New Orleans The grand jury reports from Pennsylvania, based on its investigation into the records and archives of six of the eight dioceses in the state, have been horrific. Over 1000 cases of sexual abuse of young men and women, children really, have been identified. Another 1000 are thought to exist but could not be …
Tag: catholic church
Here Comes the Pope!
Warsaw The Organizers’ Forum is assembling in Poland. There are Catholic churches everywhere, and they are huge, part of the legacy of Pope John Paul. The news everywhere though is focused on the first visit of Pope Francis to the United States and what that really might herald. Francis has thus far been a breath …
Time to Leave the Church and Follow the Nuns
New Orleans In the fall from grace of one institution after another, religious bodies have been on a steady decline for a generation. No institution claims more members and fills less pews now that the Catholic Church on any given Sunday, nor has any outfit taken more of a licking in the public perception. The …
Continued Conservative Retrenchment in Catholic Anti-Poverty Fund
New Orleans Someone deserves credit, and I’m betting that someone is James Salt, the energetic director of Catholics United, for exposing the increasingly desperate, rightwing inspired, guilt-by-association style attacks on social change groups funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). The New York Times ran a front page piece about a Colorado immigrant …
Blaming the Victims: Catholic Church Attack on SNAP & Dave Clohessy
New Orleans Blaming the victim may be more American than apple pie at this point. Apple pie is less and less a staple of the American diet, but blaming the victims seems to be the default mode for institutions large and small that are unable to correct their cultures. It is inarguable that the Catholic …