aires, has been a priest since 1998. He was named auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 2017.
Carrara will now take leadership of one of the country’s most important archdioceses. La Plata is home to 77 parishes, and some 85% of the population is Catholic.
But the archdiocese is also considered to be a challenging one to govern, with a conservative profile and clergy who are widely accepted to have a pastoral and theological character different from that of Pope Francis.
Carrara’s appointment follows the surprise resignation of the previous archbishop, Gabriel Mestre, after just 10 months in office.
Mestre announced his resignation in May. The announcement was unexpected, as the archbishop was only 55 years old, had been popular with the clergy of his diocese, and enjoyed the apparent trust of Pope Francis.
However, in the letter announcing his resignation, Mestre said he was stepping down at the pope’s request.
He said the pope had summoned him to Rome to discuss his previous assignment in the Diocese of Mar del Plata, which he had led for 6 years, in what many considered to be a successful term.
But local sources say there was a complicated succession fight in the Diocese of Mar del Plata after Mestre left, which led to questions about the involvement of Mestre himself.
Following Mestre’s departure, the Diocese of Mar del Plata saw a series of failed bishop appointments.
Bishop José María Baliña, auxiliary of Buenos Aires, was chosen to lead the diocese in November 2023.
However he resigned less than a month later, before he could be installed as bishop, citing serious health problems, including vision complications that were likely to result in short-term blindness.
Claretian Bishop Gustavo Larrazábal, auxiliary of San Juan de Cuyo, was then announced to head the Diocese of Mar del Plata.
But he was quickly deterred by complaints of harassment and abuse of power between 2007 and 2013 in other dioceses, and he submitted his resignation a few weeks later.
Following these resignations, Auxiliary Bishop Ernesto Giobando, SJ of Buenos Aires, was named apostolic administrator of the Mar del Plata diocese. He promptly opened an investigation into the vicar general of the diocese, Fr. Luis Albóniga, over his short role as diocesan administrator in the period after Mestre left for La Plata.
Albóniga was a close collaborator of Mestre and, according to local media, his preferred candidate to succeed him.
According to local media reports, a group of influential people from the diocese, close to Archbishop Mestre, pushed to have Albóniga named as bishop after Baliña's resignation.
This group is alleged to have been behind the leak of the complaints against Larrazábal, meant to force his resignation and clear the way for Albóniga.
Sources told The Pillar that Pope Francis summoned Mestre to Rome to discuss the situation.
During that conversation, sources said, there was disagreement about Mestre's role in Larrazábal's resignation and the signs of support for Albóniga.
Ultimately, though, Francis asked Mestre to resign from his new position, despite holding it for only a few months.
Carrara will now be tasked with taking over the Archdiocese of La Plata, following the short tenures of both Mestre and the apostolic administrator who has governed the archdiocese since May.
In
a Nov. 21 statement, Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires
praised Carrara’s dedication and promised prayers for his new
assignment.
Report lays bare threats to France’s Catholic patrimony
A 19-page report published Nov. 18 by the French bishops’ conference said that 1,476 churches were also damaged and 396 desecrated in the same period.
The study — published weeks before the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris five years after a devastating fire — offered the most accurate picture yet of the state of France’s religious patrimony.
Concern that the country’s Catholic heritage is at risk has grown since the 2019 fire at Notre-Dame, as well as other high-profile incidents such as a 2020 fire at Nantes Cathedral.
In July, a blaze broke out at Rouen Cathedral and in September, fire devastated a historic church in Saint-Omer.
The new report did not focus on these widely reported events, but instead offered an overview of the condition of French churches.
It found that 411 churches and chapels have been deconsecrated in 87 dioceses between 1905 and 2023. A 2015 study had suggested that only 137 buildings were deconsecrated from 1905 to 2015 in 94 dioceses.
The report was written in response to a July 2022 request from French senators Pierre Ouzoulias and Anne Ventalon for an inventory of the nation’s church buildings. The Church launched a nationwide process known as the États généraux du patrimoine religieux (EGPR) in September 2023.
As part of the process, researchers sent France’s 94 dioceses a roughly 60-page document with 150 questions about their church buildings, the French Catholic daily La Croix reported. Eighty-seven dioceses responded, at least partially, to the questionnaire.
In a Nov. 18 address marking the end of the process, bishops’ conference president Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort noted that the country’s system for preserving religious buildings was shaped by the strict separation of Church and state in the wake of the French Revolution.
He said that a 1905 law offered a “clear framework for the allocation of property” when it decreed that the state owned the country’s cathedrals while local authorities owned churches.
“Places of worship are used exclusively and in their entirety for religious purposes, and access to them is free of charge,” Moulins-Beaufort said in his speech at the bishops’ conference headquarters in Paris.
The report said there are 149 cathedrals and 150 basilicas in France, as well as 40,068 churches and chapels owned by local authorities in 87 dioceses, and a further 2,145 church buildings owned by dioceses.
Between 1905 and 2023, 326 local authority-owned buildings fell into disuse — many more than the 2015 estimate of 140.
Almost 1,700 buildings in 69 dioceses are currently closed year-round for reasons such as depopulation or health and safety concerns. In the 69 dioceses, 149 Church buildings have been demolished since 2000.
At least 16 churches are currently under construction in France, the report said.
In his speech, Moulins-Beaufort addressed the debate surrounding French culture minister Rachida Dati’s proposal for a 5 euro entry fee at Notre-Dame de Paris after it reopens Dec. 7.
Dati has argued that the fee would raise 75 million euros (almost $80 million) a year that could be used to maintain churches across France.
But Moulins-Beaufort observed that France’s churches and cathedrals had always been open to all.
“Keeping them closed to prevent damage, restricting or complicating entry for security reasons, charging admission to maintain them, would all be ways of betraying their original vocation,” he said.
“In our societies, where everything is monitored and many things are accessible as long as you pay, the churches and cathedrals of France are a magnificent exception. They are places of free access, an interesting expression, where anyone can enter, where anyone can leave, where no one has a right acquired by payment to receive a particular service.”
The archbishop said he hoped France’s churches and cathedrals would be “preserved from the increasing commodification of cultural sites.”
Speaking after Moulins-Beaufort at the event at the bishops’ conference headquarters, Dati made a fresh appeal for an entry fee.
“I know that this proposal has been the subject of debate. But I find it coherent, and I would like us to study it seriously together,” she said.
Addressing Moulins-Beaufort directly, she added: “I didn’t have the impression that I was ‘commodifying’ religious heritage, Archbishop, far from it.”
Nicaraguan Church ‘Church of catacombs’ because of ongoing persecution
Approximately 10 priests from different dioceses have confirmed the situation in hospitals to Ms Molina, who nevertheless noted — in an interview with the Spanish edition of EWTN News — that a few other priests are allowed to enter hospitals, “but these are priests with some sort of ties to the dictatorship; they sometimes have the possibility of entering hospitals, but it’s not something widespread”, she explained.
The lawyer commented that before this year the Sandinista dictatorship allowed priests to enter health care facilities. Security measures have been tightened without any justification and the persecution becomes more severe when priests try to enter with clerical garb, which is why many choose to try entering wearing secular clothing.
Ms Molina said the problem is even more serious in the country’s interior, “where priests are more recognised because the towns are very small, so the authorities, the doctors who are in the hospitals or the people who are manning the gates at the hospital entrance, already know them and are quicker to bar them from entering”.
“In other places, for example in the capital, the people who are manning the entrances to the hospitals don’t recognise all the clergy of the Archdiocese of Managua, so they have a better chance of getting in, but not dressed as priests; instead they are going in as laymen to provide the anointing of the sick for people who are about to die,” she explained.
Meanwhile, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI, Bishop Carlos Herrera was exiled to Guatemala last week and is staying at a residence of the Order of Friars Minor to which he belongs for recently criticising a pro-Ortega mayor who interfered with a Mass by blasting loud music in front of the local cathedral.
The Latin American Bishops’ Council expressed its closeness following the expulsion of Bishop Herrera in a letter published on its website and addressed to Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua and vice president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference.
The Latin American bishops expressed their solidarity with Bishop Herrera and said they pray “that this situation will be resolved soon and that he can return to his homeland”.
Félix Maradiaga, former presidential candidate said the Church in Nicaragua is subjected to a persecution that has practically turned it into a “Church of catacombs”.
Book on holy Irish men and women seeks to ‘renew’ and ‘inspire’
Fr Hogan said that one of the motivations behind writing the book was Pope Benedict XVI’s call to Irish Catholics almost 15 years ago.
“We want to respond to Pope Benedict’s call to look at the great spiritual tradition that we have as Christians and Catholics in Ireland and to draw on that as we move towards renewal after the scandals,” he said.
“But as Pope Benedict said in his letter to the Irish, the Church in Ireland needs to reform but that reform needs to take place drawing upon the great traditions that we have and particularly the legacy of holiness that the people who have gone before us have shown.”
Rather than attempt to excavate a more antiquated time in Irish Catholicism, Fr Hogan decided to go for a more contemporary study of the faith on the island and this means that anyone reading can find a person whose life and circumstances mirror their own.
“Instead of going back into the dim and distant past, we’ve looked at more contemporary models of holiness that have emerged – particularly in the last 200 years. It looks at the Good News and the positive dimension of the Church and Christianity in Ireland which we need to look at if we’re going to go forward and address problems in the past but also flourish in the future.
“The idea behind it is that people will be inspired. We have people from every walk of life in there. Everyone who reads this book will find someone whose life mirrors theirs in some way and can encourage them to live the Christian life.”
Film about nuns in Ireland wins documentary award
In this film directed by Judy Kelly, writer and broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald explores the role of religious sisters in Ireland as the average age of nuns is over 80.
The film is the second of two films about the Catholic clergy in Ireland.
It was broadcast on RTÉ One on January 16, with its first part broadcast on January 15, focusing on the priests in Ireland.
The film explores the question ‘what if these are the last nuns in Ireland and will we miss them?’
The 50-minutes long film examines the role of nuns and how they shaped Irish lives, including their own “for better or for worse”.
It is believed that the film production company is currently working on a ‘Last Missionaries’ film.
Vocations Monstrance makes its way through Ireland
‘The Vocations Monstrance’ will visit twelve dioceses over a two-weeks period, from November 18 to 29.
St Pope John Paul blessed in total six monstrances for vocations prayer in 2004, one for each continent.
The monstrance visiting Ireland is the North America one, explained Deacon Eric Cooney, who works for the National Vocations Office and is deacon at Monkstown Parish, the first stop of the monstrance.
Deacon Cooney explained the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops contacted the Irish office “to see would we like the monstrance to come to Ireland.”
“The experience of the American bishops,” the deacon said, was that “whenever people pray for vocations, there is a growth and increasing in vocations…They did a survey about twelve years ago, and the survey was of seminarians who had entered the seminary. They discovered that out of the 20% of parishes that prayed for vocations, 80% of the seminarians came from that 20% of parishes.”
“It’s very clear that whenever vocations are actively prayed for, there is a growth in vocations. Whether with the monstrance or not,” Deacon Cooney said.
Due to allegations of abuse: Belgian abbey temporarily dissolved
This was reported by the Flemish broadcaster VRT on Wednesday.
According to the report, the four Benedictines currently living in the abbey will have to move to other abbeys.
The reason for the dissolution is said to be reports of transgressive behaviour by some of the monks.
According to the media report, the responsible archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels also confirmed that the religious community on the Keizersberg has been temporarily dissolved.
This step was the result of an "investigation carried out by the highest level of the Benedictine community ".
The Benedictine abbey was established in the 19th century.
Following the resignation of the last abbot in 2017, it was no longer possible to elect a new abbot due to the small number of monks.
Four monks currently live in a separate wing of Keizersberg Abbey.
The rest of the building is used by companies, self-employed people and artists.
There are also rooms for students at the University of Leuven.
Abuse proceedings against pastors of the schismatic Carmelite nuns
The Diocese of Scranton announced on Tuesdaythat a preliminary canonical investigation into allegations of abuse against the priest Christopher C. was opened in July.
According to the diocese, the case involves a credible allegation of sexualised violence against a minor.
"Father C. was and is on the public list of priests of the Diocese of Scranton who are credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors," emphasised the diocese. At the same time, existing sanctions against the priest since 2004 have been tightened.
The results of the preliminary investigation had already been communicated to the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the competent ecclesiastical judicial authority in cases of abuse involving minors. competent ecclesiastical judicial authority in cases involving minors.
The diocese had only learnt of C.'s whereabouts through the events at the Arlington monastery: "Up to this point, the Diocese of Scranton had not been able to locate Father C., who had been unlawfully absent from this diocese since June 2004."
Since 2004, C. has not been allowed to exercise priestly ministries or act as a priest. With the opening of the new preliminary investigation, a ban on residence in the territory of the Fort Worth diocese was added to the sanctions. The ban on residence is a purely ecclesiastical measure and has no effect in the area of state law; in particular, it cannot be enforced by state authorities.
Allegations of abuse against members of a traditionalist community
In July, it became known that in the convent of the Carmelite nuns of Arlington, who have since been expelled from their order two suspended priests are working there.
According to the Diocese of Fort Worth, in which the convent is located, the two priests who administer the sacraments in the convent are Christopher C. and Marshall R., who are both currently not allowed to exercise their priestly ministry and belonged to the "Society of St John" community, a traditionalist religious institute under diocesan law in the Diocese of Scranton (Pennsylvania), which has since been dissolved due to allegations of abuse.
The dispute surrounding the convent and its former superior Mother Teresa Agnes has been smouldering for over a year. Mother Teresa Agnes is said to have admitted a breach of her vow of chastity.
As a result, the local diocesan bishop of Fort Worth investigated the matter and had the Carmel searched. The dispute came to light in May last year after the sisters went public to protest against the bishop's actions.
The Vatican largely rejected the sisters' complaints, but placed the convent under the authority of Sister Marie of the Incarnation instead of Bishop Michael Olson, the president of the relevant Carmelite religious order.
The sisters accept neither the authority of the Vatican nor the authorities assigned by Rome.
In September it became known that they had joined the the Society of St Pius X a traditionalist community without canonical status that is not in full communion with the Church. This break with the communion of the Church led to the exclusion of the sisters from the order.
As a result, they are no longer considered religious under canon law and have no claim to the convent they still inhabit.
Book author: Nazi opponent Bishop Sproll failed in cases of abuse
"Bishop Sproll failed in dealing with sexual abuse! He enabled further abuse through his behaviour," writes Heiss in his recently published book "Missbrauch ... and what was it like with Sproll?".
Sproll was bishop of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese from 1927 to 1949. He is considered the most outspoken opponent of the Nazis among the German bishops of the Nazi era. A beatification process has been underway for Sproll since 2011.
Heiss, a member of the Gesellschaft Katholischer Publizistinnen und Publizisten (GKP), emphasised with regard to his book presentation this Wednesday evening in Rottenburg that his conclusion was devastating: Sproll had shown no empathy for those affected by abuse.
Abusive priests had been transferred, "offered to other dioceses" or "shipped abroad" - and had then committed further acts of abuse.
Sources in the archive
Commenting on his sources, Heiss, who, according to his own statements, researched the personal files of priests in particular, writes: "As the priests in question have usually been dead for more than 30 years, a visit to the diocesan archives is enough to get a picture for yourself."
For example, an "Instruction on the procedure for abuse by priests" authorised by Bishop Sproll in May 1942 is revealing.
According to Heiss, the guidelines consisted of the following: if an accusation was confirmed, the perpetrator had to take a break for a spiritual retreat and could then return to the parish or be transferred to another one.
"Sproll failed in his dealings with priests who were offenders," says the book, in which Heiss describes several cases. It is urgently necessary to see Sproll not only in the light of what he did well.
According to Heiss' assessment, Sproll failed in dealing with sexual abuse. "And not by mistake, but with full knowledge and in consultation with the entire cathedral chapter," the book states.
On the question of whether Sproll should be beatified, Heiss writes that the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart can rightly be "proud of the confessor Sproll". For Sproll's consistency in his behaviour towards the National Socialists should be "held up as an example to all generations".
In the same breath, however, the diocese must "apologise in the name of the confessor bishop to those affected who were exposed to renewed abuse or at least endangered by Sproll's dealings with perpetrators".
Early Christian basilica discovered in Aquileia in northern Italy
The monumental building was probably constructed under Emperor Justinian I in the first half of the 6th century.
The floor plan and recognisable architecture of the basilica show striking parallels to the Eastern Roman Empire - which makes the discovery particularly exciting, ÖAW archaeologist Stefan Groh told the Viennese news agency Kathpress on Wednesday.
According to archaeologists, this is the first newly discovered large building in decades in the already intensively researched city. Aquileia was once a metropolis of the Roman Empire and an ecclesiastical centre with a patriarch until the Middle Ages.
Located around ten kilometres from the Grado lagoon, the city is known for its cathedral with the largest preserved early Christian mosaics in the western world. In 1998, Aquileia was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
The site where the researchers made the ancient discovery lies to the west of modern-day Aquileia on the Via Annia, the trade route to Rome at the time.
Expansion into a basilica probably under Emperor Justinian
Geophysical measurements and boreholes have so far made it possible to identify the basilica without excavations.
Originally built in the 4th century as a simple church building, it was probably expanded into a three-nave transept basilica with three apses in the first half of the 6th century under Emperor Justinian, according to the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
This was a completely unique type of building that only existed in the eastern Mediterranean region at that time, i.e. in the Byzantine Empire, it said. The design is reminiscent of Byzantine domed architecture, such as that of the Hagia Sophia.
The architectural orientation towards the south-east in the direction of Constantinople and Jerusalem points to the reconquest of Upper Italy by Justinian.
"This building is not just a religious monument, but a sign of power and cultural integration in the region," said Groh. The find points to a larger Byzantine building programme.
The data collected on the discovery of the new basilica in Aquileia is to be published in specialist journals together with considerations on the chronology and genesis of the building.
In addition to authorisation from the authorities in Italy, funding would also be required for excavations as a further step, said Groh.
"Of course, we would have to excavate a small area to verify this and, above all, to reconstruct the chronological development of this huge, large church building."
Survivors and safeguarding experts call on Vatican to remove all abusers
The World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse was observed on Nov. 19, and members of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) and the Institute of Anthropology’s Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care (IADC) met in Rome to discuss the issue.
After the clerical abuse crisis exploded in the United States following reports in The Boston Globe, the U.S. bishops implemented a policy where priests found guilty of the sexual abuse of minors would be removed from ministry.
However, this policy wasn’t instituted by the Vatican, and priests found to have abused minors in other areas are often just given limited ministry duties, or not allowed to present themselves as clergy, without being formally laicized.
The proposal to expand the policy originated in Rome in June during a meeting between abuse victims and leading Catholic officials, including Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a longtime Vatican safeguarding expert, and Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, the deputy head of the Vatican’s child protection advisory board.
“Safeguarding is not just a legal or organizational matter—it is a moral and spiritual imperative,” Zollner said. “Only by confronting the past openly and taking decisive action can we begin to rebuild the trust that has been so severely broken.”
At the meeting on Monday, the officials pointed out the changes they proposed in June.
This included calling for the permanent removal of clerical abusers and the establishment of an official agency to investigate the handling of abuse cases by church superiors and that would issue public reports and recommendations.
They also called for full transparency throughout the investigation process, with survivors and the public being informed at every stage as well as calling for severe penalties being imposed on bishops and Church officials who fail to implement safeguarding protocols or who protect abusers.
They also called for a clear definition of rights for survivors and all parties involved in an ecclesiastical trial on abuse.
Abuse survivors and officials also demanded a clarification on the application and applicability of Vos Estis Lux Mundi, the Vatican document issued in 2019 to cover abuse.
Anne Barrett Doyle, who has tracked clergy abuse over decades as a co-director of the BishopAccountability.org website, told National Catholic Reporter earlier this year the impact of the law has been “insignificant.”
“We have no idea how many bishops have been investigated under Vos Estis. BishopAccountability tries to count them, but the information is so vague,” she said.
The meeting in Rome on Monday also called for the publication of jurisprudence and case law by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
“The recent report from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors seems to suggest that progress within Holy See offices has been insufficient in implementing effective measures to prevent sexual abuse within the Church. It highlights a lack of accountability, transparency, and adequate support systems for survivors, calling for more concrete measures to ensure the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults,” a statement said after the event.
Barrett Doyle said the “devastating reality” is that in every country outside the U.S.,” Church law still permits known and even convicted abusers to remain in active ministry under certain conditions.”
“Universalizing the U.S. norm would be a small step forward,” she said.
Nicholas Cafardi, a canon lawyer from the United States, said he believe globalizing the U.S. police of “one strike, you’re out” policy is the next step in combating abuse.
“It seems to me that a good protection would be: ‘Let’s just make it a universal law,’ … Once you have that law, you don’t have to rely on bishops requesting it in every country — it simply becomes the rule,” he said.
Benedictine nuns from US complete move and purchase of historic English abbey – now hoping to pay off debt
The news comes following the story which broke earlier this year, revealing that the Sisters were looking to acquire a monastery in Europe after experiencing difficulties attaining a visa for a Dutch postulant.
After having set up temporary residence for some of their European Sisters in a makeshift religious house in the family home of a Sister who hailed from England, it was discovered that the historic St Mary’s Abbey nearby at Colwich – which has noted connexions to St Thomas More – was for sale.
In the subsequent months, the Sisters made a spiritual and financial appeal to supporters, as well as seeking the intercession of St Thomas More as a patron, for help in acquiring it.
The Catholic Herald can now confirm that with the help of the religious Sisters at Stanbrook Abbey, which was itself founded by Helen More OSB, a relative of St Thomas, the Benedictines of Mary have now completed the move and legal purchase – though the financial hurdle involved is not entirely overcome.
“We are counting on your help to pay the money that is due for St Anne’s monastery, the final $3.5 million to pay for Saint Joseph’s Priory in Ava, and now Colwich as well,” announced Mother Cecilia Snell OSB.
“We now also owe £2.5 million to Stanbrook Abbey for the purchase, to be paid over two years…
“I dream of the day when I do not have to ask for financial support, but this is perhaps the humiliation the Lord has tied to the tremendously good news of expansion and rapid growth of the community. There are no less than 15 new members arriving to our three American houses in the coming months, and quite a few discerning in England.”
The Benedictines of Mary are a traditionalist women’s religious order who were founded by the late Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster OSB – who received international media attention in 2023 after her corpse was exhumed and found to be miraculously incorrupt.
The Sisters wear a traditional habit and follow the liturgy of the hours in Latin, according to the 1962 rubrics. They also attend the Tridentine (Latin) Mass.
The order has rapidly enlarged and acquired popularity since its foundation. Having outgrown their mother monastery in Gower, Missouri, they expanded to another, at Ava, in the same state.
Now, the order is completing moves into two further religious houses: one, which will be named after St Anne, at Evansville in Indiana; the other is Colwich Abbey, in the West Midlands of England.
Amid declining vocations across the Church, particularly with regards to religious life, the Benedictines of Mary have been noted for their unusual popularity and success. Mother Cecilia has reminded supporters that both spiritual and financial aid helps maintain their rapid and optimal rate of growth and flourishing.
“As God sends the vocations, we believe He will take care of us, as He always has!,” Mother Cecilia says, while noting: “Mother Angelica once said, trust is ‘one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach’.”
Church beatifies German priest who was executed by Nazis in 1944
Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the beatification Mass at Freiburg Cathedral as the representative of Pope Francis, the diocese reported.
“His death is an eloquent testimony to what constitutes a martyr in the Christian understanding of faith,” he said, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
Metzger, who served as a military chaplain during World War I, became a passionate advocate for peace and reconciliation between nations after witnessing the horrors of war. In 1917, he developed an “international religious peace program” that he submitted to Pope Benedict XV.
“Peace between peoples and nations became his great passion,” Koch said in his homily, noting that this led Metzger to found both the World Peace League of the White Cross and the Peace League of German Catholics in 1919.
The cardinal emphasized that Metzger’s twin commitments to peace and Christian unity were inseparable. As the Nazi regime gained power, Metzger became increasingly involved in ecumenical work, becoming a promoter of the Una Sancta movement for Christian unity in 1938.
“Metzger was convinced that the Church can only credibly advocate for peace in the world when Christians and Christian churches reconcile with each other,” Koch said.
Nazi persecution
The Nazi authorities viewed Metzger’s peace work and public criticism of the war as treason against their ideology. He was arrested multiple times. On Oct. 14, 1943, he was sentenced to death by the People’s Court and executed by guillotine on April 17, 1944, at Brandenburg-Görden Prison.
According to prison chaplain Peter Buchholz’s account, the executioner remarked that he had “never seen a person go to their death with such radiant eyes as this Catholic priest.”
Koch connected Metzger’s martyrdom to today’s global challenges, noting that “when we look into today’s world with the terrible wars in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and in many other places, such dark prospects should no longer appear otherworldly to us but rather very realistic and current.”
Legacy of peace
The beatification of Metzger was approved by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in March, recognizing his unwavering commitment to peace and Christian charity.
Born in Schopfheim in Germany’s Black Forest region in 1887, Metzger served as a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. His last resting place is in Meitingen near Augsburg, Bavaria, where he had established the headquarters of the Christ the King Society in 1928.
The “beatification is a great honor for the Archdiocese of Freiburg,” Koch said. “At the same time, it comes with the demand that we are called to witness to peace and unity in today’s world in following Jesus Christ.”
Statement on the General Election 2024 – Archbishop Dermot Farrell
First of all, voting does make a difference. Every vote counts. Your vote counts. Imagine living in a society with no elections, no democratic accountability, no contest of ideas, programmes, or vision. History shows that such societies are run by the powerful for their own benefit, while freedom of belief and expression are restricted, or even suppressed. Voting matters because it is how we hold our leaders to account and mandate what we believe to be important.
Voting also matters because all politicians are not the same: individual politicians, and political parties, differ in their values and beliefs, their ideas and priorities, their capabilities and judgement. It is true that powerful forces may constrain some policy choices. But governments exercise influence and control over vast areas of community life, and of the land we share. Their judgements and priorities do make a difference, through the legislation and policies they choose to pursue. They are those on whom we rely, not only to act wisely when crises occur and the unexpected happens—as it always does, but to plan prudently and with vision for a shared future in our common home.
The democratic system aligns with the Christian vision of the dignity of each person and our duty to serve the common good. To be effective, democracy needs people who are willing to put themselves forward, outline their policies, and accept the judgement of the people in the ballot box. Recent months have seen efforts to intimidate and threaten public representatives. We have seen many politicians choose to step back from politics as a result. We should be grateful that there are many women and men who, despite this frightening and dangerous turn in public life, are willing to offer themselves in public service at these elections.
Christians legitimately differ in their political views: there is no Christian party that can lay claim to the Christian community as a bloc. There is no obligation on Christians to support any particular party. But there is a duty on every Christian to support the common good to the best of our ability. Voting in the General Election on November 29th is a feasible and responsible act of citizenship to support the common good. Taking the trouble to consider who offers the best prospect of advancing the common good rather than personal interest or advantage is an important exercise in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are most affected by public policies. Identifying candidates who have the personal qualities and experience to be effective public representatives is an important judgement. The Irish electoral system ensures that personal qualities and characteristics do matter, since multi-seat constituencies and the PR system mean we can judge personal qualities, as well as party policies.
Like every aspect of life, voting is open to the work of the Holy Spirit to guide our judgement. To vote is an exercise in hope, and hope is a mark of authentic Christian faith—the great gift of the Holy Spirit. To express our hope by voting is to overcome the negativity and cynicism that result in political propaganda, and the devaluing of those who are different. It is to take a stance against the fear and lack of courage which generate resentment, hatred, anger, even violence.
Let us pray for all those who have offered themselves for election, that they will engage with the public and with each other with respect, and will in turn receive the respect of those they canvas. Let us pray too that our society will vote into office leaders who will govern the people with integrity and wisdom and serve the common good with dedication and commitment.
+Dermot Farrell
Archbishop of Dublin
US diocese establishes Order of Widows, an early Church practice
On October 16, Bishop Earl Fernandes issued a decree to establish the Ordo Viduarum, or the Order of Widows, as a community of diocesan right. It is open to widows over 60 who have been sacramentally married.
Dominican Fr. Paul Keller, who is in charge of formation for the nascent group, said that although the desire of Catholic widows to offer themselves to the Church and to God is not peculiar to the Diocese of Columbus, he is unaware of an Order of Widows having been decreed by a bishop in any other U.S. diocese.
There were Orders of Widows in the early Church, up until the Middle Ages.
In a 2006 article, M. Cathleen Kaveny, then Professor of Law and Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, noted that through an Order of Widows, the early Church “recognized the contribution that the widows could make to the well-being and spiritual growth of their fellow believers.”
“The Order of Widows can trace its biblical roots to 1 Timothy, where its qualifications for membership are listed alongside the qualifications for the ecclesiastical offices of bishop, deacon, and elder,” Kaveny wrote. “These qualifications include age (a widow must be 60 years old), only one marriage (widows must remain continent after their husbands die), and a history of good deeds.”
Kaveny said that the primary duty of the Order of Widows was to pray ceaselessly on behalf of the community.
“Their pleas are powerful because God hears the cries of the oppressed,” she wrote. “Although theirs was not a ministry of the altar, they exercised spiritual authority and influence in their ministry to the community. Widows made house visitations, where they comforted, fasted, and prayed with the sick and gave practical instruction to younger women. They prophesied. Enrolled widows also assumed a place of honor in the liturgy, sitting in the front of the assembly along with the bishops, priests, and deacons.”
Fr. Keller is aware of such orders in Italy today, but not in the US. When the Columbus diocese submitted to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops a translation of the consecration rite used in Italy, no one at the USCCB mentioned that there is anything like this in the US today.
Blessing of the wedding ring
Fr. Keller, who serves as director of the diocesan Office of Divine Worship, likens the rite of consecration to that of consecrated virgins, and said one aspect of it is the blessing of the wedding ring that the widow used in her marriage “as a reminder now of her consecrated widowhood.”
“One of the beautiful things about it is that it's a witness to the whole diocese, and especially to widows in the diocese, of their value and their importance,” Fr. Keller told Aleteia. “I think they're very underappreciated. These women are great servants, have been great servants in their families and to the Church. And here they are, so desirous to continue to make something of their lives in the midst of the loss that they've experienced with their husbands dying.
"So the consecration is very beautiful in that sense, in that it gives a public witness to this work in the Church, and I think it's encouraging for all women, but especially other widows.”
The diocese has been considering the move for some time. In December 2023, The Catholic Times, the diocesan newspaper, said that Bishop Fernandes was “looking into the possibilities.”
“While there is no sacrament for widows, Pope St. John Paul II wrote this in Vita Consecrata: ‘Through the vow of perpetual chastity as a sign of the Kingdom of God, (widows) consecrate their state of life to dedicate themselves to prayer and to the service of the Church,’” Fr. Keller wrote in response to a reader’s inquiry.
“You are not the first to inquire about a special role for widows in the Church here in the United States,” Fr. Keller said.
The Catholic Times explained that consecrated widows “declare freely a proposal to remain permanently in their widowed state of life.”
“Through a vow of perpetual chastity, they dedicate themselves to prayer and the service of the Church,” The Catholic Times said. “By a liturgical rite of blessing, they are consecrated to a form of life in which they live more deeply their baptismal consecration and confirmation, just as they lived their marriage.”
"God is turning my sorrow into joy"
The newspaper article announcing the move focused on Cecilia Cortes-Peck, one of six widows who desire to be consecrated to the order and will begin formation. Ultimately, they will live a religious life in their own homes.
“God is turning my sorrows into joy,” said Cortes-Peck, a Philippines native whose husband died in 2011 and whose only son was killed tragically six years later, leaving her alone. “We just have to be patient. His plan is perfect.”
In 2022, after contemplating religious life for several years, Cortes-Peck wrote to Bishop Fernandes regarding an order for widows. A year later, she met with him. “At that time, there were still no guidelines for such an order,” The Times said.
Now, the six widows are set to begin meeting monthly for formation, which will last at least two years and will be overseen by Fr. Keller. He and other priests and religious will give them talks about various aspects that pertain to widowhood and the order of widows, about spiritual direction, aspects of the catechism that pertain to widows, and a scriptural study of widowhood in the Bible and the history of widowhood.
“Once consecrated in the order, widows unite themselves in a renewed marriage bond with the Lord,” the Times said.
Their life will be marked mainly by prayer and service. They will receive the sacraments of the Eucharist and penance regularly and be guided by a spiritual director.
“The women are asked to have a very vibrant spiritual life,” Fr. Keller told Aleteia. “And to my knowledge, having interviewed all of them, they all do. And so between their life of prayer, praying for the diocese in particular, for the bishop in the diocese, they also will be able to offer their services in terms of corporal works of mercy. It could be that the bishop will need something for them to do based on their talents and so forth.”
He said that although the minimum age is 60, a number of the women are “still very vibrantly active in their parishes and in various aspects of outreach in the diocese.”
Said Cortes-Peck, “It is high on the list to help us remain rooted, grounded and disposed to the graces that God bestows on those He called to perpetuate His work of salvation.”
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