The Catholic Weekly 26 July 2020

14 26, July, 2020 W orld catholicweekly.com.au Free book argues against nuclear ANENGLISHversionof a book by Japan’s bishops appeal- ing for the abolition of nuclear power is now available for free on the internet, reported ucan- ews.com . Abolition of Nuclear Power: An Appeal from the Catholic Church in Japan is available as a PDF file on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan. The bishops wrote the book after Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station suffered a serious accident including a meltdown after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The bishops concluded that nuclear power generation should be immediately abol- ished in the face of the insolu- ble dangers it presents, includ- ing widespread health damage to children. They worked with research- ers in various fields to explore the damage caused by the Fuk- ushima accident, the technical and sociological limitations of nuclear power production, and ethical and theological consid- erations concerning it. They said they believe that Japan, having suffered such a severe nuclear accident, has a responsibility to inform the world of the reality of the dam- age and to appeal for the aboli- tion of nuclear power. Once a severe accident oc- curs, they argue, nuclear power generation destroys the envi- ronment over a wide area for generations and damages the right to life and livelihood. Nuclear power is essentially incompatible with the image of the earth as a symbiotic socie- ty, which Pope Francis shows inhis encyclical Laudato Si’, the bishops say. In November 2019, the pope visited Japan and met with victims of the earth- quake and Fukushima acci- dent. During an inflight news conference while returning to Rome, he said: “A nuclear dis- aster from a nuclear plant will be a huge disaster. And safety measures have not yet been developed.” - CNS HIROSHIMA AT 75 P16 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. PHOTO: CNS, REUTER Governor’s prayer An American state leader appeals for prayer and fasting to end Covid pandemic THE VATICAN’S Congrega- tion for the Doctrine of the Faith released a 17-page doc- ument offering a step-by- step guide for how bishops, religious superiors and can- on lawyers are supposed to handle accusations of alleged abuse by clerics against mi- nors. While nothing in the text is new, nor does it reflect any change to current church law, the handbook is meant to present clear and precise di- rections, procedures as well as attitudes church leaders should have toward victims, the accused, civil authorities and the media. Cardinal Luis Ladaria, ¾ ¾ Carol Glatz prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the handbook, called the Vademecum , was the result of numerous requests by bish- ops and superiors of men’s and women’s religious orders “to have at their disposal a tool that could help them in the delicate task of correctly conducting cases regarding deacons, priests and bishops when they are accused of the sexual abuse of minors.” Some of the more notable clarifications of current norms and procedures include: l Information about al- leged abuse does not have to come as a formal complaint to an ordinary. The church leader can learn about it from a third party, anonymous sources and even through social media. “It is not advis- able to dismiss the matter” outright, it said, no matter how dubious or uncertain the claim. l In the case of an accu- sation being made during confession, the priest must respect the sacramental seal, however he “should seek to convince the penitent tomake that information known by other means, in order to en- able the appropriate authori- ties to take action.” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and his delegation meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2017. PHOTO: CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, HANDOUT l Upon learning of an alle- gation, the ordinary “ought” to begin a preliminary investiga- tion and gather and safeguard evidence. Even if the report is determined to be unfounded, the accusation, all documen- tation and an explanation for the ordinary’s decision should be kept and a note about the decision should be sent to the doctrinal congregation. l “Even in cases where there is no explicit legal obli- gation to do so, the ecclesias- tical authorities should make a report to the competent civil authorities if this is consid- ered necessary to protect the person involved or other mi- nors from the danger of fur- ther criminal acts.” - CNS [The document] was the result of numer- ous requests by bishops and superiors ... to have at their disposal a tool that could help them in the delicate task of correctly conducting cases regarding deacons, priests and bishops when they are ac- cused of the sexual abuse of minors” Cardinal Luis Ladaria Vatican issues abuse response guide INAN extraordinarymove the US state of Louisiana’s gover- nor will be skipping lunch next week, and is encouraging Louisianans of all faiths to do the same. The governor – roughly the equivalent of a state Pre- mier in Australia – has called for three days of prayer and fasting for people affected by coronavirus, the Catholic Culture news website report- ed. New Orleans’ archbishop says he hopes Catholics of the state will join in. During a press conference to discuss the state’s response to COVID-19, Governor John Bel Edwards acknowledged that his latest attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus is “a little bit unusual,” but said he believes it will bear fruit for the state. “I’m going to call for three days of fasting and prayer for our state, for July 20 through [to] the 22nd,” said Edwards, explaining that he received a request for the spiritual prac- tice during a call with reli- gious leaders from across the state. Prayer and fasting are “a spiritual diet and exercise that I as a Catholic Christian believe is very important, an- yway,” said Edwards. The governor said he would from lunch on Monday until Wednesday of this week, be “praying for the people of Louisiana,” especially the sick, their caretakers, and the families of those who have died from COVID-19. “So if you’re inclined, please join me and the First Lady and faith leaders of Lou- isiana, regardless of your de- nomination or your religion, and we would ask that you join us in prayerful reflection and fasting,” he said. The gov- ernor previously called for a statewide day of prayer and fasting for those affected by coronavirus on 24 March. Archbishop Gregory Ay- mond of New Orleans, who was diagnosed with COV- ID-19 in March and recov- ered from the disease in April, posted on Facebook that he also encouraged people to fast next week. “I encourage people of all faiths to pray for those who have died from the Corona- virus, for the healing of those who are sick at the pres- ent time, for caregivers and healthcare workers on the front lines, and for our protec- tion throughout the world and particularly in our own state that the virus may come un- der control,” wrote Aymond. The New Orleans archbish- op further reminded people that they must follow instruc- tions related to masking and social distancing. “We know that God hears our prayers, and we must co- operate with him in doing our part to make certain that we do not spread the virus by ad- hering to the governor’s call for masks and social distanc- ing. With the governor, I also invite all people of faith and goodwill to fast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,” he wrote. Fasting from a meal, explained Aymond, is a form of prayer. By fasting, Aymond said that “we by our actions say ‘God I hunger more for your protection and our safety than I do for food. Come to our help!’” Following his recovery fromCOVID-19, Aymond flew over the city of NewOrleans in a World War II-era plane and blessed the city with holy wa- ter on Good Friday. - CNS