East Texas Catholic

By Catholic News Service

SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) — The U.S. cardinal who succeeded Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Vatican doctrinal congregation said a recent news story and editorial in The New York Times about the pope’s handling of past sex abuse cases “are deficient by any reasonable standards of fairness.”

A lengthy critique by Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of a March 26 article by Laurie Goodstein and a related New York Times editorial was published March 30 on the Web site of Catholic San Francisco, archdiocesan newspaper. Cardinal Levada was archbishop of San Francisco until his 2005 Vatican appointment. (more…)

Read Full Post »

By Paula Beaton Catholic News Service

Bishop W. Michael Mulvey waves after being installed as the eighth bishop of Corpus Christi at Corpus Christi Cathedral March 25. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston is behind Bishop Mulvey. (CNS photo/Bahram Mark Sobhani)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CNS) — With a challenge to remember all he will serve, especially the “poor and the weak,” Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston ordained Bishop-designate W. Michael Mulvey to the episcopacy and installed him as the eighth bishop of Corpus Christi March 25.

More than 300 priests and 30 bishops, including Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, joined a congregation of nearly 1,200 in Corpus Christi Cathedral to celebrate the three-hour liturgy.

Many priests and parishioners from the Austin Diocese, the new bishop’s home diocese, were at the Mass.

Bishop Mulvey succeeds Bishop Edmond Carmody, 76, a native of Ireland who had served Corpus Christi for 10 years at the time of his retirement in January.

The transition of leadership was bittersweet as Bishop Carmody received a lengthy applause from the crowd and reiterated the words he said during his 2000 installation as head of the diocese.

“The pope could have sent you more a intelligent bishop, a better preacher, a better administrator, but he could not have sent you a bishop that would love you more,” he said. “I hope I have kept that promise. But then it was an easy promise to keep because you are a lovable crowd.” (more…)

Read Full Post »

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Benedict XVI greets people during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 31. (CNS photo/Paul Haring

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics to offer special prayers during Holy Week that their priests would be holy messengers of hope, reconciliation and peace.

During his weekly general audience March 31, the pope said the priests’ annual renewal of their vows was particularly significant during the Year for Priests, which ends in June.

In his remarks in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, the pope highlighted the importance of the Holy Week chrism Mass, during which priests gather with their bishop to bless the oils used in the sacraments and to renew their priestly promises.

Most dioceses celebrate the chrism Mass Thursday morning during Holy Week. The pope, speaking in Spanish, invited people to keep the priests in their prayers. (more…)

Read Full Post »

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican defended a decision not to laicize a Wisconsin priest who sexually abused deaf children, despite the recommendation of his bishop that he be removed from the priesthood.

In a statement responding to a report in The New York Times, the Vatican said that by the time it learned of the case in the late 1990s, the priest was elderly and in poor health. The Vatican eventually suggested that the priest continue to be restricted in ministry instead of laicized, and he died four months later, the Vatican said. (more…)

Read Full Post »

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News Service

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, talks with Catholic News Service in Washington March 23, shortly after President Barack Obama signed the new health reform package into law. (CNS/Bob Roller)

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops praised new health reform legislation for expanding health care to more Americans but said the bishops and the Catholic community will be watching closely to ensure that the new law does not expand federal funding of abortion.

“We are apprehensive as we look to the future, even as we applaud much of the increased care that will be available,” Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago told Catholic News Service March 23, shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“So we will watch basically and try to continue to enter into conversations as a moral voice — never as a political voice; we’ve been very careful to insist upon the moral principles that everybody should be cared for and no one should be deliberately killed,” he added.

Cardinal George acknowledged in the interview that “the unity of the church has been wounded” in various political actions and conversations surrounding the health reform debate. The USCCB opposed the Senate bill that passed the House March 21, while some Catholic groups and members of Congress supported it. (more…)

Read Full Post »