The LuLac Edition #1139, Apr. 2nd, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: POPE JOHN PAUL II AND POPE BENEDICT XVI.

POPE PROBLEMS

It is 5 years to the day that Pope John Paul II died. April second, 2005. The near lock on sainthood that was supposed to be bestowed on Pope John Paul II has hit a few snags. A miracle ascribed to John Paul that is a prerequisite for his canonization has been questioned, and one of church's highest-ranking officials has said that John Paul ignored Benedict's pleas to mount a full investigation into sex abuse accusations against the archbishop of Vienna. A Polish newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, reported that the former head of the Vatican's saint-making office, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, has said that doctors may have doubts about a nun who said she had been cured of Parkinson's disease after praying to John Paul. They are investigating whether she might have had a similar condition that can go into remission. And in another blow to John Paul's legacy, the controversial order the Legion of Christ formally apologized last week for the behavior of its founder, the late Marcial Maciel Degollado, whom John Paul staunchly defended despite allegations of abuse dating back to the 1950s. Maciel is believed to have sexually abused young seminarians and fathered at least three children. Pope John Paul II was on the fast track for sainthood but the ensuing scandal regarding sexual abuse in the church might take its toll. The most glaring example of this is the case of Boston’s Cardinal Law. Recent reports involving the current scandals also note that John Paul seemingly rewarded Cardinal Bernard Law after he was implicated in some of the cover-ups of clerical sexual abuse in Boston when cases there exploded in 2002. After Law's resignation, John Paul appointed him in charge of the grand Basilica St. Mary Major's in Rome, where he remains part of the Roman curia and lives in a nearby palazzo.
Pope Benedict faces an epic scandal as victims of clerical sex abuse in Ireland, Western Europe and America raise the issue of justice denied by secret tribunals that allowed predators to remain priests. Yet an editorial in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, scored the media for "an ignoble attempt to strike at Pope Benedict and his closest aides at any cost." Benedict is grappling with an unfinished crisis that drew media coverage in America in 1992; victims' lawsuits revealed bishops who had sheltered predators from prosecution. By 1994 the coverage had ebbed. Then, in 2002, The Boston Globe gained access to voluminous documents, exposing a vast clergy sexual underground. Pope John Paul II called the American cardinals to Rome for an emergency conference. In June, the U.S. bishops enacted a youth protection charter. Lay review boards would comb clergy files and investigate new accusations. Bishops began weeding out sex offenders. The Vatican drew the line, however, at giving these review boards the authority to investigate bishops. That decision has come back to haunt the church. Benedict's most immediate task is to change the Vatican's archaic system of closed tribunals, which prize secrecy. The pope is final arbiter on canon law, a sovereign who has the power of a one-man Supreme Court to intervene, halt or change a canonical decision. But changing that system is a much tougher reform than meets the eye. Ironically, for all the bad press he is getting, Benedict has done more to confront the abuse crisis than anyone else in the Vatican. But he must choose between governing and upholding his theological vision as a moral absolutist. As many a president and prime minister has learned, the shift from an ideological stance to a pragmatic one can be laden with risk. The root crisis lies in the church's view of apostolic succession. The pope and bishops consider themselves descendants in a spiritual lineage from Jesus's apostles. Apostolic succession is as much a part of Catholicism as icons and stained glass windows. But Judas was also an apostle -- a reminder that all humans, regardless of proximity to the Word, are capable of betraying the faith. Apostolic succession has fallen victim to hubris, the pride and entitlement of a religious elite who consider apology or penance a substitute for human justice. Bishops answer directly to the pope, also known as Supreme Pontiff. But this monarchical system of governance is colliding with two pillars of democracy, a court system and a free press. As abuse victims clamor for the punishment of bishops, information from America holds a stirring of hope. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released data that show a 32 percent decline in reported cases of clergy abuse from last year. Most involved priests were deceased or out of ministry. The USCCB reported six victims in 2009 who were younger than 18. Six too many, yes; but after an estimated $1.8 billion in losses from payouts to victims, legal fees and therapy for sex offenders, the youth protection charter is taking hold. Moreover, 96 percent of Catholic school students have "safe environment" training to warn against improper adult behavior. The Vatican has no youth protection charter, nor binding procedures for the world's bishops. Some church leaders, however, now see a crisis in that aloofness. Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany bravely distanced himself from the Roman Curia in telling Italy's La Repubblica, "We have to seriously clean up the church." Does Benedict, in the 5th year of his papacy have the physical stamina, the will and the support of his Cardinals and Bishops to affect such change? Does he wield the moral authority to restructure the machinations of the Vatican? As an entrenched member of the church before his Papacy does he even have the skill set to do it? In 2005 when he became Pope he was widely thought of as a transitional figure. The Vatican is now at war with the New York Times saying that the current Pope is being smeared. John Paul II biographer George Weigel is rebutting the Times version of the facts. Perhaps one of the biggest stories of this year will be what path this story will take and how it will impact not only the current Pope but his rock star predecessor.

YOUNG DEMS

Sabrina McLaughlin invites interested parties to "Luzerne Co/ Lackawanna Co Young Democrats Meeting" on Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00pm.
Event: Luzerne Co/ Lackawanna Co Young Democrats Meeting
What: Club/Group Meeting
Start Time: Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00pm
End Time: Tuesday, April 6 at 10:00pm
Where: Rodano's Pizza on the Square in Wilkes-Barre

KANJO ON THE MOVE

They say you can’t catch a moving target and with that logic Representative Kanjorski is moving along. Kanjorski spoke with employees at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains about how the health care reform law that was enacted last week will improve the affordability and accessibility of health care. It also provides many immediate benefits that will start this year including beginning to close the “doughnut hole” in Medicare for seniors, providing tax credits for small businesses to help them afford health insurance for their employees, prohibiting insurance companies from dropping people when they get sick and from placing lifetime caps on coverage, and enabling young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, among many other provisions. The health care reform law is about enabling the American people to choose the most affordable health insurance that best fits their and their families’ needs,” said Congressman Kanjorski. “It will take a few years for many of the details of the legislation to go into effect, but there are many provisions that will begin to benefit people this year. This law will lower costs for everyone and give all Americans and small businesses more control over their health care choices. Soon, people will be able to see these benefits and insurance companies will no longer have the upper hand over what types of insurance Americans can access. Starting this year, the health care reform law will provide many benefits to Americans. It will begin to hold insurance companies accountable by prohibiting them from dropping people’s coverage when they get sick. It also bans insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions and eliminates lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on coverage. The law requires new private plans to cover preventative services and immunizations with no co-payments and to ensure that consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions."
Some day for publication I’ll have to tell you about my trials and tribulations trying to get hired by the Geisinger Health System. It was the most insane process I’ve ever been through. But that’s for another time.

WHY I’M A CATHOLIC

Did you hear about this God awful church in Topeka Kansas? They protest at military funerals showing sex acts of men. Basically showing pornographic images of anal sex between males when a dead soldier who gave his or her life is being laid to rest. The name of this creep church is the Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-gay group based in Topeka, Kan. It all started when they picketed the 2006 funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder bearing signs that read "God Hates the USA," the serviceman's father, Albert Snyder, sued for infliction of emotional distress, winning an $11 million judgment in 2007. It turns out that Snyder's reward was reduced and then overturned on appeal, with a decision upholding the Westboro group's right to free speech. Additionally, a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge last week ordered Snyder to pay $16,510.80 of the Westboro Baptist Church's almost $100,000 in legal fees. So now the father of the slain soldier has to pay legal fees for these cowards who are hiding under their first amendment right. Christians? My Roman Catholic ass. You can have Christians like this! And one more thing, what’s with the male pornographic stuff? That aspect fascinates me. Are they saying that the soldiers make the porn? Are they saying that God is punishing America for homosexual acts? I don’t know but I bet more than a few of these Christian he men are turned on by that kind of stuff. Kind of, you know sneaking a peek? Puts new meaning to the phrase “hide in plain sight”.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


1966

The first man made object, Luna 10 enters lunar orbit……in Pennsylvania Republican candidate for Lt. Governor Walter Allesendroni criss-crosses the state campaigning in a private plane. His running mate Raymond Shafer travels the state by road…….in Lackawanna County a young lawyer John V. Pieski of the mid valley begins to make a name for himself taking strip mine owners to court for blighting the environment and 44 years ago this week in America and LuLac land the number 1 song was by a young artist named B.J. Thomas who scored with a remake of the old Hank Williams classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.