Paid Leave for All: Worker Advocates Demand Expanded Protections

"The call for paid leave has never been clearer or louder from all corners of our country," said a pair of Senate Democrats marking the 29th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act.


A woman works at a distribution station at the 855,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, on February 5, 2019. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

ANDREA GERMANOS

COMMON DREAMS

February 5, 2022

Economic justice advocates and Democratic lawmakers on Saturday issued fresh demands for comprehensive paid leave for the nation's workers, saying such protections would address crucial gaps in labor law that the ongoing pandemic has underscored.

The calls came on the 29th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a new child or take care of one's own or family member's illness. But, worker advocates say, the groundbreaking law is sorely insufficient, because the leave is unpaid and FMLA doesn't cover all workers.

"It's been 29 years today since the FMLA was passed—the first federal protection for people to take time off work when they need it most. But about 10.5 million need leave and don't take it," tweeted the National Women's Law Center.

"All workers should not only be covered," the group added, "but be able to afford to take their leave."

The House Education and Labor Committee similarly noted that "millions of workers are not eligible for FMLA. And unpaid leave is not practical for most Americans."

"We must build on the FMLA by expanding access to PAID leave for workers across the country," the panel added.

Such expansion would also help advance racial equity.

According to NARAL Pro-Choice America: "The 44% of Americans not covered by the FMLA include 48% of Latinx workers, 47% of AAPI workers, and 43% of Black workers. Every American should be covered by the FMLA."

In a Friday statement, Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who heads the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said the lack of guaranteed paid leave is especially problematic in light of the ultra-contagious Omicron variant.

"American parents still can't take paid time to care for a seriously ill child. Patients can't take paid time to recover from surgery or cope with a cancer diagnosis. And workers with a cold, the flu, or even Covid-19, can't take the time to get well and keep their coworkers safe—because they would risk losing a paycheck or even their job," said Murray and Gillibrand.

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In addition to harming families and the economy, the pair said the absence of paid leave and sick days is "hurting our ability to fight this pandemic. If we want to stop the spread of Omicron, be ready for whatever this pandemic brings next, and prepare for future public health crises—then we need paid leave."

Pointing to recent polling showing overwhelming public support for such protections, the lawmakers added that "the call for paid leave has never been clearer or louder from all corners of our country" and urged their congressional colleagues to help enact such a measure.

President Joe Biden, for his part, said in a Saturday tweet marking the FMLA anniversary that he is "committed to continuing the fight for national paid family and medical leave."

That vow was welcomed by Center for Economic and Policy Research co-director Eileen Appelbaum, who expressed hope Biden would "push for it when bills to provide it are introduced in the Congress."

"People are desperate for paid leave," she said, calling it "policy that is needed and popular."

Activist Fund Pushes Insurers To Drop Oil And Gas Clients


Editor OilPrice.com
Thu, February 17, 2022

Activist investment fund Green Century Capital Management has filed shareholder resolutions aimed at forcing three insurance companies to stop offering coverage to oil and gas companies, MarketWatch reports.

In response, the targets of the arm-twisting attempt—Chubb, Travelers, and The Hartford—filed no-action requests with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Green Century Capital Management resolutions call on the insurers to “adopt and disclose new policies to help ensure that its underwriting practices do not support new fossil fuel supplies, in alignment with the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s net-zero emissions by 2050 scenario.”

The scenario in question was released as a Road Map to Net Zero by the IEA in May 2021. In it, the agency said the world would not need so much oil and gas in the future, so new oil and gas exploration needs to stop immediately. A few months later, however, the IEA was vocal in its calls on OPEC to boost oil production as demand rose faster than expected.

A growing number of companies from various industries are becoming targets for activist investors, insistent that more action needs to be taken to reduce carbon emissions.

“Investors are demanding that insurance companies stop supporting the rampant expansion of fossil fuels that is driving the climate crisis,” said Elana Sulakshana from the Rainforest Action Network as quoted by MarketWatch.

“But instead of taking concrete action to limit fossil fuel insuring and investing, Chubb, Travelers and The Hartford are trying to silence their shareholders and continue business as usual,” she added.

Speaking of fossil fuel financing, a recent study from a group of nongovernmental organizations found that top international banks had provided some $1.5 trillion in direct financing and debt underwriting services to the coal industry between 2019 and 2021. All of the banks involved, including HSBC, Barclays, and Mizuho, had made emission-cutting pledges.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

  

Oligarch's death sends Czech giant west

A year after the death of Czech oligarch Petr Kellner, PPF Group — the conglomerate he left behind — appears to be retreating from his bet on eastern markets.

Well-versed in tales of how Kellner became Czechia's richest man by steering PPF into some of the world's riskiest markets, the country was shocked by the 56-year-old billionaire's demise in a helicopter crash in March 2021. A year on, shorn of the oligarch's vision and political sway, PPF looks to be seeking safer waters.

Founding the company during the much-maligned coupon privatization of the post-communist 1990s, Kellner spent three decades building PPF into a rare beast: a Czech giant. The corporation now sits on around €40 billion ($45 billion) in assets, with Central European banking, telecoms, and media at the base.

However, over the past decade or so, the Home Credit subsidiary was the main driver of profitability via its consumer loans businesses in China and Russia. How PPF in 2010 became the first foreign company to land a lending license in China or survive the cut-throat competition of Russian oligarchs has long been a topic of conjecture.

Most connect the success to Kellner's skillful political maneuvering, for which he was both admired and feared. The billionaire had links with the pro-Russian former President Vaclav Klaus and worked closely with his successor, Milos Zeman, and his inner circle of Russia- and China-linked businessmen, who have spent years trying to push Czech foreign policy closer to eastern interests.

Scandals have been common. In 2014, Zeman introduced Kellner to Chinese President Xi Jinping and was ferried home by the billionaire on a private jet. The oligarch was then suspected of helping to shut down roads and protests when Xi visited Prague two years later.

Many eyed with concern PPF's growing interests in Central Europe's media sector after the company was revealed in 2019 to be running a PR campaign for Beijing.

"Czech foreign policy certainly shifted around the time that PPF got its first break in China," says Vit Havelka at the Association for International Affairs (AMO).

President Zeman (center) welcomed President Xi to Prague back in 2016

Closer to home

The analyst admits there's a dearth of hard evidence that the billionaire's politicking drove PPF's eastern adventures. However, almost a year after his death, PPF appears to be pulling back from some of those risky markets to focus on Europe and the US.

Numerous reports claim that the company is set to sell Home Credit's Russian unit to local corporation Sistema. PPF refused to either refute or confirm the speculation to DW.

However, in late December, CFO Katerina Jiraskova hinted that Home Credit could sell or take on partners in markets with "limited … potential."

That has sparked suspicion that the Chinese arm of Home Credit could also be on the block. Bloomberg also reported that disposals worth close to $2.5 billion could be due in India, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, PPF is still busily chasing acquisitions, as has long been its habit. But its focus is clearly on markets closer to home.

The group is working, for instance, on deals that will see it create the Czech Republic's third-biggest bank, expand its holdings in European telecoms, and extend its recent push into the US real estate market.

"It's fair to say there is a repositioning," said one source at the company.

"PPF has always been and still is opportunistic, but there is now a deeper concentration on established markets," PPF spokesman Leos Rousek told DW. "We're strengthening in Europe and the US in banking, telco, biotech, industry, and real estate."

Just business?

Battered by the pandemic, Home Credit saw operating revenue in China drop to €462 million in the first half of 2021 compared with over €1 billion in the previous year. But it's not only COVID-19 hurting the bottom line. Competition is rising in some of the Asian markets where Home Credit works.

"The banks in these markets see PPF handing out consumer loans and they've decided that they'd could be doing it themselves," said the company source.

These local competitors can have significant advantages. For instance, a local partnership in a market like China, where Beijing last year began restricting access to local financing for foreign banks, might make sense.

It's such changing regulation that can make operating in these markets so risky. And that risk is only growing as geopolitical tensions rise, analysts point out.

"There's been a change in China since PPF entered," said Lukas Kovanda, chief economist at Trinity Bank in Prague. "The growing tensions make it ever riskier to operate in countries with authoritarian regimes that perceive a business as being from an unfriendly nation. This is likely to lead a company like PPF to consider its direction."

Protestors have picketed the presidential office in Prague over its political and business links with Russia and China

Home Credit also faces geopolitically driven difficulties in Russia. The unit's sizable assets in Kazakhstan reportedly deterred Hungary's OTP Bank, thought to be an early suitor, as the Central Asian country teetered on the edge of civil war late last year.

"There is clearly geopolitical tension around Russia and this influences business decisions of course," said the PPF source. "We always follow the money. Just look at the ruble! You eventually have to ask yourself if you want to be long in a market that has an almost endlessly depreciating currency?"

Running low

Amid the raised tension, "good political connections are increasingly important if you're going to work in markets like Russia and China," remarked Kovanda.

But PPF appears to be running low on political know-how just when it needs it most.

For the meantime, Ladislav Bartonicek, who owns half of the 1% stake in PPF that is not held by Kellner's family, sits in the CEO's chair. But he has appeared to admit that he's not able to steer PPF through the same dangerous waters as did the late oligarch.

"He was a bigger risk-taker, that's for sure," Bartonicek said late last year as he explained his approach to the group's deal-making strategy.

The billionaire, by way of contrast, had built such influence that his death spurred widespread discussion in the media of the implications for Czech foreign policy.

"Kellner's empire has so dug into the basic infrastructure of the state, wrote one columnist, "that any change of course is fundamental throughout the country."

Even worse, PPF has actually lost two political champions of its Eastern fortunes, suggests a senior political source in Prague.

Weakened by ill health and resistance from large swathes of the political establishment, President Zeman's eastward push has struggled in recent years amid a series of diplomatic disasters that have sent Prague's relations with Moscow and Beijing nosediving.

"The loss of Zeman's clout has been just as damaging for PPF as Kellner's death," stated the source. "There have just been too many setbacks. The Russians now understand Zeman's growing irrelevance. And China's not far behind."

Edited by: Hardy Graupner

THUMBNAIL The main thoroughfare from Prague’s airport is dominated by PPF’s headquarters

UN Palestinian refugee agency still short of cash

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini visits Germany to shore up long-term financial commitments. After the US stopped funding the agency, Germany became one of its most important donors.

Around 58% of the UNRWA's funds are spent on education

At the outset of 2022, the cash-strapped United Nations organization tasked with supporting Palestinian refugees in the Middle East put out yet another call for funding. Over the year it would take $1.6 billion (around €1.4 billion) to make ends meet, the UN Relief and Works Agency said.

Commonly known as the UNRWA, the agency has previously spoken of an "existential crisis" due to a lack of funding.

The UNRWA takes care of the educational, health and welfare needs of close to 6 million Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Funded almost completely by voluntary donations from UN member nations, it has been in financially straitened circumstances since 2018.

In August that year, the US government, then headed by Donald Trump, said it was cutting all funding to the UNRWA. Until then, the US had been the agency's biggest donor, making up about a third of its annual budget.

The UNRWA employs around 30,000 staff, most of whom are Palestinian refugees

Germany steps up

"[The] UNRWA is perceived as a lifeline by Palestinian refugees," the agency's head, Philippe Lazzarini, told DW during a three-day visit to Germany this week.

"For example, we have nearly 600,000 girls and boys in 700 schools," he explained. "We provide primary health care to more than 2 million people across the region and we also provide a social safety net. ... In places like Gaza and Lebanon and Syria, we provide cash and food for the most destitute Palestinian refugees." The UNRWA also offers micro-financing loans.

Lazzarini was in Berlin to discuss Germany's long-term financial and strategic support for the UNWRA. After the US halted funding in 2018, the agency appealed to other countries to make up the shortfall.

"Germany significantly stepped up its contribution to the organization in 2018," Lazzarini told DW's Emmanuelle Chaze.

Germany is now one of the agency's largest donors, supplying €150 million ($170 million) in 2021 and €210 million ($238 million) in 2020.

"We will continue to do so in the future," Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed after a visit to an UNRWA-run refugee camp in Jordan last week.

On a visit to the Jordanian camp, Annalena Baerbock (far left) said it was important to

 keep giving, "within the framework of the UN"

The US, under President Joe Biden, also started funding the UNRWA again in 2021, donating around $240 million by the end of last year.

Financial struggles 

The UNRWA has a core budget of around $800 million, about half of which goes on education. It uses the rest of its funding for emergencies that impact Palestinian refugees, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Syrian civil war or the Lebanese economic crisis. Its international staff are paid out of a different UN budget.

But, as Lazzarini pointed out during his visit, despite donations from the US and Germany, the agency has been in debt since 2019. 

Financial struggles are nothing new to the UNRWA. It was first founded by the UN in 1949 to provide relief to Palestinians who had fled or were displaced during the 1948 war that established the state of Israel. It has regularly run a deficit since 1950. But thanks to factors such as changing donor priorities and other humanitarian crises, donations have been dropping for around a decade.

For example, the UK recently cut donations by more than half and donations from Arab Gulf countries have also plummeted. 

Not political

The donations are decreasing, even as the Palestinian refugee population has grown. This is because, until a long-term solution is found, descendants of refugees can also claim refugee status under international law.

"The organization keeps struggling to deliver its services … because of financial challenges, which most of the time are also an expression of political challenges," Lazzarini told DW.

In an open letterto Palestinian refugees, published in December last year, Lazzarini explained what he meant.

"Since 2018, [UNRWA] and its mandate have come under increased political attacks," he wrote. "These attacks are based on the foolish and wrong idea that by closing UNRWA, they will erase 5.8 million Palestine refugees."

Critical opinions

The UNRWA has been criticized by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among other Israeli politicians, and ex-US President Donald Trump because of how it defines who can be called a Palestinian refugee.

It defines them as "persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946, to 11 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” Descendants of those people may also sign up with the UNRWA.

Netanyahu argued that the UNRWA should be disbanded, calling it a "refugee perpetuation agency" and suggesting other UN agencies take care of Palestinian refugees in the region.

"It also perpetuates the narrative of the so-called ‘right of return' with the aim of eliminating the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in 2018.

No solution in sight

Israel has always rejected the right of Palestinians to return. If millions of Palestinians returned, the demographic change would make Israel a Palestinian-majority state, rather than a Jewish-majority one.

However, as the UNRWA itself explains on its website, even if it were dissolved, Palestine refugees "would still be Palestine refugees and retain their rights under [UN] General Assembly resolution 194, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight."

The same UN resolution incorporates the right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to the homes from which they were displaced.

Close to 3 million Palestinian refugees use the UNRWA's health services

At the moment, any kind of solution to one of the Middle East's longest-running conflicts does not appear to be in sight. And many political experts, including Israelis, warn that closing the UNRWA without an alternative could result in deepening poverty and maybe even more violence.

"The root causes of the conflict remain," Lazzarini said at a press conference in Gaza, following fighting there in May 2021. "These must be resolved."

Until then, the UNRWA will be needed, he concluded.

Edited by: Nicole Goebe

Israel won't cooperate with UN rights probe

Israel announced it would not cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council's investigation into alleged abuses against Palestinians, saying it was unfairly biased against Israel.

Israel formally said on Thursday it would not be cooperating with a special commission established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged abuses committed against Palestinians.

Israel charged in a letter sent to Navi Pillay, the head of the commission and a former UN high commissioner for human rights, that she is biased against the state of Israel and therefore so is the commission.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, the Israeli ambassador to the UN and other Geneva-based international organizations, wrote in the letter, "It is obvious to my country, as it should be to any fair-minded observer, that there is simply no reason to believe that Israel will receive reasonable, equitable and non-discriminatory treatment."

Pillay, a judge from South Africa, has previously compared the former system of apartheid in her country with the situation confronting Palestinians in Israel and has also supported the movement to boycott and divest (BDS) from Israel. Both are significant strikes against her in Israel's view.

What is the UN's Human Rights Council?

The UN-backed Human Rights Council is based in Geneva. Among the Human Rights Council's 47 members are known human rights violators, including China, Cuba, Eritrea, Pakistan, Venezuela as well as several Arab countries run by dictators.

In addition to the council's awkward membership roster, every time the Human Rights Council meets, Israel's human rights record is raised. There is no other country where this is the case.
Why is there a commission of inquiry?

Last May, the UN Human Rights Council moved to establish the commission following 11 days of conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That brief eruption of hostilities cost 260 Palestinians their lives as well as 14 people within the state of Israel.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has said Israeli airstrikes on population centers could constitute war crimes. Several international organizations, including Human Rights Watch, concur.

Bachelet and Human Rights Watch have also criticized Hamas and charged rocket fire on cities violates the international laws of war. Israel has countered that Hamas uses residential areas to launch its rockets and blamed it for the casualties inflicted in what it calls retaliatory strikes.

The council's persistent focus on alleged abuses in the state of Israel and the competing conflict narratives emerging from events last May led the council to create a commission to investigate.

What is the mandate of the commission of inquiry?

The commission of inquiry is considered the strongest tool the UN Human Rights Council has available to use at its discretion.

It will investigate allegations of abuses against the Palestinians in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

The commission is certain to face an uphill battle as the Israeli letter indicates, though Israel has long accused the council, and the UN generally, of bias.

It is unclear how much the commission will be able to achieve with Israel showing fierce resistance to its efforts.

ar/fb (AFP, AP)

Opinion: Focus in Mali needs to be on people, not the military

Nobody in Mali is surprised by the withdrawal of French and EU troops. It is time to review old strategies and to stop working with corrupt elites, says DW's Dirke Köpp.

In future, Mali's army will have to make do without French support

After many threats in this vein, and as many postponements, on Thursday France and its EU partners finally announced that they would be withdrawing their troops from Mali. They said that the plan was to continue the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region from a different country. In Germany, the announcement has caused a stir because of the Bundeswehr's involvement.However, in Mali itself, many seem to be indifferent. Indeed, many have even welcomed France's withdrawal.

There are many reasons for this. One of them is the "Francafrique" system, an arrangement thanks to which the French state has, over decades and with the help of corrupt elites in individual countries, secured access to resources in Africa. Many people in Francophone Africa are completely fed up with this – and rightly so.

Riding the anti-French wave

Meanwhile, more and more, Russia has exploited this anti-French resentment for its own goals – which are, of course, not a jot grander than those of many others. In addition to access to resources such as gold, uranium or gemstones, Moscow is primarily concerned with geostrategic hegemony. Accordingly, Russian trolls have flooded the social networks with anti-French propaganda, fake news and alleged success stories of Russian military operations.

Dirke Köpp heads DW's French for Africa department

Mali's military regime – which was trained in Europe, but also in Russia - is also riding the anti-French wave for its own purposes: namely to maintain its power. For months, it has engaged in a diplomatic showdown with France, while at the same time intensifying its military cooperation with Russia, whose exact nature it has neglected to disclose to its allies. (Is the cooperation with mercenaries from the Wagner group or soldiers from the regular Russian army?)

What is clear is that France, and the EU, have double standards. And this is precisely what many Malians are annoyed about: While the (bothersome) putschists in Mali have had sanctions slapped on them, Chad's interim president remains a welcome guest. Yet, he also seized power in a highly undemocratic way after the unexplained death of his adoptive father.

Non-military solutions needed

One does not need to think for more than a second to understand that the solution for the Sahel cannot be a military one. What people in the region need is development, reliable state structures and prospects for a safe future. And this does not only mean protection from terrorists. It is a question of survival.

It would be much better for the people of the Sahel region if as many billions of euros were invested in developing their societies as were pumped into military missions.

It would be even better if everything was done to make sure that the funds invested did not land in the pockets of corrupt elites. The situation is catastrophic. Harvests are either drying up or being flooded because of climate change. There are more and more people to feed because of a population boom. The state is absent in many places, and bandits have been allowed to wreak havoc.

In some parts, jihadis have set up parallel tax systems. There is hardly any work. There are few hospitals. And most roads are in a state of disrepair.

More and more, the members of different ethnic groups are coming into conflict over resources, which are increasingly scarce. Millions of people are in danger of famine and starvation. Millions have fled. Millions of children cannot go to school because of the terrorist threat. A lost generation is growing up.

Desperate measures

The daily struggle and lack of prospects are causing many to despair. It can thus be easy for jihadis luring people in with promises of a better life and money. This is not a reproach and not everybody is tempted by the offers of terrorists. But how many people who are safe in Europe can say for sure that they would resist such temptation if their families were in danger?

For far too long, the international community has placed its bets on military solutions alone. Now, it must find other ways of helping the abandoned populations of the Sahel region.

It means taking them and their needs seriously. It means working with them to find local solutions. It means making sure that children can go to school and their parents can go back to work in the fields without being scared.

If this means talking with armed groups first, then this is an option that should at least be entertained. In some places, approaches such as these have led to people living in more safety.

This piece was originally written in German.

Controversy over hijab at India's educational institutions

India's secular constitution allows minorities like Muslims to practice their religion. But some members of the Hindu majority, reportedly linked to Hindu nationalist groups, say hijabs have no place in schools and colleges.

CTHULHU SAY STOP HUNTING MY KIND

Saving Mexico's octopuses from warming waters and overfishing

As ocean temperatures rise the fascinating animals are struggling to breed naturally. Could octopus farms help the animals survive?

Is octopus farming sustainable?

With three hearts, eight arms and high levels of intelligence, octopuses are undoubtedly fascinating creatures. They can also squeeze through the tightest of spaces and change their skin color and texture at will.

They are also a popular delicacy in many regions of the world: Whether in sushi, deep-fried or served in their own ink. Worldwide 420,000 tons of octopus are consumed each year and the trend is rising sharply.

However, breeding octopuses in captivity is difficult in comparison to species like shrimp or salmon. That is why the octopus that lands on our plates is caught in the wild and some regions in Asia are already considered overfished.


There is high demand around the world for the mollusk

The largest exporter and producer of octopus in the world is Mexico, where there is still enough of the animal in the sea. Yet, research in the small village of Sisal in Yucatán shows that they are extremely sensitive to temperature fluctuations and will not lay eggs if the water is too warm. This may soon become a problem if climate change continues to heat up the ocean.

Octopus farms — hope for the fishermen

Biologist Carlos Rosas Vasquez has been researching the perfect living conditions for octopuses for over twenty years on behalf of the Mexican University UNAM. Over the years, he and his team have been able to perfect food, light conditions and water temperature and have even set up a small breeding station for pregnant females fished from the sea.

The scientific insights gained from this process is also helpful for local fishermen in the village. Some are involved in the cooperative "Moluscos Del Mayab" that is looking to use these university findings to develop a commercial octopus farm. The hope is that if it is successful on a large scale, the fishermen will be able to release octopuses from the farms into the sea to replenish their numbers.

Breeding octopus is considered very difficult

Project goal: Supporting financing solutions for biodiversity conservation measures.

Budget: The octopus project and the cooperative Moluscos Del Mayab was given $4,000 (€3,500) from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN II), supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Small Grants Program of the GEF contributed $50,000 (€43,700).

Partner organizations: UNAM Mexico and GEF Global Environment Facility.

Duration: BIOFIN II runs until December 2025

A video by Katja Döhne

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COVER-UP OF FAILED CELIBACY

Cardinal slams abuse cover-ups at Vatican priest forum

Agence France-Presse
February 17, 2022

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Pope Francis 

(Tiziana FABI AFP)

An influential cardinal opened a Vatican symposium on the priesthood Thursday apologizing for "unworthy ministers" and the cover-up of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, before an audience that included Pope Francis.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet acknowledged that "we are all torn and humbled by these crucial questions that every day question us as members of the Church", with Francis at his side in the Vatican's vast Paul VI Hall.

"Should we not rather refrain from talking about the priesthood when the sins and crimes of unworthy ministers are on the front pages of the international press for betraying their commitment or for shamefully covering up?"

A string of recent investigations exposing pedophile priests have been front page news in recent months, exposing the scale of the problem and the decades-long Church cover-up.

Ouellet is a prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the most important functions within the Curia, the government of the Vatican.

He said the symposium was an opportunity to express regret and ask victims for forgiveness after their lives were "destroyed by abusive and criminal behavior" hidden or treated lightly to protect the institution and perpetrators.

The symposium would be a "painful and yet necessary exercise" of conscience to analyze the historical, cultural and theological causes of what Francis has referred to as "clericalism", he added.

Ouellet, the main organizer of the three-day symposium, defined it as "abuses of power, spiritual abuses, abuses of conscience, of which sexual abuses are but the tip of the iceberg".

"This symposium takes note of the clamor and anger of the people of God, so we are here to unite our voices with those who are calling for truth and justice," he added.

Francis did not mention the subject of abuse, instead sharing what he considered four "pillars" of the priesthood, drawn from his personal experience.

The symposium -- which is expected to attract 500 people -- comes two days after victims groups in Italy launched an unprecedented campaign to demand an independent investigation into priest abuse, in the wake of similar inquiries in Germany and France.


A report published last month criticized former pope Benedict XVI for turning a blind eye to abusive priests while he was the Archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has striven to tackle the decades-long sexual abuse scandals, although many activists against pedophilia insist much more needs to be done.

The Argentine pontiff convened an unprecedented summit on clerical sex abuse in 2019, lifted secrecy rules that hindered investigations of abusing priests, and hardened the punishment of abusers under Vatican law, among other measures.


© 2022 AFP

Officials at Texas Christian school charged in alleged coverup of student's brutal sexual assault: police

John Wright
February 16, 2022

Officials are led out of Midland Christian School in handcuffs on Wednesday. (Nexstar/screen shot)

Five employees at a Christian school in Midland, Texas, have been arrested for allegedly covering up the sexual assault of a student.

The employees include the superintendent, principal, and baseball and football coaches at the Midland Christian Academy, according to a report from NewsWest 9.

The assault reportedly took place in a locker room at the school's stadium during baseball practice on Jan. 20. The victim told a forensic investigator at the local Children's Advocacy Center that he was in the locker room changing when the lights were turned off.

"Another student told the victim that it was 'freshman initiation day' before someone began to hit the victim," the station reports. "The victim said he was then pushed to the ground while still being hit and everyone was screaming at him. He stated he attempted to hit his attacker but was told he was not allowed to hit back. According to the affidavit, the victim then stated he was sexually assaulted using a bat."

On Feb. 14, Superintendent Jared Lee allegedly refused to turn over evidence related to the assault — which reportedly was captured on video — to Midland police. Lee also refused to answer questions.

"During the investigation, officers determined that the five people arrested all had knowledge of the sexual assault but did not report it as required by the Texas Family Code," the station reports. "Emails obtained by (the police department) reportedly showed clear refusal by those involved to report the abuse to authorities."

According to Nexstar, Lee and the other four officials were arrested at the school on Wednesday morning and led out in handcuffs.

"Parents we spoke with, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the arrests may stem from what has been described as a 'disturbing video of a sexual assault' going around on social media," Nexstar reports.

The other four officials were identified as secondary principal Dana Ellis, assistant principal and coach Matthew Counts, athletic director and football coach Gregory McClendon, and baseball coach Barry Russell.

They reportedly were charged with failure to report with intent to conceal neglect or abuse, a class-A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

Representatives from Midland Christian School reportedly declined to comment.

Midland Christian School is a private school with an enrollment of about 1,200 students, according to U.S. News.

"With a rich history rooted in Christian principles and beliefs along with teachingfounded in God's Word, Midland Christian serves as a bright light in West Texas," Superintendent Lee wrote in a welcome message on the school's website. "While we strive for excellence in every aspect of our work to make our Father proud we never compromise the worth of a child or the calling to bring them in closer communion with God."