A year like no other Archbishop Levada ref lects on anniversary of child p rotection charier
The first Bay Area celebration of the Feast of the Martyrs of China will be heldJuly 13 at St. Anne of the Sunset in San Francisco. Details are on Page 11.
June 14 maris the one-year anniversary of the meeting of U.S. Bishops in Dallas, where they approved the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People " and "Essen tial Norms. " The Charter (see www.usccb.org) requires all dioceses in the United States to implement far-reaching programs to respond to the concerns of victims of clergy/lay employee child sexual abuse, to deal with priests who have committed an act of abuse and to ensure greater protection of children and minors within the Church. At the first anniversary of the Charter, Archbishop William J. Levada sat down with Catholic San Franciscofor the following interview. CSF: How would you describe the past year? Archbishop Levada: it 's been a year like no other, I can j say that. It 's been a year in which some healing has taken place. I think many of us in die Church are confident that the radical action taken by the bishops in Dallas last year was necessary and has provided the various elements that are now in place, or are being put in place. These steps correct the crisis that broke as a kind of fire storm around us over the revelations of sexual abuse of children by clergy that was more widespread than any of us had imagined or thought possible. CSF:A "Circle of Healing" apobgy ceremony will tak ep lace tomorrow f or victimsof abase by clergyor Church employees.What willyou say to these abuse victims? Archbishop Levada: I think it is important for the victims to hear what a shock and scandal this has been to all of us in the Church - bishops, priests, parishioners. The trauma suffered by abuse victims is unique and their suffering is hard to understand until we sit down and hear them tell us how difficult their lives have been because of the abuse. While I welcome this opportunity to participate in this apology ceremony; I don 't expect immediate healing and reconciliation to take place in every case. But the point I will want to make to victims is that they have a role in this ongoing process of healing and restoration -in the Church and society. In a certain sense, even by reporting what has happened to them and what die abuse has done to them, they are teachers. So we learn from them, and tiiis is an YEAR LIKE NO OTHER, page 12
Two priests to be ordained for Archdiocese By Tom Burke ev. Mr. Augosto Villote, and Rev. Mr. Francisco Gamez will be ordained priests R , for the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Archbishop William J. Levada on June 14, at St. M ary 's Cathedral at 10 a.m. Catholic San Francisco recently spok e with the men at St. Patricks' Seminary,Meulo Park.
Francisco Gamez: Do not be afraid
Francisco Gamez was born November 6, 1973He is a native of Monterrey, Mexico and attended six
Francisco Gamez
Augusto Villote
years of seminary there. Following a yearlong break j : from studies, he came to America in 1999 to study at St. Patrick Seminary. His immediate famil y including father, Alejandro , mother, Clara, brother Oscar and sister, Clara continue to live in Mexico. "I thought about priesthood at 15 years of age following a retreat which left me with the idea that Christ was asking me to follow him, " Francisco said. His mom 's dictate that he would not enter the seminary until he graduated high school, however, put pursuit of the vocation aside until he was 18. ORDAIN, page JO
Sesquicentennial events... 3
Biking to battle p overty ~ Page 7 ~
Go west, young sisters ~ Page 16-17 ~
Clergy appointments
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Pope in Croatia
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Hard Sayings
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Datebook
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Good Grounds
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Question Corner . . . . . . . 21