U.S.

Progress made protecting minors, but adults remain vulnerable to clergy abuse, say experts

WASHINGTON — The Catholic Church in the U.S. has made progress over the past two decades in confronting sexual abuse against minors within the Church, but has only begun to address the vulnerability of adults to sexual abuse by clergy, religious and lay leaders, experts said. “We’ve accomplished a tremendous amount in the area of (creating) safe environments,” said Suzanne Healy, chairwoman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Review Board, a lay-led group that advises the bishops on preventing sexual abuse of minors. At the same time, “there’s still a lot more work to be done” in extending safeguards to adults, she said. The newly revised papal reform, “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” which specifically includes “vulnerable adults,” presents “a new frontier” for the Church, said Deacon Bernard Nojadera, executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, explaining that pastoral counseling and spiritual direction are particular areas of vulnerability to address. Other survivors’ advocates said that better reporting and information sharing regarding abuse investigations — possibly in the form of a national database — is needed. (OSV News)

Pro-life groups hail ruling that blocks scheduled Texas executions

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas was without any scheduled executions April 21 after judges intervened in capital punishment cases to allow two men on death row a new opportunity to clear their names. A Texas judge on April 19 canceled the scheduled execution of a death-row inmate in the state after a new appeal in the case claimed he was wrongfully convicted on false testimony from two key witnesses in his 2001 trial. The same day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of another Texas death-row inmate, Rodney Reed, in his efforts to seek DNA testing his appeal argues may prove his innocence. The Catholic Church teaches that the death penalty is morally inadmissible and that the Church is committed to its global abolition. (OSV News)

USCCB reaffirms ‘unwavering solidarity’ with Church in Nicaragua persecuted by government

WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops April 20 reaffirmed their “unwavering solidarity” with Nicaragua’s bishops, priests, faithful, “and all men and women of goodwill” who are suffering “an intensification” of religious persecution by Nicaragua’s government. Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the statement, which noted the government’s restrictions imposed on the Catholic Church especially during Holy Week and Easter. Amid the crackdown on the Church by the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who is vice president, religious processions in the streets have been banned since the beginning of Lent in February. Bishop Malloy also called on the U.S. government “and the entire international community to continue to work for the release” of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison after being convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges. Before that, he was held under house arrest for months. (OSV News)

Pope accepts resignation of Harrisburg bishop, names Philadelphia auxiliary as successor

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who is 75, and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Timothy C. Senior of Philadelphia to succeed him. Bishop Gainer, who has headed the Harrisburg Diocese since 2014, turned 75 last August, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope. Bishop Senior, who turned 63 March 22, has been a Philadelphia auxiliary since 2009. He is regional bishop of Montgomery County and chancellor of the archdiocese’s St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Bishop Senior was the seminary’s rector from 2012 to 2022. The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington April 25 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. (OSV News)

WORLD

Pope decides women will be voting members of Synod of Bishops

VATICAN CITY — At least three dozen women will be voting members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October, Pope Francis has decided. In a decision formalized April 17, “the Holy Father approved the extension of participation in the synodal assembly to ‘non-bishops’ — priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, lay men and women,” the synod office said in a statement April 26. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, told reporters that about 21% of the synod’s 370 members would not be bishops and at least half of that group would be women. Adding women and young people to the membership will make sure “the Church is well represented” in the prayer and discussions scheduled for Oct. 4-29 at the Vatican, the cardinal said. “The Synod of Bishops will remain a synod of bishops,” Cardinal Grech said, but it will be “enriched” by representatives of the whole Church. (CNS)

Pope names members of Dicastery for Evangelization’s first section

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has appointed 19 people as members of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s first section and has named another 15 as consultants. The first section, led by Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, formally is known as “Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World,” and has responsibility for promoting evangelization, missionary discipleship, catechesis and Christian social engagement in countries where Christianity already is well established. Pope Francis also has given the section responsibility for planning the Holy Year 2025. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York is among the new members, as is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the second section of the dicastery, that is responsible for “the first evangelization and new particular churches,” what traditionally has been known as the church’s mission territories. The 19 new members include three women; the 15 consultants include nine priests, a religious brother, two women and three laymen. Among them are Salesian Sister Cettina Cacciato Insilla, a professor of catechetics in Rome; Chiara Amirante, founder and president of the New Horizons Community; Curtis A. Martin, founder and CEO of FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students; and Petroc Willey, a professor of catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville. (CNS)