|
|
|
|
News Briefs
|
NEWS BRIEFS Sep-3-2010
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Verizon-Google deal signals emergence of 'pay-to-play' Internet
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If the deal announced in August between Internet giant Google and telecommunications behemoth Verizon comes to pass, it could signal the biggest blow yet to the principle of net neutrality -- the notion that all networks should treat all Internet sites equally. "They're proposing to alter access to the Internet," said Katherine Grincewich, an attorney in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of General Counsel who tracks communications policy issues for the bishops. "They're not altering the Internet -- the Internet stays the same, but the companies that provide the customer access to the Internet are able to speed up or slow down traffic to the Web. That is simply not the way anyone has understood the Internet to get properly done," Grincewich told Catholic News Service. "Web sites which pay a fee to the network provider would have their sites open faster than those who don't pay," she added. "In such a pay-to-play Internet, parishes, dioceses, schools and all noncommercial speakers intending to use the Internet will be unable to pay fees to have their Web sites open as easily as those of large commercial entities, and may not be able to reach the audience they now reach at all." Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski declared the FCC's support for rules that would preserve net neutrality, but a series of closed-door meetings with telecom companies led observers to suspect that networks wouldn't be as neutral as they are now. Less than a week after Genachowski said talks had broken down, Google and Verizon introduced their joint plan, which would put wireless Internet usage outside the net neutrality umbrella -- and give the companies, not the FCC, the authority to regulate Internet traffic.
- - -
Archbishop blesses mobile health unit to assist uninsured
WATERBURY, Conn. (CNS) -- Heavy rains drenched much of the state on the night before a new Malta House of Care mobile van was dedicated at Sacred Heart-Sagrado Corazon Parish in Waterbury. By the time Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell blessed the new van, however, only a light drizzle fell. "We do know that water and rain are the universal symbols of rebirth, renewal and regeneration," the archbishop said. "We speak of rebirth, renewal and regeneration with the establishment and blessing of the (new) Malta House of Care van." Like the van that has operated in Hartford for nearly four years, the modified recreational vehicle -- this one donated by past ConnectiCare president and CEO Mickey Herbert -- is retrofitted to provide office and medical examination space for the primary medical care of people without health insurance. Services include free physical exams, diabetes and blood pressure checks, prescription drug management, medical tests and referrals to other physicians as needed. Dr. Paul Kelly, medical director of Malta House of Care-Waterbury, told the gathering that he rarely had to ask for volunteers for the project. He said a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury told him he had read about the project. "He walked up to me almost in a trot and was really juiced up about participating," Kelly said.
- - -
Prison ministry brings rewards, including king-size quilt from convict
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (CNS) -- Convicts and quilting. If you think that's an impossible combination, you haven't yet heard about a program at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle. Steve Barron can tell you all about it. He's a retired Vanderburgh County probation officer who now offers spiritual direction to prisoners in the PLUS program at the prison. That, of course, is another unlikely connection. Barron recently received a gift that brought tears to his eyes -- a king-size quilt made by one of the prisoners. It has more than 3,700 pieces of fabric sewn together to make the quilt top. The top, the batting and the backing are tacked together. It took three weeks of work to produce, and special permission for the inmate to give the quilt to Barron. No state funds are provided for the convicts who are quilting. They use the money they earn in prison, and they accept donations to buy material. They have donated quilts to be used in homeless shelters and for families who have had a son or a daughter die in military service. They will make a quilt for any nonprofit organization that asks for one. Barron said the quilt he received was made "in appreciation of my giving my time to work with him and the other guys." PLUS stands for Purposeful Living Units Serve. Participating in it helps prisoners "to come to terms with what they have done, and the impact that it has had," Barron said.
- - -
WORLD
Farewell to arms: Former papal militia serves church with new mission
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A small cadre of men wearing sleek, dark blue suits and red ties with thin, yellow stripes keep their eyes on pilgrims streaming through St. Peter's Basilica. The men, who help maintain order and decorum in the basilica, especially during papal ceremonies, are local volunteers for a charitable organization whose history is rooted in the papal army. In fact, it may be the only case in history in which a group dedicated to service and charity was born out of a civilian militia, said Calvino Gasparini, president of the Association of Sts. Peter and Paul. "I believe no army in the world has undergone such a radical change of this kind," he said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, in late August. Walkie-talkies and smart suits decorated with a red and gold metal badge imprinted with the Italian word, "Vigilanza," or "Security," have replaced military uniforms, tall black bearskin hats and Remington muskets topped with bayonets. The lay association was born out of the pope's Palatine guard, one of a number of papal security forces that included the noble guard, the papal gendarmes, and the Swiss Guards. Pope Pius IX merged two pre-existing civilian militias and formed the Palatine guard in 1850. The new corps was made up of qualified Roman Catholics who wished to show their "unconditional fidelity" to the apostolic see, according to the group's website.
- - -
Decision to follow Christ requires support from others, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The decision to follow Christ is not an easy one to make, so young people should look for support from the Christian community and the church, Pope Benedict XVI said in his message for World Youth Day 2011. "Do not believe those who tell you that you don't need others to build up your life! Find support in the faith of those who are dear to you, in the faith of the church," the pope wrote in his message, released Sept. 3. Pope Benedict called on all young people, even those who are no longer active members of the church as well as nonbelievers, to attend the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid Aug. 16-21, 2011. He said the international gathering offers people a powerful experience of Jesus Christ and his love for everyone. "The decision to believe in Jesus Christ and to follow him is not an easy one. It is hindered by our personal failures and by the many voices that point us toward easier paths," he said. The pope urged youths to not be discouraged and to look for the support of the Christian community and the church. The theme of World Youth Day 2011 is: "Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith."
- - -
Hindus boycott Indian Catholic villagers for not honoring traditions
BANGALORE, India (CNS) -- The 800-member Catholic community in a village in India is facing a social boycott for refusing to follow traditions to appease Hindus gods. "We are Christians and we are not bound to follow Hindu religious practices," Father Philip Rock, pastor at St. Sebastian Parish in Mangalawada village, told Catholic News Service in early September. The village in India's Karnataka state has about twice as many Hindus as Catholics. Following the spread of cholera in the village, Hindu leaders announced steps to appease their gods and ward off evil. These steps included special fasts and the banning of regular work in the village on all "inauspicious days," including all Tuesdays and Fridays. Father Rock said the Hindus indicated that nobody should eat during the day, wash clothes, work in the fields, open their shops, or repair or wash their vehicles on such days. Pointing out that the government supplies water to the dry village only on Tuesdays and Fridays, Father Rock said, "How could I tell our people to follow these conditions?" The refusal of the Catholic families of Mangalawada to follow the directives angered the Hindu majority. Hindu leaders called a meeting and declared a "social boycott" against the Christians in late August. Father Rock said Hindus were told to have nothing to do with the Christians and were threatened with a fine of $11 for violating the ban on interacting with Christians. Since then, Hindus have stopped buying from small Christian shops, selling to Christians or using vehicles owned by Christians.
- - -
PEOPLE
NCEA leader Timothy Dwyer dies at age 56
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Timothy Dwyer, a former Catholic school principal, superintendent and leader at the National Catholic Educational Association, died Aug. 23 of cancer. He was 56. Dwyer, associate executive director and director of strategic planning for NCEA's Chief Administrators of Catholic Education Department, was a frequent presenter at NCEA's annual convention and its chief administrators' meeting on the topic of financial management of Catholic schools. A funeral Mass took place Aug. 27 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Jackson, Mich. Dwyer was appointed associate executive director of NCEA's administrators department in 2001 and was made director of strategic planning in 2008. Before coming to the NCEA, he served nine years as school superintendent for the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y, and five years as school superintendent in the Diocese of Gaylord, Mich. In Rochester, Dwyer played a critical role in securing more than $50 million in support for Catholic schools in the diocese. Dwyer also served for nine years as an elementary school principal at three Catholic schools in Grand Rapids. He is survived by his wife, Carol, and daughter, Erin.
- - -
Policeman-priest in Philippines sees no conflict in dual roles
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- Father Noel Ponsaran is a Catholic priest and a police superintendent, but he says the two roles are not as incompatible as they might seem on the surface. "When I entered the service, I learned that police are not only law enforcers but also peacemakers," the priest-police officer told the Asian church news agency UCA News. It's his work particularly as a peacemaker for which he was named one of 10 honorees to receive an Outstanding Policemen in Service Award for 2010 for his work as a member of the Philippine National Police. Assigned to the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, Father Ponsaran has been allowed to become involved in resolving potentially violent conflicts during pastoral visits to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other communities in the southern Philippines. He usually is accompanied by an imam during his visits. When he received his award, he was cited especially for his work to end a land dispute between Muslims and Christians within the indigenous Teduray tribe in Maguindanao province in 2006. Trained in bomb disposal, Father Ponsaran said he chooses not to carry a gun. "By law, any active officer is entitled to carry a gun, but there is the Geneva Conventions," said the priest, who was ordained in 1999. "The person has a choice."
- - -
At wilderness retreat, bishop helps men with spiritual survival skills
PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- The 108 men who attended a recent "Into the Wild" weekend learned many things: fishing and hunting, construction, wild-game preparation and cooking, to name just a few. But they also learned a few important spiritual survival skills from Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik. After administering the sacrament of penance for more than 90 minutes with six other priests Aug. 19 at Raccoon Creek State Park in southwestern Beaver County, the bishop fielded questions around the campfire about living the Catholic faith in today's society. He reminded the men that they are part of the body of Christ, which is the church, and from this church comes truth. "It's through the church that we come to understand God's love for us in the sacraments," he said. "It's in the church that we come to understand the road map for us to get to heaven. "We are called to continue the work of Jesus," Bishop Zubik added. "Even though we're sinners. Sometimes the church becomes sinful. But in reality the basis of it all is the power of the Spirit working in and through us to convince us of God's love, and give us the responsibility to go forth and to represent Christ and do his work in so many ways."
- - -
Nine years after 9/11, New Jersey pastor sees ripples of hope, goodness
ORADELL, N.J. (CNS) -- Sitting in his office at St. Joseph Parish in Oradell on a warm August afternoon, Father Tom Iwanowski became emotional as he recounted his memories from Sept. 11, 2001. But it wasn't the events of the cataclysmic date itself that brought him to tears; rather, it was an unexpected encounter with a woman in 2006, who gently knocked on the door of Our Lady of Czestochowa, the parish in Jersey City where he had served. Five years after the terrorist attacks, she had come to the Jersey City parish to express her heartfelt gratitude. The woman had been in lower Manhattan that Sept. 11 and had been transported across the Hudson River, along with hundreds of others, by ferry. During the ensuing chaos, she wandered to Our Lady of Czestochowa, which is located just four blocks west of the waterfront. Dazed and afraid, she went to the parish rectory and asked to use the phone so she could contact her family. "She came back to thank us," Father Iwanowski said. "She wanted to say 'thank you' for letting her use the phone. You never know how a small act of goodness will ripple through the lives of others. Many people were drawn to our church that day. What else could we do but come to God and cling to one another?" For Jersey City residents living near Our Lady of Czestochowa, the absence of the twin towers of the World Trade Center is a constant, sad reminder of the brutal murders of 3,000 innocent people, including more than 670 from New Jersey.
- - -
At father's urging, Estevez makes film he sees as metaphor for life
TORONTO (CNS) -- Actor and director Emilio Estevez reluctantly went to Spain to tell a story about how faith, hope and walking are all part of the American way of overcoming hard times. The movie has "no nudity. There are no explosions. There are no car chases," said Estevez. "It's about people. It's about this community of broken souls. And there's a ton of humor in it." Estevez told The Catholic Register, a Canadian weekly, that his new film "The Way" is about American spirituality. The story follows four characters walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or the Way of St. James, through Spain. "Americans are searching for something. The Camino serves as the ultimate metaphor for life," said Estevez. The movie premieres Sept. 10 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Estevez will be seeking a North American distribution deal. The film is to be distributed outside North America by Icon Productions. It was Estevez's father, Martin Sheen, who first proposed making a film about the Camino seven years ago.
END
Copyright (c) 2010 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250
|
|
|
|
