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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Mar-8-2010
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Chaput: Kennedy's 1960 speech damaged believers' role in public life
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Although John F. Kennedy's famous speech in Houston nearly 50 years ago could be seen as "a passionate appeal for tolerance," the candidate's remarks about how his Catholicism would affect his presidency "profoundly undermined the place ... of all religious believers in America's public life," said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver. "His speech left a lasting mark on American politics. It was sincere, compelling, articulate -- and wrong," the archbishop said in a March 1 talk at Houston Baptist University on "The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life." Speaking to the Greater Houston Ministerial Alliance on Sept. 12, 1960, less than two months before his election as the first Catholic U.S. president, Kennedy said that if his duties as president should "ever require me to violate my conscience or violate the national interest, I would resign the office." He also said he would not "disavow my views or my church in order to win this election." "But in its effect, the Houston speech did exactly that," Archbishop Chaput said. "It began the project of walling religion away from the process of governance in a new and aggressive way. It also divided a person's private beliefs from his or her public duties." He said Kennedy's talk led to a situation today when there are "more Catholics in national public office than ever before" but at the same time fewer who could "coherently explain how their faith informs their work, or who even feel obligated to try."
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Kansas bill would revoke sales tax exemption for religious nonprofits
MERRIAM, Kan. (CNS) -- A proposal in the Kansas Legislature that would repeal the sales tax exemption for churches and religious nonprofit organizations is bad public policy, shortsighted and probably unconstitutional, according to the Kansas Catholic Conference. In a March 4 legislative alert, the agency representing the bishops of Kansas' four Catholic dioceses said the proposal "would seriously undermine the ability of religious groups to serve Kansas' most vulnerable citizens in these very difficult times." House Bill 2549 was amended in the House Committee on Taxation to continue the tax exemption for nonprofit organizations that were not religiously affiliated, leaving churches and religious nonprofits such as Catholic Charities subject to the state's 5.3 percent sales tax. The bill also would repeal the sales tax exemption for residential utilities, lottery tickets, some recreational fees, public libraries and several other categories. The taxation committee reported the bill back to the House "without recommendation" -- meaning that its members neither supported nor opposed the legislation. As amended, the bill would raise an estimated $169 million a year. The state has a nearly $500 million budget shortfall projected for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1.
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WORLD
Mexico City Archdiocese criticizes law allowing same-sex marriage
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- The Mexico City Archdiocese responded to a new law in the nation's capital that permits same-sex marriages with a tersely worded editorial, accusing the local government of pursuing an agenda of radical social changes instead of fixing pressing problems such as rampant insecurity and a crumbling waterworks. The March 7 editorial, published in the archdiocesan publication, Desde la Fe, accused Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard "of provoking constant social division through his political activism" and depending on the advice of foreign groups for "implementing the legal practice of abortion, homosexual unions and all the other things that they request." In his Sunday homily, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera told a gathering of lay Catholic family groups, "Let's not be discouraged by the apparent triumph of evil, of contrary values, of the individualistic vision of the family and a society that fails to support the true needs of households." The law permitting same-sex marriage took effect March 4. It changes the definition of marriage from "the union of a man and a woman" to "the free union of two persons," regardless of gender. It also allows homosexual couples to adopt children. The law replaces a 2007 measure that allowed for same-sex civil unions. Other states have shown less enthusiasm for same-sex marriage laws, however. Legislators in the northern state of Chihuahua agreed to begin amending the state constitution to forbid same-sex marriages.
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Bishops provide aid, listen to grievances of returned Tamil refugees
JAFFNA, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- Six Catholic bishops met resettled Tamil war refugees in the Jaffna Diocese in northern Sri Lanka to hear their grievances and deliver relief aid. The delegation of bishops March 6 said they wanted to see firsthand the difficulties refugees face as they work to rebuild their lives following the end in June of a 26-year civil war between Sri Lankan forces and Tamil rebels, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Since then, an estimated 200,000 Tamil civilians have returned to their villages to find their homes destroyed and most of their possessions missing or unusable. Thousands more are in transit or remain in rehabilitation camps. During their tour of the Kilinochchi, Mulangavil, Vidaltaltivu, Iranamadu and Kiran areas, the bishops delivered bicycles, solar-powered lamps, oil lamps, clothing and school supplies for children. Father Christopher George Jayakumar, director of the Caritas Human Development Center in Jaffna, accompanied the prelates. He said the meetings focused on villagers who want the return of their belongings -- including boats and farm tools -- lost during the war. The people, mainly Hindus and Catholics, are struggling to make a living, the priest said. They also face practical problems such as obtaining official documents, especially death certificates for family members.
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Bishop in Orissa backs villagers against Korean steel giant
BHUBANESWAR, India (CNS) -- The Catholic Church in Orissa offered support to villagers fighting a Korean steel giant that they say threatens to displace thousands of people with its planned $12 billion development project in eastern India. "We oppose anything that goes against the interests of the communities," Bishop John Barwa of Rourkela told the Asian church news agency UCA News March 6. "The church cannot accept projects that would make people refugees in their own land." Villagers are fighting government plans to lease 4,000 acres of village land to the Pohang Iron and Steel Co. -- known as POSCO -- for three projects including iron mining, a steel processing plant and a private port. Villagers have challenged the company's subsidiary, POSCO-India, since 2005 when it signed development agreements with the state government. The project is the largest foreign investment in India's history. Opposition comes from affected villages in Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts and the coastal district of Jagatsingpur. Mansid Ekka, a Christian who leads the villagers' fight, called the project a conspiracy by the state to "loot vulnerable tribal and dalit people in the name of development." Dalit means "broken open" in Sanskrit and denotes people formerly known as untouchables in India's multitiered caste system. Father Nicholas Barla, a tribal leader and a human rights and environmental activist, said the proposed mines would displace 42,493 people -- including 32,044 tribal, dalit and poor Christians -- in Sundargarh alone.
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Call to conversion isn't about making people feel bad, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Lenten call to conversion is not an attempt to make people feel bad about themselves, but to promote their true good, which is eternal life, Pope Benedict XVI said. Celebrating Mass March 7 at the Rome parish of St. John of the Cross and reciting the Angelus at the Vatican afterward, the pope focused on the day's Gospel story in which Jesus tells his followers they must convert or they will perish. At the parish, which was founded in 1989, the pope said Lent is "an invitation to the conversion of our lives and to doing appropriate acts of penitence." The crowd Jesus was addressing in the day's Gospel story thought that people who met a sudden and violent death were sinners, while the fact that members of Jesus' audience were still alive meant they had nothing to worry about, the pope said. But Jesus warned them that by not recognizing their own sins and not setting out on the path to conversion, they would not be saved, he said. "During Lent, each one of us is called by God to make a change, thinking and living according to the Gospel, correcting things in our way of praying, acting, working and relating to others," he said.
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Caritas calls for legal protection for domestic migrant workers
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Migrant workers, especially women employed in private homes, need more protection from abuse and exploitation, said Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella organization for Catholic charities. Caritas urged governments and the international community to increase protections for migrants working as maids, nannies and caregivers, saying they often risk exploitation and trafficking. Migrants employed for domestic work rarely benefit from any legal protection in their workplaces, usually private homes, where abuse is difficult to detect, Caritas said in a statement March 5. Domestic workers should have the same legal protection in the workplace as other workers do, Caritas said. "Apart from the risk of abuse, domestic workers may have no social security protection, can be overworked and underpaid," said Martina Liebsch, director of policy for Caritas Internationalis. "Many fear their employers' reprisals if they complain to the authorities and thus continue to live as modern day slaves," she said.
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Vatican urges generous contributions to Holy Land collection
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Catholics remember the death of Jesus on Good Friday, they also are asked to remember the Christians who still live in the land where Jesus lived and rose from the dead. In a letter to the world's bishops, urging them to support the annual collection for the Holy Land, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri said all Catholics share the responsibility of the Christians in the Holy Land to keep the church alive there and preserve the sites associated with Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Cardinal Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, coordinates the Holy Land collection, which most parishes take up on Good Friday. His office also coordinates the committee that distributes the funds. Father Leon Lemmens, an official at the congregation, said that in the past few years, the collection has averaged about $25 million a year. Along with Cardinal Sandri's appeal, the Vatican published a report March 8 on the projects funded in 2008-2009 in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. Many of the projects combine archeological studies and restoration of Christian shrines with the improvement of pilgrim facilities and convents at the same site, for example at the Shrine of the Visitation in Ain Karem and the Convent of St. Lazarus in Bethany. Similar, but more extensive work is going on in Magdala, the presumed home of Mary Magdalene, which will include a pilgrim itinerary designed to illustrate daily life in the town at the time of Jesus.
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Haitian students lend a hand in earthquake recovery efforts
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- Colonb Mitsuka was on a playground at Louverture Cleary School when the massive magnitude 7 earthquake shook Haiti Jan. 12, causing a cinder block to fall on her, significantly injuring her face. The 14-year old needed stitches to close the wounds around her eyes and she was under observation by doctors and her family for nine days to make sure she had no other serious injuries. One of seven students injured at the private school founded by an American deacon, Mitsuka was doing fine March 3. She was just waiting for classes to resume. "I was afraid at first, but my mother explained to me that this was a natural disaster and it had nothing to do specifically with the school," she said. "All of the other students on campus help to give me courage to be here. When I am not at school I sit around and can do nothing. I want to be here to study -- to be able to do something," she said. The students of Louverture Cleary School, just outside the Haitian capital, have their work cut out for them. But they are perfectly situated to be of service to the Haitian community in a difficult time. "They are out translating for medical missions at the archdiocesan hospital, they are cleaning the streets, helping others demolish and rebuild houses on real foundational pads," said Deacon Patrick Moynihan, the school's president. "We also are running a large program for the neighborhood in which the kids act as teachers for the illiterate for youth and teenagers." Deacon Moynihan's Haitian Project operates Louverture Cleary, a free boarding school for academically gifted low-income students. The youngsters also perform community service every week, working in the neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince or at places such as the Missionaries of Charity orphanage.
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PEOPLE
Archbishop Pilarczyk honored for using media to spread Gospel
DAYTON, Ohio (CNS) -- Retired Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati has been honored by the University of Dayton's Institute for Pastoral Initiatives for outstanding dedication to using various forms of media to communicate Gospel values. In February he received the institute's annual Daniel J. Kane Religious Communications Award, named for the late communications director of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Sister Angela Ann Zukowski, a member of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart and the institute's director, praised the archbishop for "his leadership within the church, his creative openness and leadership for applying a variety of media to support the mission of the church." She noted his "more than 30 years of affirmation of the University of Dayton's communications ministry," particularly through the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives. Sister Angela added that Archbishop Pilarczyk also has encouraged the work of the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation, a joint initiative of the institute and the Marianist-run university. Archbishop Pilarczyk, who retired in December after serving as Cincinnati's archbishop for 27 years, remembered Kane as an advocate for the role of the laity in the church. Recipients of the Kane award receive a sculpture and a donation is made in their names to the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation program to cover the tuition for Asian students. The collaborative program provides online faith formation classes to students around the globe.
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Lawyers sever ties with accusers of Legionaries founder
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- The lawyers representing the supposed children and former partner of Legionaries of Christ founder Father Marcial Maciel have severed their relationship with the complainants, a Spanish news agency reported March 8. The lawyers' spokesman, Jose Bonilla, said in a statement to the news agency, EFE, that the supposed family of Father Maciel went public March 3 with the story of their lives with the Legionaries of Christ founder and allegations of abuse against the late priest without first notifying their legal advisers. Bonilla said the family -- Blanca Estela Lara Gutierrez and her three sons, Jose Raul, Omar and Cristian -- told MVS radio host Carmen Aristegui "a different version in some substantial points" than was told to the lawyers. The family, the statement said, "decided to make public statements without consulting at any time on the decision or content with the legal team." "We expressly separate ourselves from any link that could exist with the mentioned family," the legal team said. In the March 3 radio appearance, Lara said she spent 25 years as Father Maciel's partner and they raised three children -- one of whom was not his biological son. Jose Raul and Omar, who said the Legionaries founder was their father, said the priest sexually abused them as minors. The Legionaries of Christ issued a letter the following day that acknowledged the pain and suffering of the victims, but added that Jose Raul Gonzalez Lara had met with Father Carlos Skertchly, the order's general procurator, in January and requested $26 million -- $6 million for an inheritance and $20 million in compensation for the abuse. According to the letter, Jose Raul allegedly told Father Skertchly, "If you give me the money, I will keep quiet about the truth." No money has been paid, according to the Legionaries.
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Priest-songwriter says psalms are some of church's 'greatest prayers'
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (CNS) -- When Father David Hemann, an Iowa pastor, set out to record his sixth CD, his main goal was to convey what was truly in his heart. After years of reading and praying the Book of Psalms, he was inspired to put some of them to music and came up with his latest compilation, titled "Psalms of David." "The psalms are some of the greatest prayers we have," he said. "The psalms encompass a whole range of emotions and human experiences. There is a psalm for every situation. We can even imagine Jesus at the feet of Mary, praying a psalm." Both liturgically and in personal life, the priest stressed, psalms are great prayers of the heart. He hopes those who "prayerfully listen" to his songs will feel "the grace of God" bringing them "peace, healing, love, repentance, joy and most of all, union with God," said Father Hemann, pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Ida Grove and at two other churches. Information about his CDs is available on his Web site, www.fatherdavid.net.
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Copyright (c) 2010 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
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