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Biden Inauguration Priest Under Investigation in California: University
Vice President Joe Biden, left, and his wife, Jill Biden, center, stand with heads bowed as the Rev. Kevin O'Brien says the blessing during a Thanksgiving meal for Wounded Warriors in Washington on Nov. 22, 2010.
(Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)
US NEWS
BY JACK PHILLIPS
March 19, 2021
A priest who presided over an inaugural Mass for President Joe Biden is under investigation, according to a statement from Santa Clara University this week.
The university confirmed that the school’s president, Father Kevin O’Brien, is being investigated for “exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries.”
School officials did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation and provided few details about O’Brien’s “exhibited behaviors.”
“I write to you with an important update. I have been informed by the Provincial of the USA West Province that the Jesuit Provincial Office recently received accounts that Father O’Brien exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries,” the school added. “An independent investigation into these accounts is being conducted on behalf of the USA West Province and the conclusions of the Province’s process will be shared with the Santa Clara University Board of Trustees.”
As a result, O’Brien “was placed on leave from his position as University President for the duration of the investigation by the USA West Province consistent with its protocols” and “has agreed to cooperate fully with the investigation and honor the process that he affirms annually as part of his ongoing Jesuit training.”
O’Brien presided over a Mass for Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, their families, and leaders of Congress during the president’s Jan. 20 inauguration. It was held at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.
According to reports, O’Brien, described as a longtime Biden family friend, presided over services for Biden’s inaugurations when he was vice president. He previously served at Georgetown University, another Jesuit college.
Tracey Primrose, a spokesperson for the Jesuits West Province, told the San Jose Mercury News: “Jesuits are held to a professional code of conduct, and the Province investigates allegations that may violate or compromise established boundaries … As with any organization, the Jesuits West Province has confidentiality practices, which is why I cannot provide any additional information regarding this matter.”
The university says O’Brien joined the Society of Jesus—whose members are known as Jesuits—in 1996. He was ordained into the priesthood in 2006. He has been president of Santa Clara University since 2019.
Santa Clara University has an annual undergraduate enrollment of approximately 5,500 students. Democratic California Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown are counted among its alumni.
French bishops to pay compensation to child sex-abuse victims
for church’s ‘crimes and shortcomings’
26 Mar, 2021 17:59
Installation of Matthieu Rougé as bishop of Nanterre diocese in Sainte Geneviève cathedral, Nanterre, France.
© Getty Images / Godong
Weeks after its own truth-finding commission uncovered at least 10,000 victims of clerical sex abuse going back 70 years, senior French bishops have agreed to award lump-sum payments to victims, to take “responsibility.”
Citing the need to take responsibility “with regards to the past, the present and the future,” the French Catholic Church on Friday agreed to award an undisclosed amount as “financial contribution” to the thousands of victims of clerical sex abuse.
The announcement was made at a video press conference after the annual spring meeting of the French bishops’ conference (CEF) in Lourdes ended Friday evening. Church officials said that they wanted to “recognize its responsibility to society by asking forgiveness for these crimes and shortcomings.”
What about their responsibility to God?
CEF president Monsignor Eric de Moulins-Beaufort said the payments “are neither a compensation nor a reparation” while vice-president Monsignor Olivier Leborgne noted that the money would be set up in the form of a lump sum and financed by a dedicated endowment.
Leborgne added that an independent advisory panel would examine requests and decide on the amounts to be disbursed based on the extent of available funds.
In 2019, the bishops were forced to backtrack after an earlier decision to award a lump sum to each victim was met with criticism from church members and some victims.
Prior to the conference, which saw some 200 senior bishops in attendance, CEF spokesperson Vincent Neymon had said there would be a closed-door debate on resolutions on the issue of child sex abuse. This would “allow the French Church to enter a new era,” Neymon explained.
In recent weeks, the need for action had heightened after the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) – a Church-funded investigatory body – estimated that French Catholic clergy could have abused at least 10,000 children and other vulnerable individuals since 1950.
CIASE president Jean-Marc Sauvé had said at the time that it had already received 6,500 testimonies, concerning as many as 3,000 different victims. He expected the number to rise as more victims came forward, based on the number of calls to a hot-line set up for those who suffered and other witnesses.
A formal report addressing compensation is expected to be published in September. Its conclusions and recommendations will have to be understood and integrated not only by the bishops, but “by everyone in the Church,” Neymon had said.
Reacting to Friday's decision, Olivier Savignac of the Faith and Resilience group said he was "satisfied" with the proposals, particularly the Church's recognition of its responsibility, saying "the terms admit both an active and passive complicity."
New Zealand’s Catholic Church apologises for ‘systems and culture’
that allowed historic abuse to occur
26 Mar, 2021 11:17
FILE PHOTO. Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand - February 15, 2015: St Mary's Roman Catholic Basilica, opened in 1905, was once described as the "prettiest church in Australasia" and is a dominant Invercargill landmark. © Getty Images / Craig Pershouse
New Zealand’s Catholic Church issued an apology on Friday to people who suffered abuse in faith-based institutions, admitting the “systems and culture” failed to protect them, and declaring that the religious body “must change.”
The formal apology, delivered by Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand, was made at the country’s Royal Commission into Abuse in Care.
“Recognising the importance of this moment, I apologise to you, on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church,” Dew said in a statement.
We acknowledge that the systems and culture of the Church allowed abuse to occur. These systems and culture failed you and must change.
During his testimony, Dew did not outline what steps the Catholic Church is planning to take in New Zealand to address the “harm” that was caused or ensure that similar abuse cannot occur in the future.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was launched in 2018, investigating “what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in state care and in the care of faith-based institutions.”
Previously, the commission has found that up to 256,000 young people between the 1960s and early 2000s, almost 40% of those in care during the period, were physically and/or sexually abused.
The initial report from the commission was described as a “difficult read” by New Zealand minister Chris Hipkins, as it outlined in detail accounts by survivors of abuse, examining evidence and research to allow the government to improve the country’s care services.
Again, no consideration of how much they failed God, or how they are planning on making themselves right in His eyes. These 'men of God' failed Him miserably and there is not a word of repentance. It's not culture and systems that need changing, it's hearts and the fear of God.
These numbers are very concerning - 256,000 apparent young victims in a population of less than 5 million. France, on the other hand, seems to think they only have 10,000 victims in a population of 67 million. 13.4 times as many people but only 4% of the number of victims. I think France has a shocking revelation coming.
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