Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock Updates List of Priests Credibly Accused of Abuse of Minors

This is another footnote to my posting two days ago entitled "As Catholic Dioceses Release Lists of Priests Credibly Accused of Abuse of Minors, Important Things to Watch for: The Case of Arkansas." In that posting, I told you that Father Bede Mitchell, OSB, of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, was listed by the Fort Worth diocese in its recent list of priests credibly accused of abuse of minors, but was not listed on the list of credibly accused priests released by the diocese of Little Rock last year.

Michael Iafrate on How Jurisdictional Mentality Protects Abusive Priests by Hiding Cross-Diocesan Connections in Lists of Abusive Priests

This is a follow-up/companion piece to what I posted two days ago about lists of priests credibly accused of abusing minors which are now being compiled and published by many Catholic dioceses* across the U.S. (and by some religious orders). As I noted in that posting, as more and more Catholic dioceses (and some religious communities) release names of priests credibly accused of abusing minors, it's important that we monitor those lists to spot "cross-pertinent" information that may be omitted from any given list. In many cases, priests named in one place have also had pastoral assignments in other places.

German Catholic Bishops on Abuse: Church Is at "Point of No Return" and Has Been Exposed as "Perpetrator Organization" — What Now?

Christa Pongratz-Lippitt, "Bishops must open archives to 'independent experts'":

"A Broad, Deep, Clerical Conspiracy" and "Bishop Accountability Has Proved a Contradiction in Terms": More Commentary

And there's more: here's another diptych from recent commentary that I want to offer for your consideration — about a totally different topic than the one discussed in the diptych I just provided in my previous posting:

Commentary: Political Fall-Out as Catholic Bishops Face Reckoning for Covering Abuse Crimes; German Catholic Discussion of Bible and Homosexuality

More commentary today that catches my attention, and is especially interesting when read side by side: 

Patricia Miller, "Is This Finally the Reckoning for the Catholic Church on Sexual Abuse?":

As Papal Visit to Ireland Nears, More Commentary on Abuse Crimes in Church: Cover-Up Directed from "Central Command and Control, Which Is the Vatican"

This is powerful! : Names of 796 Tuam Babies written on white sheets and brought to Galway church #Stand4Truth (via @thejournal_ie) https://t.co/IGQFluADTF

— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) August 17, 2018

Gerry Moriarty, "Pope Francis should cancel Irish visit, says Belfast priest":

Now This: Wuerl Withdraws from World Meeting of Families

Now there's this: as Patsy McGarry reported several hours ago, Cardinal Wuerl has withdrawn from the World Meeting of Families:

A Cardinal who was heavily criticised for his handling of child sexual abuse allegations in the Pennsylvania grand jury report has withdrawn from a scheduled appearance at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next week, it has been confirmed. 

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, was due to give the keynote address, entitled “The Welfare of the Family is Decisive for the Future of the World,” in the RDS at 2.30pm next Wednesday. 

No reason has been provided for the decision.

On criticisms of Colm O'Gorman of Amnesty International Ireland of plans for Wuerl to offer a keynote address on families, see my posting earlier today. 

Colm O'Gorman on Wuerl as Keynote Speaker in World Meeting of Families: Will Speak on "Welfare of the Family is Decisive for the Future of the World"

Read this. This man reappointed known serial child abusers to ministry. Cardinal Wuerl will give the keynote address in the RDS at 2.30pm next Wednesday afternoon, on “The Welfare of the Family is Decisive for the Future of the World”. #Stand4Truth https://t.co/5Lp14NqlAc

— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) August 18, 2018

Colm O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, comments this morning on what the Pennsylvania report tells us about Cardinal Wuerl, and about Wuerl's upcoming address on the "welfare of the family" at the World meeting of Families. He also reminds us of who made Wuerl a cardinal — Benedict XVI, who had previously headed the CDF, to which all cases of clerical sexual abuse are required by church law to be reported. So that Benedict had full knowledge of what Wuerl had covered up when he made Wuerl a cardinal:

USCCB, Delete Your Account: Lay Catholics Respond to Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report

USCCB, delete your account. https://t.co/dkvQTJPfiO

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) August 16, 2018

More Commentary on Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, as Vatican Sends Thoughts and Prayers

Elizabeth Bruenig, "Evil walked the earth in Pennsylvania":

That there should be mass defrockings is obvious. That there should also be a swath of criminal convictions also seems beyond question….Evil is real, and it walked the earth in Pennsylvania. It entered through our church doors.

Valuable Commentary on Pennsylvania Report: "Spokesperson for the Vatican Reached Wednesday Morning Said It 'Has No Comment'"

Valuable commentary I've read in the past two days about the Pennsylvania grand jury report:

Rita Ferrone on Responding to the McCarrick Story: "What Will the People Calling for These Investigations Do if Pope Saint John Paul II Is Implicated?"

A statement well worth reading, which has even more weight following yesterday's release of the Pennsylvania grant jury report (I think that Rita Ferrone likely wrote this essay before yesterday's revelations). She's thinking through how to respond to the McCarrick story, and cautions against a juridical-legal approach to the mess the hierarchy has made of itself and the church it claims to represent in a unique, top-down way. Rita Ferrone cautions against a juridical-legal approach to this mess, as in a formal investigation to get to the bottom (or is top a better word here?) of the mess.

More Initial Impressions of Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report: "They Hid It All"

More first impressions:

Initial Impressions of Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report: "They Hid It All"

I have not yet read the Pennsylvania grand jury report. I am reading news coverage now. Here are some initial top-of-the-head responses:

Laurie Goodstein on Why the Catholic Abuse Story Remains a Story (and Minnesota Survivor Megan Peterson Files Lawsuit As Her Abuser Father Jeyapaul Is Returned to Ministry)

Recommended: New York Times reporter Laurie Goodstein's "Times Insider" report today on why the sex abuse story in the Catholic church remains a story. Be sure to listen to the podcast discussion between Goodstein and Susan Lehman about Goodstein's report.

Quote for Day: Events at McGuffey High School Are a "Reminder That Large-Scale Successes Like Those Expected with Same-Sex Marriage at the Supreme Court . . . Will Not End the Struggle for LGBTQ Acceptance"

J. Bryan Lowder writing at Slate about an "anti-gay day" organized by some students last week at McGuffey High School in Claysville, Pennsylvania, in which it's reported that these students posted bible verses on gay students' lockers, harassed them verbally and physically, and allegedly created a "lynch list" targeting gay students:

Gay Music Director of Parish Who Marries? Scandal; Priests Who Engage in Sexual Improprieties Sitting on Marriage Tribunals? Not So Much

How's this for news? A headline in yesterday's Star Tribune (Minneapolis) reads, "Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis Assigns Accused Priests to Marriage Annulment Panel." Jean Hopfensperger reports that the marriage tribunal for the archdiocese, which makes rulings on the fate of the troubled marriages of Catholics who turn to the tribunal for annulments, has had sitting on its judgment bench priests known to have engaged in sexual improprieties.

Droppings from the Catholic Birdcage: "How Could a Catholic Priest with Such a History End Up As Second in Command of a Diocese—in 2014?"

At Commonweal, Grant Gallicho examines the curious case of Father Carlos Urrutigoity, who was removed by the Vatican in July from his position as vicar general in the diocese of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. In defending Urrutigoity and the decision of Ciudad del Este bishop Rogelio Livieres to make him vicar general of the diocese despite repeated (and seemingly credible) allegations that he had sexually abused minors and seminarians, diocesan officials state that Urrutigoity came to Ciudad del Este with the recommendation of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI.

Catholic News Service on Arkansas Same-Sex Marriages: "Several Marriage Licenses Were Issued"; and Pennsylvania Governor Refuses to Appeal Ruling

It's interesting, isn't it, to read Catholic News Service's Pravda-like distortions of the truth (via National Catholic Reporter!), as CNS does everything short of standing on its head to convey the U.S. bishops' party line on same-sex marriage: Same-sex marriage is a mistake! Travesty of justice!

Marriage Equality in the U.S.: Where Things Now Stand — Overviews from the Latest News

As Chris Morley points out in a comment here earlier today, I managed to photo-bomb the photo of the very first legal marriage license issued to a same-sex couple in Pennsylvania yesterday (Fred Clark alert!). It took some doing to hie me over to Pennsylvania and shove the court officer out of the way, but, hey, I'm a resourceful fellow.