The report penned by Archbishop Charles Scicluna investigating the allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Keith O’Brien is on the Pope’s desk, according to a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
Pope Francis had asked Scicluna to investigate public accusations by a number of priests and a former priest of sexual abuse by O’Brien. The cardinal resigned in 2013, admitting sexual misconduct.
In answer to media reports that the Church in Scotland was moving slowly on the case, an archdiocese spokesman said the Pope had “tried his very best to handle the case with great justice and compassion” and was now considering the report. “We hope and trust he will reach a decision that is fair and just to everybody involved,” the spokesman said.
Solidarity with gang-raped Indian nun
The police have arrested eight men in connection with the raping of a 71-year-old nun at a convent school 45 miles from Kolkata (Calcutta), India. The nun is recovering in hospital in Ranaghat. After assaulting the nun, the robbers stole cash, a laptop and a mobile phone.
Thousands of Catholics marched in the city to show their solidarity with the nun. Prayers were said at churches across India last Sunday.
UCA News reported that India’s Christians have been troubled by several attacks on churches which Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently pledged to crack down on.
Fr Savarimuthu Sankar, a spokesman for the Delhi diocese, said: “Even if you call it an isolated incident, the background and the atmosphere for such an attack had already been there, so you cannot ignore it as a one-off incident.”
Support for Christians in Middle East
Over 60 nations have signed a joint statement of support for the Middle East’s beleaguered Christians. The statement was drafted by the Vatican, Russia and Lebanon.
Citing atrocities committed by Islamic State, the statement noted that “there are more and more reasons to fear seriously for the future of the Christian communities that have more than 2,000 years of existence in this region, where Christianity has its full place and began its long history.
“We ask all states to reaffirm their commitment to respect the rights of everyone, in particular the right to freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the fundamental international human rights instruments,” the statement added.
Pope announces Holy Year of Mercy
Pope Francis announced that an “extraordinary Holy Year” will take place starting from the December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and concluding on November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. This will be a jubilee year of mercy to celebrate God’s forgiveness.
The Pope said: “This is the time of mercy. It is important that the lay faithful live it and bring it to different social environments. Go forth!” He also stressed during the service that no one is excluded from the mercy of God.
Pope Francis has been emphasising God’s mercy all through his pontificate. God’s mercy was also part of his episcopal motto: “By having mercy and by choosing.”
It was Pope Boniface VIII who celebrated the first jubilee year in the Church. Since 1300 there have been 26 jubilee years in the Church’s history, with the last ‘extraordinary’ jubilee called by Pope John Paul II in 1983.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)