SAN DIEGO (CNS) --- The Diocese of San Diego and the Diocese of San Bernardino, which broke off from its southern neighbor in 1978, agreed Sept. 7 to pay $198.1 million to settle lawsuits with 144 victims of sexual abuse by priests between 1938 and 1993. The dioceses had originally offered $95 million to settle the claims. The plaintiffs sought $200 million. Earlier in the year, the San Diego Diocese filed for bankruptcy protection hours before a trial was to begin in one of the first lawsuits alleging that the church was responsible for sexual abuse by priests. The judge in the bankruptcy case had recently threatened to throw out the bankruptcy case if the church didn't reach an agreement with the plaintiffs. The settlement is one of the largest in the country. Under the agreement, the San Bernardino Diocese and its insurer, Catholic Mutual, will pay $15.1 million for 11 cases. The San Diego Diocese will pay $77 million and Catholic Mutual will cover another $75.7 million for a total of 111 cases. San Diego will pay another $30.2 million for 22 cases involving members of religious orders. A statement from the San Diego Diocese said it hoped at least part of that amount could be recovered from the religious orders.
Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman dies; joined the church as an adult
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (CNS) --- Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman, once married to future president Ronald Reagan, joined the Catholic Church as an adult and became a benefactor to several Catholic causes. Wyman died Sept. 10 at her home in Rancho Mirage. The cause of death was not disclosed. While her age was placed at 90, other sources suggested she may have been 93. "The death of Jane Wyman marks the loss not only of a great actress, but a great woman of faith and a personal friend," said a Sept. 10 statement from Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino. "Her support of the work of the Catholic Church in the Coachella Valley and the Diocese of San Bernardino made possible many wonderful things, including the Blessed Junipero Serra House of Formation," Bishop Barnes said. Wyman also was a strong supporter of Hollywood's Covenant House and Our Lady of Angels Monastery. She also reportedly went to Mass with fellow Catholic actress Loretta Young, who died in 2000.
Pope confers papal knighthood on rabbi for work with Catholics, Jews
NEW YORK (CNS) --- Rabbi Leon Klenicki, former interfaith affairs director of the Anti-Defamation League in New York, was invested into the order of St. Gregory the Great during an Aug. 26 ceremony in New York at which Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley presided. The knighthood was granted by Pope Benedict XVI for Rabbi Klenicki's work with Catholics and Jews. A renowned scholar and theologian, Rabbi Klenicki joins a select group of Jews, and only a handful of rabbis to receive the papal knighthood.
Pope mourns death of Pavarotti, praises Italian tenor for his talent
MODENA, Italy (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI mourned the death of Luciano Pavarotti and praised the Italian tenor for his extraordinary talent. In a telegram sent to Archbishop Benito Cocchi of Modena-Nonantola, the pope offered his condolences for the death of this "great artist who honored the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent." The archbishop read aloud the telegram Sept. 8 during the Catholic funeral Mass held in the city's cathedral, where Pavarotti had sung as a child in the choir. Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the telegram from the Vatican Sept. 10. Thousands of mourners turned out for the ceremony to honor Pavarotti, who died Sept. 6 at the age of 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Vox Clara Committee hopes missal translation completed by 2009
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- An international liturgical committee that advises the Vatican reported progress in its work on the new English translation of the Mass. After meeting at the Vatican Sept. 2-6, the Vox Clara Committee said it hoped the English translation of the Roman Missal would be completed and approved by the end of 2009. It was the first time a specific date had been anticipated for the completion of the lengthy project. The third edition of the Roman Missal was promulgated in Latin by Pope John Paul II in 2002, and work on the English translation began soon afterward. A Vox Clara statement said its meeting reviewed the most recent draft translations of the Roman Missal, as produced in English by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, or ICEL, which is preparing the translation in several sections.
Thousands honor Cardinal Keeler as he prepares for busy retirement
BALTIMORE (CNS) --- Nearly 2,000 people gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center Sept. 6 to honor the long ministry of Cardinal William H. Keeler as he steps down after heading the Baltimore Archdiocese for 18 years. But even when Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien formally begins his service as the new archbishop of Baltimore Oct. 1, Cardinal Keeler's life promises to bear little resemblance to a leisurely retirement. The cardinal, 76, announced that Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, has written to him and asked him to give more time to ecumenical and interfaith endeavors in his retirement. In October, the cardinal said he plans to go to Ravenna, Italy, as part of the International Catholic-Orthodox Commission. He also will continue serving as moderator for Jewish-Catholic affairs for the U.S. bishops. |