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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Nov-8-2006
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Justices focus on differences in abortion procedures in oral argument
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In two hours of oral arguments Nov. 8 over a federal law banning a procedure known as partial-birth abortion, Supreme Court justices and attorneys considered the intent of Congress in passing the bill, the differences between types of abortion and who gets to decide when those differences matter. The court heard appeals of two lower court rulings that both found the 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act to be unconstitutional because it does not include provisions allowing its use in some cases to protect a woman's health. From the direction of the questioning, Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens and David Souter seemed to be looking for commonality between the federal law and a similar Nebraska statute that they voted to overturn in 2000. The fifth vote in that 5-4 majority ruling was cast by now-retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Her replacement on the court, Justice Samuel Alito, asked no questions during the two hours devoted to oral arguments.
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Most marriage questions pass but limits on cloning, abortion fail
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Voters in seven states approved constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman Nov. 7, but Catholic-backed proposals to limit human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research in Missouri and abortion in South Dakota were defeated. By a narrow margin, Arizona appeared to become the first state to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage. In another rebuff to the recommendations of the state's Catholic bishops, voters in Arizona approved proposals sharply limiting state services to illegal immigrants and making English the state's official language. Measures that would have required parental notification before a minor's abortion were voted down in Oregon and California, while voters in Wisconsin approved an advisory referendum that could lead to reinstatement of the death penalty in that state. Proposals to raise the minimum wage won approval in six states, while voters in Michigan approved a constitutional amendment to ban affirmative action programs that take race or gender into consideration for public employment, education or contracting purposes. Michigan's bishops had urged defeat of the amendment. In all, there were 205 ballot questions before voters in 37 states, and Catholic leaders had taken stands on many of them.
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Bishops' vote could bring lower diocesan contributions to Holy See
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If the U.S. bishops decide at their November meeting in Baltimore to reduce diocesan assessments for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, it could also lead to some U.S. dioceses giving less to support the Holy See in coming years. "It's possible, but it doesn't necessarily follow," said Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Duluth, Minn., USCCB treasurer. The bishops, meeting Nov. 13-16, are slated to vote on a proposal that would reduce their assessments for funding USCCB activities by 16 percent in 2008 -- from a current yearly total of $11.9 million to $10 million. The reduced funding proposal is part of a larger plan for significant cutbacks in USCCB committees, staff and operations. But since 1992, according to the Canon Law Society of America's "New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law," U.S. bishops have been asked to make annual diocesan contributions to the Holy See that match the amount they are assessed to fund the bishops' conference.
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Bishop sees need to expand foster care for young border crossers
EL PASO, Texas (CNS) -- The youngest undocumented immigrants caught trying to enter the United States from Mexico through El Paso may benefit from a recent fact-finding trip along the border for a delegation of bishops and others involved in ministry to migrants in the U.S. and Mexico. El Paso Bishop Armando X. Ochoa said he wanted to expand diocesan-run foster-care programs that shelter children and teenagers who are emotionally and physically traumatized during their journey north. Compared to more institutional settings, the smaller groups and family atmosphere in foster homes enhance the healing process, he said during an Oct. 28 press conference at the Padre Pinto Plaza outside Sacred Heart Church, just blocks from the international bridge to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. "These kids have been treated badly," Bishop Ochoa said. "They've seen horrors from snakes in the desert to being abandoned by their coyote (smuggler). Some girls get gang-raped."
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Conference examines natural moral law, its place in doctors' practice
BOSTON (CNS) -- Reason can lead all people to understand the natural moral law, according to speakers at this year's 75th annual conference of the Catholic Medical Association Oct. 26-28 in Boston. The conference, with the theme of "The Natural Moral Law: God's Gift to Humanity," focused on the universal ethical principles in medical practice. John M. Haas, a bioethicist and president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, said the church teaches that contraceptives are intrinsically evil because of natural law. Contraceptives treat fertility as a defect, and it is unreasonable to treat a good as if it were an evil, he said. "While we are under no obligation to realize all goods of which we are capable, we are obligated never to act against a good as though it were an evil," he said.
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After bishop's warning, Wisconsin votes against same-sex marriage
MADISON, Wis. (CNS) -- After Catholics in the Madison Diocese heard a message at all Masses Nov. 4-5 in which Bishop Robert C. Morlino urged them to support traditional marriage and to oppose the death penalty and embryonic stem-cell research, voters in the state approved a marriage amendment and an advisory measure calling for reinstatement of capital punishment. The vote was 59 percent to 41 percent in favor of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and 55 percent to 45 percent in favor of asking the Wisconsin Legislature to reinstate the death penalty. The stem-cell question was not on the Wisconsin ballot this year, but played a role in some state races. In a letter directing priests to play his 14-minute tape-recorded message in place of a homily during the Nov. 4-5 weekend, Bishop Morlino warned his priests that he would consider "any verbal or nonverbal expression of disagreement" with church teaching on same-sex marriage "as an act of disobedience, which could have serious consequences."
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WORLD
Baptism, good works not enough for true Christian living, says pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Baptism and good works are not enough for true Christian living; it requires daily and total giving of oneself to Jesus with humility and adoration, Pope Benedict XVI said. During his Nov. 8 weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict continued a series of talks about important personalities of the early Christian community by focusing on the life of St. Paul. St. Paul had been a pious, even fanatical, observer of God's laws before his conversion from Judaism after meeting the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, the pope said. But, he said, after meeting Christ, St. Paul suddenly realized his piousness had been marked by a search to improve and "build himself" into a righteous person. He had been living for himself and his own justification, the pope said. But with Christ, the apostle Paul came to understand the importance of self-giving and that his life should be dedicated to living for Christ, not for an improved form of himself.
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Pope asks young people to be messengers of peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI asked a group of young people from different religious traditions to be messengers and witnesses of peace, tolerance and dialogue. Speaking Nov. 8 during his weekly general audience, the pope offered special greetings to 90 young people from 29 countries at the end of their five-day conference on dialogue and peacemaking. The young people, representing 13 religions, had met in Assisi, Italy, at the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Pope Benedict told the young people that the world needs prayers for peace. "Genuine prayer transforms hearts, opens us to dialogue, understanding and reconciliation," he said. "It breaks down the walls erected by violence, hatred and revenge." The pope asked the young people to return to their own religious communities "as witnesses to the spirit of Assisi, messengers of the peace which is God's gracious gift and living signs of hope for our world."
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Pope tells Swiss bishops to react to secular influences in society
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In many rich nations, Christians are left to wonder whether God will disappear completely from people's lives, Pope Benedict XVI said. "We see the emptying of churches, seminaries and convents," the pope said in a Nov. 7 homily at a Mass he celebrated with the bishops of Switzerland. Although outright refusals to believe in God and the more frequent plea of "I have more important things to do" are disturbing, the pope said, the bishops of Switzerland and other increasingly secular societies are called to react. "The problems can be resolved if God is at the center, if he becomes the measure we use," the pope told the bishops, who were concluding their 2005 "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses. The 2005 visits were interrupted by the hospitalization and death of Pope John Paul II.
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Vatican calls scheduled gay pride parade in Jerusalem offensive
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Allowing a gay pride parade to take place in Jerusalem is a "serious affront" to Jews, Christians and Muslims who believe the city has a sacred character, the Vatican said. The Vatican press office released a statement Nov. 8 expressing its opposition to the parade, which was scheduled for Nov. 10 and which had been preceded by more than a week of demonstrations and riots by ultra-Orthodox Jews. Gay pride organizers have secured official permits for the parade and for a rally afterward. The Vatican statement said it affirmed church teaching calling for "respect, compassion and sensitivity" toward those with homosexual inclinations, but said it was disappointed permission had been given for the parade to take place. "The Holy See expresses its deep disapproval of the initiative because it constitutes a serious affront to the feelings of millions of Jewish, Muslim and Christian believers who recognize the special sacred character of the city of Jerusalem and ask that their convictions be respected," the statement said.
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Catholic, Jewish leaders call for increased care for people with AIDS
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- International Catholic and Jewish leaders, meeting in South Africa, called for increased care and attention for people affected by AIDS. The International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee meeting also focused on "the need to expand and intensify cooperation between our communities," said a joint statement issued at the end of the Nov. 4-7 meeting in Cape Town. Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top ecumenist, and Rabbi David Rosen, president of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Relations, led the meeting as co-presidents of the liaison committee. The meeting's theme was "Dignifying the Divine Image: Jewish and Catholic Perspectives on Health Care With Special Reference to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic." The statement said, "While recognizing that our respective traditions may differ regarding possible preventative strategies with respect to HIV/AIDS and related afflictions, we unreservedly unite in calling for unrestricted palliative care and appropriate attention for all those suffering, threatened and victimized by this tragic pandemic. This call goes out especially to governments and all who have the power, means and influence to implement it."
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Nicaraguan bishop applauds participation in presidential election
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (CNS) -- A bishop in northern Nicaragua applauded the high citizen participation in his country's presidential election and the smoothness of the electoral process. The Nov. 5 election was "very calm, serene and organized," said Bishop Juan Mata Guevara of Esteli, general secretary of the Nicaraguan bishops' conference. The Diocese of Esteli sent 107 election observers to 26 municipalities in the northern part of the country. With the exception of the late opening and early closure of some voting stations, Bishop Mata said, the voting process was transparent and organized. Sandinista candidate Daniel Ortega, a former president and one-time Marxist rebel, won the election over four other competitors. During his campaign, Ortega emphasized peace, love and reconciliation. At his campaign closing, he urged fans to pray to God to ease the fears of those who worry that his return to power would bring back the hard times faced by Nicaraguans during his previous administration.
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Gaza students traumatized by fighting, says parish priest
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Students at a Catholic school in the Gaza Strip were left traumatized by days of fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen, said the local parish priest. The school, run by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is about five miles from Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, areas the Israelis targeted when they entered Gaza Nov. 1, said Father Manuel Musallam, a priest at Holy Family Parish. He said Nov. 6 that about 20 of the school's 650 students and two teachers who live in Beit Hanoun had been unable to leave their homes since the start of the military operation. "We can't help (our students.) All the teachers ... are in the same trauma (as the students)," said Father Musallam. Although the Israeli army withdrew from the area Nov. 7, the next day Israeli artillery shells killed 18 civilians in Beit Hanoun. Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered the Gaza shelling to stop until an investigation is completed.
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PEOPLE
Well-traveled astronomer shares God's heavenly wonders
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (CNS) -- For the last 35 billion miles of his life, James Mullaney has pointed to the skies as proof that God not only exists but that he designed the intricate universe of heaven-knows-how-many galaxies. "The universe sure didn't happen by accident," said Mullaney, an astronomer and self-proclaimed "celestial evangelist." The former curator of the Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science in Pittsburgh and director of the DuPont Observatory at the University of South Carolina in Aiken awed about 75 fellow parishioners at St. Edmond Church in Rehoboth Beach recently with his slide show and talk titled "Let the Heavens Declare." Now 38.5 billion miles into his life's journey (his age of "66 years by this planet's dating" multiplied by Earth's annual 583-million-mile orbit of the sun), Mullaney estimates that he has preached his message of a personal God whose creation seems infinite to more than a million people.
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New executive director named for U.S. bishops' pro-life secretariat
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Tom Grenchik, director of the Pro-Life Office for the Archdiocese of Washington, has been appointed executive director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He succeeds Gail Quinn, who retired from the post in August. Msgr. David Malloy, USCCB general secretary, announced the appointment Nov. 7. It is effective Dec.15. "Over the past 16 years, Tom Grenchik has compiled an extraordinary record of achievement in the wide variety of issues which the church must confront in its defense of human life and dignity," Msgr. Malloy said in a statement. "In doing so he has worked effectively with the District of Columbia Catholic Conference, the Maryland Catholic Conference, various national and local pro-life organizations and our own Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. I look forward to his leadership of the USCCB secretariat which I am sure will be equally effective and creative," Msgr. Malloy said. A 1982 graduate of the University of Maryland, he is currently pursuing certification in a health care ethics program.
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Parents express relief after Palestinian teachers' strike ends
BEIT JALLA, West Bank (CNS) -- Parents Marina and Saleem Lolas breathed a sigh of relief Nov. 6 when it was announced the teachers' strike was over for Palestinian public schools. For two months their 15-year-old son, Issa Lolas, like 1.3 million other Palestinian students, was sitting at home playing video games, watching TV and hanging out in his father's olive-wood workshop. "We are very happy," said Marina Lolas, 35, whose two daughters attend the Beit Jalla Latin Patriarchate school. Issa Lolas also studied at the Catholic school until his parents enrolled him in public school this year. Saleem Lolas said he was lucky to have had a place to keep his son next to him during the strike. "Some parents aren't so lucky and their children (were) out in the streets," he said. Approximately 40,000 teachers went on strike in September to protest eight months of unpaid salaries. The public school teachers announced they would end the strike after the Hamas-run government said it would start paying salaries, but the teachers' union threatened to go back on strike if the agreement is not met.
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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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