Better Late Than Never

This development was a surprise:
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/pope-sends-maltese-archbishop-investigate-chilean-bishop-abuse-cover-case
From the article:
"Pope Francis is sending Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta to Chile to take testimony about Bishop Juan de la Cruz Barros Madrid of Osorno, Chile, who is accused of covering up allegations of abuse by a Chilean priest who was found guilty of abuse.
The Vatican announced Scicluna's trip to Chile in a statement this morning.
Scicluna was in charge of sexual abuse cases in the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith from 2002 until 2010. Francis appointed him to lead a commission in the doctrinal congregation  to hear appeals of priests accused of sexual abuse."
It's too bad this didn't happen a long time ago; but  I feel that it is a positive thing that it is happening now.  Will be interesting to see how it plays out; hopefully the truth will out.

Three Billboards, many critics

I am a lazy consumer of literature, in that I let the critics and award-makers decide what was the best of a given year, and then I check those titles out.  That is how I select many of the books I read, and it's how I select most of the films I see.

In that spirit, we've seen a couple of Oscar-nominated films in the last couple of weeks, including Martin McDonagh's much-praised Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 

When the Irish Mafia was virtuous

Reading obituaries is of interest to people of a certain age--and I am almost old enough. But I take a quick look, just in case.

Today's NYTimes had one I read from top to bottom and then repeated details to the near and dear. William McDonagh was chair of the New York Fed, his claim to fame and to a NYTimes obituary.

But wait, there's more. He was born in Chicago of immigrant Irish parents, was orphaned at 11, lived with an aunt and supported himself with a newspaper route. A nun encouraged him to use his brains and he got a Jesuit education. He became a great public servant and, it appears, a good American-Irishman as well. He certainly did well, but he also did good. You can read the details here: William McDonough, former Fed chair dies at 83. (Link now active, apologies.)

My last thought as I closed the paper: a virtuous generation of Irish-American public servants is dying and the likes of Mick Mulvaney, Trump supporter, head of OMB, and grinder of widows and orphans, is tarnishing a great tradition. And you too, Paul Ryan.

Adam, Eve and the Russian bot

Vatican pronouncements on the media exist in a metaphysical world away from the working life of journalists and from the problems within and without the media. The subject of Pope Francis’s World Communications Day message – “fake news” – showed promise, though. I liked his blaming the world’s first fake news on the snake in Genesis, which the Associated Press led with. Paul Moses, in Commonweal, found good things to say about the message, even as he had to identify one shortcoming, about which I agree with him.

On reflection, the message, like its predecessors, won’t do any good. I don’t know how to fix it, either. The problem is that anyone with the will can apply what the pope says about fake news to a story that is reported in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and several networks. Donald Trump, who claims to have invented the name “fake news” (he didn’t), laid into them again at Davos, and drew a little hissing and booing.

I guess I hoped the pope would say something helpful to mend a rift over fake news that has ended several years of biweekly lunches with a very nice person. I know what he would say about the story about Trump having wanted to fire the special prosecutor last July because we have been there so often before. I’ll tell you after the break.

Day Zero looms for Cape Town

What would happen if Los Angeles ran out of fresh water in the next three months?  Cape Town, South Africa can let us know.

Update to Pope's Comments

 Pope Francis has made a statement apologizing for the choice of words and tone of his comments about the case of Bishop Barros, but is sticking to his conviction that evidence and moral certainty is lacking:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/22/americas/pope-francis-sex-abuse-victims/index.html

"The word 'proof' was not the best way to approach a pained heart. I would say 'evidence.' In Barros' case, it was studied. It was restudied. And there is no evidence. And that is what I wanted to say. I don't have evidence to convict.

"If I convicted without evidence or without moral certainty, I would commit a crime of being a bad judge," said Francis."

Those advocating for the victims will find this unsatisfying.  What they want is for Barros to be removed.  But if no civil court has found him guilty, and the pope has not seen convincing evidence, is that a just solution?

Healing bodies, healing souls

This is my homily for today, the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (the Mark / John cycle).   The readings for today are here. 

Off the Social Radar

By now we have all heard about this tragic case:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/19/starved-beaten-unbathed-how-a-17-year-old-escaped-a-house-full-of-chains-and-freed-her-12-siblings/?utm_term=.da0956f96373
In case you haven't tuned in, a California couple, David and Louise Turpin, were found to have kept their 13 children captive in their home.  A 17 year old daughter initiated a 911 call with an inactive cell phone, and alerted authorities.  The children, ranging in age from 2 yrs. to 29 (!) were found in conditions of filth and starvation, and had been physically and mentally abused. What should give us pause is that they were totally off the radar in two states: Texas, where they had lived for several years, and California, where they are presently.  The usual ways that red flags are raised about abused and neglected children were bypassed.  They were homeschooled, so teachers wouldn't have been in the picture.  They apparently didn't have medical attention, so doctors wouldn't have noticed.  One wonders if all of them were born at home? Are there birth certificates? Extended family had been cut off years ago.  The grandparents had planned to visit them, but the couple refused to give them their address.  One article said the family were Pentacostal Christians, but apparently they were not part of any congregation, where someone might have noticed something amiss.  As members of society do we give people too much freedom to live their own lives?
The parents are under arrest and face life in prison if convicted of the charges against them. What will happen to the children now?  Imagine being 29 years old and knowing nothing about the world beyond four walls.  I pray for them to learn how to be happy, and to find out that the world isn't a terrible place.

Correction:  At first I mistakenly said that the parents were under house arrest.  In fact they are are arrested, in custody, and held in lieu of $13 million bail apiece.

See Spot. See Spot fly,

 The other day I met a passenger at the airport. When her Delta flight landed and disgorged its contents, I thought I was on Mount Ararat. There were nearly as many dogs and cats as people. I didn’t see the comfort turkey the airline mentioned in its announcement.

So I was not surprised to hear that Delta announced that there will be new standards when it has to carry passengers’ pet alter egos. And I do mean egos.

 Starting March 1, passengers will have to document that their animals are cabin-broken. No more urinating or defecating on other passengers. No more licking the face of the stranger in the next seat. No more attacking passengers – as one dog did to become part of the lawsuit that finally led to action.

 After the break I will say something that will get me called an unfeeling clod.

Please fasten your seatbelts

Whenever Pope Francis gets on an airplane, interesting things seem to happen.  But the Holy Father's flight yesterday from Santiago to Iquique may have broken all previous interesting-pope-flight records, and shattered the awesome-Pope barrier for good measure.   CNN has the report:

As far as Catholic weddings go, it's pretty hard to beat being married by the Pope. On an airplane.  But that's what happened Thursday morning when Pope Francis married two flight attendants in an impromptu ceremony on his papal plane some 36,000 feet over Chile.

Waiting for the sunrise

  For years and years I have been growing old with a bunch of guys who meet at 6:30 on Wednesday mornings to deal with the difficulties of discipleship. Too often, no matter where we start, we end up in the matter of children and grandchildren who have not set foot inside of a church since Confirmation. Or who now attend the Church of St. Jesus Without the Cross. Catholic guilt has given way to Catholic tsouris.

  On the Pray Tell site, Anthony Ruff, OSB took up the issue the other day. I printed out what he said to take to the Wednesday meeting, but the guy I wanted most to react to it was tied up with physical miseries, so I didn’t read it there. Instead, I’m inviting you to read it here.

 Father Ruff rests his thoughts upon Psalm 30: “At night there are tears, but joy comes with the dawn.” That risks coming off sounding like Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t worry, be happy." But there is a long Christian line of similar sayings. Think of Julian of Norwich: “All is well and all will be well and all manner of thing will be well.”  Has Father Ruff found a cure for Catholic tsouris? We consider that after the break.

Dr. King's legacy and his day (a day late)

Our local suburban newspaper came up with some original reporting for yesterday's holiday: reporters asked four local African American leaders, "What would Martin Luther King Jr. say to us today, had he not been assassinated 50 years ago?"

When will Congressional Republicans crack?

Another boggling week in America, WH division.

Assuming you are fully informed on Trump's racist characterization of other countries and continents, and that his lawyer's pay-off of a porn star in October 2016 has made it to your news source:

When do you think Congressional Republicans will conclude:

• they've gotten everything they're going to get with their tax "reform,"  
• that nothing more will be done in this session of Congress, 
• that Trump is destroying the Republican party, 
• that it's time to bring him down. 

 The "***hole" comment came from one source, probably Dick Durban or his Congressional assistant. None of the Republicans in the room heard it. Now Lindsey Graham has reported (and Durbin confirmed) that he reprimanded the president for his remark. No reports yet that other Republicans in the room heard that. Back home in Wisconsin at a public event, Paul Ryan allowed that the ***hole comment was unhelpful.

Human nature and original sin being what they are, there has got to be a building, critical mass of congressionals who will act if only out of self-respect.

What are the chances?

A real gaffe house

Is a coarse synonym for “outhouse”, on the lips of the President of the United States, a gaffe?

Talk about protesting too much

  I am trying for patience in 2018, but the pudgy guy with the cheap Chinese neckties could convulse tortoise. There he was last night, with the pleasant  prime minister of Norway, throwing  one of his temper tantrums live, without his Twitter-tweeter.  I checked this morning to make sure I had seen it  and wasn't fooled by  a bit of underdone beef while I slept.
  CNN counted seven uses of "no collusion," and one of "nobody's found any collusion" in a  2-minute non-answer to a question by John Roberts of Fox at the joint press conference. (The question was about whether Trump would meet with the special counsel. After he finished his tantrum we still don't know.)
  "No collusion" refers to Russia, of course. I'll put the full text under the jump break, but here I have to say that -- contrary to what the president said on national television -- no one but he and a handful of toadies who need him to be as real as Tinkerbell has concluded there was no collusion. The failure of people like Gen. Flinn and Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to remember talking to high level Russians during the time for collusion is suggestive. And, in fact, we know from George Papadopoulos's guilty plea and the emails Donald Jr. released that campaign officials tried to collude.
 It could be that they are no better at collusion than they are at making America great again. But that would not necessarily be from lack of trying.

Can We Learn to Believe in God?

Interesting article in today's NYTimes.  Your thoughts all? Will pretending to believe lead to belief?

Full article in op eds of NYTimes

Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.
  
So runs Blaise Pascal’s famous wager. His thought is simple: If there is a God, believing in him ensures an eternity of happiness, while denying him secures an eternity of suffering. If there is no God and you believe in him, the downside is relatively minimal. Even if the chance he exists is tiny, believing is the right bet.

This argument has produced few converts, as Pascal would not have been surprised to learn. He knew that people cannot change their beliefs at will. We can’t muscle our mind into believing something we take to be false, not even when the upside is an eternity of happiness. Pascal’s solution is that you start by pretending to believe: attend church, speak the prayers, adopt religious habits. If you walk and talk like a believer, eventually you’ll come to think as one. He says, “This will naturally make you believe, and deaden your acuteness.”
 But many of us recoil at this suggestion. We don’t want to lie to ourselves. Say there were a pill that would do the trick: Pop it in your mouth and you’ll be a religious believer. Someone convinced by Pascal’s argument — at least to the extent of thinking that believing is the best bet — might nonetheless refuse to take this pill. She might be repulsed by the thought of going behind her own back to acquire this belief.

 Pascal seems to concede that trying to believe is a matter of wishful thinking, self-deception or self-manipulation. He thinks we should do it anyway. But I think our hope of becoming better people — whether in respect of religion, friendship or justice, or in any number of different ways — rests on the possibility that there is a more straightforward and less self-abasing way to try to believe.

Read the rest at the NY Times link above. I hope they give a few free articles each month.

Just....No.

I don't know if you have seen this news item:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oprah-and-stedman-hint-shes-open-to-presidential-run_us_5a536f29e4b003133eca3cda?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
I like and admire Oprah Winfrey.  I read her magazine.  But I feel that if she wants to get into politics, she should start by getting involved at the state and local level first.  I know things such as experience and political know-how are quaint concepts.  Didn't we just prove that one doesn't need those? Well, not exactly.  The Trump administration is floundering and blundering.  Crucial positions go unfilled. The ones which do get filled are more likely to be given to cronies than someone actually qualified. If the Trump presidency lasts a full four years (let's not think about eight!) the government is going to be in sorry shape and in want of professionally suitable people to fill appointments. I am sure she could do better than Trump, but that bar is set pretty low. I'm assuming if she runs at all it would be as a Democrat.  She could probably give Trump a run for his money. But I feel that the Democratic Party needs to do the responsible thing and choose a candidate who is at least somewhat qualified to actually govern.

A pinhole of light

The celestial event of 2017, and maybe of our adult lives, was the total eclipse of the sun that occurred in parts of the US this past August 21st.  We all learned new terms like "Path of Totality", the narrow band of  US geography across which the eclipse would be truly full.  I live near Chicago, which was not on the Path of Totality but close enough that it got significantly darker outside for a few minutes.  I'm usually not much of an astronomy maven, but I have to admit that the whole thing was pretty cool.

Send-Off for the Christmas Season

This year the Baptism of the Lord and the Epiphany fell on the same weekend; the Baptism yesterday and the Epiphany today.  We gave the Christmas season a good send off this morning. We sang every Christmas carol that had any mention of the Magi; and one that didn't. Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming is one of my favorites, and I talked my fellow choir members into including it.  We didn't do as well as Charlotte Church, but we gave it our best shot.

Andrew Sullivan: Here’s Why I Have Hope.

Trumps First Year Was A Disaster

Andrew Sullivan's analyses are often interesting.  While he admits that Trump looks bad and things could end up very bad, he claims that Trump has really not done much more harm than the typical Republican administration. 

His reason for hope however is that IF we can just get through Trump the world is actually in rather good shape.  Well I am an optimistic realist, which means that I face the realities first then chart what I hope is an optimistic way through them.  Here are Sully's reasons for optimism.

I can't help but think that Sullivan like so many people have become so focused upon Trump that they no longer see the problems beyond Trump that are largely responsible for Trump. 

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

Stupidity and Suckup-ery (Updated 1/5/2018)

New York Magazine has printed an excerpt of Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff's book on the Trump White House, due to be released on January 9th.   (UPDATE: the publisher is releasing the book today, 1/5/2018.)

I know that it is a blogger's job to provide analysis or commentary, but having read the excerpt and the picture it paints of the Trump White House, I can only say that words fail me.  Read it, and weep for our grandchildren's future.

Sexual abuse in the Catholic church - what reform is possible?

Massimo Faggioli, a theologian and contributing editor at Commonweal, brings a fresh perspective to many different church issues.  I don't always agree with his take on every issue, but I always find his articles for Commonweal to be both insightful and provocative.

For a couple of weeks now, Faggioli's article "A Report with Ramifications", on Australia's Royal Commission's report on institutional sexual abuse, has been on Commonweal's website.  Faggioli notes that, while the Report summarizes the Commission's investigation into the sexual abuse of children in a number of different organizational settings, more than half of the cases that were investigated took place in Catholic institutions.  And of those in Catholic settings, a priest or religious was the accused perpetrator in about three-quarters of the cases.

Faggioli reports that, understandably, the report is highly critical of Catholic institutional governance, and makes some specific recommendations for institutional reform.  Some of the criticisms and recommendations have been reported in the mainstream media, and church leaders have promptly responded that at least some of them are non-starters.  It's difficult not to conclude that one or two of the recommendations overreach.  But as Faggioli reports them, some of the recommendations, while representing a departure from the status quo, should not present any insuperable doctrinal barriers.  In my opinion, a number of them are at least worthy of further consideration.  Let's take a look at some of them.

Our High Health Care Costs

Why the US Spends So Much More Than Other Nations on Health Care

The US spends about twice as much as a percentage of its economy as other advanced countries. A 2003 study found we use about the same amount of health care but pay twice as much.

A recent study by JAMA scholars for the period 1993-2013 looked at 155 different health conditions, the amount of inpatient, outpatient and prescriptions as well as finer detail about what went on as part of the treatment.

The health care sector grew at a rate of 4 percent annual growth while the economy grew at 2.4% Demographic changes, e.g. size of population and aging, explained less than half the growth.

Did we get sicker?  Not really a 2.4% decrease in spending was associated with decreasing health care costs mostly for cardiovascular disease.

Did we spend more time in the hospital?  A 2.4% decrease in spending was attributed to less hospital stays.

Did we do more and charge more for each hospital stay and outpatient stay?  Yes, these accounted for 63% increase in spending.

Other studies show most of this increase is do to higher prices rather than more and better care. For example hospital prices are 60% higher than in Europe.

Now we need to know who is getting all this money?  The physicians, the hospitals, the insurance companies? 

War Photos That Made a Difference

I debated whether to make this a comment on Jack Rakosky's post on War and Peace in 2018, but decided it would be more appropriate to start a new thread on the subject of photo journalism of war.  A couple of things prompted this post.  The first was Pope Francis' unprecedented printing of a prayer card with the photo of victims of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/31/europe/pope-francis-nagasaki-photo/index.html. The photo is 72 years old but is currently relevant because of the aggravated threat of nuclear war at present. It is the picture of a young boy carrying his dead brother on his back to the crematorium.