• Biggest concern of American Catholics? Sex abuse scandal, poll finds

    AP

    Cardinals attend a meeting, at the Vatican, Monday, March 4, 2013.

    By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

    As Roman Catholic cardinals convene in Rome to elect a new pope, American Catholics say that the sex abuse scandal is the most important issue facing the church today, according to a new poll.


    Thirty-four percent of Catholics in the United States chose sex abuse or pedophilia in a poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that was released on Wednesday. The poll was conducted Feb. 28 through March 3. Benedict XVI, now pope emeritus, left the Vatican for the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo last Thursday.

    Nine percent of respondents said they thought the church suffered from low credibility, and seven percent said they felt the church was not modern enough, according to the Pew poll.

    What wasn’t on the minds of Catholics? The abdication of the pontiff, a development unprecedented in modern times. Only one-in-twenty Catholics said they considered the lack of a pope among the most pressing issues facing the faith.

    Asked what the Catholic Church’s most important contribution to society is, 27 percent of adherents said charitable works including service to the poor, sick, and needy, the Pew survey found. Eleven percent said that moral guidance is the church’s greatest contribution.

    The specter of sex abuse has followed numerous cardinals to the Holy See. Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles will be among those electing the next pope, despite revelations of abuse under his watch. Recently revealed documents show that Mahony helped to conceal the activities of abuser priests, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    Another cardinal, New York City Archbishop Timothy Dolan, was deposed shortly before leaving for the conclave in an ongoing case involving the archdiocese of Milwaukee, which Dolan used to head. Hundreds of people have claimed that they were molested by priests in the archdiocese.

    A recent New York Times / CBS News poll also found that the sex abuse scandal was foremost in the mind of American Catholics, with seven out of 10 respondents saying that American Catholic church has done a poor job of handling the crisis. In that poll, a majority said that the way the church has dealt with the issue has caused them to question the Vatican’s authority, according to the New York Times.

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  • The path to an American pope? Cardinal's elevation gives US clout at Vatican

    Tony Gentle / Reuters

    New Cardinal James Michael Harvey of U.S. (right) is congratulated by another cardinal during a consistory ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Saturday.

     

    By Claudio Lavanga, NBC News

    Update at 7.20 a.m. ET on Nov. 24: Milwaukee Archbishop James Harvey and five others were made cardinals by Pope Benedict Saturday, Reuters reports. He reminded them that they wear red vestments because they must be ready to defend the faith "even to the shedding of your blood" in a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica.

    Published on Nov. 23, 2012: ROME — The red, or rather scarlet, carpet will be rolled in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday for the elevation of six cardinals. The new so-called "princes of the church" will receive their ring, scarlet skullcap and the traditional biretta, a four-cornered hat, in a solemn ceremony presided by Pope Benedict XVI.

    The ceremony won't only be a rare insight into one of the oldest and most colorful traditions in the Catholic Church, which with 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, represents more than half of the world's Christian population. It will also redefine the balance of power in the Catholic Church, and further increase the United States' influence in the election of the next pope.

    Among the six cardinal-elects is James Harvey, an archbishop from Milwaukee who will become the 11th cardinal elector from the U.S., strengthening the country's position as the Vatican's second-largest voting bloc after Italy.  Cardinal electors are the members of the College of Cardinals who have not reached their 80th birthdays on the day the pope dies and are thus able to vote for the new prelate.

    But as American author and John Paul II biographer George Weigel explains, the fact that American cardinals will represent almost 10 percent of worldwide electors in the next Conclave (the election of the pope), does not necessarily mean one of them will become the next Holy Father. 

    "The prominence of American cardinals in the current college reflects the vitality of the Catholic Church in the United States," Weigel told NBC News. “But I don't think it likely that any American will be elected pope for as long as the United States remains the world's pre-eminent power." 

    What the selection of an American to be one of the new cardinal electors might show however, is that Pope Benedict XVI is acutely aware that the Catholic Church is swiftly ceasing to be predominately European religion. After all, with 134 million followers, Brazil alone has more Catholics than Italy, France and Spain combined, according to a major study released in 2011. Even the United States, with 75 million or  24 percent of the world's Catholics, is far ahead of any European country.

    Harvey, 63, is a well-known and respected figure in the Vatican. He was named prefect of the papal household in 1998, and has since arranged daily meetings and engagements for Pope John Paul II first, and Benedict XVI later. Having lived for the past 30 years in the Vatican, he may be more familiar with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica than the "Domes" at the Mitchell Park Conservatory, but he never severed his ties with his native city.

    Once he receives his ring, skullcap and hat on Saturday, Harvey will become the third American to be elevated to cardinal this year, after Edwin Frederick O’Brien and Timothy Michael Dolan received the honor back in February.

    External link: Cardinals by country

    While chances of an American to be elected Pope are still slim, American cardinals are undeniably a force in the Vatican. 

    Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, has quickly become the superstar among American cardinals. His charismatic personality and quick wit  made him an instant hit with the media, who have been waiting for a camera-friendly cleric since the death of Pope John II, arguably the greatest Catholic communicator in the age of mass media.

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, speaks with people waiting for free Thanksgiving groceries at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Community Center in Harlem on Tuesday.

    "Cardinal Dolan is definitely a candidate and enjoys a lot of name recognition — which helps in a global church," Alessandro Speciale, Vatican correspondent at the Religious News Service, told NBC News.

    "But two factors might weaken his chances: coming from the world's only superpower could still be seen as a negative factor in a global church, and he has never held a leadership position in the Roman Curia," he said, referring to the Holy See's administrative body.  

    In any case, the choice of non-Europeans to high office in the Vatican is a way for the Holy See to shift the balance of power towards other continents and prove the “universality of the church.” 

    "There was considerable criticism of the last group of cardinals being too European, too Italianate, and too Curial. I think it's fair to read this group as a response to that criticism," Weigel said.

    Speciale agrees: "The previous Consistory in February had been criticized for being overly skewed towards Italy (and more in general Europe) and, again, the Curia. With this quite unusual second batch of red hats in a year, Benedict wanted to show his attention to the rest of the world."

    Slideshow: The life of Pope Benedict XVI

    Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.

    Launch slideshow

    Whatever the reason for the choice of non-European Cardinals, the selection plays in favor of the American grouping, which will have one more elector in their ranks.

    "The power of Americans in the Vatican has grown significantly in the last few years: not just because of the star power of Cardinal Dolan but also thanks to the organization, economic resources and boldness in the defense of Catholic values in front of a perceived hostile society is admired by many in the Vatican," Speciale said.

    "But it remains to be seen whether this numerical weight will actually translate into influence at the Conclave: though national links are powerful, many other factors — the strongest being whether one is part on not of the Roman Curia — play into the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel."

    When the time comes, all Cardinals-electors from all over the world will "lock" themselves in the Sistine Chapel in order to vote for a new Pope. While it is unclear who will emerge from it as the new leader of the world's Catholics, one thing is certain: that American influence in that choice went up a notch.

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  • Italy police: Student stabs sleeping American friend while on drugs

    Yara Nardi/F3 Press

    Reid Schepis is taken into custody Thursday after he was alleged to have stabbed fellow student Fabio Malpeso.

    By Praxilla Trabattoni, NBC News
    Editor's note: This story includes a correction.

     

    Updated at 4:15 a.m. ET on Nov. 5: ROME -- A 19-year-old American was in critical condition Friday after he was allegedly stabbed while he slept by a fellow student following a night of partying in the Italian capital, officials told NBC News.

    The victim, New Jersey-born Fabio Malpeso underwent surgery for stab wounds to his lungs and other parts of his body. Police said Friday that Malpeso was in critical but stable condition in intensive care at a hospital in Rome. 

    Authorities said the motive for the attack, which happened in an apartment that overlooks Rome's famous Colosseum early Thursday morning, was unclear. However, detectives suspect "drug- and alcohol-related delirium" might be a factor.


    The alleged assailant, who was taken to a police station and then a prison in central Rome, was named as Reid Alexander Schepis, 20. The suspect and victim are both students at John Cabot University, an American college in Rome.

    Police said Schepis, a resident of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, appeared to have joint U.S. and Italian citizenship, but they were working to establish his nationalities.

    Lawyer: Suspect a 'model student'
    Schepis' lawyer, Vincenzo Comi, said his client was "distraught and exhausted," after visiting the young man in jail Friday.

    "He is clearly under shock, and nothing in his past could have prepared him for this. He has never had any problems with the law and has always been a model student with top grades,” Comi said, adding he did not want to say what Schepis had told him at this stage.

    Comi said Schepis’ mother was American and his father Italian, and as far as he was aware Schepis had dual citizenship.

    A third man, an Italian aged in his 30s named Andrea Rinaldi, suffered injuries to his arms and hands trying to defend Malpeso, and was also in the hospital, police said.

    Paolo Guiso, a judiciary police inspector who is leading the investigation, told NBC News Friday that Schepis and Malpeso had returned to the apartment, where Malpeso's sister Federica and Rinaldi were also staying, after partying in a nightclub Wednesday night and early Thursday.

    Yara Nardi / F3 Press

    The building where Schepis is alleged to have stabbed Malpeso is not far from the Coliseum in central Rome.

    More international coverage from NBC News

    "Federica, Rinaldi and Fabio went to bed at 6 a.m. [Thursday]. Reid stayed in the living room. At a certain point, he went to the kitchen, fetched a knife and went into Fabio's room, where he started to stab the sleeping youth," Guiso alleged. 

    "Hearing the screaming and commotion, Rinaldi and the victim's sister ran in to see what was happening. They stepped in to defend Fabio, which resulted in Rinaldi suffering cuts to his hands and arms," he said.

    "The motive of the attack is still not clear. At present we … believe that the violence was brought on due to a drug- and alcohol-related delirium," Guiso added.

    'Best friends'
    Guiso said early Friday that he had not been able to speak properly with Schepis as he was "still half asleep and at times catatonic ...  he was almost in a state of unconsciousness at times."

    "We have taken him to Regina Coeli prison in the heart of Rome. Within 48 hours from the arrest, he will have to go before the judge who will need to confirm his arrest," he added.

    Marta Canigiulia, 20, a student at John Cabot, told NBC News Friday that she was friends with Schepis and Malpeso, though she had only recently met the latter.

    “They were best friends ... they are best friends, I hope they still are,” she added. “I loved them for the fact that they were always very cheery. They would always come up to you and say: ‘Hi Marta, what’s up?’ They were always smiling.”

    More US coverage from NBCNews.com

    Referring to Schepis, Canigiulia said with tears in her eyes, “he is a good person.”

    “I can’t explain why this happened. Probably it’s because of drugs,” she speculated.

    Geraldine Gully, 18, another student, said she did not know Schepis and Malpeso personally but “saw them all the time at school. ... They seemed like very good friends. I was so shocked to hear what had happened because it was so unexpected and you wouldn’t believe it,” she said.

    In a statement, John Cabot University President France Pavoncello said he was dealing “with this situation personally” with support from other staff and was in touch with the “involved parties and their families.”

    He confirmed the suspect and victim were students at the university, saying they were roommates in an off-campus apartment. 

    “I trust you will all join me in sending our prayers to the victim's family for their son's full recovery as well as to the family of the alleged attacker, who is likely shattered by this tragic event,” he added.

    Thursday was the fifth anniversary of the brutal murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, that led to the arrest, trial and eventual acquittal of American student Amanda Knox.

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