Free Republic

Monsignor Charles Pope writes, "The gospel from Sunday (John 15:1-8) presents us with an important meditation on the difference between love and kindness. Perhaps some further reflections from this gospel are in order today. There is an unfortunate tendency in our times to reduce love to kindness. Kindness is an aspect of love, but so is rebuke. It is an immature notion of love that reduces it merely to affirming, or that refers to proper correction as a form of “hate.” We saw in yesterday’s gospel that proper care involves the Lord “pruning” us so that we bear more fruit....

This is one of those stories that I hesitate to comment on because I’m indirectly implicated in it. But according to substantial rumors, the Pope has decided to eliminate the title “Monsignor” being conferred on any priest under 65.I say “rumors,” because I have not seen any official Vatican statement. Further rumors like this circulated couple months back and proved unsubstantiated.The second reason why I consign this to the category “rumors,” is that these reports also claim to explain why the Holy Father has done what he has apparently done. But, without any Vatican statement what is actually in the...

PHOENIX - The former vicar general of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was arrested Monday. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which disclosed the arrest and scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon, would not immediately say what Monsignor Dale Fushek was accused of. Fushek resigned as pastor of St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa in April after someone claimed to have recovered a repressed memory involving sexual improprieties by Fushek in 1985. Those allegations followed one by a man who said that when he was 14, Fushek watched another priest sexually assault him. Fushek has denied the allegations, and...

Monsignor Eugene Clark has kept a low profile since the scandal broke last week, but now says nothing improper happened in that hotel room. You'll recall that Clark, the former rector at St. Patrick's Cathedral, is accused of having a long-running affair with his secretary, Laura DiFilippo. In July, the two of them spent five hours together at the White Sands Motel in Amagansett, caught on video by a private eye hired by Laura's husband. But a source tells CBS 2's Tony Aiello that Clark insists nothing improper went on, saying they merely stopped to rest after a long lunch...

We are pleased to report that the sale of what was purported to be a Host consecrated by Pope John Paul II and put up for sale on eBay, the on-line auctioneer, has been withdrawn, with the Host handed over to the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, where the seller is located [see previous story].The issue garnered national media attention when, within minutes of a link to it on this website Wednesday night,, a Cupertino, California, man offered $2,000 for the Host to keep it out of the hands of witches, satanists, or souvenir hunters.Although eBay claimed it received "a...

Catholic Priest Accused of Swindling Elderly Parishioner By Lisa Colagrossi(Upper East Side-WABC, July 13, 2004) — A Manhattan priest is facing a major lawsuit today. He is accused of using his spiritual influence to swindle an elderly parishioner out of nearly half a million dollars.     From the AP: The News in Photographs Add News Headlines to Your Web Page or Corporate Intranet Eighty-eight year old Rose Pale was a devoted parishioner. She attended mass every day. The lawsuit says the monsignor at Saint John The Martyr Church on the Upper East Side betrayed her trust.  The lawsuit says that Monsignor...

Valley's top monsignor avoided sexual-harassment suit Richard Nilsen/The Arizona Republic Monsignor Dale Fushek says that he did nothing wrong and that the payment was done simply to avoid the greater costs of fighting a lawsuit. By Nena Baker, Kelly Ettenborough and Joseph A. ReavesThe Arizona RepublicMay 31, 2002 12:00:00 The Diocese of Phoenix quietly paid $45,000 to settle a sexual-harassment claim in 1995 against one of its most prominent priests, who has since been promoted to second-in-command in the diocese to Bishop Thomas O'Brien. Monsignor Dale Fushek, pastor of St. Timothy Catholic Community in Mesa and the founder of Life...

Catholic Caucus - Proclaim the Truth! Dearest friends, Two days ago Monsignor Eugene Clark stood in the preeminent pulpit of the Catholic Church in the United States of America at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and proclaimed the truth regarding the abuses committed by some priests. He went straight to the heart of the matter, which is homosexuality. There are many who don't want to hear the truth as well as those who don't want to publicize the truth. Already we have seen the Archdiocese of New York distance itself from Monsignor Clark (Archdiocese Responds to Sermon), the...