Stati Uniti
California dioceses expect subpoenas in priest investigation

Crux

Half of California’s Catholic dioceses expect to be subpoenaed by the state attorney general as part of an investigation into whether they have properly handled allegations of sexual abuse by priests, a church spokesman said Tuesday. The subpoenas are expected for the six dioceses that have already been voluntarily providing documents since May, church spokesman Kevin Eckery said. They are the archdioceses of Los Angeles and San Francisco and the dioceses of Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose and Orange. Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office sent letters to all 12 dioceses in May asking them to voluntarily retain documents related to the abuse allegations that have forced the Church to pay hundreds of millions (...)

Stati Uniti

La foto de un pesebre de una iglesia de California ha dado la vuelta al mundo

BBC

Cuando la reverenda Karen Clark publicó en su Facebook la foto del pesebre, las llamadas y comentarios no hicieron sino crecer. En ella, se ve a los protagonistas del pesebre navideño separados por jaulas. Minutos después de que llegara a las redes sociales, la instalación de la pequeña iglesia metodista de Claremont, cerca de Ontario, California, se hizo viral por todo Estados Unidos. En solo un día, la foto fue compartida 15.000 veces y recibió 4.000 comentarios. (...)

Stati Uniti
Greta Thunberg is Time's 2019 Person of the Year
Nbc News

(Safia Samee Ali) Greta Thunberg, the soft-spoken Swedish teen who became a global conscience for climate change and environmental activism, has been named Time’s Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2019.The magazine announced 16-year old Thunberg as its choice Wednesday exclusively on "TODAY.""She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year, coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement," Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal told "TODAY," adding that Thunberg is the magazine's youngest choice ever to be named Person of the Year(...)

Mondo
(Stati Uniti) North Carolina priest put on leave after abuse allegation reported
The Washington Post

(Michelle Boorstein) A priest at St. Matthew in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the country's biggest Catholic parishes, was put on leave Monday following a report that he sexually abused a minor 25 years ago, before he became a priest. The Rev. Patrick Hoare denied the charge of abuse in Pennsylvania, which the alleged victim reported Sunday to the diocese, according to a statement by Bishop Peter Jugis. The Catholic magazine America in 2017 profiled the parish, calling it the largest in the country with 10,000 registered households. Jugis said the accuser told the diocese he has been in touch with police and social services, according to the statement. The diocese will cooperate with police (...)

- (Stati Uniti) Priest at Ballantyne parish on administrative leave after sex abuse allegation (wsoctv)
- (Timor Orientale) Padre americano em prisão preventiva em Timor-Leste por abuso sexual de crianças  (Sapo)
- (Spagna) El obispo de Solsona revela que dos curas abusaron de ocho menores entre los años 50 y 70  (20minutos) 

Stati Uniti
Sparatoria in New Jersey, il cardinale Tobin: «Eventi orribili e tragici»
RomaSette

Iniziata nell’ambito di un’operazione di polizia la sparatoria di ieri pomeriggio, 10 dicembre, a Jersey City, non lontano da New York. Il bilancio, secondo le fonti di polizia citate dalla Nbc, sarebbe di almeno 6 morti: i due sospetti aggressori, tre civili e un poliziotto. Si contano anche tre feriti, tra cui un altro agente di polizia, che comunque non è in pericolo di vita. (...)

Stati Uniti

Trump expected to sign order to foster probes of anti-Semitism on campus

The Washington Post

President Trump plans to sign an executive order Wednesday that defines the Jewish people as a nationality for purposes of federal civil rights law, an effort to step up enforcement against episodes of anti-Semitism on college campuses, two administration officials said. Defining Jewish people as an ethnic group and not just a religious one allows the government to consider discrimination against the group as a violation of a key civil rights law. That means schools could lose federal funding if they fail to combat discrimination against Jewish students. “There’s been a lot of unclarity surrounding the application of Title VI to Jewishness, basically, because of a question of about whether Jewishness is primarily a religion — in which case Title VI (...)

Stati Uniti

Obispos de Estados Unidos aprueban $830.000 en Subvenciones para Proyectos Pastorales en Apoyo a la Iglesia en África
USCCB

[Text: Español, English]

El Subcomité para la Iglesia en África de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB) aprobó 36 subvenciones por un total de $832.500 en fondos para apoyar conferencias de obispos, diócesis y proyectos pastorales en todo el continente africano. 
"Me complace anunciar nuestro apoyo a la Iglesia en África, que a pesar de los grandes desafíos, continúa creciendo y acercando a las personas de todo el continente a Cristo", dijo el cardenal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., de Newark, presidente del Subcomité para la Iglesia en África de USCCB.

Stati Uniti
RealClear Poll: Where US Catholics Stand
NC Register

(Matthew Bunson) The new poll released today finds a deep divide between Catholics who are active in the practice of the faith and those who are not. As Catholics in the United States head into an election year, and into a new decade, many questions are being asked about the state of the faithful — and a new poll released Dec. 9 provides powerful insights into this critical matter. And among the most pressing questions are not only where Catholics stand on current political affairs, but also how they are living — or not living — their Catholic faith and how this guides their participation in American elections and culture. To find out the answers, EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research have partnered to conduct four opinion polls measuring the attitudes of Catholic voters (...)

Stati Uniti
US priests describe turmoil amid sex abuse crisis
NC Reporter - Ap

(David Crary) More than a century ago, waves of Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Poland and Quebec settled in Chicopee and other western Massachusetts mill towns, helping build churches, rectories and schools to accommodate their faith. Today the priests leading those churches are under siege due to stresses, challenges and sex abuse scandals complicating their lives and those of their fellow priests across the United States. Fr. Mark Stelzer is among those trying to persevere. (...)

Stati Uniti
New poll shows how Catholics view the 2020 election

CNA

Less than a year before the 2020 presidential election, a landmark poll of both Catholic and non-Catholic voters found that Catholics largely align with other American voters, representing a broad diversity of political perspectives and plans for the upcoming national election. The poll, conducted Nov. 15-21 by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News, surveyed 2,055 registered voters; 1,223 of them self-identified as Catholic. Poll findings offer new insights into how Catholics plan to vote and what issues they value. Since the “Catholic vote” generally tracks with the outcomes of national elections, the data likely offers insights into the direction campaigns could take and the issues that might be prioritized, especially in the weeks leading to the first presidential nominating contest, the Iowa caucus, scheduled Feb. 3, 2020. (...)

Stati Uniti

Reforma de inmigración: entre prioridades del nuevo presidente de USCCB

CNS

(Chaz Muth) No sorprende a cualquiera que ha seguido al arzobispo de Los Ángeles José H. Gómez, que la reforma de inmigración esté a la cabeza de su lista de prioridades como presidente recién electo de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE.UU. “Es algo en lo que he estado trabajando por casi 25 a 30 años”, dijo el arzobispo Gómez a Catholic News Service (CNS) durante la reunión general de otoño de los obispos de Estados Unidos que tuvo lugar del 11 al 13 de noviembre en Baltimore. El 12 de noviembre, el cuerpo de los obispos lo eligió como su líder por un periodo de tres años y es el primer latino en asumir la presidencia de la USCCB. El arzobispo Gómez ha servido como vicepresidente de la conferencia desde 2016. Sucede en la presidencia al cardenal Daniel N. DiNardo de Galveston-Houston. Su gestión empezó al concluir la reunión. (...)

Stati Uniti
Head of liturgy commission criticizes Amazon synod on social media
NC Reporter

(Heidi Schlumpf) The priest who heads the international Vatican group that prepares English liturgical translations has criticized the recent synod for the Amazon in a series of social media posts. "I, Andrew Raymond Wadsworth, do not wish to belong to the new idolatrous Pachamama Church currently being brought into being," said an Oct. 26 post on a Facebook account with the priest’s name. That post was accompanied by a picture of Jesus on a throne, with the words "Christus Vincit. Christus Regnat. Christus Imperat"— Latin for "Christ conquers. Christ reigns. Christ commands.” (...)

Stati Uniti
In scandalized Buffalo diocese, bishop seeks victims’ voices

CNA

Efforts to recover from clergy sex abuse scandals in Buffalo require listing to victims and others affected by the diocese’s handling of abuse, the apostolic administrator of the Buffalo diocese Bishop Edward Scharfenberger has said. “I know there’s a lot of pain. I know that pain sometimes presents itself first as anger,” Bishop Scharfenberger said in opening remarks at a Dec. 7 symposium at Canisius College in Buffalo. “We can’t deny the fact that there is a lot of anger and frustration. Maybe in our personal lives but also in those who expect much of us as leaders to be able to help them find a way out of the darkness that they have experienced,” he continued. (...)

Mondo
(Stati Uniti) Strongsville priest charged for possession of child pornography receives $50,000 bond

news5cleveland.com

A Catholic priest from Strongsville who was arrested last week for allegedly possessing child pornography was arraigned in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Monday. Reverend Robert McWillams was arrested Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church for allegedly possessing child porn. According to the criminal complaint against McWilliams, he was in possession of child pornography three separate times—the first instance in 2016, again in 2018 and then one more just this year. At his arraignment Monday morning, bond for McWilliams was set at $50,000, and he was appointed a public defender by the court. The conditions of his release include supervision by the court and GPS monitoring.

- (Stati Uniti) Priest at Ballantyne parish on administrative leave after sex abuse allegation (wsoctv)
- (Stati Uniti) After second abuse allegation, priest found unsuitable for ministry (catholicphilly)
- (Stati Uniti) N.J. priest who used to teach on S.I. faces child sex assault charges in Mass (silive)
- (Stati Uniti) Montco Priest Removed After 2nd Abuse Allegation, 30 Years Later (patch.com)
- (Canada) Montreal church leaders ignored warnings about priest convicted of sex crimes (cbc.ca)
- (Stati Uniti) NY Giants chaplain subject of latest sex abuse lawsuit against Newark Archdiocese (eu.mycentraljersey.com)
- (Francia) L’évêque du Mans suspend un prêtre de l’Emmanuel (sarthecatholique.fr)
- (Stati Uniti) Charlotte priest placed on leave as old allegation of sexual abuse with minor surfaces (charlotteobserver)
- (Stati Uniti) Diocese of Bridgeport Places Priest on Leave After Allegations of Abuse (nbcc)

Nicaragua
Mons. Baez ha celebrato la festa dell’Immacolata con la comunità nicaraguense di Miami
Fides

Mons. Silvio José Baez, Vescovo ausiliare di Managua, che attualmente risiede in Vaticano, è stato invitato dalla parrocchia di Sant’Agata a Miami (USA) a celebrare la festa dell'Immacolata Concezione di Maria, l'otto dicembre. E' stato accolto da centinaia di nicaraguensi che abitano lì e che mantengono inalterate le loro consuetudini religiose. La festa della "Purissima", come viene chiamata in Nicaragua l’Immacolata Concezione, infatti è molto sentita e viene celebrata con devozione e grande festa in tutto il paese. (...)

Stati Uniti
US Catholic Priests Describe Turmoil Amid Sex Abuse Crisis

The New York Times - Ap

More than a century ago, waves of Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Poland and Quebec settled in Chicopee and other western Massachusetts mill towns, helping build churches, rectories and schools to accommodate their faith. Today the priests leading those churches are under siege due to stresses, challenges and sex abuse scandals complicating their lives and those of their fellow priests across the United States. The Rev. Mark Stelzer is among those trying to persevere. He's a professor at a Roman Catholic college in Chicopee, and its chaplain. He travels frequently to out-of-state events organized by a Catholic addiction-treatment provider, recounting his own recovery from alcoholism. (...)

Stati Uniti
The dangers of undoing the evolved strength of the papacy
NC Reporter

(Michael Sean Winters) Last week, the Lumen Christi Institute at the University of Chicago hosted an event about church governance entitled "The Open Question of Church Polity: Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II." I was not able to find video of the event yet, but in searching for it, I came across video of an event sponsored by Lumen Christi last year that touched on the same theme but with a more explicit focus on Vatican I. (...)

Stati Uniti
Survey: Americans dissatisfied with bishops’ response to sex abuse crisis

CNA

Americans largely disapprove of the way the U.S. bishops have handled the sex abuse scandal in the U.S. Catholic Church, a new survey has found. A majority said their trust in the leadership of the Church has been damaged by the abuse crisis. The poll was conducted by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News. It surveyed 2,055 registered voters from Nov. 15-21. Among other questions, participants were asked about their impressions of how Church leaders have acted in response the clerical sex abuse crisis of the last 18 months. (...)

Stati Uniti
Abortion: justices permit Kentucky law that requires doctors to show pregnant women ultrasounds
The Guardian

(Jessica Glenza) The supreme court left in place a Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients before abortions on Monday. -- The justices refused to review an appeals court ruling that upheld the law, and did not comment further. The move is seen as a victory for the anti-abortion movement in the US.o (...) 

(fr) Avortement: la Cour suprême laisse en vigueur une loi restrictive  (afp - La Presse)

Mondo
(Stati Uniti) Catholic priest with local ties investigated for misconduct with women

kbtx.com

A Catholic priest with local ties is currently under investigation following reports of misconduct in which he is accused of breaching both physical and emotional boundaries with several adult women and at least one female youth. Father Michael Sullivan, a member of the Legionaries of Christ, has admitted to violating the organization's "Christ Code of Conduct" on more than one occasion beginning in 2013, according to an internal memo obtained by News 3's Rusty Surette. The Legionaries of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and men studying for the priesthood. (...)

- (Spagna) La Iglesia reacciona tras los numerosos casos de pederastia: El Obispo de Ourense aparta a un sacerdote investigado por abusos sexuales (elcierredigital)
- (Stati Uniti) Philly Priest accused of child molestation found ‘unsuitable for ministry’ (inquirer)
 - (Stati Uniti) Archdiocese Of Philadelphia: Priest Returned To Duty Now Declared ‘Unsuitable’ (cbs)
- (Stati Uniti) Child abuse allegations made against priest in Danbury, diocese says (ctpost)
- (Argentina) El abogado de las víctimas de abuso del cura Lorenzo aseguró que las pruebas son irrefutables (grupoprovincia)