Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis Call on President Biden to Commute Sentences of All Federal Death Row Prisoners to Life in Prison

According to Catholic News Agency:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Monday launched a campaign urging Catholics to contact outgoing President Joe Biden and ask him to commute the death sentences of the 40 men currently on federal death row to life in prison.

The USCCB Action Center posted online a statement calling on individuals to urge the President to commute the sentences.  The webpage contains a suggested letter to the President and provides a form for sending and posting the request online.

Meanwhile, on Sunday in the Vatican, Pope Francis joined in the call for commutation. In his Sunday Angelus, he said in part:

Today, it comes to my heart to ask you all to pray for the prisoners who are on death row in the United States. I believe there are thirteen or fifteen of them. Let us pray that their sentence be commuted, changed. Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and ask the Lord for the grace to save them from death.

Neither the Bishops' statement nor that of the Pope makes mention of President Biden's Roman Catholic faith.

Pope Calls for Universal Ban on Surrogate Motherhood

In remarks (full text) yesterday at his Audience with the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See for the Presentation of Greetings for the New Year, Pope Francis addressed a wide range of issues. Among those making news was his call for a ban on surrogate motherhood.  The Pope said in part:

The path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking. In this regard, I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs. A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally.

AP reports on the Pope's remarks. The Pope's call echoes the position taken in 1987 by Pope John Paul II in Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day (full text).

Pope Francis Again Speaks Out Against Criminalization of Homosexuality

Yesterday Pope Francis returned from his visit to South Sudan.  On the flight back, he was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland for a joint press conference. (Full text). In response to a question from a Radio France reporter, the Pope reiterated his opposition to the criminalization of homosexuality, saying in part:

The criminalization of homosexuality is an issue that must not be allowed to pass by. It is estimated that, more or less, fifty countries, in one way or another, promote this kind of criminalization - they tell me more, but let's say at least fifty - and some of these - I think it's ten, even foresee the death penalty [for homosexual persons]. This is not right, people with homosexual tendencies are children of God, God loves them, God accompanies them. It is true that some are in this state because of various unwanted situations, but to condemn such people is a sin; to criminalize people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice. I am not talking about groups, but about people. Some say: they join in groups that generate noise. I am talking about people; lobbies are something different. I am talking about people. And I believe the Catechism of the Catholic Church says they should not be marginalized. This point, I believe, is clear.

Archbishop Welby indicated agreement with the Pope, saying in part:

[T]he Church of England, the Anglican Communion – has passed resolutions at two Lambeth conferences against criminalization, but it has not really changed many people's mind.

Pope Francis Apologizes To Canada's Indigenous Peoples For Residential School System

Pope Francis yesterday in his first public event on his trip to Canada addressed representatives of Canada's Indigenous Peoples to apologize for the policies of cultural destruction and forced assimilation which led to abusive residential schools operated by the Church. In his address (full text), the Pope said in part:

It is necessary to remember how the policies of assimilation and enfranchisement, which also included the residential school system, were devastating for the people of these lands.... I think back on the stories you told: how the policies of assimilation ended up systematically marginalizing the indigenous peoples; how also through the system of residential schools your languages and cultures were denigrated and suppressed; how children suffered physical, verbal, psychological and spiritual abuse; how they were taken away from their homes at a young age, and how that indelibly affected relationships between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren....

Although Christian charity was not absent, and there were many outstanding instances of devotion and care for children, the overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic. What our Christian faith tells us is that this was a disastrous error, incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is painful to think of how the firm soil of values, language and culture that made up the authentic identity of your peoples was eroded, and that you have continued to pay the price of this. In the face of this deplorable evil, the Church kneels before God and implores his forgiveness for the sins of her children.... I myself wish to reaffirm this, with shame and unambiguously. I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the indigenous peoples.

Vatican News reports on the Pope's address.

Pope Says Biden Should Not Be Denied Communion

According to a New York Times report yesterday:

President Biden told reporters on Friday that Pope Francis had called him a “good Catholic” and said he should keep receiving communion, an unexpected development that appeared to put a papal finger on the scale in a debate raging in the United States’ Roman Catholic Church over whether the president and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be denied the sacrament....

Asked to confirm Mr. Biden’s remarks, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said the Holy See limited its comments to the news release about subjects discussed during the meeting and added, “It’s a private conversation.”

In a separate article today, the New York Times reports that President Biden received communion Saturday evening at St. Patrick’s Church in Rome, an English-speaking church dedicated to the American Catholic community. President Biden is in Italy for a meeting of G20 leaders, as well as for his meeting with Pope Francis.

Biden Meets With Pope Francis

As reported by CNN, President Joe Biden met for 90 minutes this morning with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The White House released a brief readout (full text) of the meeting, which said:

In his audience with Pope Francis today, President Biden thanked His Holiness for his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict, and persecution. He lauded Pope Francis’ leadership in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and an equitable global economic recovery.

After his audience with the Pope, Biden met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin. They discussed a variety of issues (White House readout), including advocacy for religious freedom world-wide.

Pope Francis Promulgates Revised Canon Law Criminal Code

Pope Francis today announced the promulgation of a  revised version of Book 6 of the Code of Canon Law-- Penal Sanctions in the Church (full text in English). AP reports on significant changes brought about by the revised Code:

The most significant changes are contained in two articles, 1395 and 1398, which aim to address shortcomings in the church’s handling of sexual abuse. The law recognizes that adults, not only children, can be victimized by priests who abuse their authority. The revisions also say that laypeople holding church positions, such as school principals or parish economists, can be punished for abusing minors as well as adults.

The Vatican also criminalized priests “grooming” minors or vulnerable adults to compel them to engage in pornography. The update represents the first time church law has officially recognized as a criminal act the method used by sexual predators to build relationships with victims they have targeted for sexual exploitation.

The new law, which is set to take effect on Dec. 8, also removes much of the discretion that long allowed bishops and religious superiors to ignore or cover up abuse, making clear those in positions of authority will be held responsible if they fail to properly investigate or sanction predator priests.

A bishop can be removed from office for “culpable negligence” or if he does not report sex crimes to church authorities, although the canon law foresees no punishment for failing to to report suspected crimes to police.

The President and the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts spoke at a news conference announcing the revisions. (full text of their remarks in Latin). [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]

President Biden Praises Papal Visit To Iraq

Yesterday, President Biden issued a Statement (full text) on Pope Francis' just-completed visit to Iraq, saying in part:

I congratulate the Government and people of Iraq for the care and planning that went into organizing this monumental visit, and continue to admire Pope Francis for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance, the common bonds of our humanity, and interfaith understanding.

Argentina Legislature Votes To Legalize Early Term Abortion

As reported by NPR, Argentina's Senate yesterday voted 38-29 (with one abstention) to approve the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill which allows abortions during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of  Argentina's Congress, approved the bill on Dec. 11 by a vote of 131-117 (with 6 abstentions). Argentine President Alberto Fernández says he will sign the bill. Last month, Pope Francis wrote opponents of the bill expressing his opposition to the legislation. (ABC News).

Pope Francis Endorses LGBT Civil Union Laws

Catholic News Agency reported yesterday that in a newly released documentary titled Francesco, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws covering same-sex couples. This is inconsistent with the positions of prior Popes and with the views of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In a portion of the documentary devoted to pastoral care for LGBT individuals, the Pope said:

Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it....

What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.

Advocacy Group Is Critical of Pope's New Directive On Reporting of Sexual Abuse

As previously reported, yesterday Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter titled Vos Estis Lux Mundi setting out new procedures for mandatory reportingof sexual abuse to ecclesiastical authorities. The advocacy group ECA responded yesterday with a Statement (full text) critical of the Pope, saying the Letter "appears to be designed to make no significant or meaningful change in how bishops and the Vatican deal with cases of child sex crimes by priests." The Statement says in part:

First, there will continue to be no mandatory reporting requirements for sex abuse to civil authorities by priests and bishops and no penalties for failing to do so.... [T]he Vatican often claims that mandatory reporting cannot be done in certain countries. If this is the case, the Vatican needs to identify which countries this would entail and why an exemption from reporting is necessary in that country....

Second, the process of reporting, investigating and determining a case remains entirely secret and in-house with the local bishop who will remain in complete control of the investigative process and all the information....

Third, and maybe most significantly, nothing in the document establishes or enacts zero tolerance for sexual abuse by priests....

Pope Francis Imposes New Reporting Procedures For Sex Abuse

Pope Francis today signed an Apostolic Letter titled Vos Estis Lux Mundi setting out new procedures for mandatory reporting to ecclesiastical authorities of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults, of involvement with child pornography, and of interference with Church or civil investigations of abuse. Zenit has a summary, as well as the full text of the Pope's Apostolic Letter and the Vatican's accompanying statement, which says in part:

“Vos estis lux mundi” contains several innovative elements that aim to improve coordination between the dioceses and the Holy See. In particular, within a year all dioceses must establish stable and publicly accessible systems to report cases of sexual abuse and their cover up.

Furthermore, this Motu proprio obliges all clerics, as well as men and women religious, to report to the competent ecclesiastical authorities the abuses of which they become aware. The reported cases must thereafter be promptly verified and handled in accordance with canon law. As for reports regarding Bishops, the Motu proprio introduces procedural measures that, as a rule, charge the Metropolitan of the pertinent ecclesiastical Province with verifying what has been reported. Also established for the first time are time restrictions within which investigations must be carried out, as well as the procedures to be followed by the Metropolitan, who can make use of the specific professional contributions of the lay faithful.

Finally, the Motu proprio emphasizes the care of people harmed and the importance of welcoming them, listening to them and accompanying them, offering them the spiritual and medical assistance they need.

Vatican News reports on the new document. [Thanks to Tom Rutledge for the lead.]

Pope Issues New Law On Reporting of Sex Abuse of Minors and Vulnerable Adults In Vatican

On March 26, Pope Francis promulgated Law N. CCXCVII on the Protection of Minors and of Vulnerable Persons of Vatican City State.  It requires any public official of the Vatican City State who has information or a well-founded belief that a minor or other vulnerable person is the victim of abuse is required to report it to authorities, except for information obtained in the sacrament of confession. According to the Catholic Register:

While few minors are resident in Vatican City State, there are minors in the Sistine Chapel Choir, and there is a pediatric hospital and a minor seminary under Vatican City State jurisdiction....

The new law will now cover all forms of physical and emotional abuse -- not just sexual violence through coercion — as well as serious forms of mistreatment, neglect, abandonment and exploitation against minors, who are below the age of 18, and vulnerable adults.

As reported by AP:

According to the new Vatican definition, a vulnerable person is anyone who is sick or suffering from a physical or psychiatric deficiency, isn’t able to exercise personal freedom and has a limited capacity to understand or resist the crime.

The issue of whether “vulnerable people” can include seminarians, religious sisters or other adults who are emotionally dependent on clergy has come to the fore in the wake of the scandal over ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a once high-ranking American cleric who molested seminarians, and revelations of priests and bishops around the world sexually preying on nuns.

The new law covers all personnel who live in or work for the Vatican and any abuse that occurs in the Vatican, the 44-hectare (110-acre) city state in the center of Rome and its other territories, as well as the Holy See’s vast diplomatic corps.

The Vatican’s own ambassadors have figured in some of the most scandalous cases of sex abuse in recent years...

SNAP, an organization supporting clergy abuse victims, issued a press release generally reviewing the Vatican's action favorably, but complaining that the law requires reporting to internal Vatican officials rather than to independent secular law enforcement officials.

Pope Francis Addresses Bishops' Summit On Protection of Minors

New York Times reports today:

Pope Francis ended a landmark Vatican meeting on clerical sexual abuse with an appeal “for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors,” which he compared to human sacrifice, but his speech did not offer concrete policy remedies demanded by many of the faithful.

Zenit has both extensive excerpts and the full text of the Pope's remarks ending the Summit on the Protection of Minors in the Church, Feb. 21-24, 2019 attended by some 190 bishops.

At Pope's Request, U.S. Bishops Postpone Vote On New Conduct Standards

Crux reports that in a surprise move, on Sunday night the Holy See notified Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, that the Pope wants U.S. bishops to postpone their vote on new standards of conduct for bishops and the creation of an outside commission to enforce it. The Pope wants the vote to wait until after a Feb. 21-24 international bishops' conference on clerical sex abuse.  In his opening address to the USCCB General Assembly in Baltimore yesterday (full text), Cardinal DiNardo said in part:

in light of this morning’s news, the nature of my address changes. We remain committed to the specific program of greater episcopal accountability that we will discuss these days. Consultations will take place. Votes will not this week. But we will prepare ourselves to move forward.

Pope Francis Accepts Archbishop Wuerl's Resignation

Crux reports that on Friday Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl as Archbishop of Washington after controversy over Wuerl's handling of sex abuse cases in the 1980's and 1990's when he headed the Pittsburgh Diocese.  In a letter from the Pope (full text) accepting Wuerl's resignation, Pope Francis asked him to stay on as Apostolic Administrator until his successor is appointed.  In the letter to Wuerl, the Pope said in part:

You have sufficient elements to “justify” your actions and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes. However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you.

In this way, you make clear the intent to put God’s Project first, before any kind of personal project, including what could be considered as good for the Church. Your renunciation is a sign of your availability and docility to the Spirit who continues to act in his Church.

Archbishop Calls For Pope's Resignation Over Cover-Up of Abuse

In a letter (full text) dated August 22, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who served as apostolic nuncio in Washington D.C. from 2011 to 2016, has leveled charges against senior clerics and Pope Francis himself in the cover-up of sex abuse charges against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. (See prior related posting.) As reported by the National Catholic Register:

In an extraordinary 11-page written testament, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States has accused several senior prelates of complicity in covering up Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s allegations of sexual abuse, and has claimed that Pope Francis knew about sanctions imposed on then-Cardinal McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI but chose to repeal them.

In the letter, Archbishop Vigano concludes:

Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick's abuses and resign along with all of them.

Catholic Church Catechism Changed To Reject Capital Punishment In All Cases

Vatican News reported yesterday that the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has made a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so that it now rejects capital punishment in all cases. Previously the Catechism allowed for capital punishment in "very rare" circumstances.  The new language, approved by Pope Francis, says:

Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.

Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.  In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state.  Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”, and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide”.

Pope Accepts Resignation of Cardinal McCarrick Amid Growing Sex Misconduct Charges

Crux reported today that at the Vatican, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals. The 88-year old cardinal's resignation comes amid growing numbers of complaints about past sexual abuse and misconduct by the now-retired Archbishop of Washington.  The Pope ordered McCarrick "to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial."  In 2002, McCarrick was the leading drafter of the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" which imposed new safeguards to protect minors from clergy abuse.

Pope Criticizes Trump's Action On DACA

Pope Francis yesterday on his way back to the Vatican from his trip to Colombia was sharply critical of President Trump's recent move to repeal DACA. As reported by Newsweek, the Pope said in part:

The president of the United States presents himself as pro-life, and if he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that family is the cradle of life and its unity must be protected.