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Goodbye, Bishop Soto, and Good Riddance Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:51 am (GMT -5) Goodbye, Bishop Soto, and Good Riddance Posted by Gustavo Arellano Ex Cathedra, Main November 2, 2007 http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/ex-cathedra/goodbye-bishop-soto-and-good-r/ We've always tried really hard to like Jaime Soto, the auxiliary bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Orange who's leaving this weekend to become coadjutor bishop in the Diocese of Sacramento. He's a virtual Aztlanista on immigration, urges compassion for AIDS victims, and always sports a smile. But our admiration for Soto goes the way of church attendance every time we remember Soto's involvement in the Orange diocese sex-abuse scandal. Soto's role, compared to other heavyweights in Orange, seems small. In 1986, he wrote a letter in support of Andrew Christian Anderson, one of only two Orange County Catholic priests ever convicted of sex-abuse crimes. Soto was also the poor sap in charge of trying to fish back Eleuterio Ramos from Tijuana after a Ramos victim filed a lawsuit against the Orange diocese's most notorious pedophile. Of course, there's always the sin of silence, but we'll put that aside for the meanwhile. Actually, let's bring it back. Soto is someone so suffocated in the Catholic bubble he can't see the hell it's become for sex-abuse victims and Catholics with any sense of morality. Last week, Soto appeared on Orange County Business Journal editor RIck Reiff's Inside OC KOCE-TV Channel 50 program and fielded Reiff's polite questions. When Reiff broached the unavoidable sex-abuse subject, Soto noticeably became nervous. "It was a difficult, difficult chapter in the church," His Excellency stated. "Mistakes were made that hurt young people." Soto continued. "We've tried our best to turn a page over and make sure that never happens again. It's been a very sad chapter in our history but one where we've learned from." Uh, not really. Reiff then asked Soto if the Orange diocese had handled the sex-abuse scandal badly. "We've been very proactive on this from the beginning," Soto responded. "We learned as we went along on this." Quoth Moe Szyslak: WHAA??? From the 1976 creation of the Orange diocese until just last month, officials have coddled pedophiles. The only thing they've learned is how to spin--and they've done a terrible job at it. The most hilarious part of Reiff's interview with Soto, however, was when Rick asked whether the Orange diocese would continue to disclose its role in the rape of innocents. "That is going to be an ongoing issue," Soto said, adding that the Orange diocese was "one of the most transparent organizations with regards to this issue," one that always "was upfront and put the cards on the table." At that point, my computer screen shattered--it can only spin so much. See the video for yourself. Warning: not recommended for folks with vertigo or disgust with liars.

Australia Celebrates Letter on 1962 Missal Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:32 am (GMT -5) Australia Celebrates Letter on 1962 Missal Zenit November 2, 2007 http://www.zenit.org/article-20898?l=english SYDNEY, Australia, NOV. 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal George Pell will be the first archbishop in the Sydney Archdiocese in 40 years to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, reports the Oriens Foundation. The archbishop of Sydney will preside Saturday at a Mass said in the extraordinary form at St. Mary's Cathedral. The event is a celebration on the occasion of Benedict XVI's apostolic letter "Summorum Pontificum," published in July. The letter, issued "motu proprio," on one's own initiative, explained new norms allowing for the use of the 1962 missal as an extraordinary form of the liturgical celebration. The norms took effect Sept. 14. The Australia-based Oriens Foundation, which promotes understanding of the Tridentine rite, said in a press statement that the Mass "represents a significant event in the life of the local Church." Gary Scarrabelotti, the Oriens Foundation chairman, said that he hopes that "Summorum Pontificum" will provide the Church "with a splendid opportunity to draw to the attention of the Catholic people, and to the wider community, the great cultural and spiritual merits of the traditional form of Catholic worship."

Alive and well in Hayward Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:29 am (GMT -5) Alive and well in Hayward Liturgical dance performed at All Saints Catholic Church, again California Catholic Daily November 3, 2007 http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=a0360aab-9d5d-4d2d-9711-192702613139 Beyond Words: An Interfaith Ritual for Peace was held Oct. 23 at All Saints Church in Hayward. The performance, choreographed by Carla De Sola, was given by the Omega West Dance Company of Berkeley, which says it is "a voice in the sacred dance movement, invoking and serving a vision of peace, community, spirituality, healing and enjoyment through the medium of dance." Omega West was founded in 1992, in part "to bring dance into religious observances and in concert for all settings including the liturgical framework," says its web site. De Sola, its director, has been called a pioneer in liturgical dance; she conducts workshops on liturgical dance throughout the United States. De Sola received a diploma in dance from New York's Julliard School of Music and a Master's degree in Theology and Arts from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Inspiration for Beyond Words "derives from the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam," said an announcement for the All Saints performance in the calendar section of the Catholic Voice, the newspaper of the Oakland diocese. At the Sacred Dance Guild Festival, held in Berkeley last July, De Sola offered a workshop modeled on Beyond Words. "This dance/ritual incorporates recognizable movements and chant forms from the major religions of the world, woven together in the language of dance and music," said a festival announcement for the event. Each session of the workshop featured "a brief warm-up, ritual, and teaching sequences from Beyond Words." The workshop then turned "to sacred texts from the major traditions, and through a process of meditation, improvisation and craft [created] fresh dance studies for interfaith celebrations." Omega West features "Liturgical Works," including Processional Dances for "entrance, gospel, offertory, and recessional;" Proclamation/Prayer Dances for "the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, as well as dances to psalms, and scripture readings." There are also "Seasonal Dances" for feast days. According to the Omega West web site, the dance troupe performed at All Saints last April on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, as well as for the parish's confirmation liturgy on June 7. In April, it performed at Newman Hall/Holy Spirit parish at the University of California-Berkeley on the Easter Vigil. De Sola and the troupe were featured at the 2001 West Coast Call to Action Conference.

Hawaii's 'leper priest' back on track to sainthood Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 5:22 pm (GMT -5) HomoluluAdvertiser http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com:80/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/NEWS22/710260345/1172/NEWS22 Hawaii's 'leper priest' back on track to sainthood By Mary Kaye Ritz Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer One hurdle has been cleared in the road to sainthood for Blessed Father Damien de Veuster, the "leper priest of Moloka'i" who eventually died from Hansen's disease. The cause for sainthood has been stalled since 2005, when a local tribunal reconvened to clear up whether a miracle could be attributed solely to prayers to Damien. Blessed Joseph de Veuster A communique from Rome issued last week by the order to which Father Damien belonged said the miracle in question passed a very important authority: a medical committee that decides if such events are indeed miraculous. Two miracles are needed for sainthood. One miracle associated with Father Damien has been accepted by the Vatican: a cure of a nun in France a century ago in Damien's name. In 1895, Simplicia Hue was cured of a debilitating intestinal disease after praying for Damien's intercession. With that miracle, Father Damien was declared "blessed" during a beatification in 1995 by John Paul II. Now, the second miracle must pass several more hurdles before Damien can become St. Damien. The second miracle involves a Honolulu woman whose lung cancer was cured; the case was written up in the Hawai'i Medical Journal in 2000, titled: "Complete spontaneous regression of cancer." "Now it goes to theological commission," said the Rev. Lane Akiona, who belongs to the same Sacred Hearts order as de Veuster. "It puts Father Damien back on track. The fact that the medical commission approved it, that's a very good sign for us. "It's moving, instead of being stalemated." The medical commission is part of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, the main clearinghouse in Rome where canonizations are examined. "The medical commission cited that it was truly a dramatic healing," said Patrick Downes, spokesman for the diocese. "Whether it's attributed to Damien is the decision of the theological commission." After a Hawai'i tribunal passed the case as "an unexplainable cure," the lung cancer case was sent to Rome, which had sent it back for clarification, Downes said. "There's no telling when the next step will be," he said. "The theological commission has to review the medical commission's conclusions, then the bishops and cardinals have to take both reports and make recommendation to the pope for canonizations. "From what I've been told, this is a significant step. A lot of causes don't make it beyond the 'authentic miracle' part."

Kerry Laments "Faith Missteps" Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:34 pm (GMT -5) http://pewforum.org/news/rss.php?NewsID=14412 Kerry Laments Faith Missteps in 2004 Race by Daniel Burke Religion News Service In 2004, then-presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., didn't make his religious background and convictions clear to the public, he said Thursday (Nov.1), and paid a price for it. "The challenge for anyone running for president is how to explain who they are ... I could have done a better job of that, and probably should have," Kerry said at a session hosted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Looking back on his own journey of faith, experience on the campaign trail and religious studies since the 2004 election, Kerry outlined his mistakes and mapped out areas of common ground for religious liberals and conservatives. In 2004, Kerry said, he hesitated to forcefully rebut attempts by conservatives who used wedge issues to drive religious voters to President Bush. "That was a lesson for me: Don't let anything hang out there." Wistfully recalling the experience of another Catholic politician from Massachusetts, Kerry said: "President Kennedy's challenge was to prove that he was not too Catholic to be president. My challenge was to prove that I was Catholic enough." The senator said he should have responded to the handful of Catholic bishops who pledged to ban him from Communion because of his support for abortion rights. Those bishops "made the argument" on banning him from Communion "but it's not a church position," he said. "And what we didn't do was make ... sure the Catholic position was in front of people as much as it should be." Kerry said he told an American cardinal after the election that "you have a position on abortion but you don't have to have a policy. ... When a 15-year-old girl is raped by her uncle and is pregnant you don't have to have a policy on that. I do." Kerry said the cardinal, whom he refused to name, is now in Rome. Kerry said liberals and conservatives should come together on the value of human life, the environment, war and peace issues and reducing the number of abortions. While Kerry said abortion should be decided by women and their doctors, he also believes that it should be "rare." "I believe very deeply that it's not a contradiction to be pro-choice and against abortion," he said.

Catholic uni[versity] sets up chair of Islam Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:56 pm (GMT -5) Catholic uni[versity] sets up chair of Islam Harriet Alexander The Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald November 3, 2007 http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/catholic-uni-sets-up-chair-of-islam/2007/11/02/1193619145331.html THE Australian Catholic University has broken free of its conservative beginnings and appointed a chair devoted to the study of Islam and Muslim-Catholic relations. An associate professor in divinity from Turkey's Sakarya University, Ismail Albayrak, has been appointed to the Fethullah Gulen chair, named after the Turkish-born scholar who was granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II in 1998 to advance communication between religions. It is hoped that the chair, funded by the Australian Intercultural Society at a cost of $500,000 in the first year, will smooth relationships between the faiths, which the university acknowledges have been fraught since September 11, 2001, and the Cronulla riots. The pro-vice chancellor for academic affairs, Gabrielle McMullen, said the university had always been open-minded about the different denominations of the Christian church. "This is a natural extension of that, to interface into religious dialogue and this, I think, is very important in the current situation in Australia," Professor McMullen said. "In the 17 years that the university's been going, I think there's been a substantive change in the Australian community." The university recognised that the best way to appreciate the faith on which it was founded was to learn about other religions as well, said Professor McMullen, who oversees the Asia-Pacific Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue, which was established at the Melbourne campus last year. Dr Albayrak was born in Ankara, Turkey, and holds a doctorate in Quranic narrative from the University of Leeds.

Jesuit priest convicted of abuse is jailed again Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:18 pm (GMT -5) Jesuit priest convicted of abuse is jailed again By Manya A. Brachear [Chiago] Tribune religion reporter November 2, 2007 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mcguire02nov02,1,2661737.story A prominent Jesuit priest and convicted sex offender was back behind bars in Wisconsin Thursday for violating probation a third time since his conviction in February 2006. Wisconsin state authorities made the arrest inside a Walworth County courtroom after Judge James Carlson denied a motion to retry Rev. Donald McGuire on charges he molested two Loyola Academy students in the state during the 1960s. McGuire, 77, who for decades traveled the world as the spiritual director for Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity, has been living on probation for the last several months in a private residence in Oak Lawn. Despite two probation violations last year, he was allowed to return to Illinois because authorities did not consider him a risk to children. Carlson declined to revoke the priest's probation after a lawsuit was filed in August alleging further abuse had occurred in recent years. He declined again Thursday, despite another lawsuit and a two-page letter from the Jesuit order saying the only way to ensure the public's safety would be to incarcerate him. John Dipko, a spokesman with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, said McGuire was arrested because he did not verify his whereabouts to state authorities, a legal requirement for registered sex offenders in Wisconsin. McGuire could be held for up to three days while authorities investigate the violation. While most of the oldest accusations against McGuire fall outside Illinois' criminal statute of limitations, McGuire was prosecuted and convicted in Wisconsin for molesting two students from the Wilmette academy during several trips to the resort area near Lake Geneva. The Wisconsin statute of limitations does not apply to out-of-state residents. He was sentenced to two concurrent 7-year prison terms and three concurrent 20-year probation terms. The prison sentence was postponed pending his appeal, but probation started immediately. During the 2006 trial, McGuire wore a clerical collar and spent his time during breaks talking to supporters, who included some members of Mother Teresa's order. On Thursday, the priest appeared in court pushing a walker, and the only clerical collar in the courtroom belonged to the prosecutor's pastor, an Episcopal priest, said Walworth County District Atty. Phil Koss. Victims' advocates applauded the Jesuits' efforts to put McGuire behind bars but said it was too little, too late. "Bottom line is if the Jesuits had done the right thing, this could have been done 38 years ago," said Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

"The Tridentine Mass for Joe Sixpack" Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:40 am (GMT -5) "The Tridentine Mass for Joe Sixpack" Parish offers refresher course on Latin Mass, sacraments California Catholic Daily November 2, 2007 http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=9c2b3368-c65a-4bb5-89a5-90f8f1381006 "Tridentine Mass and Sacraments 4 Dummies" is the title of a series of courses on "the extraordinary form of Blessed John XXIII" to be held at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Wilmington (near San Pedro). Norbertine Fr. Michael Perea, the parish's associate pastor, will teach the courses. "The Tridentine Low Mass for Joe Sixpack" is the name for the first class, to be held Nov. 7. The titles for the classes to be held over subsequent weeks are "Getting Married the Way Grandpa Did It" (Nov. 14), "The Requiem Mass" (Nov. 21), and "How to Baptize Babies the Old Way" (Nov. 28). Fr. Michael told California Catholic Daily that one parishioner was upset by the title of the course series. But, said Fr. Michael, it was not meant to be offensive. "It's a popular approach," he said. "We want to make the course user-friendly. We want to encourage the average Joe to attend, because it seems that the Tridentine crowd tends to be a specialized crowd." Fr. Michael said he is basing his courses on the Latin-English Sunday Missal, which offers a sample Low Mass, with all the readings, a sample Nuptial Mass, a Requiem Mass, as well as the Rite of baptism for one child. "I thought I would divide the course into four parts, following the book," said Fr. Michael. "My approach is to be simple and practical. My target audience is someone who is interested in the Tridentine Mass, but doesn't know a whole lot about it. So, it's not going to be academic." The class has elicited "a lot of interest so far," Fr. Michael said. "People keep asking the book store for the book." The classes serve as an introduction to the weekly parish celebration of the Tridentine Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul, which will begin ad experimentum, said Fr. Michael, on the First Sunday of Advent, at 6.30 a.m. The first Masses will be Low Masses, though Father Michael says he will encourage the people "to participate in the parts they traditionally participated in," and there will be devotional singing. Fr. Michael said that, in the future, he hopes to have High Tridentine Masses. So far, 131 Ss. Peter and Paul parishioners have added their names to a sign-up sheet, indicating they want to attend the Tridentine Mass. "But there's more interest than that," said Fr. Michael. "I'm suspecting that, once we start, we'll have a regular congregation of about 200 people."

"God, Great Spirit, Hashem, or Allah…" Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:38 am (GMT -5) "God, Great Spirit, Hashem, or Allah…" More strange course offerings at Loyola Marymount University California Catholic Daily November 2, 2007 http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=9e5b8d4a-5f72-44fd-931c-781a6ea52aff "In this series we will focus on Native American Spirituality, Islam, Taoism, and the Divine Feminine as we continue our journey through the world's spiritual traditions," says an advertisement for a Loyola Marymount University Extension course, titled "Wisdom Walk: Practices for Creating Peace and Balance from the World's Spiritual Traditions." The course, scheduled for Oct. 22 - Nov. 12 at the Los Angeles Jesuit university, asks students to select a practice from each tradition, incorporating it into their "daily practice, which also includes service in the world." The course instructor is "the Rev." Sage Bennet, PhD – the "Rev." coming from the fact that she is an ordained minister at the Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City. Agape teaches, according to its web site, the "New Thought-Ancient Wisdom tradition of spirituality." Its teachings "embrace a Reality the world's scriptures and sacred texts endeavor to describe, even as they acknowledge the impossibility of such a task. Some call it God, Great Spirit, Hashem, or Allah, while others simply prefer to leave it nameless. Agape teaches that this Spirit is the Source of our life, that we are made in its image and likeness, which makes us co-creative participants in the three-dimensional world in which we live." Bennet has written a book with the same name as her LMU extension course. She is a teacher at five universities, according to her web site – including the University of California-Riverside and the University of Redlands. She leads workshops and retreats, and provides spiritual counseling. Bennet offers what she calls "Wisdom Seminars" – among which is "Awakening the Aphrodite Within," described this way in a seminar advertisement: "Come join us for time with the goddess, Aphrodite, who has much to teach us about taking time to enjoy ourselves in the splendors of everyday life." The seminar promises to help attendees "awaken their inner goddess of love and beauty," and offers as topics: "tuning into aliveness, passion, taking time for pleasure, integrating feminine and masculine qualities, enjoyment, and fulfillment as a practically indulgent approach to life and relationships." As a minister for the past eight years, Bennet "has performed sacred ceremonies such as weddings, memorials, and elegant transitions rituals." In her consultations, called "Wisdom Readings," Bennet "shares the fruits of her intuitive development with clients in one-on-one interactions… which display a unique combination of intuition and spiritual counseling," says Bennet's web site. "These sessions draw from the universal source of wisdom and provide spiritual guidance about the soul's journey. Paths you may wish to explore include: finding your soul purpose, pursuing a life dream or reaching a goal, entering a new phase of life and others." For a Wisdom Reading, Bennet charges $75 per half hour, or $150 per hour.

LifeSite article on the San Fran homosexual sacrileges Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:00 am (GMT -5) http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07110104.html Faithful San Francisco Catholics Demand Removal of Pastor of "Gay" Parish By Hilary White SAN FRANCISCO, California, November 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In an open letter, Anthony Gonzales, President St. Joseph's Men Society in San Francisco, California, has challenged the Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco to shut down the homosexual and anti-Catholic activities at Most Holy Redeemer (MHR) parish and remove its pastor, Fr. Steven Meriwether. The letter calls upon Archbishop George Niederauer to sack the pastor and formally excommunicate members of anti-Catholic homosexual activist groups. "If you are unwilling or unable to take these necessary steps," Gonzales writes, "then in humility you have the responsibility to offer your resignation to Pope Benedict XVI." He also called for the re-consecration of the Church building because of possible "sacrileges". Gonzales quotes a 1986 document from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who wrote, "All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely". "Fr. Stephen Meriwether, as pastor of Most Holy Redeemer parish," Gonzales writes, "has continually allowed groups that 'seek to undermine the teaching of the Church…or neglect it entirely,' to use its facilities." He cites the permission given by Meriwether to the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence", as well as a "drag queen" show and a local homosexual "leather S/M group" to use the parish facilities. The parish is notorious as San Francisco's most "gay" Catholic church. In early October, at a Mass at the parish, Archbishop Niederauer was filmed giving Communion to a member of the 'Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence' (SPI) an anti-Catholic homosexual activist group, and later was forced to publicly apologise after the video was posted to the internet. Niederauer claimed that he had not realised that the "strangely dressed person" at the Mass was a member of the homosexual activist group that wears bizarre parodies of nuns' habits and campaigns against Catholic teaching on marriage, sexuality and chastity. Photographs posted to the parish website show that an annual group of MHR parishioners takes part in the Gay Pride parade, complete with t-shirts identifying them as well as a parish banner. The photo gallery includes pictures of a priest, dressed in Mass vestments, blessing the parish's Gay Pride participants. Gonzales asks the Archbishop "for the sake of their souls and the souls of those Catholics worldwide who have been scandalized," that he state formally that membership in SPI, or any similar organisation, is "incompatible with the Catholic Faith". Unless its members "repent", he says, and leave the organisation and the homosexual lifestyle accompanying it, they should "under no circumstances...be admitted to Holy Communion". In the Catholic Church, reception of Communion is a sign of the person's complete and unreserved agreement with all of the Church's teaching. The Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law places the final authority for all such matters in the hands of the local bishop. Gonzales says, "We, the Faithful have the right to demand that you do your Episcopal duty and publicly reiterate the position of the Church that homosexual advocacy groups cannot meet in or use any facility of the Archdiocese." In an interview, a spokesman for the Archdiocese told LifeSiteNews that the parish's active involvement as a centre of the San Francisco homosexual community is "no secret." Indeed, documents available to the public on the parish website make it clear that neither Fr. Meriwether nor parish council members have any qualms about their parish being so closely involved in the homosexual movement's agenda. Biographies of council members posted to the website show that at least two of the members of the parish council are active homosexuals. One parish council member, Catherine Cunningham, is described as being together with "her partner Roz Gallo" as "members of the parish for over 20 years." Another parish council member, Les Young is described as having been a "Eucharistic minister" and lector: "He and his partner Michael Amaro, have been active parishioners at MHR for 16 years." The bio of council member Matt Dorsey also shows the wide influence of the parish with. Dorsey is highly placed in the city administration as communications director for San Francisco City attorney Dennis Herrera. The website says Dorsey "has been among the organizers of MHR's contingent in past years' LGBT Pride Parades... He was among the participants in the LGBT-positive prayer service broadcast by the BBC earlier this year". To express concerns: His Excellency The Most Reverend Pietro Sambi Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Apostolic Nunciature 3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008-3687 phone: 202-333-7121 fax: 202-337-4036 Cardinal William J. Levada Prefect; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [Secretary: Most Rev. Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B.] Piazza del S. Uffizio 11 00l93 Rome, Italy Europe phone: 011.39.06.69.88.33.57 phone: 011.39.06.69.88.34.13 fax: 011.39.06.69.88.34.09 email: cdf@cfaith.va

Sex abuse in public school epidemic Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:30 am (GMT -5) http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/11/attorney_says_sexual_abuse_in.php Attorney says sexual abuse in schools is epidemic Rusty Pugh and Jody Brown OneNewsNow.com November 1, 2007 An attorney who investigates cases of sexual abuse in schools says there's an epidemic of sexual crimes in America's public schools, but the problem is largely ignored. The findings of a seven-month investigation by Associated Press reporters reveal that from 2001 to 2005, the teaching credentials of more than 2,500 educators nationwide were revoked, denied, surrendered, or sanctioned following allegations of sexual misconduct. The investigation, chronicled by the news agency in a mid-October report, states that young people were the victims in at least 1,801 of the cases -- and more than 80 percent of those were students. However, AP says that during its investigation, it found a "deeply entrenched resistance" toward recognizing and fighting that sexual abuse -- from teachers and school administrators who wish to avoid lawsuits, to the halls of state capitals and Congress where lawmakers are hesitant to disparage an otherwise honorable and vital profession. The result, says Associated Press, is that very few abusers get caught -- and often are allowed to exit a district quietly, only to show up in another school district. That dynamic, says the report, is so commonplace that it has its own nicknames -- "passing the trash" or the "mobile molester." (Read the AP report) Mary Jo McGrath is a Santa Barbara, California-based attorney who investigates abuse and misconduct in schools, and conducts seminars to teach schools and parents how to recognize the signs that abuse may be taking place. McGrath says there are 17,500 school districts in the U.S. -- and she estimates that with the staggering number of sexual abuse cases being reported, it averages about one perpetrator per school. According to the attorney, the problem is largely ignored because society as a whole does not want to confront something so repulsive. "If you look at where the sexual abuse is most prevalent, it's in the home -- and we don't want to deal with that. It's just a topic that's so repulsive to us that we shut down," she says. "The same phenomenon takes place in schools. We cannot believe that the person with the friendly smile who we see in the supermarket and may even go to church with -- [we can't believe] that teacher is also an abuser." McGrath says most abusers are not shadowy figures lurking in dark corners, but often are friendly, well-liked members of the community. AP's investigation bears that out, noting that the perpetrators it found included teachers, school psychologists, principals, and superintendents who are often popular, recognized for excellence, and (in almost 90 percent of the cases) male.

USCCB committee election nears. Candidates listed. Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:21 am (GMT -5) http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2007/07-171.shtml Bishops To Elect Officers, Committee Chairs, Chairs-Elect WASHINGTON (October 31, 2007)—The U.S. bishops will elect their president, vice president, treasurer-elect and ten committee chairs and chairs-elect at the November meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 12-15 in Baltimore. The new president will succeed Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, who completes his three-year term at the meeting. His successor assumes the presidency at the end of the meeting. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago completes his term as vice president at the November meeting. In addition to leading a committee, each chairman also is a member of the USCCB Administrative Committee, which carries on the work of the Conference between its plenary assemblies. Terms are for three years but under a current reorganization, terms of office for committee chairs are for either two or three years to prevent a complete change every three years. Plans call for one-third of the committee chairs to change annually. The slates of candidates follow: President and Vice President: Bishop Gregory M. Aymond of Austin, Texas Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Duluth, Minnesota Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pennsylvania Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, California Treasurer-elect: Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church (chairman, for a two-year term) Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Monterey, California Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio Committee on National Collections (chairman, for a two-year term) Bishop Ronald P. Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana Archbishop John G. Vlazny of Portland, Oregon Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth (chairman, for a three-year term) Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI, of Anchorage, Alaska Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Fort Worth, Texas Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (chairman, for a three-year term) Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston Bishop George L. Thomas of Helena, Montana Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, chairman-elect Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago Committee on Catholic Education, chairman-elect Bishop Thomas J. Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles Bishop Walter J. Edyvean, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, chairman-elect Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange, California Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, chairman-elect Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland in Maine Bishop Richard E. Pates, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis Committee on International Justice and Peace, chairman-elect Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, chairman-elect Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota

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