Strong Pro-Life / Anti-Abortion Scranton, PA Roman ...
Strong Pro-Life / Anti-Abortion Scranton, PA Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Martino
forced to resign by the Vatican / Pope ? That is what the sum of evidence indicates.
The Vatican / Rome's Pope appoints all the Roman Catholic Bishops and Cardinals.
Steve Lefemine
Columbia Christians for Life
September 7, 2009
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TIME
Was an Anti-Abortion Bishop Too Outspoken?
time/nation/article/0,8599,1919969,00.html
By Amy Sullivan Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009
Outspoken Anti-Abortion Roman Catholic Bishop in Scranton, PA
Summoned to Rome, Submitted Resignation
Scranton Bishop Announces Resignation in Press Conference, Scranton, PA, August 31, 2009
Pro-Life / Anti-Abortion Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino
- Including United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Press Release:
"Pope Accepts Resignation Of Scranton Bishops"
2009-09-03-Outspoken-Anti-Abortion-RC-Bishop-Scranton-PA-Summoned-to-Rome-Submitted-Resignation-Press-Conf-08-31-09.doc
While Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O'Malley honors pro-abortion extremist U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy at Boston Funeral Mass; Strongly pro-life / anti-abortion Scranton (PA) Bishop Joseph Martino gets the Vatican / Papal "boot" !
Boston Archbishop, Cardinal Sean O'Malley presides in the Roman Catholic Funeral Mass
for Pro-Child-Murder-by-Abortion, Pro-Sodomite, Pro-Amnesty-for-Illegal-Aliens, Socialist Oath-Breaker U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, Saturday, August 29 , 2009
2009-09-02-Boston-Archbishop-Cardinal-O'Malley-Roman-Catholic-Funeral-Mass-Pro-Child-Murder-by-Abortion-Ted-Kennedy-08-29-09.doc
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Why is this important story not being reported more widely by so-called
"conservatives" and the so-called "Christian" media ??? It has been
well-reported by Roman Catholic media, and Roman Catholic pro-lifers.
Although this important, revealing story has not been widely reported, not by "conservative"
talk shows, nor even by the otherwise (largely) conservative, Christian (though unfortunately
quite ecumenical) on-line news source, World Net Daily (), it has been thoroughly
reported upon, with numerous articles, by the Scranton Times-Tribune (covering the Scranton Diocese
of now-(forcibly ?)-retired Bishop Joseph Martino, and The Philadelphia Inquirer (covering the Philadelphia
Archdiocese of Cardinal Justin Rigali).
Below are several articles from the Scranton Times-Tribune and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
It will be very telling indeed of the ecumenically-compromised condition of the
so-called "Christian" and "conservative" media, if this story remains unpublicized,
in what appears to be the firing of an outspoken, strongly pro-life/anti-abortion
Roman Catholic Bishop in Scranton, PA, by the hand of Rome / the Vatican / the Pope.
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Video: Bishop Martino resignation news conference
Full video of the Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, press conference
announcing the retirement of Bishop Joseph F. Martino:
news/video_bishop_martino_resignation_news_conference
Published: August 31, 2009
_____________________________________________________________________
Prepared Statement
Statement of Bishop Joseph F. Martino
August 31, 2009
Statement of Bishop Joseph F. Martino
SCRANTON, Pa. (Diocese of Scranton) - August 31, 2009
national/national_story.php?id=34345
Prepared Statement
Cardinal Justin F. Rigali
Archbishop of Philadelphia
PRESS CONFERENCE REMARKS
Diocese of Scranton
August 31, 2009
_____________________________________________________________________
Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Video: Bishop Martino's resignation
news/vatican_accepts_martino_s_resignation_interim_leaders_announced#
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Bishop Martino comments on abortion
news/vatican_accepts_martino_s_resignation_interim_leaders_announced#
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Vatican accepts Martino's resignation, interim leaders announced
news/vatican_accepts_martino_s_resignation_interim_leaders_announced
Published: August 31, 2009
[emphasis added]
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadephia, left, speaks during a press conference announcing
Bishop Joseph F. Martino's resignation, right. (Michael J. Mullen/Staff Photographer)
The Vatican accepted the resignations of Bishop Joseph F. Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty this morning.
The brief official announcement was delivered through the Holy See's [ CCL: i.e., the VATICAN'S ] daily news bulletin
at around 6:15 a.m.
A temporary administrator, Cardinal Justin Rigali the head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and metropolitan
for the province that includes the Diocese of Scranton, has been appointed to lead the diocese until the Vatican
names a new bishop.
[ CCL: Key point: The Vatican / Pope appoints the American Bishops !!! - so when the
American Bishops do not support Personhood Bills in state after state, year after year,
this could not be sustained without the Vatican / Pope's at-a-minimum, acceptance,
and more likely, at the Vatican / Pope's INSTRUCTIONS ! ]
Msgr. Joseph Bambera, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary of Czestochowa parishes in Archbald, will oversee the
day-to-day operations of the diocese, Cardinal Rigali said Monday morning at a news conference in Scranton.
Cardinal Rigali appeared with Bishop Martino and others at the news conference, broadcast live on Catholic Television (CTV).
(Watch it in full here) ( )
Speaking at that news conference, Bishop Martino confirmed his resignation and said he has suffered from "insomnia and crippling physical fatigue."
"As the song says, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them," Bishop Martino said. "And I think it's time
to move on."
Bishop Martino defended his controversial actions to close and consolidate schools and parishes. "Something had to be
done to halt the rapid financial decline of our diocese," he said.
He also asked forgiveness of any who feel he did not serve the diocese well enough, because of his "human limitations."
Bishop Martino said he first submitted his resignation to the Vatican in early June, which began a long process
of reviewing and accepting it.
Bishop Martino said he now becomes the "Retired Bishop of Scranton." He has no immediate plans, will reside in Dalton
and still spend some time here, and hopes to be "helpful."
Bishop Martino's resignation at the age of 63 is unusual – it comes more than a decade before the age, 75, at which
bishops must submit their resignations under canon law – and caps six years of a tumultuous tenure as head of the
11-county diocese.
Auxiliary Bishop Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican more than two years ago, when he turned 75,
but it has not been accepted until now.
Check back for updates throughout the day. Click here to sign up for text message and e-mail alerts.
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Bishop Martino resigns, feels "free" after a tumultuous tenure
bishop_martino_resigns_feels_free_after_a_tumultuous_tenure
Published: September 1, 2009
[emphasis added]
Bishop Joseph F. Martino ended his tumultuous six-year tenure as the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
on Monday by addressing the exhausting stress of the office and acknowledging the rift he leaves behind.
At a 10 a.m. press conference in the Guild Building on Wyoming Avenue - not far from the rectory he is vacating –
Bishop Martino said the sorrow he felt at leading a divided diocese led to "bouts of insomnia and at times a crippling
physical fatigue."
"I think by the world's standards I have not perhaps been successful here," he said, "but I believe in my heart
that I have been faithful."
The prelate shared a table at the news conference with Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, the head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
and metropolitan for the province that includes the Diocese of Scranton, who has been appointed by the Vatican
to lead the diocese until a new bishop is installed.
Bishop Martino's "right hand," Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty, 77, who sat quietly at the end of the table, also
retired Monday, two years after he submitted his resignation to the Vatican as required by canon law.
Cardinal Rigali announced at the news conference he has selected Monsignor Joseph Bambera, pastor of
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary of Czestochowa parishes in Archbald, to be his local delegate and oversee
the day-to-day operations of the diocese.
Monsignor Bambera, whose church ceiling recently collapsed, linked his "awestruck" feeling about his new post
to that unexpected event, in part because Cardinal Rigali first called him about the post only a day after the cave-in.
"I continue to feel things falling on my head," he said.
Cardinal Rigali oversees an archdiocese of 1.5 million and the Diocese of Scranton adds about 350,000 parishioners
to his care.
He called his appointment as apostolic administrator "an honor" and indicated the ways the diocese has been both
"richly blessed" and strained.
"So much of the meaning of Christianity is captured in the words of St. Paul," he said: "'Bear one another's burdens
and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.'
"These words... are actually lived here in the Diocese of Scranton in a very profound way by so many people," he said.
Bishop Martino said Monday he hopes his legacy will be the ongoing process he began of restructuring and rejuvenating parishes, which he believes will create a "leaner" diocese with "greater energy... to do the work of God."
But his manner of administering that process, which closed several diocesan schools and will eventually halve the number
of existing parishes, also contributed to feelings of disaffection among parishioners and priests that will equally mark his legacy.
His time in the diocese was filled with periods of controversy and unrest. He clashed with Catholic colleges, local and
national politicians, the Catholic teacher's union, parishioners and even his fellow bishops when he disagreed with them
on matters of church teaching.
Bishop Martino's tenure officially ended at dawn, with a notice from the Holy See [ CCL: i.e., the Vatican ]
that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted his resignation. But the process began in earnest nearly three months ago, when he submitted his resignation, and had seeds in a passing conversation Bishop Martino had with Cardinal Rigali
a year ago, he said.
"There were times when I thought that perhaps the best thing I could do for the diocese really would be to move on,"
he remembered telling the cardinal.
"Things roll along and you begin to realize a small thought is a very good thought that needs to be implemented," he said.
Bishop Martino's resignation at the age of 63 is unusual - it comes more than a decade before the age, 75, at which
bishops must submit their resignations under canon law.
His resignation was accepted under section 401.2, which allows for a bishop to leave the seat "because of illness or
some other grave reason" which has made him "unsuited for the fulfilment of his office."
Along with insomnia and physical fatigue as evidence of his ailments, the bishop cited stress and lowered immunity,
which he said led to three bouts of flu in the last six months. But he repeatedly down-played his maladies, saying he is
"certainly not... prostrate with illness" and has "nothing like" a chronic disease.
"I feel fine," he said at one point, and added that announcing his retirement made him feel "free" and "much lighter."
But he emphasized in prepared remarks the diocese "requires a bishop who is at least physically rigorous. I am not
that bishop."
His resignation, and the appointment of Cardinal Rigali as apostolic administrator, diverged in several ways from
common church practices.
Generally, a diocesan administrator with less power than a bishop is elected temporarily by a diocesan college of
consultors when a bishop's seat unexpectedly becomes vacant.
"The naming of an apostolic administrator indicates a crisis situation," said Rocco Palmo, the Philadelphia-based
church observer who writes the Catholic blog Whispers in the Loggia. Such appointments are rare, he said, and
"a cardinal serving as apostolic administrator is rarer still."
Equally rare, he said, is for a bishop to retire on grounds of health. The last time it happened, in 2007, was with
Bishop Joseph Charron of the Des Moines Diocese, then 67, who suffered from an inflammatory disorder.
"A bishop's resignation on grounds of ill health is only accepted in cases of significant debilitating illness, normally,"
Mr. Palmo said.
Joseph K. Grieboski, a Scranton native and the founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute
on Religion and Public Policy, said, it will remain a mystery "why Rome accepted his resignation at such
a young age and with no obvious physical malady."
But, "all of the indications are that this is a matter of great importance to Rome, by virtue of everything that's happening and the personalities involved."
Why Scranton would matter to Rome, he said, is based on the history, size and strength of the diocese.
People who become upset with diocesan leadership in "major cities" like New York, Los Angeles or Washington
rarely garner much notice, he said. "The majority of the population isn't Catholic and so it's hard to tell the real reasons,"
he said. "But in a bastion of Catholicism in the United States like Scranton, for people to become disaffected has
an impact."
Bishop Martino continues to count many supporters, both inside and outside the diocese, who remain devoted to him
and his leadership: About an hour before Monday's press conference, a woman darted in front of traffic to cross
Wyoming Avenue and shake the bishop's hand.
In the Guild Building, Bishop Martino expressed optimism both he and the diocese will move forward.
"I'm very pleased to let the church do something new for this diocese that will give it the life that it deserves," he said.
He will take up residence at the Fatima Renewal Center, the rural diocesan retreat at the former St. Pius X seminary,
where the self-proclaimed "bookworm" said he hopes to have some quiet.
"I think it's very, very important for a bishop ... to be a retired bishop," he said.
"You have to fade in order for the new bishop - you have to let them shine a little bit and not be haunting them."
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Editorials & Columns
Resignation ends difficult era for diocese
opinion/resignation_ends_difficult_era_for_diocese
Published: August 30, 2009
[emphasis added]
The impending resignation of Bishop Joseph F. Martino brings to a close a difficult era for the Diocese of Scranton
but does not resolve its future.
As reported by Laura Legere and Stacy Brown of The Times-Tribune, Bishop Martino will submit his resignation
Monday morning. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia and metropolitan for the province that
includes the Diocese of Scranton, will become the apostolic administrator of the diocese until the Vatican
names a new bishop.
Bishop Martino, who was named to head the diocese after serving as an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, had a difficult
business case to deal with when he arrived in October 2003. Many parishes and their related schools bled money.
Diocesan high schools faced shrinking enrollment. There was little doubt that he had to launch a series of
closings and consolidations.
That need certainly was not Bishop Martino's fault. Things had changed long before his arrival. Population had declined,
generally, and moved away from neighborhoods that once had sustained big old churches and parish schools.
Bishop Martino resolutely set about the task. But he seemed to lack a sense of the deep emotional impact that the process
inevitably would have on people throughout the diocese, where neighborhood churches long have been the centers not
just of spiritual life, but of community life. Those churches often had been built by the direct ancestors of people living
in those old neighborhoods - people who had graduated from the parish schools that they now had to close.
The bishop proved to be a poor communicator. He declined innumerable opportunities to state his case through the region's
secular but interested media, choosing instead to speak primarily through the diocesan media apparatus.
While given a tough task, Bishop Martino also inherited a diocese with a civic power structure - government, business,
professionals, media - that is predominantly Catholic. Yet the bishop chose a steadfastly insular path, failing to enlist
the aid of innumerable people beyond the chancery's door who could have provided assistance.
Bishop Martino also had a flair for political controversy. He waded deeper into political waters than any of his predecessors,
especially by suggesting that Catholic political candidates who did not adhere strictly to church policy in advocating
public policy, especially on abortion, should be denied Communion. That pleased conservative local Catholics while
offending others who viewed abortion as one of many social justice issues, and put him at odds even with a majority
of his peers [ CCL: i.e., other American Roman Catholic Bishops in the USCCB ] in the United States.
Tension characterized much of the Catholic community across the 11-county diocese during much of Bishop Martino's tenure.
Now Bishop Martino's successors, beginning with Cardinal Rigali, will inherit a difficult task of their own in replacing that
tension with good will while maintaining their spiritual mission.
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Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Bishops Martino and Dougherty due to step down
news/bishops_martino_and_dougherty_due_to_step_down
Published: August 29, 2009
[emphasis added]
Bishop Joseph F. Martino - a man known for his bookish intelligence, his outspoken devotion to
pro-life causes and his often combative and insular leadership style - will end his six-year tenure as the head
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton on Monday, the day the Vatican is expected to accept his resignation.
(UPDATE: The Vatican has officially accepted Bishop Martino's resignation)
Sources within and outside the diocese confirmed the move Friday, and said the Vatican will also announce its
acceptance of Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty's resignation Monday. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, head of
the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and metropolitan for the province that includes the Diocese of Scranton, will be
appointed to serve as the diocese's temporary leader until a successor bishop can be appointed, the sources said.
Bishop Dougherty, a well-respected and admired administrator who has served as auxiliary bishop since 1995,
submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican more than two years ago, when he turned 75, but it has not been
accepted until now.
Bishop Martino's resignation at the age of 63 is much less routine - sources in the diocese say it is due to health
reasons - but the startling news seemed fitting for the prelate, who has been a source of frequent and growing
controversy in the diocese since he was elevated to the role of bishop after Bishop James C. Timlin's retirement in 2003.
His tenure was marked by clashes with Catholic politicians, local Catholic universities, the Catholic teachers union,
his fellow American bishops, and parishioners and parents tied to churches and schools he closed. At the same time,
he was embraced by the local and national anti-abortion movement as an unflinching leader bearing a message about the importance of human life.
Officials with the diocese and archdiocese would not comment on the reported changes in leadership.
Bishop Martino stopped on Penn Avenue on Friday after a hair cut and said he could not comment on his resignation.
"I'm very sorry. You'll have to work with Bill Genello, OK," he said, referring to the diocesan spokesman.
The Diocese of Scranton announced a press conference will be held Monday at 10 a.m., but it did not reveal the subject
or place of the event. It will not be open to the public, but will be broadcast live on Catholic Television, and a video of the
event will be posted on the diocesan Web site.
In a press release, the diocese said it will not issue any comments prior to the news conference.
Donna Farrell, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said she could not comment on reports Cardinal Rigali
will assume a temporary leadership role as the apostolic administrator of the Northeast Pennsylvania diocese.
She did say Cardinal Rigali is in Rome at a regularly scheduled liturgical committee meeting. He is expected to return today,
she said.
According to a source within the diocese, there will also be a meeting Monday morning of the diocesan college of consultors,
a body of priests responsible for electing a temporary diocesan administrator when a bishop's seat becomes unexpectedly vacant. Attempts to confirm that meeting with members of the 11-person college were unsuccessful Friday.
Cardinal Rigali is reportedly expected to attend the Monday meeting and press conference, but Ms. Farrell said she could not comment when asked to confirm the cardinal's attendance.
Persistent rumors about a change in diocesan leadership spread widely in June when Bishop Martino was in Rome –
a visit sources say included a meeting with the Congregation for Bishops, the body that oversees prelates and
plays a key role in determining their appointments. Diocesan sources now say the bishop's current move had
roots in that meeting.
Speculation about Bishop Martino's future was further heightened earlier this week when The Times-Tribune reported
his belongings were being moved from the rectory adjacent to the diocese's mother church, St. Peter's Cathedral,
to a pastoral retreat at the church's former seminary in Dalton.
The Catholic blog Whispers in the Loggia, a respected chronicle of the international church, reported Friday some
of the bishop's belongings have also been transported to Philadelphia. That move could not be confirmed locally.
Bishop Martino said Friday he is moving to Dalton "because it's quiet out there" and referred to the disruption caused
by last week's fire at Community Bake Shop Building three blocks away from St. Peter's Cathedral Rectory.
"After the fire the other night, I decided I need a little quiet in my life," he said.
The bishop's tenure in Scranton has been more cacophony than quietude.
Faced with a dwindling number of priests and a shrinking population of worshippers in one of the most Catholic dioceses in the country, he oversaw the largest consolidation of schools and parishes in diocesan history.
He waged a bitter battle with members of the diocesasn teachers union after he refused to recognize the labor group
and instituted an employee relations program in its place.
He asked Misericordia University to consider closing its Diversity Institute after it hosted a gay-rights advocate at
an annual dinner.
And he frequently castigated public officials, parishioners, Catholic universities and even his fellow bishops for what
he saw as their failure to adequately uphold church teaching on abortion and contraception.
As early as 2004, he said he would "very, very seriously consider" denying Holy Communion to politicians who have
supported abortion rights [sic], then strengthened that promise during the prelude to the 2008 election, when he said
he would deny Communion to public officials, including then-vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, "who are Catholic
and who persist in public support for abortion and other intrinsic evils."
His most striking interjection into the debate came after his unannounced arrival at a political forum at a Honesdale church
in 2008, when he criticized the crowd for discussing a document released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that defined abortion and euthanasia, as well as racism, torture and genocide, as among the most important issues for Catholic voters.
"No social issue has caused the death of 50 million people," he told the audience at St. John's Catholic Church, then added, "This is madness, people."
In several public letters, Bishop Martino criticized the abortion-related voting record of Sen. Bob Casey - a Catholic Democrat from Scranton opposed to abortion rights [sic] - whom he accused of "cooperating with ... evil."
He threatened to close St. Peter's Cathedral during Scranton's St. Patrick's Day celebrations if local organizers honored
elected officials who support abortion rights[sic]; he sought documentation from four local Catholic universities to prove
they do not provide or encourage the use of contraceptives; and, at the national bishops' meeting in Baltimore last year,
he told fellow bishops they eventually will have to address their collective "reticence to speak to Catholic politicians who are not just reluctant, but stridently anti-life."
The bishop's high-profile controversy, and reports of low morale among the diocese's parishioners and priests, did not go unnoticed around the country and in Rome, church observers say.
"It's not the people who left the church that bothers Rome," said Joseph K. Grieboski, a Scranton native and founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Religion and Public Policy. "It's the people who stayed and are
disaffected.
"People who are going to leave are going to leave no matter what, and the bishop became an excuse. It's the people
who stayed and said, 'I stayed despite him,' that's what bothered Rome and that's what bothered his fellow bishops."
Bishop Martino sometimes publicly noted the strain he felt from the criticism that buffeted him since the start of his
Scranton career. While he was presiding over the 2006 funeral of Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan, the bishop
acknowledged some of those criticisms, saying they have weighed "more heavily on my thought."
But Bishop Martino was never apologetic about his outspoken stance on issues of church teaching that he thought
were not being followed. In a March letter to a local college, he "offer(ed) this postscript to those who criticize me for
taking public stances that may not be popular or 'politically correct,' or may not agree with their own personal notions
of what 'progressive' Catholic doctrine should be.
"My job as a bishop is to promulgate the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church to all the faithful," he wrote.
"I will continue to do so."
STACY BROWN, a staff writer, contributed to this report.
_____________________________________________________________________
Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Bishop's resignation draws mixed reactions
news/bishop_s_resignation_draws_mixed_reactions
Published: August 29, 2009
[emphasis added]
To some, Bishop Joseph F. Martino is a hero to the unborn, who came to Scranton with the tough task
of reorganizing parishes and keeping the diocese afloat.
To others, he alienated those he was meant to lead, creating a rift in the diocese and driving some people away from church.
News that the Vatican will be accepting the resignation of Bishop Martino brought sadness, shock, relief and even hope to various area Catholics on Friday.
On abortion
Area abortion-rights [sic] opponents expressed disappointment over the bishop's resignation. In the last year,
Bishop Martino had vowed to deny Holy Communion to Catholic lawmakers who support abortion.
"His support of pro-life has been absolutely crucial to the cause of the unborn," said Helen Gohsler, president
of the Scranton chapter of Pennsylvanians for Human Life. "He had been such a strong and outspoken advocate
for the right for life. We certainly will miss his influence."
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, whom the bishop frequently criticized publicly for taking a less staunch position against abortion
rights [sic] than the bishop believed he should, declined to comment on the bishop's resignation.
"The church has decisions they make, and they don't involve the work that I do, so no reason to comment," Mr. Casey said.
In October, Bishop Martino arrived unannounced at a forum on faith and politics in Honesdale and insisted abortion
must be the primary voting issue for Catholics.
William Parente, Ph.D., a Catholic and political science professor at the University of Scranton, was one of the speakers
at the event.
Although Dr. Parente said he agrees "politically and theologically with Bishop Martino," the bishop's lack of "communication skills and perhaps his lack of tact" has hurt the diocese, and he "sees his retreat from the diocese as the best solution for
the church locally," he said.
Surprise news
A steady rain and news Bishop Martino would be stepping down confronted parishioners as they left St. Peter's Cathedral
on Friday afternoon.
Members of the news media stood outside the cathedral after the noon Mass, to get reaction from many who were first told about the resignation by reporters.
"I have no reaction. It caught me by surprise," said Al Garren, 69, of Old Forge, adding he has great respect for the bishop.
"I think he did the best he could under the circumstances."
In Hazleton, Lenny Gibson, 89, said he felt sorry for the bishop.
"He was misjudged on a lot of decisions," Mr. Gibson said, as he was walking into Holy Rosary R.C. Church in Hazleton.
"His decisions were coming from higher up. He took a lot of the brunt, but that was his job," Mr. Gibson said. "I feel sorry
for him."
Hoping for change
The diocese's decisions to close schools, consolidate churches and refuse to recognize the teachers union are still on the
minds of many.
Michael Milz, a former diocesan teacher who has led the fight for the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers
to be recognized as a bargaining unit, was "glad" to hear the news.
"Most Catholics in the area would echo that, because for whatever reason, Bishop Martino has been unable or unwilling
to work with many people," Mr. Milz said. "We're hoping whoever comes in tries to repair the damage that is done by
Bishop Martino."
Anthony and Noreen Foti, parishioners at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wilkes-Barre, said they hope Bishop Martino's replacement will bring a new perspective to the closing of churches. The two are founding members of the Sacred Heart Wilkes-Barre Foundation, which is working to keep the North Main Street church open.
"This gives us much hope," Mrs. Foti said. "We're hopeful that this will mean a change in the dialogue with the diocese
and perhaps our concerns will be viewed from a new perspective."
The Hazleton area saw its only Catholic high school, Bishop Hafey, close in 2007 as part of the school consolidation.
"I think it's a shame that that man put this diocese through what the diocese went through," said Pat Owens, a non-Catholic
at the forefront of a movement to keep Bishop Hafey open.
'A marvelous man'
Bishop Martino was forced to deal with too few priests to staff numerous small churches and a financially unsuccessful school system that was draining funds from both parishes and the diocese, said the Rev. Thomas Cappelloni of Our Lady
of Grace Church in Hazleton.
"By the time Bishop Martino got here, he had a near impossible job," he said. "I don't know of a priest who wakes up and
wants to be nasty. There is no bishop that looks forward to having to close anything. It's a loss in his own diocese."
The Rev. Cappelloni called the bishop "intelligent, kind and caring," and "a very enjoyable person" who was willing to
sit down and talk about things.
"One on one, he was a marvelous man," the Rev. Cappelloni said. "I know in groups he was tense and formal."
The Rev. Cappelloni also spoke about the good Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty, who will also resign, has done
in the diocese.
"He is probably one of the finest church men I ever met. He is the most compassionate and caring person. I couldn't
speak highly enough about him.
"He's lived in absolute poverty all his life," the Rev. Cappelloni said. "I don't think he's kept a nickel of his salary.
He gave it all away."
Staff writers KELLY MONITZ and COULTER JONES contributed to this report.
_____________________________________________________________________
Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Dougherty's life of service
opinion/dougherty_s_life_of_service
Published: September 2, 2009
[emphasis added]
Broad administrative change is under way in the Catholic Diocese of Scranton, most particularly with
the unusual early resignation Monday of controversial Bishop Joseph F. Martino
Amid the tumult over Bishop Martino's resignation, it went unremarked that the Vatican also had accepted
the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop John Martin Dougherty, 77, two years after he was required to submit it at age 75.
Bishop Dougherty has served the diocese as a priest for 52 years.
continued...
_____________________________________________________________________
Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
Bishop intensifies message to Casey
news/1.6085
Published: April 30, 2009
For the first time publicly, Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino made it clear Wednesday he might bar
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey from receiving Communion if the senator doesn’t follow his advice on opposing abortion.
The bishop also said the senator should think twice about receiving Communion after voting Tuesday to confirm an
abortion rights [sic] supporter, former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as Health and Human Services secretary.
“If necessary, future determinations will be made regarding whether Sen. Casey is worthy to receive Holy Communion,”
according to a Diocese of Scranton statement on Mr. Casey’s vote. “However, at this point Bishop Martino believes
it is incumbent upon Sen. Casey to reflect on his actions and ask himself if he should receive the sacrament.”
The bishop said he plans to continue to monitor Mr. Casey’s positions and votes on “life issues.” He also believes he has
“a pastoral responsibility to instruct the senator about these serious moral issues” because Mr. Casey is a member of the diocese.
In letters last month and earlier this week, the bishop warned Mr. Casey against voting for Mrs. Sebelius.
As he has for months, Bishop Martino declined to make himself available for comment. “The bishop isn’t available for
an interview,” diocesan spokesman Dan Gallagher claimed in an e-mail.
Mr. Casey, who opposes abortion, declined to comment on the bishop’s new warning, but defended his support of Mrs. Sebelius.
“Although I disagree with her on some issues, including a number of the decisions she has made on abortion, I believe
my vote in favor of her confirmation was correct,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Casey also said:
Leaving the position vacant as the country faces a possible flu pandemic “would be highly irresponsible.”
The country cannot afford a further delay in appointing the official who will lead the fight to make sure more than
40 million uninsured Americans have health insurance and to reform the nation’s health care system.
Mrs. Sebelius has executive experience both as a governor and Kansas insurance commissioner that will help her
out her duties.
“While the secretary of HHS will have a limited role in defining abortion policy, I look forward to working with the
president to reduce the number of abortions through measures like my Pregnant Women’s Support Act legislation,”
Mr. Casey said in the statement.
The diocesan statement questions whether Mr. Casey is as opposed to abortion as he says he is and accuses him
of having an “inconsistent” voting record.
It praises Mr. Casey’s support for legislation to aid pregnant women and families, but says he voted:
Against restricting the payment of American tax dollars to foreign family planning groups that refuse to renounce abortion.
Mr. Casey says such groups are already forbidden from using American tax dollars for abortions and the new restriction is unnecessary.
To confirm Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan as solicitor general, despite her support of partial-birth abortion and
her opposition to withdrawing federal money from taxpayer-funded abortion clinics and funding for teen-pregnancy
counseling by religious institutions.
To confirm Mrs. Sebelius, who vetoed laws to restrict late-term abortions, including one that would have allowed lawsuits against doctors who perform abortions illegally and required late-term abortion providers to give “a fuller account” of each abortion. Mrs. Sebelius also took hundreds of thousands in contributions from “one of our nation’s most notorious abortionists.”
That’s “ample evidence for the anti-life evidence she will make in this key position,” the diocesan statement said.
______________________________________________________________________
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The Philadelphia Inquirer
Scranton bishop resigns, citing tensions
philly/news/local/56504007.html
Posted on Tue, Sep. 1, 2009
[emphasis added]
Bishop Joseph Martino of the Scranton diocese.
Saying the strains of leadership had proved too much for him, Bishop Joseph Martino announced yesterday
he was stepping down as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton after six contentious years.
Early resignations are unusual in the Catholic hierarchy, but Martino, 63, said he was suffering frequent
insomnia and sometimes "crippling" fatigue, and felt he could no longer lead effectively. The normal retirement age
for Catholic bishops is 75.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, will serve as interim leader of the 350,000-member
diocese, which comprises 11 northeastern counties.
Admired by the antiabortion movement for his advocacy, Martino's tenure was also marked by unpopular parish closings,
clashes with the local Catholic colleges, and battles with the Catholic teachers' union. He rarely appeared in public or spoke
to secular news media.
At a joint news conference with Rigali yesterday in Scranton, Martino acknowledged that his leadership style had been
unpopular with some clergy and laity. He finished his prepared remarks by saying, "I seek forgiveness from anyone
I may not have adequately served."
He declined all requests for interviews.
Rigali will continue to lead the nearly 1.5 million-member Philadelphia archdiocese while serving as Scranton's temporary
"apostolic administrator." He is senior bishop, or metropolitan, of Pennsylvania's 10 Catholic dioceses.
Martino's successor, Rigali said, likely would be named in about six months.
Although he will continue to live within the 11-county diocese, Martino will not perform any bishop's duties, including confirmations,
for at least the time being. "You have to fade" into the background, he said.
He said he had submitted his resignation to Rome on June 12 but did not receive authorization to step down until
the end of July. "It's a bit of a relief for me to have all of this out in public," he said.
A Philadelphia native and a graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Martino was
ordained in 1970 and made an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 1996. Pope John Paul II appointed him to Scranton in 2003.
A scholarly and accessible theologian who championed Mother Katherine Drexel's cause for sainthood, he inherited a diocese
mired in debt, and seemed to lack the skill to deliver palatable solutions.
He closed, or announced plans to close, 115 parishes - nearly half the total. He also lit a firestorm of resentment
in this pro-labor coal-mining region when he refused to recognize the Catholic teachers' union. The union lobbied for a bill
in the Pennsylvania legislature that would give religious-school teachers unprecedented protection under the state
Labor Relations Board - to the dismay of the state's other Catholic dioceses. The bill remains in committee.
Martino earned a national reputation for his opposition to abortion and his denunciations of officials who
favor abortion rights [sic], including President Obama.
He threatened to refuse Holy Communion to Vice President Biden and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, both
Scranton natives. Casey, a Democrat who opposes abortion, had voted for former Kansas Gov. Kathleen
Sebelius to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She supports abortion rights [sic].
Rigali, who already divides his time between Philadelphia and Rome, said he did not expect to be present regularly
in the diocese during the interim. He said Martino's predecessor as bishop, the Rev. James C. Timlin, and the retiring
auxiliary bishop, the Rev. John Dougherty, would handle confirmations and other liturgical functions for the near future.
Rigali appointed Msgr. Joseph Bambera, pastor of two parishes in Lackawanna County, to oversee the diocese's daily operations.
_____________________________________________________________________
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Bishop cites fatigue, insomnia in leaving Pa. post
philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/56349367.html
Posted on Mon, Aug. 31, 2009
[emphasis added]
Bradley C. Bower
FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2003 file photo, Bishop Joseph Martino prays at the St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, Pa.
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, accepted the early retirement of Martino,
a northeastern Pennsylvania bishop who critics say alienated parishioners with his leadership style.
(AP Photo/Bradley C. Bower, File)
The Associated Press
SCRANTON, Pa. - A Roman Catholic bishop criticized for his autocratic management style announced Monday
that he is stepping down for health reasons, saying that tension within the diocese about his ideas and governance style
led to insomnia and crippling physical fatigue.
Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino, 63, had been leading the northeastern Pennsylvania diocese since 2003 and
will be leaving more than a decade before the usual retirement age of 75.
"As the song says, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them," Martino said at a news conference.
"And I think it's time to move on."
Martino had been heavily criticized by some parishioners who felt his imperious leadership and staunch defense of
Catholic orthodoxy had alienated many in the diocese of 350,000. Supporters said Martino was simply enforcing
church doctrine.
The bishop conceded Monday that the stress has taken its toll.
"For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and people of the Diocese of Scranton
regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance," Martino said. "This development has caused me great sorrow,
resulting in bouts of insomnia and at times a crippling physical fatigue."
Martino said he submitted his resignation to the Vatican in June. Pope Benedict XVI accepted it Monday under
a provision of church law in which a bishop, due to illness or "some other grave reason, has become unsuited"
to carry out his duties.
The pope also accepted the resignation of Scranton's auxiliary bishop, John Dougherty, for reasons of age. Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican more than two years ago, when he turned 75, but it has not been accepted
until now.
Martino made headlines earlier this year when he blasted a local Catholic university for sponsoring a lecture by a
gay-rights advocate. He also threatened to cancel a traditional St. Patrick's Day parade Mass if event organizers
honored an abortion-rights [sic] supporter.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, who leads the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was appointed to oversee the Scranton diocese
until the Vatican appoints a new bishop. Monsignor Joseph Bambera, pastor of two parishes in Archbald,
will oversee the diocese's daily operations, Rigali said Monday.
Rumors of Martino's departure had been swirling for days after The Times-Tribune of Scranton reported last week that
workers had started moving furniture from the bishop's rectory residence in Scranton to a retreat home several miles away.
_____________________________________________________________________
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Cardinal Rigali named to oversee Scranton Diocese
philly/news/breaking/56355457.html
Posted on Mon, Aug. 31, 2009
[emphasis added]
Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, will serve as interim leader
of the Diocese of Scranton following the Bishop Joseph Martino's abrupt resignation.
At a joint news conference in Scranton this morning with Rigali, Martino, 62, said he was stepping down
after six years as head of the 350,000-member diocese, saying the strains of leadership had caused him
to suffer frequent insomnia and chronic fatigue.
Martino said he will continue to live within the 11-county diocese but will not conduct confirmations
or other episcopal duties in the immediate future.
A former auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, Martino was named head of the diocese in 2003, where
he earned a national reputation for his denunciations of pro-choice government officials.
He acknowledged that his aggressive closure of schools and parishes and his sometimes combative leadership style
had been unpopular with some clergy and the laity, and finished his prepared remarks by saying "I seek forgiveness
from anyone I may not have adequately served."
Rigali, who also serves on the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops which recommends episcopal assignments,
told the news conference he anticipated it would take about six months for Pope Benedict XVI to name
Martino's successor.
He said he did not expect to be physically present regularly in the diocese during the interim, but said the diocese's
previous bishop and retiring auxiliary bishop would handle confirmations and other liturgical functions in the meantime.
Rigali appointed Monsignor Joseph Bambera, pastor of two parishes in Archbald, to oversee the diocese's daily operations.
_____________________________________________________________________
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Scranton's Bishop Martino reportedly resigning
philly/news/local/56029527.html
Posted on Sat, Aug. 29, 2009
[emphasis added]
Bishop Joseph Martino, 62, is a native of Philadelphia.
Bishop Joseph Martino, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and one of the most fervent pro-life
voices in the nation, is widely reported to be resigning next week after just six years in the office and long
before traditional retirement age.
Martino, 62, who served as a priest and auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has rarely appeared
in public during his term in the 350,000-member Scranton diocese. Yet he has not shied from controversy,
denouncing pro-choice politicians, theologically liberal academics, and Catholic teachers' unions.
The diocesan communications office declined yesterday to confirm reports by local media, the Catholic News Agency,
and the National Catholic Reporter that Martino was stepping down and hinting at health problems. However, a major
news conference is scheduled for Monday.
Standard retirement age for Catholic bishops is 75.
Rumors of his resignation began to circulate this week after the Scranton Times-Tribune reported that his belongings
were being moved from the rectory of St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton to a vacant retreat house in Dalton, Lackawanna County.
A native of Philadelphia, he graduated from St. Joseph's Prep and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and was ordained
a priest in 1970. He was a monsignor and director of the Philadelphia archdiocese's office of pastoral life when made
an auxiliary bishop by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua in 1996.
Martino enjoyed a reputation in Philadelphia as a genial scholar - he taught theology at St. Charles Borromeo and
championed Mother Katherine Drexel's cause for sainthood - but in Scranton he seemed both reclusive and combative.
Martino instructed all priests to refuse to give Holy Communion to any Catholic elected officials whose position
on abortion and other life issues departed from church teachings.
The bishop further threatened to withhold communion from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), for voting to approve
former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Martino also refused to recognize the Catholic teachers' union, and threatened to close a Catholic college's diversity program after it invited a gay-rights speaker.
Last year, he arrived unannounced at a parish whose members were discussing a document on political responsibility
recently issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He ordered the discussion closed, telling the gathering, "No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese. The USCCB
doesn't speak for me. The only relevant document," he said, was his letter on politics, which he had ordered read at
all parishes.
Donna Farrell, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia archdiocese, said yesterday she could not comment on reports that
Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Philadelphia archbishop, would serve as interim administrator of the 12-county Scranton
diocese if Martino steps down. She said Rigali was in Rome.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Related reports:
Scranton Bishops Join Protest of Notre Dame Decision To Honor President Obama
news/ScrantonBishopsProtestNotreDameDecisionApril2,2009.asp
Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty have joined with more than a dozen other
bishops and thousands of people throughout the nation who are publicly protesting Notre Dame University’s decision
to honor President Barack Obama at the school’s commencement.
April 2, 2009
Bishop Martino Won't Meet with Misericordia without Proof of Sound Catholic Sexual Teaching
ldn/2009/mar/09031903.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, March 19, 2009 () - After Misericordia University provoked a reprimand
from Scranton's Bishop Martino by inviting a homosexualist speaker to speak on campus, the bishop has said he will not
meet with the school until they disclose a record of the school's moral teaching on sexuality, as Martino had requested.
Thursday March 19, 2009
Bishop Martino Issues Reflection on True Meaning of "Diversity" and "Tolerance"
ldn/2009/mar/09030607.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, March 6, 2009 () - Scranton's Bishop Joseph Martino continued a streak of outspoken teaching on Catholic life and family values this week, as he issued a reflection on the real meaning of "diversity."
Friday March 6, 2009
To see Bishop Martino's full statement, go to:
Bishop Issues Reflection on Teaching of Diversity and Tolerance
News/BishopIssuesReflectionOnDiversityMarch3,2009.asp
March 3, 2009
Pro-Life Leaders Hail Bishop Martino's Courageous Outspokenness for Pro-Life, Pro-Family Values
ldn/2009/feb/09022713.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 27, 2009 () - Pro-life leaders across the country are hailing
Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino for his recent salvo against public anti-life and anti-family forces in the Scranton diocese.
Friday February 27, 2009
Bishop Martino Again Rebukes Sen. Casey, Instructs Withholding of Communion from Pro-Abort Politicians
ldn/2009/feb/09022705.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 27, 2009 () - Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton issued yet
another rebuke this week against "pro-life" Catholic Senator Bob Casey, who persisted in his decision to vote against
restoring the abortion-reducing Mexico City Policy. The bishop simultaneously reminded ministers in the Scranton diocese
that public figures in a persistent and objective denial of the Church's teaching on life must be denied Communion.
Friday February 27, 2009
Bishop Martino Calls for Dissolution of Misericordia U's Homosexualist "Diversity" Institute
Requests full account of sexuality curriculum
ldn/2009/feb/09022503.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 25, 2009 () - Following Misericordia University's decision
to host a homosexualist speaker, Bishop Martino has called on the school to dissolve the "Diversity Institute" that
sponsored the event.
Wednesday February 25, 2009
Bishop Martino Tells St. Patrick Paraders: Cathedral Off-Limits if Pro-Abortion Politicians Honored
ldn/2009/feb/09021906.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 19, 2009 () - If a pro-abortion politician is honored in
Scranton's St. Patrick's Day parade, St. Peter's Cathedral doors will close to the event, said the city's bishop
Joseph Martino in a letter to parade participants. St. Patrick's Day occurs on March 17.
The bishop's precautionary message, in a letter penned by Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty, said the
Catholic Church would have to distance itself if pro-abortion politicians were given speaking opportunities or
other honors in the parade honoring the Catholic saint.
Thursday February 19, 2009
Bishop Martino Slams Misericordia University for Inviting Homosexual Rights Advocate
ldn/2009/feb/09021709.html
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, February 17, 2009 () - Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino
has condemned Misericordia University for "seriously failing" in its Catholic identity by inviting homosexual rights [sic]
advocate Keith Boykin for two lecture appearances scheduled for today.
"Bishop Martino wants Catholics of the Diocese of Scranton to know of his absolute disapproval of Misericordia University's
hosting Mr. Boykin," reads a statement from the diocese of Scranton.
Tuesday February 17, 2009
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