Faith Digest: U.S. Catholics vexed at Vatican

U.S. Catholics vexed at vatican. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics in the United States believe the Vatican tried to cover up clergy sex abuse, and a majority says Pope Benedict XVI has handled recent reports of past abuse poorly, according to a new poll, but less than 10 percent have considered leaving the Catholic Church over the issue. The Vatican has been besieged by criticism in recent months that top officials, including the future pope, mishandled cases of clergy sex abuse, allowing abusers to work in parishes with children, or stalling for years before defrocking serial molesters. More than half of U.S. Catholics—58 percent—say the Vatican did a “poor job,” of handing those reports, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. Less than one in three gave the Vatican good marks on the scandal, and 74 percent said the Vatican tried to cover up the problem in the past. The poll was based on telephone interviews with 412 Catholics conducted April 28-May 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Moral values in decline, most Americans insist. Three-quarters of Americans say the country’s moral values are worsening, blaming a decline in ethical standards, poor parenting, and dishonesty by government and business leaders, Gallup reports. The number of Americans who say the nation’s moral values are in decline grew by 5 percent since last year. Other reasons Americans mentioned were a rise in crime, a breakdown of the two-parent family and a moving away from religion or God. Only 14 percent of respondents believe the country’s moral values are getting better. The findings are based on May 3-6 telephone interviews with 1,029 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

New president tapped for Calvin Seminary. Church-planting expert Julius Med-enblik, 49, has been nominated to be the president of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is pastor of New Life Christian Reformed Church in New Lenox, Ill., which has grown from four members to more than 700. He also leads the church-planting efforts for the Christian Reformed Church. Medenblik will succeed Cornelius Plantinga Jr. at the end of the 2010-11 school year if the Christian Reformed Church Synod in June approves his appointment. Medenblik currently is chairman of the seminary’s board of trustees.

Lesbian bishop consecrated. The Episcopal Church has consecrated its first lesbian bishop. Episcopal leaders portrayed the consecration of Mary Douglas Glasspool, 56, as a suffragan bishop in Los Angeles as an affirmation of its aim to be “inclusive” regardless of sexual orientation. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, last December called Glasspool’s election “regrettable” and warned it would affect the Episcopal Church’s role in the communion. But Williams did not comment after Glasspool’s consecration, and reaction from the rest of the Anglican Communion was relatively muted compared to the response after the first gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, was consecrated in 2003.