'No priest may obey' proposed law, California bishop says
May 29, 2019 CNA Daily News News Briefs 4 Print
Oakland, Calif., May 29, 2019 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- Bishop Michael Barber, S.J., of the Diocese of Oakland, California, has said he would sooner accept arrest and prison than comply with a state law that would force priests to violate the seal of confession. Barber made the statement in a letter released to the diocese on Tuesday.
"I will go to jail before I will obey this attack on our religious freedom," wrote Barber.
"Even if this bill passes, no priest may obey it. The protection of your right to confess to God and have your sins forgiven in total privacy must be protected. I urge you to contact your State Senator today to protest this bill."
The bishop said he is entirely in favor of laws that protect children from abuse, and supports the work undertaken by the Church to ensure the safety of minors. But, he insisted, this support does not extend to Senate Bill 360, a proposed state law which would force priests and other religious ministers to report suspected cases of child abuse involation of priest-penitent priviledge.
Barber said that a local priest had come forward to tell him his teenage parishioners were now afraid to receive the sacrament of reconciliation out of fear the priest would go to the police with their sins. He called the bill "misguided," and said it "does nothing to support our efforts" to promote safe environments.
Senate Bill 360 was amended to require the sacramental seal be violated in instances where a presit learns of or suspects abuse while hearing the confession of a fellow priest or colleague. The bill was originally drafted to require priests to violate the seal if they came to suspect abuse following the confession of any penitent whatsoever.
The bill passed the California Senate on Thursday by an overwhelming margin, with legislators voting 30-2 in favor of the measure.
In a statement after that vote, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez said he was "deeply disappointed" by the result and that, even with the amendments that had been made to it before the vote it "still denies the sanctity of confession to every priest in the state and to thousands of Catholics who work with priests in parishes and other Church agencies and ministries."
The bill's sponsor, California state Senator Jerry Hill (D-Calif. 13), has claimed that "the clergy-penitent privilege has been abused on a large scale, resulting in the unreported and systemic abuse of thousands of children across multiple denominations and faiths."
The senator has claimed that such abuse has been revealed through "recent investigations by 14 attorneys general, the federal government, and other countries."
Despite recent investigations into the clerical sexual abuse crisis in different countries and jurisdictions, no data exists establishing or indicating the use of sacramental confession either to facilitate or perpetuate the sexual abuse of minors.
Per Canon Law, priests who violate the seal of confession by sharing anything learned within the sacramental context to anyone, at any time, for any reason is subject to automatic excommunication and and further punishments, including loss of the clerical state.
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Catholic soldier posthumously awarded Medal of Honor
Washington D.C., Mar 12, 2019 / 01:38 pm (CNA).- President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, who was killed on June 1, 2007, after tackling a suicide bomber in Al Yusufiyah, Iraq.
The White House announced March 12 that the Medal of Honor would be posthumously awarded to Atkins, a Catholic, on March 27, 2019. Atkins' son, Trevor Oliver, and other members of his family, will be present at the White House for the ceremony.
"Staff Sergeant Atkins' heroic actions, at the cost of his life, saved the lives of three of his teammates," said a statement from the White House.
Atkins, a native of Montana, was a member of the 10th Mountain Division out of Ft. Drum, NY. He was killed during his second tour of duty in Iraq, aged 31. He had enlisted in the army in November of 2000, and first deployed to Iraq in 2003. He was honorably discharged as a sergeant, and re-enlisted in 2005. He was deployed again in 2006. Exactly a month before he was killed, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant.
On the day he died, Atkins engaged in hand-to-hand combat with an insurgent. When he realized that the insurgent was trying to detonate an explosive vest strapped to his body, Atkins tackled the man and shielded other soldiers from the explosion.
At his funeral Mass at Bozeman's Resurrection Parish, Fr. Val Zdilla praised Atkins for the heroism displayed in his lact actions on earth.
"Human lives were saved by his heroic action that can never be forgotten or denied," said Zdilla. He described Atkins as someone who truly lived out his calling in life by serving in the military.
"We now remember Travis and how his life made a difference," he said. "He was this nation's son."
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Atkins was also awarded a Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge, and Air Assault Badge.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor in the United States, and is reserved for those who have demonstrated "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty." Atkins will be the fifth person to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Iraq War.
Catholic Charities Fort Worth hosts migrant children separated from parents
June 20, 2018 CNA Daily News 0
Fort Worth, Texas, Jun 20, 2018 / 03:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As thousands of children have been separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border in recent weeks, Catholic Charities Fort Worth has opened its doors to shelter the unaccompanied mig… […]
Thousands gather in L.A. archdiocese to celebrate St. Oscar Romero
October 15, 2018 CNA Daily News 0
Los Angeles, Calif., Oct 15, 2018 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- Thousands of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles gathered in the cathedral on Sunday to celebrate as Oscar Romero was canonized in Rome.
St. Oscar Romero was canonized by Pope Francis Oct. 1… […]
Hill is lying. He has no direct evidence.
Marvin Avila
There is freedom of Religion in this the United States of America and any violation of this RIGHT is contrary to our American Values. Under no circumstances would we violate the tenets of our Religion regardless of the consequences. WE MUST STAND TALL FOR OUR RIGHTS!!!!
'No priest may obey' proposed law, California bishop says -
ASCENSION THVRSDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit
Catholic News Service FAIL
Catherine Harmon September 2, 2011 0
A news brief on Catholic Culture highlights a recent article by Mark Zimmerman for Catholic News Service, the editorially and financially independent news media division of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The article […]