Inside A retreat on wheels Pilgrimage to nation’s capital to include visits to Criterion holy sites, page 3. Serving the Church in Central and Souther n Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com March 26, 2010 Vol. L, No. 24 75¢ Cardinal praises expanded health care, but fears As the director of remain on abortion community and youth WASHINGTON (CNS)—The president of services at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Holy Family praised new health Shelter in reform legislation for Indianapolis, expanding health care Emily Able to more Americans, often brings but said the bishops a smile and and the Catholic caring touch community will be to her efforts watching closely to to help ensure that the new homeless law does not expand children and federal funding of their parents Cardinal abortion. build a new Francis E. George “We are life of hope. apprehensive as we look to the future, even as we applaud much of the increased care that will be a vailable,” Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago told Catholic News Service on March 23, shortly after President Barack Obama signed into la w the Patient See related editorial, Protection and page 4. Affordable Care Act. “So we will watch basically and try to continue to enter into conversations as a moral voice—never as a political voice. John Shaughnessy Photo by We’ve been very careful to insist upon the moral principles that everybody should be cared for and no one should be deliberately Youth director embraces shelter’s goal of changing killed,” he added. Cardinal George acknowledged in the heartbreak to hope for homeless children and parents interview that “the unity of the Church has been wounded” in various political actions By John Shaughnessy supply of gifts that people had donated homeless on children. and conversations surrounding the health during the Christmas season. “Our kids, even the ones who want to reform debate. The USCCB opposed the In his dreams, the boy never “We always recognize a child’s act tough, are affected hugely by what Senate bill that passed the House on imagined celebrating his 10th birthday birthday here,” says Able, the director of happens to their parents,” Able says. March 21 while some Catholic groups and in a shelter for homeless families. community and youth services at “They lose a home, their friend ne xt members of Congress supported it. He also never dreamed how special Holy Family Shelter. “When he saw the door and the neighborhood they’re used “We are certainly concerned about that birthday would turn out to be. gifts and the cake, he was surprised. He to seeing. They’re also going through division in the Church because bishops ha ve As he woke that morning at said, ‘I never had a cake before.’ There the trauma of their family being to be the people who are concerned about its Holy Family Shelter in Indianapolis, the were tears in his eyes.” stressed. Some parents cry. Some yell. unity, about keeping people together around boy just knew how much his life had There are tears in her eyes as she Some stay in their rooms. There’s Christ,” he said. changed in the past few weeks. He and finishes that story. stress, confusion and even fear for our “The bishops know that they don’t speak his single mother had to leave their kids. They have fear for themselves, for every one of the 61 million Catholics in home, their neighborhood and the Making the connection their parents, their little siblings. the country, but what we do is we speak for friends they had known. He sensed the The stories from Holy Family Shelter They’re carrying the brunt of a lot of the Catholic faith itself,” he said. “And those helplessness that his mom felt. He sa w tend to be emotional. things they shouldn’t be carrying.” who share the faith will gather around.” the fear in her eyes, a fear that he felt, Sometimes those stories are touched The 28-year-old Able works to lift The cardinal said it remained to be seen too. by joy, including the celebration in that burden from their minds and their whether the executive order promised by He also feared that his birthday December when the archdiocese’s new lives. One of the primary ways she does Obama would be adequate to keep the would pass unnoticed amid all the 30,000-square-foot shelter opened on the it is by providing stability in their See HEALTH CARE, page 9 uncertainties in their lives. near west side in Indianapolis, providing a schooling. The boy didn’t know an employee at much larger haven of hope for homeless “There’s federal legislation called the the shelter—Emily Able—had seen the families, married couples, expectant McKinney Vento Act that says that paperwork that showed the date of his mothers and single parents with children. every homeless child has the right to birthday. He didn’t know that she took Too often, the stories from the shelter attend their school of origin,” notes the time to get him a birthday cak e and are touched with heartbreak, especially Able, a 2000 graduate of Roncalli High select presents for him from an e xtra considering the impact of suddenly being See HOMELESS, page 8 Archbishop Buechlein to have surgery to remove tumor Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: precautionary measure. as well as an excellent administrative I am waiting for the results of staff. Our many ministries will continue A recent medical checkup revealed further tests, but I expect to have as usual. that I have a small tumor that will need surgery in mid- or late April. This is all the information I ha ve at to be surgically I’ve been told I may need four to the moment. I would appreciate your removed. five weeks of recovery time following prayers, and please know that I will The tumor is not the surgery. I regret the interruption continue to pray for all of you. related to the this may cause in my normal Hodgkin’s obligations. Sincerely yours in Christ, lymphoma that I do not expect the day-to-day I had in 2008. operations of the Archdiocese of My doctors believe Indianapolis to be greatly affected. the tumor is We are blessed to have so many Most Rev. Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B. benign, and want to dedicated and hardworking clergy, Archbishop of Indianapolis remove it as a religious and parish life coordinators March 22, 2010 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, March 26, 2010 Pope apologizes to Irish abuse victims, orders Vatican investigation VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In a letter to Irish Catholics, “It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or Pope Benedict XVI personally apologized to victims of be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly priestly sexual abuse and express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same announced new steps to heal the time, I ask you not to lose hope,” he said. wounds of the scandal, including a Addressing priests and religious who have abused Vatican investigation and a year of children, the pope declared: “You betrayed the trust that penitential reparation. was placed in you by innocent young people and their CNS photo/Cathal McNaughton, Reuters “You have suffered grievously parents, and you must answer for it before almighty God and I am truly sorry. I know that and before properly constituted tribunals.” nothing can undo the wrong you Priest abusers, he said, have “violated the sanctity of the have endured. Your trust has been sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ mak es himself betrayed and your dignity has been present in us and in our actions.” He said those who have violated,” he told victims in his abused should openly acknowledge their guilt, try to atone Pope Benedict XVI letter released on March 20 at the personally for what they have done and “do not despair of Vatican. God’s mercy.” The pope told priest abusers that they would answer to The pope urged bishops to fully implement the Church’s God for their sins. He said bishops had made serious new policies against abuse and to “continue to cooperate mistakes in responding to allegations of sexual abuse, and with the civil authorities in their area of competence.” he encouraged them to implement new Church norms “It cannot be denied that some of you and your against abuse and cooperate with civil authorities in such predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long- cases. established norms of canon law to the crime of child ab use. “Only decisive action carried out with complete honesty Serious mistakes were made in responding to alle gations,” and transparency will restore the respect and good will of he said. the Irish people toward the Church,” he said. The pope said he had ordered an apostolic visitation, or A woman holds a rosary during Mass at a church in Armagh, The 4,600-word letter was distributed at Masses across internal Church investigation, of certain dioceses in Ireland, Northern Ireland, on March 21. Pope Benedict XVI issued a Ireland on March 20-21, and priests there prepared as well as seminaries and religious congre gations. He said pastoral letter to Ireland’s Catholics on March 20 apologizing to homilies on the text. The letter came in response to the details would be announced later. victims of priestly sexual abuse. disclosure last fall that Irish Church leaders had often The step was an apparent effort to find out more protected abusive priests over the last 35 years.