We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and, ultimately, self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.
[Emphases as in the spoken original, see official transcript—it was followed by a 15-second standing ovation.]
By President William Jefferson Clinton in his State of the Union address.
Not bad, when you get down to it.
Concluding with a virtual prosecutor’s brief:
The letter that Francis received in 2015 directly contradicts his claim that no victims had come forward in Chile, and makes it difficult to believe that he was defending Barros out of ignorance. Francis’s election, with its promise to return a real measure of authority to local churches, gave new life to the reform agenda of Vatican II.
But when it comes to the crisis that has devastated the church, it increasingly looks as though Francis is only offering more of the same—or worse. He might not be inclined to judge, but the church and the world are watching, and will not hesitate to do just that. Francis has demanded accountability from priests and bishops, and now must be held to account himself.
via A Time to Judge | Commonweal Magazine
Plus more more more from One Peter Five:
— A Breaking Point in the Papacy?
At the beginning of 2018, Steve Skojec predicted that this year would mark “the beginning of the end” of Pope Francis’ power. It is now becoming increasingly clear that this pontificate might be facing several distinct points of fracture. Francis’ international standing is being undermined.
There are at least five areas where the pope has become vulnerable: the Cardinal Marx scandal; the Bishop Barros abuse case; the Chinese crisis; the controversy concerning the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Ireland; and the growing resistance to Amoris Laetitia.
Plus:
— Is Pope Francis Opening the Doors of the Church to “Queer Theology”?
The question arises spontaneously after learning that the Portuguese priest-poet José Tolentino de Mendonça has been asked to direct the upcoming and now-traditional Lenten retreat which will be given in Ariccia, Italy, to Pope Bergoglio and members of the Roman Curia.
Mendonça is known to be a fan of Sister Maria Teresa Forcades i Vila, a theologian noted for her “queer” positions and who is presently in Italy to promote her book We are all Diverse! In Favor of a Queer Theology (Castelvecchi Editore).
Actually, Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich beat this Lenten retreat to it some months back, when shortly after Rev. James Martin, S.J., had appearances cancelled in the wake of publication of his pro-gaiety book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity (Harper One, 2017), Cupich scheduled him to offer Lenten reflections at Holy Name Cathedral the evenings of March 22 and 23.
Pro-gaiety reaches high ranks not only in Rome but in the U.S.A.
. . . where the archbishop is having a heart for those (and their families) who want to live right.
The first initiative proposed for the Archdiocese of Portland was establishing the ministries of Courage and Encourage, which together provide a support network for same-sex attracted persons who are looking for chaste ways to live their lives, as well as their families.
“We must respond with love, respect and sensitivity to these persons and their families,” Sample said, according to the Catholic Sentinel.
. . . meanwhile pushing a program to strengthen married couples and their families.
The second new effort within the archdiocese was “for our local Church to do a better job of preparing people for marriage.”
Sample said marriage prep begins in youth, through religious education and the ways children grow to view marriage through high school, college and adulthood. He also noted that the archdiocese would be seeking out programs that would best fit existing parish and vicariate-level preparation programs.
and yet more, all
in response to the Church’s 2014 and 2015 worldwide synods of bishops on the topic of marriage, which the archbishop noted was a “major priority for the whole Church throughout the world.”
The very synods which some cardinals and the pope used in effect to strengthen something else — approval of communion for divorced and remarried.
via Portland archbishop celebrates marriage Mass after call for new family initiatives
Blithe Spirit 