Quotes and news

Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia said the Church’s credibility had been dealt a serious blow by the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who admitted to sexual misconduct with priests.

Mgr Tartaglia said the events surrounding Cardinal O’Brien, his resignation and his admission of abuse have saddened everyone involved in the Church, adding that “the credibility and moral authority of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been dealt a serious blow”.

He said the Church should endure this difficult period with prayer, patience and hope. He added that although it will take long for the Church to recover it should not adopt a defeatist attitude.

Nigerian bishops on the right to life

In a statement the bishops of Nigeria said: “The right to life is the first of all fundamental human rights. Every threat to life is a violation of human dignity. The primary responsibility of government is the protection of life and property.

“We denounce the fact that Nigeria remains a place where some people kill in the name of religion, a land where the right to worship is restricted only to certain people.

“Respect for human dignity includes respect for the human body. It precludes unwholesome sexual relationships. It also calls for responsible parenthood. We condemn the novelty of our government spending public funds on an artificial family planning programme that sacrifices morality on the altar of techniques of population control.”

Duties of the Holy See camerlengo explained

During this period of sede vacante (that is, when there is no Pope) the camerlengo is a very important official as he heads the Apostolic Camera. He has the duty of “caring for and administering the temporal goods and rights of the Holy See during this period”.

The office is currently held by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

The camerlengo and the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary (Cardinal Raymond Burke) are the only officials of the Roman Curia whose duties do not cease when the Holy See becomes vacant.

Russian Orthodox patriarch praises Pope Benedict

In a message to Pope Benedict, the leader of the Eastern Orthodox Churches Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow, said: “In these days, which are special to you, I would like to express feelings of brotherly love in Christ and respect. Your uncompromising and consistent position on issues relating to faith and your adherence to the living Church traditions have always been close to us.

“At a time when the ideology of permissiveness and moral relativism is trying to cause people to lose moral values, you boldly raised your voice in defence of evangelical ideals and high human dignity, calling on people to become free from sin.”

Three members of the Church murdered or attacked

An armed assault on a Catholic priest in Libya, the murder of an 82-year-old French missionary nun in Madagascar and the killing of a lay Catholic activist in the Philippines are three different examples of violence against Church members mentioned by Catholic news service Fides.

Days after the nun’s murder, the jail where the suspected murderers were being kept was attacked by a crowd of youths.

One young man was killed and three seriously injured when the police fired on the crowd.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)