Before dismissing staff however, the Archdiocese sold its First Ave. Manhattan office headquarters building for US $100 million. It will be redeveloped as rental units.

The remaining Archdiocese staff are being relocated to a smaller building at 488 Madison Ave., closer to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

The proceeds "will be used to ease the financial burden caused by the sexual abuse crisis" Dolan said.

Difficult decisions

Dolan said laying off staff was difficult but necessary. 18 people were affected, about four percent of the administration staff for the Archdiocese.

"Such decisions are never easy, but the current financial crunch the Archdiocese faces, and the upcoming move to our new offices in 2025, make this the appropriate time to make some tough decisions" he told the Archdiocese's faithful in a letter.

According to media reports, this will save the Archdiocese over $1.5 million as officials focus more resources on parishes.

"Our goal in all of this is to ensure that we are responding as effectively as possible to the needs of the people we are called upon to serve in the ten counties and nearly 300 parishes that make up this Archdiocese" Dolan said.

"This restructuring has, unfortunately, resulted in regrettable lay-offs for some workers at the ... [office headquarters] ... and elsewhere around the Archdiocese."

Dolan added that further staff reduction is likely, at the very least through attrition.

Covering costs

Dolan said costs surrounding the sex-abuse cases against the Church remain a major financial concern. The Archdiocese has sued its insurer, Chubb, for refusing to pay some of the claims.

"We have worked hard to settle meritorious cases not covered by insurance, in justice to the victims of years past" Dolan wrote in his letter.

"We settled over 400 hundred cases through our Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Programme and 123 more in response to the Child Victims Act of 2019.

"There remains about 1400 cases of alleged abuse, some dating back to World War II.

"To be clear, not all of these allegations are against priests. In fact, the two largest groups of complaints are against a former volunteer basketball coach and a former janitor…..In the long run, all these cases are a towering expense for us" he wrote.

In addition to the proceeds from the Manhattan property sale, Dolan said other properties are being considered for sale as well.

"Our future financial strength will require even more strategy and sacrifice, even more help from the Archdiocese, and more help from our parishes and people" he said.

Some of the savings from the Archdiocese staff redundancies and property sales will go back to parishes in the form of grants - for example, to organise special Masses for immigrant communities that make up the Archdiocese which encompasses Manhattan, Staten Island, The Bronx and northern suburbs, Dolan said.

Source

• NY Post

Cardinal Timothy Dolan alleges that Chubb is neglecting its contractual obligations despite receiving billions in premiums from the archdiocese over the years.

In a letter to the Catholic faithful, Cardinal Dolan explained that the archdiocese has already resolved over 500 cases without insurance coverage. However, approximately 1,400 additional cases remain unresolved.

The archdiocese wishes to settle these claims swiftly but says that Chubb is deliberately avoiding its duty to pay.

"It has always been our wish to expeditiously settle all meritorious claims," the archbishop said.

"However, Chubb, for decades our primary insurance company, even though we have paid them over $2 billion in premiums by today's standards, are now attempting to evade their legal and moral contractual obligation to settle covered claims which would bring peace and healing to victim-survivors."

Dolan harshly criticised Chubb. He claimed the company is falsely arguing that the abuse was "expected or intended" by the Catholic Church. Such a claim, if accurate, would nullify insurance coverage.

Dolan called that argument "false" and "outrageous" and said the insurer is merely trying "to protect their bottom line."

The lawsuit, filed under New York's General Business Law, alleges that Chubb's actions amount to deceptive business practice. It claims the company is failing both the archdiocese and abuse survivors.

Child abuse covered up

Chubb responded with a strong rebuttal and put the onus on the Archdiocese of New York.

"The Archdiocese of New York tolerated, concealed and covered up rampant child sexual abuse for decades" Chubb said in a company statement.

The company also accused the archdiocese of withholding financial information regarding what it knew about the abuse.

Chubb alleged that the archdiocese is attempting to "deflect, hide and avoid responsibility" for its actions and protect its financial resources. The insurer argues that the archdiocese has substantial wealth and is unwilling to provide adequate compensation to the victims.

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)

In New Zealand, the situation involving sexual abuse claims and compensation differs significantly from that in the US. This is due to the no-fault accident insurance scheme managed by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

Under ACC, anyone who suffers an injury, including mental injury from sexual abuse or assault, can apply for compensation. Victims of sexual abuse do not need to sue individuals or organisations to receive compensation.

The financial burden of compensating victims would fall largely on ACC, not the Church or its insurers.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Crux Now

"We didn't know the background. We don't do FBI checks on people who want to be buried," Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said during his podcast Tuesday.

He said cathedral staff try to be welcoming when someone requests a funeral.

"All they know is somebody called and said, ‘Our dear friend died. We'd love to have the funeral at St Patrick's Cathedral. It would be a great source of consolation. She's a Catholic. It would be a great source of consolation for us, her family and friends.'

And, of course, the priest at the cathedral said, ‘Come on in. You're more than welcome,'" Dolan said.

Read More

The government accused the bishops of using "distorted words" that verge on "contempt of court".

The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark and Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe were among the signatories of the appeal launched on 1 November.

They said that Lai's support for democracy through public interventions and his since-closed newspaper, Apple Daily, was no cause for imprisonment.

Lai was arrested in 2020 under a draconian national security law and has been in prison for more than 1,000 days, with prosecutors now threatening a life sentence.

Read More

Archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan is trying to fix it - or at least, get some relief.

He's been calling out for a fellow Catholic, President Joe Biden, to help with the "tragic, broken" migrant system.

He's also been calling on NYC Governor Kathy Hochul to help.

Neither seems to care.

He says Biden hasn't answered his calls. Or letters.

He's also unimpressed with Hochul's response to him.

"I've spoken with the governor a number of times and haven't gotten too much consolation," he said on Saturday.

The next day the Daily Mail reported Hochul as having called for a 'historic humanitarian response'.

The migrant crisis

The US is seeing burgeoning migrant numbers everywhere - and NYC has become the migrant crisis epicentre.

Between the US Spring of 2022 and August 2023, over 100,000 new immigrants moved to NYC. Costs are projected to run up to $12 billion in the coming years. People will need housing and other basic services.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams says 10,000 migrants are now arriving every month in New York. They're overwhelming the already cramped city.

The Big Apple has long run out of space in hotels and homeless shelters. But it also has a legal obligation to provide a bed for anyone who asks for one.

"New York just can't handle them all, we know that," Dolan says.

"It's very unfair. This is [also] an American problem."

NYC mayor rallies religious leaders

Dolan is full of praise for Adams.

"He's been very good about rallying religious leaders, asking our help to advocate with the federal government which has done hardly anything, [and] with the state government which hasn't done much."

A few months ago, Adams publicly called for under-utilised buildings to be used to house migrants.

NYC Archdiocese — with nearly 300 parishes and 156 Catholic schools — heeded the call. They lent the city several former convents and schools.

"The mayor told us that he really needed some desk help in meeting the people and taking their records and helping to get them settled," he says, pointing to the work of the archdiocese's Catholic Charities.

The Church is helping find migrants housing, schooling, clothing, healthcare and legal assistance, Dolan says.

"Every day hundreds come in" Dolan says.

"We look them in the eyes, get their names and we love them and say, ‘You're part of us now. You're not a number.'"

But the task is overwhelming.

"We make sure that the priests are there, that the people feel welcome for mass and the sacraments," Dolan said.

What now?

Dolan feels the current system is "terribly wrecked" and needs "dramatic immigration reform."

"For us, it's not so much about politics and policy . . . we have to leave that to others.

"Our sacred responsibility is to help them. We hate to see these people suffer."

Source

• New York Post
• Daily Mail

Father James Martin SJ and Sister Simone Campbell (pictured), a Sister of Social Service and New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan were shoulder-tapped to pray at these key political events.

Yesterday, Martin and Campbell's prayers were offered during the Democrats' National Convention's final night.

Martin has a widespread presence in various media platforms and Campbell is the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobbying group.

Both pre-recorded their prayers with Campbell offering an invocation and Martin delivering a benediction.

Campbell and Martin say they are honoured to have been invited to pray at the event.

"Generally speaking, I don't like to do too many overtly political things, but it's hard to turn down an invitation to pray. I figured if the Republicans asked me, I'd do the same thing," Martin says.

He noted Dolan prayed at both major political conventions in 2012.

Dolan, who was then the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, prayed for the unborn in his closing benediction at the Democratic Convention.

He asked "that they may be welcomed and protected."

He made a similar plea in his closing for Republican Convention.

The Republican's platform on abortion is generally viewed as closer to the Catholic Church's teaching than the Democrats' platform, which supports legal abortion.

On Monday next week, Dolan will offer a prayer during the opening evening of the Republican National Convention.

"As a priest, one of my most sacred obligations is to try and respond positively whenever I am invited to pray," Dolan says.

"Prayer is speaking to God, offering Him praise, thanking Him for His many blessings, and asking for His intercession; it is not political or partisan."

"That is why I have accepted an invitation to pray at the Republican's National Convention."

Both the Democrats and Republicans are entitled to his prayers, Dolan says.

"My agreeing to pray does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, party, or platform. Had I been invited to offer a prayer for the Democratic National Convention, I would have happily accepted, just as I did in 2012."

"It is my hope that, during this tumultuous time in our nation's history, people of all religious faiths or none at all might join together in seeking peace and reconciliation in our hearts, in our cities, and in our country."

Source

• The Tablet
• NCR Online
• Image: BillMoyers.com

Copies of George Weigel's book have been sent to all 222 cardinals across the globe, courtesy of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

In doing so, he broke with a longstanding practice that the Church's highest prelates refrain from publicly lobbying for possible candidates for the papacy.

Four cardinals in various parts of the world have confirmed they received the book, with an accompanying note from Dolan.

All four, whose names have been kept private, said they were concerned about the propriety of a member of the elite College of Cardinals sending such a book while the current pontiff is not known to be ill or considering resignation.

"Many of us were left speechless that this American cardinal sent us the book," said one of the cardinals.

"We have a pope, and our beloved St. Pope John Paul II gave us clear norms about a future conclave."

It says: "I … forbid anyone, even if he is a Cardinal, during the Pope's lifetime and without having consulted him, to make plans concerning the election of his successor, or to promise votes, or to make decisions in this regard in private gatherings."

Dolan addresses the recipient as "Your Eminence, my brother cardinal," and states: "I am grateful to Ignatius Press for making this important reflection on the future of the Church available to the College of Cardinals."

Weigel says the book "does not contain a single sentence about a future conclave.

"No potential candidates are named and no conclave strategy is discussed," he says.

"The book is a reflection on the future of the Office of Peter in what Pope Francis has called a Church 'permanently in mission.' Period."

Weigel says those concerned about Dolan's action could consult with members of the so-called "Sankt Gallen group," a loose association of cardinals who strategized together after John Paul's 2005 death about who might be the best papal successor.

Although Weigel does not name cardinals who could considered as a future pope in his book, he suggests characteristics and qualities that would be desirable in the next pontiff.

He also makes several veiled criticisms of Francis, including the pope's decision not to directly respond to a 2016 letter from four retired cardinals questioning his teachings on family life in Amoris Laetitia ("The Joy of Love").

That exhortation was Francis' response to two Synods of Bishops, held in 2014 and 2015.

Dolan was part of a group of 13 cardinals who wrote a letter to Francis expressing concern about the way he had organised the second of those synods.

Upon the death or resignation of a pope, all cardinals under the age of 80 are tasked with gathering in Rome to elect his successor. At present there are 122 such cardinals, including Dolan.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Wall Street Journal

Even though they have been withdrawn, one of the articles has been saved by a digital archive that allows people to see websites as they existed at various points in time. A link to the other article is still referred to in various tweets and listed by Google News.

The article that has been saved is a commentary by Catholic Theological Union public theologian Steven P. Millies.

Stephen Schneck, a political scientist and the executive director of the Franciscan Action Network, says he wrote the second article. The U.S. Catholic withdrew it without informing him, he claims.

"They haven't communicated with me in any way," he says. "Obviously, they're entitled to run what they want to run. But I would have expected to at least have a conversation before a piece was taken down."

Several hours after Schneck's comments were published, Millies tweeted that he would no longer write columns for U.S. Catholic.

His tweet said it was "a difficult decision because I enjoy it and because I think contributing to the debate as a public intellectual is more needed now than ever."

His article began by asking if the U.S. bishops had "crossed a sort of Rubicon" by taking part in a controversial phone call with Trump on 2 April.

Image He also wondered if Dolan's flattery of Trump during a 27 April "Fox & Friends" appearance "may prove to be a moment from which American Catholicism cannot turn back."

Over 1,000 Catholics signed a letter on 1 May expressing outrage that the cardinal was so publicly praising a president known for separating migrant families and stoking racial divisions in the country.

After Vatican officials criticized the magazine for publishing the piece, the Claretians arranged for the U.S. Catholic to print church documents explaining the church's position against the ordination of women to the priesthood.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: TodayShow

Responding to Trump's request for their political support, Dolan thanked him for his leadership on pro-life and religious liberty issues.

Trump responded by tweeting that he would be watching Sunday Mass on 26 April livestreamed from New York's St Patrick's cathedral.

Taking note of this, Dolan began his sermon on Sunday by welcoming the president's virtual attendance and promising to pray for him.

Although the group telephone call discussion rambled over many topics, it was supposed to focus on the plight of Catholic education. Many religious schools have seen registrations plummet as a result of economic hardship caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

However, Trump repeatedly turned the subject to other issues.

He reminded the listeners of his pro-life record, even recalling a debate with his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton.

"We probably helped out the pro-life [cause] more than anything you can imagine," he said.

Looking ahead to this coming election he added, "I hope that everyone gets out and votes and does what they have to do."

"You're going to have a very different Catholic Church," if he wasn't re-elected, he warned those on the phone call.

Despite being brought back to the matter of Catholic school funding and the need for federal assistance to sustain them, Trump persisted in focusing on political issues.

"The other side [the Democratic Party] is not in favour of it," the president warned.

"What a similarity we have and how the other side is the exact opposite of what you're wanting, so I guess it's an important thing to remember."

Trump was similarly distracted the week before during a call with religious leaders from various denominations to discuss the role of faith-based organisations in helping people cope.

On neither call, nor in his sermon on Sunday, did Dolan discuss the president's treatment of immigrants, even though the US bishops' conference has made it's views clear on this issue.

"We are extremely concerned about how the proclamation will impact immigrant families looking to reunify, as well as religious workers," a statement from the conference says.

Source

• The Tablet
• Image:National Catholic Reporter

He says he wishes the priest (Robert Morey) hadn't taken the issue to the press.

Biden, who is a life-long Catholic, says Morey's move to inform the press is "not a position that I've found anywhere else, including from the Holy Father, who gives me communion".

He said that he was "prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," but added that to impose that belief upon others through the application of law would be "inappropriate in a pluralistic society."

"There is a debate in our church, as Cardinal Egan would acknowledge, that's existed.

"Back in ‘Summa Theologia,' when Thomas Aquinas wrote ‘Summa Theologia,' he said there was no-it didn't occur until quickening, 40 days after conception. How can I tell you or anyone else that you must insist upon my view that is based on a matter of faith? And that's the reason I haven't," Biden said.

When asked to give his views on the denial of communion, the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, said he thinks there was most likely a better way to handle the issue than going to the press.

"If only saints could receive Holy Communion, we wouldn't have anybody at Mass, including myself," he said.

Dolan said he would have used a more personal approach rather than making a quick decision.

He also said he's never denied someone from receiving communion, as it's "never come up."

Nonetheless, he thinks Morey had a good point in refusing the sacrament as abortion is a concern of "critical substance" within the church.

"We're talking about life and death in the church. You personally, out of integrity should not approach Holy Communion, because that implies that you're in union with all the church beliefs," he added.

He said he admires people who hold back from receiving communion if they are not fully following the teachings of the church and Jesus.

However, he noted that the Eucharist is "medicine for the soul" and said all should feel welcome.

While the decision to offer communion is made by an individual priest, the choice to deny an official communion based on their public positions is controversial.

Pope Francis has confirmed the Church's continued opposition to abortion but has also suggested that communion should not be withheld from practicing Catholics based on their specific beliefs.

"The Eucharist … is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak," he wrote in 2013

Source

• NewsMax
• PBS
• CNA
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

The U.S. bishops have a zero tolerance policy in relation to abuse.

They aim to have no priests or deacons in active ministry that have had claims of abuse substantiated.

The report was prepared by Judge Barbara Jones who was commissioned by Cardinal Timothy Dolan to serve as an independent investigator into its handling of cases of abuse.

"I have found that the Archdiocese has complied with the Charter in all material respect" Jones's report says.

"It has faithfully followed its policies and procedures and responded appropriately to abuse complaints, and is committed to supporting victim-survivors of abuse."

Jones explained she and a team of lawyers have gone through all the personnel files for "every priest and deacon in the Archdiocese.

This involved checking "several thousand files".

"No Archdiocesan priest or deacon against whom there is a substantiated complaint of abuse of a minor is in the ministry today," she said.

Almost all of the complaints lodged in the last few years against archdiocesan priests are not "complaints of current conduct," Jones said.

"Rather, they are complaints about conduct that occurred sometime decades earlier.

"Most of these complaints also involve priests who are deceased."

Despite her positive words, Jones urged Dolan to hire a "sex abuse czar" to oversee sex abuse complaints.

"I have recommended that the Archdiocese hire a person whose sole responsibility is to oversee its response to sexual abuse complaints," she said.

Jones also recommended the archdiocese hire "a compliance officer for the Office of Priest Personnel to monitor its functions and oversee the new document management system."

However, she does not specifically say whether those hired for these key posts should be nonclerics or not.

That troubles David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests.

"Victims are not going to report sex abuse by a cleric to a cleric, they're just not," Clohessy said.

If the archdiocese is "sincere," it will play no role in the hiring of what are essentially watchdogs who police the priests, he said.

"The bishops have done a superb job of finding deferential people who will do the bishops' bidding and keep the bishops' secrets," Clohessy said. "As always, the resolution lies outside the church hierarchy and structure."

Archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling emailed a one-word response to Clohessy's concerns:

"Ridiculous."

Source

• Crux Now
• NBC News
• Image: NY Daily News

Graham was a Southern Baptist evangelical preacher from the United States who was admired by many Catholics.

He died last Wednesday aged 99.

The Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has paid tribute to Graham.

"As anyone growing up in the 1950s and 1960s can tell you, it was hard not to notice and be impressed by the Reverend Billy Graham," Dolan said.

Even though his family was Catholic, Dolan said they respected and admired Graham for his work in bringing people to God.

"Whether it was one of his famous Crusades, radio programs, television specials, or meeting and counseling the presidents, Billy Graham seemed to be everywhere, always with the same message:

'Jesus is your Savior, and wants you to be happy with Him forever'".

US Council of Catholic Bishops president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo praised Graham for his work spreading the gospel around the country, and said he was thankful for his ministry.

Another tribute has been made by a former Anglican priest who became a Catholic priest. Fr Dwight Longenecker says he met Graham while he was studying at Oxford.

While he can't recall exactly what Graham said, only "the hardest heart" could resist his words. The gist of what Graham said was as follows:

"My friends, I come here feeling a little bit like Paul preaching in Athens. He was surrounded by the greatest minds and philosophers of his day, and he stood up and presented the simple, life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

"That's what I feel like. Here you are ... and I'm just a poor country preacher.

"Nevertheless, it is my prayer that you will join me in witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ to this needy world."

In 1981, Graham had the first of several meetings with St. John Paul II, who said that the two were "brothers."

When John Paul II died in 2005, Graham said he believed that the Pope had been "the most influential voice for morality and peace in the world during the last 100 years," and praised his "strong Catholic faith" and perseverance through his illnesses.

Source

• Patheos
• Catholic Herald
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Using the image of the church as "our supernatural family ... [which] priests, are called to image," Dolan says human weakness has been a part of the church from the beginning.

Bannon, who is a former adviser to president Trump, says he believes the church has been "terrible" to Mr. Trump on the issue of immigration.

He was commenting on the bishops' response to Trump's cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.

DACA protects nearly 800,000 immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from being deported because they have no documents.

In his view the bishops are just supporting immigrants out of "economic interest" and because they are "unable to really come to grips with the problems in the church.

"To come to grips with the problems in the church, they [the bishops] need illegal aliens — they need illegal aliens to fill the churches," Bannon says.

"They have an economic interest in unlimited immigration, unlimited illegal immigration.

"As much as I respect Cardinal Dolan and the bishops on doctrine, this is not doctrine.

"I totally respect the pope, and I totally respect the Catholic bishops and cardinals on doctrine. This is not about doctrine, this is about the sovereignty of a nation and, in that regard, they're just another guy with an opinion."

Saying Banon might be right about just being "another guy with an opinion", Dolan says he was "rather befuddled" about his claim that the church's need for immigrants is economically motivated.

"I don't really care to go into what I think is a preposterous and rather insulting statement, that the only reason we Bishops care for immigrants is for the economic because we want to fill our churches and get more money," Dolan says.

"That's insulting and that's just so ridiculous that it doesn't merit a comment."

Source

• America Magazine
• America Magazine
• Business Insider
• CBS News
• Image: BBC.com

In a column published online in Catholic New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said 14 per cent of the archdiocese's 368 parishes would undergo a "purgatory" of sorts and be merged with neighbours.

"I wish it could be different. I'd rather be adding parishes, or expanding the ones we have," Cardinal Dolan wrote.

The archdiocese, which covers the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and parts of the Hudson Valley, can no longer fill the seats in all its parishes, he explained.

"In areas that used to have huge Catholic numbers . . . most of the people have since moved away.

"On Manhattan alone, for instance, we have 88 parishes, some only blocks apart. Do the math: We have about 25 per cent of our parishes in an area where less than 12 per cent of the 2.8 million Catholics of the archdiocese reside," he said.

Continue reading

But that doesn't mean a change in Church doctrine, two leading cardinals have said.

"Everybody wants to show God's love and mercy, but it also brings you to very difficult situations and as Christians we follow Jesus," said Australian Cardinal George Pell.

The Church has to be intellectually coherent and consistent, he said, adding that "Catholics are people who stand under the Scriptures, we are people of tradition".

"But we believe in the development of doctrine, not in doctrinal back-flips," the Table reported him saying.

Cardinal Pell added: "I confess that I might have been tempted to hope that Jesus might have been a little softer on divorce; he wasn't, and I'm speaking with him."

Last week, synod members said the Church should stop using "harsh language" such as " living in sin", "intrinsically disordered" and "contraceptive mentality" in aspects of its teaching.

Too often the theology of marriage was "filtered through harsh language", members said.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said the question of language had been a major part of discussions in the gathering's opening days.

He said it is a question of the consistency and immutability of the Church's truth.

"But our burning desire is to find a language that can present it in a more gracious, compelling and cogent way."

Both the cardinals stressed that bishops at the synod were acutely aware of the problems facing family life in their communities.

Australian Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne told Vatican Radio that what is needed is language that is faithful to Church teaching, but which also engages with the experiences of families.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Vatican Radio
• Image: Crux Now

In a September 3 communiqué, the Diocese of Peoria, where Archbishop Sheen was born, announced that the cause was suspended "for the foreseeable future" and would be assigned to a Vatican archive.

This is because the Archdiocese of New York had refused to release the archbishop's remains and to allow the body to be transferred to Peoria for the process of official inspection and to take relics.

Peoria diocese said in a communiqué that the Holy See expected the remains to be moved to Peoria in Illinois.

Archbishop Sheen's last will and testament expressed a desire for burial in New York.

He accepted Cardinal Terence Cooke's invitation for interment in the crypt beneath the main altar of St Patrick's Cathedral.

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, the President of the Archbishop Fulton J Sheen Foundation, who had taken charge of the cause, was said to be "heartbroken" at the refusal.

The Peoria communiqué stated Bishop Jenky was assured on several occasions by the Archdiocese of New York that the transfer of the body would take place at the appropriate time.

"New York's change of mind took place as the work on behalf of the cause had reached a significant stage," the communiqué added.

New York's undertaking to help move the body at an appropriate time was given by Cardinal Edward Egan twice, a Peoria spokesperson said in an update.

The Congregation for Saint's Causes advised in 2005 that moving the body should wait for an appropriate time, as the diocesan inquiry had not started.

But Peoria believes that with this inquiry now complete, now is the right time.

A date for beatification could have been as early as next year, the Peoria statement added, as the process only awaited a vote of cardinals and the approval of the Holy Father.

New York archdiocese responded that Cardinal Timothy Dolan "did express a hesitance in exhuming the body" without a directive from the Vatican Congregation for Saints' Causes and the approval of Archbishop Sheen's family.

The statement added that Archbishop Sheen's "closest surviving family members" asked that the archbishop's interment wishes be respected.

The statement noted that Cardinal Dolan "does object to the dismemberment of the archbishop's body" [for relics], but, were it to be exhumed, relics that might have been buried with Archbishop Sheen might be able to be taken.

If Peoria's decision is final, New York suggested it could take over the cause.

Peoria had previously suspended the cause process, for similar reasons, in 2010.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Catholic Review
• National Catholic Register
• Catholic Post (Peoria statement)
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Irish Catholic

In late August, he sat down for a wide-ranging interview about Pope Francis, anti-Christian persecution, the Obama administration, the Church's sexual abuse scandals, hard choices in New York, and more.

In Part 1 of Crux's exclusive interview, which took place at his residence in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dolan talks about the "Francis effect," including the non-ideological bishops this pope seems to want … and the climate of refreshing honesty - and occasionally irritating uncertainty — he seems to be creating in the Vatican.

Crux: Pope Francis is almost at the 18-month mark. What grade do you give him?

Dolan: Oh, I'd give him an unqualified A. I thank God for him every day, because he's a gift to the Church.

What's very clear to me is that he really listened to the General Congregations that anticipated the conclave.

[Note: These are daily meetings of the cardinals in Rome before the papal election, designed to work out the main issues facing the Church.]

He was extraordinarily attentive, he listened carefully, and we cardinals aren't surprised by what he's doing because we can recall that it was all talked about on the floor.

Seriously, no surprises? You weren't surprised, for example, by ‘Who am I to judge?'

Yes, there would be some surprises, but they're pleasant surprises.

My biggest surprise, and it's a good one, is that he's moving at the speed at which he is.

He's got a beautiful blend of humility and self-confidence, and he himself is willing to do what he encourages us to do, which is to not be afraid to have some accidents.

There are moments when he might rethink … ‘I was misinterpreted there, people took me the wrong way.'

But it's well worth those periodic misinterpretations, because the general record has been such a smashing success. Continue reading

Sources

• Crux
• Image: Daily Mail Online

Cardinal Dolan, who is archbishop of New York, is also the grand marshal for the parade on March 17.

The parade committee chose OUT@NBCUniversal -a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource group - to march up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

NBC, the long time broadcast home of the parade, was prepared to drop its coverage unless a compromise could be reached that resulted in the inclusion of a gay group.

Sponsors had threatened to pull out and politicians had refused to participate because of the ongoing exclusion of gay groups marching with their own banner.

The committee said its "change of tone and expanded inclusiveness is a gesture of goodwill to the LGBT community in our continuing effort to keep the parade above politics".

The committee's statement said the parade was "remaining loyal to church teachings". The parade is not run by the Church.

A parade spokesman said other gay and lesbian groups could apply in future years.

Last March, Guinness beer dropped its parade sponsorship.

Cardinal Dolan said on September 3 that the parade committee that operates the annual event "continues to have my confidence and support".

"Neither my predecessors as archbishop of New York nor I have ever determined who would or would not march in this parade . . . but have always appreciated the cooperation of parade organisers in keeping the parade close to its Catholic heritage," he continued.

Cardinal Dolan concluded by praying "that the parade would continue to be a source of unity for all of us".

Last year, the cardinal said he supported the inclusion of gay people in the parade, but did not take a position on whether they should be allowed to march under their own sign.

The parade always pauses in front of St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

In 1993, then-Cardinal John O'Connor, facing gay protesters who staged a sit-in during the parade, vowed that he "could never even be perceived as compromising Catholic teaching" by entertaining their admission as an identifiable group in the event.

But Pope Francis has made it clear he wants Church leaders to highlight Catholicism's outreach to the poor and vulnerable, rather than always fighting culture war issues on gay marriage and the like.

Some gay groups in the US were unhappy that only one such group was in the 2015 parade.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Irish Central
• Associated Press
• Image: Irish Central

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Cardinal Dolan stated the Pope believes capitalism must come with "compassion and generosity".

The principal focus of Pope Francis's economic teaching is that economic and social activity must be based on these virtues, Cardinal Dolan explained.

"The Church has consistently rejected coercive systems of socialism and collectivism, because they violate inherent human rights to economic freedom and private property," the cardinal wrote.

"When properly regulated, a free market can certainly foster greater productivity and prosperity," he added.

"But, as the Pope continually emphasises, the essential element is genuine human virtue."

Cardinal Dolan also wrote that the capitalism experienced by many in developing or newly industrialised countries is "an exploitative racket for the benefit of the few powerful and wealthy".

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