|
|
|
|
News Briefs
|
NEWS BRIEFS Oct-24-2005
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Water-damaged Xavier University in New Orleans plans to reopen
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Norman Francis was a freshman at Xavier University in New Orleans in 1948, his work-study scholarship landed him the job of repairing damaged books in the university library. These days, Francis, who has been Xavier's president for nearly four decades, is once again fixing things, although this time on a colossal scale: overseeing the repair of the entire university. The library books, damaged when the library filled with 6 feet of water in Hurricane Katrina, are just one of his concerns because nearly every campus building was waterlogged during the Aug. 29 storm and the massive flooding that followed. An early estimate of the recovery price tag, including reconstruction, faculty salaries and student financial aid, was about $90 million. Finding the money to pay for the loss is now the daunting task before school officials. Xavier, the country's only historically black Catholic university, does not have the large endowment that larger universities do. Instead, it has a $50 million endowment primarily restricted for scholarships. Eighty-five percent of its student body receives financial aid. The school's insurance will cover wind damage but not the extensive water damage on the campus.
- - -
Bishops to vote on new Lectionary for Masses With Children
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The nation's Latin-rite bishops are to vote on a revised Lectionary for Masses With Children when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meets in Washington Nov. 14-17. If the proposed Lectionary is adopted by the bishops and confirmed by the Holy See, it will replace the experimental children's Lectionary that has been in use since 1993. The Lectionary is the book of Scripture readings used at Mass. In the children's Lectionary many of the texts are shortened and some vocabulary is simplified. Along with the new set of texts for use with children are proposals that would set stricter rules for its use. Where the current version describes the intended audience as "children of elementary grades," the proposed new version says it is meant for use with "children who have not yet entered preadolescence, that is, those 10 years old or younger."
- - -
Colorado pastor finds deep love for Eucharist in Ukraine
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CNS) -- Father Paul Wicker brought an important message back from his trip to Ukraine: Celebrate your faith and embrace the Eucharist. The pastor of Holy Apostles Parish in Colorado Springs spent six weeks in the former Soviet republic, which is enjoying a political and, for Catholics, religious rebirth. "There is a conspiracy of divine compassion with Christ (in Ukraine)," said Father Wicker. "It's a joy and enthusiasm this world cannot give. We need that enthusiasm of faith. We need to be conscious of the Eucharist." When he returned to the United States, Father Wicker was taken aback by how lackadaisical some Americans are toward their faith by comparison. "I was astounded by the nonchalant way we take in the Eucharist -- if there's time for Mass in our schedules," he said. "The Ukrainian people are discovering their identity with Christ as the center of their lives."
- - -
Book recounts role played by faith in recovery of 6-year-old amputee
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) -- "There are times when medicine can only go so far." That's one of the lessons Father Joseph A. Escobar, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Providence, passes on from the recently published "Up and Running," a book that recounts the case of Andrew Bateson, a Providence boy who suffered from a rare disease that led to the amputation of both his legs at age 6 in 1997. Subtitled "The Inspiring True Story of a Boy's Struggle to Survive and Triumph," the 320-page book was published by Center Street, a division of Time Warner Book Group. Written by Mark Patinkin, a columnist for The Providence Journal, the book talks about the crucial role faith played in Andrew's recovery and the response of other family members to his illness. Now 14, Andrew is a star player in a local hockey league, playing on two artificial legs. The Bateson family, Father Escobar and Patinkin, who is Jewish, talked about the case and the book in separate interviews with The Providence Visitor, newspaper of the Providence Diocese.
- - -
Programs funded by California institute offer hope after tsunami
DALY CITY, Calif. (CNS) -- In Colachel, India, $7,000 builds a home to replace one destroyed in December's tsunami. Thanks to the Catholic-run Seton Institute in California, 20 new houses have been completed for families. The institute, which funds health care projects in impoverished countries, is also providing skill-building classes. But even more importantly, hope is rising in the tsunami-affected region, said Sister Flory Paranilam. She was in California to thank the institute, sponsored by Ascension Health, for raising $1 million in tsunami relief funds. "The world came together," said Sister Flory, a Sister of St. Anne whose order conducts educational programs in sewing and computer skills for widows, young girls and expectant mothers who lost everything to the sea. Although "recovery will take years," she said, "a beginning has been made."
- - -
Portland-area Catholics testify in archdiocesan bankruptcy case
PORTLAND, Ore (CNS) -- Parish properties belong to the parishes themselves, not to the Archdiocese of Portland, Catholic parishioners told a federal bankruptcy court at a mid-October hearing. All 390,000 Catholics in the archdiocese are class-action defendants in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case. The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection last July to settle sexual abuse claims against it. Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows the archdiocese to reorganize financially. The small group of parishioners who spoke at the Oct. 11 court hearing echoed what the archdiocese, the parishes and canon law say -- parish assets belong to the parishes, not the archdiocese. But lawyers for abuse claimants contend the archdiocese owns parishes in western Oregon the way a company owns subsidiaries. That would mean the parish and school assets, valued at more than $450 million, could be added to the archdiocese's holdings, significantly driving up settlement amounts for those judged to be victims.
- - -
WORLD
Synod message urges Catholics to allow Eucharist to transform lives
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While acknowledging problems connected with faith, discipline and manpower, the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist called on Catholics to approach the sacrament with awe and allow it to transform their lives and the life of the world. In their final message, the bishops encouraged Catholics to "go joyfully" to meet the risen Jesus in the Eucharist and experience the truth of his promise to be with his followers until the end of time. The message was released Oct. 22, a day later than scheduled, after synod members returned it to their drafting committee for dozens of minor changes and after several bishops called for clarification in its section on divorced and civilly remarried Catholics who cannot receive the Eucharist. The rewriting of the message meant that the bishops did not have a chance to vote on its final form, although Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec, chairman of the drafting committee, told a press conference Oct. 22 that the bishops' applause earlier that morning signified their approval.
- - -
Synod closes with strong emphasis on eucharistic renewal
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Synod of Bishops closed with a strong call for eucharistic renewal, urging a deeper understanding of the Eucharist among the world's Catholics but no major changes in church rules on priestly celibacy or shared Communion. Pope Benedict XVI, who presided over the three-week assembly, formally closed the synod Oct. 23 with a Mass in St. Peter's Square. He thanked the more than 250 bishops for their input and invited Catholics to contemplate the Eucharist as the key to revitalizing their faith. Catholics should also understand that "no dichotomy is admissible between faith and life," he said. The pope expressed his deep sadness that four Chinese members of the synod were not allowed to travel to Rome for the assembly and said the church in China was still on a "suffering path." On Oct. 22 the synod handed the pope a list of 50 propositions, or final recommendations, which acknowledged a priest shortage in some parts of the world but said eliminating priestly celibacy and ordaining married men were not the solution.
- - -
At closing synod Mass, pope defends priestly celibacy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At a Mass to close the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, Pope Benedict XVI defended priestly celibacy and expressed his "deep sadness" that Chinese bishops were not allowed to attend the assembly. The synod's work called on all Catholics to revive their commitment of faith and understand that "no dichotomy is admissible between faith and life," the pope said in a sermon Oct. 23. The Mass, celebrated in a packed St. Peter's Square, brought together several threads that have tied together the pontificates of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict: the pope formally ended the Year of the Eucharist and the synod, both projects convened by his predecessor to refocus on the basic elements of the faith; he canonized five new saints, whose causes were advanced under Pope John Paul; and he celebrated World Mission Sunday, an event for which Pope John Paul wrote a message before his death, and reminded Catholics of the sacrifice made by missionaries worldwide.
- - -
Synod brought signs of hope on priest shortage, says Bishop Skylstad
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In its effort to deepen appreciation of the Eucharist, the Synod of Bishops highlighted the need for good liturgies, powerful preaching and improved religious instruction for the world's Catholics, said the head of the U.S. bishops' conference. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the bishops also explored the effects of priest shortages around the globe, but a strong majority felt the problem should be tackled without relaxing the rules on priestly celibacy. "I would say very few (at the synod) would have called for a married clergy," Bishop Skylstad said in an interview with Catholic News Service Oct. 21. The synod concluded Oct. 22 by approving 50 final propositions and publishing a message to the world. The three-week assembly brought together more than 250 bishops in what Bishop Skylstad described as an enriching and collegial experience.
- - -
Supporters say Belgian priest held in Rwanda defended human rights
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- A Belgian priest held in a Rwandan prison after being accused of complicity in Rwanda's 1994 genocide was a leading advocate for human rights in Africa, said colleagues in Rwanda, South Africa and Rome who continue to maintain the priest's innocence. The priest's superior in Rome, Missionaries of Africa Father Gerard Chabanon, called the charges against Father Guy Theunis "incomprehensible." In a statement, Father Chabanon said that, far from planning the genocide, Father Theunis repeatedly had warned of impending ethnic strife. Father Theunis, 60, worked in Rwanda from 1970 to 1994 and later in South Africa. He was arrested at the airport in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, Sept. 6 while in transit from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Five days later, he appeared before the Gacaca tribunal -- one of the traditional courts set up to prosecute the majority of genocide suspects. The court determined that Father Theunis was a category-one defendant, a description of alleged instigators of the genocide.
- - -
Weeks after hurricane, church workers in Guatemala fear disease
GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- As the focus of international aid shifts to other disasters, church workers in Guatemala are concerned that the country still faces a potential health emergency and a long-term hunger crisis in the aftermath of the flooding and mudslides of Hurricane Stan. "This is a time bomb," said Dr. Mario Fuentes, head of the pastoral health program for the San Marcos Diocese, in one of the hardest-hit provinces. Many of the water systems were destroyed in San Marcos, he said, and some areas were still without potable water. Fuentes said health workers have treated numerous cases of diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and at least one case of typhoid fever. Similar health reports have come from the department of Solola and from areas along the Pacific coast, where heavy rains of Hurricane Stan caused devastating floods. Father Raul Monterroso, pastor of Santa Cruz Parish in Chiquimulilla, a city near the Pacific coast, said he and other church members were also worried about the risk of dengue fever, a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Continued rain and standing water around many homes have made fertile breeding grounds for potential dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
- - -
PEOPLE
Synod elects members to post-synodal council
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist elected 12 cardinals and bishops to serve on a post-synodal council, and Pope Benedict XVI appointed three others to the body. The appointees were reported as: Peruvian Cardinal Juan Cipriani Thorne of Lima; Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun; and Bishop Djura Dzudzar, the bishop for Byzantine-rite Catholics in Serbia and Montenegro. The others are: Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments; Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires; English Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster; Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice; Indian Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi; Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney; Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec; German Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Congolese Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani; Nigerian Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja; Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh; and Bishop Luis Tagle of Imus, Philippines.
- - -
Jesuit working for literacy in India wins $1 million Opus Prize
MILWAUKEE (CNS) -- A Jesuit priest working in India to bring books and teachers to the desperately poor is the 2005 recipient of the $1 million Opus Prize. Jesuit Father Trevor Miranda heads Reach Education Action Program, founded in Mumbai, India, which has opened more than 450 literacy centers in just six years. The organization's goal, the priest said, is to bring literacy to "every street, pavement, slum, hilltop (and) tribal village, to bring about social transformation." The Opus Prize is given annually to individuals or organizations of any religious background that demonstrate innovative strategies to solve deeply rooted community problems in a way that fosters personal responsibility and independence. The foundation is a philanthropy established by the Opus Group, a commercial real estate development company based in Minnetonka, Minn., that contributes 10 percent of its pretax profits to community and religious organizations.
- - -
Pope Benedict's first encyclical finished, to be released in December
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has finished writing his first encyclical and is expected to release it in early December, Vatican sources said. The sources told Catholic News Service Oct. 20 that the encyclical was a 46-page spiritual meditation focusing in large part on "eros" (love) and "logos" (the word) and their relationship to the person of Christ. The pope worked on the encyclical during his summer stay at the papal residence outside Rome. The text was being translated into various languages, including English, the sources said. In two articles written before his election and published in a recent issue of the magazine Communio, Pope Benedict wrote about the unity of the word and love, as personified in Christ. He highlighted the importance of the personal encounter with Christ, which stirs up love, and said love of God helps define the correct idea of human autonomy. He also wrote that Christ as "logos made flesh" implied reconciliation between supernatural revelation and reason.
- - -
Author stricken with lupus finds purpose in helping others
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Finding peace in a storm of chronic illness is a priority for Maureen Pratt, who leans on her Catholic faith to get through the challenges of each day. There are many challenges for the 46-year-old parishioner of St. Martin of Tours in Brentwood, who was diagnosed with lupus more than a decade ago and who also suffers from hypothyroidism. But in her illness she has found a purpose -- to help others as a patient advocate, a public speaker and an author who writes books on how to thrive while living with chronic illness. Her newest book, "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain and Illness," published by Doubleday Religion/Random House, combines scriptural reflections and personal insights on ways to cope with chronic illness. Her situation has also brought her closer to God, Pratt said. "God does allow illness and difficulties in our lives. Not everyone is cured. But we can choose to seek a good relationship with God," she said.
- - -
New U.S. ambassador to Vatican arrives in Rome
ROME (CNS) -- The new U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Rooney, arrived in Rome Oct. 23, hoping to meet quickly with Pope Benedict XVI. The ambassador's job officially begins once he has presented his letters of credential to the pope. Arriving at the Rome airport with his wife, Kathleen, Rooney told reporters that "at the core" of the U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations "lies a common vision and task -- to promote and defend the dignity of every man, woman and child." "The United States is committed to the vigorous defense of human rights, the promotion of religious freedom and the advancement of dialogue and tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures," said Rooney, 51. The new ambassador said cooperative efforts between the U.S. and the Vatican have helped spread freedom, democracy and respect for human rights around the world, but "there is still much to be done to make our world a better place." The U.S. Senate confirmed Rooney's appointment as ambassador Oct. 7.
- - -
Pope meets with top officials of U.S. bishops' conference
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Continuing a practice begun under Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI met Oct. 24 with top officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., USCCB president, said the meeting lasted about 20 minutes. Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, conference vice president, and Msgr. William P. Fay, USCCB general secretary, joined Bishop Skylstad in the meeting. The conference leaders spent Oct. 24-26 in meetings at Vatican offices "simply sharing information back and forth," Bishop Skylstad said. Under Pope John Paul, the meetings took place twice each year, allowing the conference leadership to present issues for Vatican consideration, seek Vatican input on issues facing the U.S. bishops, and listen to Vatican concerns and requests.
END
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250
|
|
|
|
