Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi (CNS photo/Reuters)

VATICAN CITY — Breaking developments that update the post below: Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi today issued a written commentary that rejects accusations of a Vatican cover-up on priestly sex abuse and says efforts to personally involve Pope Benedict XVI in questions of abuse have clearly failed.

Father Lombardi’s note makes three main points:

1. The German bishops’ conference has taken the right approach to discovering and dealing with abuse cases, in a way that might serve as a model in other countries. One point underlined by the bishops is that the issue of celibacy has no connection with the issue of pedophilia.

2. An interview with Msgr. Charles Scicluna, who deals with sex abuse cases at the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, shows that far from trying to hide such cases, the congregation — under the leadership of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict — has made a far-reaching effort to discover and punish these crimes.

3. The Archdiocese of Munich has made it clear that the pope, when he was archbishop of Munich, was unconnected with decisions involving a priest who relocated to the archdiocese and later committed abuse.

“It is evident that over recent days some people have sought — with considerable persistence, in Regensburg and Munich — elements that could personally involve the Holy Father in questions of abuse. To any objective observer, it is clear that these efforts have failed,” Father Lombardi said.

The note was titled “A clear route through stormy waters.” Here is an English translation released by the Vatican Information Service:

At the end of a week in which a large part of the attention of the European media has been focused on the question of sexual abuses committed by people in institutions of the Catholic Church, we would like to make three observations:

Firstly, the line being taken by the German Episcopal Conference has shown itself to be the right way to face the problem in its various aspects. The declarations of the president of that conference, Archbishop Zollitsch, following his meeting with the Holy Father, recap the strategy laid down in the conference’s recent assembly and reiterate its essential operational aspects: recognition of the truth and help for victims, reinforcement of preventative measures and constructive collaboration with the authorities (including the judicial authorities of State) for the common good of society. Archbishop Zollitsch also unequivocally reiterated the opinion of experts according to whom the question of celibacy should in no way be confused with that of pedophilia. The Holy Father has encouraged the line being followed by the German bishops which – even taking account of the specific context of their own county – may be considered as a useful and inspiring model for other episcopal conferences that find themselves facing similar problems.

Furthermore, an important and wide-ranging interview given by Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a detailed explanation of the significance of the specific canonical norms established by the Church over the years to judge the heinous crimes of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy. It is absolutely clear that these norms did not seek, and have not favored, any kind of cover-up of such crimes; quite the contrary, they initiated intense activities to confront, judge and adequately punish the crimes in the context of ecclesiastical legislation. And it must be remembered that all this was planned and set in motion when Cardinal Ratzinger was prefect of the Congregation. The line he followed was always one of rigor and coherence in dealing with even the most difficult situations.

Finally, the archdiocese of Munich has replied, with a long and detailed communique, to questions concerning the case of a priest who moved from Essen to Munich at the time in which Cardinal Ratzinger was archbishop of that city, a priest who subsequently committed abuses. The communique highlights how the then archbishop was completely unconnected with the decisions in the wake of which the abuses took place. Rather, it is evident that over recent days some people have sought – with considerable persistence, in Regensburg and Munich – elements that could personally involve the Holy Father in questions of abuse. To any objective observer, it is clear that these efforts have failed.

Despite the storm, the Church clearly sees the route she must follow, under the sure and rigorous guidance of the Holy Father. As we have already had occasion to observe, it is our hope that this torment may, in the end, help society as a whole to show ever greater concern for the protection and formation of children and adolescents.

Filed under: CNS, Vatican

VATICAN CITY — In an unusual move, the Vatican has provided extensive details of its handling of priestly sex abuse cases in recent years and has strongly defended Pope Benedict XVI from accusations of covering up such crimes.

The information came in a lengthy interview granted to the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire by Msgr. Charles Scicluna, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who deals with cases of priests accused of abuse of minors.

Msgr. Scicluna made a number of interesting points:

– The allegation that Pope Benedict covered up sex abuse crimes is “false and calumnious,” he said. As head of the doctrinal congregation, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger handled such cases with wisdom and courage, and as pope he has dismissed many priests from the clerical state.

– The Vatican’s insistence on secrecy in the investigation of these cases by church authorities does not mean bishops or others are exempt from reporting these crimes to civil authorities (a point made in our recent article on the same topic.)

– Since 2001, when the doctrinal congregation took over juridical control of accusations of sex abuse by priests against minors, it has processed about 3,000 cases, dealing with crimes committed over the last 50 years. About 60 percent of theses cases involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, 30 percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining 10 percent were cases of pedophilia.

– Most cases have been handled without a church trial, because of the advanced age of the accused, and the penalties in such cases has usually been the imposition of strict limitations on the priest’s ministry. About 20 percent of cases resulted in a church trial, with most of the accused found guilty. In the most serious cases, about 10 percent of the total, the pope has dismissed the offender from the priesthood, and in another 10 percent the priest has been laicized at his request.

– The number of new cases of sex abuse by priests has declined; last year there were 223 cases reported from around the world. And while the majority of the 3,000 or so cases handed by the Vatican since 2001 have been from the United States,  by last year U.S. cases had dropped to about 25 percent of the total.

The interview was translated into several languages and distributed this morning by the Vatican press office. Clearly, it’s a message they want to get out. Here is the Vatican’s English-language version:

Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna is the “promoter of justice” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is effectively the prosecutor of the tribunal of the former Holy Office, whose job it is to investigate what are known as delicta graviora; i.e., the crimes which the Catholic Church considers as being the most serious of all: crimes against the Eucharist and against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, and crimes against the sixth Commandment (“thou shall not commit impure acts”) committed by a cleric against a person under the age of eighteen. These crimes, in a motu proprio of 2001, Sacramentum sanctitatis tutela, come under the competency of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In effect, it is the “promoter of justice” who deals with, among other things, the terrible question of priests accused of paedophilia, which are periodically highlighted in the mass media. Msgr. Scicluna, an affable and polite Maltese, has the reputation of scrupulously carrying out the tasks entrusted to him without deferring to anyone.

Monsignor, you have the reputation of being “tough”, yet the Catholic Church is systematically accused of being accommodating towards “paedophile priests”

It may be that in the past – perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution – some bishops were, in practice, too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon. And I say in practice because, in principle, the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal. Suffice it to recall, to limit ourselves just to last century, the famous Instruction Crimen Sollicitationis of 1922.

Wasn’t that from 1962?

No, the first edition dates back to the pontificate of Pius XI. Then, with Blessed John XXIII, the Holy Office issued a new edition for the Council Fathers, but only two thousand copies were printed, which were not enough, and so distribution was postponed sine die. In any case, these were procedural norms to be followed in cases of solicitation during confession, and of other more serious sexually-motivated crimes such as the sexual abuse of minors.

Norms which, however, recommended secrecy…

A poor English translation of that text has led people to think that the Holy See imposed secrecy in order to hide the facts. But this was not so. Secrecy during the investigative phase served to protect the good name of all the people involved; first and foremost, the victims themselves, then the accused priests who have the right – as everyone does – to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The Church does not like showcase justice. Norms on sexual abuse have never been understood as a ban on denouncing the crimes to the civil authorities.

Nonetheless, that document is periodically cited to accuse the current Pontiff of having been – when he was prefect of the former Holy Office – objectively responsible for a Holy See policy of covering up the facts…

That accusation is false and calumnious. On this subject I would like to highlight a number of facts. Between 1975 and 1985 I do not believe that any cases of paedophilia committed by priests were brought to the attention of our Congregation. Moreover, following the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, there was a period of uncertainty as to which of the delicta graviora were reserved to the competency of this dicastery. Only with the 2001 motu proprio did the crime of paedophilia again become our exclusive remit. From that moment Cardinal Ratzinger displayed great wisdom and firmness in handling those cases, also demonstrating great courage in facing some of the most difficult and thorny cases, sine acceptione personarum. Therefore, to accuse the current Pontiff of a cover-up is, I repeat, false and calumnious.

What happens when a priest is accused of a delictum gravius?

If the accusation is well-founded the bishop has the obligation to investigate both the soundness and the subject of the accusation. If the outcome of this initial investigation is consistent, he no longer has any power to act in the matter and must refer the case to our Congregation where it is dealt with by the disciplinary office.

How is that office composed?

Apart from myself who, being one of the superiors of the dicastery, also concern myself with other matters, there are the bureau chief Fr. Pedro Miguel Funes Diaz, seven priests and a lay lawyer who follow these cases. Other officials of the Congregation also make their own vital contribution depending upon the language and specific requirements of each case.

That office has been accused of working little and slowly…

Those are unjustified comments. In 2003 and 2004 a great wave of cases flooded over our desks. Many of them came from the United States and concerned the past. Over recent years, thanks to God, the phenomenon has become greatly reduced, and we now seek to deal with new cases as they arise.

How many have you dealt with so far?

Overall in the last nine years (2001-2010) we have considered accusations concerning around three thousand cases of diocesan and religious priests, which refer to crimes committed over the last fifty years.

That is, then, three thousand cases of paedophile priests?

No, it is not correct to say that. We can say that about sixty percent of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another thirty percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining ten percent were cases of paedophilia in the true sense of the term; that is, based on sexual attraction towards prepubescent children. The cases of priests accused of paedophilia in the true sense have been about three hundred in nine years. Please don’t misunderstand me, these are of course too many, but it must be recognised that the phenomenon is not as widespread as has been believed.

The accused, then, are three thousand. How many have been tried and condemned?

Currently we can say that a full trial, penal or administrative, has taken place in twenty percent of cases, normally celebrated in the diocese of origin – always under our supervision – and only very rarely here in Rome. We do this also in order to speed up the process. In sixty percent of cases there has been no trial, above all because of the advanced age of the accused, but administrative and disciplinary provisions have been issued against them, such as the obligation not to celebrate Mass with the faithful, not to hear confession, and to live a retired life of prayer. It must be made absolutely clear that in these cases, some of which are particularly sensational and have caught the attention of the media, no absolution has taken place. It’s true that there has been no formal condemnation, but if a person is obliged to a life of silence and prayer, then there must be a reason…

That still leaves twenty percent of cases…

We can say that in ten percent of cases, the particularly serious ones in which the proof is overwhelming, the Holy Father has assumed the painful responsibility of authorising a decree of dismissal from the clerical state. This is a very serious but inevitable provision, taken though administrative channels. In the remaining ten percent of cases, it was the accused priests themselves who requested dispensation from the obligations deriving from the priesthood, requests which were promptly accepted. Those involved in these latter cases were priests found in possession of paedophile pornographic material and, for this reason, condemned by the civil authorities.

Where do these three thousand cases come from?

Mostly from the United States which, in the years 2003-2004, represented around eighty percent of total cases. In 2009 the United States “share” had dropped to around twenty-five percent of the 223 cases reported from all over the world. Over recent years (2007-2009), the annual average of cases reported to the Congregation from around the world has been two hundred and fifty. Many countries report only one or two cases. There is, then, a growing diversity and number of countries of origin of cases, but the phenomenon itself is much reduced. It must, in fact, be borne in mind that the overall number of diocesan and religious priests in the world is four hundred thousand, although this statistic does not correspond to the perception that is created when these sad cases occupy the front pages of the newspapers.

And in Italy?

Thus far the phenomenon does not seem to have dramatic proportions, although what worries me is a certain culture of silence which I feel is still too widespread in the country. The Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) offers an excellent technical-juridical consultancy service for bishops who have to deal with these cases. And I am very pleased to observe the ever greater commitment being shown by Italian bishops to throw light on the cases reported to them.

You said that a full trial has taken place in around twenty percent of the three thousand cases you have examined over the last nine years. Did they all end with the condemnation of the accused?

Many of the past trials did end with the condemnation of the accused. But there have also been cases in which the priest was declared innocent, or where the accusations were not considered to have sufficient proof. In all cases, however, not only is there an examination of the guilt or innocence of the accused priest, but also a discernment as to his fitness for public ministry.

A recurring accusation made against the ecclesiastical hierarchy is that of not reporting to the civil authorities when crimes of paedophilia come to their attention.

In some English-speaking countries, but also in France, if bishops become aware of crimes committed by their priests outside the sacramental seal of Confession, they are obliged to report them to the judicial authorities. This is an onerous duty because the bishops are forced to make a gesture comparable to that of a father denouncing his own son. Nonetheless, our guidance in these cases is to respect the law.

And what about countries where bishops do not have this legal obligation?

In these cases we do not force bishops to denounce their own priests, but encourage them to contact the victims and invite them to denounce the priests by whom they have been abused. Furthermore, we invite the bishops to give all spiritual – and not only spiritual – assistance to those victims. In a recent case concerning a priest condemned by a civil tribunal in Italy, it was precisely this Congregation that suggested to the plaintiffs, who had turned to us for a canonical trial, that they involve the civil authorities in the interests of victims and to avoid other crimes.

A final question: is there any statue of limitation for delicta graviora?

Here you touch upon what, in my view, is a sensitive point. In the past, that is before 1898, the statue of limitations was something unknown in canon law. For the most serious crimes, it was only with the 2001 motu proprio that a statute of limitations of ten years was introduced. In accordance with these norms in cases of sexual abuse, the ten years begin from the day on which the minor reaches the age of eighteen.

Is that enough?

Practice has shown that the limit of ten years is not enough in this kind of case, in which it would be better to return to the earlier system of delicta graviora not being subject to the statue of limitations. On 7 November 2002, Venerable Servant of God John Paul II granted this dicastery the power to revoke that statue of limitations, case by case following a reasoned request from individual bishops. And this revocation is normally granted.

Filed under: CNS, Vatican

A man walks across a waterlogged makeshift tent camp after a recent heavy rain. (CNS/Reuters)

A bill calling for cancellation of Haiti’s $1.5 billion debt to world financial institutions has passed the U.S. House. The measure now goes before the U.S. Senate.

Passage comes as the U.S. and other countries of the world debate how to best assist Haiti’s recovery from January’s massive earthquake, which left more than 220,000 people dead and upwards of 1 million people homeless.

The bill, called Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act, H.R. 4573, was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., shortly after the earthquake. It calls upon the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank to cancel a series of loans made to Haiti.

Waters, a longtime advocate for the impoverished Caribbean nation, said in a statement she was pleased by the House’s action. “Debt relief is essential for Haiti’s future,” she said.

Waters returned from Haiti just before the House vote and pledged to work on long-term housing needs for earthquake victims. With hundreds of thousands of people still living outside in large parts of the country near the capital of Port-au-Prince, the concern is to get adequate shelter to Haitians before the rainy season arrives in April.

Filed under: CNS

Pope Benedict in the Alps last year, after he broke his wrist. (CNS/L'Osservatore Romano)

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI wants to spend his summer vacation resting and studying … not packing and moving.

The Vatican announced today that while the pope is very grateful for the invitations to return to the northern Italian Alps this summer, he’s decided to go straight to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo in mid-July and stay in one place until September, when he goes to England and Scotland.

In the late 1980s Pope John Paul II, an avid hiker and skiier, began the modern papal practice of heading north for a Alpine vacation. Pope Benedict followed his lead in 2005-2009.

“But this year, he prefers to begin the summer period of rest and study without the need for further transfers,” the Vatican press office said.

Filed under: CNS, Vatican

Fresh off last week’s post of a video story on a typical parish fish fry, The Catholic Spirit has posted this fun little homemade video on a day in the life of a priest, through the eyes of Father Nels Gjengdahl, a priest of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Enjoy!

Filed under: clients

Is giving up desserts for Lent so last year? Apparently.  A new trend in modern sacrificing is to give up on time-consuming things such as frequently reading or adding postings to Facebook.

The Arlington Catholic Herald, diocesan newspaper of Arlington, Va., did a story on this, quoting Catholics who might even continue this Facebook fast after Easter. One priest told the paper, “We’ve become so connected that we’re disconnected. …  We’re oversaturated with information. I know for myself I’m not going to go back to being that connected.”

Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, Calif., also plugged the idea of easing up on Facebook during Lent in a column in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Herald.

As he puts it: ”The holy days of Lent are a good time for all of us to re-examine how we use technology to make better connections with our families, our friends, our God, and ourselves. That may mean less time on Facebook and more face time with our family and friends. It could also mean exploring how these technologies can help us learn about our Catholic faith, study Scripture, engage in fellowship, and even pray.”

Filed under: clients, CNS

During Lent, The Michigan Catholic, Detroit’s archdiocesan newspaper, is giving its readers space to tell personal stories of faith-changing moments. Writers to date have talked about difficult experiences — losing a job, an illness, an unexpected pregnancy – where they experienced grace and grew stronger in their faith.

Editor Marylynn Hewitt said the paper tried this approach a few years ago but it did not generate the same response as it has this time when the paper has a story for every week of Lent – primarily written by writers younger than 40.

Her take on the series is that “as Catholics, we’re to evangelize and what better way than to tell others what God has done in our life — helps us see him moving, breathing and being there for us.”

She also told Catholic News Service that the younger writers contributing to this series are “well versed in living out loud,” telling people about their lives through social networking, blogging and Twitter. “This, then, is a way to tie it into their faith,” she added.

Check these stories about job loss, sickness and unexpected pregnancy and keep an eye out for other upcoming pieces as Lent continues.

Filed under: clients, CNS

Editor’s Note: Barb Fraze, CNS international editor, is traveling in Asia as part of the 2010 Senior Journalists Seminar sponsored by the East-West Center in Honolulu.

MUMBAI, India — Mumbai, India’s financial capital, is home to at least eight of the world’s religions. Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Jews, Jains and Christians — including Catholics — coexist here.

Scriptures in English, Tamil and Hindi are seen at a Church of North India cathedral in Mumbai.

Included in this blog post are just a few photos from some of Mumbai’s religious places of worship. They reflect the diversity of religions in India, a country that is about 80 percent Hindu. This is not an all-inclusive list. It also does not include cricket, which, as one tour guide indicated, “is almost like a religion for us in this country.”

The Church of North India is a Protestant denomination resulting from the merger of multiple churches. At St. Thomas the Apostle Cathedral in Mumbai, visitors can find Bibles in English and New Testaments in Hindi and Tamil. St. Thomas church has many plaques and sculptures commemorating Indians — often young — who gave service to their country or church.

India’s Catholic Church has three different rites. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India has approximately 160 dioceses, including 128 Latin dioceses, six Syro-Malankara dioceses and 26 Syro-Malabar dioceses.

Of India’s approximately 24 million Christians, more than 17 million are Catholic. Christianity is India’s third-largest religion.

Minara Mosque is seen from a street in Mumbai.

At right is Minara Mosque in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Islam is India’s second-largest religion. The country’s nearly 161 million Muslims make up just 13.4 percent of India’s population, yet India has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, after Indonesia and Pakistan. Approximately 10-15 percent of India’s Muslim population is Shiite, according to an October study released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

To realize how many Muslims are in India, compare it to Iran, with a population that is 99.4 percent Muslim. India has more than twice as many Muslims as Iran’s nearly 74 million adherents to Islam. The United States has nearly 2.5 million Muslims, or less than 1 percent of the population.

According to India’s 2001 census, Sikhs make up nearly 2 percent of India’s population, and Buddhists make up 0.8 percent. Jains make up 0.4 percent of the population.

The final photo, below, is from a Jain temple in Mumbai. Almost all of the world’s 4 million Jains live in India. The religion has some similarities to Hinduism and Buddhism. However, Jains do not believe in the Hindu caste system, but believe in equality for all. Walking into a temple, a visitor might hear bells ringing — the bells are to awaken the deities.

A Jain makes an offering to a deity at a temple in Mumbai.

Filed under: CNS

On this Lenten Friday, enjoy this video of a parish fish fry posted today by The Catholic Spirit of St. Paul, Minn.

Filed under: clients

VATICAN CITY — Regarding the beatification of Pope John Paul II, one thing is certain: no date will be set until the pope formally approves a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Many people were expecting Pope Benedict XVI to approve a miracle in December when he issued the decree recognizing that Pope John Paul had heroically lived the Christian virtues. And there was widespread expectation that the beatification would take place Oct. 17, the Sunday after the anniversary of Pope John Paul’s election in 1979.

When the miracle wasn’t recognized and the Oct. 17 date was set aside for a canonization ceremony for six saints instead, stories started circulating about Pope John Paul’s cause being derailed.

Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre (CNS/Reuters)

The story that has received the most attention so far was a Polish newspaper report Wednesday saying Pope John Paul’s beatification would be delayed, potentially for years, because a Vatican-appointed board of physicians cast doubt on the proposed miracle they were asked to study. The case involved the healing of a French nun who believed she had been healed of Parkinson’s disease, the same disease that afflicted Pope John Paul. The paper said the doctors were not convinced that the nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, had had Parkinson’s, but that she may have been cured medically of another nervous system disorder.

But a Vatican official told ANSA, the Italian news agency, that the Polish newspaper report was “absolutely without foundation” and that the physicians’ board was not expected to meet until April.

At the same time, the Vatican is not saying that approval of the miracle is automatic. Far from it. It is one thing for symptoms to disappear and another to be cured.

The church also insists that the cure be unexpected and instantaneous, as well as complete and lasting. If Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre is still symptom-free, the physicians will have to determine whether the five years that have passed since she experienced healing are enough to certify the cure as lasting.

Then a panel of theologians must certify that the healing was related to prayers for Pope John Paul’s intercession. Then members of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes must vote to recommend that Pope Benedict recognize the miracle. In other words, it may be a while longer.

Filed under: CNS, Vatican

"St. John of the Cross" sculpture on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. (CNS /Peter Lockley)

The current exhibit at Washington’s National Gallery of Art – ”The Sacred Made Real” —  would likely please St. Teresa of Avila if she were alive today. The 16th-century Spanish mystic who reportedly liked to pray before images of Christ’s passion would find much to contemplate among the 22 sculptures and paintings from the Spanish golden age that portray Jesus, Mary and some  saints with intensely precise detail.

Her contemporary,  St. John of the Cross, also from Spain, would most likely appreciate the exhibit too, and not just because it includes a sculpture of him. The saint, who received some sculpture training, also seemed to get one of the main ideas of the current exhibit — that sculptors and painters at that time worked together and also influenced each other.

As he once said: “Not everyone who can hew a block of wood is able to carve an image; nor is everyone who can carve it able to outline and polish it; nor is he that can polish it able to paint it.”

But everyone that can get to Washington (until May 31) can at least appreciate the work that went into this artistry.  And the exhibit’s curator, Xavier Bray from London’s National Gallery,  is hoping the art that was created to “shock the senses and stir the soul” will have a similar impact on the modern museum-goers. When he appealed to church officials to loan some of these works, he stressed that since they would be on display during Lent they could still be “incredibly powerful even out of context.”

FULL STORY: Spanish religious art exhibit portrays Mary, Christ, saints in detail

Filed under: CNS

By Basilian Father Chris Valka

In response to my previous post, “Responding to the pope’s challenge on ‘new media’,” I have been asked to share a little more about my own efforts in the “new media.”

My hope is to provide a few practical applications and reasons for using blogs and podcasts, in addition to offering a little technical expertise as to how one might get started.

The Blogs

Currently, I administer two blogs:

• “reVerb” features my own homilies and retreat talks in an audio format (complete with RSS feed for iTunes) and is located at:  http://www.reverbhomilies.wordpress.com.
• “Attuned” is a sort of “greatest hits” collection of inspirational and captivating interviews designed to give people an introduction into the world of podcasts.  Also available as an RSS feed, it may be found at www.attunededinterviews.wordpress.com.

Attuned is actually a remake of a different blog I began as a campus minister. I often spoke to many students who wanted to learn more about their faith, but few of them had the time or concentration for additional reading.  Thus, I created the blog now known as Attuned so that students could listen to something “on-the-go” during the week.  Once a week, we would gather at a coffee shop on campus to discuss the interview and their thoughts.  More or less, it was a book club without the books – perfect for college students and busy people.

My hope has always been that Attuned would not only give parishioners and students a place to go for quality interviews, but more importantly to advertise those podcasts that are worth the listen.  You will notice that not all are Catholic or religious, but each one makes for quality conversation, which I believe is the purpose of mass media.  As I understand it, the media is a means to an end; a way to build community, if we let it.

reVerb came about in response to the family members of the sick and homebound who do not have an opportunity to get to Mass every Sunday.  While these individuals receive the Eucharist, and could read the readings at home, they missed the homily — until now.  In addition, some parents of young children explained the difficulty of concentrating during Mass while “entertaining” their little ones.  Humbled by the requests, I decided it was time to put my technical knowledge to use.

As for a little technical know-how. . . .

Blogs are fairly easy to create, and free, using sites like WordPress or Blogger, and I find are the best way to post ideas on the Web.  Recording one’s homily or presentation requires a digital recorder (which can be purchased at just about any electronics store for around $50) and a lapel microphone, which I found at Radio Shack for roughly $10.

In order to minimize edit-time, I turn on the microphone just before I read the Gospel and turn it off just after the homily.  Once I get home, I plug it into the audio input of my computer, edit the file and upload it to a server.  (At this point, one has to have some simple audio-editing program, such as Apple’s Garageband.)

The Harvest

When all is said and done, the online aspect takes an additional 30 minutes of time, but I can attest, it is well worth the time.  Not only do those who were not present have the opportunity to hear your thoughts, but so do those who wish to hear again in the middle of the week, or those who want to share it with friends.

Now, there are people coming to church who never came before; people scheduling appointments that I have never met; people asking really good questions and engaging in wonderful discussions about their faith.  I have found the key is keeping the audio fairly short and concise – and it doesn’t hurt to be a bit provocative from time to time.

Certainly, these new forms of evangelization are daunting, but then again, so is any form of evangelization.  We are called by Jesus and challenged by the pope to take the Gospel to all who are willing to listen, and if we are to do so, then we must learn to utilize our own energies through the media and each other.

Father Chris Valka, CSB, was ordained a priest for the Congregation of St. Basil last May and is teaching at Detroit Catholic Central High School in Michigan.

Filed under: CNS, Year for Priests blog

Make sure you didn’t miss any of these stories from our monthly list of most-viewed items for February on www.catholicnews.com:

1. Vatican official says religious orders are in modern ‘crisis’ (Feb. 4)

2. Sainthood scoop: Book on the “real” John Paul II snubbed at Vatican (Feb. 12)

3. Bishop says Oregon hospital can no longer be called Catholic (Feb. 16)

4. Shroud of Turin: Image provokes prayer, curiosity, scholarly disputes (Feb. 5)

5. Nun says Australian’s sainthood cause delayed by unfounded claims (Feb. 22)

6. Cardinal: Catholics, Mormons must defend religious freedom together (Feb. 23)

7. Bishop says king will not be sanctioned for signing abortion law (Feb. 26)

8. New missal not here yet, but Catholics urged to start talking about it (Feb. 9)

9. Cardinal: Group’s support of gay marriage not authentic church teaching (Feb. 11)

10. Cardinal asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might work (Feb. 8)

Filed under: CNS

By Basilian Father Chris Valka
One in a series

Five days a week, I stand before six classes of teenage boys in 45-minute intervals.  After attendance and the usual exchange of assignments and questions and answers, I have 40 minutes to convey a lesson, allow for in-class practice or discussion, assign the evening’s work, and then rush out the door to do it all over again in another classroom.

It is the life of any teacher at Catholic Central High School, where I teach literature, computers and public speaking, but my difficulty concerns the priestly role I have to the students and staff.  I often ask myself, “When do I get to be a priest and not just a teacher?  When do I get to talk about the God who has called me forth, given me purpose, joy, and more than I could have ever known on my own?”

Certainly, this question is not unique to myself or to my role as a teacher.  My friends who work in parishes ask the same question, only exchanging “teacher” with “administrator.”  They are equally challenged by the time constraints of their members, who often have no more than 15 seconds of available time after Sunday Mass.

It is because of these obstacles that I found the pope’s recent challenge to priests all too appropriate.  In case you missed it, the Holy Father released his message for the 44th World Communications Day in which he challenged priests to utilize “new media” in order to “discover new possibilities for carrying out their ministry to and for the Word of God.”

These days, just about everyone I know has an iPod, especially if they are a high school or college student.  I have found podcasts (a downloadable talk-radio-style interview) to be a potent “response” to the pope’s challenge.

A case in point:

Several months ago, the parents of one of my students, who I will call Sam, found me after Sunday Mass.  During that 30-second exchange, they conveyed their concerns about their son’s lack of faith.  Since then, Sam and I have had a few conversations about it, but there was never enough time to really discuss his objections and questions.

Two weeks ago, I heard a podcast that I thought Sam might appreciate.  As he passed me after class, I pulled him aside and gave him the name and location of the interview on a piece of paper.  Sam agreed to listen to the 50-minute interview with an open mind, and seemed quite pleased about the possibility of answering some of his questions.

A few days later, Sam asked to meet me after school to discuss the interview.  He came well-prepared with crumbled-up piece of paper full of notes and questions.  Additionally, Sam had already arranged a ride home a full hour later than usual.

So over two pops in the school cafeteria, Sam and I discussed all his reasons for disbelief as well as their consequences.  In the end, it was one of the best discussions I have ever had with a student about the existence of God and the role of faith in our world.  Before he left, I gave him more interviews on the subject of faith and reason and have no doubt that he will come again with more questions.

These days, time is one of the greatest obstacles to ministry.  As ministers, we have to find ways to overcome that obstacle.  I believe this often requires us to have those first conversations through the words of another, whether it be a movie, podcast, good book or article.  Thirty seconds is not enough time to have a conversation, but it is plenty of time to make a recommendation.  Most of the time, I find those recommendations lead to more time for us to discuss what is really important – the presence of God in our lives and our need to discuss it.

As I close, I wonder if those who use “new media” to comment with their favorite sources so others may benefit as well.

Father Chris Valka, CSB, was ordained a priest for the Congregation of St. Basil last May and is teaching at Detroit Catholic Central High School in Michigan.

Click here for more in this series.

Filed under: Year for Priests blog

Victor Ingalls (in red) takes possession of the ball during the North American College's second match of the Clericus Cup. (CNS photo by Paul Haring)

VATICAN CITY — The North American College’s soccer team, the Martyrs, won 2-0 against the College of St. Paul on Saturday. It was their second game and their second victory since the Clericus Cup priestly soccer series kicked off Feb. 20.

Victor Ingalls, a second-year seminarian from Montgomery, Ala., plays stopper for the Martyrs. He and fellow seminarian/teammate, David Santos, spoke with Catholic News Service at a news event launching the cup’s fourth season. Read about it here.

Filed under: Vatican

As February draws to a close,  so does Catholic Press Month, but you can and should appreciate the Catholic press, which, year-round, in season and out,  gives you news of  not only your local Catholic community but of the church in the world — in print or online. 

We try to routinely highlight great stories in Catholic publications, and I could easily fill up this space with the mention of even a couple. But here’s just a random sampling to check out:

– Using social networks to spread the good news, The Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Sacramento, Calif.

– Priest earns national honor as a police chaplain, Florida Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Orlando, Fla.

– A meal without meat  … can be pretty delicious, Hawaii Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu.

– Martha Williamson and “Touched by an Angel” still touching lives, Today’s Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

– A slide show on Haitian relief, The Compass, newspaper of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis.

– E-mails from the front, The B.C. Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Filed under: clients, CNS

What? Yet another reality show on network  television?

This one is on CBS and called “Undercover Boss.” Each week the head of some major U.S. company exchanges business attire for the uniform the company’s employees wear and goes “undercover,” using a different name and working in the trenches and taking direction from a superviser as the new kid on the block. The identity of the boss is revealed at the end during a meeting in the board room with the workers featured during the episode.

Some reviewers have panned it. I watched just the first episode, so can’t speak to quality of any of the others. But I felt the the boss featured in the one I watched – Larry O’Donnell, chief operating officer of Waste Management — really took to heart a lot of what he saw that his employers had to endure and was sincere in saying it would make him a better leader. He took what he learned to improve how the company runs its operation and treats its workers, even taking into consideration how job stress can affect a person’s family life. Who could pan that outcome?

I am not writing to tout the show but really to draw attention to what prompted me to even mention it — an Feb. 14 editorial by Tom Dermody, editor of  The Catholic Post, newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., headlined “Pleasing the most important undercover Boss.”

He cleverly used the show as a jumping off point to discuss a first for his diocese: a Feb. 27 faith-based seminar for Catholic business leaders and managers. “The topics to be presented,” he writes, are “as real as it gets for Catholic managers who take their faith seriously: What is the role of faith in the workplace? How do I integrate my faith into my work? What role do ethics and morality play in my work life?

“Important questions indeed,” Dermody continues, “because we all work for an undercover Boss who routinely takes the guise of co-workers, especially those the world sees ‘as least.’ Do we recognize Christ in everyone? Does our faith make a difference in our decisions?”

We’ll stay tuned for a Catholic Post follow-up on the seminar.

Filed under: clients, CNS

St. Gerard Parish and its elementary school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, were among dozens of church buildings destroyed or made unusable during the Jan. 12 earthquake. (CNS/Bob Roller)

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio will lead a small team of U.S. bishops to Haiti March 1-3 to assess how the Jan. 12 earthquake affected the local church.

The archbishop, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, formed a Haiti Advisory Group to focus on the needs of the church in the poor Caribbean nation.

Others joining the advisory group are Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., and Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq of Brooklyn, N.Y. Bishop Sansaricq is the only Haitian-American bishop in the U.S.

Archbishop Gomez said in a statement that the visit will help the subcommittee determine how to best meet the needs of Haitians affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake.

The advisory group will focus on long-term development of the Haitian church.

The move is the latest action by the U.S. bishops in their response to what some analysts are now calling the worst natural disaster of recent time. The death toll has climbed to more than 200,000. More than 1 million people remain homeless in the area around the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Soon after the earthquake, the U.S. bishops asked local dioceses to take up a special collection. To date, more than $30 million has been raised in 110 dioceses.

CNS will report on the bishops’ visit next week.
Filed under: CNS

For a noncommercial take on the Winter Olympics, check out the Olympics blog of Clayton Imoo, director of the Youth Ministry Office for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Imoo creates videos documenting each day’s events. His low-key, humorous approach offsets his occasional lack of footage.  He peppers his videos with references to Lent, and he often includes his family. In his Feb. 14 video, the family goes to downtown Vancouver and has photos taken with a 1976 skiing gold medalist; Feb. 16 they investigate the sport of curling .

Be patient; sometimes the best footage is a minute or two in. My favorite: Feb. 17 he teaches viewers the actual words to the Olympic theme song.

Filed under: CNS, sports

(CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

UPDATE: Click here for full story.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI announced this morning that he would canonize Blessed Mary MacKillop of Australia and Blessed Andre Bessette of Canada, along with four others, at the Vatican Oct. 17.

The announcement came at the end of a “public ordinary consistory,” a very formal ceremony attended by cardinals present in Rome.

(CNS/St. Joseph's Oratory)

Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, read brief biographies of the soon-to-be saints in Latin. And, still in Latin, he asked the pope to formally inscribe the six in the “album of saints.”

The pope responded in Latin, asking for the consensus of the cardinals present. Then he proclaimed — still in Latin — that the canonization ceremony would be Oct. 17.

Filed under: Vatican