I know I can be a geek when it comes to details and process. I love getting underneath the generalities, deep into the particulars. I want to know who said what -- who really cares -- who is clueless -- who is arrogant -- who is hard hearted, etc. You get my drift. I love understanding the particulars of the people chosen because make all difference.
In the case of Archbishop Charles Chaput, for instance, it matters that he has so much authority as one of the officials on the planning council. You may remember that he was surprisingly rebuked by Cardinal Baldisseri, head of the Synod of Bishops, for criticizing the working document, or the Instrumentum Laboris when according to Baldisseri, he had plenty of chances to influence the language.
Beyond that, Abp.Chaput is a blustery voice for cultural conservatives in the U.S. and abroad. He is skilled and sleek in his delivery, but his message is anathema to the message of a radically loving and welcoming Jesus and to the God Jesus knew so well.
New Ways Ministry is always one of the best news sources when parsing and interpreting Vatican-speak or bishop-speak on everything LGBTQI. And even other media outlets seem to be furrowing their brows at some of the harsh rhetoric coming from Abp.Chaput, so out of step with the wide-armed, welcoming Francis.
In Abp.Chaput's intervention at the Synod he made a couple of knuckle busting generalizations:
1.) Youth are in trouble because adults are lazy.
The elders of the faith community have the task of passing the truth of the Gospel from age to age, undamaged by compromise or deformation. Yet too often my generation of leaders, in our families and in the Church, has abdicated that responsibility out of a combination of ignorance, cowardice and laziness in forming young people to carry the faith into the future. Shaping young lives is hard work in the face of a hostile culture.
2.) The Church has it right when it comes to defining sexuality.
. . . what the Church holds to be true about human sexuality is not a stumbling block. It is the only real path to joy and wholeness. There is no such thing as an “LGBTQ Catholic” or a “transgender Catholic” or a “heterosexual Catholic”, as if our sexual appetites defined who we are;
While it could be said that the archbishop is part of the "listening church", it seems truer that he listens so he can correct, a position taken by too many prelates who imagine that wisdom, teaching, and the heart of the Holy Spirit only flows in one direction, from the top down.
It looks like Catholic youth, adults, and LGBTQI Catholics will be getting more of the same this year.
Who's Who at the Synod
I am grateful to Luke Hansen, SJ, whose appreciation for detail is so helpful for all of us who want to understand who is in the synod hall and who is debating the future of the Church.
Voting Members from the USA (12)
- Auxiliary Bishop Robert BARRON (Los Angeles)
- Bishop Frank J. CAGGIANO (Bridgeport)
- Archbishop Charles Joseph CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. (Philadelphia)
- Cardinal Blase J. CUPICH (Chicago)
- Cardinal Daniel N. DiNARDO (Galveston-Houston)
- Cardinal Kevin Joseph FARRELL, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
- Archbishop José GÓMEZ (Los Angeles)
- Brother Robert SCHIELER, F.S.C., Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasalians, De La Salle Brothers)
- Father Robert STARK, S.S.S., Director of the Office for Social Ministry (Honolulu)
- Cardinal Joseph W. TOBIN, C.SS.R. (Newark)
- Metropolitan Archbishop William Charles SKURLA of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, President of the Council of the Ruthenian Byzantine Church (born in Duluth, based in Pittsburgh)
- Bishop Abdallah Elias ZAIDAN of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles of the Maronite Church (born in Lebanon, based in St. Louis)
Voting Jesuits (9)
- (Special Secretary) Father Giacomo COSTA, S.J., Director of the journal Aggiornamenti Sociali, President of the Fondazione Culturale San Fedele, Vice President of the Fondazione Carlo Maria Martini(Italia)
- (Secretary of the Commission for Information) Father Antonio SPADARO, S.J., Director of the journal La Civiltà Cattolica(Italia)
- Cardinal Luis LADARIA FERRER, S.J., Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
- Metropolitan Archbishop Ján BABJAK, S.J. (Prešov, Slovakia) of the Slovak Byzantine Catholic Church
- Archbishop Joseph ATANGA, S.J. (Bertoua, Cameroon)
- Archbishop Alojzij CVIKL, S.J. (Maribor, Slovenia)
- Archbishop Jean-Claude HOLLERICH, S.J. (Luxembourg)
- Father Arturo SOSA ABASCAL, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus
- Father Michael CZERNY, S.J., Undersecretary of the Section on Migrants and Refugees in the Dicastery for Integral Human Development (Vatican City)
Voting Brothers (Non-Ordained) (2)
- Brother Ernesto SÁNCHEZ BARBA, F.M.S., Superior General of the Marist Brothers of Schools (Little Brothers of Mary) (Mexico)
- Brother Robert Irvin SCHIELER, F.S.C., Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasalians, De La Salle Brothers) (USA)
Other Notable Voters
- Cardinal Oswald GRACIAS (Bombay, India), President of the Indian Bishops’ Conference
- Cardinal Reinhard MARX (Munich und Freising, Germany), President of the German Bishops’ Conference
- Cardinal Oscar RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA, S.D.B. (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), coordinator of the Council of Cardinals (C9)
- Cardinal Christoph SCHÖNBORN, O.P. (Vienna, Austria), President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference
- Cardinal Luis Antonio G. TAGLE (Manila, Philippines)
- Cardinal Peter TURKSON, Prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development (Vatican City)
- Archbishop Matteo ZUPPI (Bologna, Italia), wrote the forward to the revised and updated Building a Bridgeby James Martin
Non-Voting Participants
Non-Voting Jesuits
(Collaborators of the Special Secretary)
- Father Carlo CASALONE, S.J., Member of the scientific section of the Pontifical Academy for Life (Italy)
- Father Juan Pablo HERNÁNDEZ DI TOMASO, S.J., Director of the Association Pietre vive(Spain)
(Auditors)
- Father Juan Jorge BYTTON ARELLANO, S.J., Chaplain of the Catholic University and consultor of the Bishops’ Conference for the young (Peru)
(Members of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops)
- Father Raffaele LANZILLI, S.J., assistant for Christian Life Communities (lanzilli.r@gesuiti.it)
- Father Pablo MORA, S.J., Collaborator in formation and pastoral methods of Red Eclesial Panamazónica (REPAM), lives in Puerto Maldonado (Peruvian Amazon) (pamome2009@hotmail.com)
Non-Voting USA Auditors
- Sister Sally HODGDON, C.S.J., Superior General of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery (the US Province is located in West Hartford, Connecticut), Vice President of the Executive Committee of the UISG
- Mr. Jonathan LEWIS. The Vatican lists him as the Assistant Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of Washington, but the Archdiocesan website says he is the Executive Director of Evangelization, Young Adult Ministry, and Chaplaincies.
- Father Robert PANKE, Rector of the St. John Paul II Seminary (Washington, DC), Director of Clergy Formation, Archdiocese of Washington
- Sister Briana SANTIAGO, a member of the Apostles of the Interior Life and a student at the Pontifical University of St. John Lateran in Rome. She participated in the pre-Synod meeting for young people in March. She was born in San Antonio and graduated from Texas A&M University (2013) with a BA in English Literature and a minor in Italian.
- Ms. Yadira VIEYRA, immigration research specialist (Early Childhood Projects) in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. She is a graduate of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (Chicago, 2007) and Georgetown University (2011) where she majored in both Psychology and Theology and minored in Women and Gender Studies.
(Assistant of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops)
- Fr. Russell WARD, L.C., a member of the Legion of Christ and (at least according to Facebook) the Dean of Students at the Sacred Heart Apostolic School in Rolling Prairie, Indiana
(Fraternal Delegate of the Ecumenical Patriarch)
- His Eminence Metropolitan NIKITAS (Lulias) of the Dardanelles(born in Tampa), a member of the faculty of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, an affiliate of the Graduate Theology Union in Berkeley, California
Non-Voting Notables
(Collaborator of the Special Secretary)
- Dr. Filipe ALVES DOMINGUES, journalist and doctoral student in social science at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (Brazil)
(Collaborator of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops)
- Deacon Guido AMARI (Great Britain), the only deacon on the Synod roster
Non-Voting Women (36 total)
23 Sig.a
8 Rev.da Suora (Sisters)
2 Dott.ssa
2 Prof.ssa
1 Rev. (WCC delegate)
(Collaborators of the Special Secretary) (4)
- Ms. Margherita ANSELMI, Membro dell’Azione Cattolica Italiana, Libero Professionista Progettista sociale (Italia)
- Sister María Luisa BERZOSA GONZÁLEZ, F.I., Scuola cattolica ed educazione popolare, Direttrice di "Fe y alegría" (Spagna)
- Professor Cecilia COSTA, Docente di Sociologia presso l'Università Roma Tre (Italia)
- Professor Chiara GIACCARDI, Docente di Sociologia e processi culturali e comunicativi presso l’Università Cattolica di Milano (Italia)
(Auditors) (25)
- Ms. Federica ANCONA, Associazione "Nuovi Orizzonti" (Italia)
- Sister Nathalie BECQUART, Ex-Direttrice del Servizio nazionale per l'Evangelizzazione dei giovani e per le vocazioni della Conferenza Episcopale Francese (Francia)
- Ms. Emilie CALLAN, Membro della Fondazione cattolica Salt and Light Catholic Television Network(Canada)
- Ms. Henriette CAMARA, Membro degli Scout cattolici (Guinea)
- Sister Chaoying (Suor Teresina) CHENG, Studentessa di Teologia, Collegio Missionario "Mater Ecclesiae" di Castel Gandolfo, Suora della Madre del Signore di Daming-Hebei (Cina)
- Ms. Carina Iris ROSSA, Membro del Consiglio Direttivo della Fondazione Pontificia Scholas Occurrentes (Argentina)
- Sister Sally Marie HODGDON, Superiora Generale delle Suore di San Giuseppe di Chambéry, Vice Presidente del Comitato Esecutivo della UISG (Stati Uniti d'America)
- Ms. Anastasia INDRAWAN, Membro della Commissione per i Giovani della Conferenza Episcopale (Indonesia)
- Ms. Marie Joannie Ornella JEAN-PIERRE, Operatrice di pastorale giovanile, Conferenza Episcopale dell'Oceano Indiano (Maurizio)
- Ms. Desfortunées KUISSUK FEUPEUSSI, Membro del gruppo di giovani di Douala, Comunità Emmanuel (Camerun)
- Sister Mina KWON, Congregazione delle Suore di San Paolo di Chartres - Direttrice e counselor presso la Catholic University di Daegu, responsabile delle Juniores della Provincia religiosa di Daegu (Corea)
- Ms. Marguerite-Marie LE HODEY, Membro dell'Associazione Mondiale delle Imprese Familiari - FBN (Belgio)
- Ms. Merveille MANTANTU VITA, Operatrice di pastorale giovanile, Conferenza Episcopale (Rep. Democratica del Congo)
- Ms. Cherylanne MENEZES, Responsabile della Comunità del Movimento dei Focolari a Mumbai (India).
- Ms. Corina Fiore MORTOLA RODRÍGUEZ, Docente di Canto per Teatro Musicale, Guadalajara (Messico)
- Sister Lucy Muthoni NDERI, F.M.A., Operatrice pastorale per giovani in difficoltà sociale e bambini di strada, educatrice in casa famiglia (Kenya)
- Ms. Nicole Anne C. PEREZ, Giovane impegnata nella catechesi (Filippine)
- Ms. Oksana PIMENOVA, Segretaria del Comitato esecutivo degli Incontri giovanili nell'Arcidiocesi di Madre di Dio a Mosca (Federazione Russa).
- Ms. Tahiry Malala Marion Sophie RAKOTOROALAHY, Presidente Nazionale degli Studenti Cattolici (Madagascar).
- Ms. Silvia Teresa RETAMALES MORALES, Membro dell'Osservatorio Socio-Pastorale dei Giovani (Cile).
- Ms. María José ROJAS TROCELLIS, Direttrice Esecutiva del Dipartimento Adolescenti e Giovani della Conferenza Episcopale (Venezuela)
- Sister Briana Regina SANTIAGO, Apostole della Vita Interiore (Stati Uniti d'America)
- Sister Alessandra SMERILLI, Docente di Economia presso la Pontificia Facoltà di Scienze dell'Educazione Auxilium; Membro del Comitato scientifico e organizzatore delle settimane sociali dei cattolici - CEI (Italia).
- Ms. Yadira VIEYRA, Ricercatrice e Assistente per famiglie immigrate (Stati Uniti d'America)
- Ms. Viktòria ŽOLNOVÀ, Group leader and volunteer for youth (Slovacchia)
(Members of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops) (3)
- Ms. Paola VOLTERRA TOPPANO
- Dr. Federica VIVIAN
- Dr. Cristiane MURRAY
(Collaborators of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops) (2)
- Ms. Cristina CELDRÁN ALCOBAS, Conferenza Episcopale Spagnola (Spagna)
- Ms. Allyson KENNY, Salt and Light Catholic Television Network(Canada)
(Fraternal Delegate of the Lutheran World Federation) (1)
- Ms. Julia BRABAND, Membro del Comitato dei Giovani della LWF del Comitato nazionale tedesco (Germania)
(Fraternal Delegate of the World Council of Churches) (1)
- Rev. Martina Viktorie KOPECKÁ, Member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, Chairperson of the ECHOS Commission on Youth for the World Council of Churches, member of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (Czech Republic)
Other Notes
“Synod Fathers” who are not bishops: 16 priests, 8 superior generals, 8 papal nominees, and 2 brothers (both superior generals). The papal nominees include Fr. Robert Stark (Honolulu) and three Jesuits (Giacomo Costa, Antonio Spadaro, and Michael Czerny). Arturo Sosa is among the superior generals.
Auditors: 25 men (6 priests, 19 lay) and 25 women (7 sisters, 18 others)
I will return to this list and other lists, along the way, especially as we hear particular interventions and contributions. But for now, peruse away!
The Pope Parties
Pope Francis met with young people yesterday for a big party at Paul VI hall. Here is a link to some video from Vatican News.
No matter how short he falls in terms of policy for those excluded from the Church, my heart just bursts with the beauty of witnessing how he is loved and how he enjoys and loves others.
"Time's Up" in THE CLE
Back at the ranch, associate director Russ Petrus is leading another band of reformers. Catholics from the Cleveland Diocese came out to pray and demonstrate for victims and survivors of clergy sex abuse, and to continue to hold our leaders accountable for covering up that abuse. Here's his report.
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Rain couldn’t keep a small, but passionate, group of some of Cleveland’s bravest Church reformers from turning out at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist to pray for justice for victim-survivors of clergy abuse, transparency from the hierarchy, accountability for abusers and those who covered up abuse, as well as desperately needed reforms to dismantle both clericalism and patriarchy. As the prayer service began with the opening song, Christ Be Our Light, the rain stopped and the clouds scattered, giving way to bright sunshine – a sure reminder that God was with them and listening as they lifted up their prayers and hopes for a more just, healthier and holier Church. A powerful witness, the group raised their hand in blessing over the cathedral – as a sign of the entire Church in Cleveland – and prayed:
O God of compassion, open our ears, to hear and respond with love to the anguished cries of victim-survivors of clergy sex abuse.
O God of vision, open our eyes, to see clearly the systems and structures that that sustain injustice and envision a bold way forward to becoming your Holy People.
O God of truth, open our lips, to speak the truth to all and especially to power -- plainly and without impediment: the truth about clergy sex abuse, about the cover up, about our experience.
O God of creation, open our hands, to courageously take up the difficult, prophetic work you set before us and work to build your reign of truth, justice, and love.
The prayer service in Cleveland is part of a nationwide effort, “Time’s Up: Catholics Demand Truth,” sponsored by several Church reform organizations including FutureChurch. The groups are organizing and supporting similar prayer vigils and protests in cities throughout the country on the first weekend of each month September through February, when the presidents of each of the world’s national conferences of bishops will gather in Rome to meet with Pope Francis.
To learn more about the effort, to find other witnesses, or to download a kit to organize your own witness, visit www.catholictoo.org. ~ Russ Petrus
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That is it for Saturday. Everyday is a gift because of Catholics like you. Please remember to support our work.
Reporting from Rome
Deborah Rose-Milavec
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