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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Feb-23-2011
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
US bishops criticize Obama administration's decision on marriage law
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops' Office of General Counsel said the Obama administration's decision to no longer support the Defense of Marriage Act in legal challenges ahead "represents an abdication" of its "constitutional obligation to ensure that laws of the United States are faithfully executed." The office said in a statement issued Feb. 23 after President Barack Obama instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the federal law passed by Congress and signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton: "Marriage has been understood for millennia and across cultures as the union of one man and one woman." The Defense of Marriage Act says the federal government defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman and that no state must recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. "The principal basis for today's decision is that the president considers the law a form of impermissible sexual orientation discrimination," the Office of General Counsel said. In a Feb. 23 statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said that although the administration has defended the 1996 law in some federal courts, it will not continue to do so in cases pending in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Unlike in the previous cases, said Holder, the 2nd Circuit "has no established or binding standard for how laws concerning sexual orientation should be treated." In response to the announcement, the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, called on Congress to "get lawyers in the courtroom who actually want to defend the law, and not please their powerful political special interests."
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NLRB: Manhattan College not religious enough to dodge union organizing
RYE, N.Y. (CNS) -- A contested decision by the National Labor Relations Board that Manhattan College does not hold itself out as a religious institution has paved the way for adjunct faculty to organize a union at the 158-year-old Bronx college founded by the Lasallian Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Jan. 10 decision by Elbert F. Tellem, acting regional director of the NLRB, concluded that the college has a secular purpose. Because adjunct faculty are not required to advance a religious mission, Tellem said exercising NLRB jurisdiction will not lead to an "unconstitutional entanglement" of government and religion. He later directed that mail ballots to measure support for creating a union be sent to adjunct faculty Feb. 16 and counted March 3. Brennan O'Donnell, president of the college, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, told Catholic News Service: "We vehemently object to the characterization of us as not holding ourselves out as a religious institution." He said the decision shows the NLRB's lack of understanding of the identity of Manhattan College as a 21st-century Catholic college whose mission requires engagement with the broader culture of American society and higher education. He traced a 20-year process of debate and soul-searching among Catholic colleges and universities to find their niche as viable institutions in a pluralistic society while remaining true to their founding religious mission. "It's a complex enterprise. Catholic universities have defined themselves as being authentically Catholic and as being in dialogue with the culture," he said in a telephone interview.
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California couple found joy in sailing, handing out Bibles, says priest
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The pastor of Jean and Scott Adam, a California couple killed along with two other Americans by their Somali captors on the high seas off the coast of East Africa, said they died sharing the Bible. "They were extraordinary people who wanted to make a difference in the world," said Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson, pastor of St. Monica Church in Santa Monica. He told the Los Angeles Times and Catholic News Service that the Adams, who were active members of the parish, "died doing what they wanted to do." When news of their capture reached the priest Feb. 18, the church offered all of its weekend Masses and a candlelit service in the Adams' name. "We were praying for their safe return," said Msgr. Torgerson told CNS in a telephone interview Feb. 23. After the four Americans were reported dead Feb. 22, they were remembered at three Masses at St. Monica Church. According to news reports, the couple had gone on many sailing adventures over the years and carried Bibles with them to distribute to people in the communities they visited, including poor villages and hospitals. "After they retired, they sold their house and bought a boat," Msgr. Torgerson told CNS. "They decided to bring Bibles to the remote corners of the world." On this trip they were accompanied on their yacht, Quest, by Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle of Seattle. Word that the Quest had been kidnapped by Somali pirates came to light Feb. 19 and a Navy warship began following them. The scene turned deadly Feb. 22 when the Americans were killed in a storm of grenades, gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. When U.S. forces boarded the yacht, they found that all four hostages had been shot. A couple of them were still alive and were given medical attention, but they could not be saved, according to U.S. officials.
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WORLD
Pope prays for rescuers, victims of deadly quake in New Zealand
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of a devastating earthquake in New Zealand and encouraged those involved in rescue efforts. "My thoughts turn especially to the people there who are being severely tested by the tragedy," he said Feb. 23 during his weekly general audience. He expressed concern for the "considerable loss of life and the disappearance of many people, to say nothing of the damage to buildings. Let us ask God to relieve their suffering and to support all who are involved in the rescue operations," he said, asking people to join him in praying for the people who lost their lives. The pope also sent a telegram to Bishop Barry Jones of Christchurch in which he expressed his condolences to the families that lost loved ones. In the message, he assured "the people of the city and the nation of his prayers for all those who are working urgently to rescue and assist the trapped and injured, as well as for those laboring to restore essential services." He also called on God to offer courage and strength to all the people of New Zealand, it said. A magnitude 6.3 tremor struck Christchurch, New Zealand, Feb. 22 around midday when large numbers of people were working in city offices and buildings. At least 75 people were killed as buildings crumbled or collapsed. According to news reports Feb. 23, officials said 300 people were believed to still be missing.
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Prayer is abandoning self to God's will, word, pope says at audience
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Prayer is not a reflection on one's self, but a complete abandonment to the word and will of God, Pope Benedict XVI said. Every person's actions and life must be inspired by prayer and the Gospel, by living simply and helping others, not accumulating wealth, the pope said Feb. 23 at his weekly general audience. The pope highlighted the life and writings of St. Robert Bellarmine, a Jesuit theologian who lived from 1542-1621. The pope's catechesis was a continuation of a series of talks dedicated to the "doctors of the church," men and women who made important contributions to Catholic theological understanding. St. Bellarmine offered an important model for prayer, which should be the inspiration for every action, the pope told an estimated 7,500 people gathered for the audience in the Paul VI hall. A person in prayer "listens to the word of God, is satisfied with contemplating grandeur, isn't wrapped up in oneself, but is happy to abandon oneself to God," he said. The pope said a unique feature of St. Bellarmine's spirituality was his deeply felt perception of God's immense goodness; he felt like a true child of God, whose love was a source of great joy. The saint also taught that "who finds God finds everything, who loses God, loses everything," the pope said.
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Middle East leaders discuss popular desire for democracy, equality
ROME (CNS) -- The political changes spreading across North Africa and the Middle East show the people's desire for democracy and equality, said Christian and Muslim leaders, including several from Egypt where popular demonstrations toppled the government of President Hosni Mubarak. Speaking Feb. 23 at the Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio, Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders from around the region admitted they did not know exactly what the future would hold, but the grass-roots democracy movements seemed to indicate a growing recognition that when one religious or ethnic group suffers systematic discrimination, true democracy does not exist for anyone in the country. The religious leaders, scholars and diplomats participating in the Sant'Egidio discussion about Christian-Muslim coexistence in the Middle East stood for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the recent push for democratic reforms. Franco Frattini, Italy's foreign minister, told the group that unlike in Egypt and Tunisia where protests were largely peaceful, in Col. Moammar Gadhafi's Libya, "there has been horrible bloodshed ... with the deaths of more than 1,000 Libyans." The Egyptian protests, which saw Muslims and Christians standing side by side calling for democracy and constitutional reforms, demonstrated that "the more democracy and freedom there is, the more the freedom of each individual is respected and guaranteed," Frattini said. Mohammed Esslimani, a Muslim theologian, was in Cairo during the protests and read from the diary he kept at the end of January and beginning of February. The diary was filled with stories of Christians and Muslims standing together in Tahrir Square and helping one another. "I was able to live the most beautiful days of my life," he said.
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Strong earthquake puts Diocese of Christchurch 'out of action'
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (CNS) -- A devastating midday earthquake Feb. 22 caused at least 75 deaths, seriously damaged the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and put the Diocese of Christchurch "out of action." The magnitude 6.3 jolt struck the city of 350,000 during the bustling noon hour, sending many buildings tumbling and people rushing into the streets. The earthquake was the second to hit Christchurch, located on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, since Sept. 4. A magnitude 7.1 temblor shook the region then. Rescue workers worked around the clock to dig out survivors trapped in the rubble and recover bodies of those who died. Authorities expected the death toll to rise. Prime Minister John Key declared a state of emergency Feb. 23, a day after saying the disaster that hit the country's second-largest city resulted in "New Zealand's darkest day." In addition to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, several of the city's historic churches were damaged or destroyed. Among them was the iconic Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral in the city center, which lost its 200-foot steeple. Christchurch Bishop Barry P. Jones told the NZ Catholic newspaper that diocesan headquarters was "out of action" and that he was relying on a cell phone for communications with diocesan staff. "So I'm not in a position to get information," he said. In a statement to the diocese, Bishop Jones said he was "stunned and deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives, the serious injuries to so many and the destruction of property that has been visited upon us so violently and suddenly."
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PEOPLE
'Providence' at hand during movie filming, says writer-director Estevez
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "I've stopped using the word coincidence" to describe how the upcoming film "The Way" got made, said its writer-director-producer, Emilio Estevez. "It was providence. ... It was the divine." The film, which stars Estevez's father, Martin Sheen, tells the story of four Westerners walking the 500-mile pilgrimage route from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Sheen, who joked during a Feb. 18 interview with Catholic News Service that "I did my own walking" in the movie without a stunt double's help, recalled the first time he tried to make the pilgrimage himself. "It was in 2003, and we were between seasons filming 'The West Wing,'" Sheen recalled. "I really wanted to make 'the way,' but we really didn't have enough time. So I did what every good American did: I rented a Mercedes and drove the route," he laughed. But it was in Burgos, Spain, on that vehicular trek that Estevez's son, Taylor, met the woman who would become his wife. "That was the first miracle," Sheen said, adding he urged his own son to write a documentary or drama about the pilgrimage. Estevez, sitting next to his father, recounted other occurrences he attributed to divine providence. For one thing, he was able to conduct his filming in 2010 -- not in 2011, as Spanish officials had expected. When Spaniards saw his tight, 40-day shooting schedule -- "40 days -- the normal time it would take a pilgrim to walk from St.-Jean (France) to Santiago," Estevez said -- they told him, "It rains every day. Your 40 days will become 60." Instead, "it rained two days," Estevez said. "And both days we were scheduled to shoot interiors."
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Southern African bishops seek delay in planned Zimbabwe elections
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Southern Africa's Catholic bishops urged the region's governments to intervene in Zimbabwe, where they warned elections would be "dangerously premature" if held this year. "Conditions in the country are emphatically not conducive to elections in 2011," the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa said in a statement addressed to Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who heads the Southern African Development Community. The bishops released the statement Feb. 22, saying attempts to discuss their concerns with Santos went unanswered. The organization includes bishops from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has not yet scheduled elections, but President Robert Mugabe has said they would be held this year. The bishops' concerns focused on the agreement that led to Zimbabwe's unity government, which formed in 2009 after violence-plagued elections in 2008. They said the agreement has not been fully implemented and that development of a new constitution is "way behind schedule." The clerics also said reports have emerged that Mugabe is preparing to restrict freedom of association among people, impose stricter limits on the media, and use an outdated voters' roll. "The nation is in the grip of extreme fear, polarization is still evident" and there are "increasing signs of intimidation" and violence as the election campaign builds, they said.
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Father Matthew Kelty, well-known monk of Gethsemani, dies at 95
TRAPPIST, Ky. (CNS) -- Trappist Father Matthew Kelty, a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani known for his talents of writing and speaking, died Feb. 18 after a brief illness. He was 95 and had been a priest for 64 years. An announcement about his death on the abbey's website, www.monks.org, said, "Father Matthew was one of the community's most prominent members, who touched many retreatants over the years with his compline talks, and many more people around the world with his writings." Father Kelty, it said, "was an Irishman with, as he put it, the 'gift of the gab.' He once said, 'I can talk and I can write,' which he considered nothing special. They were gifts, but he used them to reach and help other people." Born Charles Richard Kelty Jr. in South Boston, Mass., Father Kelty joined the Society of the Divine Word as a young man and was ordained a priest in 1946. He served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea from 1947 to 1951, and then worked for the society's magazine in Techny, Ill., from 1951 to 1960. He entered the Abbey of Gethsemani in February of 1960 and made final vows in 1962. In 1970, he was sent to a small, experimental monastery near Oxford, N.C., the abbey's website said. He returned to Papua New Guinea, living in a hermitage there until 1982. Afterward, he returned to Gethsemani. On Father Kelty's section of the abbey's website, Father Kelty wrote in first person about his life at Gethsemani. "A natural love for monastic life drew me to Gethsemani and fulfilled a lifelong dream," he wrote.
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Indian cardinal joins chorus in criticizing report on church attacks
BANGALORE, India (CNS) -- The president of Catholic Bishops Conference of India added his voice to the rising tide of critics of a controversial report that cleared Hindu fundamentalists, police and local government leaders of a series of attacks on Christian targets in September 2008. Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai flayed the report Feb. 23 for failing "to identify persons and organizations" involved in the attacks despite the testimony of dozens of witnesses who identified individual perpetrators who took part in the incidents in southern Karnataka state. The report by a commission, chaired by retired Judge B.K. Somasekhara and appointed by the Karnataka government, had "hurt our religious sentiments by its uncalled-for remarks and exoneration of the fundamentalist forces," the cardinal said. Churches, Christian groups and various church leaders, including Catholic bishops, have led public protests calling upon the Indian government to conduct its own inquiry into the attacks since the commission's report was given to the Indian government Jan. 28. "This is bad for the judiciary and the country," Cardinal Gracias told Catholic News Service from Mumbai, where he received the report the previous day from retired Judge Michael F. Saldana, a Catholic. "When such an important inquiry connives with the culprits instead of identifying and isolating them, it shatters the confidence of the (religious) minorities," Cardinal Gracias said.
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Army chaplain ordained auxiliary bishop for US military archdiocese
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop Neal J. Buckon, an Ohio native who has served as an Army chaplain around the world since 1998, was ordained Feb. 22 as an auxiliary bishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. His ordination Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the military archdiocese, was the principal celebrant and main ordaining bishop. Bishop Buckon's primary responsibility will be overseeing ministry efforts on military bases in the western United States. A native of Columbus, Bishop Buckon, 57, retired from active duty as a lieutenant colonel Dec. 31 and had moved to St. John Bosco Parish in Parma Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, shortly before he was appointed an auxiliary bishop Jan. 3. His assignments as military chaplain included posts in South Korea; Fort Sill, Okla.; Germany; Iraq; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Saudi Arabia. Before he was ordained to the priesthood in for the Cleveland Diocese in 1995, he served in the Army from 1975 to 1982. At a vespers service the evening of Feb. 21, Archbishop Broglio prayed for "an abundance of divine blessings" upon the soon-to-be ordained bishop and his ministry. "St. Paul reminds us what apostolic ministry is all about: preaching the truth, allowing the light to shine forth in darkness," the archbishop said. "That has always been a challenge and continues to be so today."
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