The new policies, approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, call on church leaders to set up listening sessions with local Native leaders, incorporate tribal customs into sacred rites and improve access to Catholic universities and other educational opportunities for Native Americans, among other directives.

The document chronicled some of the abuses that Native Americans suffered at the hands of the church, including its operation of more than 80 government-sponsored boarding schools that were part of a decades-long forced assimilation program.

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The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) issued a statement on April 11 titled "Integrity in the Determination of Brain Death: Recent Challenges and Next Steps".

The NCBC highlighted a breakdown in public consensus on death and organ donation. They attribute it to unresolved disputes regarding the determination of brain death.

Catholic teaching supports organ donation. Pope St John Paul II called it "a particularly praiseworthy example" of "everyday heroism", so long as the donation is made with free and informed consent and the donor is truly dead.

The act of removing the organs must not kill the donor.

However, recent attempts to redefine death pose ethical dilemmas. Proposed revisions to the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) and updated guidelines from medical organisations have sparked controversy.

The UDDA states that a person can be declared dead following the "irreversible" shutdown of circulatory and respiratory functions, or of "all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem".

The act states that medical professionals must determine death "in accordance with accepted medical standards".

Various groups opposed the proposed changes to the UDDA, prompting a temporary halt in September 2023. These changes aimed to modify criteria for determining death.

Erroneous declarations of death

Additionally, revised guidelines published in October 2023 by medical associations - such as the American Academy of Neurology - now permit clinicians to declare brain death despite evidence of neuroendocrine function.

Critics argue that such changes deviate from the traditional understanding of death, which is seen as the irreversible cessation of all brain functions.

"The law pretty much says that … brain death involves all irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain" says John Brehany, the NCBC's executive vice president.

"And yet the guidelines of the most influential organisation (the AAN) were not testing for all functions ... of the entire brain. We think that's very problematic."

Moreover, the NCBC voiced reservations about potential revisions to the UDDA that would shift from a standard of whole-brain death to partial-brain death, resulting in potentially erroneous declarations of death.

Experts warn that ambiguity in determining death could negatively impact both organ donors and the thousands of individuals awaiting transplants.

In response to these concerns, the NCBC urges Catholics to clarify and promote a concept of death consistent with Catholic teachings and rigorous clinical testing. They emphasise the importance of reinforcing ethical standards and educating stakeholders about the complexities of organ donation and the determination of death.

The NCBC asserts that addressing these issues will require concerted efforts from individuals and institutions with expertise in bioethics and medical practice.

Sources

The Boston Pilot

CathNews New Zealand

The vote occurred during the USCCB's spring meeting in Orlando. It passed via voice vote, with no audible dissenters or abstentions.

Technically, the procedural vote doesn't specifically bar gender-affirming care but allows the USCCB's Committee on Doctrine to begin the process of amending the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services — the "authoritative guidance on certain moral issues" for Catholic health care institutions.

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Participants were also concerned about the division between US Catholics and their bishops.

They voiced a need for a welcoming church of "lived reality" for LGBTQ+ and laypeople rather than prioritising rules and regulations.

The report released on 19 September by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was prepared in advance of the Synod of Bishops called by Pope Francis with the theme - "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission".

More than 700,000 participants joined listening sessions. The report said the documents "represent over 22,000 reports from individual parishes and other groups" that emerged from more than 30,000 opportunities to join the synodal process.

"The listening is an opening movement toward a wise discernment locally, regionally and nationally about what our deepest concerns, our deepest hopes are right now at this moment in time," Bishop Daniel E Flores (pictured) of Brownsville, Texas, who oversees the US synodal process.

Bishop Flores said the process of producing the 16-page synthesis report sent to the Vatican enabled people to respectfully listen to each other and develop a new understanding of what life in the church can be.

"It's an important step that gives us an experience as a local church," Bishop Flores said. "That's why I think it's always important to see that this is a seed that is planted and has a chance to grow. I think that's what the Holy Father is asking for us."

In a letter introducing the report, Bishop Flores described the document as "an attempt to synthesise and contextualise the common joys, hopes and wounds called forth with the help of the Holy Spirit in the unfolding of the synod".

"While not a complete articulation of the many topics and perspectives shared in the listening process, this synthesis is an attempt to express the broader themes that seemed most prevalent in the dioceses and regions of our country," he wrote.

"The synodal consultations around the enduring wounds caused by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, the pandemic, polarisation and marginalisation have exposed a deep hunger for healing and the strong desire for communion, community and a sense of belonging and being united," the national synthesis report said.

The next phase is to prepare a second draft for the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. The final document will be how synodality can be practised throughout the church.

Sources

Catholic News Service

In the Nov 4 speech to the Congress of Catholics and Public Life in Madrid, Gomez framed today's social justice activism, including the anti-racist movement in the United States, as an angry Marxist-inspired, anti-Christian expression of a corrosive secularism being pushed by an "elite leadership class."

"In fact, as they see it, religion, especially Christianity, only gets in the way of the society they hope to build," said Gomez, who is also president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Gomez's remarks angered leading Black Catholic theologians, academics and activists.

Groups such as Pax Christi USA and the Association of US Catholic Priests have released statements in recent days condemning the archbishop's comments.

"Your speech was particularly painful and offensive to Black Catholic advocates in the United States who have organised for racial justice in the face of indifference and even hostility from many white Christians," reads the new petition, which was released Nov 12 and was organised by Faith in Public Life and Faithful America.

Craig Ford, a theology professor at St Norbert College in Wisconsin, urged Gomez to meet with social movement leaders and theologians to find common ground in their shared commitment to human dignity.

"Black Lives Matter and other justice movements are secular expressions of Jesus' presence among those who are reviled and rejected," Ford said.

But in Gomez's stated view, modern secular movements like Black Lives Matter are rival ideologies trying to "cancel" or push Christianity out of public life.

Gomez suggested that the church can only engage those movements not on social or political terms, "but as dangerous substitutes for true religion."

The archbishop's talk has sparked a backlash from Catholics involved in social justice works. On Nov 9, Pax Christi USA released an official statement rejecting Gomez's "negative and misleading stereotype" of today's social justice movements.

"His derisive use of the term 'woke' is commonplace among those who feel the power they have traditionally wielded is threatened by those who call for greater justice, equity and social change," the Pax Christi statement said.

The new petition encourages Gomez to embrace the "Church in the streets" called for by Pope Francis by finding common ground "with a new generation of social justice leaders who, in the language of Vatican II, are reading the 'signs of the times' and inspiring diverse movements of people who are putting their faith into action."

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• CathNews

But some experts say the level of detail included in the story suggests that whoever provided the information has access to large datasets and methods of analysis that could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars—or more.

"When I first heard that this was happening, my mouth hit the floor," Zach Edwards, the founder of the boutique analytics firm Victory Medium, told America.

A data expert, Mr Edwards previously helped a Norwegian consumer rights group bring a complaint against Grindr in 2020 that alleged that the gay hookup app violated European privacy laws by leaking users' personal data.

The company was eventually fined more than $11 millionearlier this year by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.

Mr Edwards described the level of detail revealed in the data points included in The Pillar article as "alarming."

Zach Edwards the founder of the boutique analytics firm Victory Medium, described the level of detail revealed in the data points included in The Pillar article as "alarming."

The Pillar has not said where it obtained the data about Msgr Jeffrey Burrill, who resigned shortly before the story about his use of the app was published.

The editors of The Pillar, J. D Flynn and Ed Condon, did not reply to an email from America asking who provided the data.

Mr Edwards said that acquiring data that appears to have been collected over at least three years could be costly and may have required a team of researchers to sort through it to identify specific individuals tied to the data.

He estimated that the "database and deanonymization efforts" used to obtain details about Monsignor Burrill could have "run into the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars."

The article in The Pillar contained allegations that a phone associated with Monsignor Burrill regularly logged onto Grindr, a dating app used by gay men, during periods of several months in 2018, 2019 and 2020 from his home and office in Washington, D.C., as well as from a family lake house in Wisconsin and from other cities, including Las Vegas.

"The inclusion of [Monsignor Burrill's vacation destinations] speaks to a level of tracking obsession," Mr Edwards said.

"Every Catholic should hope that's the case because that is the only scenario that's not a dystopian nightmare."

It is possible, he said, that a person or organization held a grudge against Monsignor Burrill and tracked only his data.

But he worries that the data appears to have been shopped around since 2018 and that whoever has access to it now probably has more information to release.

Mr Edwards estimated that the "database and deanonymization efforts" used to obtain details about Monsignor Burrill could have "run into the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars."

"It either is a larger organization tracking multiple priests and we have more shoes that are going to be dropping" or it was focused only on Monsignor Burrill, he said. He can imagine a situation in which the data could be used to blackmail or extort church leaders.

The specificity of geography included in The Pillar story suggests that whoever provided the information to the publication had access to an unusually comprehensive dataset that would have gone beyond what is normally available to advertising firms.

"That's a really expensive, dangerous data sale," he said.

Large, "deidentified" data sets like this—information that does not contain names or phone numbers—are often sold in aggregate for advertising purposes or even to track mass travel during epidemics.

The data used as the basis for The Pillar story appears to have tracked Monsignor Burill through a process known as re-identification, which some experts said may have violated contracts from third-party vendors, who routinely prohibit the practice.

Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye, an applied mathematics professor at Imperial College, London, who has studied the ease with which individuals can be identified through supposedly pseudonymized data, told America the report in The Pillar was "quite vague on the technical details."

But he said that, in general, a researcher or team of analysts can identify an individual with access to just a few data points.

He gave as an example a fictional person living in Boston: That person's mobile device may send a signal from an M.I.T. classroom in the morning, from a Harvard Square cafe in the afternoon, then in the evening from a bar in the Back Bay followed by a signal from a home in South Boston.

The specificity of geography included in The Pillar story suggests that whoever provided the information to the publication had access to an unusually comprehensive dataset that would have gone beyond what is normally available to advertising firms.

"A few of these places and times are going to be sufficient" to match other information a researcher might know about an individual that taken together makes it possible to identify the user of the mobile device, Mr Montjoye said.

That other information could include real estate records, social media posts or even published agendas.

Even in large cities with millions of people, it is not difficult to use just a few data points to identify an individual as "very few people will be at the same places at roughly the same time as you."

The co-founders of The Pillar defended their story against criticism that called the story journalistically unethical, saying in a statement that they "discovered an obvious correlation between hookup app usage and a high-ranking public figure who was responsible in a direct way for the development and oversight of policies addressing clerical accountability with regard to the Church's approach to sexual morality."

Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, the director of ministerial formation at St. John's University School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minn., said more and more surveillance and tracking technology will not produce righteous men fit for ministry.

Instead, she said, it will contribute to a culture of suspicion and perpetuate the lack of trust in the Catholic Church.

"Why not invest instead in formation processes that insist on a culture of honesty, transparency and integrity of character?" she said, adding that if and when religious leaders are found to have moral failings, there is a need to create space for conversation among the faithful.

"Sadly, many of us have had the experience of finding out scandalous information about a priest or pastoral leader. This is a shocking experience, often coupled with a sense of betrayal, sadness, grief, anger, disgust and even despair," she said.

"Communities experiencing this need spaces for turning together for conversation, honest sharing, and gathering to lament and grieve the loss of trust that occurred."

Hours before The Pillar published its report, the Catholic News Agency published a story stating that the organization had been approached by a person in 2018 who "claimed to have access to technology capable of identifying clergy and others who download popular ‘hook-up' apps, such as Grindr and Tinder, and to pinpoint their locations using the internet addresses of their computers or mobile devices."

The story said that C.N.A. declined to accept information from this person.

In a statement, Grindr called The Pillar's report an "unethical, homophobic witch hunt" and said it does "not believe" it was the source of the data used. The company said it has policies and systems in place to protect personal data, although it didn't say when those were implemented.

Mr Edwards, who has been critical of Grindr's privacy protections, said, "This is about the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to their business." Continue reading

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a memo that Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill had resigned as its general secretary. This came after staff had learned on Monday of "impending media reports alleging possible improper behaviour."

The Pillar published an article on Wednesday that presented evidence the priest engaged in serial sexual misconduct.

The data captured by The Pillar highlights the invasive threat posed by mobile data.

Pillar said its analysis of the app data "correlated" to Burrill's cellphone. It shows he visited gay bars in several cities between 2018 and 2020 while using the app.

The article does not report that Burrill did anything illegal. However, homosexual acts are considered a sin according to Catholic teaching. Ordained priests are required to make a vow of celibacy.

It is not immediately clear how The Pillar obtained the data.

Brokered data is being used to identify the activities of cellphone users, confirming the long-voiced concerns of privacy experts.

A primary concern of privacy experts involves a concept known as "device fingerprinting". This is where a user can be identified, even when the data is supposed to be anonymous.

A tracker does this by looking for a unique and persistent way a person uses technology. The identity can be determined based on the location, time and activity, all of which can be collected through permission granted when the app is downloaded.

Security researchers have also found that apps are collecting more data than users are led to believe.

A report in 2019 found that more than 1,000 apps were taking data even after users denied them permissions, allowing them to gather precise geolocation data and phone identifiers.

In an article published Monday, the Catholic News Agency said it had received an offer in 2018 from individuals who claimed to have access to technology capable of tracking priests who download dating apps.

The news organization said it declined the proposal at the time. But it warned that "there are reports this week that information targeting allegedly active homosexual priests may become public."

Sources

• CNet
• Religion News
• The Pillar

Dozens of bishops had written to the USCCB president, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, requesting to postpone the debate until a later meeting. They wanted more time to prepare for the debate, and to discuss the issue in person rather than via a virtual meeting.

But prompt action is being sought by some conservative bishops who want to signal that President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should not receive Communion.

Archbishop Gomez explained that the USCCB administrative committee approved a request from Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, for the discussion on drafting a document to examine the "meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the church".

Bishop Rhoades chairs the bishops' committee on doctrine, which would draft the document if approved by the full assembly.

In a memo, Archbishop Gomez said USCCB rules require that the body of bishops first be asked whether to issue a document on a particular topic.

"Importantly, the action item does not ask the body to approve a final statement, but only whether drafting of a text may begin," the memo said.

If the action is approved, the doctrine committee would begin its work, subject to the conference's "usual process of consultation, modification and amendment" when presented for consideration at a future general assembly.

"As you will note, the focus of this proposed teaching document is on how best to help people to understand the beauty and mystery of the Eucharist as the center of their Christian lives," Gomez wrote.

Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila, one of the conservatives engaged in the discussions, issued a statement Tuesday praising Gomez and saying he "followed the correct procedures to facilitate this critical discussion as a body of bishops."

Aquila referred to a May 7 letter to Gomez from the head of the Vatican's doctrine office, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, urging the US bishops to deliberate carefully and minimize divisions before proceeding with any action on the Communion issue.

"It was clear from it that the USCCB's plan to discuss and debate this important issue is warranted and encouraged," Aquila said. "In contrast, the publication of the letter calling for a halt to discussion at our June meeting on this vital issue risks creating an atmosphere of factionalism, rather than unity amongst the bishops."

But in a recent essay, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego made a case against the campaign to deny Biden and others Communion.

"It will bring tremendously destructive consequences," McElroy wrote. "The Eucharist is being weaponized and deployed as a tool in political warfare. This must not happen."

Sources

The Tablet

America Magazine

ABC News

At issue is a document that will be prepared for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops by its Committee on Doctrine, with the aim of clarifying the church's stance on an issue that has repeatedly vexed the bishops in recent decades.

It's taken on new urgency now, in the eyes of many bishops, because Biden — only the second Catholic president — is the first to hold that office while espousing clear-cut support for abortion rights.

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