Cardinal resigns amid London property scandal

The head of the Vatican’s saint-making office has resigned and renounced his rights as a cardinal amid a financial scandal involving a multi-million pound London property deal.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s shock departure from the post was revealed in a tight-lipped announcement last night, in which the Holy See said only that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints “and his rights connected to the cardinalate”.

Becciu has reportedly been implicated in the scandal that has lost the Holy See millions of pounds in fees paid to middlemen. It remains unclear if his resignation is connected to his former role managing the Vatican’s asset portfolio. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The problems date back to 2014, when the Vatican invested more than $200million (£156 million) in a fund run by an Italian businessman.

The deal gave the Holy See 45 per cent of 60 Sloane Avenue, a luxury development in Chelsea. At the time Becciu was the Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, and reportedly was said to have personally authorised the investment. The Holy See decided in November 2018 to exit the fund, end its relationship with the businessman and buy out the remainder of the building.

The buyout deal cost the Holy See tens of millions of pounds more and sparked the Vatican investigation.

Becciu has pointed out that he had left the secretariat by the time of the buyout deal. A year-long inquiry into the scandal has seen a prosecutor place several Vatican officials under investigation as well as the middlemen, though not Becciu.

Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has said the whole matter was “opaque” and needed to be clarified.

The Pope has vowed to get to the bottom of what he has said was evidence of corruption in the Holy See.

Reference: Evening Standard: MIchael Howie 1 day ago: 25/09/2020

Japan Catholic Church sued for damages in alleged sex abuse

TOKYO (AP) — A woman has filed a suit against the Roman Catholic Church in Japan alleging that a priest raped her four decades ago, as the church's unfolding worldwide sexual abuse crisis gradually reaches Japan.

The civil lawsuit, filed this week in Sendai District Court, seeks 56.1 million yen ($534,000) in damages. It accuses a priest, who has not been charged or penalized, as well as a bishop who counseled the woman in recent years about the alleged abuse.

The suit, which also accuses the Diocese of Sendai in northeastern Japan, says the church refused to take the complaints seriously, causing psychological pain.

“I have filed this lawsuit to claim back the dignity I have lost, and to try to end this serious crime that is a violation of humanity,” said Harumi Suzuki, who has gone public with her name.

She said she lived through “more than 40 years of hell,” but wants to raise her voice for other abuse survivors.

“You are innocent, and you are not alone,” she said in a statement.

The Rev. Shiro Komatsu at the Sendai diocese said it has no comment because it has not seen the lawsuit.

Documents seen by The Associated Press show the diocese carried out an investigation by third-party lawyers into her case in 2016.

The investigation determined that the sexual act likely occurred but decided no criminal or civil responsibility could be pursued, given the passage of time and that the priest may have thought the act was consensual. Suzuki denies she consented.

The bishop, Martin Testuo Hiraga, who met often with Suzuki, has said it was hard to arrive at a solution and the priest has denied the allegations. The priest was not available for comment.

The priest is identified in the lawsuit, but lawyers for Suzuki requested that his name not be reported, for fear of a possible defamation lawsuit under Japanese law.

Suzuki, a Catholic, was a victim of domestic violence in 1977 and turned to the priest for consolation, according to the lawsuit. She was raped in the upstairs bedroom of the church during a counseling session, and suffered depression for years, it says.

“The Catholic Church is a giant organization of power for the believers and has their unconditional trust,” the lawsuit says. “Sexual violence by the clergy on members of the congregation is an extremely despicable act that takes advantage of the absolute inequality in power.”

Pressures are strong in conformity-oriented Japan for women not to speak out against sexual abuse. But the #MeToo movement is gradually starting to take off.

Yuma Sato, Suzuki’s attorney, said Japan’s justice system makes it very difficult to claim damages from sexual abuse unless acted on within a few years.

“But I hope this case sends a message about an effort to create change,” Sato said.

“We also want Japanese society to learn more about the problems in the church, its secrecy, its coverups and how perpetrators are going unpunished.”

Reference: By YURI KAGEYAMA, Associated Press 1 day ago: 25/09/2020

Royal wedding preacher Bishop Michael Curry says he could 'feel the presence of slaves' at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials and calls it a 'sign of hope' for the future

Bishop Michael Curry reflected on the royal wedding in an interview with People. Claims to have felt the presence and heard the voices of slaves while preaching. He said the moment was a sign of hope that things don't have to stay the same. The 67-year-old delivered the sermon at Meghan and Harry's nuptials in 2018

Bishop Curry, from Chicago, who delivered a 14-minute sermon during Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 39, wedding, said in an interview with People: 'After I preached the sermon, I just remember it was like I could feel slaves around the place. I don't mean to be spooky, but it was like their voice was somehow heard that day.' He explained that the Queen was 'gracious' about including the hymn Balm in Gilead, which was sang by slaves to lighten their misery.

Bishop Curry added that the move had all been 'a sign of hope' and he felt it was a positive sign of 'change' to come. The royal preacher explained: 'It was like their voice, one of their songs, one of their descendants was there that day.'

Bishop Michael Curry said the combination of things that occurred throughout the wedding was a marker of hope revealing how one 'who descends from people who were captured in the slave trade, probably the British slave trade, is brought from the shores of West Africa, to the shores of America.'

He added: 'That one of their descendants was in the presence of the Queen of England, and she quoted one of their songs.

'That's hope that we don't have to be the way we've always been.' The Bishop added that he sees many of his own values displayed by Meghan and hopes her platform will encourage others. Speaking about Meghan's recent activism, he said: 'We need people to lift up other people.

'There's enough negativity and enough putting people down, there's enough hurt. We don't need any more hurt.' In Britain alone over 17 million viewers tuned in to watch the royal wedding, in addition to many more people in a variety of countries across the globe.

Bishop Michael Curry, who was labelled passionate after being given the opportunity to speak freely about whatever he thought would be appropriate at the wedding, presented a sermon entitled 'The Power of Love'.

While he is no longer in contact with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the 67-year-old has spoken on numerous occasions about the love he felt between the couple and its power to bring unity across borders.

Speaking during the sermon, he said: 'Oh there's power, power in love. Not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love.' He claims to have had more conversations about life and love since the wedding than in the past 40 years.

Bishop Michael Curry has now penned a book featuring the same themes of love, power and hope, which includes his fight to gain recognition of LGBTQ people in the Episcopal Church. The royal preacher also delves into the challenges he has experienced throughout his life and the work he has done as a civil rights activist.

He explained the main lesson his book aims to teach is that it's possible to live a life based in an unselfish love, that seeks the best interest of others as well as yourself.

Reference: MailonLine: By LATOYA GAYLE FOR MAILONLINE: PUBLISHED: 10:34, 23 September 2020 | UPDATED: 13:14, 23 September 2020