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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Nov-23-2009
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
USCCB calls Senate health reform bill 'an enormous disappointment'
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The health reform legislation now before the Senate is "an enormous disappointment, creating new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience," the chairmen of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Nov. 20. A letter from the three chairmen outlining the USCCB's problems with the Senate bill's provisions on abortion and conscience protections, coverage of immigrants and affordability for low-income Americans went out about 24 hours before the Senate voted, 60-39, to begin debate on the legislation. The debate was expected to begin Nov. 30 after senators returned from a weeklong Thanksgiving break. The Senate's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, drawn up by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada from legislation approved earlier in two Senate committees, "does not meet ... moral criteria" outlined by the bishops, especially on the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, the letter said. "We believe legislation that violates this moral principle is not true health care reform and must be amended to reflect it," said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Bishops William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., and John C. Wester of Salt Lake City. "If that fails, the current legislation should be opposed." They head the USCCB committees on Pro-Life Activities, on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and on Migration, respectively.
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US religious leaders pledge renewed commitment to conscience issues
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 140 Christian leaders issued a joint declaration Nov. 20 pledging renewed zeal in defending the unborn, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman and protecting religious freedom. The 4,700-word statement, called the "Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience," was signed by 14 Catholic bishops, evangelical and Orthodox leaders and other Catholics. The document pledges the group's "obligation to speak and act in defense of these truths" and stressed that "no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence." About 16 religious leaders who signed the document attended the Nov. 20 press conference in Washington to unveil it. Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, who welcomed the group to Washington, said the document echoed "what needs to be said" today and did so "with a collective voice." Several speakers pointed out that the issues highlighted in the "Manhattan Declaration" are not new, but there is a new urgency to defend them. "Justice demands that we not remain silent," said Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia. Some speakers mentioned the possibility of civil disobedience, if necessary, to defend their beliefs.
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Bishop says he asked congressman privately not to receive Communion
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) -- The bishop of Providence said he was "disappointed and really surprised" Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., made public a letter he wrote to the congressman almost three years ago about his practice of the Catholic faith and reception of Communion. "This comes almost two weeks after the congressman indicated to local media that he would no longer comment publicly on his faith or his relationship with the Catholic Church. The congressman's public comments require me to reply," Bishop Thomas J. Tobin said in a Nov. 22 statement. His remarks came after Kennedy told The Providence Journal daily newspaper that Bishop Tobin "instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion." The newspaper said Kennedy declined to give details on when or how the bishop issued such an instruction. Bishop Tobin said that in a February 2007 letter to Kennedy he stated: "In light of the church's clear teaching, and your consistent actions, therefore, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so." Kennedy supports keeping abortion legal.
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Archdiocese issues guidelines on choosing speakers, award recipients
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- Only individuals in good standing with the Catholic Church can be invited to speak at churches or other Catholic venues or be considered for an award from the church, according to a new policy issued by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. "The speaker's writings and previous public presentations must also be in harmony with the teaching and discipline of the church," it said. "A priest who left the ministerial priesthood without dispensation would not be eligible for consideration. Those in irregular marriages or those living a lifestyle at variance with church teaching would also not be eligible," it said. "Politicians and candidates for public office -- regardless of their relationship with the Catholic Church -- should never be invited to speak during or after the holy Eucharist," the policy said, adding that an invitation to any politician or government official to speak on church property must be in keeping with guidelines from the U.S. bishops. Published in the Nov. 19 issue of The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocesan newspaper, the policy was recommended to Archbishop John C. Nienstedt by the archdiocesan priests' council Nov. 11. The archbishop approved it the same day. The policy is aimed at giving guidance to pastors and administrators of any Catholic institution or organization in the archdiocese "as they consider inviting speakers and/or granting awards," it said.
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WORLD
Pope Anglican leader pledge to continue dialogue for unity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While some pundits have sounded the death knell for ecumenical relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, the Anglican spiritual leader, pledged to move forward. The pope and archbishop met privately at the Vatican for about 20 minutes Nov. 21. A Vatican statement said the two leaders reiterated "the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans." And, it said, they discussed the work their representatives were to begin Nov. 23 preparing for a third round of study by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, the body for official theological dialogue. The statement said the two leaders discussed "recent events affecting relations between the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion," a reference to Pope Benedict's apostolic constitution establishing "personal ordinariates" -- structures similar to dioceses -- for Anglicans who want to enter full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining some of their Anglican heritage.
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Irish newspaper leaks details of report on clerical abuse in Dublin
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- The Sunday Independent newspaper has leaked details of the report resulting from a government investigation into clerical child abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. In its Nov. 22 edition, the Sunday Independent said the report finds that four previous Dublin archbishops knew about child abuse by priests but did not report it to civil authorities; when cases of child abuse were reported, frequently the abusers were moved to other parishes where they were free to abuse again. The paper reported that the commission found that civil authorities also failed children, for example, by releasing convicted clerical abusers from prison without any further supervision. It also reported that the insurance company, Church and General, which had indemnified the Dublin Archdiocese against damages resulting from allegations of clerical child abuse, destroyed all files relating to such claims prior to 1996. Among the details highlighted by the Sunday Independent were a girl who was abused while being given the sacrament of reconciliation, a child being abused with a crucifix, and two abusive priests "sharing" their victims between them. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has frequently warned that the contents of the report of the statutory Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese will prove shocking to both the faithful and those outside the church.
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Fresh palette: Artists say they're ready to support church's mission
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Ask and you shall receive. The art world is ready to collaborate with the church in creating inspirational modern art, said some artists who took part in a landmark meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. After decades of disinterest or suspicion, the rapport between art and religion is ready to be restored. If the church wants art to support its mission, all it has to do is call. "The artist is really at the service of society, but to serve you have to be asked," said John David Mooney, a sculptor and installation artist from Chicago, Illinois. Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi told Vatican Radio that the church has to take the first step in approaching artists and getting to know their work "because it's for sure that artists will never take that step." Mooney and Zanussi were among the more than 250 international artists invited by the Vatican in an effort to revitalize dialogue and collaboration between the worlds of faith and art.
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African bishops cite problems that leave people in 'abject poverty'
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNS) -- Church officials in southern Africa said many people in their region still "live in abject poverty" because of "bad governance, corruption and human irresponsibility." General secretaries of bishops' conferences who met in Harare, Zimbabwe, in mid-November expressed concern about excessive militarization, bribery in the public and private sectors and poor delivery of services. Church officials representing Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe discussed the role of church leaders in eliminating corruption and promoting good governance for the common good. Those countries form the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa. The church officials expressed concern over nations' judicial systems and the awarding of bids to "political friends or family members." They said political leaders should be "elected by the people, not to enrich themselves, but to work for the common good" and civil servants "are employed to serve the public." "Nurses and doctors have to combine efficiency and compassion, teachers have to remember that the future of the next generation is in their hands" and the military and police should protect all citizens and defend the whole nation, the church officials said. Institutions such as electoral commissions and the judiciary "must jealously guard their independence," it said.
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Christ's power is the power of love, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The royal power of Christ the King is the power of love, Pope Benedict XVI said. The key sign of Christ's kingship is the cross, a symbol of weakness that God turned into a sign of "the divine power to give eternal life, to liberate (people) from evil and to defeat the dominion of death," the pope said Nov. 22, the feast of Christ the King. During his midday Angelus address, the pope told people gathered in St. Peter's Square that Christ's power "is the power of love, which is able to draw good out of evil, soften a hardened heart, bring peace to the most bitter conflict and spark hope in the densest darkness." Christ the King does not invade and does not impose allegiance to him, Pope Benedict said. Each person must make a choice, the pope said: "Who do you want to follow? God or the evil one? The truth or lies?" Pope Benedict said that following Christ does not guarantee a person success in this world, but it does give "that peace and that joy that only he can give."
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PEOPLE
Beatified nun could inspire Holy Land's Christians, says patriarch
NAZARETH, Israel (CNS) -- A newly beatified nun from the Holy Land could serve as an inspiration for Christians who remain there, said the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. The Nov. 22 beatification "breathes upon us a new spirit, renews our church and invites us to the happy hope that we ourselves, too, can be saints like her," said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, referring to Blessed Soultaneh Maria Ghattas, founder of the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Jerusalem. "What the church needs most is the witness of saints," he added in his homily at the beatification, a major step toward sainthood. "Holiness is the sign of the church's credibility." Patriarch Twal beatified Mother Marie-Alphonsine, as she is known, during a Mass for more than 3,000 people, who began filing into Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation almost two hours before the ceremony began. They filled the first-floor sanctuary, where the main ceremony took place; a closed-circuit TV showed the proceedings to pilgrims packed into the ground-floor sanctuary. The congregation included Helen Zananiri, whose prayer paved the way for Mother Marie-Alphonsine's beatification. Zananiri had prayed for the protection of her daughter following a premonition just hours before a group of girls fell into a collapsed outdoor septic tank six years ago. All of the girls, including Natalie Zananiri, who was under the toxic water for at least five minutes according to testimony given in the beatification process, were pulled out unharmed.
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College students across all majors strive to end human trafficking
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Students at Catholic universities across the country are united in a common goal: working to eradicate human trafficking domestically and internationally. Caryl Nunez, a political science student at the University of Dayton in Ohio, told Catholic News Service it was comforting to know "it's not just me interested" in spreading awareness about human trafficking. Students from all majors are interested in the topic, which she called a sign of hope. Students are playing a significant role in spreading awareness, said Nunez, who is from Miami. "Students today are interested, surprised and acting." A wide range of estimates on the scope and magnitude of modern-day slavery exists. The U.S. State Department estimates that some 800,000 people are trafficked into slavery within or across national boundaries annually, including the United States. The International Labor Organization estimates that at any given time 12.3 million adults and children are in forced labor, bonded labor or commercial sex networks worldwide. Hanh Nguyen, who is majoring in English and justice and peace at Denver's Regis University, told CNS she got involved in the issue because it "is such a terrible injustice that cannot be ignored. Many of the girls who are trafficked are Vietnamese -- this brings it closer to home because of my heritage."
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Pope names Sault Ste. Marie auxiliary to head Antigonish Diocese
ANTIGONISH, Nova Scotia (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Brian Dunn of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to lead the Diocese of Antigonish. The announcement was made Nov. 21, less than two months after Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey resigned after being charged with possession and importation of child pornography. Bishop Dunn said he hoped to bring "a sense of presence to people" in a "difficult situation." "That is one of the gifts that I have and one of the things I nurtured over the years," he said shortly after his appointment. "That is one of the things I will bring to the situation." Bishop Lahey has been staying at a priests' residence in Ottawa; he is due in court Dec. 16. During a Nov. 4 plea hearing, his lawyers asked for more disclosure of evidence. Bishop Dunn said he could not comment on the charges against Bishop Lahey. "I am still trying to understand what has happened. I am aware that this is causing great hurt for the people of the Antigonish Diocese," he said.
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