|
|
|
|
News Briefs
|
NEWS BRIEFS Jan-2-2009
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Coalition pushes debt relief for poor countries as economic stimulus
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With all that President-elect Barack Obama has facing his new administration regarding the economy, a coalition of religious, human rights and labor advocates hopes that one concern won't be relegated to the bottom of the list: debt relief for the world's poorest countries. The Jubilee USA Network recognizes that debt relief's profile has declined dramatically from its high point just a few years ago. But the 80 organizations that make up the network know just as well that their advocacy work has kept the issue in front of Congress, the Bush administration and the World Bank, if not in the headlines. The coalition takes its name from the Jewish tradition of forgiving debt every 50 years, as told in Chapter 25, Verse 10, of the Book of Leviticus: "This 50th year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you." Neil Watkins, Jubilee USA's national coordinator, said the network will be encouraging U.S. officials in the new administration and in Congress to continue their commitments to poor countries at a time when funds for international aid may almost disappear.
- - -
Farmers 'pay down' world hunger by donating to Foods Resource Bank
WAUKON, Iowa (CNS) -- On a typical crisp fall day in November, a group of farmers gathered in a ridge-top cornfield between Waukon and Churchtown to harvest a ripe field of corn. A combine donated by a local farm implement dealer rolled its header like a giant electric razor through more than 15 acres of corn, leaving stubble in its wake and stopping occasionally to unload its hopper into one of a continuous stream of grain trucks. After bringing their grain to market, the farmers deposited the earnings into a bank -- but it's no ordinary bank to help pay bills or mortgages. Rather, it's one that will help pay down world hunger. The group of farmers in the field that day represented Corner of Hope, a growing project organized under the aegis of the humanitarian agency Foods Resource Bank. With members of participating area churches -- including St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon -- Corner of Hope has raised almost $70,000 for various overseas agricultural programs since 2005, with $32,000 of that from the 2008 harvest alone. Begun in 1999, Foods Resource Bank has been providing funds for agricultural programs in the developing world through the donations of farmers, businesses and churches in the U.S.
- - -
Second Helpings group rescues food to feed hungry in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- There's no such thing as wasted food at Second Helpings, a 10-year-old agency that offers free, nutritious meals and second chances to low-income people. From food rescue -- recovering unused food that would ordinarily be thrown away -- to job training, Second Helpings has built its reputation around its work to eliminate hunger and empower people, just as its mission statement says. As chief executive officer of Second Helpings, Cynthia Hubert has seen many successes in the organization's day-to-day operations -- from generous corporate support and enthusiastic volunteer groups to a former prisoner's employment at a restaurant after completing the culinary job training program. "We save the (social service) agencies almost $2 million a year because we're providing food and they don't have to run a kitchen or buy food," she said. "We bring it in and it's all free." Every Monday through Saturday, staff members, culinary students and volunteers work together to prepare and deliver 2,900 meals -- which are hot and ready to eat -- to more than 50 social service organizations that feed hungry people in central Indiana.
- - -
WORLD
Financial crisis calls for new economic model, solidarity, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The current financial crisis should be seen as a challenge to find new economic models that promote honesty, development and concern for the environment, Pope Benedict XVI said. "We need to try to establish a 'virtuous circle'" of living simply and fighting poverty, the pope said Jan. 1 as he celebrated Mass for the feast of Mary Mother of God and World Peace Day. During the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and reciting the Angelus afterward with people gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict focused on the 2009 World Peace Day theme, "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace." But he also called for an end to the "massive violence" in the Gaza Strip and offered special prayers for "the small, but fervent parish in Gaza." The pope said, "We place at the feet of Mary our concerns for the present and our fears for the future, but also our well-founded hope that with the wise and farsighted contributions of everyone it will not be impossible to listen to one another, meet together and give a concrete response to the widespread aspiration to live in peace, security and dignity."
- - -
Galileo's jubilee: Vatican takes part in star-studded celebrations
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As more than 130 countries celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, the Vatican also turned its gaze toward the heavens. The year, which began Jan. 1, was established by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first use of the telescope to observe the cosmos. The Vatican also is celebrating the star-studded jubilee year, as the Vatican Museums, the Vatican Observatory and other Vatican offices participate in several special initiatives. In late December, Pope Benedict XVI rang in the year of astronomy early by sending his greetings to those participating in the yearlong celebration. The pope repeatedly has praised Galileo, calling him a man of faith who "saw nature as a book written by God." The pope also has said the discoveries of science and astronomy can help people better appreciate the wonders of God's creation.
- - -
Violating human dignity is root of all conflict, says Vatican official
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Not respecting human dignity lies at the root of all conflict, including the renewed violence in the Gaza Strip, said a top Vatican official and longtime diplomat. Religious tensions play a minor role in fueling world conflicts; rather, countless economic and social injustices are what foment violence, said Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. "For decades, human dignity has been trampled in the Gaza Strip; hatred and homicidal fundamentalism find fodder" in social and economic injustice, he said in an interview published in the Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Jan. 1. He said the use of arms in the Middle East must stop because "dialogue is the only possible way to bring peace" in the Holy Land. The "fresh, ferocious outbreak of violence" and renewed military action in Gaza will not break the cycle of attacks and reprisals in the Holy Land, he said. Only dialogue can end the world's conflicts, he added.
- - -
Jesuit discusses moves to renegotiate mining contracts in Congo
KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) -- A Congolese Jesuit said he is optimistic that 60 government contracts with international mining companies will be renegotiated in favor of the government, raising more revenue for one of the poorest countries in Africa. "Mining companies have already accepted to renegotiate the contracts in 57 out of the 60 that were revised," said Jesuit Father Ferdinand Muhigirwa, director of the Center for Studies for Social Action. "I am optimistic that the government will come to some agreement over the remaining three contracts." In 2007 the government appointed a commission under the Ministry of Mines to review 60 mining contracts signed between the state and international mining companies from 1996 to 2006, a politically unstable period before President Joseph Kabila was elected in 2006. The commission also was charged with following up on the work of a U.N. panel, which found in 2000 that many mining companies had paid bribes to government officials and local strongmen to obtain lucrative mining concessions. The panel said there was a link between mining activity and the armed conflict that has persisted in certain regions of the country.
- - -
PEOPLE
Cardinal urges Chinese bishops to fulfill responsibilities to church
HONG KONG (CNS) -- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong called on Catholic bishops in mainland China to courageously fulfill their responsibilities to the church, saying compromise cannot last forever. "Don't be afraid. Bear the responsibilities that history has placed upon you. In this critical moment, your choice could revive the church or it could let her languish for a long time," he told the mainland bishops. "You are held accountable to history and you must be prepared to stand firm without blemish before God's judgment." The Asian church news agency UCA News reported that the cardinal made the call in his article, "Inspiration From St. Stephen's Martyrdom," in the Jan. 4 issue of Kung Kao Po, the Hong Kong Diocese's Chinese-language weekly. Cardinal Zen had announced to local media Dec. 24 that Pope Benedict XVI had agreed to let him retire in the first half of 2009, although the date of the retirement has yet to be announced, and that after retirement he would focus on Chinese church affairs.
- - -
Virginia priest killed by falling tree while trying to clear roadway
PURCELLVILLE, Va. (CNS) -- A funeral Mass was set for 11 a.m. Jan. 6 for a 53-year-old Virginia priest who died Dec. 31 when a tree fell on him while he was trying to remove debris from another tree from the roadway. Father Michael C. Kelly, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a spokesman for Loudon County Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson. Father Kelly had been attempting to remove debris from Harmony Church Road during the morning hours, when high winds caused another tree to fall on him, according to a published report. Parishioners told WUSA-TV 9 in Washington they were not surprised that Father Kelly was trying to clear debris from the roadway, because he was the kind of man who always offered his help to anyone in need. He had served at the parish since June 2006. In a letter to the resident priests and parishioners of St. Francis de Sales, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde called Father Kelly "a faithful and zealous priest not only among you, but in all his previous assignments as well."
- - -
Father Neuhaus, First Things editor, hospitalized with cancer
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Father Richard Neuhaus, founder and editor in chief of the journal First Things, has been hospitalized with "a serious cancer," the publication announced Dec. 31. A message sent to e-mail contacts and posted on the magazine's Web site said Father Neuhaus is in a New York hospital after being diagnosed with cancer in late November. "The long-term prognosis for this particular cancer is not good, but it is not hopeless, either, and there is a possibility that it will respond to the recommended outpatient chemotherapy treatment," said the message. But over Christmas, Father Neuhaus became dangerously ill with a systemic infection and was hospitalized, the note added. There had been some signs of improvement in the last few days, the message said, "and there is a reasonable expectation that he will recover from this present illness -- sufficiently, we hope, that he will be able to begin the chemotherapy for the cancer."
END
Copyright (c) 2009 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
|
|
|
|
