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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS May-14-2008
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Science, religion not in conflict, bishops say in stem-cell document
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The brief policy statement on embryonic stem-cell research that is to come before the U.S. bishops at their June 12-14 meeting in Orlando, Fla., is designed to set the stage for a later, more pastoral document explaining why the Catholic Church opposes some reproductive technologies. "While human life is threatened in many ways in our society, the destruction of human embryos for stem-cell research confronts us with an issue of respect for life in a stark new way," says the statement drawn up by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Although the topic of embryonic stem-cell research has been raised in several broader USCCB documents and has been the subject of testimony and many letters to Congress, there has never been a formal statement on the issue from the full body of bishops, said Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the pro-life committee, in an introduction to the draft document. "The issue of stem-cell research does not force us to choose between science and ethics, much less between science and religion," the document says. "It presents a choice as to how our society will pursue scientific and medical progress."
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Muslims, Americans urged to change attitudes about one another
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A U.S. Muslim leader who met with Pope Benedict XVI in April told an audience at a Washington conference that it takes time to change deeply imbedded attitudes among Muslims. At the same May 5 conference, another Muslim academic noted how some stereotypes of Muslims persist among Americans. "Out of 57 countries with an 80 percent Muslim majority, 54 have had an experience of colonial occupation," said Sayyid Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America's Washington-based Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances, who met with the pontiff April 17 in Washington. "They're not coming out of a background of dignity and self-respect. They're on the defensive with regard to whatever comes from outside," Syeed said. He made his remarks at the Conference on Islamic Traditions of Peace and Nonviolence held at American University.
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La Crosse plan looks to future, would reduce parish numbers if needed
LA CROSSE, Wis. (CNS) -- Under a plan accepted May 8 by Bishop Jerome E. Listecki of La Crosse, the number of parishes in the Diocese of La Crosse could be cut by more than half, from 165 to 75, but no church buildings are slated for closure or sale. The pastoral plan, designed to foresee a future with fewer active priests serving in the diocese, designates the 75 parishes that would remain as "parish centers," with a rectory, a "governance seat" with parish offices, and a pastoral and finance council. They also would have a Sunday liturgical site, a sacramental site and a catechetical site, with weekday Masses offered and the Blessed Sacrament present. They also will, where applicable, coordinate ethnic ministries. Each of the other 90 parishes in the diocese would be designated as either a "liturgical satellite," a "church building," an "oratory" or a "private chapel." All would be connected to a parish center. Bishop Listecki, in a May 8 letter to Catholics of the diocese, said his acceptance of the plan marked the end of the first phase of diocesan reorganization. Phase two establishes protocols to implement the plan, and phase three implements the plan when and where needed.
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Statue of St. Mother Theodore Guerin dedicated at national shrine
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Hundreds of pilgrims from across the country joined the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., for the dedication of a life-size sculpture of their foundress, St. Mother Theodore Guerin, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington May 10. St. Mother Theodore is the newest U.S. saint, the eighth from this country and the first saint from Indiana. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 15, 2006. The sculpture, made of Indiana limestone, is located in Mary's Garden, which is behind the shrine. It honors Mary and other women saints. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, celebrated the dedication Mass in the shrine's crypt church. Following the Mass, the dedication of the statue took place at the garden. Pilgrims who attended included Sisters of Providence, alumni of schools founded by the sisters, and others who had some connection to the religious order founded by St. Mother Theodore.
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WORLD
Teams of church volunteers to offer medical care, moral support
YANGON, Myanmar (CNS) -- Small teams of doctors, nurses and volunteers organized by the Catholic Church in Myanmar have been visiting cyclone-affected areas to offer medical care. A team of 40 began visiting parishes in the Archdiocese of Yangon May 12 to offer moral support and medical care and to gather data on people's needs and the extent of the damage from Cyclone Nargis, which hit southern Myanmar May 3. Father Noel Naw Aye, archdiocesan project coordinator, told the Asian church news agency UCA News May 14 that "this medical group will help with severe illness, injuries and treat cholera." Another church team of a priest, a doctor and some youth volunteers set off for Labutta, a devastated Irrawaddy delta area in the Pathein Diocese, about 100 miles southwest of Yangon. Father Naw Aye said this team also will offer medical treatment and deal with other needs, depending on the situation.
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Vatican astronomer says if aliens exist, they may not need redemption
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If aliens exist, they may be a different life form that does not need Christ's redemption, the Vatican's chief astronomer said. Jesuit Father Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said Christians should consider alien life as an "extraterrestrial brother" and a part of God's creation. Father Funes, an Argentine named to his position by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, made the remarks in an interview published May 13 by the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. Father Funes said it was difficult to exclude the possibility that other intelligent life exists in the universe, and he noted that one field of astronomy is now actively seeking "biomarkers" in spectrum analysis of other stars and planets. These potential forms of life could include those that have no need of oxygen or hydrogen, he said. Just as God created multiple forms of life on earth, he said, there may be diverse forms throughout the universe. "This is not in contrast with the faith, because we cannot place limits on the creative freedom of God," he said.
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Pope laments loss of life, damage wrought by deadly quake in China
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI lamented the "serious loss of human life, the numerous homeless and the incalculable damage" wrought by a deadly earthquake centered under China's Sichuan province May 12. At the end of his May 14 general audience in St. Peter's Square, the pope called the magnitude 7.9 earthquake a "devastating calamity" and implored God to relieve the suffering and help those on the front lines offering emergency aid. The quake, which hit just after midday May 12, had its epicenter beneath Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. Wenchuan is less than 60 miles northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital. By May 14, government officials reported more than 15,000 people had been killed in the quake, but the death toll was expected to rise. Officials said that in one city alone more than 19,000 people were buried in the rubble.
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Pope says real dialogue looks for truth, unity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Real dialogue is not a superficial exchange of ideas, Pope Benedict XVI said. "The true spirit of dialogue looks not for the things that separate us, but for the truth" whose light will cast aside all that is false and unite on the basis of experiencing what is true, he said. At his May 14 general audience in St. Peter's Square, the pope spoke about a sixth-century author whose writings have been attributed to a first-century disciple of St. Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite. Instead of reading from his prepared text, the pope spoke extemporaneously about this "rather mysterious" author who created the "first mystical theology" in the Christian tradition. Dionysius took the polytheistic and "deeply anti-Christian" Neoplatonic philosophy at the time and transformed them into a Christian theology that was accessible to people by using the "common thinking and language" of the revived Greek philosophy, the pope said.
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India's bishops condemn deadly bomb blasts in Jaipur
BANGALORE, India (CNS) -- India's Catholic bishops have condemned a series of bomb blasts that rocked Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state in western India. "The bishops (take) strong exception to the cult of violence and scant regard for the value of human life shown by those who indulge in such mindless crime(s) against humanity," said the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India in a statement. "In all such ghastly incidents, it is always the innocent people who become victims," they said. "In this hour of crisis the Catholic bishops appeal to the people of Jaipur to maintain peace and shore up all their strength to face it bravely." Police reported that seven serial blasts went off May 13 within a span of 12 minutes around a busy market, Hindu temples and tourist spots in the city, which draws 25 million tourists annually with its desert landscape and red-stone structures. The blasts killed 80 people and injured more than 200. No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts.
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PEOPLE
African Cardinal Gantin, former Vatican official, dies in Paris
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, a pioneering church figure for Africa and an influential voice at the Vatican for more than 30 years, died in Paris May 13 at the age of 86. Pope Benedict XVI, in a telegram of condolences, praised the cardinal for his pastoral ministry and for his generous service in Rome, where he worked for several Vatican offices. "This eminent son of Benin and of Africa was respected by all, animated by a deeply apostolic spirit and a superior sense of the church and its mission in the world," the pope said. The cardinal's death leaves the College of Cardinals with 194 members. Of that number, 118 are under age 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave. Cardinal Gantin's body was being flown from Paris for burial in Benin, a poor West African country where the cardinal was born and had lived in recent years. Cardinal Gantin became the first black African archbishop in 1960. Sixteen years later, he became the first African to head a major Vatican department when he was made president of the Pontifical Justice and Peace Commission.
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