The Keys Newsletter Pentecost 2002 THE MASTER WRITES Our American cousins and the Catholic Church in the United States have been much in my mind in recent weeks. Our last two meetings in the Houses of Parliament with the Catholic Joint Parliamentary Group have been addressed by two American Catholic laymen. Dale Alquist is President of the thriving American Chesterton Society, and Michael Warsaw is now President of Mother Angelicaıs Eternal Word Televsion Network (EWTN - see later in the Newsletter for more about this). Their talks, and the EWTN television film, had a wonderfully fresh enthusiam, which was both joyous and inspiring. It is not surprising that GK Chesterton was an inspirational figure for both of them. Chestertonıs own joy in the mysteries of the natural and spiritual worlds, is a perfect antidote to gloom, just like the writing of PG Woodhouse to some of us. Chesterton provides us with a strong sense that as children of a marvellously creative Creator each one of us can do anything and overcome all obstacles if we set about our task in faith to do the will of God. We need regular reminders of this truth from across the Atlantic. But there is a darker side to the United States too. The Obeat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, the Woodstock Festival in the late 1960s, and its aftermath in the popular arts, and the pervading culture of personal fulfilment, have undoubtedly encouraged unrestrained libertarianism. This has underdermined the efforts needed to practice the cardinal and theological virtues, as promoted down the ages by the Church. It is perhaps not surprising therefore that there is evidence that this wayword spirit of the times has helped bring disaster to a large number of American Catholic priests. These have shockingly betrayed their vows of chastity and purity by sexual acts perpetrated upon children and young people. And all this, when it was the priestsı solemn duty to their parents and the Church to guide and protect them in the way of truth. In the early 1980s, some time before I became a Catholic, I was on an attachment from the UK Treasury to the French Ministry of Finance in Paris. A French religious community, the Eudistes, very kindly allowed me to stay with them in their house opposite the famous prison, La Santé. Other guests in the house included some young American and French Canadian priests pursuing further studies at various French institutions of higher education. I was amazed by what these young priests said, and by the way they behaved. First, they made it clear that they had no respect for the Holy Father, whom they referred to with studied irony as the Bishop of Rome. They regarded any semblance of order in the liturgy at all as being "traditional" (a taboo word) and certain to inhibit the movement of the Spirit. They took a childish delight in upsetting the Eudist priests by constant innovations when they were asked to play a part in the houseıs daily celebration of the Holy Mass. On Sundays they competed with each other in seeking out a celebration where there were the least vestiges of order and structure - the latter another taboo word. At meal times they openly boasted about spending their leisure time going to pornographic films. It was important, they said, that priests should know about these things and not be shocked or repressed. It was not right to be narrow-minded when you returned to your parish. The French Canadian priests seemed to spend a lot of their time during the day taking part in Parisian groups working for a Yes vote at the Canadian referendum on the independence of Quebec. I have never forgotten their gloom when the majority of referendum voters eventually favoured Quebec remaining a part of Canada. I never once saw any of these young priests in any form of clerical dress. To a man they only ever wore blue jeans, even for Holy Mass. But what I found most hard to bear was the way they poked fun at the fine, scholarly elderly French priests who were their hosts. They made mocking reference in English, but within the French priestsı hearing, to their stuffiness, dignity and old-fashioned ways. Any reference to the Churchıs past, or horror of horrors, Latin, was greeted with hoots of laughter. Latin was so "depassé" they explained to me, showing off their exiguous French. It was a sobering experience for me, then thinking of becoming a Catholic. It was the contempt and scorn for the good elderly priests that I found the most bitter test. Of course, the priests had no superiors in Paris. As priests of a few years standing they were off the leash. But I have often wondered what kind of priests they made when they returned, and whether their superiors tried to encourage them to lead a more disciplined life, and show less contempt for others trying to live the virtues, or whether they fell by the wayside. Alas, some US priests have fallen badly. In these trying times it is as well to remind ourselves that Our Lord had Judas among his disciples. The Iscariot betrayal was quite different in kind, but there is perhaps an element in common in that in both situations there seems to have been an incontrollable desire to harm the innocent. With all this in mind I have included in this issue an open letter to the US bishops by Philip Trower, the editor of Catholic World Report. The US bishops meet next month to consider their response to the scandals. Since the problems are by no means unknown here, our own bishops may find that the adoptions of the recommendations in the Nolan Report may not solve all our problems. What I personally fear most is that the reaction of Bishops and Rectors of seminaries will be to allow secular psychologists to dominate the selection process for the selection of priests for training. I have no doubt that anyone with strong piety or a commitment to personal sanctiry will be deemed ³abnormal² by the secular examiners, and that many good potential priests will be lost. I doubt if the Curé dıArs would pass a modern selection process! Yours in Domino, Antony PROGRAMME FOR 2002 Wednesday 26 June (at St Etheldredaıs): Speaker: Leonie Caldecott: Uses and Abuses of Enchantment: a look at Fantasy and Childrenıs Literature. Leonie has worked as a writer and broadcaster for more than twenty years, winning the 1982 Catherine Pakenham Award for young women journalists and writing for publications as diverse as The Guardian, The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Catholic World Report and the Catholic Herald, to which she contributes. With her husband she co-edits Second Spring, the journal of the Centre for Faith and Culture in Oxford. She is the mother of three daughters, and devotes much of her time to catechetical and youth work. George Pell, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and Head of the Australian Bishops' Conference,.will address us during a stop over in London on the occasion of one of his visits to Rome in late September or early October. Archbishop Pell is on the drafting Committee which will be producing the Report and recommendations following the recent Bishopsı Synod in Rome. The visit is now to part of a wider visit to the UK by the Archbishop which is being organised by Fr Sherbrooke of St Patrickıs Church, Soho. Details of further autumn meetings will be anounced in due course. Keys Weekend: Friday 20 September to Sunday 22 September. This yearıs weekend will be at Winchester as already announced. The programme is shaping up very well. Mgr Antony Conlon, the church historian, who is also Chaplain of the Oratory School at Woodcote near Reading (the school founded by Cardinal Newman), will talk to us on Queen Mary Tudor at 8 pm on Friday 20 September. This will take place in the magnificent and recently restored historic Milner Hall, which belongs to St Peter's Catholic Church in Winchester. We have arranged for Mgr Conlon to say Holy Mass for us in the Lady Chapel of Winchester Cathedral at 9.30 am on Saturday morning. This will be followed by a tour of the Cathedral by the archivist, Peter Bogan, who is one of the offical guides of the Cathedral. He is a Catholic, and a key person in the Winchester Catholic History Society. His tour of the Cathedral will have a Catholic and literary emphasis. At 10 am on Sunday morning there will be a chance to attend a Sung Mass in St Peter's Catholic Church. The parish priest is Mgr Peter Doyle, who is the Vicar General for the Diocese. At 2.15 pm on Sunday afternoon there will be tour of Winchester College by Andrew Lee. He is the Head of Classics at the College and is also a Catholic. We will give details of the other events during the weekend as soon as they have been finalised. Members will again be encouraged to make their own arrangments for accommodation in Winchester, although those organising the weekend will be looking into the possibilities so as to be able to advise members if requested to do so. Madeleine Beard, who has been helping with arrangement, has looked at the historic Wykeham Arms, which still has rooms for this weekend (Telephone 01962 853834) Other may prefer a b&b in the historic centre if possible. Members are strongly advised to book a place for the weekend by sending a booking fee of £10 to Chris McNicholas or Rosemary Nibbs. This will go towards covering the costs of speakers and the hire of meeting rooms. ALBERTO SABOGAL RIOS Rosemary Nibbs has informed members of the death of Alberto in a street shooting in Clapham on 24 February. He died in hospital four days later. Alberto and his wife, Lucie, prepared and served many of our Guild's suppers. Alberto had been part of the team working with Father Kit for many years. His widow is left with the responsibility for two teenage daughters and another daughter still at primary school. Fr Kit has set up a fund to help her, and Keys members have already contributed the magnificent sum of £407 towards this. Lucie and Father Kit are most grateful for this contribution. Albertoıs funeral finally took place on 23 April. It was delayed because of the police investigation. The Requiem was at the Italian Church of St Peter in Clerkenwell because St Etheldreda's was not large enough to accommodate those of his extended family and community who wished to attend. There were over 400 at the service which was in Spanish. Fr Kit gave a homily in English on behalf of all those who knew Alberto at Ely Place. Catholic Central Library Members may wish to know that the Holy Father has awarded Joan Bond, the Librarian, with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross. The citation reads: Ionannes PaVlVs II Pont. MaximVs AugustĈ CRVCIS INSIGNE PRO ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE EGREGIA OPERA STUDIOQVE CONSPICUIS PRAECIPVE CONSTITVM ANAE JOANNAE BOND DECERNERE ET LARGIRI DIGNATUS EST, EIDEM PARITER FACULTATEM FACIENS SESE HOC ORNAMENTO DECORANDI EX AEDIBUS VATICANIS, DIE IV DECEMBRIS MMI The award will be presented by Bishop Henderson after the regular celebration of Holy Mass at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Undercroft in Parliament on 29 May. This will be followed by a drink for her family, Trustees of the Library and its Management Committee, and some major donors. Catholic Writersı Guild: North West The Catholic Writers' Guild, North West, was formed at a meeting in Manchester on 20 February 2002. The meeting was chaired by Lord Alton, and a paper on 'The Catholic Tradition of English Writers was delivered by Professor Keith Hanley. The Master of the Keys was in attendance and addressed the meeting on the way in which The Keys conducted its business in London. Officers for the North West Guild were elected as follows: Keith Hanley, Joe Kelly, Bill Boardman, Professor Edward Hulmes, and Peter Knockles. Fr Francis Marsden has agreed to be Chaplain. A further talk was delivered recently by Professor Michael Mullett on 'The Tridentine Tradition in the Catholic Reformation', and the next talk will be Edward Hulmes's on 'New Tensions within a Pluralist Society: The Challenge of a Resurgent Islam', at 7.30 pm, 28th of May at Gabriel Communications (the offices of 'The Universe'), Oxford Rd., Manchester. Holy Mass will be at 6.15 pm at St Augustine's, Grosvenor Square. A seasonal pilgrimage to Ladywell near Preston has also been arranged for Friday 31 May at 6-30 pm. All members of the Keys are cordially invited to any of our events whenever they are in the region. Any information from the Secretary, Bill Boardman: Oideluk@aol.com Catholic Young Writer of the Year Award 2002 Lord Alton of Liverpool and the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP presented the awards this year at the joint meeting of The Keys and the Catholic Parliamentary Group in the Jubilee Room of the House of Commons on Wednesday 15 May. The winner of this yearıs award was Catriona Arther of Woldingham School in Surrey. Catriona came to the ceremony with her parents, and her teacher, Mrs Mary Dorman. The runner up was Cecilia Crabtree who is educated by her parents at home. They also accompanied her to the ceremony. One of last yearıs joint winners, Elizabeth Ashfield, handed over the shield to Catriona. The shield carries the names of all previous winners, and is passed from one winner to the next each year. This year's topics for the competition - its 4th year - were to write about the meaning of Lent, or to choose a saint from the Churchıs calendar and write about him or her. The judges look for evidence that those who submit entries understand the teachings of the Church and have made use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and appropriate Encyclicals and Church documents. Catriona affirmed the importance of Lent, and its significance for today, showing an intelligent understanding of the Churchıs teaching. Cecilia wrote about her favourite saint, St Thérèse of Lisieux, revealing insights into the meaning and message of her life. The winner received a £50 cash prize, together with a selection of books by Keys authors and publishers. The runner up received a Certificate and a selection of books. Joanna Bogle would be grateful for any assistance from Keys members in organising the 2003 competition. Material will be going out to schools as usual at the beginning of the September term. Please telephone Joanna (0208 942 5009), if you can help. ST ETHELDREDAıS: TWO EVENTS On Sunday 23 June from 12.30 to 5pm St Ethedlreda's Stawberrie Fayre will be held at Ely Place. This is one of the most famous of London's street fairs, and Keys members are particularly welcome. This year the funds raised will benefit the charity SANE. On Wednesday 10 July St Etheldredaıs Church will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the reopening of the Upper Church and the installation of the magnificent East Window. The window was designed by Edward Nuttgens, a friend of Eric Gill. Edwardıs son, Patrick, is an eminent architectural historian an educationist. The Nuttgens family will be represented at the service. BELLOC SOCIETY: CONFERENCE IN 2003 FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH The Society is planning to organise a three to four day conference at Plater College, Oxford They are presently seeking out possible speakers. Details from Gerard Hanratty. Telephone 07979 910943. Email: piersdarcy@yahoo.com. EALING ABBEY AND ST BENEDICTıS SCHOOL: EALING: CENTENARY CELEBRATION Dom Thomas Stapleford, OSB has written to us about the Abbeyıs plans for their centenary celebrations this year. He has asked the Keys to suggest some possible speakers for some talks/discussions in the late autumn of this year on the rewards and restraints of being a Catholic writer! We have provided him with some suggestions and he will make direct contact once the formats of debate and discussions have been settled. The school is to put on a production of a play about Pius XIIıs alleged "silence" during the Second World War in the face of Hitlerıs actions against the Jews. It is to be hoped that this will give of true picture of this much calumniated Pope. The Ammerdown Centre Lord Hylton approached us at Michael Warsawıs talk about EWTN, which was attended by a lot of peers and MPs. He drew to our attention this retreat and conference centre at Radstock near Bath. The key people behind it originally were all Catholics, Lord Hylton, Bishop Christopher Butler OSB (Arthur Wells, take note), Professor Basil Fletcher, Professor of Education at Bristol, and John Todd, author, of Darton, Longman Todd. It is now a "Christian College of Adult Education". There are retreats and a programme of ecumenical type residential conferences and workshops. Anyone interested in the programme should contact the Director, Carolyn Wicks, The Ammerdown Centre, Ammerdown Park, Radstock, Somerset BA3 5SW. The courses may be a little too far from orthodox Catholic teaching for most of our members, but those with an interest in what is happening elsewhere on spiritual matters might want to see what is on offer. There is a current appeal for £1.5 million for the centre of which they have already raised £400,000. OPERATION PLAINSPEAK Catholic World Reportıs letter to the American Bishops on the sex abuse of children and young people by American Catholic priests. The letter below was written by Philip Lawler, the editor of Catholic World Report. In the light of similar cases in dioceses in Britain Keys members may be interested in how one prestigious lay journal believes the matter should be tackled. Because the Catholic Church is one body, religious and laity in this country are bound to have to answer criticism when there is a perceived failure of leadership in the Church, wherever that may be. Dear Excellencies, At your June meeting, you will discuss the scandal that has enveloped the Catholic Church in the United States. As faithful Catholics we feel an obligation to raise our voices, to raise this respectful plea for plain speech and bold leadership. The severity of this crisis should not be underestimated. This scandal has not been created by the mass media; secular reporters have merely exposed the unhappy truth, uncovering a frightening pattern of abuse and corruption within the Church. The results have been catastrophic. The Church has been exposed to public ridicule. The laity have become increasingly angry, confused, and demoralised. Worst of all, the work of evangilisation has been jeopardised. In recent weeks some aspects of this scandal have been discussed exhaustively: the psychological suffering endured by the victims of priestly sexual abuse, the financial consequences of lawsuits against various dioceses; the prospects for criminal prosecution of some clerics. All of these factors deserve serious attention. But as successors of the Apostles, you must make the spiritual welfare of the community your paramount concern. How many young people have been led into sinful acts by Catholic priests? How many other clerics have ignored the clear evidence of wrongdoing, and thus given their tacit consent to gravely immoral acts? How many people have been turned away from the Catholic faith by this scandal? A public scandal calls for a public response. You, as leaders of the Catholic Church in America, must speak and act decisively to repair the grave damage that our Church has suffered. Recognizing the problem The problems that we face have been caused, in no small part, by a failure to act forthrightly; to acknowledge inconvenient facts and to deal with unwelcome truths. As you address these problems today you must face the facts squarely, and proclaim the truth boldly - confident in the knowledge that "the truth will set you free". Media accounts regularly identify the current scandal as a matter of "priestly pedophilia". But that description is not accurate for two reasons. First the sexual misbehaviour of Catholic priests is only one part of the current crisis. The problem has been compounded, and scandal has been exacerbated, by the faliure of Church leaders to intervene to stop the sexual abuse. The flagrant and widespread abdication of pastoral responsibility has shown a deep corruption within the American hierarchy. In many ways the tepid response to priestly sexual abuse has been more scandalous than the abuse itself. Second, the sexual misconduct of American priests has not been confined to pedophilia - that is the abuse of young children. In the vast majority of cases, the priestsı victims have been adolescent boys and young men, Emerging evidence makes it impossible to ignore the widespread toleration of homosexual activity among American priests. This widespread acceptance of homosexual activity is a grave problem in itself because it causes disdain for Catholic doctrines and fosters a climate of hypocrisy among those who are the official representatives of Church teaching. We believe that the current scandal is a direct consequence of a failure to uphold and promote the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding sexual morality. When bishops do not accept, understand, and boldly proclaim the necessary link between sexual intimacy and procreation, they cannot expect the faithful of their dioceses to uphold that magisterial teaching. Once that crucial link between sexual intimacy and procreation has been severed, there is no compelling justification for the restriction of intimacy to marriage, or to partners of the opposite sex. There may be some remaining cultural barriers to sexual activity outside of marriage, but those barriers crumble all to quickly in the face of temptation - especially for individuals who have not accepted the teachings of the Church, and made a determined effort to develop the virtue of chastity. At a time when our society has been battered by the "sexual revolution" and its aftermath, very few Catholic leaders have been clear and consistent in the proclamation of the truth about human sexuality. Rather than risking public controversy, many bishops and priests have chosen a "pastoral approach", avoiding any public mention of Church teachings that have become unfashionable. The disastrous results of that "pastoral approach" have been evident for years in the breakdown of American family life. Now it is even more painfully apparent in the scandal of priestly sexual misconduct. Accepting responsibility The problem that you must now confront cannot be solved simply by adopting new procedures and guidelines for the handling of troubled priests. Still less can it be solved by setting "boundaries" for clerical behaviour, as some commentators have suggested. Guidelines and procedures are useless if they are not enforced; "boundaries" will soon be crossed by clerics who lack the habits of chastity and self-discipline. The resolution of this crisis will begin, we respectfully suggest, when you, our bishops, firmly insist that the teachings of the Church must be upheld, and the discipline of the Church muct be enforced, in the seminaries, parishes, and schools under your authority. Many Church leaders, in their failure to respond to clerical misconduct, have abdicated their solemn responsibility to he faithful. (We make this charge with regret, but recent public revelations have made the situation painfully clear, and we shall not shrink from the facts.) In some cases, bishops and other diocesan officials have become complicit partners in sexual abuse. Those individuals - regardless of their rank - should resign from their positions, in recognition of their culpability. If they do not voluntarily resign, they must be removed. Many American bishops have issued public apologies to the faithful for the scandal of sexual abuse. Such apologies are necessary, but not sufficient. Accepting responsibility means not only assuming blame for a problem, but also assuming the moral burden of solving that problem. Again, this scandal calls for decisive moral leadership. A plan of action An effective plan to end this scandal, and root out the corruption within the Church in America, must include three essential elements: 1. No one should assume any position in authority in the Church (including admission to Holy Orders or religious vows, appointment as religious superior or director of formation, or employment in any decision-making position within a diocesan chancery) who does not willingly accept and publicly defend all the teachings of the Catholic Church. A vague or general statement of fealty to the Catholic faith is not an adequate indication of doctrinal reliability. Anyone worthy of leadership in the Church must offer public assent to the more controversial elements of Catholic doctrine