Cardinal Cupich says the Vatican abuse summit will not focus on vulnerable adults or seminarians

Vatican City, Feb 18, 2019 / 10:15 am (CNA).- Cardinal Blase Cupich said Monday that this week’s Vatican sex abuse summit needs to be focused on the protection of minors, underscoring that homosexuality is not a cause of sexual abuse.

While it is important to recognize the fact that a high percentage of sex abuse involves “male on male sex abuse,” Cupich said, “homosexuality itself is not a cause.” It is a matter of “opportunity and also a matter of poor training on the part of people.”

“The pope is asking us to make sure that we focus on the the task at hand, if in fact we begin to inflate expectations by including other topics, then we are not going to achieve the goals,” Cardinal Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, said at a Vatican press conference Feb. 18.

continue at CNA

Cardinal Cupich Pens Letter on Upcoming Abuse Crisis Summit

Cardinal Blase Cupich penned a letter earlier this month that gives insight into the upcoming global summit on the sex abuse crisis that has rocked the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis called the rare meeting of Catholic leaders from around the world, requesting their attendance at a five-day conference from Feb. 21 to 24 at the Vatican.

Cupich is playing a key role at that meeting, as one of the four organizers tapped to lead the summit.

In an op-ed in the Chicago Archdiocese's newspaper "The Chicago Catholic" on Jan. 23, Cupich said the aim of the summit is "to provide clear direction and concrete steps so that when the bishops return to their home countries around the world, they will know exactly what the church expects of them regarding the prevention of abuse, the need to provide care for victim-survivors, and the obligation to make sure abuse is not covered up.”

continue at NBC5 Chicago

US Bishops retreat at Mundelein Seminary will not discuss abuse; "strictly be a time for prayer, fasting and spiritual lectures."

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago says when bishops from around the United States gather in a suburban seminary next month, they won't talk about a state investigation that found Illinois dioceses failed to disclose the names of at least 500 clergy accused of sexually abusing children.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Anne Maselli tells the Chicago Tribune that the retreat hosted by Cardinal Blase Cupich at Mundelein Seminary will "strictly be a time for prayer, fasting and spiritual lectures."

continue at NBC Chicago

What?  This can't be right, I can only presume both spiritual works and discussions are happening. 

Also: Cardinal Cupich visits Cook County Jail on Christmas, addresses church sex abuse scandal in Midnight Mass

Illinois State AG: Church underreported number of priests with sex misconduct allegations by 500

Even as Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich has taken a larger role in proposing reforms in response to the priest sex abuse crisis raging across the United States and around the world, a report released Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madiganshows the Catholic church in Illinois has dramatically underreported the number of priests with sexual misconduct allegations.

Across Illinois — which is broken into six Catholic “dioceses,” each headed by a bishop and based on geography — the church has publicly identified 185 clergy with credible accusations of child abuse, according to Madigan.

An investigation by her agency identified 500 other clergy members in Illinois with sex misconduct allegations dating back decades, Madigan said, describing her findings and the allegations uncovered by her investigators as “disheartening” and “disgusting.”

Madigan acknowledged it’s not clear whether all of the newly unearthed allegations are credible.

continue at Chicago Sun Times

also CNA Illinois AG report says dioceses failed abuse victims

Cdl Cupich denies collaborating with Cdl. Wuerl on a plan presented at last week's USCCB meeting

Card. Blase Cupich has denied this report of collaboration with Card. Wuerl on a plan presented at last week's USCCB meeting. Stories develop, and new facts emerge, but this morning I reviewed our sources and approach, and I stand by our reporting. https://t.co/vdDPIGfmi5

— JD Flynn (@jdflynn) November 19, 2018

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington collaborated extensively on a recently proposed policy for handling abuse allegations against bishops, CNA has learned.

Cupich submitted the plan Tuesday to leaders of the U.S. bishops’ conference, proffering it as an alternative to a proposal that had been devised by conference officials and staffers.

The conference’s proposed plan would have established an independent lay-led commission to investigate allegations against bishops. The Cupich-Wuerl plan would instead send allegations against bishops to be investigated by their metropolitan archbishops, along with archdiocesan review boards. Metropolitans themselves would be investigated by their senior suffragan bishops.

continue at CNA

Amid sex abuse crisis, Pope Francis calls on bishops to gather for retreat hosted by Blase Cupich

Pope Francis has called on Catholic bishops nationwide to gather for a historic seven-day spiritual retreat at Mundelein Seminary in suburban Chicago in January as church hierarchy grapple with the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal.

As chancellor of the seminary, Cardinal Blase Cupich — an Omaha native and leader of the Chicago archdiocese — will serve as host of the gathering, which could include some 300 bishops from around the country. Cupich is now in Rome for a monthlong meeting of global church leaders.

Loyola University Chicago theology professor Miguel Diaz called the retreat “historically significant for American Catholics.” The concept of the gathering reflects the pope’s leadership style — his Jesuit background in particular — to address church challenges “within the context of collaborative and prayerful discernment,” said Diaz, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

continue at Omaha.com

Chicago Archdiocese removes priest who was assaulted by priest as child, removes rainbow flag from sanctuary

Last week, when I heard news that Father Paul Kalchik and some fellow parishioners from his Chicago parish had burned a rainbow flag he found in the church’s storage, I knew things weren’t going to go well for him in Cardinal Bernardin’s old archdiocese, now administered by Cardinal Cupich. The Chicago Tribune provides context:

Kalchik said he twice was a victim of sexual abuse, the first time by a neighbor, when he was 11, and the second time by a Chicago-area priest when he was a teenager. The priest Kalchik names as the one who abused him died in the 1990s and has not been among those who have been named by the Diocese of Joliet or the Archdiocese of Chicago as a priest with substantiated allegations against them. Kalchik equates the flag with predatory behavior, he said

.....
I think we can concede that Father Kalchik’s action was rash, and arguably imprudent given that the Archdiocese had warned him not to do it. But this is how Cardinal Cupich responds? This, in a time in the Church’s life when it is becoming ever clearer that many in the Church’s senior leadership are gay, and devoted to protecting other gays in power. Cardinal McCarrick is a condensed symbol of so much of the corruption in the Catholic Church.

....

UPDATE: A parish priest e-mails:

There is nothing that the laity can do to protect priests. Bishops have total authority over us. We can certainly walk away. We can leave. But Kalchick is a great example of what happens when a priest stands up to his bishop’s agenda. He’s probably done as a priest.

continue at The American Conservative

What the Illinois Grand Jury investigation uncovers could be explosive.

Cupich’s soon-to-be auxiliary bishop was cleared in ’08 misconduct probe

A priest set to be elevated to an auxiliary bishop by Cardinal Blase Cupich was investigated a decade ago over an allegation of sexual misconduct with a child that state authorities deemed “unfounded,” the Archdiocese of Chicago revealed on Friday.

The archdiocese made the unusual disclosure about Rev. Robert Casey Friday evening “for the sake of transparency” ahead of Monday’s Ordination Mass at Holy Name Cathedral, where he and two other priests will become Cupich’s auxiliary bishops, according to archdiocese spokeswoman Anne Maselli.

Casey, 50, was removed from the ministry for about four weeks in 2008 as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated a complaint about an incident alleged to have occurred that year, Maselli said. State investigators determined the claim was “unfounded,” the archdiocese said.

“According to a letter from DCFS communicating this decision, ‘this means that credible evidence does not exist to support the allegation made,’ ” the archdiocese said in their Friday statement. “Given this determination, Bishop-elect Casey was returned to ministry.”

continue at Chicago Sun Times

He is the former director of the now scandalous Casa Jesus.

Cardinal Cupich Calls Closed-Door Meeting With Chicago Priests

Cardinal Blase Cupich has scheduled a closed-door meeting with Chicago priests this week, NBC 5 has learned, to discuss the current crisis facing the church.

The invitation for the meeting, planned for Wednesday evening, was sent to all priests in the Chicago Archdiocese. It will take place a day before Pope Francis plans to sit down Thursday with key American bishops who have requested a meeting on the sex abuse crisis.

Though Cupich's meeting isn't mandatory, a second email was forwarded on Tuesday instructing attendees to print out the invitation and bring it with them, as the meeting is considered a private conversation with the Cardinal.

"One of my major concerns in this moment of suffering for many in the church is you," Cupich's letter to Chicago priests read in part.

continue at NBC Chicago

Cardinal Cupich on scandal: ‘We have a bigger agenda than to be distracted by all of this’

The young man studying at Mundelein Seminary to become a Catholic priest seemed anguished as he vented to Cardinal Blase Cupich about the clergy sex-abuse scandal that threatens to topple Pope Francis and drive more people away from the faith.

“I’m hurting, I can’t sleep, I’m sick,” the seminarian told Cupich during an Aug. 29 gathering at which the cardinal spoke to about 200 future priests enrolled at the seminary, according to another person who was there and spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times but asked not to be identified.

The seminarian told Cupich he was a young boy during the last scandal, in the early 2000s — amid a renewed wave of child-rape allegations against priests and cover-ups by their bishop bosses — and “thought this was over,” that the bishops had done their jobs.

continue at Chicago Sun Times

Cardinal Cupich to speak in Milwaukee at "Discovering Pope Francis" symposium

via Dad29

http://www.shsst.edu/FrancisSymposium/

http://www.shsst.edu/pdf/FrancisSymposium2.pdf

Cardinal Cupich's astoundingly terrible response to the cover up of sexual abuse of minors

"The Pope knows we have a bigger agenda. He's got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment and protecting migrants and carrying on the work of the church. We're not going to go down a rabbit hole on this." —Cardinal Cupich https://t.co/ByEOh5Gkc8

— C. C. Pecknold (@ccpecknold) August 28, 2018

Something about these guys hating rabbits.

Cupich on Francis critics: “Quite frankly, they also don’t like him because he’s a Latino.” pic.twitter.com/Ras6MH5uUd

— Matthew Schmitz (@matthewschmitz) August 28, 2018

Apparently a bit of confusion here.... both of Pope Francis' parents are Italian.  He is a white European.

I mean, right now Abp. Gomez is refused a red hat precisely because he tried to reprimand Mahoney for his role in the abuse crisis, and Pope Francis re-enabled predatory churchmen to find political allies. Considering Pope Francis is white, who's the racist?

— Badger Malager (@badgercatholic) August 28, 2018

I really did not expect such a spectacular flop from Cdl Cupich. It's an interview so it's not like reading prepared remarks, but it's like he gets panicked and realizes he's not allowed to say the rational thing which I think for him should have been "We take any charges of sexual abuse extremely seriously.   I trust Pope Francis as he continues to improve the Church's accountability.  As bishops we move forward together to improve the Dallas Charter.  Etc, etc."

These are troubling times.  Take it all with a grain of salt and a mountain of prayer.

Cardinal Cupich agrees to cooperate with Illinois attorney general on clergy abuse review

Cardinal Blase Cupich said Monday he spoke with Attorney General Lisa Madigan and pledged to cooperate as Madigan's office launches an investigation into clergy abuse prompted by revelations of the Pennsylvania grand jury.

"I assured her of our full cooperation," Cupich told NBC 5. "I said, first of all, we don't mind at all because they have all our documents anyway."

The Cook and Lake County state’s attorneys office has reviewed church files, but the attorney general has not. Madigan said last week she wants to meet with Catholic officials in all six Illinois dioceses after identifying seven priests who served in Illinois from the Pennsylvania report.

Madigan on Monday released a clergy abuse hotline and website to report allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members.

continue at NBC

Text of Fr. Phillips Canon Law Letter to Cardinal Cupich

With the Archdiocese of Chicago refusing to shed light on precisely what it is charging the head of the St John Cantius order with, we are left to read between the lines.  Oakes has obtained the letter of Fr. Phillips to Cdl. Cupich regarding his canonical defense. 

http://mahoundsparadise.blogspot.com/2018/06/exclusive-text-of-fr-phillips-canon-law.html

To speak in layman's terms, Fr. Phillips' legal counsel argued that based upon the procedural actions and statements of the Archdiocese in March, the initial actions of Cardinal Cupich to remove Fr. Phillips from public ministry were unfair and unjust, or, more to the point, invalid under canon law. Fr. Phillips was prematurely judged guilty, harshly disciplined and publicly humiliated without, at that point, sufficient procedure or cause. Indeed, these actions were undertaken before the commencement of the formal investigation by the Resurrectionists. Because he was already guilty, testimony by any of the priests and brothers of the Canons - many of whom would presumably be in a good position to know about the existence or absence of "improper conduct" on the part of Fr. Phillips - was ruled out in the investigation into whether or not he was guilty.

Of course it sounds unjust. It also frankly sounds bizarre.

I assumed from the beginning that there must have been serious misconduct by Fr. Phillips, giving the benefit of the doubt to the Archdiocese.  Other than ideological warfare, it just doesn't make sense to go after the Canons like this.  It seems like Cardinal Cupich and the Archdiocese seriously overstepped here.  I'll wait for the next update.... but what I'm hearing makes it look very bad for the Archdiocese. 

CrisisMag: The Clarity of Cardinal Cupich

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is all for clarity. It has been a consistent theme, as when in September of 2017 he issued a decree banning guns in all parishes, schools and other facilities across the archdiocese “so there would be absolute clarity on our position.” His official statement put “clarity” in italics. When he was bishop of Rapid City, he called for “civility and clarity” in discussing legislation that would limit abortion, but he was somewhat unclear in explaining that the law “must recognize both the suffering of the unborn children in abortion and the suffering of the pregnant women in dire circumstances.” The bill was defeated 55 percent to 45 percent. As bishop of Spokane, he spoke clearly in prohibiting the use of the traditional Latin liturgical books in the Paschal Triduum. He made very clear his disapproval of seminarians and priests demonstrating against Planned Parenthood: “Decisions about abortion are not usually made in front of clinics.” In 2012, his pastoral letter on a state referendum to legalize same-sex “marriage” said: “I also want to be very clear that in stating our position the Catholic Church has no tolerance for the misuse of this moment to incite hostility towards homosexual persons or promote an agenda that is hateful and disrespectful of their human dignity.”

Clarity requires effort because it requires honesty, which can be a costly commodity.  So George Orwell said: “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.” Clear expression issues from clear thinking, which in turn requires conforming thought to reality. This was a primary concern of the Master in his holy agony, for he prayed to the Father that his Church never fudge the truth: “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

continue at CrisisMag

Two of the theologians on Cdl Cupich "Adultery Education Tour" are from Marquette U

Cdl. Cupich is the front-man for Pp. Francis' Adultery Education Tour, and two of the consulting theologians are from Marquette University: Conor Kelly and Kate Ward.

Cupich has already given a presentation on the topic of AL in Englandand has made it clear that the interpretation given by the Bishops of Argentina (Buenos Aires) is just fine and dandy.

Dad29

Cardinal Cupich launches “Amoris Laetitia” seminars for US bishops

The Archbishop of Chicago has invited some U.S. bishops to a series of conferences on the 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The seminars will be held at three Catholic colleges later this month.

According to a letter obtained by Catholic News Agency, the meetings, dubbed “New Momentum Conferences on Amoris Laetitia,” are designed to offer a “tailor-made program that goes from why Amoris Laetitia provides New Momentum for Moral Formation and Pastoral Practice to how to provide formative pastoral programs.”

“The aim is to gather fifteen to twenty Bishops to have a conversation with the aid of theologians on the related topics,” the letter said.

continue at CathWorldReport

I updated with a relevant "with the aid of theologians" moment in US Catholic history.

Also
Cardinal Cupich called for a 'paradigm shift' in pastoral practice and said that the Pope recognised the need to 'listen' to abuse survivors

FT: Like every dad who tries to be cool, Blase Cardinal Cupich does not quite succeed

Blase Cupich wants Catholics to grow up. Cardinal archbishop of a city famous for the husky, brawling laughter of youth, he preaches the virtues of “mature, well-integrated adult spirituality.” Witness to a man who said “Let the little children come unto me,” he endeavors “to renew the life of the Church by getting people to act like adults.”

No matter what problem Cupich encounters, his solution is to tell people to be more mature. How can we fix immigration? “We all have to act like adults.” What about ending abortion? It must be done “in a constructive way and as adults who respect each other.” And what was Amoris Laetitia about, anyway? Ah, yes: “moving out of an adolescent spirituality into an adult spirituality.”

Common to all these remarks is a refusal of responsibility. Some people have a quaint idea that a bishop should say what is right and wrong, in season and out, but Cupich has evolved beyond this. Cupich wants to liberate Catholic consciences from clerical control. “If people come to a decision in good conscience,” he says, “our job is to help them move forward and to respect that.” If you’re okay, so is he.

continue at First Things

That reminds me, I need to renew my subscription!

App Naumann elected chairman of USCCB pro-life committee 96-82 over Cdl Cupich

Archbishop Naumann elected chairman of pro-life committee of #USCCB
Naumann received 96 votes, Cupich, 82.#USCCB17

— JD Flynn (@jdflynn) November 14, 2017

Background: Wall Street Journal: Pro-Life Vote Viewed as Gauge of U.S. Bishops’ Support for Pope

Cdl. Cupich in the running to head USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities

"Saint" Cdl. Bernardin

The committee is customarily overseen by a cardinal, and one of the candidates for the position is Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago. Cupich is one of few American cardinals who has not headed the committee. Running against him is Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, who is already a pro-life committee member.

In many ways, the election is a referendum on the bishops’ approach to “pro-life activities,” and Bernardin figures significantly into that question.

In theological circles, Cardinal Bernardin is most well-known for his “Consistent Ethic of Life” viewpoint, known colloquially as the “seamless garment" approach. In a famous lecture at Fordham University in 1983, Bernardin explained the concept, advocating “that the pro-life position of the Church must be developed in terms of a comprehensive and consistent ethic of life.”

story at CNA

Considering what Pope Francis has done to remove followers of JPII's Gospel of Life from the Pontifical Academy for Life, it would seem certain that Cds Wuerl and O'Malley are campaigning now to make the USCCB consistent with the wishes of this pontificate.  Unless there's a concerted effort by some bishops, I find it unlikely Cupich would not be appointed.  Everyone fears the Roman terror campaign.

Fun fact, and I'm not certain this is still true but up until some short years ago the USCCB refused to fund a pro-life office.  The only way it could be agreed upon is after the Knights of Columbus volunteered to fund the office themselves.  I'm pretty sure it's still true, but I don't have a way to verify it anymore.

By the way, did you see this?
Critics of Pope Francis establish new academy for human life and family

Several former members of the Vatican’s official Pontifical Academy of Life have formed a new independent academy, nearly a year after Pope Francis issued new statutes for the institution founded by Pope St. John Paul II in 1994.

Austrian Josef Seifert, a professor of philosophy, announced the new “John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family” on Oct. 28 at a Rome conference on Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical by Blessed Pope Paul VI which reaffirmed the Church’s prohibition against artificial contraception.

Francis issued new statutes for the pontifical academy in November 2016 to widen the scope of its activity and research on life issues, while at the same time terminating the academy’s membership.