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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Jan-15-2009
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Bush proclaims Jan. 18 National Sanctity of Human Life Day
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Declaring that every life is "a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique and worthy of protection," President George W. Bush proclaimed Jan. 18, the Sunday before the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. On this day "our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us," he said in the proclamation issued Jan. 15. Bush urged Americans "to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being." On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion, and the Doe v. Bolton decision, which lifted state restrictions on abortion.
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Cardinal George pledges to work with Obama on various policy concerns
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has pledged that he and his fellow prelates will work with the incoming administration of Barack Obama and the 111th Congress to "advance the common good and defend the life and dignity of all, especially the vulnerable and poor." In a Jan. 13 letter to the president-elect, Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George offered a broad outline of policy priorities that concern the U.S. bishops, ranging from economic recovery that covers all segments of society to protecting the lives of the "most vulnerable and voiceless members of the human family," especially unborn children. A corresponding letter was sent to Vice President-elect Joseph Biden and each member of Congress. Cardinal George reminded Obama that the bishops approach public policy as pastors and teachers and that the moral principles that guide them have been developed through their experience in caring for people in need.
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Report: Zimbabwe health care collapse due to human rights violations
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Zimbabwe's health care system, once a model for southern Africa, has collapsed because of the government's egregious, systematic human rights violations, said a human rights report. The report by the nonprofit, independent group Physicians for Human Rights said Zimbabwe's doctors do not have viable salaries and most public hospitals have closed. At the same time, Zimbabweans are suffering from a cholera epidemic, increasing maternal mortality, and cases of malnutrition, AIDS, tuberculosis and anthrax, said the report, released in mid-January by the Massachusetts-based organization. The "findings add to the growing evidence that (President) Robert Mugabe and his regime may well be guilty of crimes against humanity," said the report, "Health in Ruins: A Man-made Disaster in Zimbabwe." The crisis is due to the "malfeasance of the Mugabe regime and the systematic violation of a wide range of human rights, including the right to participate in government and in free elections and egregious failure to respect, protect and fulfill the right to health," said the report.
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New York public schools urged to allow creches in holiday displays
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called on members of the New York City Council Jan. 14 to urge revision of the policy that bans Nativity scenes in city public schools, while allowing holiday displays of Jewish and Muslim religious symbols. "To do anything less is to sanction inequitable treatment," said William A. Donohue in testimony before council committees on education and on youth services. He was testifying in favor of a resolution sponsored by Councilman Tony Avella. It calls on the Department of Education to "amend its holiday-display policy for New York City's public elementary and secondary schools to allow a creche or Nativity scene to be displayed in the same manner it allows other religious symbols, including the menorah and star and crescent, to be displayed." Such a revision would enhance "the stated purpose of the holiday-display policy," which is "to promote the goal of fostering understanding and respect of all individuals regarding their beliefs, values and customs," the resolution states. Under the current policy, the only Christmas holiday symbol allowed in New York public schools is a Christmas tree.
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New Catholic Charities Web page examines poverty-racism connection
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As part of its continuing nationwide campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020, Catholic Charities USA is ramping up efforts to help people understand the ties between poverty and racism. The Alexandria, Va.-based agency is utilizing the Internet, prayer and a study guide to help Catholics open meaningful discussions on how better to address the needs of the poor, especially in minority communities, and take action to reduce the incidence of poverty locally. Precious Blood Father Clarence Williams, senior director of racial equality and diversity initiatives at Catholic Charities USA, said Catholics must begin to understand the depth of poverty and take significant steps to alleviate it across racial lines. "We're showing how blacks are overrepresented in the poor," he said. On Jan. 15 Catholic Charities introduced a section on its Web site -- www.catholiccharitiesusa.org -- that will help parishes, prayer groups and study circles open the conversation about race and poverty. Called "E Pluribus Unum," the online resource offers discussion points, prayer and Scripture readings.
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WORLD
Vatican: Gaza war shows need for better protection of civilians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican official said the denial of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip demonstrates the urgent need for greater protection of civilians during conflicts. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican representative to the United Nations, made the remarks Jan. 14 during a U.N. Security Council debate on civilian protection during war. The archbishop's U.N. office released his comments Jan. 14. The day after he spoke, the United Nations was forced to suspend its humanitarian operations in the city of Gaza when Israel shelled the U.N. headquarters there, injuring three workers and setting a blaze that destroyed relief materials. Other international aid agencies have found it difficult or impossible to deliver humanitarian assistance since the Israeli offensive began Dec. 27. More than 1,000 Palestinians, including several hundred civilians, have died in the conflict; as of Jan. 15, 13 Israelis had died, three of them civilians killed by Hamas rockets.
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Jesuit journal praises Facebook, but offers some cautions
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- From smoke signals to the telegraph, from telephones to Facebook, methods for keeping in touch with others far away are helpful, but they are never a substitute for meeting in person, said an Italian Jesuit magazine. Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, who belongs to the Internet social networking site Facebook, wrote about the site in La Civilta Cattolica, a magazine reviewed by the Vatican before publication. "Basically, Facebook incarnates a utopia: that of always staying close to those people we care about in one way or another and of getting to know others who are compatible with us," he wrote in the article published in mid-January. Even with e-mail and news groups, the Internet was basically a collection of linked pages of information, Father Spadaro said, but with Facebook and other social networking sites, it has become "a network of people." However, he said, there is a serious risk of people being isolated at their computers for hours on end as they "chat" with their Facebook friends, read their profiles and comment on their photographs.
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Bishops from Europe, North America call for end to violence in Gaza
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Bishops from Europe and North America urged leaders of the international community to help break the cycle of violence in the Holy Land. They asked the global community not only to resolve the current fighting and provide humanitarian assistance, but to work with Israelis and Palestinians to reach a viable solution to their continuing conflict. The bishops spoke at a Jan. 15 press conference concluding the weeklong visit by members of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land, which was established in 1998 at the request of the Vatican. Their final statement urged the international community to unite to "press Israelis and Palestinians to build a just peace with security for Israel and a viable state for Palestinians." Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told Catholic News Service it is important people understand the perceptions and reflections of both Palestinians and Israelis. He said one side cannot be seen as the one at fault and the other as the victim.
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British Catholics concerned over possible prenatal test for autism
LONDON (CNS) -- A British study raising the possibility of a prenatal test for autism has prompted concerns among Catholics that pregnant women will be pressured to abort babies who might develop autism. Although no test has yet been developed, a team of scientists led by Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor at Cambridge University, found evidence to suggest babies exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb have a higher risk of developing autistic traits than those who were not. A spokesman for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales issued a statement Jan. 13 calling for creative answers to autism, an umbrella term for a range of lifelong developmental disabilities in communication, interaction and imagination. "What our society is contemplating are the first steps of a truly revolutionary and inhuman path," said the spokesman. "The only way out is to rediscover the fundamental dignity and value of every human life from its first beginnings," he said. "Without this firm moral bedrock, we are in grave danger of sliding inexorably toward a new eugenics."
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Venezuelan bishops question legality of proposed amendment
CARACAS, Venezuela (CNS) -- Venezuelan Catholic bishops have reiterated their criticisms of a constitutional amendment advocated by President Hugo Chavez to remove term limits for elected officials. In a Jan. 13 statement issued following their annual assembly, the bishops criticized the country's rampant crime, corruption and health care problems, and questioned the legality of the proposed amendment, which must be approved by the National Assembly. "One has to ask oneself if it is legal to consult once again on a decision already taken, when the constitution prohibits presenting again an amendment that's been rejected," the bishops wrote. They also warned that a vote could generate "greater political and social confrontation, affecting an already weakened peace." In a 2007 referendum, voters rejected removing term limits for the presidency. Chavez and Catholic leaders have been on bad terms for years, following church criticisms of human rights violations, Chavez's concentration of power in the presidency and his closeness to Cuba's communist government. For his part, Chavez has called church leaders "elitist" and criticized them for commenting on political issues.
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PEOPLE
Spanish judge to investigate 1989 murder of Jesuits in El Salvador
MADRID, Spain (CNS) -- A Spanish judge has decided to open an investigation into the case of 14 members of the Salvadoran army accused of involvement in killing six Jesuit priests and two of their employees in 1989, during El Salvador's civil war. High Court Judge Eloy Velasco also decided not to try former Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani, accused of concealment of the crime, because of insufficient evidence. Last November, the Spanish Association for Human Rights and the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability filed a lawsuit against the military officers and Cristiani based on the Spanish legal principle of universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity. In 1991 a Salvadoran court convicted two of the 14 accused army members of murder and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. Both were sentenced to 30 years in prison, but were released when the parliament approved a law granting them amnesty in 1993, one year after the war ended. Velasco's decision was announced Jan. 13, nearly 20 years after the Nov. 16, 1989, massacre at Central American University in San Salvador.
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Catholic actor Montalban dies at 88; was voice for faith in career
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Catholic actor Ricardo Montalban, whose work in television and movies also included several Catholic projects, died Jan. 14 at age 88 at his home in Los Angeles. He had been suffering from congestive heart failure. A family representative told the news media his funeral would be private. The Mexican-born Montalban -- best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island," which ran for six seasons, and for his commercials for the Chrysler Cordoba with its "soft Corinthian leather" and "crushed velour" -- always credited his faith for helping him in Hollywood. Montalban won several awards for his contributions to the entertainment industry and the Catholic faith. He also won an Emmy for the 1978 TV movie "How the West Was Won." His film career encompassed dozens of films dating to 1948's "On an Island With You" and 1949's "Neptune's Daughter," in which he was paired with Esther Williams. Montalban also was featured in "Across the Wide Missouri" (1951), "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964), "Sweet Charity" (1969) and "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), as well as movies in the "Planet of the Apes," "Cannonball Run" and "Naked Gun" series.
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