Back in 2013, she spoke openly about her time in the Catholic Church's Magdalene Laundries.
The last home of this sort shut in 1996.
Sinéad O'Connor's 2013 interview was published just 24 hours after
the release of a damning report on the Catholic Churches' "Magdelene
Laundries", which highlighted state collusion with the nuns who ran
them.
O’Connor described how she was just 14 years old when she was sent to
the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity laundry, in Dublin, after she was
labeled a "problem child."
She said “We were girls in there, not women, just children really. And the girls in there cried every day.
“It was a prison. We didn’t see our families, we were locked in, cut off from life, deprived of a normal childhood.
“We were told we were there because we were bad people. Some of the girls had been raped at home and not believed.
“One girl was in because she had a bad hip and her family didn’t know what to do with her. It was a great grief to us.”
The rock star explained how her 18 months in High Park in the
Drumcondra suburb of Dublin left her so angry at the injustice that it
was part of the reason she caused worldwide controversy by tearing up a
picture of the Pope on live television.
She added: “It wasn’t the only reason, but it was one of them.”
Lashing out at the Church’s "flaccid" apology back in 2013, O’Connor said she was "disgusted" by it.
The mother-of-four said: “They said something like, ‘We’re sorry for the hurt.’
“The word hurt doesn’t cover it. I am disgusted that the State won’t
apologize. I’m disgusted at the tone of the Church’s flaccid apology.
The Church is getting away with it again.”
Sinéad, who
claimed she suffered abuse as a child, was sent to the Sisters of Our
Lady of Charity Institute after she began stealing as a teenager.
She said: “My worried Dad thought he was doing the right thing by
sending me to be rehabilitated. He told me he even paid for the
privilege of doing so.
“He thought he was doing the right thing. He was convinced into it.
He paid them to take me. I never told him the truth of how bad it was.
“There was no rehabilitation there and no therapy. Nothing but people
telling us we were terrible people. I stopped the stealing all right. I
didn’t want to be sent back there. But at what cost?
“I wouldn’t class myself as being abused while I was there. I came in at the tail end of it.
“But certainly some of the punishments were a little f***ing odd.
“As a punishment, I would be sent up to bed early to go to sleep with
the dying old Magdalene ladies. There would be about six of them in the
room and me and I was terrified. These women were old and dying and I
was scared up there.
“The laundries were gone then, but I did see them in a big room,
about 200 square feet full of laundries. And I saw the older women,
shuffling along. We were not allowed to talk to them.”
O'Connor was outspoken about the Catholic Church during much of her professional career. In 1992 while appearing on "Saturday Night Live", she famously ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II saying "We have confidence in good over evil. Fight the real enemy!"
* Originally published in 2013, updated in October 2024.
A former church member is suing a
religious institution in The Pas, claiming it failed to protect them
from being preyed on and sexually assaulted by a religious brother in
the 1960s.
The statement of claim, filed in Winnipeg's
Court of King's Bench last week, alleges the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le
Pas was negligent and failed to "employ reasonable safeguards to ensure
the plaintiff was safe" at the premises of Our Lady of The Sacred Heart
Cathedral in The Pas, allowing the alleged sex assaults to occur for
years.
The plaintiff met the alleged perpetrator, a
man referred to in the lawsuit only as Brother Nadeau, more than five
decades ago, while he was involved with the church, the lawsuit says. At
the time the plaintiff was a young child "vulnerable and in need of
guidance," the court filing says.
The lawsuit claims
Nadeau used a "position of power" granted by the archdiocese to prey on
and sexually assault the plaintiff on repeated occasions that increased
in "frequency, nature and intensity" between 1965 and 1968.
Nadeau
also used his position of authority to "ensure that the plaintiff did
not tell anyone about his wrongdoing," facilitating the abuse and making
the plaintiff feel "unsafe" to report it, the suit says.
"The
perpetrator [Nadeau] willfully and/or negligently inflicted pain and
suffering … humiliation and degradation upon the plaintiff," the suit
says, interfering with the plaintiff's "normal childhood and future
relationships, solely for the purpose of his own gratification."
None
of the allegations on the statement of claim have been tested in court,
and it isn't clear from the lawsuit whether criminal charges were laid
in connection with the assaults.
Archdiocese created sexual-assault risk: lawsuit
The court filing alleges the archdiocese:
Was negligent and failed in its duty by not employing reasonable safeguards to ensure the plaintiff was safe at the church.
Created
the risk of sexual assault by failing to investigate Nadeau's
background, character and psychological state thoroughly before hiring
him, and then failed to "properly supervise" him while on the post.
Granted Nadeau the means to encounter the plaintiff and foster a "trusting relationship."
At
the time, the archdiocese's rules and policies created an opportunity
for Nadeau to "exert power" and, as a result of his position, "take
advantage of the plaintiff under the guise of conducting the activities
of a religious Brother."
"The defendant oversaw the
activities at the church, therefore had the power to inspect … and the
duty to oversee all activities in a way that could have prevented the
sexual assault from happening," the lawsuit said.
In response to a query from CBC News, the The Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas responded with this statement:
"We
just became aware of this filing through you. We are committed to full
participation in any investigation of misconduct. We continue to work
with people to support healing and reconciliation. We hope to help with
emotional and spiritual healing for all victims of abuse."
No statement of defence has been filed in response to the suit.
The
court filing says the archdiocese denied or was "willfully blind" to
the existence of Nadeau's "wrongful behaviour," failing also to
document, discipline or terminate him for his shortcomings, and warn
others who might have come in contact with him at the time.
Abuse continues to inflict pain: suit
The
archdiocese "implemented and maintained a system which was designed to
cover up the existence of such behaviour, if such behaviours were ever
reported," and even when it became aware of Nadeau's "shortcomings," it
failed to "adequately counsel and assist the plaintiff," the lawsuit
said.
The plaintiff claims the sexual abuse has caused
and continues to inflict pain, including loss of physical health, mental
anguish and shortened work life.
The plaintiff has
undergone medical treatment and psychological and spiritual counselling
since, incurring the loss of expenses. The plaintiff is seeking general
and special damages from the archdiocese through the lawsuit, including
health-care costs.
"The conduct of the defendant
described herein was harsh, high-handed and malicious," the suit says.
"As such, should be punished with aggravated, exemplary and/or punitive
damages."
The Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese continues to be in the grip of
controversies and problems.
Even as the issue of the Unified Holy Mass
stands partially solved, another problem has been raked up by some of
the laity forums.
These forums have taken to social media
platforms and resorted to staging agitations before the Archdiocesan
Curia over the alleged collusion between bishops, priests and those
opposing the Synodal Mass to ordain priests by overlooking the directive
as per which only those deacons who give a declaration that they would
celebrate Unified Holy Mass can be ordained.
The situation is such
that the Archdiocesan Curia’s work has been severely affected with the
members fleeing fearing the agitators.
The Apostolic Administrator
of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese in a missive said, “Our Archdiocese
headquarters is the ecclesiastical administrative centre that
coordinates parishes, institutions and monastic communities of
Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese and fulfils the pastoral needs according
to law. In the wake of the recent crises, the service of the
Archdiocesan Curia may not be able to continue.”
“With the talks
deadlocked, the Advisory Committee meeting held on September 26 took a
detailed look at how to address the challenges facing the Archdiocese.
Members of the Advisory Committee and I spoke over the phone with Major
Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil who is on a pastoral visit to the Diocese
of Great Britain. The Major Archbishop told us that he would be going
to Rome to attend the Global Synod and once there, he would inform the
church leaders of the current situation in the Archdiocese,” said Mar
Puthur.
According to the Apostolic administrator, the priests
serving in the Curia informed him and the Advisory Committee that if the
current crisis is not resolved, it will be practically impossible to
continue to carry on with their responsibilities due to the
out-of-control protests.
He said, “We should not find solutions to
the crises in the church through unrelenting agitations. Efforts to
solve problems, obedience to authority, and prayer for the special
intervention of the Holy Spirit are required on the part of all of us.”
But, in an order this week,
U.S. bankruptcy judge G. Michael Halfenger concluded the AG’s office
hadn’t given a sufficient legal reason to reopen the case under
bankruptcy law.
Milwaukee’s archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, before reaching
a $21 million settlement deal with hundreds of sexual abuse survivors.
Survivors filed about 580 proofs of claim, detailing sexual abuse as
part of the bankruptcy case, and more than 550 of those claims were
submitted confidentially with the understanding that they would be
shielded from public view, according to Halfenger’s order. To proceed
with Kaul’s request, the court would have needed to notify hundreds of
survivors for the “furtherance of what appears to be a massive fishing
expedition,” Halfenger wrote.
“It essentially asks the court to devote substantial time and other
resources to facilitating an unbounded and roving investigation (or
order the reorganized debtor to do that), for no particular reason that
the court can discern,” the judge wrote.
Archdiocese had cited confidentiality concerns
In its legal filings, the AG’s office did not seek to unseal the
records, which would have made them available to view on a public-facing
court docket. Instead, state investigators were hoping to be added to
the limited number of parties who have access to the claims. Kaul and other DOJ officials have promised that any identifying details about survivors would not have been publicized without survivors’ consent.
Nonetheless, the archdiocese argued that Kaul’s request could harm
survivors who filed their claims with the understanding they would be
kept private.
If the motion was granted, “potentially dozens of people would have
access to their information,” the archdiocese said in a news release on
Thursday.
“We are thankful for Judge Halfenger’s ruling because a breach of
confidentiality like that would have been devastating to abuse survivors
who see this case as closed, and want their claim kept under seal by
the court,” Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the archdiocese said in a
statement.
Survivors group hopes for appeal
But Sarah Pearson said those stated concerns about privacy are disingenuous. Pearson is the deputy director of Nate’s Mission, a Wisconsin-based organization that advocates for victims of clergy abuse.
“It’s just a slap in the face to survivors to use them as the reason
why they can’t release these files, or why they’re unwilling to do so,
because that just directly contradicts everything that the victims have
been saying over the years,” she said.
Former priest Kevin Wester echoed that characterization.
“It’s like, no, victims want transparency,” he said. “That’s going to help us in our healing process.”
Wester was a part of the settlement after being abused by a Milwaukee
priest as a child. He also helped oversee the bankruptcy deal as a
creditors’ committee member.
Pearson called the recent ruling a setback, but said “we fully expect
that the Attorney General will appeal this decision, and use the full
extent of their authority to do the right thing for all of the
survivors.”
The AG’s office is reviewing its legal options, a Department of Justice spokesperson said Thursday.
“This ruling underscores the importance of reports to the Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative,”
Kaul said in a statement. “The Wisconsin Department of Justice
continues to encourage anyone with information about clergy and faith
leader abuse to make a report.”
AG’s office plans to release report on clergy abuse
In its news release, the archdiocese said the judge’s ruling refutes
the argument that the AG needs access to the sealed records to protect
public safety.
“The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has consistently communicated with the
attorney general its on-going and long-standing commitment to working
with his office or any local district attorney on any investigation
related to potential criminal conduct involving sexual abuse of a minor
related to any living archdiocesan priest,” the news release said. “The
archdiocese has consistently cooperated with such investigations and
will continue to do so.”
But, in legal documents, the AG’s office argued that the sealed
records could shed light on cases beyond those limited to priests who
are still alive. That includes cases involving laypeople who worked for
the Church.
Additionally, Kaul has acknowledged that many of the documents may
relate to claims where criminal prosecution is impossible because a
perpetrator is dead or the statute of limitations has lapsed. But he’s
contended that information in the documents could further a broader push
for accountability. He says his office plans to publish a final report
once its investigation into abuse by faith leaders is complete.
As part of its settlement, the archdiocese agreed to publish a list of priests who are restricted from
their duties after being accused of sexually abusing minors. Access to
those sealed documents would have allowed the AG’s office to better
assess whether the archdiocese is fully complying by maintaining a
complete list, Kaul’s office argued.
“I think that’s one of the primary reasons why Catholic dioceses file
for bankruptcy, is to hide information and to make sure that the public
and their parishioners never know the full extent of how many people
were abused,” she said.
Milwaukee’s archdiocese spans 10 counties in southeastern Wisconsin.
The Archdiocese of New York has filed a lawsuit against Chubb Ltd, accusing the insurer of violating New York’s general business law by denying coverage for sexual abuse claims.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York,
addressed the issue in a letter to parishioners, stating that despite
the archdiocese having paid over $2 billion in premiums to Chubb over
the years, the insurer is attempting to evade its legal and contractual
obligations.
“It has always been our wish to expeditiously settle all meritorious claims,” the cardinal said, according to a report from AM Best.
In 2019, the archdiocese initiated legal action against 30 insurance
companies, including Chubb, seeking coverage for settlements related to
sexual abuse claims. Chubb responded with a countersuit, aiming to avoid
indemnifying or defending the archdiocese, but a New York judge
dismissed the case in December 2023.
Dolan noted that while the archdiocese has settled more than 520
cases, approximately 1,400 claims remain unresolved. Some of these cases
date back as far as World War II, with the largest group of allegations
involving a former volunteer basketball coach and a former janitor.
These claims were made possible by the 2019 Child Victims Act, which
opened a window for survivors of childhood abuse to file claims. The
surge in claims following the law’s passage has led several religious
organizations, including the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, to file for
bankruptcy.
Chubb, in a statement, accused the archdiocese of covering up
widespread child sexual abuse for decades and refusing to compensate
victims despite its significant financial resources. The insurer claimed
the archdiocese is attempting to shift responsibility to its insurers
while withholding critical information about its knowledge of the abuse
Chubb also accused the church of concealing assets and wealth. The
company described the lawsuit as a "financial maneuver" aimed at
deflecting responsibility.
In response to the financial strain caused by the abuse crisis, the
archdiocese announced it is selling its headquarters in Midtown
Manhattan. Proceeds from the sale are intended to help alleviate the
financial burden. The archdiocese is also considering selling other
properties in its portfolio as part of its broader effort to address the
ongoing crisis.
Persecution of Christians is widely ignored, according to a Catholic
archbishop in London, who has said it is the duty of all followers of
Christ to stand in solidarity with those suffer for their faith.
Speaking
with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) as part of its Break the Silence
podcast series, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark said that "it is a
sadness that the persecution of Christians around the world is a subject
that rarely gets the attention it needs".
Archbishop Wilson
added: "I think it is the business of every Christian to look to the
support and the defence of a brother or sister - a Christian whatever
their circumstances - but especially in the context when they are
suffering for their faith…
"As followers of Christ and members of the Church, we have a duty to each other."
He
said the "need to speak out and defend our persecuted brothers and
sisters is not just a matter of justice - it is about standing in
spiritual and practical solidarity with our fellow disciples in the
suffering Church as members of the one body of Christ."
During the
podcast, in which he spoke with John Pontifex, ACN (UK)'s Head of Press
and Public Affairs, the archbishop said that on his visit to Nigeria in
July he "was moved by the people" he met and continues "to be moved by
people who, regardless of their circumstances, remain faithful".
He
added: "Sometimes people who face the greatest hardship have the most
impressive and beautiful faith… There is something about the power of
the Cross and the Resurrection that they are in touch with in a way that
those of us who are not challenged in that way are not."
Archbishop
Wilson highlighted that, since the beginning "of Christianity, the
story is one of persecution, and it has tragically peppered the history
of the Church for as long as there have been followers of Christ.
Despite that persecution, despite those martyrdoms the Church flourishes
because Christ is alive…
"Christ cannot be martyred - he is risen and therefore we are people of intrinsic, indefatigable and inextinguishable hope."
Speaking
about ethnic diversity in his archdiocese, he said he was "proud that
we are so richly international" and "that we are genuinely Catholic" -
"a kind of all-embracing kaleidoscope of God's creation".
He
explained that many of the faithful in Southwark Archdiocese "come from
countries where there is persecution and some of them have friends and
family who face enormous challenges".
He added that Christians in
the UK can learn a lot from people persecuted for their faith - and it
is important "never to take for granted the freedoms we have" and to
"protect them".
Archbishop Wilson concluded: "ACN's advocacy work
is so important… We must unite spiritually in solidarity to defend
religious freedom as a fundamental expression of human dignity, which is
at the heart of the Church's teaching."
A home-schooling mom in the Diocese of
San Diego is asking Cardinal Robert McElroy to reconsider his decision
to ban home-schoolers from parish facilities, saying Catholic schools
are too expensive and that using a parish building has helped her family
connect with other Catholic families in a similar situation.
The
mother, Sara Harold, 40, who lives in Escondido, California, shared
with the Register a letter she wrote to the cardinal, responding to an
announcement last month from the diocese. She told the Register she has
eight children ages 2 to 17. She home-schools the oldest six.
As
she lives in one of the most expensive areas of the country, she said,
her family cannot afford to send their children to Catholic school, even
if with a significant discount.
One example: The nearest Catholic secondary, she said, is Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, where tuition
for the 2024-2024 school year is $20,910 if paid in a lump sum. (The
school also offers tuition assistance based on financial need and 10
full scholarships a year, according to its website.)
Another factor: She
noted that many Catholic schools have “consistently struggled with
providing accommodations for students with special needs, learning
disabilities, and unconventional or challenging learning styles.”
“In-classroom
education is a beautiful thing and works very well for many students —
but not for all,” Harold wrote. “It is incredibly important that parents
feel supported when they decide that a classroom-based education is not
best for their children, and so they switch to home-based education.
Whatever the reasons, parents ought to be able to decide what is best
for their children, and we ought to have the support of our faith
communities in making those decisions.”
In
mid-September, the diocese announced that, going forward,
home-schoolers will not be allowed to use parish property for
cooperatives of home-schooling families and other gatherings.
Religious education appears to be one flashpoint.
Following up on the initial mid-September announcement of the ban, Cardinal McElroy issued a statement
last week suggesting home schooling is providing “a parallel
educational model” with Catholic schools that the diocese can’t and
shouldn’t endorse. He expressed concern about home-school cooperatives
“seeking to establish programs on parish sites” that include “religious
formation or sacramental preparation programs within the parish setting
that are dedicated specifically for home-school students.” According to
the cardinal, this “has become a source of tension within the diocese.”
But the new policy goes beyond religious education, barring all home-school programs from parish property.
Cardinal
McElroy said the diocese’s presbyteral council (which includes the
bishops and several priests of the diocese) voted 13-1 in favor of the
new policy banning home-schoolers around mid-September and that he
approved it.
“The
Diocese supports the decision of a growing number of parents to choose
home schooling for their children. At the same time this support does
not include a right for basing integral elements of home-schooling
programs in parish settings. Home schooling is not inherently a ministry
of the parish,” Cardinal McElroy said his statement. “As a consequence,
home-school programs will not be provided designated special access to
the parish facilities of the Diocese of San Diego.”
The
new statement from Cardinal McElroy follows on the earlier announcement
from the diocese that home-school programs are barred from using parish
facilities “both because such usage can undermine the stability of
nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is
approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.”
But Harold said in
her letter that using parish facilities for home-schooling cooperatives
has been valuable to help her “in connecting with other women, and
connecting my children with other children, to form Catholic communities
based around our parishes where we can supplement our home-based
education with social events and extracurricular classes.”
She
told Cardinal McElroy that she offered him her letter in the spirit of
what she described as the cardinal’s “many words you have spoken in
support of a listening, synodal Church.”
“I
know that you are committed to listening to those on the margins, whose
voices are not often heard by the leaders of the institutional Church,
and that you value the opinions of the women who too often sit silently
in the pews,” she wrote. “I feel confident that you will read this
message graciously and respond with the loving heart of a good
shepherd.”
Harold told the Register that her letter has gotten about 250 co-signers, most of them women.
The Register asked a
spokesman for the diocese for comment on the letter Thursday morning,
but did not hear back by publication. The Register has also asked for an
interview with a diocesan official about the new home-schooling policy
but has not yet heard back.
Other Home-Schoolers React
The Diocese of San Diego’s new policy has gotten the attention of home-schoolers elsewhere.
“It’s
heartbreaking to read this. These are parents who want to raise their
children in the faith,” said Maureen Wittman, a Michigan resident who
home-schooled her children and is co-founder and co-director of Homeschool Connections, a family-owned business that provides curriculums and specialized courses for elementary and secondary students.
Wittmann
said that even though she is a longtime home-schooler, she served a few
years on the Diocese of Lansing’s school board for Catholic schools.
“It doesn’t have to be adversarial. We can work together,” Wittman told the Register.
One parish near where she lives, St. Joseph’s in Howell, Michigan, offers as a parish ministry
a home-schooling study group for grades 6 through 12, including meeting
space in a former parish preschool building “to complete the course
materials, have discussions, do science labs, and attend art classes,” according to the parish’s website.
The
founder of that ministry, Lindsay Carpenter, a former public-school
teacher in early elementary grades, told the Register she was “kind of a
reluctant home-schooler,” but she came to see the benefits of it when
she was asked by home-schooling moms some years ago to teach English
language arts one day a week in their homes.
Nowadays,
she home-schools her four daughters, ages 16, 15, 12 and 8, and also
leads the parish’s home-schooling study group, which is now in its
second year. Participants — 30 kids from 19 families — often attend the
church’s 8:15 a.m. Mass and then head to the former preschool building
from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to work with other kids.
She
said the Diocese of Lansing and St. Joseph’s parish have welcomed the
home-schoolers. She also said the home-schooling group is respectful of
the parish’s kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Catholic school and gets
along with it, adding that the home-schooling group has a different
mission.
She said her family
could never afford Catholic school. She also noted that many Catholic
home-schoolers want to offer intensely individualized learning in a
Catholic atmosphere while spending most or all of the day with their
kids.
“This
idea that home-schoolers are competing with Catholic schools, it’s
nonsensical to me,” Carpenter said. “They’re just choosing another way
to educate their kids.”
She said she sympathizes with home-schoolers in the Diocese of San Diego.
“I
can’t imagine what California home-schoolers are going through,”
Carpenter said. “If this happened to us tomorrow, we would have no
group.”
Home Schooling on the Rise
Home schooling was a fringe activity a couple of generations ago, but nowadays it has become much more common.
A story published by The Washington Post
in October 2023 described what it called “a dramatic rise in home
schooling” when many public schools closed during the coronavirus
shutdowns of 2020 that “largely sustained itself” afterward, suggesting
what it called home schooling’s “arrival as a mainstay of the American
educational system.”
About 5.2% of students in the United States ages 5 to 17 received instruction at home during the 2022-2023 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. (Most of those were home-schooled, though the figure from the report also includes receiving virtual instruction online at home.)
Home schooling is popular in California. A study
published by Johns Hopkins School of Education reported that the
home-schooling rate in California was twice as high as the national
average during the coronavirus shutdowns in 2020, citing data compiled by The Washington Post. Some 46,814 students were home-schooled in California during the 2022-2023 school year, according to the study.
Local Bishop’s Authority
Cardinal
McElroy is within his rights under the Church’s canon law to prohibit
home-schoolers from using parish property because he has followed the
Church’s process, a canon law expert told the Register.
The
pastor is the administrator of parish property. But a bishop working
with the priests of the diocese’s presbyteral council has some authority
over it.
“The diocesan
bishop, in conjunction with the presbyteral council, can moderate how
parish property is used in exercising pastoral ministry,” said David
Long, a canon lawyer and dean of the School of Professional Studies at
The Catholic University of America, by email, adding that a bishop
“cannot take over the administration of that property” unless following
guidelines set out in canon law.
Under
canon law, Long said, a diocesan bishop “is best understood as the
moderator of Catholic education in his diocese” — he can establish
Catholic schools and determine whether schools in his diocese are
Catholic, among other things. But he can’t order parents to send their
kids to Catholic schools because the Church teaches that parents are the
primary educators of their children and “must possess true freedom of
choice in educating their children” (Canon 797).
Cardinal
McElroy specifically acknowledged this parental authority in his
statement explaining the new policy, stating, “Catholic teaching makes
clear that parents are the first teachers of their children in faith and
in choosing the educational setting for their children.”
“I
believe Cardinal McElroy is within his rights canonically as the
moderator of Catholic education within the Diocese of San Diego to
define what home schooling means. By approving the policy passed by the
diocesan presbyteral council, the cardinal is setting the parameters of
where home schooling is appropriate (in the home) and inappropriate (in
the parish or the parish school), and does not remove any choice from
parents as to whether they should home school their children,” Long told
the Register.
“He
is also exercising his spiritual and sacramental authority as diocesan
bishop to remove what he saw as sources of tension between parish and
home-school settings in religious formation and sacramental preparation,
which is again provided within canon law,” Long said.
Harold,
in her letter to Cardinal McElroy, did not dispute his authority, but
made an appeal based on her experience as one part of a multifaceted
Church.
“Please
don’t look at home-school programs as a competition for the Church’s
scarce resources, but see them instead as an expression of God’s
abundance, and an opportunity to accompany those who choose to approach
God via a different path [from] the ones we’re used to,” Harold wrote.
She noted that Pope Francis during a talk
Sept. 5 at a mosque in Indonesia encouraged listeners from various
faiths to help each other “walk in search of God and contribute to
building open societies, founded on reciprocal respect in mutual love.”
“Diversity
in our approaches to God is one of the most striking aspects of our
global faith,” Harold wrote. “… Home schooling in a Catholic context and
with Catholic parish support is simply another manifestation of the
beauty of Catholic education, moving toward decentralization and the
empowerment of laypeople in the Church.”
The study document of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
"The Bishop of Rome" was first presented on June 13, 2024 in its Italian
version.
The release of the French edition, published by Cerf, provided
a platform for Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant representatives
involved in the Synod to engage in a discussion on the primacy of the
Successor of Peter.
Starting from Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, the
document which was prepared by Dicastery experts with the support of
about fifty consultors, gathers almost all ecumenical dialogue
texts from the past thirty years concerning primacy, particularly
focusing on the role of the Bishop of Rome in the path toward unity.
Dominican theologian Hyacinthe Destivelle, director of the Œcumenicum
of Rome's Angelicum University), coordinated the project. He intended
for this collection to be useful to those working on this issue,
especially in light of the 25th anniversary of Saint John Paul II's
encyclical, and to renew his invitation to all Christians and
religious leaders to reflect on possible forms of exercising the Petrine
ministry as a service of love recognized by all.
Primacy and synodality
At first glance, perhaps too hastily, primacy and synodality seem
like contradictory terms. However, advances in ecumenical dialogue have
now made them almost inseparable.
According to Father Destivelle, one of the surprises in compiling the
fifty documents used to draft the synthesis presented on Thursday
evening in Rome is that there is a convergence in all the dialogues and
responses to Ut Unum Sint about the necessity of a universal ministry of
unity, thus a certain form of primacy.
Reverend Anne Cathy Graber, while not claiming to speak on behalf of
all Protestant churches, confirmed this trend, emphasizing that they
indeed feel a structural deficiency at the level of global
representation. The Mennonite nun noted that "the choice of diversity"
is "a fundamental characteristic of Protestantism."
Brother Alois, former Prior of Taizé, whose community experiences
ecumenism and diversity daily, explained that "the Pope is a brother who
confirms me, and as a community, we need confirmation."
Taizé, as Brother Alois, a Catholic, explained, recognizes "real
communion with the Bishop of Rome without formally belonging to the
Catholic Church." And while the Roman Pontiff, who has regularly
received the priors of Taizé in audience since Paul VI, "confirms" the
community, "he is not the only one to do so. We have also received this
confirmation from Patriarch Bartholomew."
Learning from one another
Metropolitan Job of Pisidia sees the Synod as a time of mutual
learning, beyond the fact that the event is primarily a time for
listening. "We all need to learn to make the Church more synodal and to
reflect on the practice of primacy, on the significance of this charism,
which means being the first among all."
He also highlighted the link between primacy and synodality: "If we
say that the Orthodox are champions of synodality and the Catholics
champions of primacy, we separate primacy and synodality, whereas the
two must go hand in hand."
So, what form should primacy take? The roundtable highlighted a form
of convergence around the Successor of Peter. Bishop Paul Rouhanna,
auxiliary bishop of Joubbé for the Maronites, spoke of the union with
Rome of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches worldwide and "the difficulty
of aligning the Eastern Church with a post-Tridentine ecclesiology,
where the Bishop of Rome exercises universal jurisdiction over both
Latins and Easterners."
The Lebanese bishop expressed the desire of Eastern Churches to
"restore some autonomy within the Catholic communion. There are steps to
be taken gradually." He also noted that the example of Eastern Catholic
Churches could be important for dialogue with the Orthodox.
Father Destivelle noted that "it will probably be necessary to
distinguish the functions of the Pope, who is both Bishop of Rome, head
of the Latin Church, and therefore primate of the Western Church, but
also serves the communion of Churches."
This is precisely one of the suggestions of the document "The Bishop
of Rome": to reflect on this distinction so that the Bishop of Rome can
genuinely serve the communion of Churches, with his role differing
within the Catholic Church and in his service to the communion of
Churches in general.
Primacy and communion
Primacy is at the service of communion, the Dominican continued, "and
the two are inseparable." They are not two competing principles but
"mutually constitutive." In the same way, "both serve the communion
between primacy and synodality."
The value of the document “The Bishop of Rome” lies precisely in
placing synodality in a broader context, offering a very broad
understanding of synodality as the articulation of three great
dimensions of the Church: the one, the few, and the many—the primacy of
one, the collegiality of the few, and the communal dimension of the
"many." Thus, if synodality is understood in this way, "it necessarily
integrates primacy, but also collegiality and the communal dimension,
allowing synodality to be understood as a dynamic rather than a
principle to be balanced with primacy."
The role played by Popes in advancing ecumenical dialogue
The manner in which recent Popes have presented themselves has played
a key role in advancing ecumenical dialogue. Anne Cathy Graber recalls
John Paul II’s apology in Ut Unum Sint: "For what we are responsible
for, I ask for forgiveness, as my predecessor Paul VI did." The
Mennonite pastor believes that many things became possible after this
statement, such as the significant rapprochement between Catholics and
Lutherans.
Pope Francis' first words on the evening of his election on March 13,
2013, before giving his blessing, were: "You know that the task of the
Conclave was to give Rome a bishop. [...] The diocesan community of Rome
has its bishop." Francis did not refer to himself as Pope, but as
Bishop of Rome.
"It is because he is the Bishop of Rome that he is the bishop of the
Church that presides in charity, according to the expression of Ignatius
of Antioch, and therefore it is this Church that is called to play this
particular role of unity for all churches and Christian communion as a
whole," explained Father Hyacinthe Destivelle. "The Pope, as Bishop of
Rome is thus called to this particular service of unity, which we
Catholics believe is part of the essence of his ministry."
In this perspective, a new form of exercising the primacy of the
Bishop of Rome before full unity would even be envisageable. Orthodox
Patriarch Job of Pisidia acknowledged this, and Father Destivelle
believes that "this is already what we are experiencing."
The Vatican's doctrinal czar on Oct. 2 closed the door — for now — on women deacons.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández told synod members that the
possibility of restoring the female diaconate remains an open question,
but "rushing'" to a decision on it would short-circuit the necessary
discernment on the question and the broader issues surrounding women's
ministries in the Catholic Church.
"We know the public position of the pope, who does not consider the
question [of women deacons] mature," Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery
for the Doctrine of the Faith, told members of the Synod of Bishops.
"The opportunity for a deepening remains open, but in the mind of the
Holy Father, there are other issues still to be deepened and resolved
before rushing to speak of a possible diaconate for some women," he
said. "Otherwise, the diaconate becomes a kind of consolation for some
women, and the most decisive question of the participation of women in
the church remains unanswered."
After the first assembly of the synod on synodality in 2023, Pope
Francis set up 10 study groups to reflect more deeply on some of the
most controversial or complicated questions raised during the synod
process. Opening the diaconate to women and ensuring they have
decision-making roles in the church was one of those questions, as was
ministry to LGBTQ people, how bishops are chosen, and improving seminary
education.
Brief videos about each group's work were shown to the assembly;
except for Fernández' group on women's ministry, each video included the
names and photos of the group's members. The Vatican published written
reports from each group, but leaders also spoke to the assembly about
their progress.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod,
introduced the group leaders to the assembly and told synod members that
the groups were "companions on the journey" toward helping all
Catholics listen to the Holy Spirit and each other, value each other's
experiences and talents and collaborate in sharing the Gospel.
In his written report, Fernández said that at this point, his
dicastery "judges that there is still no room for a positive decision by
the magisterium regarding the access of women to the diaconate,
understood as a degree of the sacrament of holy orders."
But, he wrote, the dicastery thinks a "particularly interesting" way
forward would be "to analyze in-depth the lives of some women who — in
both the early and recent history of the church — have exercised genuine
authority and power in support of the church's mission."
Their "authority or power was not tied to sacramental
consecration, as would be in the case, at least today, with diaconal
ordination," the report said. "Yet, in some cases, one can perceive that
it was an 'exercise' of power and authority that was of great value and
was fruitful for the vitality of the people of God."
As examples, the report listed Sts. Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of
Siena, Joan of Arc, Teresa of Ávila and Elizabeth Ann Seton, as well as
Dorothy Day "with her prophetic drive for social issues."
Another study group was focused on elaborating "theological and
methodological criteria for shared discernment of controversial
doctrinal, pastoral and ethical issues." Its report said that it aims to
help the church and its ministers respond to questions regarding peace
and justice, care of creation, sexuality and life issues. It apparently
is the group looking into ministry to and with Catholics who identify as
LGBTQ.
The report said, "The Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love
who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to
seek the good of others. We are therefore called to a complete and
challenging conversion; a conversion that takes concrete shape in the
way we present and translate the truth of the Gospel as manifested and
practiced in the agápe of God in Christ."
The group looking at how seminary formation could prepare priests to
be more collaborative repeated the synod assembly's call for finding
alternatives to the "seminary model as a prolonged experience
disconnected from the people of God," particularly by ensuring lay men
and women are on seminary staffs and that candidates for the
priesthood study with and have pastoral experiences with laypeople.
Another group is examining the process for naming bishops and helping
bishops learn to be more collaborative as they fulfill their leadership
responsibilities.
Like the global listening sessions that began in 2021 and the synod
assembly of 2023, working group members said, "The call emerges for
greater transparency and accountability in the processes of selecting
candidates for the episcopate, the confidentiality of which sometimes
gives rise among the faithful to doubts regarding the honesty of the
procedures implemented and, more generally, unease regarding methods
deemed inconsistent with a synodal church model."
An order of Catholic nuns has ended its affiliation with a school in
India after it was taken over by the charity arm of a giant national
corporation.
The Adani Foundation officially assumed management in September of
Mount Carmel Convent School in Ghugus, located in the Chandrapur
district of the state of Maharashtra, following a government resolution
to transfer management of nine schools.
The Adani Foundation clarified this week the transfer of management
after the Carmel Education Society discontinued its role in the managing
the school.
The foundation is formed by the Adani Group, a commodity trading
business that includes sea and airport management, electricity
generation and transmission, mining, natural gas, food, weapons, and
infrastructure.
The CBSE affiliated school was founded in 1972 by the sisters of the
Congregation of Mother of Carmel in collaboration with the cement giant,
ACC Ltd, which funded the school under the Corporate Social
Responsibility program.
In June 2023, ACC Ltd requested Adani Foundation to take over the
school. The Adani Foundation has already initiated several key
improvements, including infrastructure development, enhanced teacher
training, and student support services.
The school is self-financed and provides education from class 1 to class 12.
Sister Grace Therese is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC).
“From the beginning of our congregation, we have our educational
apostolate has been vital – especially education of girls in most rural
areas and small townships besides urban areas, too,” she told Crux.
“Our schools give importance to value education and our zeal for the
educational apostolate continues. This particular issue is under the
control of the province. It is entirely their decision,” she said.
“Maharashtra opposition leaders have slammed the government over the
Transfer Management Of Mount Carmel School To Adani Foundation.
In a post on X – formerly known as Twitter – member of the State
Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, said: “It seems Maharashtra, once a
leader in education, is now learning from the Adani Group. After
transferring lands and industries to Adani, the government is now giving
away schools. This is a clear indication that the dispensation is
selling off Maharashtra.”
Member Uddhav Thackeray said, “I believed Adani’s influence was
limited to Mumbai, but now I learn that Mount Carmel School is being
handed over to him. Can Adani be considered a national figure worthy of
managing our schools?”
After Adani Foundation took over the school, nuns belonging to the
Congregation of the Mother of Carmel demanded that the name “Mount
Carmel” should not be retained.
Sister Leena, the former principal of the school, has been quoted as
saying that the nuns decided to move out of the school as they did not
want to work under the Adani Group, “which has commercial interests as
their priority.”
“Their policy and our policy are totally different, so we have moved out,” she said, according to UCA News.
A monk from an island off the coast of south Wales has been arrested on suspicion of non-recent sexual assault and harassment.
Brother Titus Keet, 76, who lives on Caldey Island, was arrested after Dyfed-Powys Police received a report on 18 September.
The island lies off the coast of Tenby, in Pembrokeshire, and is home to a group of Cistercian monks.
Caldey Island monastic community said they take the allegations very seriously.
In
a statement, the community said they were co-operating fully with
police and their priority was the wellbeing of those involved.
"If
anyone has safeguarding concerns, then please bring those to the
attention of the police or our safeguarding officer," they said.
As
it is an ongoing investigation, the community said it would be
inappropriate to comment further, but "asks your prayers for all
involved, especially those who are most vulnerable".
A dying man has been awarded more than $500,000 in damages in a landmark case involving the Church.
Maitland-Newcastle Diocese was found to be directly and vicariously
liable for the man’s abuse at the hands of a priest who taught scripture
55 years ago.
The man, who for legal reasons can only be referred to as AA, alleged
he was abused by Fr Ron Pickin at Wallsend High School in the Hunter
Valley. Fr Pickin died in 2015.
In a judgment published this week, Acting Supreme Court Justice
Monika Schmidt said AA left school in year 10 and “had a difficult life
afterwards”.
The court heard he was “unable to tell anyone about the abuse, not
trusting anyone despite thoughts of the abuse and resulting anxiety
having troubled him his whole life”.
AA sought damages and was represented by the Sydney law firm Koffels.
“AA is a landmark case in New South Wales, as the first judgment
where the courts have found a diocese both negligent and vicariously
liable for sexual abuse committed by a Catholic priest,” managing
counsel Aaron Koffel said.
AA’s legal team argued it was a case of vicarious liability and that
the diocese should be held legally responsible for Fr Pickin’s alleged
acts because he was employed by it.
The diocese denied vicarious liability for the alleged abuse, which
it said did not take place, and argued about what constituted
employment.
Acting Justice Schmidt said vicarious liability had been established
and that she was “satisfied that it must be concluded that AA was
sexually assaulted by Fr Pickin”.
The judgement is the second of its type in Australia and similar to Victoria’s Bird v DP case.
That case is subject to an appeal, but Acting Justice Schmidt said,
“the parties did not agree that judgment in this case should be stayed
until that decision is given”.
“The hearing was expedited because AA is dying of motor neurone disease,” she said.
A further directions hearing is scheduled for next week.
Catholic bishops in Nigeria have issued a warning to priests and
religious figures who engage in partisan politics or assume public
office, threatening them with canonical sanctions.
This stance was made clear in an October 1 release co-signed by
Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Nigeria Bishops
Conference, and Bishop Donatus Aihmiosion Ogun, Secretary General of the
Conference.
“Over the years, some priests in Nigeria, without the requisite
authorization from the competent ecclesiastical authority, have actively
ventured into partisan politics or the exercise of public office,” the
statement notes.
“This situation has not only contravened the universal laws of the
Church but has also scandalized a vast majority of Christ’s followers in
the country,” the bishops say.
Expressing “deep pastoral concern” over the situation, the bishops
sought guidance from the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery
for Legislative Texts. With this guidance, the bishops have now outlined
progressive measures to address these transgressions, in accordance
with canon law.
In their October 1 statement, the bishops explain that any priest who
violates the law by engaging in partisan politics, despite appeals and
two canonical warnings from his bishop, “must be suspended from every
exercise of the power of orders and of governance for an appropriate
period, and could also be punished with canonical sanctions, such as
having to reside in a particular place or territory.”
The statement further explains that if the priest continues to
disobey, “he incurs the delict of disobedience to ecclesiastical
authority,” and the sanction could be dismissal from the clerical state,
as authorized by the Holy Father.
“We reaffirm the Church’s unequivocal prohibition of clerics against
actively engaging in partisan politics, or assuming public office,
without proper ecclesial authorization. This is a matter of utmost
gravity, and we urge all priests to adhere faithfully to these canonical
laws and embrace their sacred duties with the utmost fidelity and
devotion,” the statement emphasizes.
The statement has sparked diverse reactions from followers on the
official Facebook page of the Catholic Broadcast Commission of Nigeria,
where it was published.
Chibuike Odimegwu criticized the bishops for focusing on what he
considered trivial issues compared to the “hunger and suffering”
affecting Nigerians today.
Engr Chimdimma Francisca Ikechukwu emphasized the need to address bad
governance, suggesting that if it were tackled, “nobody will be
interested in politics.”
On the other hand, Hon Jacob Joseph argued that priests should indeed
participate in politics, citing the example of Benue State, where
Catholic priest Hyacinth Alia serves as governor. He praised Alia,
stating that he “is giving us a taste of good leadership.”
Emeka Umeagbalasi, a leading Catholic researcher and Director of the
Catholic-inspired NGO, the International Society for Civil Liberties and
the Rule of Law (Intersociety), offered a more nuanced perspective.
Umeagbalasi said the current political climate in Nigeria is not yet
suitable for Catholic priests to be actively involved in politics.
“The political environment in Nigeria has not matured and is not
spiritually or morally right for priests to be actively involved,” he
told Crux.
However, he noted that in times of revolution, Catholic priests and bishops could justifiably engage in politics.
“In a situation where people clamor for change, and this clamor leads
to a legitimate revolution aimed at improving society and transforming
its sociological system, Catholic bishops and priests can fully or
partially lead such revolutions. If, in the end, other revolutionary
leaders decide to present these Catholic priests or bishops to lead the
post-revolution governance, then so be it,” he told Crux.
Umeagbalasi said that when priests and bishops get involved in
politics, it should be “a politics of selflessness, a politics that
requires exemplary leadership.”
“It should be a politics that requires putting smiles on the faces of
the downtrodden. It should be a politics that requires making society
governable, providing democratic dividends, ensuring a steady supply of
social amenities, fixing key infrastructure, curbing corruption and
corrupt practices, and providing good governance by adhering strictly to
the principles of the social contract. Anything short of that is not
good,” he said.
He noted that this positive outlook contrasts sharply with the
actions of some Catholic priests who have entered partisan politics in
Nigeria.
Referring to the current governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, who
suspended his priestly duties to join politics and was elected governor
on March 18, 2023, on the ticket of the ruling All Progressives
Congress, Emeka described the party as “a party of rogues” and argued
that Alia could not have become a candidate for governorship without
engaging in unethical political practices.
“I’m aware that there is no way you could have emerged as a
governorship candidate of the party without playing dirty games, without
playing dirty politics,” Emeka told Crux.
Three short years ago, Metropolitan Hilarion was still the Russian
Orthodox Church’s second-in-command, in charge of relations with the
rest of the world. The relatively young cleric, an internationally
respected theologian with a doctorate from Oxford, was superbly
qualified for the role.
But when he failed to enthusiastically embrace Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine, the Kremlin dispatched him to a remote post in Hungary.
Now it
has completed its defenestration of Hilarion with a defamation campaign
as brutal as those waged by Stalin’s Kremlin. It’s a signal to anyone
who might dare to dissent from Vladimir Putin.
Aged 58, Metropolitan Hilarion is significantly younger than
Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has a
history of ties to the KGB
and, more recently, fawning support for the Putin regime.
Hilarion is
also significantly more talented. A musical prodigy, Grigory Alfeyev, as
he was then known, attended a specialist music school and then won a place
at Moscow State Conservatory as a composition student. After his
studies were interrupted by compulsory military service, Alfeyev decided
to become a monk, taking the name Hilarion.
He was well-suited to his vocation, well-liked at home and soon
abroad too. Indeed, he (unusually for a Russian Orthodox priest) enjoyed
a worldwide reputation as a theologian; his achievements include a
doctorate from Oxford (and one from the Sergius Orthodox Theological
Institute in Paris, as well as a professorship at the University of
Fribourg in Switzerland) and numerous scholarly works.
Over the years, he has pursued his love of music by composing several
works for choir and orchestra. At just 44, he was the Russian Orthodox
equivalent of a cardinal and head of his church’s Department for
External Church Relations. That made him Russia’s second-most powerful
priest.
Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hilarion seemed safe in his post.
With his unparalleled contacts and worldwide reputation he was, in
fact, the perfect man for it. That was only underlined by Russia’s
growing isolation, even before its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Of course, Hilarion is a man of the cloth, not a politician, but he was
able to nurture the Russian Orthodox Church’s relationships with
denominations in other countries. That reflected well on a country that
was looking more thuggish by the day. Indeed, Hilarion seemed destined
for ever-greater things.
But unlike Kirill, Hilarion refused to play Putin’s game.
When Russia
invaded Ukraine, Kirill immediately leaped into action, describing the
war of aggression as a “Holy War,” blessing Russian soldiers and justifying the Kremlin’s colonialism, or Russky mir, as an expansion into Russia’s spiritual space.
Such language marked the end of Kirill’s spiritual journey. Back in
the day, when he was what one might call a more religious man, and when
the Kremlin’s fountainhead of corruption became intolerable, he
considered it his duty to publicly criticize it. Bad idea. In no time,
the Patriarch became the subject
of a defamation campaign so vicious that he uttered no more criticism.
On the contrary, he has henceforth toed the Kremlin’s line.
Faced with Russia’s full-scale invasion, Hilarion remained steadfast:
he was not going to praise Putin’s war. He knew the risks of denouncing
the war and of remaining silent — indeed, he was dismissed by the
University of Fribourg for failing to offer a condemnation.
But even his
silence was too much for the Kremlin. As readers will recall,
four months into the war Hilarion was unceremoniously packed off to
Hungary, a country whose Russian Orthodox community is so small that it
fits into a dozen parishes.
Much like Soviet dissidents sent into internal exile, Hilarion
blossomed where he was planted.
He diligently served his dozen parishes
and became well-liked among the clergy and the faithful.
When Pope
Francis made a pastoral visit to Hungary’s Roman Catholic community in
the summer of 2022, he made a point of meeting with Hilarion: a clear papal rebuke of Putin.
This was too much for the Kremlin. It was time for a defamation
campaign, one even more vicious than the one that had silenced Kirill.
This arrived in the form of Georgy Suzuki, a 20-year-old
Japanese-Russian cleric-in-training. He briefly worked in Hilarion’s
office, and soon reported that the bishop had engaged in sexual
harassment and embezzled money.
Suzuki allegedly left for Japan in
January this year, taking with him a considerable trove of what were
described as Hilarion’s belongings.
These, the Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europereported,
allegedly included cash and valuables from Metropolitan Hilarion’s
residence as well as pictures, videos, and recordings showing Hilarion
vacationing with Russian oligarchs and Hungarian officials.
Suzuki’s
trove from Hilarion’s home is also said to have included expensive
watches. This was an echo of the regime’s earlier claims against Kirill,
when the Kremlin alleged that he, too, owned expensive watches.
The
story further involved Suzuki’s mother, whom Hilarion reportedly
contacted with an offer of money that was “a testimony of sincere regret
for all mistakes made.”
Like the smear campaigns against Soviet dissidents, the campaign
against Hilarion is fishy. Suzuki appeared out of nowhere to serve with
Hilarion in the small and remote diocese of Hungary and appears to have
wasted no time gaining the bishop’s confidence.
He quickly made an exit,
Hilarion’s belongings and firing off streams of salacious allegations.
The priests in Hungary’s Russian Orthodox Church are certain of
Hilarion’s innocence and issued a fiercely worded defense of their
leader: “We have known Metropolitan Hilarion for many years — it has
been obvious that here among us is a bishop with the single goal of
serving God’s glory,” a large group of them wrote
in a statement, adding that “silence is criminal, especially for
priests appointed by God to bear witness to the truth and shut the
mouths of madmen. . . Having read [Suzuki’s] testimony, which causes
nothing but disgust, we see that this criminal has accomplices who seek
to discredit our saint.”
The shaming of Hilarion meanwhile continues apace. He is now
reportedly back in Russia: recalled for “consultations” with Kirill and
where he will no doubt be questioned about Suzuki’s claims that he
criticized the Patriarch while in Hungary.
Hilarion had little choice
but to return — clerics are not permitted to defy superiors’ orders and a
refusal would merely have added to the charges against him.
One
shudders to contemplate the treatment he’s likely to be receiving at the
hands of Kirill and his Kremlin masters.
Indeed, Hilarion’s fate sends a chilling message to Russians who
might still have the courage to criticize the Ukraine war, if only
discreetly: the authorities will come for you.
