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June 21, 2002 Vol Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 4, 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 21 Sunday & Daily Readings. 21 The Family Health Supplement . 11 Serving the CChurchCriterion in Centralr andi Southert n Indianae Since 1960rion www.archindy.org June 21, 2002 Vol. XXXXI, No. 36 50¢ Bishops set new diocesan rules, zero tolerance on priests who abuse U.S. bishops cast their DALLAS (CNS)—At a historic meet- U.S. dioceses. votes on the “Charter for ing in Dallas June 13-15, the U.S. They decided that all the nation’s bish- the Protection of Conference of Catholic Bishops ordered ops will devote Aug. 14-15 to penance Children and Young dramatic changes to protect children and prayer for their past failures to pro- Bob Roller CNS photo by People” at their meeting throughout the U.S. Catholic Church, tect children from priests who molested in Dallas on June 14. notably forbidding a second chance in them. They invited priests and laity to They approved the ministry for any priest who has ever sexu- join them in prayer on those days. charter by a vote of ally abused a minor. When the 239-13 vote adopting the 239-13. At left is Bishop After 11 hours of intense debate over charter was announced, Bishop Wilton D. John J. McRaith of USCCB two days, the bishops adopted a “Charter Gregory of Belleville, Ill., presi- Owensboro, Ky., and for the Protection of Children and Young dent, rose to address the bishops briefly. at right is Bishop John People” that all dioceses must implement. He called their new document “one of the S. Cummins of Oakland, “For even a single act of sexual abuse greatest efforts anywhere in addressing Calif. of a minor—past, present or future—the sexual abuse of minors.” offending priest or deacon will not remain “From this day forward, no one known in ministry and will not receive a future See BISHOPS, page 8 assignment,” it said. To give the charter a binding legal character in all dioceses, the bishops then See related stories voted 229-5 to adopt a series of imple- Text of charter. 8 menting norms which, if approved by the Text of essential norms. 10 Holy See, will have the character of par- Editorial . 4 ticular law that must be followed by all New charter will Pope canonizes Padre Pio protect children and young people I went to the meeting of the bish- ops in Dallas with a fourfold concern CNS photo by Max Rossi, CNS photo by with regard to that which we bishops needed to address, namely: 1. The care and protection of all our children, 2. Pastoral com- passion for the victim sur- Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B. vivors of sexual abuse, 3. The exercise of practical steward- ship to our Catholic community, 4. Care for priests who are found to be innocent of allegations. I voted for the charter in its very strict form and language because I believe that it addresses these priorities in as effective a manner as possible. A much-discussed point of the charter was the removal of a priest or deacon for the past as well as present and future sexual abuse of a minor. I believe that, in the long view, trust in Pilgrims pack St. Peter’s Square for the Mass of canonization of Italian Capuchin Padre Pio of Pietralcina on June 16. Pope John Paul II said the friar’s spirituality of suffering was a valuable model for modern times. See ARCHBISHOP, page 2 VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In one of for bearing the stigmata, or bleeding was a young theology student in 1947. the largest liturgies in the Vatican’s his- wounds of Christ—could not be under- Referring to Padre Pio’s reputation for tory, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre stood without the friar’s attachment to sometimes refusing absolution, the pope Pio da Pietralcina and said the Capuchin asceticism and the crucified Christ’s suf- said that this “apparent harshness” friar’s spirituality of suffering was a fering. helped penitents to realize the serious- valuable model for modern times. “The life and mission of Padre Pio ness of their sin and sincerely repent, Underscoring his message, the pope give testimony that difficulty and suffer- and that the penitents “almost always announced at the end of the June 16 ing, if accepted with love, transform returned for the pacifying embrace of Mass that he was making Padre Pio’s themselves into a privileged path of sacramental forgiveness.” Sept. 23 feast day an “obligatory memo- sanctity, opening toward a larger good He said he hoped Padre Pio’s example rial” on the Church’s general liturgical that is known only to the Lord,” he said. would inspire priests around the world to calendar, a rank shared by only one He said Padre Pio’s “spirituality of the exercise their ministry in the confes- other 20th-century saint. cross” was still valid today. sional “with joy and diligence.” More than 300,000 people, according “Our time needs to rediscover its The pope said Padre Pio saw prayer to police, filled St. Peter’s Square and value in order to open hearts to hope,” as his most powerful “weapon” and surrounding streets in sweltering 90- the pope said. noted that the friar founded a large hos- degree heat. In improvised remarks after Padre Pio, who died in 1968 at the pital for the poor, called the “House for the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony, the age of 81, was also well known as a ded- the Relief of Suffering.” pope thanked the pilgrims for their icated confessor, and the pope departed “Prayer and charity: This is the most “courage” and sacrifice in attending. from his prepared homily text to recall concrete synthesis of Padre Pio’s teach- In his homily, the pope said the holi- that he, too, visited the Italian friar for ing, which today is re-proposed to ness of Padre Pio—who was well-known the sacrament of reconciliation when he See PADRE, page 2 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, June 21, 2002 PADRE continued from page 1 CNS photo from Reuters everybody,” he said. Thousands of tour buses began drop- ping pilgrims at St. Peter’s Square at 5 a.m. for the Mass, which began at 10 a.m. Other pilgrims arrived from around Italy in 50 special trains. The crowd at the Mass, many wearing yellow caps or white fisherman-style hats to ward off the searing sun, clapped and cheered when the pope pronounced the Latin formula of canonization. Organizers handed out hundreds of thousands of cartons of free mineral water, and volunteers with fire hoses sprayed a cooling mist over the crowds. Cardinals and bishops near the altar shaded themselves with large white and yellow umbrellas. Tens of thousands more pilgrims fol- lowed the canonization by live audio link from a piazza in San Giovanni Rotondo, the southern Italian town where Padre Pio spent most of his life and is buried. As he was formally proclaimed a saint, they cheered and released thousands of blue and yellow balloons into the air. Investigated and cleared during several Vatican inquiries into charges of sexual misconduct and fraud, Padre Pio has developed a worldwide following of devotees, and 8 million people visit his tomb annually. A giant image of Padre Pio hangs from the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Giovanni Rotondo as the town marks his canonization on June 16. The Watching the ceremony from the shade Italian Capuchin priest spent most of his life in the southern Italian village and is buried there. of a building, Antonio Sergi, an Italian in his mid-30s, said he was devoted to Padre Pio “because he is a very humble saint. Despite the heat, the pope held up well and the Liturgy of the Hours on the day it obligatory. He came from simple people and was during the Mass, though he appeared to occurs unless an observance that takes The June 16 liturgy was the 45th can- always among the poor.” tire toward the end. He did not personally precedence—a solemnity or feast—falls on onization ceremony of Pope John Paul’s Sergi, like many in the crowd trusting give first Communion as planned to the same day. St. Maximilian Kolbe, also in nearly 24-year pontificate, and brought to in Padre Pio’s reputation for granting Matteo Colella, the 8-year-old boy whose the Franciscan tradition, is the only other 461 the number of people he has pro- favors, said he had traveled from his medically inexplicable cure from multi- 20th-century saint whose memorial is claimed saints. † southern Italian home in Catanzaro to ple organ failure in 2000 was deemed the pray for a small miracle. miracle for Padre Pio’s canonization. A nun kisses the “I’ve asked him to intercede to allow After the Mass, the pope traveled in hand of a statue of my wife and I to have a baby,” he said, his popemobile around the square and all Blessed Padre Pio in adding with a smile, “I hope that after the way down the Via della Concilia- the Church of Santa today... .” zione, the main street that leads from it, Maria delle Grazie in Also among the pilgrims was Dr. Wanda waving at the cheering crowds. San Giovanni Poltawska, a Polish woman for whom the Later in the evening, pilgrims gathered Rotondo, Italy, on future Pope John Paul asked Padre Pio’s for a celebratory musical performance in June 15, the day intercession in 1962.
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