John L Allen Jr Weekly Column

Searching for the hows, whys of sex abuse

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:21:25 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Friday, July 18, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 43

This week, Benedict XVI once again finds himself in a nation whose Catholic community has been rocked by repeated sexual abuse scandals, and once again the pope appears determined not to duck the issue. As he did in his mid-April trip to the United States, Benedict addressed the crisis before he even arrived, taking a question aboard the papal plane en route to Australia for World Youth Day.

(Coverage of World Youth Day can be found here: http://ncrcafe.org/blog/2682)

'Kind' and 'reliable' Jesuit named to Vatican's top doctrinal post

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:08:48 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Friday, July 11, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 42

Last week brought a Vatican appointment that didn't exactly cut in the direction of what I call "affirmative orthodoxy," meaning Pope Benedict XVI's strong defense of the faith coupled with a gentle, positive style. Archbishop Raymond Burke, named as prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, instead has a profile as something of a cultural warrior.

This week Benedict XVI returned to form, with a nomination to a post arguably more consequential than Burke's. On Wednesday, the pope named Jesuit Fr. Luis Ladaria, a Spaniard, as secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

More on Burke’s move to Vatican court

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:33:01 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Thursday, July 3, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 42

Since news of St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke’s appointment as prefect of the Apostolic Signatura was announced June 27, I’ve received numerous telephone calls and e-mails, from both sides of the Atlantic, posing some version of the following question: Was this a case of what the Italians call promuovere per rimuovere … promoting someone in order to get rid of him?

It’s a reasonable question, given Burke’s profile as a lightning rod in St. Louis. Not only is he the American bishop most identified with the push to deny Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians, but he also engaged in very public spats involving rock star Sheryl Crow and basketball coach Rick Majerus. Basically his last act as archbishop was to issue canonical penalties for Sister of Charity Louise Lears for her support of women’s ordination. While most of Burke’s fellow bishops, and certainly the Vatican, would share the substance of his positions, not everyone applauds his pugnacious way of advancing them.

So, was this a face-saving way of easing Burke out?

'Setting our ecclesial gauges' and liturgical translation update

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:53:34 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Friday, June 27, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 41

Since Fr. Isaac Hecker founded the Paulist Fathers in 1858, they’ve been the quintessentially “American” religious community in the Catholic church. The Paulists’ core mission is evangelization, with special emphasis on ecumenism, inter-faith dialogue, and outreach to the alienated and the marginalized. They typically execute all of the above with panache, great balance, and a keen sense of humor.

Among other things, the Paulists run Santa Susanna in Rome, the American parish in the Eternal City. For several years, I distinguished myself as quite possibly the worst parish council member in Santa Susanna’s history. On one of the rare occasions when I actually managed to show up for a meeting, I found that I had been pre-listed as “absent” on the agenda. I’m now well on my way to replicating that dismal record as a board member of “Busted Halo,” a media ministry of the Paulists targeted at youth.

Three things to understand about the Legionaries of Christ

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:15:58 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Friday, June 20, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 40

Last week I published a lengthy, and remarkably candid, interview with Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore about a set of directives he’s issued for the Legionaries of Christ and their lay movement, Regnum Christi. Specifically, O’Brien demanded an accounting of all personnel and activities in his archdiocese from both groups, and he barred Legionaries and Regnum Christi members from one-on-one spiritual counseling with anyone under 18.

In our interview, O’Brien had some tough things to say, including his fear that the problems he sees in both groups are so “endemic” as to be essentially beyond correction. O’Brien said he hopes he’s wrong, but revealed that he had walked up to the brink of expelling the Legionaries and Regnum Christi from the archdiocese altogether, only to pull back after three Vatican cardinals asked him to give them another chance.

Report from the USCCB meeting in Orlando; bioethics; pastoral letter on marriage; this year's CTSA gathering

John L Allen Jr Weekly — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:39:14 -0400

All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.
	Friday, June 13, 2008 - Vol. 7, No. 39

I'm in Orlando this week, covering the spring meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Reports can be found under the "Daily Updates" section of this site at http://ncrcafe.org/blog/2682.