Statements

Today the president of our conference, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, informed the body of bishops that the Holy See has decided that, while we should proceed with discussing our proposals related to child protection, we should postpone our final vote on them until after the February meeting of episcopal conferences in Rome, so that our decisions can be informed by listening to our brother bishops from around the world.

Last week we stood with our Jewish brothers and sisters to remember those murdered and wounded at the Tree of Life Synagogue as they assembled for worship. Today we woke to news that 12 young people gathered in a night club and a brave Sheriff’s Sergeant who rushed in to save them are dead in another shooting.

Let me begin by expressing my deep sorrow to the Jewish community over the victims of the horrific act of violence at Tree of Life Synagogue last Saturday in Pittsburgh. Anger, grief and shock overcame me as I heard this terrible news. These Jews, elder brothers and sisters in faith to those of us who are Christian, were targeted as they gathered to praise the Almighty and celebrate new life.

We reach out through our grief and shock to our Jewish brothers and sisters and with them offer our prayers to the Almighty, the God of Abraham. We pray for healing of those caught in this madness as they gathered in their sanctuary to honor the Sabbath and rejoice at the naming of an infant.

We understand a lawsuit has been filed against the six dioceses in Illinois and the Catholic Conference of Illinois by attorneys Marc Pearlman and Jeff Anderson on behalf of sexual abuse victim-survivors from some Illinois dioceses. We have not had time to review the lawsuit. In 2006, the Archdiocese of Chicago published on its website the names of diocesan priests against whom there were substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.

Fr. Rigoberto Gámez Alfonso, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, was arrested yesterday by the Chicago Police Department and has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual abuse of adult women and one count of simple battery of a minor female. His faculties to minister in the Archdiocese of Chicago have been withdrawn effective immediately. The Archdiocese of Chicago will fully cooperate with the authorities in this matter.

Holy Father, my brother bishops and friends all, As the Instrumentum Laboris in chapter 4 of part 2 takes up the topic of the kind of mentors needed for the Art of Accompanying, we read in number 132 that “for young people, it is particularly important that mentors recognize their own humanity and fallibility.” We should pause a moment, and with the help of the Word of God given to us this week, consider what this means for us as bishops and those who serve as mentors in the art of accompanying. I would like to suggest that the parable of the Good Samaritan as interpreted by the Fathers of the Church has much to offer us.

In a statement released by the Vatican Press Office on Saturday, October 6, Pope Francis pledged a thorough study of the documentation present in the Archives of the Holy See regarding the former Cardinal, now Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. The Holy Father took the occasion to renew his commitment to address the scourge of abuse within the Church, and to do everything possible to prevent it. In the Vatican declaration, the pope also stated that the Church will not tolerate any cover-ups or accept a different standard for bishops who abuse or cover up, calling this behavior “a form of clericalism that is no longer acceptable.”

Choosing Peace The verdict in the Jason Van Dyke trial will be viewed through the lens each person brings, yet some have speculated that any verdict will produce an explosive reaction. This would be a repudiation of Laquan McDonald’s family’s plea for nonviolence.

Dear Parishioners and Staff of Resurrection Parish, For some weeks now, I have become increasingly concerned about a number of issues at Resurrection Parish. It has become clear to me that Fr. Kalchik must take time away from the parish to receive pastoral support so his needs can be assessed. Effectively immediately, I have appointed Msgr. James Kaczorowski, Pastor of Queen of Angels Parish and Dean, as Administrator of Resurrection Parish, effective tonight.