THE SAGA OF CHILD ABUSE IN IRELAND CONTINUES

From the Belfast Telegraph:

Pressure was today piling on the Bishop of Derry over his involvement in an alleged compensation cover-up.

After revelations in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday over a settlement to an abuse victim, Dr Seamus Hegarty has confirmed that his diocese facilitated a confidentiality clause in an out-of-court settlement in 2000.

Dr Hegarty was one of three priests named in a confidential civil settlement after an eight-year-old girl was abused over a decade from 1979.

Read the rest of the article. Why now? Why the years of silence after the series of revelations of child abuse and cover-up by Roman Catholic clergy in the US? I left the Roman Catholic Church 14 years ago because of the local stories of child abuse and cover-up in my diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. With scant national media coverage, the story stayed under the radar for several years until stories of child abuse began to surface all over the US.

Why the several intervening years of relative quiet before the stories of abuse come to light in Europe, years during which the powers in the church were able to say that the abusive behavior was mainly confined to the US? I'm truly puzzled by the years-long gaps.

From several days ago in the Guardian:

Ireland's most senior Catholic cleric tonight faced down calls to resign after revealing that he was at a secret tribunal where sex abuse victims were made to take an oath of silence.

Cardinal Sean Brady said that he had attended two meetings in 1975 concerning Father Brendan Smyth, a notorious paedophile, where two of Smyth's victims signed an affidavit promising to discuss their claims only with a specified priest.
....

"Frankly I don't believe that this is a resigning matter," Brady said.

The tribunal was held behind closed doors in 1975. Smyth was accused of sexually abusing two 10-year-olds, but the church did not inform the gardai about the allegations at the time. It was only in 1994, after a documentary about Smyth, that the church admitted it had known about his paedophilia and moved him around Ireland, Britain and the US, where he continued to abuse children.

Eight and ten year old children! I want to let this story go, but I can't. It was no small thing for me to leave the church in which I had spent the greater part of my life, but I could not stay. When I went to mass, I was agitated to such an extent that I had to stop attending. I could not pay my tithe. When I went to write a check, my hand froze. I don't want this post to be all about me. What I suffered is nothing compared to the horrors that the children and their families suffered. So why do I go on about the matter? To show that the damage does not stop with the children who were abused and their families? To vent? I don't know, but a sense of horror akin to the horror I felt when the story of the abusive behavior first broke in my diocese wells up within. A flashback, one might say.

Lord, have mercy on us all!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DIOCESE OF WYOMING

Ann said...

Prayers for Wyoming - Saturday (weather permitting) we elect the next bishop of Wyoming. Though Bruce and I have had our disagreements - he has been a leader in the church for full inclusion and for developing shared ministry/mutual ministry/ministry of the baptized here in Wyoming -- helping all to understand that we are all called to ministry - lay and ordained -- that the church is God's church and not the priest's church. Prayers for his successor.

OH WELL, THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG

From the Times Online:

The Archbishop of Canterbury's office yesterday described the election of an openly lesbian bishop in the United States as "regrettable" and warned that it could further threaten the unity of the Anglican Communion.

The London office of Dr Rowan Williams responded to the election of Canon Mary Glasspool to a suffragan see in Los Angeles by warning of "important implications". The statement from Lambeth Palace said that further consultations would now take place and regretted that calls for restraint had not been heeded.

Now that the Archbishop of Canterbury has sent his regrets, we go on with our march forward toward justice and equality without his blessing.

Her election was strongly opposed by conservatives and is expected to exacerbate tensions and imperil the success of the new Covenant process, intended to find a basis of common doctrine and practice for the entire Church.

Well, we can but hope with respect to the imperilment of the "new Covenant process". I thought we already had a New Covenant from Our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Canon Glasspool] added: "I am also aware that not everyone rejoices in this election and consent, and will work, pray, and continue to extend my own hands and heart to bridge those gaps, and strengthen the bonds of affection among all people, in the Name of Jesus Christ."

Mary Glasspool demonstrates what a class act looks like.

The Most Rev Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, said: “With the election of the Reverend Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian, as a bishop in Los Angeles in The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion reaches another decisive moment.

"It is now absolutely clear to all that the national Church itself has formally committed itself to a pattern of life which is contrary to Scripture. The election of Bishop Robinson in 2003 was not an aberration to be corrected in due course. It was a true indication of the heart of the Church and the direction of its affairs.”

No, Archbishop Jensen, the election of Bishop Robinson is not an aberration to be corrected in due course, and it is a true indication of the heart of the church which opens to embrace ALL the baptized.


UPDATE: I note that the words quoted in the article are from the Archbishop of Canterbury's office. Which means what?

HUMANISTS UNITE!

MadPriest asks:

The bosses, in politics, business and religion have let us down big time recently and capitalism has lost all claims to being our "saviour." Is the next shift in society a real move to "bottom up" paradigms? What part will the internet play in this? Can the emergent church (the bit based on liberation theology not evangelical leadership models) be a major player in this - even an initiator? Is it the answer to the current stalemate in Anglicanism - e.g. should progressives and radicals just, unilaterally, move away from the centralist, controlling "instruments," ignore them, and make new alignments with anybody who is committed to the upside down way of doing things? This would fit in with my idea of "true, universal humanism" - in which believers and non-believers alike could get together to sort out the mess without either feeling threatened by the other?

Read the rest of the post at OCICBW.

The questions intrigued me and, rather than respond in a long comment, I decided to take on the questions here at Wounded Bird..

The bosses have, indeed, let us down. Are we now seeing the beginning of a shift to a "bottom up" paradigm? We may be. In the political arena, health care reform would probably now be dead but for the continuing efforts of the grass roots to goad President Obama and the Congress from their lethargy into action. In the end, health care reform legislation may not pass, but at least for now, the legislation is still alive. The public option may even be a possibility, thanks again to ordinary people and the loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts, which should have been a win for the Democrats. 40 brave senators have now pledged to support legislation which includes the public option.

What part did the internet play? A great part, I believe. Blogs, Facebook groups, and Twitter have changed the political landscape so that information spreads quickly, and responses are close to immediate.

What about the stalemate in the Anglican Communion? General Convention 2009 of the Episcopal Church passed two resolutions, D025, which states that all orders of ordained ministry are open to all the baptized, including gays and lesbians in committed same-sex relationships, and CO56, which permits a diocesan bishop who so chooses to allow same-sex blessings and marriages in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

Two Episcopal dioceses in the South, Louisiana and Upper South Carolina elected moderate to progressive bishops, both of whom received consents - no surprise there. The Diocese of Los Angeles elected two women as suffragan bishops, one of whom is a lesbian in a long-term partnered relationship. Both women received consents from both the bishops and the Standing Committees of the Episcopal Church. Progressives in the church are greatly encouraged by this series of events. I don't expect that Bishop Katharine will ever ask members of the church to stand in a "crucified place" again.

The Episcopal Church goes about its business of moving forward toward justice and equality, despite awareness that there are those in the wider Anglican Communion who will not approve, including the Primus inter Pares, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. In the comments to my post on Mary Glasspool receiving consents from both the bishops and the Standing Committees, I asked how long it would be before Rowan Williams speaks out in an attempt to rain on our parade. Another commenter asked, "Rowan who?"

The trend in the Episcopal Church toward justice and equality is, I believe, irreversible. In the Anglican Communion, I believe that other churches will take similar steps toward inclusion to the Episcopal Church. The Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of Scotland seem likely to follow soon. The Church of England may be slower.

On the political scene in the US, I don't know what lies ahead. I hope that we get a health care reform bill passed and signed into law, preferably a bill which includes the public option. I hope that we move ahead to further regulation of the financial institutions which have demonstrated that they cannot or will not regulate themselves. And much more.

As to humanists within and outside the church cooperating, I don't see why not. I see seeds being planted as the Roman Catholic nuns and the Catholic Hospital Association speak out in support of health care reform in opposition to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The church may, indeed, have to take the lead to reach out to establish relationships of trust with secular humanists.

PRAYERS BIG TIME SAYS CAMINANTE

Please read Caminante's post about the attempted assassination of Bishop Martín Barahona, of the Anglican Church of El Salvador, and two close associates, in which the bishop's driver, Francis Martinez, was injured and is now hospitalized.

Please pray for the recovery of the Francis Martinez and for the safety of Bishop Barahona and his associates.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw "assassination" and Bishop Barahona.

THE OSTRICH

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders. The man says, "A hamburger, fries, and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich. A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $9.40 please." The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries, and a coke." The ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change. This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

"No, this is Saturday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato, and a salad," says the man. "Same," says the ostrich. Shortly after the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

The waitress asks, "So what's with the ostrich, then?"

The man sighs, pauses, and answers, "Well, my second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say."


Cheers or jeers to Paul (A.).

STORY OF THE DAY - WELL-BEHAVED

They're like pets who shed clothes
instead of hair, she said, & they talk
back & want a lot of stuff. But at least
they don't pee on the carpet anymore,
she added.


Who are they?

From StoryPeople.

DOGS FIRST DOMESTICATED IN MIDDLE EAST

The dingo was one of the breeds studied to determine where dogs were first domesticated from wolves. New York Times.

From Yahoo News:

From French poodles to German shepherds, domestic dogs likely trace most of their ancestry to the Middle East, as opposed to East Asian origins suggested by previous research, a genetic study reported on Wednesday.

The findings, published in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature, support an archaeological record that closely links the domestication of dogs in the Middle East with the rise of human civilization there, scientists said.

"It's significant because this is where civilization developed, and dogs were part of that," said Robert Wayne, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a senior author of the study.

The region, often referred to as the Fertile Crescent, includes much of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan --

"the same area where domestic cats and many of our livestock originated, and where agriculture first developed," he said.

The study is based on genetic comparisons between more than 900 dogs representing 85 breeds and over 200 wild gray wolves -- the closest living wild relative of dogs -- from around the globe, including North America, Europe, East Asia and the Middle East.

From wolf to French poodle is quite a genetic leap. The findings make good sense, though.

While some dog breeds have ancient histories, 80 percent are modern varieties that have evolved since the explosion in dog breeding during the Victorian era, Wayne said.

And the breeders have made mistakes along the way.

Read the entire article. The evolution of the relationship between dogs and humans is fascinating.

The New York Times has the story, too.

POWER TO THE SISTAHS!

From CNN":

A group of Catholic nuns is urging Congress to pass health care reform, breaking ranks with bishops who say the current bill does not do enough to block federal money from being used to fund abortions.

"We write to urge you to cast a life-affirming 'yes' vote when the Senate health care bill (H.R. 3590) comes to the floor of the House for a vote as early as this week," a group of nuns wrote in a letter to members of Congress released Wednesday by NETWORK, progressive Catholic advocacy organization.

NETWORK said the 55 signatories represent tens of thousands of Catholic nuns in the United States.
....

"And despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions," the letter reads. "It will uphold longstanding conscience protections and it will make historic new investments – $250 million – in support of pregnant women. This is the REAL pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it."

The nuns are siding with the Catholic Health Association, a group representing Catholic hospitals, which offered its support for reform earlier this week.

Good news, indeed! The Vatican's investigation of the religious orders in the US, along with child abuse scandals which moved closer to the pope, may have encouraged the nuns to take an independent stand from the hierarchy. However, the nuns whom I've known have not been lacking in feistiness, and the good sisters, very likely, did not need much of a push.

THE REV. CANON MARY GLASSPOOL RECEIVES CONSENTS

The Diocese of Los Angeles received word from the Presiding Bishop’s Office on March 17 of completion of the wider church’s consent process to the Dec. 5, 2009 election of the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool as Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Wonderful news! I breathe a sigh of relief that the Episcopal Church takes another step forward for justice and inclusion. Although many folks who know more than I about the inner workings of TEC said that Canon Glasspool would receive consents, I could not believe until now.

See The Lead for details.

See also Mark Harris' post at Preludium on what the election of Mary Glasspool means for the Episcopal Church.