APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION LAUDATE DEUM

Francis Apostolic Exhortations
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APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION

LAUDATE DEUM

OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS

TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL
ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS



1. “Praise God for all his creatures”. This was the message that Saint Francis of Assisi proclaimed by his life, his canticles and all his actions. In this way, he accepted the invitation of the biblical Psalms and reflected the sensitivity of Jesus before the creatures of his Father: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these” (Mt 6:28-29). “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight” (Lk 12:6). How can we not admire this tenderness of Jesus for all the beings that accompany us along the way!

2. Eight years have passed since I published the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, when I wanted to share with all of you, my brothers and sisters of our suffering planet, my heartfelt concerns about the care of our common home. Yet, with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point. In addition to this possibility, it is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons. We will feel its effects in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migrations, etc.

3. This is a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life. The Bishops of the United States have expressed very well this social meaning of our concern about climate change, which goes beyond a merely ecological approach, because “our care for one another and our care for the earth are intimately bound together. Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community. The effects of climate change are borne by the most vulnerable people, whether at home or around the world”. [1] In a few words, the Bishops assembled for the Synod for Amazonia said the same thing: “Attacks on nature have consequences for people’s lives”. [2] And to express bluntly that this is no longer a secondary or ideological question, but a drama that harms us all, the African bishops stated that climate change makes manifest “a tragic and striking example of structural sin”. [3]

4. The reflection and information that we can gather from these past eight years allow us to clarify and complete what we were able to state some time ago. For this reason, and because the situation is now even more pressing, I have wished to share these pages with you.

Pope Battles Bureaucracy, Sex Abuse In New Order

KEVIN DALEY
8:23 PM 06/04/2016



Pope Francis issued a new edict Saturday effectively countermanding a previous order and reflecting his ongoing struggle with interests entrenched inside the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s sprawling bureaucracy.
The document is a motu proprio called “Like a loving mother,” which clarifies language and procedures governing the removal of bishops for negligence in clerical sexual abuse investigations. In it, Francis advises that impeding, ignoring, or bungling an investigation into so called “pedophile priests” by a bishop is sufficient reason to remove said bishop from office. A motu proprio is the functional equivalent of an executive order, issued by the pope to explicate certain aspects of canon law, guide clergy in their implementation of policy, or establish guidelines for liturgical practices.
In the document, the pontiff acknowledges that previous motu proprios, specifically Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 2001, already provide for the removal of a bishop from office for “grave reasons.” The pope clarified that negligence in the investigation or prosecution of pedophile priests constitutes a “grave reason” which warrants removal from office.
Little doubt existed that such actions by prelates were considered “graves reasons” necessitating disciplinary action by the Church. The Holy See Press Office says Pope Francis sought to emphasis the “special diligence” with which bishops must act “in the protection of the weakest among those entrusted to them.” 

(RELATED: Catholic Bishops: Obama Blew Off Pope Francis With Transgender Edict) 

Victims groups were skeptical that the papal fiat amounted to meaningful change.
“Instead of just sacking bad bishops, or turning over abuse records to law enforcement, the Vatican is setting up yet another untested, internal church ‘process’ to purportedly deal with bishops who ignore or conceal child sex crimes,” a statement from David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, read.
“We’re extraordinarily skeptical,” he added.
Perhaps more significant is that the order effectively scraps a proposal approved by Pope Francis last year, which called for the creation of a tribunal within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to prosecute negligent bishops. The proposal was first made by a committee established by Pope Francis to advise the Holy See on clerical sexual abuse. The CDF is the oldest of the nine congregations, or departments, which make up the Roman Curia, and is widely considered the most powerful. The CDF already oversees investigations into priests accused of sex crimes, but bishops are investigated by different offices.

The proposal met vigorous opposition inside the Curia. As of this writing, no person has yet been appointed to the CDF tribunal. There is no indication that will change any time soon. The document issued today is an effective surrender to those in the Vatican who opposed the order, as it makes little reference to the proposed tribunal, and reminds the offices already charged with oversight of bishops of their responsibility to act quickly and decisively.
Pope Francis has made reforming the Vatican’s byzantine culture a central goal of his pontificate. Progress thus far has been slow, prompting some prominent observers to suggest his more traditional predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, has been the most successful reformer of recent decades

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/04/pope-battles-bureaucracy-sex-abuse-in-new-order/#ixzz4Ai1HDVyx



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