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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Mar-4-2009
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Indictment of Sudanese president seen as step toward peace in Sudan
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The International Criminal Court's issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity opens the door for the United States to help bring peace to the war-torn nation, said author and anti-genocide activist John Prendergast. "I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the Obama administration to name a special envoy and get on the ground in Darfur and implement a peace agreement," Prendergast said during a nationwide teleconference put together by the Enough Project shortly after the court's March 4 action. Prendergast is a former U.S. State Department official who co-founded the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity around the world. A Catholic study guide to his book, "Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond," was released in February. The warrant, the first against a sitting head of state by the court, charges al-Bashir with five counts of crimes against humanity -- murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape, ICC spokeswoman Laurence Blairon announced March 4. The two charges for war crimes are for intentionally attacking civilians and for pillaging, she said.
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Federal appeals court upholds ruling Vatican can be sued over abuse
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco March 3 upheld a 2006 lower court ruling that the Vatican is not entitled to sovereign immunity from a clergy sex abuse lawsuit that named it as a defendant. But it narrowed the extent of that ruling by remanding the case to the lower court "for further proceedings" before the suit against the Vatican can go forward. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit issued the decision on a June 7, 2006, ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman in Portland, Ore. The case before the court, John V. Doe v. Holy See, was first filed in Portland in April 2002. It involves claims that the victim, identified only as John V. Doe, was sexually abused in Portland in 1965 or 1966, at the age of 15 or 16, by Servite Father Andrew M. Ronan, who was then stationed at his order's Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother in Portland. He was laicized in 1966 and allegedly had previously admitted to sexually abusing children at earlier postings in Ireland and in Chicago. He died in 1992.
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Missionaries aim to change students lives through Gospel message
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- John Zimmer, Teddy Ariniello and Angela Telthorst annually train college students from across the country by meeting the youths where they are and inviting them to examine the meaning and purpose of their lives. The three are missionaries and evangelizers with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, known as FOCUS. The fellowship is a national outreach to college campuses, both secular and Catholic. Its trained missionaries help college students find a place for Christ in all aspects of their lives -- their studies, social life, dating relationships and major life decisions. The training consists of five weeks of prayer, hands-on experience in evangelizing and team building. Fellowship missionaries work with students through small-group Bible studies, personal discipleship and large-group leadership training, as well as on trips and missions during which they and the students have the opportunity to serve in India, Peru, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Rome, New Orleans and New York City.
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Economists say Catholic ethics could benefit global economic policy
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Economists from Catholic institutions worldwide may differ in their approach to solutions for the economic crisis, but all agree a global strategy is required. The same economic scholars from U.S., Canadian and Australian Catholic universities also said while the Catholic Church may not be able to direct economic policy it can contribute most effectively by leading the charge in philanthropic endeavors that will ease the suffering of the most vulnerable caught up in the international crisis. "The key concern of the Catholic Church should be, as always, to look out for the poor and vulnerable, both at home and in poor countries," said Linda Nielsen, an economics professor at St. Mary's University College in Calgary, Alberta. "The church has lobbied local, provincial and federal governments effectively in the past, has been a kind of 'social conscience,' and hopefully this will continue," she said.
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WORLD
Pope asks young people to be witnesses of hope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even as the global economic crisis makes it more difficult to find a job and start a family, young Catholics are called to hold firmly to their faith in Jesus and be witnesses of hope to their peers, Pope Benedict XVI said. "True Christians are never sad, even if they have to face trials of various kinds, because the presence of Jesus is the secret of their joy and peace," the pope told the world's young Catholics. In his message for World Youth Day 2009, which will be celebrated in most dioceses on Palm Sunday, April 5, the pope asked young people to anchor the enthusiasm of their age in the firm hope that comes from a relationship with Christ. The theme the pope chose for the 2009 celebration was from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy: "We have set our hope on the living God." Everyone is looking for hope, "especially in these times," the pope said in the message, released March 4 at the Vatican.
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Organisms' common ancestry aids medical research, says biologist
ROME (CNS) -- Charles Darwin's theory that all living organisms have descended from one common biological species is a scientific fact that has tremendously aided medical research, said an evolutionary biologist attending a Vatican-sponsored conference. A common biological ancestry is the basis upon which all scientific research is conducted, said Douglas Futuyma, a professor of ecology and evolution at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. For example, using mice, monkeys and other nonhuman species to research diseases and possible new cures gives data that is valuable and pertinent to promoting medical advancements for humans because of the similar genetic heritage of different species, he said. Futuyma was one of dozens of scientists, theologians and philosophers invited to speak at a conference in Rome March 3-7 marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" in which he put forth his theory on evolution. The conference, titled "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories," was sponsored and organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture's Science, Technology and the Ontological Quest project, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and several of Rome's pontifical universities.
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Italian dioceses suggest Lenten fasts from texting, bottled water
ROME (CNS) -- The stereotypical Italian communicates with his hands and sips Chianti, but text messaging and drinking bottled water have become even more common and some dioceses are trying to put a stop to the practices -- at least for Lent. Archbishop Benito Cocchi of Modena-Nonantola has asked people "to fast" from sending text messages on their cellular phones, at least on the Fridays of Lent. And the Archdiocese of Venice's office for Christian lifestyles has asked the faithful there "to turn on the faucet" and give up bottled water. Bishops and priests in neighboring dioceses have urged their members to do the same. As Lent began Feb. 25, Archbishop Cocchi told the faithful that Lent was a time to use fewer words and less food, drinks and games in order to concentrate on strengthening a real relationship with God and with others. The archdiocesan office for missionary awareness, he said, had a good idea: Give up sending text messages.
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US, Canadian Catholics react to new stem-cell research technique
TORONTO (CNS) -- Several Catholic officials welcomed a breakthrough in stem-cell research that could advance the science of regenerative medicine, but at least one Catholic ethicist wanted more information about the procedure. Dr. Andras Nagy of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital announced a new technique for creating pluripotent stem cells that can develop into most other types of human tissue. Nagy's method of turning just about any cells, such as skin cells and blood cells, into stem cells avoids the use of spare embryos from in vitro fertilization and bypasses previous techniques that used viruses to turn back the clock on adult cells. Nagy published the results of his research in an online version of the prestigious journal Nature Feb. 27. In 2005 Nagy created Canada's first embryonic stem-cell lines from donated embryos. That research led to his discovery of the "piggyBac" method of reprogramming cells without using viruses to deliver growth factors to the cell's chromosomes. Viruses used to carry growth factors will incorporate themselves into the cells, which then could turn cancerous. Adult stem cells have been used to treat Parkinson's, cystic fibrosis and other diseases that break down entire systems in the body.
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Southern African bishops seek Vatican OK to keep new Mass translations
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference said it made a mistake in giving the go-ahead to parishes to use Vatican-approved Mass translations, but it has asked the Vatican to allow continued use of the texts. The conference said March 4 it was awaiting the Vatican's response. It told parishes in South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland that already have begun using the translations to continue using them and said those that have not yet made the changes should wait until further notice. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, president of the conference, received a letter Feb. 25 from the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, asking that use "of the new English text of the Roman Missal be halted until the (translation) process had been finalized internationally and all English-speaking churches could implement the new translation at the same time," the bishops' statement said. In parishes where the change in the translation of the Order of the Mass has been implemented, it has met with some resistance and stirred controversy. In a Jan. 18 letter to The Southern Cross, South Africa's Catholic weekly, Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg said his first reaction to the new texts "was that it was a purely arbitrary decision to demand that the English text had to faithfully represent the Latin in the first place, that many of the changes made no sense, and that some of the formulations were simply bad English."
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Latin American bishops highlight rise in drug-related problems
LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- A series of drug arrests in the United States and the arrival of Mexican troops in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, have drawn increased attention to drug trafficking, a problem highlighted by the region's Catholic bishops. Prelates in several Latin American countries have spoken about drug-related problems in recent months. In February, when a district mayor in Lima, the Peruvian capital, suggested that the Ministry of Health sell controlled doses of drugs to addicts, Archbishop Hector Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo called the idea a "serious error," saying it "would not be good for Peru or for parents, much less youth and children." Others have expressed concern about the violence and corruption resulting from drug trafficking, and a commission headed by three former Latin American presidents -- Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil -- has called for an "in-depth revision" of international drug policies "in light of their enormous human and social costs and threats to democratic institutions."
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Irish from all walks of life turn to church for help during recession
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- Irish people are turning to the Catholic Church and each other for support as the country is hit hard by the global economic recession. "We are definitely seeing the impact of the economic downturn," said Father John Gilligan, administrator of St. Andrew's Church in Dublin. "Because we are situated beside the train station, we get thousands passing our door every day, and more and more are calling in and asking to speak to one of the priests about their difficulties. "We have become counselors to people from all walks of life who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job losses -- a lot of them are young professionals, architects and solicitors. We have well-dressed people asking for food vouchers or asking how do they contact the St. Vincent de Paul for help," he told Catholic News Service. John Monaghan, vice president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the largest charitable organizations in Ireland, said calls for aid are up 30 percent over this time last year.
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PEOPLE
Archbishop says HHS nomination 'troubling,' bad for US health policies
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (CNS) -- The archbishop who told Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius not to present herself for Communion unless she repudiates her support for keeping abortion legal says her nomination as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services does not bode well for health care policies in this country. In a column for the March 6 issue of the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City said Sebelius, who is Catholic, "represents well Catholic social teaching" on some important issues but not on abortion or embryonic stem-cell research. "With her history of support for legalized abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, it is troubling the important influence that she will have on shaping health care policies for our nation," Archbishop Naumann wrote. He called Sebelius "a very bright and gifted leader" who has advocated for low-income housing, health care for poor children and adoption incentives. But he said her abortion position made her nomination "particularly troubling."
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Catholics pray for Sri Lankan cricket heroes, condemn terrorism
KALUTARA, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- Sri Lankan Catholics prayed for their cricket heroes injured in an attack in Pakistan and condemned Sri Lankan and Pakistani terrorism. The Sri Lankan cricket team was on its way to play the second day of a match in Lahore, Pakistan, March 3 when it was ambushed. At least seven players were wounded in the shootout and six police officers and two civilians were killed. Three of the injured cricketers were Catholics, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. It reported that one of the injured was Ajantha Mendis, 23, a rising star on the world cricket scene, a second lieutenant in the Sri Lankan army and a Catholic. In Mendis' hometown of Kalutara, less than 15 miles south of the capital Colombo, people were in shock. "Thank God they are now safe and secure. We all prayed to St. Anthony when we heard of this attack," said Rasik Lakmal Fernando, a school cricket player. "It is tragic this has happened."
END
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