A call comes into the parish office.
"Hello, may I help you?"
"Yes, I just saw on TV that they were celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi."
"Yes."
"Just one question. Who was he?"
Ya' gotta love the people of God.
4 years ago
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
The cynical may find this surprising...
STATEMENT OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO REGARDING
IMPORTANT ILLINOIS APPELLATE COURT DECISION
June 10, 2009
Today, the Illinois Appellate Court held that, under the First Amendment, two individuals who brought child sexual abuse allegations to the Archdiocese of Chicago Review Board could not be sued for defamation by the accused priest.
The Archdiocese of Chicago supports this important decision regarding the protection of children. The Court agreed with the Archdiocese that a person has the right to bring child sexual abuse allegations to the Review Board without fear of a defamation lawsuit.
Equally important, the Court reaffirmed that, under the First Amendment, a church has the exclusive right to determine for itself who shall be its ministers and to communicate freely in making that determination.
The case is Stepek v. Doe, et al., No. 1-08-2140 (Illinois Appellate Court, First District, June 10, 2009).
IMPORTANT ILLINOIS APPELLATE COURT DECISION
June 10, 2009
Today, the Illinois Appellate Court held that, under the First Amendment, two individuals who brought child sexual abuse allegations to the Archdiocese of Chicago Review Board could not be sued for defamation by the accused priest.
The Archdiocese of Chicago supports this important decision regarding the protection of children. The Court agreed with the Archdiocese that a person has the right to bring child sexual abuse allegations to the Review Board without fear of a defamation lawsuit.
Equally important, the Court reaffirmed that, under the First Amendment, a church has the exclusive right to determine for itself who shall be its ministers and to communicate freely in making that determination.
The case is Stepek v. Doe, et al., No. 1-08-2140 (Illinois Appellate Court, First District, June 10, 2009).
Tough times make for tough decisions...
How we react to adversity forces us to face up to who we are and what we really value. Oft-times that might leave us feeling disappointed in ourselves.
I was caught by a story in the New York Times about the difficult decision forced upon Reed College in Portland, Oregon due to the economic downturn.
After reviewing grades, scores and essays, the admissions team had decided upon the makeup of their freshman class for the fall. Then financial realities set in. It seemed that there were more students in need of financial aid than there was aid available. So before acceptance letters were sent out, the director of financial aid informed the team that they needed to reduce the number of students who require financial aid in favor of students who have the resources to pay the full tuition. Deserving students will be denied admission strictly on the basis of their need.
I am heartened that the college officials recognize and anguish over the choice they have been forced to make.
I was caught by a story in the New York Times about the difficult decision forced upon Reed College in Portland, Oregon due to the economic downturn.
After reviewing grades, scores and essays, the admissions team had decided upon the makeup of their freshman class for the fall. Then financial realities set in. It seemed that there were more students in need of financial aid than there was aid available. So before acceptance letters were sent out, the director of financial aid informed the team that they needed to reduce the number of students who require financial aid in favor of students who have the resources to pay the full tuition. Deserving students will be denied admission strictly on the basis of their need.
I am heartened that the college officials recognize and anguish over the choice they have been forced to make.
The whole idea of excluding a student simply because of money clashed with the college’s ideals, Leslie Limper, the aid director, acknowledged. “None of us are very happy,” she said, adding that Reed did not strike anyone from its list last year and that never before had it needed to weed out so many worthy students. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still doing this.”
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Are we that bad!?
BBC World News today reported that United States prisons hold 25% of the total prisoners in the world. The land of the free is home to greatest number of prisoners. The war on drugs, 3-strike laws and mandatory sentencing are pointed to as major reason behind the large prison population.
Whatever the reasons, the raw numbers certainly give me pause.
Whatever the reasons, the raw numbers certainly give me pause.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It may look bad... but it's legal
The extremes we went to to justify "enhanced interrogations techniques" tortures legal interpretation as much as the language. At least the lawyers agreed on the legality of the techniques even if some recognized the public relations pitfalls (if not the moral ones) that using such techniques would entail. Story here.
I wonder if the lawyers who convicted Japanese officers as war criminals following WWII also found such techniques legal.
I wonder if the lawyers who convicted Japanese officers as war criminals following WWII also found such techniques legal.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
It's not just a Catholic thing...
New York State Assemblywoman Margaret Markey amended her bill on the sexual abuse of children to include those who were molested in public school and not just private institutions.
Revelations of abuse that had taken place in Catholic institutions have been prominent in the headlines for years. What has received little notice has been the rates of abuse in other churches and in public institutions, as if child sexual abuse were simply a Catholic problem. The scandal in the church is not that Catholic clergy were guilty of child sexual abuse at a rate greater than that of society as a whole, but that the clergy abused at almost the same rate as is witnessed in society as a whole. One story here.
Assemblywoman Markey’s bill allows for a one year suspension of the statute of limitations, thus permitting anyone to file a claim regardless of when the abuse occurred. If this bill were to pass, the rate of child sexual abuse in public schools which has been a dirty little secret, may finally be made plainly evident.
I in no way wish to minimize the sufferings of those who were abused by Catholic clergy, however I feel it is important for society as a whole to face up to the reality of sexual abuse in society and recognize that this is a societal and not strictly Catholic problem. All the victims have a right to healing.
Revelations of abuse that had taken place in Catholic institutions have been prominent in the headlines for years. What has received little notice has been the rates of abuse in other churches and in public institutions, as if child sexual abuse were simply a Catholic problem. The scandal in the church is not that Catholic clergy were guilty of child sexual abuse at a rate greater than that of society as a whole, but that the clergy abused at almost the same rate as is witnessed in society as a whole. One story here.
Assemblywoman Markey’s bill allows for a one year suspension of the statute of limitations, thus permitting anyone to file a claim regardless of when the abuse occurred. If this bill were to pass, the rate of child sexual abuse in public schools which has been a dirty little secret, may finally be made plainly evident.
I in no way wish to minimize the sufferings of those who were abused by Catholic clergy, however I feel it is important for society as a whole to face up to the reality of sexual abuse in society and recognize that this is a societal and not strictly Catholic problem. All the victims have a right to healing.
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