Gloria.TV News on the 1st of March 2013

United States

The Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese is requiring its 200 schoolteachers to sign an agreement affirming that “modern errors” such as contraception, abortion, homosexual marriage and euthanasia are “matters that gravely offend human dignity.” The move is an effort by Bishop Robert Vasa to delineate specifically what it means for a Catholic-school teacher — whether Catholic or not — to be a “model of Catholic living” and to adhere to Catholic teaching. Bp. Vasa questioned whether someone “can teach what the Catholic Church teaches with zeal and enthusiasm while holding, as they say, ‘in the privacy of their heart’ views that are contrary to Catholic doctrine. Fr. Zuhlsdorf comments: Bishop Vasa is not just a Superintendent of Schools or and employer. He is a bishop, who is above all trying to keep people out of hell. He is responsible for souls, not jobs. Gloria.Tv believes that such an agreement affirming Catholic teaching should be signed by all Catholic schoolteachers in all dioceses throughout the world.

United States

The blog Boston Catholic Insider has published a document which was apparently written between December 2002 and July 2003, when Bishop Sean O’Malley was appointed Archbishop of Boston. The document is called: Crisis and Reform in Boston. It addresses many problems in the archdiocese, among them homosexuality among clergy. The document reads: quote ”the open secret of their homosexuality is closely guarded by the silence of a solid clerical “black wall”, behind which some priests have surrendered completely to the pagan culture of “gay” identity and behavior. Many priests socialize only with other active homosexuals, and in this way loose networks of sexually active priests are formed to protect each other from scrutiny. Gloria.tv thinks that the “black wall” of clerical silence is actually a “pink wall” and it is about time Catholic bishops acknowledged its existence and worked zealously to dismantle it.

Castel Gandolfo

Shortly after arriving at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, following a brief helicopter trip from the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI made his final public address. The Pope said, “I am happy to be here with you surrounded by the beauty of creation and your friendship that warms me.” His Holiness continued, “You know that today is different from others; as of 8pm, I will no longer be the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman Church.” “From now on”, he said, “I am a pilgrim who is beginning the last part of his pilgrimage on earth. But with all my interior strength, with all my heart, with all my love, I will work for the good of the Church and all humanity.” “Let us move forward together with the Lord for the good of the Church and the world.” The Pope concluded: “I will now impart upon you all my apostolic blessing.” “Thank you and good night. Thank you all.”

USA
On February 25th Cardinal William J. Levada former San Francisco archbishop held a press conference at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, California to discuss his role in the conclave to elect a new pope. During the conference, Cardinal Levada played down the possibility of an American pope. He said: “I don’t think it’s likely that we will see an American pope. It would be an additional complexity for an American pope to have to deal with the perception that some of his decisions might be perceived to be dictated by American governmental policy.” He said that perception could be a problem for the church in the rest of the world. Cardinal Levada served Pope Benedict for seven years as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. Gloria.tv will not join others in speculation as to who might be the next pope. Our only hope is that the next pope will be Catholic.