How new Pope and Catholic Church have mesmerised our Godless societies
It's as though the world, despairing of war-mongering political leaders and their tawdry, transactional corruptions, might be seeking something that seems constant and unmovable and which proceeds in a realm above them. And don't those robes and Michelangelo and all those abstruse Latin proclamations lend themselves to memes instantly curated and then sent across the invisible Silk Roads of social media?
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My favourite Latin moment of the conclave that chose Cardinal Robert Prevost to be Pope Leo XIV was when the order 'Extra Omnes' (Everybody Out) was given before the doors of the Sistine Chapel banged shut to signal the start of the process. Did the Tony Sopranos of ancient Rome burst into shady taverns and shout 'Extra Omnes' before administering their gangland hits?
It's not as though the Catholic Church doesn't have its own corruptions and hypocrisies to address. Some of these will feature among the new Pope's most pressing challenges. Ultimately, Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit will guide the princes of the church to make the right decision in appointing St Peter's successor, but the bad Popes of the Renaissance era – wedded to murder, arson and earthly power – all managed to escape divine scrutiny.
In the run-up to this conclave assorted reactionary (usually American) bloggers were promoting the interests of swivel-eyed cardinals for whom missing stitches in a laced ceremonial cuff was proof of the devil's work. Others issued daily diatribes against the doctrinal deviations of other Christian religions. 'Those Protestants: up to no good as usual, Fr Dougal.'
Pope Leo is reportedly a man possessed of sound administrative and management skills, as well as having years of experience working amongst poor communities in Latin America. It's inconceivable that he won't put these to good use in addressing – once and for all – the continuing spectre of clerical sex abuse that has haunted the Catholic Church since it first became apparent more than three decades ago. Almost as bad have been the subsequent cover-ups and attempts to conceal it. It's among the weak and defenceless that predators like to lurk.
Only an independent, global commission of inquiry with powers to recommend the instant removal from office of all priests, bishops and cardinals found guilty of participation in this scandal can restore confidence.
This issue is also connected to another matter of profound importance: the role of women in the modern Catholic Church. If more women had been operating in the higher echelons of the Catholic world that it would have been much harder for sexual predators to have freely operated. Women know what these men look like and are adept at forming protective shelters to thwart them and expose them.
Archbishop of Glasgow William Nolan takes Friday mass at St Andrews Metropolitan Catholic Cathedral in Glasgow (Image: Gordon Terris) This historic failure to deal properly with sex abuse has undermined one of the great and enduring benevolences of the Church: its continuing willingness to send tens of thousands of its foot-soldiers and volunteers into the world's darkest places to relieve poverty and to stand with people menaced by war and displacement. It also has a duty of prophecy to warn the world of existential threats.
Jim Conroy, Professor of Religious and Philosophical Education at Glasgow University, is hopeful that this will become a hallmark of Leo XIV's pontificate. 'Much of the Church's internal squabbling misses what's really going in the world. We're living through the most extraordinary attack on what it means to be a human being. Yet, this is being lost in debates about the length of vestments and status of the Latin Mass.
'Yet, the question of what it means to be human in the face of technology that seeks to get inside your brain and alter your character is an important one. It's linked to the tides of the global economic justice and the relationship between the state and the individual.
'The Church needs to get grown up about this and to make its voice heard on these existential questions. Technology will reframe everything we think about ourselves and we are at risk of being sunk by it. We delude ourselves that technology can be our servant, but it has no moral consciousness and is in the hands of a small group of multi-billionaires who seek to reduce humanity to numbers on a balance sheet in their pursuit of absolute power. The power of the Gospel can counter-act this.'
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At St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow yesterday afternoon, Archbishop William Nolan celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the election of the new Pope. He told worshippers about the significance of taking the name Leo. It had been Leo XIII who, in 1897, issued a his great encyclical about social justice which has been the lodestar of all Catholic teaching on social teaching since then. 'It was an encyclical which condemned the excesses of capitalism and stood up for workers' rights and which advocated for a fair and living wage.'
The Church in Scotland is one of the oldest in the global Catholic family and has a unique title signifying its ancient kinship. In 1192, a Papal proclamation conferred on it the title 'Special Daughter of Rome' thus making the Catholic Church the most independent, sovereign and Scottish institution and recognised as such by the global authority of Rome. This proclamation Papal Bull was issued by Pope Celestine III and decoupled the Scottish church from the dominion of the powerful medieval English bishops.
In recent years, though, the Scottish Catholic Church has become a peripheral body in Rome's orbit. There has been no Scottish Cardinal since Keith O'Brien whose career ended in disgrace after revelations of inappropriate relationships with several young priests. If the conclave is the Champions League of the Catholic world then the Scottish hierarchy needs to start gathering some co-efficient points if any of them are to be granted a seat at the next one. They could start by engaging with the wider Scottish community once more instead of retreating from it.
Roisin Coll, Professor of Catholic Education at Glasgow University is optimistic though, that the new Pope will inspire young people. 'For Catholic educators, this is a dream moment,' she said. 'What is so often taught to children and young people in the abstract has now come alive before their eyes — they are witnessing the Church in action and they are part of the conversation. Ultimately, it's their future that's being shaped. Across schools, educators are seizing this unique opportunity to explore the Church's rich symbolism, governance and mission.'
Pope Francis (Image: free) Early on Friday evening, two young Scots stood amidst the throngs to witness the white smoke and Pope Leo's first blessing. Lanarkshire cousins John Patrick Mallon and Brian Timmons are co-founders of the popular Catholic broadcasting platform, Sancta Familia Media and were providing hourly updates as history was being made in St Peter's Square.
'I was very impressed by Pope Leo's words of peace and his warmth,' said John Patrick. It was very reassuring as was his call to unity. He spoke of building bridges and I think this was as much a message to divided factions within the Church. I think he's a man who can bring harmony.
'Back home there are some who insist the Church is dying, but they should have been here to witness what we witnessed. The world and its media has descended on this place because they know this means something and that the words of the Pope remain hugely influential and hopeful. In St Peter's Square today, I've seen very young babies, children, teenagers and older people. And all of them breaking into a spontaneous rendition of Salve Regina.'
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The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Supreme Court primed to drop a deluge of important decisions
Those include whether the court will allow President Donald Trump to enforce his changes to birthright citizenship while his new policy is being litigated and whether the court will uphold Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors. In addition to the court dispensing with the cases it debated in oral arguments in recent months, the justices are continuing to field an unusual number of emergency requests from the Trump administration to intervene in the many legal challenges to the president's policies. That could push the regular work of the court into July. Here's a look at the decisions expected in the coming weeks: Limiting challenges to Trump's executive authority Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship has been put on hold by judges across the country who ruled it's probably unconstitutional. During the May 15 oral arguments, none of the justices voiced support for the Trump administration's theory that the president's order is consistent with the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause and past Supreme Court decisions about that provision. But several of the justices have expressed concern about the ability of one judge to block a law or presidential order from going into effect anywhere in the country while it's being challenged. It was unclear from the oral arguments how the court might find a way to limit nationwide - or "universal" - court orders and what that would mean for birthright citizenship and the many other Trump policies being challenged in court. Religious expression versus separation of church and state Of the three cases the justices heard about the First Amendment's protections for the right to practice religion, the biggest was the Catholic Church's bid to run the nation's first religious charter school. But the court deadlocked 4-4 over whether they could do that. That left in place a lower court's rejection of the school but without setting a precedent that must be followed for similar attempts in the future. More: Supreme Court blocks Catholic charter school in big setback for religion advocates In the other cases about the free exercise of religion, the court is likely to side with Catholic Charities in a dispute over when religious groups have to pay unemployment taxes. And the court's conservative majority sounded sympathetic to Maryland parents who raised religious objections to having their elementary school children read books with LGBTQ+ characters. The battle over transgender rights Transgender rights cases were already making their way to the Supreme Court from state actions and now the Trump administration policies regarding transgender people will accelerate that trend. The court has already granted the administration's emergency request that it be allowed to enforce its ban on military service by transgender people while that restriction is being challenged. In one of the court's biggest pending decisions, the justices will decide whether states can ban minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy. During December's oral arguments, a majority seemed to agree states can do that. But how they reach that conclusion will affect how much their decision applies to other transgender rights case including those about transgender athletes, whether health plans have to cover gender affirming care, where transgender inmates must be housed and if transgender people can serve in the military. Implications for parental rights While the court seems likely to rule against the parents challenging Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors, they sounded poised to back the Maryland parents who want their elementary school children excused from class when books with LGBTQ+ characters are being read. And in a case about Texas' requirement that websites verify users are 18 or over, one justice expressed her own parental frustration over trying to control what her children see on the internet. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has seven children, said she knows from personal experience how difficult it is to keep up with the content blocking devices that those challenging Texas' law offered as a better alternative. But while the justices were sympathetic to the purpose of Texas' law, they may decide a lower court didn't sufficiently review whether it violates the First Amendment rights of adults so must be reconsidered. Gun cases could bring mixed results In one of the court's biggest decisions so far this year, a 7-2 majority upheld the Biden administration's regulation of untraceable "ghost guns," ruling that the weapons can be subject to background checks and other requirements. But the court is expected to reject Mexico's attempt to hold U.S. gunmakers liable for violence caused by Mexican drug cartels armed with their weapons. A majority of the justices sounded likely to agree with the gunmakers that the chain of events between the manufacture of a gun and the harm it causes is too lengthy to blame the industry. Neither case is directly about the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. And the court narrowly decided against taking up two cases about that right - Maryland's ban on assault-style weapons and Rhode Island's ban on high-capacity magazines. More: Supreme Court won't review bans on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines Planned Parenthood, but not abortion directly, is an issue Unlike last year when the court considered two cases about abortion access, that hot button issue is not directly before the court. But the justices are deciding whether to back South Carolina's effort to deprive Planned Parenthood of public funding for other health services because it also provides abortions. The issue is whether the law allows Medicaid patients to sue South Carolina for excluding Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. If the court says the patients can't sue, other GOP-led states are expected to also kick Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid. And anti-abortion advocates are pushing for the same action nationwide. Conservative challenges to Obamacare and internet subsidies The court is considering conservative challenges to Obamacare and to an $8 billion federal program that subsidizes high-speed internet and phone service for millions of Americans. The justices seemed likely to reject an argument that the telecommunications program is funded by an unconstitutional tax, a case that raised questions about how much Congress can "delegate" its legislative authority to a federal agency. The latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act takes aim at 2010 law's popular requirement that insurers cover without extra costs preventive care such as cancer screenings, cholesterol-lowering medication and diabetes tests. Two Christian-owned businesses and some people in Texas argue that the volunteer group of experts that recommends the services health insurance must cover is so powerful that, under the Constitution, its members must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Multiple discrimination challenges The court is deciding a number of cases about alleged discrimination in the workplace, at school and in drawing congressional boundaries. The justices appeared likely to rule that a worker faced a higher hurdle to sue her employer as a straight woman than if she'd been gay, a decision that would make it easier to file "reverse discrimination" lawsuits. The court may also side with a Minnesota teenager trying to use the Americans with Disabilities Act to sue her school for not accommodating her rare form of epilepsy that makes it difficult to attend class before noon. It's less clear whether the court will agree with non-Black voters in Louisiana that the state's congressional map, which includes two majority-Black districts, discriminates against them. Decisions in all the cases are expected by the end of June or early July.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Pope Leo, in first month, makes a break in style from Francis
In his first month, Pope Leo has taken a very different approach to his predecessor Francis. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has led some two dozen public events since he was elected as the first US pope on May 8th but not made notable appointments, nor announced plans for foreign trips, nor said where he will live at the Vatican. Advertisement It's a stark contrast to when Francis, originally from Argentina, was selected as the first pope from the Americas in March 2013. Within a month, Francis had announced he would be the first pontiff in more than a century to live outside the Vatican's apostolic palace, appointed his successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and created a new formal advisory group of senior Catholic cardinals. Two of Leo's long-time associates told Reuters they expect the 69-year-old Pope to take a deliberative approach to the challenges facing the Catholic Church and may require months before making major decisions. "Leo is taking his time," Rev Mark Francis, a friend of the new pontiff since the 1970s, told Reuters. "While he is going to continue in the path indicated by Pope Francis, his disposition is very different." Leo was first appointed a bishop by Francis in 2015 and then chosen by the late pope to take up a senior Vatican role two years ago. He has frequently praised his predecessor in his first weeks. He has also repeated some of Francis' main themes, and has echoed the Argentine pontiff's emotional appeals for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Advertisement But the two men have different temperaments, according to Rev Francis, who attended seminary with Leo in Chicago and later knew him when they both lived in Rome in the 2000s. Leo is much more focused and methodical and not inclined to hasty decisions. "Leo is much more focused and methodical and not inclined to hasty decisions," he said. Among the challenges facing the American pope is the Vatican's €83 million ($95 million) budget shortfall, which Reuters reported in February had stirred contention among senior cardinals under his predecessor. Other looming issues facing the 1.4 billion-member Church include declining adherence to the faith in Europe, ongoing revelations of clerical sexual abuse, and doctrinal debates over matters such as inclusion of LGBT Catholics and the possibility of women's ordination. Francis, who sought to modernise the Church, did not formally change many doctrines but garnered criticism from conservative cardinals by opening the door to communion for divorcees and blessings for same-sex couples. Advertisement Rev Anthony Pizzo, who has known Leo since 1974 when they attended Villanova University outside Philadelphia together, said the pope is someone who listens carefully and seeks to hear many viewpoints before making decisions. "This is going to be his modus operandi," said Pizzo, who leads the Midwest US province of the Augustinian religious order, to which Leo also belongs. "When you first come into leadership, listen well, get to know your constituency … to make a well-informed decision," Pizzo added, describing the pope's thought process. A 'shy' listener Francis and Leo came to the papacy at different ages and with different career backgrounds. Advertisement Francis, elected at age 76, had been a cardinal for 12 years before ascending to the papacy. He had earlier been a leading contender in the 2005 conclave that elected his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. Leo, seven years younger when he donned the white papal cassock, is a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal and Vatican official two years ago. He spent most of his prior career as a missionary in Peru. Early in his tenure, Francis told journalists that, due to his age, he expected to have a brief papacy of only a few years. Leo, the youngest pontiff since John Paul II was elected at age 58 in 1978, can perhaps expect a papacy of 10 or more years. Among the challenges facing the new pope is a Vatican budget shortfall estimated at €83 million, two knowledgeable sources told Reuters. Budget issues The city-state also has a much larger gap in its pension fund, said to total some €631 million by the Vatican's finance czar in 2022 but estimated by several insiders to have since ballooned significantly. In his first weeks, Leo has not addressed the budget issues and has made only a few new appointments to Vatican roles. Advertisement But he has held formal one-on-one meetings with many senior Vatican officials, which Pizzo suggested the pope could be using to try to learn quickly. Rev Jorge Martinez Vizueta, who knew Leo in Peru, said he is someone who pays close attention to what people tell him. "He listens a lot, even with a certain shyness," said Martinez, an Augustinian at a monastery where Leo previously was a spiritual advisor. Although Leo has not announced where he will live, more than three informed sources said he is expected to move into the official papal apartments in the Vatican's apostolic palace overlooking St Peter's Square. Francis shunned the palace in favour of a Vatican hotel. One senior source, who asked not to be identified, said the papal apartments, which have not been lived in since 2013, will require at least 2 to 3 months of renovations. Careful with responses While Francis made some big decisions quickly in his first month, he also took time on other issues. He did not make his first trip abroad until late July 2013, four months into his papacy. Leo's first foreign trip is likely to be to Turkey, to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of an early Church council with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Vatican has not announced the trip, but it was previously planned for Francis. Bartholomew told an Italian television station that he and Leo discussed the possibility of the new pope travelling to Turkey in late November. Francis, who often spoke off the cuff, was known for giving freewheeling news conferences on flights home from his trips abroad and frequently responded to queries with an unexpected quip. Asked during his first flight home about a Vatican official said to be gay, Francis famously responded: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?" Rev Francis said Leo, who in his first month has largely read from prepared texts, is likely to be more careful with his responses during news conferences. "He won't be shooting from the hip like Francis did while speaking with journalists," said the priest.
STV News
a day ago
- STV News
Former Latin teacher who abused boys admits further historic abuse of pupil
A former teacher who was jailed for abusing boys has admitted to the repeated abuse of a female pupil. Andrew Wilson preyed on the teenage girl in the early 1980s. The now 78-year-old a was a Latin teacher at the time at a secondary in Angus as well as the leader of the school's hillwalking club. Wilson was jailed for three years in 2021 for the serial abuse of three boys. It was media reports of that case which led this latest victim to also bravely go to police and report her ordeal from 40 years ago. Wilson pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to the repeated indecent assault of the girl between 1981 and 1984. The pensioner had been on bail, but he was remanded in custody pending sentencing next month. Prosecutor Adrian Stalker told the court: 'The incidents of sexual abuse took place without the consent of the girl. 'He groomed her over several years during which time he indecently assaulted her continuously.' The young victim was said to have had a troubled home-life at the time. Mr Stalker said: 'Wilson took advantage of the girl's vulnerability and his position as a teacher.' Wilson first struck after returning from a trip to Aviemore with the hillwalking club. The girl had also been a member. He dropped off other pupils first and then asked the girl into his home claiming he was tired. Wilson made her dinner and gave her three glasses of wine. He went on to initially massage the girl, who described how she 'froze'. Wilson kissed the pupil and molested her. It was only later that she realised she was probably drunk at the time. The next day at school, Wilson spoke to the girl. He asked her to come back to his home that evening. Mr Stalker said: 'He said what happened was wrong due to her age and him being a teacher. 'He was upset during this discussion and the girl felt sorry for him. 'But, he said it was her fault for inviting herself into his house.' He carried out another sex attack and then again implied she was to 'blame' for what happened. The abuse continued until the girl was aged around 18. He had given her a key to his home, but she could only visit when it was dark and no one was outside. She could also not wear perfume. The court heard the girl 'would often cry' when being preyed upon. Other attacks occurred during trips with the hillwalking club including to Ben Nevis. The victim did not tell anyone until many years later when she was married. It was a newspaper article in 2021 about Wilson's abuse of the three schoolboys over a near 20-year period which saw her go to police. Wilson had been struck off as a teacher in 2011 following a probe into his behaviour, but it was a decade later before he was convicted in a criminal court. Lady Drummond adjourned this latest case for reports. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
