Former papal diplomat could face trial in Dominican Republic: Vatican

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:08am EDT

Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, the Vatican’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic, offers mass in Santo Domingo August 3, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Luis Gomez/Diario Libre

(Reuters) – A former Polish archbishop and papal diplomat who was defrocked after allegations of paying children for sexual acts has lost his diplomatic immunity and could be tried in the Dominican Republic, the Vatican said.

In a statement late on Monday, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi also denied that the Vatican, by recalling Jozef Wesolowski to Rome last year when he was still a diplomat in Santo Domingo, had tried to cover up the case.

Lombardi, whose statement followed a detailed report on the Wesolowski case this week in The New York Times, said the 66-year-old former archbishop no longer had immunity and “might also be subjected to judicial procedures from the courts that could have specific jurisdiction over him”.

Wesolowski is being investigated in the Dominican Republic, where he served as nuncio, or ambassador, over accusations of paying boys to perform sexual acts.

Last June, a Vatican tribunal defrocked the former archbishop, meaning he was reduced to the status of a layman and can no longer be a minister.

He is now due to undergo a separate, criminal trial in Vatican City, the first time the Vatican will hold such a trial on those charges in its own territory. Wesolowski could face up to 12 years in jail.

Lombardi said Wesolowski was appealing against the defrocking and that another canonical hearing would take place in the next few weeks. After that, the criminal proceedings against him in the Vatican “will continue as soon as the canonical sentence becomes definitive,” he said.

The spokesman denied that Wesolowski’s recall to Rome last year was an attempt to cover up anything, saying the Vatican had “moved without delay and correctly” to investigate the former archbishop.

“Far from any intention of a cover-up, this action demonstrates the full and direct undertaking of the Holy See’s responsibility even in such a serious and delicate case…,” Lombardi said.

He said Pope Francis, who has vowed zero tolerance against clerics who sexually abuse children, was following the Wesolowski case very carefully and wanted it to be handled “justly and rigorously”.

Last May, Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, called the sexual abuse of children by priests an “ugly crime” and likened it to “a Satanic Mass”.

In July, he told victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clerics the Church should “weep and make reparation” for crimes he said had taken on the dimensions of a sacrilegious cult.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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Encouraging the youth of Dominican Republic through mountaineering

 

Aug 14, 2014

Karim Mella is a mountaineer, extreme sports enthusiast and activist. Mella is also an active Green Beret in the United States Army and a spokesperson for prostate cancer awareness, he works with a disabled veteran organization on the use of robotics to improve life skills.

But Mella is probably best known as the first to have led a Dominican American expedition to Mount Everest in 2011, and he is now working to give young Dominican students encouragement to become agents of positive change.

SEE ALSO: Peru’s most accomplished mountaineer prepares for Mount Everest

Now, through his “Siempre Mas” foundation, Mella talks about his love for mountain climbing and shares life experiences with teenagers from slums back in his country, the Dominican Republic.

Mella’s journey to Everest, the world’s highest point

Mella began climbing mountains at a young age.

“My first high mountain was Pico Bolivar in Venezuela, I was 19-years-old,” he saidaccording to USSOCOM. “I did that during my summer vacation in my sophomore year of the naval academy. After that I fell in love with mountaineering. Before that I was just doing a lot of trekking through the mountains in the Dominican Republic.”

After graduating from high school, he attended the Dominican Republic naval academy where he spent two years as an ensign. Afterwards he moved to the United States, where he joined the U.S. Army.

“When I came to the United States, I started doing rock climbing, eventually going back to mountaineering.  I started doing high mountains like Aconcagua, Huascaran, McKinley, Kilimanjaro, Kenya and Mount Denali in Alaska,” he said.

Mella told USSCOM that his motivation to climb mountains stems from many things.

“One is to be out there in nature, another is you go there because of your efforts,” Mella said. “It’s not like you can take a car and drive there; you have to fight and work to get to the top. And the view is just amazing; it basically shows you how small you are in the big scheme of things. Some people think they can take over the world in a day but we’re so insignificant – the mountain shows you that.”

After reaching the summit Mella said that all the strifes were worth it.

“The feeling I got when I got to the summit, I could tell you but it really wouldn’t describe it,” he said. “It’s a surreal experience, seeing the curvature of the earth and where you’re standing, that’s priceless.”

Mella’s nonprofit organization “Siempre Mas”

In 2011, after his return from the expedition to Mount Everest, Mella got the idea of ​​sharing his experiences and encourage young people in a Dominican school.

With his slogan “My goal is the top,” Mella strives to show young Dominicans that with hard work and dedication, all goals are possible to achieve.

The “Siempre Mas” foundation was founded back in 2012 and has lectured over 50 high schools in the city of Santo Domingo and the interior of the country.

According to the website, over 500 young people have completed the “Educational Pico Duarte Tour” and received instruction and classes on different ecological and environmental issues.

The mission statement of the foundation is:

•  Promote and encourage the importance of environmental conservation of our national parks through lectures and educational trips
• Strengthen the character of young students by teaching them that with hard work, commitment and teamwork can accomplish goals.
•  Encourage the development of Dominican mountaineering expeditions through both national and international level.

On the site you can find a quote from Mella that says: “Vale la pena perseguir un sueño, no importa que tardes treinta años en alcanzarlo,” or “A dream is worth pursuing, no matter if it takes 30 years to reach.”

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Dominicans Have Their Day

NY CULTURE

Thumping Midtown Parade Is Reason to Show Pride—and a Chance to Dance

MIKE VILENSKY

CONNECT

Aug. 10, 2014 8:56 p.m. ET

The Dominican Day Parade in Midtown ignited the pride of Dominicans across the city and beyond on Sunday. Associated Press

New Yorkers of Dominican descent flooded the streets of Midtown Manhattan on Sunday to celebrate their nationality, run into old friends or get a glimpse of celebrities at the Dominican Day Parade.

“The parade is about our heritage, and it’s something fun to do,” said Yasmine Pascual, a 33-year-old Dominican New Yorker. Plus, she said, “I’m expecting to see someone famous.”

A flag waver rolls up Sixth Avenue. Associated Press

Hundreds of thousands were expected at the 33rd annual event, which took over more than a dozen Manhattan blocks. Midtown’s usual vehicle traffic was replaced by elaborate floats, marching bands, costumed personalities, and thumping dance music.

More Dominicans live in New York than any other city in the world, barring Santo Domingo (the capital of the Dominican Republic), city statistics show. About 576,701 Dominicans live in New York City, according to the 2010 census.

On Sunday, many of them wore red-and-blue bandannas, waved Dominican flags and cheered as politicians and community leaders strode by.

A historical costumed character Associated Press

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was among the elected officials present. “What makes New York so special is its beautiful diversity,” he said. A Queens native, Mr. Cuomo said he recalled the early days of the parade when “there were just a few people out…. Now the Dominican community is one of the largest-growing in the state.”

Other politicians at the parade included Letitia James, the city’s public advocate, and state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, a Harlem Democrat seeking re-election.

The New York Police Department marching band drummed in unison, followed by a float for the radio station Wado (1280 AM), accompanied by dancers for the Brooklyn Nets.

“In New York, we’re all family,” said Nancy Ferreires, a Dominican woman who traveled from Pennsylvania for the parade. “I made a mistake moving over there,” she said of Pennsylvania. “New York is where you feel alive.”

Victor Bautista, a 54 year-old bus driver, said he was looking for “old-timers from the Dominican Republic” he hadn’t seen in years. “We’re all here to enjoy ourselves,” he said.

Mr. Cuomo was asked if another big event might come to New York City—the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Mayor de Blasio has been advocating for convention to be held in Brooklyn. Mr. Cuomo said he hoped the chances were “very good…but I don’t have any inside information.”

Traditional dancers were among the sites at the e Dominican Day Parade in Midtown on Sunday.  Associated Press

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Radical Takeover Pt. 6 – Rome’s Social Justice & Communism

Urban Truth Network

The oldest report of communism can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher, Plato, and has been both implemented and perfected by the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church. The resurrection of communism took place in Paraguay of South America in the 17th, and 18th, century, in what is known as the Jesuit Reductions of Paraguay. The Jesuit Reductions were brought about because of Romes interest in making Catholicism the dominate religion of the indigenous region. At the same time, the Spanish colonies were enslaving the natives, and no conversions to Catholicism were taking place, nor were their any clergymen who spoke the language of the natives. To solve this problem, the Jesuits decided to employ radical conversion tactics to win over the natives to the religion of Rome, such as promising freedom from slavery, and equal status with Spaniard colonists, if they would agree to convert…

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