Episcopal bishop facing fight over election promises to allow gay marriage if consecrated

The Rev. Charlie Holt, a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, giving remarks in at an event held in May 2022.

By Michael Gryboski

An Episcopal priest whose election to bishop is being challenged has promised that, if put in power, he will allow for the blessing of same-sex unions in the diocese.

The Rev. Charlie Holt was twice elected bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Florida this year, only to have both election results formally challenged by delegates.

Holt released a statement on Tuesday regarding whether he would allow the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of people in same-sex relationships since one reported issue some have with the bishop-elect is his opposition to same-sex marriage.

“To unite with one another and the broader Episcopal Church, we must contend together to move beyond the things that divide us and set a new course in Christian discipleship, congregational renewal and community outreach,” stated Holt.

Holt explained that he would allow “each parish” to decide whether to bless same-sex unions, making it “a matter of conscience and context” in which gay marriage opponents should be respected.

“The pastoral conscience of clergy will be respected across theological difference. No one, progressive or traditional, will be forced, coerced or manipulated to hold or change a matter of conscience,” he said.

Holt added that “potential ordinands and candidates for employment will be welcomed into discernment and calling processes based on their gifts and call to ministry without discrimination.”

“We seek ministers who proclaim a life-changing gospel. Ordination will not be dependent on sexual orientation or political perspective but only on the church’s canonical process of discernment of the mystery of God’s call to sacred orders,” he continued.

For years, several dioceses of The Episcopal Church, including the Florida Diocese, were allowed to prohibit the blessing of gay unions if their diocesan leadership was opposed to it.

However, in 2018, the Episcopal Church General Convention passed Resolution B012, which required all dioceses to allow for same-sex unions, albeit with certain conscience protections for clergy opposed to gay marriage.

Holt cited Resolution B012 in his statement as authoritative, explaining that the conscience protections he was advocating are “in keeping with the spirit and intent of” the resolution.

“I would welcome the opportunity to implement these policies utilizing a collegial process.  I am excited to begin a new era in the Diocese of Florida,” he added.

In May, Holt won an election to determine a successor to the diocese’s current bishop coadjutor, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, who intends to retire next year.

However, a group of 37 clergy and lay deputies argued that the vote was invalid, citing last-minute changes to the voting process and other complications.

In response, The Episcopal Church’s Court of Review investigated the process and filed a report in early August that concluded that Holt’s election had been improperly conducted.

“There is no doubt that the Diocese moved forward in a good faith effort to confront this last-minute challenge. However, as will be shown herein — and as was pointed out to the Diocesan leadership at the time — their decision to convene the Convention without a proper clergy quorum was procedurally and canonically problematic,” reads the report, in part.

“As a result of that decision procedural norms were changed on the fly, and irregularities occurred. It is impossible to say whether any particular irregularity made a material impact on the outcome; however, when taken together these irregularities create seeds of uncertainty that call into question the integrity of the process.”

A second bishop-coadjutor election was held in November, with Holt again winning with a vote of 56 clergy and 79 laity. The minimum needed to win was 56 clergy and 67 laity.

However, a group of 29 clergy and lay delegates who participated in the election disputed the results, arguing that the process was “fundamentally unfair” and included issues like unfairly excluding certain clergy delegates.

The 29 delegates protesting the second election for bishop coadjutor have passed the 25-delegate minimum required to file a formal objection against the results.

Complete Article HERE!

‘Despicable’

— Slovene bishops condemn Jesuit artist’s abuse

By Nicole Winfield

Slovenia’s Catholic bishops on Thursday condemned as “despicable” the emotional, sexual, and spiritual violence committed against women by a famous Slovenian priest at the heart of an abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Vatican and the Jesuit order of Pope Francis.

The Slovene bishops’ conference broke three weeks of silence with a statement in which the churchmen also voiced solidarity with the victims of the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik and urged anyone harmed by him or any other priest who abused his authority to come forward.

“It is never the victims’ fault! We are on their side,” the bishops said. “Any misuse of spiritual power and authority to carry out violence against subordinates is an unacceptable and despicable act.”

The scandal involving Rupnik, a Jesuit from Slovenia whose mosaics decorate churches and chapels around the globe, erupted earlier this month when Italian blogs and websites reported claims by several women that Rupnik sexually, spiritually and psychologically abused them.

The Jesuits initially insisted there was a single allegation against him in 2021 that the Vatican’s sex abuse office shelved because it was too old to prosecute. Only under questioning did the Jesuits acknowledge that Rupnik was convicted and excommunicated a year earlier for committing one of the most serious crimes in the church — using the confessional to absolve someone with whom he had engaged in sexual activity.

The Jesuits also subsequently acknowledged that the 2021 case actually involved allegations by nine women.

The 2021 claims date from the 1990s, when Rupnik was a spiritual adviser to a Jesuit-affiliated community of consecrated women in Slovenia. They came to light after the Vatican sent an investigator to look into complaints about the way the community was being run. Learning of the alleged abuses, the investigator urged the women to make formal complaints.

The Vatican’s sex abuse office, known now as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, hasn’t responded to questions about why it didn’t waive the statute of limitations on the 2021 allegations, as it often does, especially given Rupnik’s conviction and temporary excommunication by the Vatican the previous year.

The Vatican spokesman similarly hasn’t responded to questions about what, if anything, Francis knew about the claims involving his fellow Jesuit or whether he intervened. The pope and Rupnik last met on Jan. 3.

In their statement Thursday, which was posted in three languages, the Slovene bishops said that even though the Vatican’s sex crimes office determined the 2021 allegations were too old to prosecute, they “are always reprehensible and demand condemnation.”

The case has laid bare some uncomfortable issues facing the Holy See, chief among them its general unwillingness to consider clergy sexual and spiritual misconduct against adult women as a crime that must be punished. Rather, the Vatican has long considered any sexual activity between adults as consensual and a mere lapse of priestly chastity, without considering if there was an abuse of authority involved that caused victims trauma.

Additionally, the case has raised questions about whether Rupnik got preferential treatment given his artistic talents and status as a famous, sought-after Jesuit at a time when the pope’s order is in a position of influence at the Holy See. The Vatican office that handled his case is headed by a Jesuit prefect, has a Jesuit sex crimes prosecutor and a former No. 2 who lived in Rupnik’s Jesuit community in Rome.

And it has raised the question about the proportionality of canonical punishments: Many priests have been removed from ministry entirely for lesser seeming crimes. Yet Rupnik was allowed to keep preaching, celebrating Mass and most importantly, making his art even after having incurred excommunication, albeit temporarily.

Even the Slovene bishops seemed to want to separate Rupnik’s crimes from his good works, describing him as an “outstanding artist and insightful spiritual leader.”

“We beg you, with this tragic realization in mind, to distinguish his unacceptable and reprehensible actions from his extraordinary spiritual and artistic accomplishments in mosaics and other areas,” they said.

Francis hasn’t responded in any public or specific way to the revelations, which have also implicated supporters of Rupnik who sought to discredit his accusers by questioning their mental health. But Francis appeared to address the issues it has raised in a general way Thursday, during his annual Christmas greetings to Vatican bureaucrats.

“Besides the violence of arms, there is also verbal violence, psychological violence, the violence of the abuse of power, the hidden violence of gossip,” he said. “May none of us profit from his or her position and role in order to demean others.”

Complete Article HERE!

Young Catholic Priests In America Are More Conservative Than Older Generations, New Study Finds

By Kate Anderson

A recent study from the Austin Institute (AI), a research group at the University of Texas, showed newer generations of Catholic priests are more likely to be conservative than their older counterparts, despite the leadership of Pope Francis and the Vatican becoming more liberal in recent years.

The study was based on a similar survey from the Los Angeles Times in 2002 that found younger priests were noticeably more conservative and showed that as the age of the priests increased they were likely to identify with a more progressive approach. AI’s study found that among issues like abortion, younger priests still condemned the practice at a high rate in comparison to other issues.

Priests ordained after 2010 expressed concern regarding the direction Francis is taking the Catholic church.

“In the latest cohort of priests, ordained in 2010 or later, only 20.0 percent ‘approve strongly’ of Pope Francis and nearly half (49.8 percent) disapprove, whether ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly,’” the study pointed out. “Evidence from other survey items suggests this pattern is attributable to the relative conservatism of the recent cohorts.”

Pope Francis became the first Vatican pope to endorse same-sex civil unions in 2021 and in August, he selected then-Bishop Robert McElroy for the position of cardinal. McElroy has voiced support for same-sex marriage and female roles in the clergy, and has denounced Archbishop of the San Francisco Archdiocese Salvatore Cordileone for denying communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her support of abortion.

AI’s survey concluded that there was a “notable conservative shift on ecclesial matters” in comparison to the Time’s survey in 2002.

“[P]riests in the more recent survey were, on average, less in favor of female deacons, less in favor of ordaining women as priests, and less favorable toward married priests compared to the 2002 Times sample,” the study stated. “Likewise, when asked about politics, priests in the recent samples were significantly more likely to describe themselves as conservative compared to 2002.”

Pope Francis speaks as he leads the weekly audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, October 14, 2015. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Pope Francis speaks as he leads the weekly audience in Saint Peter’s square at the Vatican, October 14, 2015.

Conservative priests were more likely to believe that Jesus was the sole way to salvation at 82% but only 19% of more progressive priests supported this view, according to the study. The average age of new priests that joined the clergy since 1992 is around 37, as opposed to the 1970s when new priests were on average 27.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Austin Institute did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Complete Article HERE!

Catholic Church in Maryland concedes to some reforms about priest abuse

Critics say the proposal falls short, ‘means nothing’

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Maryland members during a press conference last month.

By and

The lobbying arm of the Catholic church in Maryland is making a partial concession to legislative reforms that would help victims of priest sexual abuse sue the church decades later.

The Maryland Catholic Conference, which represents the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., announced Monday it will support legislation to erase the statute of limitations for future victims to sue the church. Maryland law requires men and women who are abused as children to file lawsuits by age 38 or within three years of an abuser’s criminal conviction.

The church, however, isn’t budging in its longstanding opposition to a “lookback window.” That would permit lawsuits from victims now older than 38 who are currently unable to sue. The announcement comes as the church, state lawmakers and sexual abuse survivors prepare to debate reforms around priest sexual abuse in the upcoming session of the Maryland General Assembly.

State Sen. William C. Smith Jr., who chairs the Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee, has been talking with advocates on all sides in hopes of finding the right solution to help survivors. He said the announcement from the Maryland Catholic Conference came up short.

”Seeking justice for victims is something we’re all interested in. I’m not sure this statement fully comports with the goal,” said Smith, a Montgomery County Democrat. He added: “There’s still so much to discuss, but this shows there’s room for dialogue.”

The House of Delegates has previously passed lawsuit reform legislation, only to see it fail in the state Senate. Del. Luke Clippinger, who chairs the House Judicial Proceedings Committee, said the church’s statement doesn’t push the negotiations closer to passing a bill that will help the many survivors who are hurting from past abuse.

”I am interested and happy to hear the Catholic Church is engaging in this piece of the legislation, but I don’t believe that this proposal gives victims of abuse more than what they already have,” said Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat.

The legislative debate returns as a Baltimore judge considers whether to approve release of a 456-page state investigation into the history of child sexual abuse within the archdiocese. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office filed a motion last month asking the courts to approve the release of its nearly four-year investigation into priest sexual abuse.

State investigators identified 158 priests, most of them already known, within the archdiocese accused of the “sexual abuse” and “physical torture” of more than 600 victims over the past 80 years, according to the court records. Investigators told the court there are likely hundreds more victims. The investigation was conducted through a grand jury, and state law keeps grand jury materials confidential without a judge’s order.

With the judge’s decision pending, lawmakers, survivors and lobbyists are preparing to hash out new rules in Annapolis for how victims may pursue restitution for the harm they suffered.

Survivors and their advocates have pushed lawmakers for years to establish a lookback window. Many victims repress the memory of child sexual abuse well into adulthood. That’s why dozens of states have opened lookback windows or otherwise allowed survivors new opportunities to file lawsuits.

In explaining its opposition to a lookback window, the Maryland Catholic Conference cited analysis by the attorney general’s office that concluded it would be unconstitutional. But the issue is murky, and Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Rowe explored the complex legal question in three letters advising lawmakers when such changes were previously debated.

Some victims and advocates said the statement from the Maryland Catholic Conference doesn’t go far enough. .

“It’s a nothing burger,” said Baltimore attorney Joanne Suder, who has represented victims. “It does us no good to have some law on the books that starts in the future with no lookback window and that does not include corporate liability.”

Suder has advocated for a two-year lookback window. She said most priests have little money and the laws restrict attorneys from pursing the church for damages.

“Maryland, being the first archdiocese in the country, has the worst laws out there of almost anyone,” she said. “Quite frankly, I’d be OK with an 18-month lookback window and corporate responsibility, rather than some nothing burger that sounds good to the public but means nothing.”

Changes in the law would affect any victim who wants to hold an institution accountable for abuse — including churches, schools and youth organizations — but the Catholic church is the most prominent institution affected and one of the largest voices in the debate.

The church lobbying arm and other opponents have warned that expanding eligibility to file lawsuits could lead to crippling litigation. The nonprofit BishopAccountability.org found nearly 30 Catholic diocese and religious orders have filed for bankruptcy protection amid a barrage of lawsuits over priest sexual abuse. In the past five years, the Maryland Catholic Conference has spent more than $1 million on lobbying efforts in Annapolis, according to public records.

A decision whether to release the report rests with Baltimore Circuit Judge Anthony Vittoria. About two weeks ago, he ordered the proceedings sealed and barred attorneys from sharing their briefs.

Meanwhile, survivors of priest sexual abuse have sought to intervene in the case and bring out the report. The archdiocese is also paying for two lawyers, Gregg Bernstein and William Murphy, to represent some people named in the report, but not accused of sexual abuse.

An archdiocese spokesman has said these people want a chance to tell the courts what they believe to be omissions or errors in the report. He said the the church supports them in that effort.

Complete Article HERE!