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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Apr-6-2010
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Bishop urges prayers for miners, families after deadly mine explosion
WHEELING, W.Va. (CNS) -- Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston called for prayers for the miners and their families a day after an explosion at a mine in Montcoal that killed 25 miners and left two hospitalized and four others missing. "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and all of us in West Virginia are in shock," Bishop Bransfield said in a statement April 6. "For the hard-working people of this state, this is unfortunately another in a long history of mining tragedies here at home and a stark reminder of the dangers those in mining face each day. "Our faith is in Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we just celebrated this weekend," he continued. "May our faith in the risen Lord support the families and communities affected by this tragedy. May our God watch over and comfort them." Bishop Bransfield planned to celebrate Mass later in the day at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Whitesville, near the disaster site. The explosion occurred at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch Mine the afternoon of April 5. Hoy Murphy, public information officer for the state's Mining, Health, Safety and Training Office, said that rescue efforts were halted early April 6 because of poisonous methane gas in the mine. "Rescue teams went in this morning," Murphy said, "but the methane levels got so bad they had to be pulled back out."
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Indian priest in abuse case: 'I'm innocent,' will come to US if called
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- An Indian priest who is accused of sexually molesting two teenage girls while working in Minnesota from 2004 to 2005 told UCA News, the Asian Catholic news agency, that he is innocent but he would return to the United States to stand trial if called to do so. Father Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul left Minnesota for a family emergency one year into what was to have been a three-year assignment in the Diocese of Crookston. Shortly after he left, allegations of sexual abuse arose, were investigated by the diocese and his permission to serve in the diocese was revoked. He has never returned. A Roseau County, Minn., prosecutor confirmed to The Associated Press April 5 that she has been trying to extradite Father Jeyapaul from the Diocese of Ootacamund in southern India to face two counts of criminal sexual conduct stemming from allegations of sexual assault by a girl who was 14 and 15 at the time of the events. Apparently no charges have been filed related to the alleged incident involving the second girl, who was 16 at the time. "I am innocent. There is no truth in these accusations. I am not guilty," Father Jeyapaul told UCAN April 6. "I was accused after I returned to India. I will go back and stand trial if called. I have nothing to fear." At an April 5 press conference Jeff Anderson, a Minnesota attorney who has filed thousands of lawsuits against priests and representatives of the Catholic Church, produced letters between Bishop Victor H. Balke, then head of the Crookston Diocese, U.S. Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and other Vatican officials about the accusations against Father Jeyapaul. After the diocese's preliminary investigation, Bishop Balke wrote, "I removed his faculties (which permitted him to minister in the diocese) and asked him to refrain from exercising any public ministry in my territory."
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Obama celebrates Resurrection's 'promise of redemption' at breakfast
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Speaking of Christ's sacrifice and "the promise of redemption in the resurrection," President Barack Obama welcomed Christian leaders from across the country to an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House April 6. "I can't tell any of you anything about Easter that you don't already know," he told the group of about 80 people gathered in the East Room. "I can't shed light on centuries of scriptural interpretation or bring any new understandings to those of you who reflect on Easter's meaning each and every year and each and every day. "But what I can do is tell you what draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ's sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection," he said. Even after 2,000 years, the events Christians celebrate at Easter are still easy to picture, Obama said: "The young man from Nazareth marched through Jerusalem; object of scorn and derision and abuse and torture by an empire. The agony of crucifixion amid the cries of thieves. The discovery, just three days later, that would forever alter our world -- that the Son of Man was not to be found in his tomb and that Jesus Christ had risen." He said that of all the stories of the Gospels, one that particularly speaks to him in the Easter season is of Christ hanging on the cross, "enduring the final seconds of his passion. He summoned what remained of his strength to utter a few last words before he breathed his last breath. 'Father,' he said, 'into your hands I commit my spirit.'" Among the leaders invited to the event were Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Vatican nuncio to the United States, and Catholic Charities USA president Father Larry Snyder.
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San Antonio archbishop named coadjutor of Los Angeles Archdiocese
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio as coadjutor archbishop of Los Angeles. The appointment was announced in Washington April 6 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who is 74, currently heads the archdiocese. As coadjutor, Archbishop Gomez, 58, automatically becomes head of the archdiocese upon Cardinal Mahony's retirement or death. The cardinal will turn 75 next February, the age at which bishops are required by canon law to submit their resignation to the pope. "I welcome Archbishop Gomez to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles with enthusiasm and personal excitement," Cardinal Mahony said in a statement. "The auxiliary bishops and I are looking forward to working closely with him over the coming months until he becomes the archbishop early in 2011." Archbishop Gomez is currently the highest-ranking prelate of the 27 active Hispanic Catholic bishops in the U.S. When he succeeds Cardinal Mahony, he will become the first Hispanic archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation's largest archdiocese.
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WORLD
Vatican campaign to defend pope not orchestrated at the top
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Roman Curia's headline-grabbing defense of Pope Benedict XVI's handling of the clerical sex abuse scandal has demonstrated that when it comes to Vatican communications, the pope is not a micromanager. Twice during Holy Week liturgies, the pope was caught unawares when his aides spoke passionately about the barrage of criticism the pontiff and other church leaders have faced in recent weeks on the sex abuse issue. One official compared the attacks on the church and the pope to "the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism," while another said the church would survive the "current petty gossip." What Pope Benedict thought of these interventions was not clear. But in both cases, the remarks had the unintended effect of upstaging his own spiritual message about the meaning of Christ's Passion and Easter. From the outside, the Vatican's verbal rallying around the pope was viewed as an orchestrated campaign to counter his critics. If there was orchestration, however, it wasn't directed by the pope.
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Perth archbishop apologizes for 'terrible misdeeds' related to abuse
PERTH, Australia (CNS) -- Archbishop Barry J. Hickey of Perth openly confronted the child abuse scandal facing the Catholic Church by apologizing to Easter Massgoers at St. Mary's Cathedral for the "terrible misdeeds" that "shame us all." Addressing a packed congregation April 4 during the first Easter liturgy in the cathedral since it was closed for renovations at the end of 2006, the archbishop also urged the congregation to pray that seminarians will "determine never to give scandal to the church" and for Pope Benedict XVI, "who is besieged ... who symbolizes the frailty of the church." He also asked the congregation to pray for the clerical leaders of the church locally and abroad. At the Easter Vigil April 3, Archbishop Hickey, vice-president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said that child abuse is "something that should never ever happen among the church. We are sorry and we apologize." At the Easter Mass, he reiterated, "It is to our shame and our regret that it has occurred and may it never occur again." The archbishop came under fire in The West Australian newspaper March 20 when it was revealed he appointed as head of the Perth Archdiocese's Evangelization Office in 2008 a Catholic priest who was convicted of sex offenses while teaching religion at a Catholic girls' school in Sydney before entering the seminary. The priest, in his 60s, has since resigned his post.
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Pope Benedict places young people at the center of his concerns
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The pope gave the students an "A plus." That was the grade awarded by Pope Benedict XVI to the young Catholics who sang "Happy Birthday" to him in German at a gathering with young people at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., in 2008. The incident reveals the warm relationship that Pope Benedict, the former teacher, has enjoyed with young people since his election to the papacy five years ago at age 78. His connection with young adults began as a priest and a theology professor whose lectures were standing-room-only at German universities in Bonn, Munster and Regensburg. He has continued to nurture young people in the faith after inheriting Pope John Paul II's legacy of strong relations with young adult Catholics. As Pope Benedict once told President Nicolas Sarkozy during a visit to France, "Young people are my greatest concern." During his papacy the Vatican has attempted to reach out to the young through the new social networking media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Many of the pope's international travels have included separate meetings with the young people of various nations, including Brazil, Cameroon, the Czech Republic and France.
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Zambian priests defend bishops who speak against government corruption
LUSAKA, Zambia (CNS) -- Priests in Zambia pledged to step up efforts to defend the country's bishops from increased intimidation by government officials for speaking out against bad governance and tolerance of corruption. The priests offered their support to the bishops following separate pastoral council meetings in Mpika and Kasama in northern Zambia in mid-March. Zambian bishops have criticized the government for corrupt practices and for not addressing broad concerns such as safety issues in the mining industry, ever-rising food prices, regular power outages, finalizing the draft of a new constitution and continuous voter registration. In a joint statement issued after the meetings, the priests said the insults from Catholic and non-Catholic politicians to the Zambian church's top leadership were saddening and insulting to the entire Catholic population. "The role of the Catholic Church is to speak for the voiceless by bringing out issues of injustice and ensure fair play to liberate the captives," the statement said. Specifically addressing statements from officials and state-organized demonstrations aimed at Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu of Lusaka, the priests said they fully support the prelate.
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PEOPLE
New coadjutor of Los Angeles one of 22 Opus Dei bishops
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The new coadjutor archbishop of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, is the only U.S. bishop who was ordained for or incardinated in the Prelature of Opus Dei. With a Catholic population of 4.6 million, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is one of the largest dioceses in the world, and when Archbishop Gomez succeeds Cardinal Roger M. Mahony it will be the most populous diocese headed by an Opus Dei member. Archbishop Gomez is one of 22 Opus Dei bishops around the world, although like any priest, once a member becomes a bishop, he answers directly to the pope and no longer to his bishop or religious superior. An additional 22 bishops belong to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, an association of diocesan clergy associated with Opus Dei. Members include four bishops in the United States: Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, N.J.; Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.; Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pa., said Marc Carroggio, an Opus Dei spokesman. St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer founded Opus Dei, Latin for "work of God," in Spain in 1928 to promote holiness of life and the transformation of society through the professional work of its members, the vast majority of whom are lay people. He founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross in 1943 to share his message with diocesan clergy and provide them with spiritual assistance in their personal lives, Carroggio said. According to the Vatican's 2010 yearbook, the Prelature of Opus Dei has more than 87,500 lay members, almost 2,000 priests and 337 seminarians.
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