7.6 Magnitude Earthquake and Bin Laden

Might earthquake have meant the end of Osama bin Laden?



From 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake hits North India and Pakistan border region:



The center of the earthquake is not too far away from the Chitral region in Pakistan, which is believed to be the hiding spot for Osama bin Laden, but it is not yet certain whether this area was badly affected by the earthquake today.

Psychological Evaluations of Seminarians

At some point the evidence vs. the psychological evaluation has to come to the fore. What good are they? How accurate are they?

Knowing the facts of the Erickson case posted throughout this week, and now hearing from the diocese that every time he was sent to a psychologist he received a glowing report, and add to that the number of abuse cases where those charged were sent to a psychologist who at some point declared them "okay" to return to ministry one has to seriously question the effectiveness of this "science" in dealing with issues that matter this much.

There is an added caveat here, I have experience of reading these reports from my days as a faculty member at a major seminary. One report received read: "This candidate has an abnormally high libido and will find it nearly impossible to lead a celibate life." The rector read the report and added a cover letter that he sent to the bishop dismissing the report essentially by saying "the psychologist does not share in the Christian faith," in fact the psychologist was a devout Jew. The rector also made the decision not to use this psychologist in future cases, even though he was considered to be among the best by his peers. The seminarian, who tested with the high libido, ended up being ordained, had a number of affairs--some conducted in the church parking lot and eventually left to marry. Much pain could have been averted if the psychologist's report had been heeded.

Given this experience I wonder if more sympathetic psychologist aren't searched for...in the way the courts find sympathetic professional witnesses to bolster their cases and the blame rests on those who really do not want to face the truth but want to hear only glowing reports.

I wrote a piece in The Priest magazine almost fifteen years ago that made the conclusion that if seminaries really weeded out those not capable of living a celibate life were asked to leave that the numbers would plummet overnight--but we would have an accurate picture of those who are called and gifted as celibates versus those who think they are called and are not gifted with this charism of the Holy Spirit.

In the case of the psychologist who examined Erickson, the press should turn up the heat on them. Children have been sexually abused, two men murdered and Erickson himself tragically has committed suicide because they either didn't apply their craft rightly or were more concerned about giving the kind of report that the diocese liked to receive. Either way, they should answer for the tragedy that has unfolded because of their inability to correctly diagnose a very sick individual.

From the Winona Daily News:

6. Were there any additional psychological evaluations required of Erickson?

As required by the admittance process at St. Paul Seminary School of Theology, Erickson was evaluated in September 1996. The psychological evaluation stated: "The allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior do not appear to be significant in the context of this gentleman’s overall psychological makeup. He does not appear to be predatory or exploitative in his overall orientation and he does not seem to be a high risk for acting in a sexually aggressive or manipulative manner in the future. The alleged sexual misconduct behaviors he described to us appear to be benign."

That psychological evaluation indicated that Erickson was a heterosexual and that the major concern was that he might be vulnerable to women who would take romantic or affectionate initiatives with him.

Upon the conclusion of his theological studies, the rector and faculty of St. Paul Seminary recommended that he be ordained as a priest.

Synod on the Eucharist

Against Legalism in the Eucharist

- H.E. Most. Rev. José de la Trinidad VALERA ANGULO, Bishop of La Guaira (VENEZUELA)

Celebrate with joy and celebrate the joy of the Lord’s Easter.
The world has to know and to live the joy in the Holy Spirit, is hungry for God and it is Christ who reveals man to man. Revelation, more than pure reasoning, is LIFE, it is the joy of communication of the Trinity of the One God. We celebrate this joy in sanctity in the Liturgy. In the Eucharistic celebration one lives the novelty of the Paschal Christ, happiness of the faithful and promise for those who do not know him yet. How many martyrs won because of the chanted joy of the Eucharist! The whole Eucharist is a chant, it is to surpass all limits of space- temporality in order to enter into the mystery of the living and real God.
Our service, as shepherds of the flock, is to achieve the ways which permit our people to live the joy of the Risen One. The liturgical orientations have to be far away from all legalisms and to search for the way in which they can be in line with the joy in the Holy Spirit in order for the world to believe and to have life.

Study the Shortage of Priests

- H.E. Most. Rev. Luis Antonio G. TAGLE, Bishop of Imus (PHILIPPINES)

We thank God because the Catholics in the Philippines, especially the children and the youth, still value the Eucharist and adoration. We have priests but not enough for the big Catholic population. Some communities do not have a stable access to the Eucharist.
To respond to the hunger for the Eucharist, priests say many masses, accept multiple intentions and send lay ministers for the service of the Word with communion. Priests exercise their responsibility to the best that they can. The faithful know the difference between a bible service and Eucharist, a priest and a lay minister. Many communities wait for the gift of the priesthood and the Eucharist with humility.
For the sake of these communities I propose the following. 1) The Synod can initiate a serene study of the shortage of priests. As we look at the world for threats to the gift of vocation, we should also ask whether the Church is a good steward of the gift. 2) To address the confusion of roles in the Church and the Eucharist it is not enough to recall LG 10 on the essential difference between the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the baptized. LG 10 also says that they are ordered to each other. In mutuality and communion we will rediscover the gift of the priesthood and Eucharist.

Christians Being Willing to Be Broken Like the Bread

- H.E. Most. Rev. Lucius Iwejuru UGORJI, Bishop of Umuahia (NIGERIA)

It is of great significance that at the Last Supper Christ identified himself with broken bread. The breaking of the bread was to become the action through which his disciples recognised him at Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35). In the celebration of the Eucharist in the apostolic times, the breaking of bread was so prominent that the first Christians employed the term, "breaking of bread" to designate the Eucharistic assemblies (Acts 2: 42-46; 20:7).
We cannot ignore the importance of the rich symbol of receiving Christ in the Eucharist in the sign and symbol of broken bread. Communion with Christ, the broken bread, cannot but be communion with those who are members of Christ. The fraternal unity arising from Eucharistic communion is concretely expressed by the early Christian community in a model Eucharistic community. They lived together, sharing spiritual and material goods with one another (Acts 2: 42-44).
If the Eucharist brings about fraternal unity in the Body of Christ, then the ever widening gap between the affluent and the millions of poor people living in hunger and undeserved misery in today's society is a great scandal (cf. 1 Cor 11: 17-22). If Christians partake of the Broken Bread at the Lord's altar, they must be ready to work for a better and more just world for all. They must be prepared to be broken bread and to share bread with broken humanity.
Such sharing has to involve a certain breaking of the political and economic patterns, which assures security to the affluent while reducing millions to abject poverty and wanton suffering. If Christians profess to break bread, it means that they are willing to be broken in terms of their comfort and security and to be agents of justice and solidarity. The social, political and economic implications of this can be immense. Among other things, this involves living simply, so that others might simply live.

‘Massive’ Casualties Feared in Big Asia Quake

From ‘Massive’ casualties feared in big Asia quake - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com:

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake reduced villages to rubble in Pakistan and India on Saturday, killing more than 160 people and injuring hundreds. Pakistan’s army described the damage as widespread and said it included villages buried in quake-induced landslides.

Endless Speculation on an Unreleased Document

The latest version...CBC News: Catholic Church to open its doors to gay priests:

A Vatican document expected to be made public soon says the Church will allow gay men who have lived chastely for three years to be candidates for the priesthood.

The document, which has been in the works for three years will update Vatican policy which up until now made clear that homosexuals should be barred from the priesthood.

A senior official with the Vatican, who requested anonymity because the document has not yet been released said the new policy will permit candidates who have lived a chaste life for at least three years before their admission to the seminary.

Bishops to Pray Holy Hour on Monday

From the Vatican Information Service:

Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, asked those present to pray for the victims of the hurricane that struck Central America. He then announced that the Holy Father, consenting to the request of various Synod Fathers, has ordered that from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, October 17, an hour of Eucharistic adoration will be celebrated in the Vatican Basilica.

Synod on the Eucharist

On the Redistribution of Priests

BISHOP LUCIO ANDRICE MUANDULA OF XAI-XAI, MOZAMBIQUE. "On the basis of the supposition that the Eucharist is the 'source and summit of the life and mission of the Church,' and considering the fact that current statistics confirm the great shortage of priests in the world, I feel we must ask to what point an ecclesial community deprived of the Sacrament of the Eucharist can achieve the dynamism of life that enables it to transform itself into a missionary community, one capable of joyfully accomplishing the missionary project with which the Lord Jesus Himself entrusted us? ... For this reason we must insist on a fair redistribution of priests in the world, as Synod Fathers have so often asked. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to propose once again to the entire Church, and especially to priests, a 'Eucharistic spirituality' characterized by gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ, Who gives Himself as Eucharistic bread that we might all achieve the new life of grace."

The Witness of the Martyrs of the Eucharist

ARCHBISHOP LUCIAN MURESAN OF FAGARAS AND ALBA IULIA OF THE ROMANIANS, ROMANIA. "In Romania the communists tried to give man material bread alone, and sought to expel 'the bread of God' from society and from the human heart. ... Priests were imprisoned simply for being Catholic, so they could not celebrate or speak about God. Even lay people who participated in clandestine Masses suffered the same fate. In the famous period of 're-education' and 'brainwashing' in the Romanian prisons, to compromise priests, to ridicule the Eucharist and to destroy human dignity, the persecutors made them celebrate with excrement, but they never succeeded in destroying their faith. ... How many humiliations, when during winters at minus 30 degrees they were undressed for body searches; how many days spent in the famous 'black room' as a punishment for having been caught in prayer? No one will ever know, ever. These modern martyrs of the 20th Century offered all their suffering to the Lord for dignity and human freedom. ... There is no lack of hope, and I think first of all of the deep religious sense of our people, the deep devotion with which they approach liturgical celebrations and the Eucharist."

For Universal Perpetual Adoration

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES MAUNG BO, S.D.B., OF YANGON, MYANMAR. "Over 2,500 parishes around the world now have perpetual Eucharistic adoration. About 500 in the Philippines, the United States has about 1,100 chapels of perpetual adoration, the Republic of Ireland about 150, South Korea has about 70 and lesser numbers in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Holy Father, if the perpetual adoration chapels were to be established in all the dioceses in the world and in all possible parishes, what a magnificent result that would be for the Eucharistic Year. ... This is true: until the Church cries out that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is worthy of perpetual adoration for all He has done for our salvation, she will continue to be defeated by her enemies. I believe that the best, the surest and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the blessed Sacrament."

Communion and Politicians

CARDINAL ALFONSO LOPEZ TRUJILLO, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE FAMILY. "Can access to Eucharistic communion be allowed to people who deny human and Christian principles and values? Politicians and lawmakers have great responsibility. The so-called personal option cannot be separated from sociopolitical duty. This is not a 'private' problem, the Gospel, the Magisterium and true reason have to be accepted! ... The Lord is truly present in the Eucharist, the Lord of the family, of life, of love, of the alliance that unites husband and wife. God is the Creator of human dignity. The question cannot be resolved conjecturally by following the various attitudes of different countries, because the conscience of Christians and ecclesial communion would become obscured and confused. All these questions are clarified and illuminated by the Word of God in the light of the Church's Magisterium. ... Politicians and lawmakers must know that, in proposing or defending iniquitous laws, they have a serious responsibility, and they must find a remedy to the evil done ... in order to have access to communion with the Lord, Who is the Way, Truth and Life."

Problems with Married Priests, Distribution of Priests, Necessity of Married Priests
(I think he covers all the bases)

CARDINAL NASRALLAH PIERRE SFEIR, PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH OF THE MARONITES, LEBANON. "The Maronite Church admits married priests. Half of our diocesan priests are married. Yet it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious. A married priest has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family. Despite this, married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist. On the other hand, celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church. How can it be conserved in an atmosphere laden with eroticism? Newspapers, Internet, billboards, shows, everything appears shameless and constantly offends the virtue of chastity. Of course a priest, once ordained, can no longer get married. Sending priests to countries where they are lacking, taking them from a country that has many, is not the ideal solution if one bears in mind the question of tradition, customs and mentality. The problem remains."

Need for Liturgical Ministers to Set Aside Ego

CARDINAL FRANCIS ARINZE, PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS. "Focussing on the Eucharistic celebration, 'ars celebrandi' refers to both interior and exterior participation on the part of the celebrating priest and on the part of the congregation. ... 'Ars celebrandi' helps the priest to have a faith?filled and disciplined posture at Mass. On the one hand, he cannot isolate himself from the presence of the people. On the other hand he should not become a showman who projects himself. The liturgy is not primarily what we make but what we receive in faith. On the part of other contributors to the Eucharistic celebration ? the altar servers, the readers, the choir, etc ? 'ars celebrandi' demands good preparation, faith, humility and focussing attention on the sacred mystery rather than on self. When the Mass is celebrated in this spirit it nourishes faith and manifests it powerfully - 'lex orandi, lex credendi.' With a genuine understanding of the role of liturgical norms, such a celebration is free of banalization and desacralization. It sends the people of God home properly nourished, spiritually refreshed and dynamically sent to evangelize."

Importance of the Homily

ARCHBISHOP CORNELIUS FONTEM ESUA, COADJUTOR OF BAMENDA, CAMEROON. "In order to highlight the importance of the liturgy of the Word during the Eucharistic celebration, in the first place, there should be in our parishes a proper organization of biblical pastoral ministry. ... Secondly, the importance of the homily, which breaks the Word of God for the consumption of the faithful, should be emphasized. It links the Word to the Eucharist and enables the participants to continue to live the Eucharist, to witness it in charity and to go on mission at the end of the celebration. ... Without the homily the Eucharistic celebration could be considered a magical act. It is the homily which makes the Christian celebration of the Eucharist different from the sacrifices of African traditional religions which are often accompanied by invocations and incantations, sometimes in languages not understood by the participants. ... In some particular Churches in Africa, for example in many dioceses in Cameroon, the liturgy of the Word is introduced by a solemn lectionary or bible procession which begins immediately after the opening prayer and not just before the proclamation of the Gospel. The assembly is thus invited to listen to the Word of God with attention and reverence just as they do when a traditional ruler addresses them or when a message from him is proclaimed to them."

Question About Former Priests

BISHOP DENIS GEORGE BROWNE OF HAMILTON IN NEW ZEALAND. "It is important for us as a Church to remember that small communities of Catholic people have as much right to participate in the Eucharist as their brothers and sisters in large busy parishes. We, as Church, need to be continually open to finding ways in which the Eucharist can become easily available to all of our faithful people. 'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' We need to be sensitive to the questions that the faithful often ask us, for example: 'Why does it seem to be possible for former married priests of the Anglican Communion to be ordained and function as Catholic priests while former Catholic priests who have been dispensed from their vow of celibacy are unable to function in any pastoral way?'"