Tag Archives: roman catholic

Bishop Samuel Aquila: ‘There can be no backing away in the public square from the call to proclaim the dignity of human life’

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In a talk presented at the Sept. 22 Gospel of Life Prayer Breakfast in St. Louis, Mo., Rev. Samuel Aquila, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, said, “There can be no backing away in the public square from the call to proclaim the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death.”

Bishop Aquila addressed “attacks against life” in society today, including legalized abortion, euthanasia, fertility treatments that disregard the dignity of human embryos, embryonic stem cell research, “unjust distribution of resources, rampant promiscuity that diminishes the truth and meaning of human sexual intimacy, human trafficking, drug trafficking” and terrorism. He also spoke of the tragedy of professed Catholics and Christians who say they are personally opposed to abortion yet publicly support the so-called “right” to abortion.

Read the full press release from the Fargo Diocese: http://www.fargodiocese.org/News/PressReleases/10-09-24GospelOfLifeTalk.pdf

Read the full text of Aquila’s talk: http://www.fargodiocese.org/Bishop/Homilies/GospelOfLifeInTheChurchAndWorld.pdf

In first visit to Britain, Pope criticizes church’s handling of sexual abuse

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From www.bloomberg.com (David Cheskin - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In his current visit to Britian Pope Benedict XVI criticized the Catholic Church for its response to sexual abuse by priests. He said it had not been “sufficiently vigilant” or “sufficiently swift and decisive.”

The New York Times reports: “Asked how the church could restore the faith of those shaken by the revelations of widespread priestly abuse, the pope said: ‘The first interest is the victims’ and the church needed to determine ‘how can we repair, what can we do to help them to overcome the trauma, to re-find their lives.’ He also said that priests who are guilty of abuse had a ‘sickness’ and needed to be kept away from children.”

Pope Benedict arrived in Britain today for a four-day stay. It’s the first Papal visit to Britain since 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/world/europe/17pope.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1284647350-L4nrIVBPXQRP5rCjX9Nngw

Read even more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-16/pope-criticizes-church-s-sex-abuse-response-at-start-of-first-u-k-visit.html

Religion News Service Q and A with a Catholic man who left the priesthood after falling in love

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PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) Tom Farley left the Catholic priesthood because he’d fallen in love.

Farley, 57, a priest for 30 years, served his last Masses at his parish here in March.

The former priest talked recently about his years as a priest, the process that led him to give it up, and the life he’s embraced since he left.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

 Q: Why did you become a priest?

A: I was raised a Catholic, and my faith was important to me. And then the next question was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” The idea of the priesthood came to me. As a sophomore, I transferred to Mount Angel Seminary. I did OK, academically, socially. But I guess the real reason I became a priest is I wanted to serve.

 Q: How do you describe your 30 years as a priest?

A: The thing that I always come back to is there’s this incredible honor as a priest—being invited into the middle of people’s relationship with God. It’s an intimate place. It’s a privilege.

 Q: Why did you leave?

A: I fell in love. Early on. More than once. People are attractive and I am not a dolt. I’d ask myself, “Am I going to explore this relationship, risk my priesthood to explore this?” and I always said no and ran away. There was this background of loneliness—and I know that loneliness is existential, that we’re all alone and I don’t believe that a partner can take that away. But romantic love was never an option.

Q: What changed for you?

A: I’d had a long relationship, a friendship with a woman. And last summer, I realized that I loved her, that I loved someone again. I don’t quite know why, but this time I said I’m not going to run away, to shut the door. Maybe it was a midlife crisis. Maybe it was loneliness. Maybe it was the boredom of doing the same thing over and over.

I got a good counselor and talked to my spiritual director. The three of us worked for almost four months to unpack this love. It was a very intentional discernment.

Read more: http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/tenminutes/10_minutes_with_tom_farley2/