Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 19 The Sunday and Daily Readings . 19 Serving the CChurchCriterion in Centralr andi Southert n Indianae Since 1960rion Christmas Supplement. 9 www.archindy.org December 19, 2003 Vol. XXXXIII, No. 12 75¢ The flight into Egypt The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” —Matthew 2:16 ABOUT THE COVER A photo of a manuscript illustra- tion dating from the late 12th or early 13th century depicts Joseph leading Mary and the infant Jesus into Egypt after the warning about Herod’s intention to destroy the newborn Christ. CNS photo from Art Resource Page 2 The Criterion Friday, December 19, 2003 Clergy sex abuse tops Catholic news for second year By Jerry Filteau Iraq—by far the biggest secular news story of the year—had significant moral WASHINGTON (CNS)—For the sec- and religious dimensions as well. ond straight year, the scandal of sexual Before the war, the pope and top abuse of children by priests dominated Vatican officials engaged in an intense much of the religious news for diplomatic campaign that included send- U.S. Catholics. ing ,personal papal legates to President In 2003, however, there was a signifi- Bush and heads of other key governments cant difference. Instead of 2002’s almost to try to prevent the invasion. Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo CNS photo by uninterrupted flood of daily new revela- Catholic and other religious leaders tions of past clerical crimes, more of the warned against acting without U.N. news in 2003 concerned developments in backing, and many moralists argued that the Church’s response to the crisis. just war principles of self-defense There were new allegations, new law- against attack and use of war as a last suits and new criminal investigations. resort were not met. Some administration But there were also major financial set- backers countered with theories of justi- tlements of hundreds of lawsuits, dioce- fiable pre-emptive defense that sought to san and religious-order policies being reshape traditional just-war doctrine in strengthened, and safe environment and light of the new realities and threats of sex-abuse education programs being global terrorism. implemented. With a dangerous postwar occupation A nationwide audit of each diocese’s dragging on amid increasing terrorist policies and practices was conducted and attacks aimed especially at peacekeeping an unprecedented national study was car- troops and Iraqi police, U.S. troops Pope John Paul II prays during an evening Mass for university students at St. Peter’s Basilica on ried out to determine the full extent of achieved a major breakthrough in mid- Dec. 11. Despite his frailty, the 83-year-old pontiff was concluding a busy 12 months during which he clergy sexual abuse of minors in the December with the capture of the elusive marked his 25th year as pope. U.S. Catholic Church since 1950. former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. Pope John Paul II, though slowed Early signs that the Iraq conflict was often colored media coverage of, a wide P. O’Malley to head the Boston Arch- down considerably by age and failing causing increased Muslim-Christian ten- range of other events and developments of diocese. The archdiocese, epicenter of the health, remained the world’s leading reli- sions and might be exploited by some to religious interest. crisis, had been vacant since the resigna- gious figure. engender wider conflict between the These included: tion of Cardinal Bernard F. Law in world’s two largest faith groups • Major new challenges in the United December 2002. Pope John Paul II prompted new efforts by the Vatican and States and elsewhere to the traditional In mid-September, barely six weeks Celebrations in October of his 25th leaders in many other quarters to pro- understanding of marriage, as gay rights after his installation, Archbishop O’Malley anniversary as pope brought an outpouring mote better relations and more mutual activists sought through courts and legis- reached an $85 million settlement with of academic and media efforts to assess his understanding between Christians and latures to extend the rights and benefits most of the 550-plus plaintiffs seeking numerous accomplishments, his place in Muslims. of marriage to same-sex unions. damages for alleged sexual abuse by history, and the strengths and weaknesses Some said the pope’s vigorous efforts • Enactment of the federal Partial-Birth Boston priests. Several separate settle- of what has become one of the longest and to avert the war played a significant role Abortion Ban Act, followed immedi- ments after that brought the total up to most prolific papacies in history. in developing public perceptions of the ately by court challenges to its constitu- about $90 million. During the year, Pope John Paul trav- conflict as secular, not religious in nature. tionality. In December, the archbishop eled to Spain, Croatia, Bosnia- For Americans, events in Iraq often • Statements by the Vatican and the announced he would sell the prestigious Herzegovina and Slovakia. He issued an overshadowed other major world prob- U.S. bishops on responsibilities of archbishop’s mansion in Brighton and encyclical on the Eucharist and apostolic lems that would otherwise have received Catholics in politics. about half the 60-acre archdiocesan prop- exhortations on bishops and on the church far greater attention. • A U.N. debate on whether to establish erty it sits on to help pay for the settle- in Europe. Among these were the widespread an international covenant banning all ment. He mortgaged the archdiocesan In October, he presided over the beatifi- hunger in Africa, where an estimated cloning of human embryos or banning cathedral and seminary to obtain interim cation of Blessed Mother Teresa of 30 million people are at risk of starvation, it only for reproduction while permit- loans so the settlement payments to vic- Calcutta and created 30 new cardinals— the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian crisis in the ting cloning to obtain embryonic stem tims could begin before the anticipated setting a new record of 194 living cardi- Holy Land, and the global spread of cells for biomedical research. property sale or settlements between the nals and equaling the record he set in 2001 AIDS—now affecting 40 million people archdiocese and its insurers. of 135 cardinals under age 80 and eligible worldwide, about two-thirds of them in The Sex Abuse Crisis Other eight-digit sexual abuse settle- to vote for a new pope. Africa. One of the major developments in the ments during the year included $25.7 mil- The new cardinals included one For U.S. Catholics, the ongoing sex clergy sexual abuse crisis in 2003 was lion with 240 plaintiffs by the Archdiocese U.S. prelate, Cardinal Justin Rigali of abuse crisis diverted attention from, or the July appointment of Archbishop Sean of Louisville, Ky., and $21 million with Philadelphia. 40 plaintiffs by the Diocese of Bridgeport, Gary Bergeron Conn. The War in Iraq clutches a copy of The Seattle Archdiocese settled 15 cases The U.S.-led military invasion of the $85 million set- for $7.87 million in September. The fol- tlement between 552 lowing month, the Diocese of Covington, CNS photo from Reuters alleged victims of Ky., settled 27 claims for $5.2 million. clergy sexual abuse John Geoghan, the laicized Boston The Criterion’s last and the Archdiocese priest whose criminal trial for child of Boston as he and molestation in January 2002 precipitated issue until Jan. 9 other victims leave the national crisis, was brutally murdered This week’s Criterion, which the Suffolk Superior in his prison cell on Aug. 23, allegedly by includes the annual Christmas Court in Boston on fellow inmate Joseph L. Druce. Supplement, is the last issue of 2003. Sept. 9. His lawyer, The all-lay National Review Board— The Criterion will be published again Robert Sherman, is formed by the bishops in 2002 to assess on Jan. 9, and will resume its regular at left. The agree- the dimensions of the abuse scandal and weekly schedule. ment is the largest oversee diocesan compliance with national The Archbishop O’Meara Catholic financial settlement policies to address the problem—made Center will be closed from Dec. 24 in U.S. Church news in June when the chairman, former through Jan. 4. † history. Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, said some bishops were behaving like the Mafia in The Criterion (ISSN 0574- 4350) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first 12/19/03 week of January. Phone Numbers: Staff: Moving? 1400 N. Meridian St. Main office: ...........................317-236-1570 Assistant Editor: Mary Ann Wyand Box 1717 Advertising ............................317-236-1572 Reporter: Brandon A. 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