On February 28th, Christopher Lindquist from the bishop’s conference accompanied me to a meeting with Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío and Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. Lianys Torres Rivera at the ambassador’s residence. We were there to follow up on the release of prisoners announced in January and get more detail on how that is progressing.
March 5th was, of course, Ash Wednesday, and I had the Mass at Capuchin College for the friars.
St. Matthew’s Cathedral downtown is a beautiful old church, but it’s very small, and parking is always challenging in the center of the city. So, having it at the basilica allowed them to have a very large crowd there. I’m sure there were at least 4,000 people and maybe 60 or 70 bishops present, along with many priests and religious sisters.
It was a very beautiful celebration, and there was a great spirit of hope and enthusiasm.
I lived in Washington for 20 years in my youth and feel a great affection for that local church and for the bishops whom I served there when I was a priest: Cardinal O’Boyle, Cardinal Baum, and Cardinal Hickey, who were all extraordinary shepherds for the people of Washington.
With Cardinal Hickey during a visit by Cardinal Ratzinger
I’m sure Cardinal McElroy will continue that legacy. We pray for his ministry and that the Lord will bless him and guide him as the new Archbishop of Washington.
The day of the installation, there was a celebration at the Nunciature to celebrate the anniversary of the Holy Father.
The nuncio addressing us
While I was in Washington, I was approached by a journalist who wanted to do an article on El Pregonero, which she told me is the oldest Hispanic Catholic newspaper in the United States.
We looked at many old photos, and I told her the story of how I founded the paper, which, like many providential things, was not my original plan.
You see, when I was newly ordained and working at the Centro Católico, there was only one Spanish radio station in Washington, so everyone in the Spanish community listened to it, and it was very important for us. I had a weekly program there, and we also advertised all of our English classes, retreats, Masses, and everything else on that station.
The owner also had an English radio station. On the English station, there was a minister who had this program where he would announce Scripture quotes like, “from Psalm 25,562.” Obviously, this was very unusual. Well, people came to realize that he was announcing the numbers for an illegal lottery! Not surprisingly, the FCC took their license away.
The owner, now down to one station, switched the Spanish station to English because the English station was more lucrative. With that, we lost the only Spanish station in Washington.
With the early staff of El Pregonero
Around that time, Father Marty Fox, who was the communications director in Washington, had heard that Father Tim Healy, the president of Georgetown, wanted to get rid of the Georgetown radio station. At the time, they had the most powerful FM station in Washington, with a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week license.
Father Fox suggested I try to get it for a new Spanish radio station. So, I went and spoke with President Healy, and he did not seem at all interested in giving it to the Church. Instead, he wanted to give it to some secular community group.
The Kenesaw Building where we were located
I had been told that it cost $50,000 a year to run the station. So, I spoke with the Capuchin Mission Office in Pittsburgh, and by some miracle, they sent me $50,000 for that radio station. I went back to President Healy and offered to underwrite all of the expenses and raise money so it would never cost the university anything if they wanted to keep the station or, if they wanted to give it to the diocese, Cardinal Baum was prepared to receive it. He still refused.
But, since I already had the $50,000, rather than send it back, I went to Father Cecil, who was in charge of the Mission Office, and said, “Father, will you give me permission to use that money to start a Spanish newspaper?” And with that, El Pregonero was born.
We wanted it to be a community paper that would give news from the local community, from the Latin American countries where our immigrants were from, a good sports page, and entertainment. Of course, we would also put in different spiritual messages and advertise the Masses and other religious activities, as well as give some catechetical articles and some editorials from the viewpoint of faith.
Now, this was right at the time when The Washington Star, which was the afternoon paper, closed down. So, I called them up and asked them if they would give me all the sidewalk newspaper boxes that they had, and they did. We painted them yellow and put them by all the bus stops that Hispanic people would be using, in front of the bodegas, the Spanish movie theaters, and churches. In that way, we began to distribute El Pregonero.
I chose the name “El Pregonero” (“The Herald”) because, at one point, when a group of robbers accosted St. Francis, they asked, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am the herald of the great king,” and they beat him up. So, it hearkens back to St. Francis, and, of course, in English, the herald is the town crier. It’s someone communicating the news and the Good News, and I’m happy to report that the paper is still alive and well 50 years later.
The following week, March 12th through the 14th, was The Way Forward Conference at Fordham University in New York. The Way Forward Conference is an annual gathering of theologians, bishops, and other experts who come together to discuss a particular topic on the life of the Church in workshops, talks, and panel discussions. The theme this year revolved around the Holy Father’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti.
Among the theologians participating this year was Hosffman Ospino from Boston College, and our own Bishop Mark O’Connell was among the nearly 60 bishops.
During the conference, we gathered with the bishops for a Mass at St. Paul’s Church in New York. This is the Paulist church from the time of Isaac Hecker, the founder of the Paulists, right next to Fordham University’s downtown campus, right near Lincoln Center and the Opera House.
I took this photo while I was there waiting for our Mass to start. I was very struck by the parish’s very Lenten lighting scheme.
There was also a painting of Archbishop John Hughes, whom they called “Dagger John.” He was the Archbishop of New York at the time of the Know Nothings, and he was a very strong leader. He’s the one who built St. Patrick’s Cathedral and started Fordham University, which he eventually gave to the Jesuits.
While I was in New York, I was happy to be able to attend a birthday party for my friend Mario Paredes. Auxiliary Bishop of New York Joseph Espaillat was there with us.
On March 18th, I met with Fathers Garcia Breneville and Stanley Rosseau and representatives of the Archdiocese’s Haitian community at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. We talked about the situation in Haiti and the difficulties facing so many Haitian immigrants in the United States.
They also gave me a plaque as a token of gratitude.
The picture on the plaque is from one of the Masses for Haitian Independence Day that I started when I came to Boston and have always been very well attended by the Haitian community.
On March 19th, I took part virtually in a discussion at Georgetown University: “The Francis Factor: The Leadership of the World’s Pastor.” This was part of the university’s Dahlgren Dialogues program.
It was a very good discussion, and you can watch it for yourself here:
On March 19th, I was happy to attend the Spring Celebration hosted by the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. The evening began with a welcome by Maurice Coleman of Bank of America, followed by an opening song from Father Oscar Pratt. We also heard remarks by Planning Office President Bill Grogan and Msgr. Bryan Hehir.
I was very humbled to be honored during the evening.
They also had a powerful video presentation that underscored how affordable housing goes hand-in-hand with social justice, reminding all of us of our responsibility to serve those in need.
It was a wonderful evening that raised over $525,000 to support the Planning Office’s important work.
On March 22nd, the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which had been making a tour of churches around the archdiocese, came to the cathedral. Father Nicanor, along with Bishop Barbosa, organized a day of events around that.
Many people came to pray, and they also had the relics of the visionaries Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
Then, on March 24th, I departed for Rome for the plenary meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which will probably have been my last. The next commission meeting will be in September in Poland, but I trust that by then the Holy Father will have named another president.
I’d like to share with you my opening address to them, in which I speak about the important things we have accomplished and the work to come:
Good morning. As we commence this March plenary assembly in the Church’s Jubilee Year, I wish to review the commission’s three pillars, which are the foundation of our goals to change the safeguarding and the victim/survivor accompaniment culture of the universal Church in a way that has never been done before in the history of the Catholic Church.
Through the annual report’s commitment to transparency and accountability efforts, the Church will be viewed as one Church, whether it be an episcopal conference, the Roman Curia, a religious congregation, or a lay association. We are one body, just as scripture tells us: “There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so, we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people.” (1 Corinthians)
The Church of St. John, where I celebrated Mass for the commission
The PCPM’s annual report shines a light on the entire Church on a rotating basis, opening the doors of transparency and accountability, building collaborations, and positive relationships consistent with a synodal Church and the principles of conversional justice. This is not for personal gain but rather to help God’s vulnerable and hurting through the sustained promotion of our common safeguarding ministry.
In October 2024, the commission marked an important milestone with the publication of its pilot annual report. I thank each of you for accompanying that defining moment in the commission’s life. Indeed, since receiving this mandate from our Holy Father, we have always noted that the promise of this reporting tool is in the long term. As such, this week, we will have the opportunity to continue our reflection on the lessons learned from our first annual report while also turning our attention to the progress made on the second annual report. I look forward to discussing the notable developments with this second iteration of our methodology as we work toward publication this autumn.
Our annual report team will provide us with a series of updates, especially regarding additional components of the methodology, that we committed to progressively implementing, as outlined in the pilot annual report. Among others, these include: implementation of the annual report victim focus group in each of the four regions; inclusion of data sourced from outside of the Church, especially from key United Nations bodies, academia, journalistic outlets, and independent reports; and consultations with the apostolic nuncios in the respective local churches in focus.
During this plenary assembly, we will once again review the text of the instrumentum laboris, now that it has completed the synodal phase of the methodology. This synodal phase involved contributions from dozens of stakeholders around the world, allowing us to enrich the text with additional insights and wisdom from the Universal Church. It is my hope that upon reviewing this document, we might approve it for the critical next steps towards its publication.
Our second pillar is the universal guidelines framework. The Holy Father’s first words in the chirograph for the institution of a Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors were: “The effective protection of minors and a commitment to ensure their human and spiritual development, in keeping with the dignity of the human person, are integral parts of the Gospel message that the Church and all members of the faithful are called to spread throughout the world. The commission’s specific task is to propose to me the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults, in order that we may do everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those which have occurred are no longer repeated in the Church. The commission is to promote local responsibility in the particular churches.”
From this mandate, and in response to the mandate in Praedicate Evangelium directing the PCPM to help the local churches develop safeguarding guidelines: “That propose suitable strategies and procedures for protecting minors and vulnerable persons,” came the creation of the commission’s universal guidelines framework: PCPM’s pillar #2.
Much work has taken place over the last two years in developing the universal guidelines framework, as the Holy Father asked us to do. I have been encouraged by the efforts that the commission members and staff have made to engage the local churches, religious congregations and institutes, especially since we last met in October 2024, and to include them in this framework development by scheduling many locally based listening sessions.
I have been advised that both the UGF training and the listening sessions with key stakeholders have provided great insights to us as to the needs of the local churches in requiring our assistance in the development of safeguarding guidelines and victim/survivor accompaniment.
Bishop Ali Herrera and Archbishop Thibault Verny pointing out some of the Memorare Centers the commission has helped set up in various countries throughout the world to help with the issues of safeguarding
Importantly, this framework must not be seen as a directive, but as a tool to be adapted and shaped by local ordinaries in accordance with the Church’s principle of subsidiarity.
We will hear over the next few days how many churches have suggested that the implementation of good safeguarding practices cannot be imposed through a top-down process from the commission, but that good safeguarding practices are grown locally through the hearts and minds of strong local leaders, and their supportive personnel — lay, ordained, and vowed.
I must also emphasize that the focus and goal of this work is not a paper exercise, but for ensuring that we follow Christ’s example of supporting the shepherds in caring for their sheep. Our goal is to save lives from harm and help heal the hurting.
I have learned in my many years of ministry never to underestimate the power and effectiveness of safeguarding education, guidelines implementation and accountability, or the accompaniment of victims/survivors on their journey toward healing.
This training, support, and victim/survivor accompaniment by the PCPM for local church leaders will assist them in developing the capacity to lead with confidence and put in place in their cultural context robust safeguards that will protect children and vulnerable people, as well as recognize the critical importance of providing compassionate care to victims and survivors and their family members.
But let me be very clear here: as much as local culture is to be respected, the dignity of the human person comes first, and culture may never be used as an excuse for any type of sexual abuse.
It is my hope that throughout this plenary, we can consider the feedback that we have received about the guidelines framework and then make a plan to enable all episcopal conferences, and religious congregations and institutes to engage with us to create safe spaces for all in the Church, to listen to and care for victims and survivors of sexual abuse, and to ensure a just process of inquiry following allegations and concerns.
The care of children and vulnerable people in our ecclesial spaces does not culminate with these measures alone, but requires permanent efforts towards conversion, listening, fraternal accompaniment, and reparation. May the Lord find us dedicated to this task with the greatest commitment, living in a manner worthy of him, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God (cf. Col 1:10).
I end by thanking you for what you are doing and share with you a philosophy that I have found helpful in my almost 55 years as a priest, having been ordained on August 29, 1970: Work like it depends on you, pray like it depends on God, and watch God work.
May God bless you all.
Following the meeting of the Pontifical Commission, there was also supposed to have been a meeting of the C9 Council of Cardinals, but it was canceled due to the Holy Father’s health situation. Though we typically had been meeting about every six weeks or so, the Holy Father had told us in December that we would have just one C9 meeting in this busy Jubilee year. And since three of us — Cardinal Gracias, myself, and Cardinal Vérgez — are all over 80, it was going to be our last.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have an opportunity to speak with the Holy Father. Though he is back at Casa Santa Marta, he is not receiving any visitors, and they are limiting his contacts to make sure that he doesn’t get any other infection or sickness during this time of recovery.
While in Rome, I met with representatives of the World Bank. The Holy Father is supporting a project of Sister Lucía Caram in Ukraine and has asked me to work on that.
Sister Lucía is a Dominican sister who has done extraordinary things in Ukraine. Just last week, she took 50 buses to Ukraine that will be used as school buses and transportation for the elderly. She has taken over 60 ambulances, and she’s brought thousands of children and wounded people to be cared for in Spanish hospitals.
When I was in Rome, I took occasion to go through the Holy Doors for the Jubilee Year. There were huge lines, with thousands and thousands of people passing through the Holy Doors. It was very inspiring.
When I went through, I prayed for all the people here in Boston and our Church.
As I always like to do when I’m in Rome, I also celebrated Mass at my titular church, Santa Maria della Vittoria.
A group of students from the Midwest happened to be visiting the church, so they joined us. We were also joined by Father Rafael Capo from St. Thomas University and Capuchin Brother José Antonio.
Afterward, the Carmelite Sisters had us all to lunch.
As I have mentioned in the past, the church is now overseen by these Carmelite Sisters from a Brazilian community, after the Carmelite Friars moved to their generalate. The friars still come to say the Masses, but the sisters now live in the monastery there and take care of the ministry to the pilgrims and provide music and other assistance with liturgies.
Following the Mass, Brother José Antonio and Father Capo joined me for a walk around the Vatican.
These photos were taken from the Piazzale della Galea, where they have my favorite fountain in Rome.
It’s one of the highest places in Vatican City, and from there, you get a fantastic view of Rome, and also a very good view of the Vatican Observatory.
