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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Oct-13-2009
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Global poverty initiative reaches more than 250,000 US Catholics
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 250,000 Catholics have been reached through the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, a joint effort by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services to address the root causes of global poverty through education and advocacy. In less than seven months, the initiative has reached one quarter of its goal to mobilize 1 million Catholics, according to a recent announcement from the USCCB and CRS, the U.S. bishops' overseas relief and development agency. The initiative calls on Catholics to learn about and share the stories of those struggling to rise above extreme poverty, to pray for the world's poorest people and to approach policymakers on the issue as advocates for the poor worldwide. Ken Hackett, CRS president, said in a statement, "In a world where an estimated 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, the message of the church is clear. As Catholics, we are called to help our brothers and sisters in need." Catholics Confront Global Poverty was launched in February 2009 in response to Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 message for the World Day of Peace, titled "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace."
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Apostles' relics to tour US to educate about foundations of faith
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A standing reliquary containing relics of more than a dozen apostles and evangelists will tour the United States in an effort to educate adults and schoolchildren about the foundations of the Catholic faith. The "Apostles -- Foundation of Our Faith" tour is being organized by the Los Angeles-based International Crusade for Holy Relics USA, which also was responsible for the 2007 "Relics of the Passion" tour in Guam and the recent three-year "Operation Special Intentions" tour of U.S. military bases. Enclosed within the reliquary that will go on tour are relics of St. Peter, St. Thomas, St. Barnabas, St. Matthias, St. Jude Thaddeus, St. John, St. Andrew, St. Philip, St. Simon, St. Bartholomew, St. Paul, St. Matthew, St. James the Less and St. James the Greater. Downloadable handouts for schoolchildren will be available; they discuss the life of each saint and how each suffered and died for the faith, as well as their patronages, symbols in art and the miracles attributed to them. Information about scheduling the relics for the 2009-10 tour is available by contacting Thomas J. Serafin by e-mail at: Tom@ICHRusa.com, or by phone at: (818) 416-9279.
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Family, fellow parishioners watch champion snowboarder on dance show
BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio (CNS) -- On a recent Monday evening the historic Holland Theatre in downtown Bellefontaine was filled with enthusiastic local residents. But they weren't there for a blockbuster movie premiere. The Holland has become the place to be in Bellefontaine as townsfolk gather there on Monday and Tuesday nights to support hometown boy Louie Vito, the professional snowboarder and 2010 Olympic-medal hopeful who is currently appearing on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." Born in Columbus, Vito moved to Bellefontaine as a youngster, along with older sister Lindsay and parents Lou and Judy, who are active members of St. Patrick Parish. Lou Vito owns two radio stations in town, and his wife operates a Jazzercise franchise. Vito, 21, and his professional dance partner, Chelsie Hightower, 20, appeared on the big screen Oct. 5 to dance a saucy rumba for the show's third week of competition. The viewers were armed with their cell phones to call in their votes after the show. Couples remain in the competition based on a combination of scores from the show's judges and votes called in by viewers. Vito and Hightower made it through to dance the Texas two-step on the Oct. 12 show. On Oct. 13 one couple was scheduled to be eliminated.
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WORLD
Synod official highlights growth of church in Africa
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Statistics released during the October Synod of Bishops for Africa illustrate significant growth among African Catholics and point toward a hopeful future for the continent, according to a leading Vatican official. The numbers indicate growth in the Catholic population, the number of church-run organizations providing health and education services, and even in the number of African martyrs, said Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general for the Synod of Bishops, in a report read to the synod's first general assembly Oct. 5. The number of African Catholics increased by more than 62 million people from 1994, the year in which the first African synod was held, to the end of 2007. The rate of growth among Catholics during that period, about 60 percent, was almost twice as high as the rate of growth among the general population in Africa, which was about 33 percent. The church in Africa saw a rise in the number of bishops, priests, deacons, people in consecrated life and laypeople. The number of priests increased by 49 percent, seminarians by 44 percent and lay missionaries by 94 percent.
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UN agency head tells synod that fighting hunger is a matter of faith
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The teachings of the Catholic Church and of Islam urge believers to manage resources wisely, providing for the poorest and avoiding all waste and excess, the head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization told the Synod of Bishops for Africa. Jacques Diouf, director general of the organization, was the only Muslim invited to participate in the Oct. 4-25 synod. And while his focus was on ending hunger and improving food security on the continent, he also spoke of the importance of faith in building a better world. The growing number of people in the world who go to bed hungry is "the result of choices made on the basis of materialistic reasons to the detriment of ethical references," Diouf told the synod Oct. 12. Today's world has the financial power, the technology and the natural and human resources needed "to eliminate hunger in the world once for all," he said, but first it must overcome the power of greed, corruption and selfishness. The United Nations is holding a world summit on food security in Rome Nov. 16-18 and the Vatican announced Oct. 13 that Pope Benedict XVI would attend the opening session.
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New Zealanders sending icon of St. Damien to Hawaii
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CNS) -- New Zealand Catholics are sending an icon of one of the church's newest saints to the church in Hawaii. Depicting St. Damien de Veuster, the icon will be given to Bishop Larry Silva of Honolulu in November on behalf of Bishop Patrick J. Dunn of Auckland. St. Damien dedicated his life to those afflicted with leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease, in Molokai, Hawaii. The icon was on display the evening of Oct. 11 as 150 people gathered to remember the life and legacy of a man being canonized half a world away the same day. The event included a screening of "Molokai -- The Story of Father Damien," hosted by the NZ Catholic, New Zealand's national Catholic newspaper. Because of the time difference, the film finished shortly before the start of the canonization Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for St. Damien and Sts. Jeanne Jugan, Zygmunt Felinski, Francisco Coll Guitart and Rafael Arnaiz Baron. Created locally by artist Jenny Trolove of the Studio of John the Baptist, the icon was blessed prior to the screening. It will be delivered by Dennis Augustine, the NZ Catholic's advertising and promotions manager, when he visits Hawaii.
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History of Italy's celestial studies stars in Vatican Museums' exhibit
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican and Italian observatories have teamed up to display for the first time numerous precious instruments and books documenting the birth and development of stargazing in Italy. The Vatican Observatory, the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics and the Vatican Museums have pooled their collections of antique telescopes, astrolabes, celestial globes and manuscripts, such as Galileo Galilei's original handwritten notes detailing his observations of the moon. Many of the 130 items in the exhibit have never been displayed publicly. The exhibit, called "Astrum 2009," runs at the Vatican Museums from Oct. 16 to Jan. 16, 2010, and commemorates the International Year of Astronomy. The United Nations declared the special year to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of the telescope to observe the cosmos. The exhibit's curator, Ileana Chinnici, told journalists during a Vatican press conference Oct. 13 that Italy's unique patrimony of astronomical instruments is the richest in the world. Popes and the divided Italian states all supported their own observatories and amassed a large number of historical instruments and valuable documentation, she said.
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PEOPLE
Indian government says it will not hand over remains of Mother Teresa
CALCUTTA, India (CNS) -- India will not yield to Albania's request to hand over the remains of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, an Indian government spokesman confirmed. Mother Teresa was "an Indian citizen and she is resting in her own country, her own land," the Indian Express newspaper quoted Vishnu Prakash, spokesman for the Ministry for External Affairs, as saying in its Oct. 13 edition. "The question of returning her remains does not arise at all." The government comments followed international media reports that Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha had asked the Indian government to hand over the remains of the ethnic Albanian nun for the 100th anniversary of her birth next August. Sister Christy, a member of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, told the Asian church news agency UCA News that her congregation had not heard anything about such a demand officially but had seen the media reports. She dismissed such reports as "speculations" and said the nuns had no comment. Mother Teresa was born to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, in what is now part of Macedonia. She came to India in 1929 and became an Indian citizen in 1947.
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Pope to visit Rome synagogue in January, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a gesture of interfaith reconciliation, Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Rome synagogue and meet with the city's Jewish community in January, the Vatican announced. The pope's visit on Jan. 17, 2010, coincides with the Roman Jewish commemoration of "Lead Mo'ed," which marks a torrential rain in 1793 that saved Jews from a Roman mob's attempt to attack them. Pope Benedict's visit comes at the invitation of Rabbi Riccardo di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome. In a statement on the significance of the date of the visit, the Vatican said "Lead Mo'ed" recalls a historical event considered miraculous by the Roman Jewish community. In 1793, anti-Jewish tensions ran high in the Papal States because Jews were being blamed for supporting revolutionary ideas from France. A Roman mob descended on the city's Jewish ghetto, intent on burning down its gates and doing violence to its residents. Authorities were unable to stop the rabble, but a sudden and tremendous downpour extinguished the mob's torches and scattered the crowd, saving the ghetto's inhabitants. The name "Lead Mo'ed" refers to the dark, leaden color of the Roman skies just before the rain began to fall.
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Poker-playing priest wins big for parish on TV game show
GARDEN CITY, S.C. (CNS) -- A poker-playing priest from South Carolina is one step closer to winning $1 million for his church's building fund. Father Andrew Trapp, parochial vicar at St. Michael Church in Garden City, won $100,000 on "PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge," a new poker-themed game show that debuted on the Fox television network Oct. 11. Father Trapp beat three opponents, including professional poker champion Daniel Negreanu, to win the final prize. While waiting for his cards to be revealed in the final round, he held his rosary in his hands and bowed his head. He will now join three other players who won $100,000 for the championship round in December. Father Trapp traveled to Los Angeles Oct. 3-5 to appear on the first episode of the game show. He couldn't reveal the results before the program aired. The priest, who has played the Texas Hold 'Em variety of poker for fun for several years, competed against thousands of others in online tournaments and submitted an audition video to get a spot on the show.
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EWTN officials Mother Angelica, Deacon Steltemeier get papal honors
IRONDALE, Ala. (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross to Mother Mary Angelica, founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, and Deacon Bill Steltemeier, chairman of EWTN's board of governors, for distinguished service to the church. The cross, whose name is Latin for "for the church and the pope," is the highest papal honor that can be conferred on laypeople and clergy. Bishop Robert J. Baker of Birmingham presented the awards Oct. 4 in a brief ceremony following Benediction at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville. "By giving awards, the church is not saying people or institutions are perfect, but we are saying that Mother Angelica, through this network, has made a significant contribution to the new evangelization heralded and promoted by recent popes," Bishop Baker said in his homily. "Mother Angelica's effort has been at the vanguard of the new evangelization and has had a great impact on our world." The bishop said Deacon Steltemeier had "perpetuated this global Catholic apostolate as chairman of the board, and until recently, as chief executive officer."
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Copyright (c) 2009 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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