|
|
|
|
News Briefs
|
NEWS BRIEFS Oct-3-2007
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Congress urged to 'stand up for children' by overturning SCHIP veto
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A top official of Catholic Charities USA called on Congress to "stand up to the president for our nation's children" by overturning President George W. Bush's veto of expanded funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. Candy Hill, senior vice president for social policy at the Alexandria, Va.-based organization, spoke in an telephone news briefing Oct. 2, the day before Bush vetoed the legislation that has received wide support from religious, health care, labor and consumer groups. It was the fourth veto of Bush's presidency; he has said expanding the program by $35 billion would be a step toward socialized medicine and could lead many families to drop their private health insurance in favor of coverage by SCHIP. The Senate approved the legislation by a veto-proof vote of 67 to 29 Sept. 27. But supporters of the legislation said they hoped to find 19 votes in the House to reach the two-thirds needed to overturn a presidential veto. The original House vote Sept. 25 was 265-159. In a statement after the veto, Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said Bush's action was "the wrong decision at the wrong time." "Census figures released only a few weeks ago showed that the number of children in America without health insurance is going up -- reaching 8.7 million in 2006 -- and this legislation would have taken an important step in reducing that number by extending health insurance coverage to several million more poor children," he added.
- - -
Speakers say stewardship is about appreciating God's blessings
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- It takes money to operate the ministries of the church, but the message of the 2007 conference of the International Catholic Stewardship Council was that promoting stewardship is really about encouraging appreciation of God's blessings and a sense of gratitude. However, the pastor of a parish honored during the Sept. 23-26 conference in Miami Beach went one better, saying that even encouraging a broader conception of stewardship is not the ultimate aim. "Stewardship is not the goal; evangelization is the goal. Stewardship is the means to the end, the how of evangelization," said Father Andrew Kemberling, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, Colo. His 6,500-family parish received the council's Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Award for the parish that best exemplifies an all-round approach to stewardship. Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati received an honorable mention. Father Kemberling said he believes many priests resist embracing stewardship because they hate asking for money, but he also believes more priests would promote stewardship if they understood it as a means to "calling people to discipleship."
- - -
Miller responds to criticism about poster; Christians among critics
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Miller Brewing Co. said it is reviewing its promotions policy after Christian groups expressed outrage over a poster for a San Francisco street fair that mimicked Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" with a sadomasochistic theme. The company, whose logo was on the poster, said in a statement posted on its Web site Oct. 1: "We are conducting an immediate audit of our procedures for approving local marketing and sales sponsorships to ensure that this does not happen again." The company repeated an earlier statement saying that although it has supported the Folsom Street Fair for several years it objects to this year's poster and admits some people may find the image offensive. "We regret that our failure to adhere to our own policy led to an inappropriate use of our trademark and apologize to anyone who was offended as a result, particularly members of the Christian community who have contacted us to express their concern," the Milwaukee-based brewing giant said. The Folsom Street Fair is one of four annual "fetish events" in San Francisco produced by Folsom Street Events to support local charities serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. Miller noted that the fair's marketing does not target the general public and is aimed at the "adult alternative lifestyle community."
- - -
U.S. priest sees hopeful signs for eventual reunification of Korea
MARYKNOLL, N.Y. (CNS) -- Subtle changes in attitude are more important than signed documents when it comes to measuring progress in relationships with the North Koreans, according to a U.S. priest who has visited North Korea more than two dozen times since 1995. Maryknoll Father Gerard Hammond, a missioner in South Korea since 1960, has served in many capacities, including as personal envoy of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, who is the archbishop of Seoul, South Korea, and apostolic administrator of the Pyongyang Diocese in North Korea. The priest also is the director of the Seoul archdiocesan National Reconciliation Center, chairman of the North Korean branch of Caritas International, a Catholic aid agency, and a trustee of the Eugene Bell Foundation, a Protestant charity that works in North Korea. Father Hammond first visited North Korea to bring aid after devastating floods there. In the 12 years since then, he said, there has been an improvement in "dialogue, attitude and trust on both sides. I speak Korean and I'm accepted. If I wasn't, I couldn't go there." Father Hammond, 74, said his age is an advantage and "they would consider me, in many ways, a Korean."
- - -
Monument honors Maryknoll's work in North Korean diocese
MARYKNOLL, N.Y. (CNS) -- A Korean cardinal looked with gratitude toward the past and with hope toward the future as he dedicated a granite replica of the gate to the city in Pyongyang, North Korea, at Maryknoll headquarters in New York. Unveiled and formally dedicated Sept. 30 by Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk of Seoul, South Korea, the monument is inscribed with the names of the 90 Maryknoll priests, brothers and sisters who served in the Pyongyang Diocese. The monument was presented to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Pyongyang, which began as a Maryknoll mission in North Korea. There are currently more than 5 million Korean Catholics, based mainly in South Korea.
- - -
Survey: More Americans know Big Mac ingredients than Ten Commandments
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Quick. Name each of the Ten Commandments. OK. Now name the ingredients in a Big Mac hamburger sold at McDonald's. According to a new survey, the Big Mac wins the memory contest. In truth, the Big Mac has advantages. There are only seven ingredients to remember, and they have a catchy jingle behind them. McDonald's Corp. has poured enough money into commercials that the decades-old jingle remains familiar today. The survey of 1,000 Americans, by Kelton Research, was undertaken to help promote the new animated movie "The Ten Commandments," which will open Oct. 19. The vast majority of those surveyed could easily name the primary ingredients in a Big Mac: two all-beef patties (80 percent), lettuce (76 percent), sesame-seed bun (75 percent), special sauce (66 percent), pickles (62 percent) and cheese (60 percent). By comparison, "You shall not kill" was known to fewer than six in 10 respondents. Less than half (45 percent) could recall the commandment to "Honor your father and mother."
- - -
WORLD
EU Parliament says Romanian government must protect cathedral
BUCHAREST, Romania (CNS) -- The European Parliament has issued a declaration ordering the Romanian government to protect as a historical monument a Bucharest cathedral endangered by the nearby construction of a skyscraper. The declaration condemned "the illegal construction" of a 19-floor skyscraper about 30 feet from the Cathedral of St. Joseph. It said it also "firmly condemn(s) the attitude of the Romanian authorities" in failing to protect the historically significant cathedral. The European Parliament issued the declaration in late September. Romania became a member of the European Union Jan. 1, 2007, making it subject to EU rules, including the obligation for member states to protect cultural patrimony. Romanian President Traian Basescu and the mayor of Bucharest have defended the illegal construction by Millennium SRL, which is backed by U.S. investors through Miller Global Properties based in Denver. Construction on the structure stopped this summer as the result of a court order, which Millennium is currently appealing. One of the major objections to the construction is the risk of fatal damage in the event of an earthquake. Bucharest is located in a seismic zone and the cathedral's foundation is composed of masonry which is not reinforced. It already has suffered significant damage from earthquakes in 1940, 1977, 1986 and 1990.
- - -
Missionaries of Charity give life, love with adoptions in India
CALCUTTA, India (CNS) -- Life changed for Sonali and Sanjib Dutta after the Hindu couple adopted a girl with the help of the Missionaries of Charity after 12 years of marriage without a child. Dutta, a pharmaceutical salesman in Calcutta, said his wife "spends all her time looking after our daughter, and life is so cheerful now." Two of his friends also adopted baby girls from the Missionaries of Charity, he told Catholic News Service in mid September. The Duttas adopted their daughter in 2006. "It is a crime to abort a child. They do not know the craving the childless people have," Dutta said. Pointing to the children running around the "Sishu Bhavan," or Children's House, run by the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, Sister Marian said the children "are fruits of the Mother's (Mother Teresa's) crusade against abortion." Sister Marian is the coordinator of adoption services for the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Since the first Sishu Bhavan was set up by Mother Teresa in 1955, the Missionaries of Charity have helped with more than 6,500 adoptions.
- - -
Catholic-Anglican text encourages realism about divisive issues
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Anglicans and Roman Catholics should witness to the faith they share and work together to promote Christian values in the world, but they also must be realistic about issues still dividing them, said a recent document by Anglican and Catholic bishops. "Growing Together in Unity and Mission" was published in mid-September by the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, made up of bishops from the two communities. While leaked copies of the completed document were circulating already in February, the official release was delayed until a commentary commissioned by the Vatican and one commissioned by the Anglican Communion were finalized. The international bishop's commission was formed in 2001 to develop a document summarizing 35 years of official Anglican-Roman Catholic theological agreements, to encourage wider study of the agreements and to demonstrate how much Catholics and Anglicans share by promoting joint activities such as prayer services, study, Christian witness and social action. However, the final document said, "difficulties in the life of the Anglican communion," particularly the tensions caused by the ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, the blessing of same-sex unions in British Columbia and the acceptance of women bishops in some Anglican provinces have forced Anglicans and Roman Catholics to recognize that progress toward full unity will be slower than many of them had hoped.
- - -
Vatican pulls top astronomers into its orbit for galaxy conference
ROME (CNS) -- The Vatican Observatory called together some of the world's top astronomers for a major conference on the creation and evolution of disk galaxies in an effort to better understand the nature of the universe. More than 200 men and women from 26 countries attended the Oct. 1-5 conference in Rome to share some of the discoveries since the Vatican's last galaxy conference in 2000. The observatory director, Argentine Jesuit Father Jose Funes, said they were able to attract top scientists and scholars for the meeting because "the Vatican Observatory is a prestigious institute, and the Holy See is well recognized in this field of astronomy." Hosting the meeting in the heart of Rome also made it "particularly appealing to people," he told reporters Oct. 3. So much is to be discovered about how planets, stars and galaxies are formed, he said. Scientists hope getting a clearer picture of how nearby galaxies developed will help unlock secrets about the nature of more distant galaxies, he said.
- - -
Vatican urges U.S., North Korea, China, others to ratify nuke treaty
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican called on the United States, North Korea, China, India, Pakistan and other nations to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. "The climate of terrorism caused by criminal organizations is not eliminated by the fear which is linked to the threat of the use of weapons of mass destruction by states," said Msgr. Michael W. Banach, a Vatican diplomat. Both terrorism and the threat of using nuclear weapons "are an offense to the human family," he said. Msgr. Banach led the Vatican delegation to the late September Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. The text of his speech to the conference was released Oct. 3 by the Vatican. While 177 nations have signed the treaty since 1996, and 140 of them -- including the Vatican -- have ratified it, 10 more nations must ratify the treaty before it can enter into effect. Conference organizers are looking particularly for acceptance by China, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, India and the United States.
- - -
PEOPLE
Actress who portrays saint has starring role in church's fundraiser
STAYTON, Ore. (CNS) -- What better way to roll out a fundraising effort to renovate your falling-down mission church than to ask the saint for whom the church is named to come to town to perform before a paying audience? That's what members of St. Catherine of Siena mission in Mill City did in late September when they invited Dominican Sister Nancy Murray to perform her dramatic portrayal of St. Catherine in neighboring St. Boniface Church in Sublimity. The 97-year-old white wooden mission church in Santiam Canyon is under construction and was unable to host the event. Before the performance, about 75 parishioners paid $100 each to attend a dinner at the Stayton home of Ted and Diane Freres. Dressed in an old-fashioned Dominican habit, Sister Nancy as St. Catherine speaks out against injustice in the church and world, a theme that resonates with modern-day audiences. The saint also taught that love of God means love of one's neighbor. The real St. Catherine, a nurse and mystic, advised popes and princes on the issues of the day. She proved to be one of the sharpest theological minds in the 1400s, even though she lacked formal education. The Italian-born visionary's letters are considered among the most brilliant writings in the church. She died at age 33. Over the past four years, Sister Nancy's dramatic recreation of the saint's life has evolved into a full-time ministry for the vivacious 59-year-old, who is the sister of comedian Bill Murray.
- - -
Archbishop tells conference participants to love others, change world
INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, a keynote speaker at the Indiana Catholic Men's Conference, told participants they should focus on being holy and helping God "share his love with the whole world." "To be Catholic is to be very unique among the world's believers. To be a Catholic means believing that you are a part of a vast historical project. And it's not our project. It's God's," Archbishop Chaput told more than 1,000 men attending the Sept. 22 conference at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. In his presentation, "Renewing the Church, Converting the World -- Reclaiming Our Catholic Mission," the archbishop compared the Bible to the sacred books of other world religions." What all the sacred texts of other religions have in common is that they're essentially wisdom literature. They're collections of noble teachings aimed at helping believers live ethically and find the right path to peace or happiness or enlightenment," he said. The Bible also aims to make people wise, Archbishop Chaput said. "But it does much more. It seeks to lead them to salvation, which is much more than enlightenment."
- - -
Bishop Pelotte reports intruders at his home; police find no one
GALLUP, N.M. (CNS) -- A 911 call by Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup about intruders in his home has brought more unwelcome media attention to the bishop as he recovers from severe injuries suffered in a July 23 fall. At 5:51 a.m. Sept. 27, Bishop Pelotte called Gallup's 911 system, saying four strangers were in his house and would not leave. He said that they wore masks but "they were gentle" and only 3 to 4 feet tall. When police arrived at 6 a.m., they scoured the grounds and interior of his house and found no one and no signs of forced entry. Bishop Pelotte, 62, denied being on medication but did tell police his claim about the intruders could be the result of the head injury he had received. Matt Doyle, editor of the diocesan newspaper, Voice of the Southwest, and interim spokesman for the diocese, said: "We didn't even know about the incident until we read it in the (secular) newspaper later that day." Doyle said, to his knowledge, the bishop has been living alone in his private residence since returning to Gallup Sept. 20 from Florida, where he had been recovering from his injuries. Father James Walker, vicar general, has been overseeing the administrative duties of the diocese since Bishop Pelotte was injured in July.
END
Copyright (c) 2007 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
|
|
|
|
