Cardinal Dolan says praying with officers at the 9/11 memorial was 'moving'

Spiritual Formation & The Sunday Law

NY Cardinal: Pope’s Affirming Comments to Gay Man Were ‘Conservative, Traditional, Catholic’

Victor J. Blue/Getty Images 23 May 2018

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has defended reported comments by Pope Francis to a gay Chilean man that “being gay doesn’t matter,” saying they represent “conservative” Catholic teaching.

In a reconstruction of his conversation with the pope, Juan Carlos Cruz, an alleged victim of clerical sex abuse, said that Francis told him, “Juan Carlos, you being gay doesn’t matter” during their meeting in April.

“God made you like this and loves you like this and it doesn’t matter to me. The pope loves you like this, you have to be happy with who you are,” he reportedly said.

Cruz is one of three victims of Father Fernando Karadima who were in Rome in late April for three days of meetings with Francis. His comments came in an interview published on Saturday with the Spanish daily El País.

Commenting on the news during his weekly radio show Tuesday, Cardinal Dolan said that it is hard to know with certainty exactly what was said, and that one would want “a little bit of ‘wait and see’ here, let’s see exactly what the Holy Father said.”

While noting he had no intention of questioning the young man’s sincerity, he did say it would be wise to “keep in mind we got it third-hand, so what the pope said to him, he said to the press, so one would want to get a clarification.”

It is of course possible that the pope used those very words but it is also possible that Mr. Cruz walked away with that message, but that the pope’s words were somewhat different, he suggested.

In his own reconstruction of the meeting, Cardinal Dolan said the conversation probably went something like this: “Well, God loves you and so do I.”

“What he says is beautiful,” Dolan said. “Jesus could have said that.”

“That’s sort of conservative, traditional, Catholic, orthodox teaching. The Catechism insists on that,” he added.

“Yes, yes, while any sexual expression outside of a man and woman in marriage is contrary to God’s purpose, so is not treating anyone, including a gay person, with anything less than dignity and respect,” he stated.

The cardinal tied the conversation back to the pope’s celebrated remark in 2013 “Who am I to judge?” in reference to gay individuals in the Church trying to live chaste lives.

“People thought this was revolutionary,” Dolan recalled. “What he would say today would be similar to what Jesus would say.”

“People don’t understand those teachings of the Church,” Dolan said.

The Catholic Church teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law.”

Men and women “who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies,” however, “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” the Catholic Catechism states.

“Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,” it concludes.

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan offers prayer at Inauguration Day 2017

PBS NewsHour



Published on Jan 20, 2017


Catholic archdiocese of New York Timothy Dolan offers a prayer at Inauguration Day 2017.

Archbishop Tim Dolan: Trump and Clinton prayed together before Al Smith Dinner

By CNN

Updated 2:48 PM EDT, Fri October 21, 2016

Story highlights

The dinner is a charity event that encourages self-deprecating remarks
"I don't mind telling you I was kind of nervous going into it," he said


(CNN)-
Days after a tense debate where the two leading presidential candidates did not even shake hands, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came together Thursday night to pray, Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan said Friday.

"When we were going in, I said could we pray together as we were waiting to be announced, and after the prayer, Mr. Trump turned to Secretary Clinton and said, 'You know, you are one tough and talented woman,'" Dolan told NBC's "Today." "Then he said this has been a good experience, this whole campaign, as tough as it's been. And she said, 'Donald, no matter what happens, we need to work together afterwards.'"

"I think this is the evening at its best," he added.

The Democratic and Republican Party's respective presidential nominee attended Thursday's Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a charity event that encourages self-deprecating remarks from its speakers. Al Smith, a Democrat, was the first Roman Catholic candidate to become a major party candidate for the presidency.

Some of Trump's jibes drew boos from the crowd at the event known more friendly jokes than conflict.

Dolan sat between Trump and Clinton at the white-tie dinner at the Waldorf Astoria.

"I don't mind telling you I was kind of nervous going into it. You know the nature of the Al Smith dinner. It's to be an evening of unity and friendship and joy," he said.

Dolan said he was very moved by the two candidates attempts at unity during a very divided time in the country.

"I was very moved by the obvious attempt on behalf of both Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump to be courteous, to get along, to say nice things privately to one another. I was very moved by that. That was pleasant," he said.

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P.S. Catholic Cardinal Dolan didn't specify;  But, more than likely Trump and Clinton prayed the ROSARY.

Highlights of Clinton and Trump at Al Smith Dinner

Highlights of Clinton and Trump at Al Smith Dinner

Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump at the Al Smith charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan on Thursday.
DAMON WINTER / THE NEW YORK TIMES

By ASHLEY PARKER and MATT FLEGENHEIMER
OCTOBER 20, 2016


Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trumpappeared together Thursday night for a ritzy gathering, delivering remarks at the white-tie Al Smith charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

In most presidential campaigns, the dinner, which benefits Roman Catholic charities, functions as a welcome respite, a forum for levity and self-deprecation in the throes of a heated election.

This year, it just so happens that two New Yorkers can also be found at the top of the ballot.

Here are the highlights:

• And so they came, in tails and fuchsia. The introduction of Melania Trump (sans pussybow), then Mrs. Clinton (to cheers and applause), then Mr. Trump (to slightly less effusive cheers, and scattered boos).

But the silver lining, at least to start: Mr. Trump was greeted far more warmly than Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was booed like Santa at an Eagles game.

• Just like in the last two debates, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump did not shake hands. Instead they beamed and ignored one another, until the evening’s M.C., Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, performed a veritable act of God — inserting himself between the two rivals, with no physical altercation.



• Alfred E. Smith IV, the chairman of the dinner, seemed to offer a preview of what may await Mr. Trump as he tries to return to New York society life should he not win the White House in November.

“Before the dinner started, Trump went to Hillary and asked how are you,” Mr. Smith said, setting up the punch line. “She said, ‘I’m fine — now get out of the ladies’ dressing room.’”

• After the king crab and tournedos had been served, Mr. Smith returned to his favorite comedic villains — The Trump team.


On former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is now a senior adviser on Mr. Trump’s campaign: “We have the lights just right to make sure you’ll be in Donald Trump’s shadow all night.”

And on Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who is running Mr. Trump’s transition effort: “Governor Christie was supposed to be here but he got stuck in bridge traffic.”

Finally, he turned the podium over to Mr. Trump. “No matter how the coin toss ended, our next speaker was going to say it was rigged,” Mr. Smith said, to laughter. “Donald, the microphone is yours and it’s working.”

• Mr. Trump seemed to miss the self-deprecation memo, at one point ending a sort-of-joke, comparing his Fifth Avenue tower to that of Cardinal Dolan’s — “I built mine with my own beautifully formed hands, whereas his was built with the hands of God” — by turning to the archbishop and asking, almost in earnest, “Nobody can compete with God, is that correct?”

But he hit his stride when he turned his attention to his Democratic rival. He joked that this intimate dinner with friends was, “as Hillary calls it, her largest crowd of the season.” And teased that Thursday evening marked, “The first time Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.”

• At least one of Mr. Trump’s usual rivals got a reprieve — Rosie O’Donnell — if only by comparison.

“Last night I called Hillary ‘a nasty woman’” Mr. Trump said, reprising a line from Wednesday’s debate that many found sexist and offensive. “But this stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and on, I don’t think so badly of Rosie O’Donnell anymore. In fact, I’m actually starting to like Rosie a lot.”

•After delivering a joke about his wife’s speech at the Republican National Convention that lifted lines from Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech that was widely praised — “My wife Melania gives the exact same speech and people get on her case, and I don’t get it!” — Mr. Trump descended into a series of dark jokes.

“Here she is in public, pretending not to hate Catholics,” Mr. Trump said, one of several quips that, near the end of his speech, led to him getting booed and jeered.

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Ahead of Al Smith Dinner, Cardinal Dolan says Hillary owes Catholics an apology

BREAKING Hillary defends partial birth abortion at beginning of third debateRead More




Cardinal Timothy Dolan speaks with a reporter after The Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner on Monday night in Colorado Springs.


NEWSCATHOLIC CHURCH, POLITICS - U.S.Wed Oct 19, 2016 - 5:30 pm EST
Ahead of Al Smith Dinner, Cardinal Dolan says Hillary owes Catholics an apology

Lisa Bourne


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, October 19, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – New York Cardinal Timothy Dolancalled for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to disassociate herself from anti-Catholic statements made by her campaign chairman and said the remarks were “extraordinarily patronizing and insulting to Catholics.”

Asked about the anti-Catholic comments after speaking at The Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner on Monday night for the Diocese of Colorado Springs, Cardinal Dolan suggested that had other faith traditions been the target of the prejudiced remarks, there would have been a swift apology and absolute disavowal of them.

But as far as an apology from Clinton for the remarks demeaning Catholics, “Hasn’t happened yet,” Cardinal Dolan said.

Emails released last week by WikiLeaks showed Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta and Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri, both Catholics, in conversations with activists from two left-wing organizations. In the emails, Catholics were debased, with their beliefs being called “severely backwards.” Conservative Catholics also were accused of “an amazing bastardization of the faith,” and Rupert Murdoch was mocked for baptizing his children as Catholics in the River Jordan.

The U.S. Church’s bishops were slammed in the emails as well, referred to as “a middle ages dictatorship.”

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Palmieri said in one of the emails she thought conservatives that had come to Catholicism did so because “they think it is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion,” and that “their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals.”

Podesta admitted to helping launch a “progressive” infiltration of the Church in another email, and he took an active role in attempting to incite a liberal Catholic revolt against the U.S. bishops.

“We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this,” Podesta wrote. “But I think it lacks the leadership to do so now. Likewise Catholics United. Like most Spring movements, I think this one will have to be bottom up.”

The “Catholic Spring” Podesta referred to had been broached in the email by Center for Progress President Sandy Newman, who had pondered, how one would "plant the seeds of the revolution," or “who would plant them.”

Newman wrote Podesta:

Hi John. This whole controversy with the bishops opposing contraceptive coverage even though 98% of Catholic women (and their conjugal partners) have used contraception has me thinking … There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church.

The statements "are just extraordinarily patronizing and insulting to Catholics,” Cardinal Dolantold ABC affiliate News Channel 13 on Monday.

“If it had been said about the Jewish community, if it had been said about the Islamic community, within 10 minutes there would have been an apology and a complete distancing from those remarks,” he continued.

“Hasn't happened yet,” he stated.

The cardinal, who is chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-LifeActivities, then said he’d like to see the Democratic candidate disassociate herself from the offending comments.

“I'm hoping that she's going to distance herself from these very insulting remarks by her chief of staff," Cardinal Dolan said.

He also told the news station that he trusts people to be guided by their moral convictions, and he expects people to be "acquainted with the issues."

The Clinton campaign has not acknowledged the anti-Catholic emails, though they have been played down by at least one Democratic operative and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, alsoa Catholic.

Catholics, some of who have also called for Podesta’s firing, have roundly criticized the email comments.Cardinal Timothy Dolan speaks with a reporter after The Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner on Monday night in Colorado Springs.


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In Era of Humble Pope, Earth Shifts Under Cardinal Dolan

By SHARON OTTERMAN

MAY 23, 2014

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, at Iona College’s graduation last week, is “giving himself a bit of a tuneup,” a papal historian says. CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times


Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan lives in a 19th-century Madison Avenue mansion that connects to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A cook and two housekeepers serve him and three other priests. A driver chauffeurs him around, though in a Chrysler minivan.
It is a comfortable, if not necessarily extravagant, lifestyle, one in keeping with that of past archbishops of New York. But in the age of Pope Francis, who has captured the world’s imagination by rejecting many luxurious trappings of the papacy, is the cardinal’s lifestyle humble enough?

The question is just one of many that Cardinal Dolan is contending with as he navigates the changes in the Roman Catholic world wrought by the election last year of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires.

RELATED COVERAGE

City Room: Cardinal Dolan Reflects on the ‘Pope Francis Effect’ in his Life and Work MAY 23, 2014

Some see the influence of Cardinal Dolan, once considered a possible candidate for pope himself, waning in the era of the new pontiff. With Francis upending conventions not just about the pomp and pageantry of the office but also about the expectations for his priests and bishops, the church has inarguably changed around Cardinal Dolan, even as he maintained last week that he has stayed more or less the same.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan says he has reflected upon Pope Francis’ call for bishops to act more like humble parish priests. CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

In a written response to a series of questions from The New York Times about Francis’ effect on him and the diocese, Cardinal Dolan said he did not believe he had altered how he ran the archdiocese, or made any adjustments in his personal habits. But some who study the Catholic Church say that they are beginning to detect subtle differences, at least in his public persona, as he seeks to adapt to the new spirit in Rome.

“He certainly is not doing a massive overhaul of his personality, but he is giving himself a bit of a tuneup,” said Christopher Bellitto, a papal historian at Kean University in New Jersey.

In the last years that Benedict XVI served as pope, Cardinal Dolan, 64, was America’s top bishop as the president of the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops. Ever the genial guardian of Catholic orthodoxy, he led the charge against the Obama administration’s efforts to require some religious employers to cover birth control for employees. Some church experts say he was also the go-to cardinal for many in the Vatican when they wanted to know what was going on in the American church.

Since then, Cardinal Dolan’s term as the bishops’ leader has ended. Francis is elevating different priorities, such as pastoral outreach to the poor and immigration, over the culture war issues of abortion and same-sex marriage. The new pope has selected as his closest American adviser Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, a Franciscan in robes and sandals who speaks fluent Spanish and champions the poor, appointing him to a privy council of eight cardinals.

To the powerful commission that selects the world’s bishops, Francis named Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, widely considered a moderate, to replace Cardinal Raymond Burke, a more conservative prelate who has advocated denying communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. Such moves are shifting the center of gravity of the American church.

Cardinal Dolan gave the commencement address at Iona College's graduation on May 17. In addition to local public service, the post of New York’s archbishop comes with national and international responsibilities. CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

“It’s not that he’s out of favor or irrelevant,” said John Allen, who wrote a book with Cardinal Dolan and now reports for The Boston Globe. “But both in terms of who Rome listens to in the American church, and setting priorities for the American church, I think there’s no question that Tim Dolan is no longer the prime mover in that regard.”

Cardinal Dolan is still on several important Vatican committees, and in the United States, remains the preferred bishop to speak on television. He is a master communicator, pithy and gregarious. But the buzz that followed him into the conclave to select Francis as pope in March 2013 — that he himself could be a papal candidate — has dissipated.

“He’s not out in the cold, but neither is he the rising star anymore,” said Pat McNamara, a church historian and author of a forthcoming book on New York Catholicism.

When it comes to lifestyle, the pope is challenging the model of the bishop as royalty of the church and increasing popular expectations that bishops act more like humble parish priests, truly getting to know their people. It is a call that Cardinal Dolan said he had certainly reflected upon.

“I hope and pray that I was living a fairly simple life beforehand,” the cardinal said. “But I do have to examine my own conscience and ask: ‘Am I too comfortable? Do I take too much for granted? Are my priorities where they should be?’ ”

Cardinal Dolan with Mayor Bill de Blasio in January. Known as a master communicator, he is still the preferred bishop to speak on television in America.CreditFred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Besides reining in excess, however, Francis has asked priests and bishops to limit their travel and focus on ministering to their people — “to be shepherds with the smell of sheep.”

“Espouse your community, be profoundly bonded to it!” he told his bishops in September. “Avoid the scandal of being ‘airport bishops.’ ”

In the New York archdiocese, which covers the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and seven counties north of the city, Cardinal Dolan is popular among parishioners, but he is known among some priests as a delegator who is often out of town. He relies on a vicar to handle day-to-day priestly problems, and a consultant has been managing the process of deciding which parishes the archdiocese will merge and close. Cardinal Dolan will make the final decisions personally in September.

The post of New York archbishop will always come with national and international responsibilities. But some priests said a silver lining of Cardinal Dolan’s lowered profile would be a more hands-on approach toward running the diocese.

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“We’d like to see more evangelization in the parishes, we’d like to see more outreach and neighborhood involvement, we’d like to see more planning in the church,” said Msgr. Neil Connolly, who has been a New York City priest for more than 50 years. “Those of us in the parishes, we don’t work closely with the archbishop on a day-to-day basis.”

Cardinal Dolan resides in a 19th-century Madison Avenue mansion with three other priests. The home is connected to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Credit Anthony Lanzilote for The New York Times

Cardinal Dolan said Francis had led him to mull over issues like whether the diocese was too focused on its buildings, institutions and hierarchy at the expense of serving people.

“Certainly Francis has inspired me to look for ways that we can be more welcoming, more focused on being with those who feel distant from Jesus and the church, and less focused on structures and institutions,” he said.

And he said the pope was also serving as a role model when it came to presenting the church publicly, emphasizing mercy, for example, over judgment in his message.

“I do have to realize that what I say, and how I say it, is important, and what I intend to convey is not always what comes across,” Cardinal Dolan said.

On that front, he did seem to acknowledge a tonal shift some church experts had noted.

Dr. Bellitto said, “His more bombastic political rhetoric has been dialed down.”

An example may be instructive. Two years ago, Cardinal Dolan’s most-quoted comments on the subject of same-sex marriage were ones in which he said he felt “betrayed” and “burned” by the New York Legislature for not giving him more notice before legalizing it. But two months ago, when asked on television how he felt about Michael Sam’s becoming the first openly gay player in the National Football League, he expressed enthusiasm.

“Good for him,” Cardinal Dolan told David Gregory on “Meet the Press” on NBC.

“Look, the same Bible that teaches us about the virtue of chastity and fidelity in marriage also teaches us not to judge people,” he added, echoing Francis. “So I would say, ‘Bravo.’ ”


A version of this article appears in print on May 24, 2014, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: In Era of Humble Pope, Earth Shifts Under Dolan.

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U.S. Catholic bishops ponder politics of Pope Francis before picking new leader

By Nathan Porter - The Washington Times


Monday, November 11, 2013



Cardinal Sean O’Malley, of Boston, speaks at the United States Conference of ... more >




As the world’s Catholics adjust to a very different kind of pope in the Vatican, American Catholics across the political spectrum are watching closely as the country’s Catholic bishops gather this week to select a new U.S. leader.

Liberals have been thrilled by some of the pronouncements from Pope Francis, while conservatives are watching warily as the bishops gather in Baltimore.

Many conservative Catholics argue that the next head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) should maintain the doctrinal standard the Catholic Church has upheld throughout its history — and resist the temptation to adopt a more relative theology.

“The church is not a democracy,” said Judie Brown, president of the Catholic organization American Life League. “We cannot vote on what we want to believe and what we don’t want to believe.”

The conference began Monday, and the election for president will be held Tuesday.

The gathering is being closely watched for clues as to how American bishops are reacting to Francis.

“It is all very polite. But behind the veil of pleasantries, there are real differences, and the USCCB needs to decide if it is going to get on the Pope Francis bandwagon or pursue the kind of culture warrior approach that has too often hijacked the bishops’ stance in the public square these past few years,” liberal Catholic Michael Sean Winters, author of “Left at the Altar,” wrote recently in the National Catholic Reporter.

Church liberals hope the selection of Francis also signals a new direction for American Catholics.

“I hope the approach that Pope Francis has taken is reflected by the hierarchy,” said David Nolan, director of communications at Catholics for Choice. “I think it gives the bishops an opportunity to show that they have listened and heard what Pope Francis has said.”

Mr. Nolan and Catholics for Choice believe that the next USCCB president should place less emphasis on “haranguing” individuals about reproductive rights and their sexual orientation.

Ten candidates are running for president: Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Wash., Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami.

The American bishops heard directly from the pope’s representative Monday.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the apostolic nuncio based in Washington, told the bishops they should not “follow a particular ideology” and should make Roman Catholics feel more welcome in church, according to The Associated Press. He urged the bishops to follow the pope’s example to eschew pomp and pursue a life of simplicity.

“There has to be a noticeable lifestyle characterized by simplicity and holiness of life. This is a sure way to bring our people to an awareness of the truth of our message,” he said.

“The Holy Father wants bishops in tune with their people,” he said. “He made a special point of saying that he wants pastoral bishops, not bishops who profess or follow a particular ideology.”

Though the political arena certainly will play a large role in the presidency of whoever is elected today, many conservative Catholics hope that the next president will find a way to transcend politics and the pressures it can place on faith and doctrine.

“Sadly, most of our leaders find it more appealing to be politically correct than truthful,” said Ms. Brown.

The winner of Tuesday’s secret vote will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who opened the convention Monday with his final address as president.

During his three-year presidency, Cardinal Dolan has increased media awareness and helped the church rebound from sex-abuse scandals that caused many to question its legitimacy.

Cardinal Dolan also expressed support for immigration reform. Last week, he sent a letter to members of Congress asking that they address the polarizing issue before the end of the calendar year, according to the Catholic News Service.

“Like him or not, you couldn’t ignore him,” Rocco Palmo, editor of Whispers in the Loggia, a widely read blog on the Roman Catholic Church, told the Baltimore Sun. “He’s a once-in-a-generation leader. It’s like Elvis is leaving the building. Who’s going to take the stage now?”
 

Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/11/us-catholic-bishops-ponder-the-politics-of-pope-fr/#ixzz2kSWr0QLo
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Church sex abuse: Dolan paid problem priests to leave

Jul. 2, 2013 7:39 AM



Cardinal Timothy Dolan / Carucha L. Meuse/ The Journal News, file

Written by
M.L. JOHNSON
Associated Press



MILWAUKEE — Then-Archbishop of Milwaukee Timothy Dolan wrote a letter in 2003 to the Vatican office overseeing clergy sex abuse cases begging it to remove a priest who had repeatedly abused children, showed no remorse and at least once engaged in sexual activity with a young boy, the child’s mother and her female friend.

The archdiocese provided the priest with counseling and alcohol abuse treatment, limited his job assignments, eventually ordering him to stop dressing as a priest and barring him from seminary buildings. It only received more reports of abuse.

In 2003, nearly 40 years after some of the earliest reported abuse took place, Dolan, now New York cardinal, sought permission to have the priest, Daniel Budzynski, officially defrocked. Despite the egregiousness of the priest’s crimes, the Vatican office in charge of sex abuse cases, then led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, took more than a year to formally dismiss him.

The correspondence was made public Monday along with thousands of pages of other documents detailing sex abuse by dozens of priests in the archdiocese covering southeastern Wisconsin. The documents were released as part of a deal reached in federal bankruptcy court between the archdiocese and victims suing it for fraud. Victims have accused the archdiocese of transferring abusive priests to new churches without warning parishioners and covering up their crimes for decades.

The Budzynski case was among at least a half-dozen Dolan inherited when he took over the archdiocese in 2002 amid the growing clergy abuse scandal. It shows some of the difficulty church leaders had in dealing with serial molesters and a church bureaucracy that in many cases sat on pleas for priests’ removal for years.

While other church leaders, including Dolan’s predecessor, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, have acknowledged they didn’t immediately grasp the extent of the problem, Dolan appears to have quickly determined a crisis was in the making. He moved to push out problem priests, even paying them to leave the priesthood, and later acted to protect church assets by transferring $57 million from a cemetery fund into a trust as the archdiocese moved toward bankruptcy.

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Archdiocese Pays for Health Plan That Covers Birth Control

By SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: May 26, 2013

The Archdiocese of New York has previously acknowledged that some local Catholic institutions offer health insurance plans that include contraceptive drugs to comply with state law; now, it is also acknowledging that the archdiocese’s own money is used to pay for a union health plan that covers contraception and even abortion for workers at its affiliated nursing homes and clinics.

“We provide the services under protest,” said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York.

Read more

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Cardinal Dolan of NY deposed in Milwaukee Catholic Church abuse case

FEBRUARY 21, 2013
BY: DEIRDRE HAGGERTY


Cardinal Timothy Dolan of NY was deposed yesterday in Milwaukee Catholic Church Scandal.
Credits: John Moore/Getty Images



Cardinal Timothy Dolan, current Archbishop of the Diocese of New York, was deposed Wednesday, Feb.20, regarding the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee where he was Archbishop from 2002 until 2009, according to the “Huffington Post”.

Milwaukee Catholic Church sources confirmed Cardinal Dolan’s deposition, who will soon be traveling to the Vatican in the next month to participate in the College of Cardinals, which will choose a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who announced last week that he will step down as Pontiff.

Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the New York Archdiocese, issued a statement indicating Cardinal Dolan’s willingness to “cooperate in whatever way he could and had long-awaited the chance to discuss his decision to publicize the names of the clergy who committed the abuse so that victims could come forward, share their story and begin the healing process.”

According to reports, due to the almost 500 allegations, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has sought bankruptcy protection, one of eight within the United States since the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal exploded out of Boston in 2002.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is one of two Cardinals to be deposed this week regarding the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal.

Although just a rumor and an apparent long shot, Cardinal Dolan’s name has appeared on a fewVatican analysts’ shortlists of Cardinals eligible for possible election to succeed Pope Benedictas the next leader of the Catholic Church in the upcoming College of Cardinals.

Source: "Huffington Post"

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In health freedom for all

Bishops of the United States on healthcare reform


“To assure that healthcare for all does not mean freedom for few”: this was stressed by bishops of the United States in a note by which they rejected as insufficient new government proposals to modify the health care mandate regarding religious institutions and organizations. Thursdayy in the note signed by the President of the Bishops' Conference, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, explains that the government's draft continues to maintain an excessively restricted” distinction between religious institutions and organizations that would be wholly exempt from beingobligedd to cover abortive services and contraception in their insurance, even if they rely third parties. The bishops judge, therefore, the new proposals as incapable of responding to the “concerns” about the violation of freedom of conscience of employers and their employees. The bishops observe, for example, that certain institutions and organizations would be left out of exemptions, such as those affiliated with congregations or religious orders like hospitals, clinics, universities and charitable structures that are “an integral part of the mission of the Church”.

February 9, 2013


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NY cardinal compares slain Conn. teacher to Jesus

By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press
Updated 10:23 am, Thursday, December 20, 2012



Firefighters salute as a hearse passes for the funeral procession to the burial of 7-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Daniel Gerard Barden, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. Barden was killed when Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children, before killing himself. Photo: David Goldman / AP



NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A single bell tolled Thursday at the Connecticut funeral of a 6-year-old girl killed by a gunman at her elementary school, while a cardinal in New York compared a slain teacher to Jesus for giving up her life to protect others.

In Newtown, the site of the shooting rampage, grim-faced mourners hurried through the packed parking lot of St. Rose of Lima Church to attend the funeral Mass for 6-year-old Catherine Hubbard.

Catherine's family said in her obituary that she would be remembered for her passion for animals and her constant smile.

Catherine was among the 20 students and six teachers killed when Adam Lanza, armed with a military-style assault rifle, broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Dec. 14 and opened fire. Lanza killed his mother at her home before the attack and committed suicide at the school as police closed in.

Funerals were also scheduled in Connecticut on Thursday for 7-year-old Grace McDonnell and 6-year-olds Benjamin Andrew Wheeler, Jesse Lewis and Allison Wyatt, and a memorial was held for teacher Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau.

In New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan told mourners at the funeral of 52-year-old Anne Marie Murphy that the teacher "brought together a community, a nation, a world, now awed by her own life and death."

Murphy's father, Hugh McGowan, said authorities told him that she died trying to protect her young pupils. Her body was found covering a group of children's bodies as if to shield them, McGowan said.

Dolan underscored her sacrifice.

"Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends," Dolan said. "Like Jesus, Annie's life and death brings light, truth, goodness and love to a world often shrouded in darkness, evil, selfishness and death."

About 15 people arrived at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Katonah, N.Y., in a yellow school bus with "Newtown" written on its side. The church quickly filled and about 100 mourners waited outside.

Janelle Wingert, of Wyoming, said in an email interview that she met Murphy when they were involved in the same faith-based community service activities in the Newtown area. She said Murphy asked her after 9/11 what she would do if someone attacked a school where she was working.

"She was serious and so intense in the question," Wingert said in a Facebook post. "She died doing exactly what she said she would do — put herself between the gunman and her little ones, who she saw as the most precious of all in God's heart."

Trinity Episcopal church on Newtown's Main Street was filled to capacity for the funeral of Benjamin Wheeler, and scores of mourners who couldn't get in milled about outside. The service for a child described as a lighthouse buff, budding musician and Beatles fan included a rendition of "Here Comes The Sun" and the hymn "Amazing Grace."

Benjamin's five uncles acted as pallbearers. About two dozen Boy Scout leaders lined the front pathway to the church in honor of the former Cub Scout.

In downtown Danbury, mourners filed into the ornate white-pillared First Congregational Church for a memorial service for teacher Lauren Rousseau. The congregation in the packed church sang "Morning Has Broken" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth."

Friends wept on the altar as they remembered the spirited, hardworking, sunny-natured young woman who loved children and animals, especially cats, and who had always wanted to be a teacher. They spoke of how the 30-year-old brightened their lives with her silliness and gave them all nicknames.

A U.S. Justice Department official told The Associated Press that Attorney General Eric Holder would travel to Newtown on Thursday to meet with first responders and law enforcement officials. The trip comes after Holder met with Vice President Joe Biden, who is tasked with leading an administration-wide effort to create new proposals for reducing gun violence.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trip hadn't been publicly announced.

In addition to the services, the families of 6-year-old Olivia Rose Engel, behavioral therapist Rachel Marie D'Avino and school psychologist Mary Sherlach have calling hours Thursday.

At least nine funerals and wakes were held Wednesday, and more are set for Friday and Saturday.

___

Associated Press writer Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Jim Fitzgerald in Katonah, N.Y., Christina Rexrode in New York, Helen O'Neill in Danbury, Conn., and Eilleen AJ Connelly and Tom Hays in Newtown contributed to this report.


Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/NY-cardinal-compares-slain-Conn-teacher-to-Jesus-4134484.php#ixzz2FcSNCS6D

Related:

Newtown victim Anne Marie Murphy, of Katonah, laid to rest

http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/newtown-victim-anne-marie-murphy-of-katonah-laid-to-rest-1.4357264

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President Obama and Mitt Romney 'zing' for their supper at annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner

Candidates trade barbs for laughs, raising cash for charities supported by Catholic Archdiocese of New York


BY CELESTE KATZ / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

PUBLISHED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012, 12:11 AM
UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012, 4:39 AM

JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

President Obama, Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Mitt Romney share a laugh during Al Smith Dinner held in Waldorf-Astoria Thursday.

President Obama joked about that “nice, long nap” he took during his first debate with Mitt Romney.

Dressed in a black tuxedo and white tie, Romney remarked that it was nice to “finally relax and wear what Ann and I wear around the house.”

PHOTOS: AL SMITH DINNERS, PRESENT AND PAST

For a few fleeting hours Thursday night, acrimony gave way to laughter, as the presidential candidates joined for a worthy cause: the annual Al Smith charity dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

With Timothy Cardinal Dolan seated between them, Obama and Romney dined on poached lobster tail, rack of lamb with risotto and baby zucchini before taking turns at the podium to poke fun at each other and at themselves.

Romney made gentle references to his Mormon faith, saying that usually when he gets invited to such dinners, “It’s to be the designated driver” and that part of his debate prep was “to refrain from alcohol for 65 years.”

After joking about his own wealth, the former Massachusetts governor took aim at Obama.

Romney remarked that the President, who wants to raise taxes on the wealthy, probably was looking at the well-heeled crowd and thinking, “So little time, so much to redistribute.’”

JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

President Obama and Mitt Romney, seen with Cardinal Dolan, played nice at the annual Al Smith gala.

Romney also invoked his first debate with the President, when he vowed to cut funding for PBS.

“Big Bird didn’t even see it coming,” he kidded. “And by the way, in the spirit of ‘Sesame Street,’ the President’s remarks are brought to you tonight by the letter ‘O’ and the number 16 trillion.”

With his appearance, Obama became the first sitting President to attend the dinner — a New York political tradition for 67 years — since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“Please take your seats. Otherwise, Clint Eastwood will yell at them,” Obama began, a reference to the actor-director’s dialogue with an empty stool at the Republican National Convention.

Obama made light of his widely panned performance in the first debate.

“I had a lot more energy in our second debate. I felt really well rested after the nice, long nap I had in the first debate,” he said.

And he took aim at Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on large servings of soda. Win or lose, “This is my last campaign, so I’m trying to drink it all in. Unfortunately, Mayor Bloomberg will only let me have 16 ounces,” he added.

The President then poked fun at his opponent’s wealth.

“Earlier today, I went shopping at some stores in midtown. I understand Gov. Romney went shopping FOR some stores in midtown,” he said.

Obama said he and Romney have some things in common, like their unusual middle names. Romney’s is Mitt. “I wish I could use my middle name,” said the President, whose middle name is Hussein.

Obama and Romney found common ground on one other point — their ability to make fun of Vice President Biden.

“I was actually hoping the President would bring Joe Biden along this evening because he will laugh at anything,” Romney said.

The jokes got started long before the candidates got up to do their schtick: Emcee Al Smith 4th, the great-grandson of the former governor for whom the dinner is named, got the crowd going early with a goof on a Romney line from Tuesday night’s debate.

“I want to say a special welcome to all the accomplished women here tonight. It’s good to see you made it out of those binders,” he cracked.

The 1,600-guest dinner raised a record $5 million to benefit Catholic charities — $1 million more than the 2008 dinner, which featured Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

ckatz@nydailynews.com

CLICK FOR VIDEO

Source

“Obama Embraced by Catholics; Romney Dines With Rich People.”

Via Waylon Lewis
on Oct 18, 2012







It’s the Al Smith Dinner, one of American politics’ most wonderful traditions.


Previous Al Smith Dinner with McCain and Obama.

In the spirit of coming together despite our differences, and regaining a sense of humor about ourselves and our life…the Al Smith Dinner happened tonight. A welcome respite from an often heated campaign, and partisan culture.


Update: after reading some commentary, have to sadly agree that Mr. Obama’s jokes seem funny, and often self-deprecating, delivered at his own expense…while Mr. Romney’s are critical, laughing “at,” skewering, and in the in the words of a conservative blog, “brutal.” Interesting. In any case, both gents are enjoyable:

Source
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FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE

BY HENDRIK HERTZBERG
SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

If you happen to be a Republican campaign operative and/or a Fox News Channel chat host, that unexpectedly joyful Convention in Charlotte the other week made for glum viewing. One of the few points of light on the right was the discovery, just as the festivities were getting under way, that the Democrats had drafted a platform that—like George Washington’s farewell address, Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech, and the Constitution of the United States—does not mention God by name. Hallelujah!

According to Media Matters, Fox News managed to alert its viewers to this deplorable development twenty-two times within the first sixteen hours after the Convention’s opening session. Fox’s Bret Baier seized on a statement issued by David Silverman, the president of an organization called American Atheists, splashing it across the screen in big bold caps:

WE ARE OBVIOUSLY HAPPY THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE TAKING THESE POSITIVE STEPS. WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE INCLUSION OF EVERYONE AND WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THAT INCLUSION WILL CONTINUE TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN DEPEND ON MR. OBAMA TO REPEAL THE FAITH BASED INITIATIVES AND REINFORCE THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

For different reasons, both Mr. Silverman and Fox News were hopeful that they could “depend on Mr. Obama.” But Mr. Obama declined to coöperate. Soon, the word came down from the White House, one “God” was pencilled in, and the delegates saw that it was good. (The Democratic Party now officially regards “potential” as “God-given.”) Anyway, on closer inspection, the platform turned out to be anything but a paean to irreligion. Indeed, you didn’t have to be a follower of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens to find the plank entitled “Faith” a little cloying:

Faith has always been a central part of the American story, and it has been a driving force of progress and justice throughout our history. We know that our nation, our communities, and our lives are made vastly stronger and richer by faith and the countless acts of justice and mercy it inspires. Faith-based organizations will always be critical allies in meeting the challenges that face our nation and our world—from domestic and global poverty to climate change and human trafficking. People of faith and religious organizations do amazing work . . .

And so on.

Nevertheless, by the time the Democrats were streaming out of Charlotte the Fox folks had mentioned the aforementioned non-mention eighty-four times. “I think it’s rather peculiar,” Paul Ryan, the Vice-Presidential nominee, said in one segment. “There sure is a lot of mention of government, and so I guess I would just put the onus of the burden on them to answer why they did all of these purges of God.” Ryan’s running mate, for his part, had previously judged it unwise to cast aspersions on other people’s religious beliefs. A few days later, though, having experienced a post-Conventions dip in the polls, Mitt Romney decided what the hell.

• FROM THE ISSUE
• CARTOON BANK

Taking a page from the playbook of George H. W. Bush (who, nice guy and relative moderate though he was, based the non-Willie Horton half of his successful 1988 campaign on the fantasy that his opponent despised the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance to it), Romney led a Virginia crowd in reciting the Pledge. “That pledge says ‘under God,’ ” the Republican standard-bearer thundered, as Pat Robertson, the Christianist broadcaster and onetime (also 1988) Presidential candidate, stood behind him, clapping. “I will not take God out of the name of our platform,” Romney went on, a bit clumsily. “I will not take God off our coins. And I will not take God out of my heart!”

As campaign promises go, these should be easy to keep. First, given that President Obama had just put God’s name into his platform, Governor Romney would be foolish to take it out of his. Second, the “In God We Trust” motto has been on coins ever since 1864, when James Pollock, an old boarding-house chum of President Lincoln’s, whom Lincoln had installed as director of the Mint, put it there. Although Lincoln was what many in the 2012 G.O.P. would deride as a RINO (he was for expanding voter eligibility, not suppressing it, and he was a big spender on infrastructure projects, especially high-speed rail), he retains some residual respect in the party he founded. Third, the heart. With politicians, that’s a gimme.

God had been all over the place in Tampa, where Romney’s introducer, Senator Marco Rubio, declared that “faith in our Creator is the most important American value of them all.” (America’s founders weren’t so sure. As they put it, “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”) The deity was not entirely absent in Charlotte, though. One of His deputies there was Sister Simone Campbell, the leader of the recent Nuns on the Bus tour, which highlighted the gap between the Romney-endorsed Paul Ryan budget and Roman Catholic social teaching; her speech praised the Affordable Care Act. Another was New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who had capped his anti-Obamacare politicking by maneuvering himself into delivering the closing benediction at the Republican Convention. Having him do the same for the Democrats was good strategy for prelate and Party alike, turning down the heat on both.

It must be said, however, that Dolan’s prayers were a trifle tougher on the Dems than on the Reps when it came to his (if not His) big priorities, abortion and gay marriage. Regarding the former, in Tampa Dolan merely called upon God to confer blessings on “those yet to be born and on those who are about to see you at the end of this life” and referred in passing to “the sacred and inalienable gift of life.” In Charlotte, he was more pointed:

Thus do we praise you for the gift of life. Grant us the courage to defend it, life, without which no other rights are secure. We ask your benediction on those waiting to be born, that they may be welcomed and protected.

He gave marriage equality a miss in Tampa. In Charlotte, though:

Show us anew that happiness is found only in respecting the laws of nature and of nature’s God. Empower us with your grace so that we might resist the temptation to replace the moral law with idols of our own making, or to remake those institutions you have given us for the nurturing of life and community.

It was not hard to guess what idol, and what institution, the Cardinal had in mind. On the other hand, his reference to “nature and nature’s God” was not so clear. The phrase was there to echo the Declaration of Independence. But Dolan must know that it is pure Deism—Jeffersonian code words for a non-supernatural God, a God who creates the universe and its laws and leaves the rest up to us. Could it be that we were witnessing an unheard-of political phenomenon, a dog whistle to voters who, whether or not they believe in a rights-endowing Creator, have their doubts about the sort of deity who begets sons, writes books, performs miracles, and determines the outcome of football games? Probably not. That God won’t hunt. ♦

ILLUSTRATION: TOM BACHTELL

Source: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2012/09/24/120924taco_talk_hertzberg#ixzz26nLjJmPT

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A Comedian and a Cardinal Open Up on Spirituality

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: September 15, 2012

The comedian Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York bantered onstage Friday night before 3,000 cheering, stomping, chanting students at Fordham University, in what might have been the most successful Roman Catholic youth evangelization event since Pope John Paul II last appeared at World Youth Day.

The evening was billed as an opportunity to hear two Catholic celebrities discuss how joy and humor infuse their spiritual lives. They both delivered, with surprises and zingers that began the moment the two walked onstage. Mr. Colbert went to shake Cardinal Dolan’s hand, but the cardinal took Mr. Colbert’s hand and kissed it — a disarming role reversal for a big prelate with a big job and a big ring.

Cardinal Dolan was introduced as a man who might one day be elected pope, to which he said, “If I am elected pope, which is probably the greatest gag all evening, I’ll be Stephen III.”

The event would not have happened without its moderator, the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and prolific author who has made it his mission to remind Catholics that there is no contradiction between faithful and funny. His latest book is “Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life.”

Father Martin said in an interview earlier this week that the idea came from two young theology professors at Fordham. The university’s president, the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, invited Cardinal Dolan to participate, and he readily accepted. Father Martin, who has made enough appearances on “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central to earn the title “official chaplain,” invited Mr. Colbert.

The event was announced with much fanfare by Fordham, and CNN was considering broadcasting it, Father Martin said. But then the university announced that it was closed to the media, without any explanation. Three thousand students and faculty members filled the Rose Hill Gymnasium, stomping on the bleachers, doing the wave and chanting “Ste-PHEN” like the revved-up audiences for Mr. Colbert’s studio show.

Some journalists were admitted as guests, and the cone of silence was shattered when many students and an editor from the Catholic magazine Commonweal sent out live posts on Twitter narrating the most memorable one-liners.

Mr. Colbert shed his character for the evening and offered several sincere insights into how he manages to remain a faithful Catholic while making fun of his own religion and most others.

“Are there flaws in the church?” Mr. Colbert said, “Absolutely. But is there great beauty in the church? Absolutely.”

He said he did not make jokes about the sacraments, or put a picture of the crucifixion on screen. But he said he liked to poke fun at the use and misuse of religion, especially in politics. “Then I’m not talking about Christ,” he said, “I’m talking about Christ as cudgel.”

Mr. Colbert is the youngest of 11 children, raised by Catholic parents who both attended Catholic colleges. His father and two of his brothers died in a plane crash when Mr. Colbert was 10. He said that after the funeral, in the limousine on the way home, one of his sisters made another sister laugh so hard that she fell on the floor. At that moment, Mr. Colbert said he resolved that he wanted to be able to make someone laugh that hard.

He is raising his children as Catholics, and he teaches Sunday school at his parish in New Jersey. “The real reason I remain a Catholic is what the church gives me, which is love,” he said.

Cardinal Dolan introduced Mr. Colbert’s wife, Evelyn, who was sitting in the audience, and brought her up to the stage. The cardinal put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and when Mr. Colbert feigned offense, the cardinal said, in a remark that brought down the house, “I can kiss your wife. You can’t kiss mine.”

Mr. Colbert used his time onstage with the cardinal to air his complaints about the new English translation of the Mass, which was just introduced in American parishes this year.

“Consubstantial!” Mr. Colbert exclaimed, using a particularly cumbersome word that is now recited in the Nicene Creed. “It’s the creed! It’s not the SAT prep.”

The audience sent in questions by Twitter and e-mail, which Father Martin pitched to the two men. Among them: “I am considering the priesthood. Would it be prudent to avoid dating?”

Cardinal Dolan responded that, on the contrary, “it’s good” to date, partly to discern whether the celibate life of a priest is what you want. Then he added, “By the way, let me give you the phone numbers of my nieces.”

Mr. Colbert said, “It’s actually a great pickup line: I’m seriously considering the priesthood. You can change my mind.”

Another question was even more pointed: “So many Christian leaders spread hatred, especially of homosexuals. How can you maintain your joy?”

Cardinal Dolan responded with two meandering anecdotes — one about having met this week with Muslim leaders, and another about encountering demonstrators outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

But Mr. Colbert’s response was quick and unequivocal. “If someone spreads hate,” he said, “then they’re not your religious leader.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: September 15, 2012

An earlier version of this article misidentified the magazine whose editor sent out live Twitter posts from the event. It is Commonweal, not the Jesuit weekly America.

Source