Quotes and news

After the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared that a 2006 book by Sr Margaret Farley called Just Love was in contradiction of Catholic teaching, the board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America came to the sister’s defence.

The CTSA board said Sr Farley’s work has “prompted a generation of theologians to think more deeply about the Christian meaning of personal relationships and the divine life of love that truly animates them”.

The CTSA board accepted that some of Sr Farley’s positions are contrary to the teaching of the Magisterium. It added that faithful Catholics in every corner of the Church are raising ethical questions like those Sr Farley addressed. “In raising and exploring such questions with her customary sensitivity and judiciousness, Prof. Farley has invited us to engage the Catholic tradition seriously and thoughtfully,” the board said.

Franciscans support sisters in Vatican row

American sisters who form part of the Leadership Conference of Wo­men Religious (LCWR), who are in conflict with the Vatican, found the support of the American leaders of the Franciscan order.

A statement signed by the leaders of all seven American provinces of the Order of Friars Minor expressed “deep concern” over the Vatican’s quest for reform of the organisation, which covers 80 per cent of American sisters. They said the effort “may inadvertently fuel the current climate of division and confusion”.

The Franciscans warn­ed against “excessive oversight” of the LCWR, and praised the American women’s religious group for its bid to “facilitate honest and faithful dialogue on critical issues of our times”.

The statement was also signed by Fr John Vaughn, who was the minister general of the order worldwide between 1979 and 1991.

Pope Benedict ‘pruned dead branches’

In a comment on the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal, Mgr Georg Ganswein, the personal secretary to Pope Benedict, told the Catholic paper, Avvenire, that the Pope “has given life to ancient traditions in the Curia and at the same time he has pruned dead branches”. He added that the Pope has not been deterred from action by the leaks of confidential documents, saying: “Benedict XVI is not afraid of confrontation and debate.”

Bishops denounce same-sex unions

Bolivia’s bishops denounced as “a serious threat to the family” a draft bill to legalise same-sex unions.

Bishop Oscar Aparicio Céspedes said “looking at nature and human behaviour one can deduce that marriage is a unique relationship bet­ween a man and a woman, no other human relationship can demand the riches of sexual complementarity, mutual love between the spou­ses and procreation of children”.

He said homosexual unions are incapable of “generating life, ensuring the full development of children, and ensuring the continuity of society... Allowing children to live with such couples poses a danger to their psycho-social development and is an attack on their rights.”

‘100 Days of Peace’ for 2012 Olympics

“Our dream is that the London 2012 Games will leave a legacy of peace towards greater safety on our streets, cooperation between nations and an end to war.” This was part of the message on the website of the dioceses of Brentwood, Southwark, and Westminster which are sponsoring ‘100 Days of Peace’ on the occasion of the upcoming Olympics.

The initiative began with a prayer vigil on June 8 and 9 in which different groups, from Pax Christi to the Buddhist and Sikh communities, took the lead for an hour.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)