Archbishop that promoted homosexual civil union legislation waiver resists Vatican's pressure
Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Latin America Correspondent
May 28, 2013 ( Notifam ) - The Catholic Archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, says he will resign despite pressure from Vatican officials arising from his support for the legislation of a homosexual civil union type , and accusations that he is guilty of protecting pedophile priests in his diocese.
Roberto Octavio González Nieves, a Franciscan who received the position of archbishop in 1999 after having served as auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston, Massachusetts, and as Bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas, says that Cardinal Marc Ouellet has pressed to resign and take another position in the Church. It also says that he has been forbidden to diocesan staff appointments since 2011 as a result of the allegations.
The nature of conflict was unveiled on April 29 when the NotiUno Puerto Rican radio station published a letter sent to Cardinal Archbishop Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops in the Vatican. In the letter, dated February 20 this year, Gonzalez Nieves complains of being accused of various crimes, but without knowing who accuse him without seeing the evidence. ( See a PDF of the letter here. )
González Nieves says that the charges against him are based on four themes: "1. Protect pedophile priests, 2. Conduct research to Rev.. P. Edward Santana without jurisdiction to do so, 3. The 'Shared Residences', 4. The subject of the Altar of the Fatherland ".
The "Residences Shared" refers to a controversial proposal by the Archbishop to allow same sex who live together have inheritance rights, hospital visits and medical coverage, without having the title of "marriage" under service Italy's La Stampa news. However, González Nieves has opposed the adoption by homosexuals, by working in a coalition of religious leaders to oppose such proposals.
The "Altar of the Fatherland" refers to an altar erected in the Cathedral of San Juan on a seeming endorsement to the national independence of Puerto Rico, with the full title of "The Altar of the Fatherland and maternal womb of the Puerto Rican nation" . Independence is a controversial topic in the island, where a majority supports continuing the relationship with the United States, and a minority of only 5% support separation, according to a 2012 referendum. The issue is even more difficult since González Nieves was not born in Puerto Rico, but in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
According to González Nieves, at a meeting with Ouellet on December 15, "I was told I had to give up the See of the Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico and to request another assignment in the Church. The injustices, persecution, defamation, misrepresentation of facts, unfair and biased processes can never be a source of law for the resignation of a bishop or for good cause. Therefore, this server wants to state that never give up the Archbishop of San Juan Office when there is no reason for it.
"Besides," added the archbishop, "such serious allegations being that I have done, that if given as certain, how you may be able to occupy other ecclesiastical office in the Church?"
Archbishop defends bishops ensuring that all Puerto Ricans, except one, support him, and invokes the authority of the Episcopal Conference of Puerto Rico, which was elected in 2012, asking, "Who but local bishops, meeting in Episcopal Conference, are natural partners of the Holy See? ".
Among the large number of prelates with whom González Nieves says he has communicated on this subject is now discredited archbishop which he attended in Boston during the 80's, while much of the cover-ups occurred in pedophile priests: Cardinal Bernard Law .
"In strict confidence, as you know his Eminence, I have spoken on this subject with BE, Cardinal Bernard Law. After our meeting on December 15 went to lunch with Cardinal Bernard Law. At the end of lunch I asked what was wrong because I do not look good. I explained what happened. "
In addition to the letter he wrote Gonzales Nieves, NotiUno has also published a letter attributed to the Apostolic Delegate to Puerto Rico, Jozef Wesolowski, dated December last year, who rebukes the archbishop plans to bury the bodies of two icons nationalists disapproved under the "Altar of the Fatherland": Juan Alejo Arizmendi, the first bishop of Puerto Rico born there, and Ramon Power y Giralt, the first legislative representative of the island before the Courts of Spain during the colonial era. ( See the letter here .)
"I appeal to His fraternal feeling with the Church Universal give such a project and diligently execute the supreme decision of the Holy See," writes Wesolowski, who has refused to comment on the letter.
The letter mentions that Cardinal Bertone Tarcicio and Gonzalez Nieves said "the strong desire of the Holy Father Benedict XVI" that obey an advance directive to remove the name "Altar of the Fatherland" of the altar in question and replace it with another.
Although it is unclear how much support has the archbishop, several groups have conducted demonstrations, supporting statements and press conferences in their favor. Such groups include a nationalist group pro life, Catholic Puerto Rican Alliance for Life and Country, founded in 2012, and the Coalition in Defence and Solidarity with the Archbishop of San Juan, which claims to represent nearly one hundred organizations.
In a recent letter to the faithful, Gonzalez Nieves urges them not to communicate with Rome on this issue, but to support it with your prayers.
"Many people have approached me and have called my office asking" what can we do? "On one hand, I beg you, please do not send letters to the Holy See endorsements. On the other hand, I am saying that there is only one thing to do in situations like these: pray. "
May 28, 2013 ( Notifam ) - The Catholic Archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, says he will resign despite pressure from Vatican officials arising from his support for the legislation of a homosexual civil union type , and accusations that he is guilty of protecting pedophile priests in his diocese.
Roberto Octavio González Nieves, a Franciscan who received the position of archbishop in 1999 after having served as auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston, Massachusetts, and as Bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas, says that Cardinal Marc Ouellet has pressed to resign and take another position in the Church. It also says that he has been forbidden to diocesan staff appointments since 2011 as a result of the allegations.The nature of conflict was unveiled on April 29 when the NotiUno Puerto Rican radio station published a letter sent to Cardinal Archbishop Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops in the Vatican. In the letter, dated February 20 this year, Gonzalez Nieves complains of being accused of various crimes, but without knowing who accuse him without seeing the evidence. ( See a PDF of the letter here. )
González Nieves says that the charges against him are based on four themes: "1. Protect pedophile priests, 2. Conduct research to Rev.. P. Edward Santana without jurisdiction to do so, 3. The 'Shared Residences', 4. The subject of the Altar of the Fatherland ".
The "Residences Shared" refers to a controversial proposal by the Archbishop to allow same sex who live together have inheritance rights, hospital visits and medical coverage, without having the title of "marriage" under service Italy's La Stampa news. However, González Nieves has opposed the adoption by homosexuals, by working in a coalition of religious leaders to oppose such proposals.
The "Altar of the Fatherland" refers to an altar erected in the Cathedral of San Juan on a seeming endorsement to the national independence of Puerto Rico, with the full title of "The Altar of the Fatherland and maternal womb of the Puerto Rican nation" . Independence is a controversial topic in the island, where a majority supports continuing the relationship with the United States, and a minority of only 5% support separation, according to a 2012 referendum. The issue is even more difficult since González Nieves was not born in Puerto Rico, but in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
According to González Nieves, at a meeting with Ouellet on December 15, "I was told I had to give up the See of the Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico and to request another assignment in the Church. The injustices, persecution, defamation, misrepresentation of facts, unfair and biased processes can never be a source of law for the resignation of a bishop or for good cause. Therefore, this server wants to state that never give up the Archbishop of San Juan Office when there is no reason for it.
"Besides," added the archbishop, "such serious allegations being that I have done, that if given as certain, how you may be able to occupy other ecclesiastical office in the Church?"
Archbishop defends bishops ensuring that all Puerto Ricans, except one, support him, and invokes the authority of the Episcopal Conference of Puerto Rico, which was elected in 2012, asking, "Who but local bishops, meeting in Episcopal Conference, are natural partners of the Holy See? ".
Among the large number of prelates with whom González Nieves says he has communicated on this subject is now discredited archbishop which he attended in Boston during the 80's, while much of the cover-ups occurred in pedophile priests: Cardinal Bernard Law .
"In strict confidence, as you know his Eminence, I have spoken on this subject with BE, Cardinal Bernard Law. After our meeting on December 15 went to lunch with Cardinal Bernard Law. At the end of lunch I asked what was wrong because I do not look good. I explained what happened. "
In addition to the letter he wrote Gonzales Nieves, NotiUno has also published a letter attributed to the Apostolic Delegate to Puerto Rico, Jozef Wesolowski, dated December last year, who rebukes the archbishop plans to bury the bodies of two icons nationalists disapproved under the "Altar of the Fatherland": Juan Alejo Arizmendi, the first bishop of Puerto Rico born there, and Ramon Power y Giralt, the first legislative representative of the island before the Courts of Spain during the colonial era. ( See the letter here .)
"I appeal to His fraternal feeling with the Church Universal give such a project and diligently execute the supreme decision of the Holy See," writes Wesolowski, who has refused to comment on the letter.
The letter mentions that Cardinal Bertone Tarcicio and Gonzalez Nieves said "the strong desire of the Holy Father Benedict XVI" that obey an advance directive to remove the name "Altar of the Fatherland" of the altar in question and replace it with another.
Although it is unclear how much support has the archbishop, several groups have conducted demonstrations, supporting statements and press conferences in their favor. Such groups include a nationalist group pro life, Catholic Puerto Rican Alliance for Life and Country, founded in 2012, and the Coalition in Defence and Solidarity with the Archbishop of San Juan, which claims to represent nearly one hundred organizations.
In a recent letter to the faithful, Gonzalez Nieves urges them not to communicate with Rome on this issue, but to support it with your prayers.
"Many people have approached me and have called my office asking" what can we do? "On one hand, I beg you, please do not send letters to the Holy See endorsements. On the other hand, I am saying that there is only one thing to do in situations like these: pray. "
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