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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Mar-20-2006
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
U.S. foreign policy must promote religious freedom, bishop says
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Because religious freedom "lies at the heart of human rights," the U.S. government must give it greater support and higher visibility in its foreign policy decisions, a Catholic bishop told a congressional subcommittee March 16. Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Policy, was addressing the House International Relations Committee's subcommittee on Africa, global human rights and international operations. "Given the enormous potential of religion to contribute to a more humane world, as well as the troubling ways religion can be manipulated, especially in coercive or repressive environments, religious freedom needs to be at the center of the work on human rights in U.S. foreign policy," he said. The March 16 hearing was convened to review the U.S. State Department's 2005 country reports on human rights practices.
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Pro-life official urges Congress to suspend FDA approval of RU-486
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A spokeswoman for the U.S. bishops' pro-life secretariat, responding to a report that two more women have died after taking RU-486, called on Congress to pass legislation that aims to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the drug used for chemical abortions. "We are deeply saddened by yet another advisory from the Food and Drug Administration that two more women have died from RU-486 abortions," said Deirdre A. McQuade, director of planning and information for the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. However, in its March 17 public health advisory, the FDA said it was not yet "able to confirm the causes of death" of the two women in the United States but was "investigating all circumstances associated with these cases." The agency said it had received "verbal notification" of the deaths by the manufacturer of RU-486, Danco Laboratories. McQuade said 10 women have died after using the regimen.
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Jackson Diocese agrees to pay $5.1 million to 19 sex abuse victims
JACKSON, Miss. (CNS) -- The Diocese of Jackson has agreed to pay more than $5.1 million to 19 victims of sex abuse by priests during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. "I sincerely hope that this settlement will bring a sense of peace to all those who have suffered as a result of the acts of a few," said Bishop Joseph N. Latino of Jackson in a statement. "On behalf of the entire church, I apologize from the depths of my heart to all of you for the pain, grief and shame that have been brought about by these actions," he added. "I pray that we will be able to reconcile and heal the deep, deep hurts of the past and move forward together to a future of hope." The settlement, announced March 16, will be funded primarily by the diocese's insurers, with diocesan funds of $731,250 used to cover the balance. The settled cases include a $48 million lawsuit by Kenneth, Thomas and Francis Morrison and their mother, Dorothy. Fourteen men and two women, all of whom remained anonymous, also agreed to the settlement.
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Michigan bishops give 6,000 retired church workers extra payday
LANSING, Mich. (CNS) -- In an economy where large companies routinely cut pension benefits, scrimp on bonuses and scale back their workforces, the Catholic Church in Michigan gave its retirees a big surprise in December -- a bonus, 13th-month pension check. And in mid-March Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit and the state's bishops received an outpouring of letters from the recipients, expressing gratitude for the monetary blessing. Some described how they used the funds -- from paying gas bills to being able to just have a little nicer Christmas. The Lansing-based Michigan Catholic Conference, whose board of directors includes the state's diocesan bishops, provides pension benefits to more than 6,000 retired church employees across the state. When the Lay Employees' Retirement Plan experienced a solid financial year, the conference's board of directors, chaired by Cardinal Maida, made sure the surplus was spread to those who labored to build the body of Christ during their careers.
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Sainthood cause for Jesuit missionary in Soviet Union takes next step
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (CNS) -- More than 20 years after the death of Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek, a Pennsylvania-born priest who was a missionary in the Soviet Union, officials in the Diocese of Allentown have completed the preliminary phase of their quest to see him declared a saint. Materials and documentation supporting the canonization cause for Father Ciszek were sent to Jesuit Father Paolo Molinari, postulator general for the Society of Jesus, in Rome Feb. 27. This officially closes the first phase of the process of canonization -- the diocesan inquiry into the priest's reputation for sanctity. Allentown Bishop Edward P. Cullen and Msgr. Anthony D. Muntone, a co-postulator of the canonization cause, sealed the files at the diocesan chancery office before they were sent. The diocesan phase included a series of investigations that began in 1990 under the direction of now-retired Bishop Michael J. Dudick of the Byzantine Diocese of Passaic, N.J.
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Compendium of catechism goes on sale in paperback
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a 200-page synthesis of the 1992 catechism, is available in paperback from USCCB Publishing, the publishing office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Both the paperback version and a hardcover edition to be published soon will be available in English and Spanish. The compendium, made up of 598 questions and answers, echoes to some degree the format of the Baltimore Catechism, which was standard in many U.S. Catholic parishes and schools from 1885 to the 1960s. It also includes two appendices -- a list of Catholic prayers in English or Spanish, side by side with the Latin versions, and a list of "formulas of Catholic doctrine." The paperback version of the compendium, in English or Spanish, costs $14.95; the price for the hardcover book will be $24.95. The compendium may be ordered online at: www.usccbpublishing.org, or by phone at: (800) 235-8722.
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WORLD
Pope, celebrating Mass with workers, prays for jobless, exploited
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Offering special prayers for the unemployed and for those exploited in their work, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass March 19 with members of Italian labor unions and Catholic organizations for workers. Anticipating the liturgical feast of St. Joseph, transferred to March 20 this year because it fell on a Sunday in Lent, the pope said work enables people to realize their potential and contribute to the good of society as long as their work is "undertaken in full respect for human dignity and the common good." The pope asked St. Joseph, patron of workers, to take special care of "young people who have difficulty entering the world of work, the unemployed and those who suffer from difficulties related to the widespread employment crisis." In his homily, the pope said that in the world of work, "an important aspect of human existence," the rapid changes brought by technology and the globalization of the economy are experienced each day. The pope said it is important that people not let their jobs take over their lives and become idols.
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Truth about human dignity will prevail, pope tells Vatican diplomats
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Despite public debates or the rule of dictators, the truth about human dignity, including the sacredness of human life and the importance of the traditional family, eventually will be victorious, Pope Benedict XVI said. In a March 18 meeting with Vatican diplomats accredited to the United Nations and other international governmental organizations, the pope said Christians must not "marvel and, even less, be discouraged in the face of difficulties and misunderstandings" because God is on the side of truth. The growing participation of Vatican diplomats in international organizations and meetings is a consequence of the church's conviction that human dignity must be protected in every sphere, he said. By upholding the dignity of the human created in God's image, the church works to foster the common good, authentic freedom, justice and peace, he said. "Relations between states and within states are just to the degree that they respect the truth," the pope said.
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Pope encourages unity of Armenian Christians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Armenian Orthodox and Catholics, who trace their origins back to St. Gregory the Illuminator, to work to restore their unity in one community united with the pope. Meeting March 20 with members of the synod of the Armenian Catholic Church and nearly 200 Armenian Catholic pilgrims, the pope praised the ecumenical initiatives undertaken by the Armenian Catholic patriarchate, based in Beirut, Lebanon, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, an ancient and independent Oriental Orthodox Church that in recent years has improved its relations with the Vatican. The Armenian Apostolic Church is the dominant religious denomination in Armenia, claiming a membership of more than 90 million people. "I encourage this new-found fraternity and collaboration, hoping that from it there would arise new initiatives for a common path toward full unity," the pope told the group led by Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni of Beirut, the Armenian Catholic patriarch.
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Church should teach unity in diversity, pope tells Cameroon's bishops
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The church should teach unity in diversity and promote the well-being and dignity of all people, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of bishops from Cameroon. "The church is called to become more and more a home and school of communion," the pope said in his March 18 address to bishops on their "ad limina" visit to the Vatican, which heads of dioceses make every five years. The pope noted how the French- and English-speaking bishops of this ethnically mixed central African country work together in "a spirit of charity," offering "an eloquent sign of that unity which you experience." He said the personal witness of living and working together in harmony "serves to carry forward the evangelization of your people, marked by ethnic differences." The pope encouraged the bishops to continue demonstrating "how the Catholic Church takes to heart the promotion of the well-being and dignity of all the people of Cameroon, without exceptions, and the fulfillment of their profound aspirations to unity, peace, justice and fraternity."
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Church official: People must be aware of potential abuse of religion
ROCCA DI PAPA, ITALY (CNS) -- Christian churches should help alert people to the potential abuse of religion as a way to reach certain political goals, said a European Catholic official. In some countries where people are living in poverty or have little or no voice in government, people "want a way out" said Msgr. Peter Fleetwood, deputy general secretary of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences and organizer of a mid-March conference dedicated to religion and violence. "Why should people be able to pirate the name of religion and get away with it?" he asked. "World leaders say God told them to do things" like wage a violent campaign against others, which represents "an abuse of religion," he said. In an effort to inform European church leaders about what Islam and Christianity teach about licit or moral forms of violence, the Council of European Bishops' Conferences and the Conference of European Churches' joint committee for relations with Muslims met in mid-March at the English College retreat and conference center in Rocca di Papa.
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PEOPLE
U.S. bishop in Brazil, known for service to poor, dies during surgery
NEW YORK (CNS) -- U.S. Bishop John J. Burke of Miracema do Norte, Brazil, died March 14 in Brazil during surgery to stop massive internal bleeding. The bishop, a member of the New York-based Holy Name province of the Franciscans, was buried in Brazil March 16, on what would have been his 71st birthday. The native of Teaneck, N.J., had served in Brazil since 1964. In 1995, days before his ordination as bishop, he told Catholic News Service that the diocese where he was appointed was "on the frontier" of lawlessness, like America's Old West. He said the diocese was three times the geographic size of New Jersey, with a population of 200,000. The rich diversity of ethnicities there included Indians of the Xerente and Krao tribes and people of Portuguese and African backgrounds, he said. When he took over the diocese, which relied on aid from churches outside Brazil, Bishop Burke said he needed to focus on developing an indigenous clergy and dealing with widespread malnutrition.
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Spain's newest cardinal has risen rapidly through church ranks
TOLEDO, Spain (CNS) -- Spain's newest and youngest cardinal has risen rapidly through the church's ranks and is viewed as a close friend and ally of Pope Benedict XVI. Spain's former ambassador to the Vatican, Carlos Abella Ramallo, sees Cardinal-designate Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo, 60, as a "cardinal for the people" and believes his elevation is an important signal from the pope. "The pope has wanted to offer the example of a brave shepherd who'll defend the faith and the values of our identity," Abella told La Vanguardia daily March 1. Pope Benedict "perceives that the church in Spain needs to fortify its foundations, clarify certain indecisions from past and present, and reinforce its moral leadership." On the international stage, the cardinal-designate is known for his work on the European Association of Catechists and the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he joined in November 1995.
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Vatican laicizes eight Boston clerics accused of child sex abuse
BOSTON (CNS) -- Seven priests and one deacon of the Boston Archdiocese accused of sexually abusing minors have been laicized by the Vatican, the archdiocese announced. Among the priests removed from the clerical state was Msgr. Frederick Ryan, a former archdiocesan vice chancellor and regional vicar. The Vatican decision means that all eight men will no longer receive financial support from the archdiocese and they may no longer perform public ministry, with the exception that those who are priests may offer absolution to the dying, said the March 17 announcement. Terrence C. Donilon, archdiocesan communications secretary, said that all eight men had been removed from active ministry prior to the Vatican decision. The seven priests who were laicized are: Anthony Buchette, Paul Finegan, Thomas Forry, Robert Morrisette, Ernest Tourigney, Patrick Tague and Ryan. The deacon who was laicized is Joseph Crowley.
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Catholic priest murdered in southwestern India
PUNE, India (CNS) -- The murder of Father Eusebio Ferrao, a parish priest in India, has shocked Catholics in the southwestern Indian state of Goa. Father Ferrao, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in the village of Macasana, was found dead by parishioners who arrived at the church for the 6:30 a.m. Mass March 18. When the priest did not show up for Mass, a few of them went to his home, where they found him in his room lying on the ground, partially naked, his face covered with a pillow and a towel in his mouth. According to forensic reports, the 61-year-old priest's body bore 27 knife stab wounds on the back and chest, inflicted after his death from asphyxiation as a result of strangulation and smothering. Archbishop Filipe do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Daman, who is not related to the priest, arrived at the parish that morning to lead a prayer service. He described the murder as "the first of its kind in peaceful Goa in recent times."
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Papal preacher visits New Orleans to tour Katrina devastation
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, visited New Orleans in mid-March to view firsthand the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina and to interview survivors for a television program that airs each Saturday night on Italian state television. "The programs we are recording here will be seen by millions of people," Father Cantalamessa, a Capuchin Franciscan, told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. "Hurricane Katrina had a tremendous impact everywhere, but I can say in Italy people were very, very impressed, and they understand the suffering of the city." The priest, who leads meditations for the pope and his closest advisers on Fridays in Advent and Lent, planned to weave his experiences into his Lenten talks and into two upcoming 11-minute TV programs. "I wanted to relate the Gospel of the Passion and the Resurrection to the passion and resurrection here in New Orleans," he said. "We wanted to see how much suffering the hurricane provoked but also the signs of resurrection, the hope for restoring life."
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Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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