Circus Nuns

The circus came to Bridgeport's Harbor Yard, and if you missed it, don't worry, it comes every year.

But there are many things going on behind the scenes, that a show-goer would never see, like, for instance, the religious sisters helping the performers and their children.

The circus is like a travelling city. The train in which the families live is a mile and a half long. There are food carts, animal carts, living space carts, equipment carts, all lined up and all moving across the country at a fairly decent clip. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the circus crew travels, on Wednesdays - Sundays, they put on a show in a new location.

Many take their families with them. 10-year-old Katherine Stuart says the circus life is "not so weird." She goes to school, five days a week, for five hours a day. Sr. Dolores Fabritze teaches her history, math, English and geography, to name just a few subjects. The school day looks a bit different from a circus train, though. They are in "school" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that school is really whatever back room the venue provided them. They must unpack their books and tools from movable carts, and then pack them all back up again five days later when they leave. After school, the children can't really do sports or participate in extra curricular activities, but they spend time in the nursery and with the performers, as their parents ready for that night's show.

Sr. Fabritze and other religious personalities make sure that the sacraments are provided to the performers who request them. They also provide bible studies and personal healing for those on-board the train.

If you'd like to see more of what goes on behind the scenes at the circus, tune in to Crossroads Magazine, at 10:30 a.m. on TXX and 10:30 p.m. on MyTV9.

Diocese of Bridgeport Will Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court

The Diocese of Bridgeport is seeking to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to keep documents pertaining to sexual abuse cases sealed. Diocesan officials on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to continue a stay against releasing the documents until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to take up their appeal. The documents were scheduled to be unsealed as early as Monday. The state court ruled that more than 12,000 pages of documents from more than 20 lawsuits against priests should be released. Those documents have been sealed from public view since the diocese settled the cases in 2001. The diocese has questioned the impartiality of the trial judge in the case, who was on committee aimed at providing more access to court records.

The Diocese's statement says, "There are constitutional rights and privacy issues of great concern for all citizens that we wish the U.S. Supreme Court to review and decide." The first major issue surrounds what the Diocese says is an unconstitutional interpretation of the "judicial document" doctrine. Under this doctrine, the state Supreme Court has decided to treat all court documents as public information. According to the Diocese, however, only documents that shed light on the judicial decision making process fall under this doctrine. Since these cases were settled out of court, releasing the papers does not shed light on the judicial decision making process and so should remain private documents, according to the argument of the Diocese. As the Diocese's motion says, the doctrine is "to allow the public to monitor judicial performance. This doctrine is not, and never has been, intended as a constitutional or common law right to gather information for investigative journalism into the activities of private litigants." According to the motion, the Diocese says the issue of "judicial documents" is one that has "divided courts across the country."

A second issue revolves around First Amendment rights.

For the Diocese's motion and additional information click here.

CT. Supreme Court Won't Reconsider Case

The Associated Press reports the Connecticut Supreme Court will not reconsider their ruling to release thousands of pages of sex abuse court documents. The Diocese of Bridgeport asked the state’s highest court to rehear the case with all justices present. In May, the court ruled 4 to 1 that more than 12 hundred pages of documents from 23 lawsuits could be made public. A diocesan lawyer said they are still considering their legal options, including appealing to the United States Supreme Court.

Diocese of Bridgeport: Not a Lobbyist

As we reported in the WJMJ Religious Headlines yesterday, Connecticut's Office of State Ethics has decided to stop its inquiry into whether the Diocese of Bridgeport needs to register as a lobbyist. The Office had said the Church's organization of rallies at the State Capitol made the Church a lobbyist group, and must register as such. The Diocese sued for an injunction against this request. The American Civil Liberties Union sided with the Diocese in this case. On June 30, the state's Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal urged for the end of the investigation. Ethics enforcement officer T.J. Jones will close the investigation, in light of Blumenthal's letter.

The Diocese has issued the following statement in response to the end of this probe:

“We are pleased to hear that the Office of State Ethics will abide by the Attorney General’s opinion and drop its action against the Diocese of Bridgeport.

“This is welcome news, not only for the Diocese but for all citizens who cherish the fundamental rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

“We look forward to receiving written confirmation from the Office of State Ethics. At that time we will make a decision on our lawsuit.”

WJMJ Religious Headlines

Connecticut Ethics Office Stops Diocesan Lobbyist Probe
Connecticut Attorney General: Lobbying Probe Should Stop
Man Tries to Run Over Pro-lifer
Cardinal Rigali Against Federal Funding of Abortions
Planned Parenthood Caught on Tape Bending Abortion Laws?
Will School Be Closed on Muslim Holidays in NYC?
English School to Student: Take Off That Crucifix
Pope's Wednesday Audience
Encyclical Out Next Tuesday
The Latest on the Kansas Miracle Investigation
Baltimore Miracle Investigation
Catholic Group Buys Very First Wendy's
Invention Allows 3D Modeling of Unborn Babies

ACLU Supports Diocese of Bridgeport

As we have reported on the blog, the Diocese of Bridgeport is suing for an injunction against the State of Connecticut Office of State Ethics' attempt to have the diocese register as a lobbying organization. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sided with the diocese, filing an amicus brief on behalf of the Church.

Bishop William Lori says, "The ACLU’s decision to join with the Diocese in this case demonstrates that this is a matter of fundamental civil liberties that threatens the Constitutional rights of all citizens."

He continues, "Holding a protest rally on the steps of the State Capitol and posting information on our diocesan website are not lobbying but an expression of our First Amendment rights of free speech. We welcome the support of the Nation’s leading civil liberties organization, and look forward to making our case against the misguided actions of the Office of State Ethics."

For more information, visit www.bridgeportdiocese.com/story_ACLUStatement.shtml

Bridgeport Diocese Appeals Supreme Court Decision

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport has filed a Motion with the Connecticut Supreme Court for reconsideration, by the entire Court, of the decision in the case Rosado verses Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocese.

The Diocese has asked that the case be considered by the entire Court rather than the divided, five-member panel that issued the May 22nd decision to open court-sealed documents to the media involving alleged abuse cases.

The Diocese maintains that the current decision to open the documents fails to consider the
serious conflict of interest of the trial judge, fails to uphold the legitimate privacy and constitutional rights of all parties to lawsuits, and fails to recognize that disclosure of the sealed documents in question is barred by the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.

Last month a five-member panel ruled by a 4-1 margin that the court documents involving 23 lawsuits against seven priests from the Diocese of Bridgeport should not be sealed. The documents were scheduled to become public in a matter of weeks but now will remain sealed until the court rules on the churches new motion.

Click here for the full story according to the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Bishop Lori on Fox News Website

Fox News has picked up on a story we first reported at the end of May. As of 2:15 p.m., the story is the front page article on Foxnews.com.

You can read our May coverage of this story here.

Connecticut's Office of State Ethics says the Church must register as a lobbyist group because it organized rallies at the Capitol. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport filed a federal lawsuit against the state. Church officials are asking the court to issue an injunction against the Office of State Ethics' decision.

Bishop Lori tells Foxnews.com, "We were simply seeking to fulfill our mission, to continue to be ourselves." Later he remarks, "It seems to me that by requiring a diocese or any other entity to register with the state before it can protest an unfriendly action by the state has a chilling affect. I don't think it's in anyone's interest that a protest rally be labeled lobbying."

Bridgeport Diocese Sues the State

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport filed a federal lawsuit Friday afternoon against the state for seeking to have the church register as a lobbyist because it organized rallies against a bill to have independent boards oversee the churches finances.

Church officials are asking the court to issue an injunction against the Office of State Ethics' attempt to make the church register as a lobbyist.

"I believe the OSE's extension of the lobbying laws to these activities will interfere with the diocese's ability to mobilize its members and, if necessary, to urge them to rally at the Capitol," Bishop William Lori said.

The Hartford Courant has the whole story here.

In March, more than 4,000 Catholics gathered at the Capitol to protest a proposed bill to have lay councils oversee the finances of local parishes, relegating Catholic pastors and bishops to an advisory role.

Crossroads Magazine covered the event, and will bring you the video shortly.

Ct. Supreme Court Rules on Sex Abuse Files

In a four to one decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that sealed documents from the Diocese of Bridgeport’s sexual abuse cases can be released to the public.

The New York Times and the Boston Globe have requested those documents be unsealed using the Freedom of Information Act.

The Diocese of Bridgeport has responded to the case here.

The Diocesian press release quotes the Supreme Court's dissenting opinion penned by Justice William Sullivan:“A person of ordinary intelligence and experience would have reason to question Judge Alander’s impartiality in the present case…”

The statement goes on to say, "Well after the legal time limit to challenge the initial sealing of documents, the secular press intervened, demanding access to the court files, including the sealed records. In a decision replete with anti-Catholic Church rhetoric, the trial judge actually invented an entirely new procedure to accommodate this after-the-fact request from the press."

Finally, the diocesian statement says, "Sadly, the history of this case has been about access by the secular media to internal Church documents of cases more than 30 years ago to suggest, unfairly, that nothing has changed. This is despite the extraordinary measures the Catholic Church has undertaken over the past several years to treat victims with great compassion and dignity, and to put in safeguards and educational programs to ensure that such a tragedy will not happen again."

The Court's majority opinion is here.
The Court's dissenting opinion is here.