Thomas C. Fox's blog

Munich Archbishop's residence getting a face lift
Munich
I walked over to the what the local guide book describes as the "Archbishop's palace" this afternoon and saw a crowd out in front. A demonstration, I thought as I approached the group, it's leader speaking into a hand held microphone.

"And if you look up at the third floor, you will see some beautifully carved..."

... Nope, not a demonstration, an Irish tour group and in a moment they were walking on.

Meanwhile, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, Reinhard Marx, speaking at a hilltop pilgrimage site north of Nuremberg, expressed “deep shame” today for cases of sexual molestation that have shaken the home region of Pope Benedict, and said he was in favor of changing German law so that church officials would have a greater duty to report suspected child abuse to prosecutors.

But Marx defended the overall integrity of the church, in a give and take with reporters, saying it would never be possible to ensure there is no abuse.

Munich, Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday commented for the first time on the clergy abuse scandal captivating Germany. Speaking to the German parliament, the Bundestag, during a debate on the country's 2010 budget, Merkel said that "sexual abuse of children ... is an abhorrent crime." She went on to say that "there is only one possibility for our society to come to grips with these cases: truth and clarity about all that has happened."

Prior to Wednesday's comments, Merkel had been criticized for not having spoken up about the cases, which have been generating headlines in Germany ever since the first revelations.

Nuns in U.S. back healthcare bill despite Catholic bishops' opposition

Would more women in Catholic Church reduce abuse?

What next for scandal hit Catholic church?

First black Catholic priest in U.S. up for sainthood

Germany and Ireland call on Catholic church to hold child sex abuse inquiries

Middle Class Under Pressure Due to Increasing Health Care Costs

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) announced Friday that it would hold vigils in over 30 US cities to show solidarity with abuse victims in Europe. The announcement Friday came as the European press was reporting new abuse cases in Germany and The Netherlands.

Media outlets in the United States and Europe Friday raised fresh questions about the way Pope Benedict handled clergy sex abuse issues when he was Archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982.

The pace of coverage of the clergy sex abuse scandal, which has ebbed and flowed in the media for a quarter century now, quickened again in recent weeks as reports of abuse have become more widespread in Ireland, Germany and The Netherlands, and has Pope Benedict met with Irish prelates two weeks back and again late this week with the head of the German church hierarchy.

Twenty-five pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders yesterday sent letters to members of Congress urging them not to let misleading information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill block passage of sorely-needed reform.

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a Washington-based advocacy group, said that the Senate health bill upholds abortion funding restrictions and supports pregnant women.

The letter included a page by page analysis of the Senate bill as it pertains to abortion.

I recently returned from the Philippines where I did some reporting. The Asian island nation is generally off the radar screen for most Americans. However, it won't be for long. The Philippines will hold local and national elections May 10th. The official campaign period begins later this month. But already fears are being expressed that the elections could be rigged. The government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has made some moves that is causing this concern. At issue is a decision by the government to use untested electronic voting marchines to tally the May ballots.

The archbishop of Denver, in the troubling inconsistency of his argument defending the recent decision by the Denver archdiocese to ban from its schools children of a lesbian couple, is teaching us more about himself than about the Catholic faith.

Michael Sean Winters made this point as well in a post he made recently on this blog.

By now most NCR readers have heard the arguments -- pro and con -- regarding the Stupak Amendment, embedded in the House passed version of the health care bill.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) says he represents a coalition of 12 anti-choice Democrats who will vote against health care reform unless their anti-abortion language remains in the final health care bill. The original House health care bill only passed by 5 votes, so a 12-vote bloc could be a real obstacle to final passage.

Focus turns to pope as German, Dutch sex abuse scandals unfold

German Church pledges to investigate all sex abuse allegations

Chaput defends denial of education for lesbian couple's children

Head of Washington's Catholic schools to lead Boston College center

Media 'unfair and unjust' - Irish Bishop

... I received a notice today from Richard Dieter, Executive Director, of the Death Penalty Information Center, which does terrific work on death penalty related issues. He writes about the case of Henry Skinner who is scheduled for execution in Texas on March 24 despite the lack of DNA testing of critical evidence from the crime scene that could lead to his exoneration.

Sister Mary McNellisMy wife doesn’t make much of her birthdays. Our children will call. We might go out for a quiet dinner. But hardly a birthday passes without her receiving a greeting from a longtime friend, Loretto Sr. Mary McNellis. You see, my wife and McNellis share March 6 as a birthday, though McNellis was born quite a number of years before my wife. McNellis, the thoughtful and legendary woman religious, turns 100 this year. She is the first centenarian I have ever personally known.

Q and A with the next bishop of Scranton

Ex-executive of Catholic Charities criticizes health-plan change

Catholic rebellion against church homophobia viewed

New bishops' document assesses society ahead of British elections

Catholic father and Jewish mother battle over toddler's religion

By now Internet and Facebook addicts have probably heard about the Coffee Party USA -- or should it be called a "movement"? It's a kind of progessive answer to the Tea Party movement.

Here's what they say about themselves:

Check out how the Coffee Party Movement began. See video here.

80,521 have become Coffee Party USA fans on Facebook by March Fourth!!

Onward!

More on DC Catholic Charities and Gay Marriage

German Catholic schools at center of abuse scandal

Michigan Catholic Conference president annouces retirement

O'Malley moved by Haitians' sacrifice

Jesuit priest James Martin moves in Mass, mass media

D.C. archbishop defends Catholic Charities' health benefits stand

How transparent has Archdiocese been on school closings?

Catholic Bishops Outraged by 'Confession' Phone Line

In Haiti, O’Malley offers aid, healing

Philippine bishops want condom ads banned

In a new initiative, the United States is likely to step up the rate at which it dismantles older nuclear warheads no longer deployed in the arsenal, officials and experts report.

The nation now maintains roughly one backup warhead for every warhead actively deployed, according to Hans Kristensen, who heads the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. The Defense Department has approximately 2,100 strategic warheads and 500 tactical warheads on active deployment, and almost an equal number in reserve, he said.

Same-sex marriage leads Catholic Charities to adjust benefits

Catholic group asks U.S. bishops to hold pro-life collection

Germans investigate Catholic school sex abuse

Boston's O’Malley to assess needs in Haiti

Study finds Female Students More Promiscuous at Catholic Colleges

Mother Mary Clare Millea, Apostolic Visitator for Institutes of Women Religious, conducted an orientation workshop in St. Louis Feb. 26-28 for religious assisting with on-site visits of the Apostolic Visitation, according to a press her group released today.

According to the release, 78 women and men religious who will serve as on-site visitors to selected religious congregations were invited to attend the training session.

Sister Joan McGlinchey, MSC, Vicar for Religious for the Archdiocese of Chicago, served as facilitator for the weekend event.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis, chairman-elect of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, and Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport celebrated the Eucharist for the assembly.

President Barack Obama has ordered the rewriting of the draft new US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), amid frustration in the White House that the document fails to reflect his aspirations for a nuclear-weapons-free world and an end to "cold war thinking," according to a report in a British newspaper.

The review, drawn up by each administration, sets the doctrine justifying both the retention of nuclear weapons and the circumstances in which they might be used. It also determines more practical issues, including nuclear force readiness, targeting and war planning.

Catholic Diocese of Erie raises almost $480,000 for Haiti

Merkel praises German Catholic move to alter sex abuse rules

Netherlands gay protest over Catholic communion snub

Gay equality laws threatening last Roman Catholic adoption agency 'will lead to harm to children in care'

Iraqi Christians hold peaceful protest in Mosul, demand government action

Bishop says king will not be sanctioned for signing abortion law

Writing that she has always been "fascinated about religion," Arianna Huffington today announced that there will now be a religion section on the HuffPost web site.

"I'm delighted to announce that we are launching HuffPost Religion -- a section featuring a wide-ranging discussion about religion, spirituality, and the ways they influence our lives."

Germans investigate Catholic school sex abuse

Eyes on U.S. bishops as health care bill takes focus

Catholic Diocese of Youngstown looks at merging churches

Archbishop Dolan: No honors for pro-abortion Catholic politicians

N.Y. Catholic hospital cuts staff, salaries in effort to stay open

More on 'spiritual but not religious' trend

Catholic scholars call to suspend pope sainthood

Cardinal O’Malley will visit Haiti to assess relief efforts

Spain Liberalizes Abortion

Catholic directive spotlights end-of-life, care wishes

Catholic Healthcare West to go system-wide with electronic medical records

Catholics United, the Catholic coalition of progressive voices, is calling on all Catholics and people of goodwill to join in asking the Catholic bishops to get behind health care reform. In an email to Catholics United's 42,000 members, Patricia Pignatiello, a Catholics United member for more than three years, relayed the story of her brother James.

This past June, James found himself in an emergency room with a treatable form of cancer – treatable that is, had he had insurance. Instead of getting treatment, Patricia’s brother was sent home coughing up blood. His cancer has now spread and Patricia writes "he is in a fight for his life."

She goes on: "The Catholic bishops have long been champions of justice and the common good. Unfortunately, there is a real possibility that they won’t support health care reform. Worse yet, they might even oppose it."

So Catholics United are lobbying bishops to support health care reform. They have a tool on their web site that allows individuals to email their bishops directly.

Patricia askes: "Will you join us in emailing the bishops in support of health care reform?"

Imposture priest arraigned on child molest charges

Campaign financing shift may aid critics

Catholic leaders urge bipartisan health reform, differ on time frame

Mormons, Catholics must defend religious freedom, Cardinal says

Commentary on George address

A Talking Points Memo has reported that K&L Gates, the Washington lobbying firm, has alerted its corporate clients on how to best use trade associations like the Chamber of Commerce as channels to dump unlimited amounts of cash directly into elections, while shielding their own corporate interests.

The death spiral for democracy in America continues.

The K&L Gates alert comes in the wake of last month's U.S. Supreme Court "Citizens United" ruling, which essentially took the lid off all corporate election campaign spending, and in the short haul, has only added more cynicism to our governemtn processes.

The "Public Policy and Law Alert" on the impact of the court's ruling, prepared by two lawyers for K&L Gates and posted on the firm's site last week, notes that, thanks to disclosure rules, corporations could alienate their customers by spending more on political campaigns -- especially because they could become the target of negative media coverage. So better to channel the big money.

More Catholic schools reaching out to special-needs students

Fake Catholic clergyman booked on molestation charges

Opinion: Church-state lines have changed since the Kennedy days

Vatican official dismisses calls for resignation

Worldwide Catholic population rises to 1.166 billion

A home-grown saint – it's gold, gold, gold for Australia

World's Catholic population increases: Vatican

Elton John sees Jesus as gay, ruffles some Catholic feathers

Married Catholic priest will be Nashville diocese's first

Germany urges Catholic Church to come clean on child abuse

Mass resignation proposed by one bishop in December

This tragic news speaks to the aftermath of war. It comes from Project RENEW, composed by a dedicated group of people who are doing some terrific humanitarian work in Vietnam. Here is a message they sent me today:

There was no Tet celebration to welcome the Lunar New Year for Ho Van Nguyen’s family this year. A cluster bomb explosion killed Nguyen on Friday morning, Feb. 12, as he was cutting weeds around his banana trees and preparing for the Tet holiday which began in Vietnam on Saturday.