Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta shared his views in an interview with the Times of Malta, saying that allowing priests to marry could prevent them from leading secretive lives that conflict with their vows.

Serving as the adjunct secretary of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Scicluna highlighted the challenges priests encounter due to the celibacy requirement.

He observed that the widespread phenomenon of priests engaging in hidden, long-term relationships underscores the difficulties tied to this ecclesiastical rule.

"Experience has shown me this is something we need to seriously consider" Scicluna said, noting his open discussions at the Vatican while acknowledging that the ultimate decision is beyond his authority.

The current crisis in vocations does not solely drive Scicluna's push for reconsideration, although he acknowledges this issue.

Arguing that the decision to pursue the priesthood should be based on faith, not a compromise between personal and spiritual commitments, Scicluna asks "Why should we lose a young man who would have made a fine priest just because he wanted to get married?"

He pointed out that the rule of celibacy is not doctrinally immutable, implying that a papal decree could modify this tradition.

"If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priests have to be celibate" Scicluna told the Times of Malta.

Since the Catholic Church prohibits priests from getting married, some do so in secret and even have children in secret, Scicluna said.

"This is a global reality; it doesn't just happen in Malta" he clarified.

"We know there are priests around the world who also have children, and I believe there are those in Malta as well."

Reflecting on the Church's history, Scicluna noted that celibacy was not mandatory during its first millennium.

He advocated for learning from the Eastern Rite churches which permit married men to be ordained, suggesting a way forward to reconcile tradition with contemporary challenges.

While celibacy continues to have an important role in the church, the archbishop said it should once again become optional for those who wish to live their faith that way.

In the 12th century, the First Lateran Council established a prohibition against marriage for priests, deacons and subdeacons within the Latin-rite of the Catholic Church.

"We absolutely forbid priests, deacons and subdeacons to associate with concubines and women, or to live with women other than such as the Nicene Council (canon 3) for reasons of necessity permitted, namely, the mother, sister or aunt, or any such person concerning whom no suspicion could arise."

This marked the formal inception of celibacy requirements for clergy in this tradition.

However, a significant shift occurred in 1951 when Pope Pius XII introduced special dispensations that allowed converted Lutheran ministers to join the Catholic priesthood as married priests.

This move initiated a gradual acceptance of married former Protestant clergy within the Latin-rite Catholic priesthood.

Sources

• RNS

All people yearn for truth and justice, speakers at a panel discussion in Rome said last week.

The discussion followed the presentation of a new book "Transparency and Secrecy in the Catholic Church" written by two of the panelists, Fr Jordi Pujol Solerand and Fr Rolando Montes de Oca. The third panelist was Archbishop Charles Scicluna, from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Information and secrecy are both forms of power that can be abused, the authors say. There is a growing desire for greater transparency in Church communications to end "absurd and useless secrets," while protecting needed privacy, confidentiality and the sacred sacrament of confession.

Safeguarding reforms, laws and procedures are part of a larger call for conversion for the entire church.

Pope Francis's most recent reforms concerning safeguarding and church leaders' greater accountability show the connection between canon law and communication.

Pujol pointed out the two types of tribunal to understand and handle appropriately: courts of justice, which demand facts and evidence to promote justice; and the court of public opinion, which depends on facts. It is coloured and driven by emotions and immediate perceptions.

It can be frustrating to see facts ignored or distorted in the court of public opinion, but "you need to monitor people's perceptions" and address them in a proactive, constructive way, he says.

Montes pointed out that media move and respond quickly to events. Those working in Church communications must also ensure timeliness is guided by "respect for human dignity, the common good and prudence."

Catholic communicators can help reporters in the secular media understand this and the need to use terminology correctly and truthfully, Pujol says.

There is a long history of church teaching to guide communications, which is an integral part of the church's identity as an institution dedicated to the truth and being trustworthy.

"We all agree on the principles: we want a church that is open, that listens, that does not see victims as a threat or a problem, that promotes the laity and women and fosters co-responsibility."

To be credible and relevant today the Church has to be itself, to continue to awaken in others the amazement, the astonishment of God and humanity.

The panel agreed that historic abuse allegation reports must be done by top experts in a professional, honest, humble and impartial manner to understand what really happened.

The aim is not to "inflict self-harm," but to learn from the past and grow in a desire to do things better, Scicluna says.

Only journeying together in a truly synodal way can the truth be safeguarded and justice promoted, in a process of gathering information, listening and dialogue in the "Gospel-way" with compassion, tenderness and closeness.

Source

• Crux Now

Both Chicago's Cardinal Blase Cupich and Malta's Archbishop Charles Scicluna say the Vatican should begin disclosing the reasons for a Catholic prelate's removal from office.

Cupich and Scicluna organised last week's summit on child protection.

"I think if a person is removed from office the reason should be given why," said Cupich, speaking in an interview earlier this week at the Pontifical North American College.

"There is no reason that should not be the case."

On Tuesday Scicluna spoke about the potential change at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the past "there was a resistance to giving the real reason or the reasons.

"That needs to change," he said.

Cupich and Scicluna's comments signal a potentially significant policy change for the global church.

They indicated the procedures Pope Francis developed in 2016 to initiate the removal of bishops found negligent in clergy abuse cases may be updated to make them more transparent.

They also said they hope the involvement of 12 women during last week's meeting would set a standard for the growing participation of women at future Vatican meetings, including synods of bishops.

Scicluna said a bishop's removal might be due to reports sent to Rome from the prelate's diocese or his national conference.

People have a right to know the outcome of their report, he said.

At the moment, the Vatican does not give any reason when a bishop is removed from office. Instead, an announcement is made in the Vatican's daily bulletin, saying the prelate has "renounced pastoral governance" of his diocese.

Although the Vatican formerly identifies the church canon under which a bishop has resigned, until September 2016 observers could only make an educated guess about the reasons behind the resignation.

Abuse survivors and advocates have long argued that giving the reasons for bishops' resignations would act as an incentive for prelates to handle abuse cases according to procedure.

"I believe that if a bishop has been removed for incompetence — financial, his administration, or whatever — those things should be said," Cupich said.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

Zollner says he believes the reason for calling the 21-24 February summit is because "this is a very urgent, very challenging moment for the Church and an urgent question which the Holy Father has made a priority for himself and for the Church, by calling for this unique meeting."

Zollner is the head of the Center for Child Protection at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minor.

He is also a member of the organising committee for the summit.

Others include Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Oswald Gracias from India and Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican's former top prosecutor of sex abuse crimes.

The heads of all bishop's conferences throughout the world will attend the gathering, as well as members of Eastern Catholic Churches and religious superiors.

Echoing the Pope's words, Zollner says the summit will be a meeting of "pastors" who will come together to pray, and who will "listen to be informed about what they need to do, and to own that."

While a three-day-meeting is not enough to dive into complex issues such as implications related to canon law, there needs to be follow-through on what is discussed.

One goal will be to achieve some sort of global uniformity in terms of best-practices in abuse prevention and prosecution.

"At the same time, there can be no one-size-fits-all guideline for the whole Church, because our languages do not translate certain concepts, the law systems are completely different, the political and social situations are very diverse," he says.

"If Rome comes and gives everybody one guideline, everyone thinks things are solved once and for all," but this is not the case, he said. "You need to be sure those responsible do the work."

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Crux Now
• Image: America Magazine

Francis invited the survivors, Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Andres Murillo, to stay in the Santa Marta residence where he lives.

In a series of meetings that began in the Vatican on Friday, continued over the weekend and finished on Monday, Francis and the three survivors spoke privately.

One of the three survivors, Hamilton, tweeted that his more than two hours of conversation with Francis were "enormously constructive".

Murillo also tweeted about his meeting, saying he stressed the importance of understanding sexual abuse as "abuse of power" when he met with Francis.

The third man, Cruz, has not yet commented about his meeting, which was on Sunday.

However, he said in a tweet he was happy his friends were "calm and in peace and feeling very welcome by the Holy Father" after their visits with Francis.

Before the meetings, Francis vowed to ask for the men's forgiveness for not believing Bishop Juan Barros covered up the abuse meted out to them by Fr Fernando Karadima who is held to be the Chilean church's most notorious sex predator.

Francis initially believed Barros and, while in Chile at the beginning of the year, defended him publicly several times.

He even said the accusations against Barros were "calumnies."

However shortly after returning to Rome, Francis decided to send Archbishop Charles Scicluna - a former top prosecutor on sex abuse crimes - to investigate the allegations.

After reading Scicluna's 2,300-page report, he invited the three survivors to the Vatican to meet with him.

The Vatican says Francis hopes to use the meetings with the three survivors as a "fundamental step forward" in ridding the church of abuse.

Source

• ABC News
• Crux
• The Salt Lake Tribune
• Image: The Telegraph

Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati says Barros, who allegedly covered up abuse of minors, should 'without a doubt' resign.

He also says he would not judge whether Barros actually had covered up abuse by Fr Fernando Karadima.

"I'm not a judge" who can say if Barros in fact covered up or not.

Baross's diocese of Osorno released a statement on Thursday saying he has some "health difficulties," while reiterating that he's "permanently available to the directions of the Holy Father."

No details were given regarding his condition.

Last week Pope Francis admitted 'grave mistakes' in his handling of the abuse crisis.

After initially defending Barros and saying he had been slandered, Francis appointed Vatican-based sexual abuse investigator Archbishop Charles Scicluna to investigate the matter.

Scicluna went to Chile to meet with abuse victims and clergy to find out whether Barros did have a case to answer.

After reading Scicluna's 2,300-page report, which included the testimony of 64 individuals, Francis changed his mind about Barros.

He said the report caused him "pain and shame" and he apologised to everyone he offended by his earlier stance.

He acknowledged he made "serious errors of assessment and perception ... especially due to lack of truthful and balanced information."

Ezzati says Francis was "deceived" with the information given to him about Barros.

He says it is "a very serious fault to have misinformed the Holy Father," and noted he hadn't "deceived anyone" himself.

In his opinion the bishop's situation should have been resolved "years ago."

Source

• Christian Today
• The Tablet
• CruxNow
• Image: Alchetron

"I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and my perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information," the Pope said in a letter addressed to the Chilean bishops.

"I apologize to all those I have offended," he said, adding that he plans to apologize personally to some of the survivors who gave testimony "in the coming weeks."

Afte reading the 2,300-page dossier his envoys prepared after a nearly two-week visit to New York and Chile Francis said he felt "pain and shame" for the "crucified lives" of those who suffered abuse.

He praised the 64 people who gave testimonials for having had the courage to bare the "wounds of their souls" for the sake of truth.

Francis also thanked news organizations for respecting the victims' confidentiality while "respecting the right of citizens to information."

Francis had twice defended Bishop Juan Barros Madrid during his Jan. 15-18 trip to Chile, calling the accusations against Barros "calumny" and even saying then he was "convinced he is innocent."

Barros, whom Francis appointed to the small diocese of Osorno in 2015, has been accused of protecting notorious abuser Fr. Fernando Karadima as a priest in the 1980s and '90s.

Subsequently, he sent Scicluna to investigate the scandal.

Francis has summoned Chile's bishops to the Vatican for an emergency meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the scandal.

He has made clear that Chile's bishops must now work to "re-establish confidence in the church, confidence that was broken by our errors and sins, and heal the wounds that continue to bleed in Chilean society."

While the letter doesn't reveal Scicluna's conclusions, Francis made clear the bishops needed to "repair the scandal where possible and re-establish justice."

Source

• twitter.com
• pbs.org
• abcnews.go.com
• ncronline.org
• Image: patheos.com

Scicluna will travel to New York next week to interview the victim, Juan Carlos Cruz. The victim is at the centre of a scandal involving Pope Francis.

Cruz says a letter he wrote in 2015 asking Pope Francis to listen to his testimony about clergy abuse and its subsequent cover-up has been ignored.

The Associated Press (AP) claims Francis received the victim's letter in 2015, which detailed how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it.

The AP statements contradict Francis's insistence that no victims had come forward to denounce the coverup.

If the APs statements are true, they could undermine Francis's assertions of "zero tolerance" for sexual abuse and those who seek to cover it up.

The accusations against Francis emerged last month during his trip to South America.

Francis said he had not heard from any victims about Bishop Juan Barros, who is accused of witnessing and ignoring abuse perpetrated by Fr. Fernando Karadima.

His response that the accusations were slanderous sparked an outcry in Chile.

Marie Collins, who was a founding member of Pope Francis's Commission for the Protection of Minors but who resigned in early 2017, says his handling of the Chilean abuse survivor's letter has "definitely undermined credibility, trust and hope" in Francis.

"He has said all the right things and he has expressed all the right views on abuse, and the harm and the hurt, but in this case at least it would seem his actions have not matched the words, and that is sad," she says.

Collins says she personally handed the letter from Cruz to Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who heads the Commission for the Protection of Minors.

"Cardinal O'Malley said he would hand it to the pope, and he told us later he had done so and that he had discussed the concerns with the pope himself," Collins says.

Francis told reporters on a flight back from South America that no victims had come forward to him about the case.

Source

• The Spec
• Crux Now
• The Star
• Image: Duna