*!*!*!*!*!*!*! H E L P *!*!*!*!*!*! RIGHT NOW Catholic Persecution

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ChristsSoldier

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Below is a letter from the ArchBishop of Denver.
Time to act Coloradoians!
Anyone can email these leaders. Please act!

LINK - capwiz.com/cocatholicconference/issues/alert/?alertid=8466996&type=CU

Subject:
Demand equal protection of our children from sexual abuse and misconduct – Oppose SB143
Justice for children of sexual abuse and misconduct should apply to all institutions private or public

Archbishop’s Letter:
Dear friend,
I’d be very grateful if you made these two articles as widely known as possible with your friends, colleagues and parish communities: archden.org/dcr/news.php?e=350&s=4&a=7337

and
rockymountainnews.com/drmn/speak_out/article/0,2777,DRMN_23970_4404152,00.html

Last week, meeting with our priests from around the archdiocese, I mentioned the very dangerous nature of some of the legislation the Catholic community is likely to face during this spring’s Colorado General Assembly. House bills 1088 and 1090 – and especially Senate bill 143 – may have hugely damaging effects on our Catholic community if enacted without substantial amendment. Each is an example of bad law and incomplete treatment of the sexual abuse issue. Worse, Senate bill 143 has the additional, deliberate effect of selectively punishing Catholic institutions and organizations.

This is a very serious threat to our Catholic community, unlike anything in recent decades. The people of the archdiocese need to be alert to these bills, the damage they will cause, and the crippling consequences they could have for every ministry of the Church in northern Colorado. They also need to contact their state lawmakers and demand that these inadequate and prejudicial bills be defeated.

Thank you in advance for your help in this important matter.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
+cjc
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver

An effective way to communicate with Colorado’s elected officials is to click on the link above and send an email. To be even more effective consider following up to that email with a phone call or personal letter to each of the sponsors of various bills described above.

Senate Bill 143
Representative Alice Madden
Colorado State Capitol
200 East Colfax
Denver CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-2348
E-mail: alice.madden.house@state.co.us

Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald
Colorado State Capitol
200 East Colfax
Denver CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-3342
E-mail: joan.fitzgerald.senate@state.co.us

Additionally please contact your elected officials and tell them to vote no on each of the bills. To find the name and contact information of your Colorado State Representative and Colorado State Senator please visit our website at www.cocatholicconference.org and simply enter your zip code. Then click on view the “my elected officials - elected officials in my area” tab and enter your address.

Your local Catholic newspapers will also carry contact information in the coming issues.
Please contact the Colorado Catholic Conference at 303-894-8808 for more information and any questions on this very important matter.

Colorado Catholic Conference advocacy efforts flow from the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, especially the call to protect the dignity and sanctity of all human life, serve the poor, nurture the family and promote the common good. Thank you for your participation.
 
Colorado’s Catholic Governor:

Governorowens@state.co.us

February 12, 2006

Governor Bill Owens
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203

Dear Governor Owens,

I am writing to ask you help to reject and oppose any statute of limitation reform bill
that does not protect all children, those that attend public and private
schools. Whereas I commend our elected officials for drawing attention
to the horrific crime of child abuse in our state, I believe that Senate
Bill 143 does nothing to change the current inequities in the law.
Currently, SECTION 2. 24-10-106(1) of the Colorado Revised Statutes, allow
7 partial waivers of sovereign immunity protections. None of these 7
exceptions include a wavier for sexual abuse or misconduct of children in
public schools. The Catholic Bishop’s of Colorado have currently raised my
awareness regarding Colorado law affecting civil child abuse cases in
Colorado. They have made me aware that “Colorado’s application of
sovereign immunity sharply limits a family’s ability to sue a public
school district, or similar public institutions, for the sexual abuse of
their child or any other damaging activity. But the real situation in our
state is even more troubling than that. Under Colorado law, even if there
were no sovereign immunity, the victim of a public school teacher’s
misconduct must initiate his or her claim by filing a formal notice no
later than 180 days after the incident. Moreover, the damages for such
claims against government defendants are capped at $150,000… Every victim
of sexual abuse suffers deeply and deserves our compassion. But the facts
clearly show that the sexual abuse of minors is in no way a uniquely — or
even disproportionately — ‘Catholic’ problem.”

Senate Bill 143 would modify statutes of limitation so that the victim
could wait 40 years or longer before filing a suit for damages against
Catholic institutions and other private entities in Colorado. Protection
of Colorado’s children should be a top priority of our elected officials.
This protection should be provided to all children regardless if they
attend or participate in public or private institutions. None of the
bills apply to any child who has been abused at his or her public school.
Since 1997, over 100 teachers have lost their teaching license because of
sexual abuse and misconduct towards children. All of the bills unfairly
targets private institutions, including the Catholic Church, while
ignoring and allowing the same horrific crimes in public schools to go
unnoticed with unequal consequences. The bills raise some serious
concerns about inequality in the law and hints at intolerance of the
Catholic Church.

I cannot support a bill, nor should you, that does not provide equal
protection to all of the children in Colorado. I ask for you to recognize
that all children, specifically victims of sexual abuse, should have
adequate and equal civil remedies, and look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
 
Sen. President Joan Fitz-Gerald’s Office Number
303-866-2318
 
THANK YOU!

Yes this is ‘our’ problem. The sad thing is the lawyers can’t fix this one if it passes. Once court cases pass through Colorado, the Fed Courts will most likely not over rule…

Keep forwarding / calling. They meeting is at 1330hrs mountain.

Peace!
CS
 
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ChristsSoldier:
THANK YOU!

Yes this is ‘our’ problem. The sad thing is the lawyers can’t fix this one if it passes. Once court cases pass through Colorado, the Fed Courts will most likely not over rule…

Keep forwarding / calling. They meeting is at 1330hrs mountain.

Peace!
CS
Click to expand...
So even if the state of Colorado does approve of this bill, the Federal Courts can’t overrule it?
 
Pealse note, the Colorado bills have already been amended.

Church sways sex-abuse bills

Facing intense lobbying pressure from the Roman Catholic Church, Democratic lawmakers said Saturday they are crafting legislation that would make it easier to sue not only churches and private entities but also public schools when adequate steps are not taken against child molesters.

State Rep. Terrance Carroll, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, say House members are putting together legislation that would create a new exception to the state’s governmental immunity law, which puts up barriers to suing schools and other public bodies.

more
 
From the screaming title of the thread, it seems we need to contemplate what it means to have peace in our hearts.
 
Calm? :eek:
Me? :confused:
Of course. 😃

Be Blessed,
Sorry for all the ‘flagging’. I was unable to posts new threads over the much of the weekend for some reason (new pop-up / firewall software?) and didn’t get this thread listed until ‘much’ later than I had hoped…

As is what has become the norm out here, the Post’s article linked Amaranth’s reply seemed to have been a smoke screen.

The bill passed by a large margin, opening the Catholic Church in Colorado to law suits for event reaching back 50years (to be judged on today’s standards of couseling of course). The bill also contained limitation as to what arguments the church can offer, and on what conditions the jury can find in favor of the church… Little of these details will be found in this post article.

denverpost.com/news/ci_3506986

Bones, it is ‘most’ likely that once this bill is Colorado law, and State judges declare rulings on these laws, that the Fed courts would not over turn the state’s finding…

Short of prayers, little can be done now… My three largest concerns (barring sins of omission due to a firewall upgrade :o ) were:
  1. While the poor souls who have been abused are entitled to justice, this law is focused like a laser on the Church and ties their hands in defense. It is unfair in balance. 2/3rd of Catholic Children in Colorado go to public schools - so it isn’t really about protecting Catholic children today either…
  2. The bill looks at church property very much in a ‘Geez the great, big, Vatican can afford it’ which is not the case - as is evident in Portland.
    3.If this law is so important, why is it only in effect for two years? I guess this is all the time needed for pillage.
I truly see that the abused are ‘abused’ and honestly can not think of anything worse than someone so trusted as a Priest committing the act. But It is important that the playing field be level and at the very least the Churches actions in this matter since 1990 be taken into account.

Sadly it will not be in my state, perhaps if Boston had gone different…

Peace
CS
 
The Catholic Church should never in any way submit to the ruling of any government court. The Catholic Church is not answerable to any government authority.

The bishops should never have paid out any money as a result of lawsuits. This was a terrible mistake.
 
Chris Jacobsen:
The Catholic Church should never in any way submit to the ruling of any government court. The Catholic Church is not answerable to any government authority.

The bishops should never have paid out any money as a result of lawsuits. This was a terrible mistake.
Click to expand...
obviously you do not know any victims personally.
 
Chris Jacobsen:
The Catholic Church should never in any way submit to the ruling of any government court. The Catholic Church is not answerable to any government authority.

The bishops should never have paid out any money as a result of lawsuits. This was a terrible mistake.
Click to expand...
Be Blessed
A foolish statement I hope you didn’t mean…
You obviously do not understand the logistics of ‘money’ in our church.

Peace,
CS
 
“When we pay honor to the princely dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the State; and that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching ruling and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the Kingdom of Christ, she cannot be subject to any external power.” Pope Pius XI Quas Primas, para. 31

I stand by what I have said.
 
Chris Jacobsen:
The Catholic Church should never in any way submit to the ruling of any government court. The Catholic Church is not answerable to any government authority.

The bishops should never have paid out any money as a result of lawsuits. This was a terrible mistake.
Click to expand...
Are you suggesting the church should have refused to pay if the courts ruled in favor of the victims and awarded the victims a settlement? Just wanting to clarify.
 
40.png
snoopy:
Are you suggesting the church should have refused to pay if the courts ruled in favor of the victims and awarded the victims a settlement? Just wanting to clarify.
Click to expand...
Yes, I am suggesting that.
 
Chris Jacobsen:
Yes, I am suggesting that.
Click to expand...
You are taking the pope’s statement places he never intended, and you have a very interesting sense of justice to those abused by priests, and by the bishops who in some circumstances did not act to protect other future victims.

I have my doubts that rules of evidence and rules specific to a single group will withstand constitutional scrutiny. It may be a long battle, but laws of jurisprudence need to be even handed or they are struck down.

None the less, the old Jewish addage that the sins of the father will be upon his children to - how many generations? - comes to mind.
 
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