Paul Keenan
Pope Benedict XVI Photo: CNS 
A case brought before a court in the US state of Milwaukee against Pope Benedict and the Holy See for alleged cover-ups of abuse there has been withdrawn.
The case, which had garnered much publicity for the naming of the current Pontiff in relation to his duties at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) while a cardinal, was officially withdrawn by prosecuting lawyer Jeff Anderson, who has multiple cases pending across America in relation to sexual abuse allegedly carried out by Catholic priests.
Among them is a case in Oregon which, again, names the Pontiff. The Milwaukee case centred on the ministry of now-deceased Fr Lawrence Murphy, who worked at St John’s School for the Deaf in the state between 1950 and 1974.
When allegations of rape and abuse began to emerge in the 1970s against the priest, he was placed under investigation by police, and removed from ministry.
However, when no criminal charges were brought, Fr Murphy was returned to ministry in the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.
Despite the lack of proceedings from civil authorities, Fr Murphy’s case was, in 1996, forwarded to the CDF which ruled that the priest should remain on restricted ministry. Fr Murphy died in 1998.
Taking the Milwaukee case on behalf of one of Fr Murphy’s alleged victims, Jeff Anderson sought to prove the case was one of a cover-up as the Vatican ”has known about the widespread problem of childhood sexual abuse committed by its clergy for centuries, but has covered up that abuse and thereby perpetuated the abuse”.
A case brought before a court in the US state of Milwaukee against Pope Benedict and the Holy See for alleged cover-ups of abuse there has been withdrawn.
The case, which had garnered much publicity for the naming of the current Pontiff in relation to his duties at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) while a cardinal, was officially withdrawn by prosecuting lawyer Jeff Anderson, who has multiple cases pending across America in relation to sexual abuse allegedly carried out by Catholic priests.
Among them is a case in Oregon which, again, names the Pontiff. The Milwaukee case centred on the ministry of now-deceased Fr Lawrence Murphy, who worked at St John’s School for the Deaf in the state between 1950 and 1974.
When allegations of rape and abuse began to emerge in the 1970s against the priest, he was placed under investigation by police, and removed from ministry.
However, when no criminal charges were brought, Fr Murphy was returned to ministry in the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.
Despite the lack of proceedings from civil authorities, Fr Murphy’s case was, in 1996, forwarded to the CDF which ruled that the priest should remain on restricted ministry. Fr Murphy died in 1998.
Taking the Milwaukee case on behalf of one of Fr Murphy’s alleged victims, Jeff Anderson sought to prove the case was one of a cover-up as the Vatican ”has known about the widespread problem of childhood sexual abuse committed by its clergy for centuries, but has covered up that abuse and thereby perpetuated the abuse”.
Reacting to the ending of the case, Jeffrey S. Lena, a lawyer acting on behalf of the Holy See, welcomed the withdrawal and described the case as a ”mendacious web of allegations of international conspiracy” and ”a waste of judicial resources”.
Holy Land: Papal visit
The Pope will travel to the Holy Land and possibly other Middle East sites this September, according to the Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Announcing the visit, Archbishop Fouad Twai said the visit timing was intended to allow the Pontiff release an apostolic exhortation concluding the work of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East.
The announcement has raised hopes in Lebanon that Pope Benedict will include that country on his itinerary, the first such visit since that of Pope John Paul II 15 years ago.
Syria: Peace appeal
As some 10,000 troops massed for an attack on the rebel city of Homs, Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Latham issued an appeal to the international community to work towards a final peace in the country so as to avoid the current fighting becoming an all-out civil war.
Pointing towards the secular nature of the Assad regime, in which Syria stands as only two countries in the Arab world where Islam is not the state religion and where Christian refugees from Iraq have found safety, the patriarch suggested that this should be borne in mind by those seeking the end of President Bashar al Assad’s reign.
”Don’t think about changing the regime, but help the regime change,” the Patriarch urged.
It has been reported that the majority of Christians have now fled Homs.
China: Tibetan protest
Another protester against Chinese rule in Tibet has set himself on fire. Reported variously as the 20th or 21st victim of an act of self-immolation in a year, the man, believed to be a monk, burned himself on February 8 in an area known as Aba, located in Sichuan province in southwestern China.
The injured man was taken away by police before his condition could be established by witnesses.
Two monks who were near the scene of the burning were arrested.
Authorities in Aba are said to be on standby for any trouble ahead of the Tibetan new year which falls on February 22.
The immolation came six days after three monks in Serthar, another region of Sichuan, also set themselves alight in acts of protest.
Schism warning
Cardinal Joseph Zen has warned that the divide between faithful who cooperate with the communist authorities and those keeping fidelity with Rome threatens to be a serious schism within the Church in China.
During an interview with AsiaNews, the cardinal further warned that the underground Church risks dying if it does not receive further support and backing from Rome.
”The situation of the Church in China is particularly unusual because not bishops, but bodies outside the Church are leading our Church,” he explained.
Because of this, and Rome’s attempts to compromise with the specific reality in China, often through recognition of government-appointed bishops, the underground Church feels demoralised.
”The underground community that once flourished so well now runs the risk of dying of frustration and discouragement, because it seems to be neglected and considered inconvenient by the Holy See,” the cardinal concluded.
Egypt: Forced evictions
Radical Islamists have led attacks on Coptic homes in a village near Alexandria to drive out the minority community.
Details of the January 27 and 30 attacks in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat have just emerged in which 62 families were targeted by some 3,000 Muslims.
Homes and businesses linked with Copts were burned and there have been allegations that police and soldiers stood by as the violence unfolded.
The attacks were instigated when rumours circulated that a Coptic barber in the village had photographs of a Muslim woman on his mobile phone.
The man turned himself in to police and no pictures were found. The Muslim woman named in connection with the matter has also denied the rumours.
The second attack came — after a reconciliation meeting — when radicals were angered that, when they were burning the home of a local merchant, the man and his sons allegedly fired shots into the air to drive them off.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the sons while, as part of a peace arrangement, the merchant’s assets were sold off under the supervision of a local sheikh.
United States: EWTN action
The Catholic broadcaster EWTN has initiated legal proceedings against the Obama administration as a result of the so-called Health and Human Services mandate (HHS), part of the government’s affordable health reforms.
That mandate requires all service providers to offer health plans to employees including provision for abortion and contraception.
Faith groups have protested that the religious exemption is too narrow for them to operate within the bounds of religious beliefs.
”We had no other option but to take this to the courts,” EWTN president and CEO Michael Warsaw said in an announcement about the case, launched on February 8.
”There is no question that this mandate violates our First Amendment rights. We are taking this action to defend not only ourselves but also to protect other institutions — Catholic and non-Catholic, religious and secular — from having this mandate imposed upon them.”
EWTN provides further information about the mandate and its lawsuit at www.ewtn.com/hhsman date
Priest removed
A priest has been removed from his parish of 17 years following allegations he changed the words of the Eucharistic prayer to make it fit better with his homily and Gospel reading.
Fr William Rowe of St Mary’s parish in Mount Carmel, in the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, was removed by Bishop Edward Braxton when the matter came to light.
On January 29, instead of reading the collect from the Roman Missal (‘Lord our God that we may honour you with all our mind and love everyone in truth of heart’), Fr Rowe substituted a prayer which tied the rite with the Gospel reading on Jesus healing the man with the unclean spirit: ”We thank you, God, for giving us Jesus who helped us to be healed in mind and heart and proclaim his love to others.”
Station warning
A Catholic archdiocese has issued a warning over an internet television station operating under a Catholic heading.
Operating out of the city of Detroit in Michigan, Real Catholic TV was launched in 2008 by reporter Michael Voris as a means of promoting conservative Catholic views.
However, Voris’ staunch messages have now drawn the ire of the Archdiocese of Detroit which has issued a statement reminding Catholics that Real Catholic TV ”does not have the authorisation required under Church law to identify or promote itself as Catholic”.
Among the messages disseminated by Voris on his internet channel is his belief that voting rights should be confined to Catholics.
He has previously claimed that the best way to run a country is through the benevolent dictatorship of a Catholic monarch.