News Briefs
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Supreme Court upholds church school's exception to laws against firing
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court Jan. 11 upheld the idea that a "ministerial exception" to anti-discrimination laws means the church can't be sued for firing an employee who the church classified as a minister. For the first time, the court held that such an exception to federal employment laws exists. The unanimous opinion reversed a ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts said Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC was the first Supreme Court case to raise the question of whether a ministerial exception exists and the unanimous conclusion of the court was "yes." Roberts wrote: "The members of a religious group put their faith in the hands of their ministers. Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for failing to do so, intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs." The court stopped short of saying whether the exception would apply to nonministerial employees and left open the possibility that the Michigan Lutheran school teacher who sued might have a case under another legal argument. The court also pointedly avoided setting boundaries for who can be considered a religious employee, concluding only that Cheryl Perich fit the definition. The decision was quickly hailed by advocates for the Catholic Church, which had been among entities urging the court to support Hosanna-Tabor Church; the school has been closed for several years. Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, called it "a great day for the First Amendment." In a statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Lori said the ruling makes clear "the historical and constitutional importance of keeping internal church affairs off limits to the government -- because whoever chooses the minister chooses the message."
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Furry little fella in Punxsutawney reminds all to have some winter fun
ERIE, Pa. (CNS) -- What could be more charming than a small town in Pennsylvania that throws its doors open to the world for a great big party each year in the deepest, darkest days of winter? How about that it happens in the Diocese of Erie? Or that several members of Punxsutawney Phil's world-renowned top-hatted Inner Circle are also members of Ss. Cosmas and Damian Parish? While Groundhog Day does have ties to Candlemas Day, a Catholic festival associated with honoring Mary and the presentation of Christ in the temple, it also has roots in pre-Christian folklore related to predicting weather for the coming year. (Poor weather on that day meant the end of winter was in sight and a good crop was likely.) So let's just be honest and say that we're not going to go through too many histrionics trying to make a direct faith-filled connection to Groundhog Day, which this year is Feb. 2. But what the heck, let's have some fun. After all, isn't joy a gift of the Holy Spirit? The first recorded report of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney was in 1886 when the local newspaper, the Spirit, mentioned that as of press time, the "beast" had not seen its shadow. (It would not make front page news for another 18 years.) A club was organized within a few years; annual summer picnics ensued, complete with -- sorry to say -- actual feasting on groundhog meat. Bit by bit the February event grew, first as a winter diversion for the locals, then the surrounding area, eventually to most of the state and beyond. Then came 1993. That year director Harold Ramis produced a little film called "Groundhog Day." It ranked 13th among films released that year and now is 34th on the American Film Institute's list of 100 funniest movies. After the film's release, crowds swelled from several hundred to several thousand in Punxsutawney, and now regularly top out at more than 30,000.
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Filipino family develops California cemetery named for 'Little Flower'
TECOPA, Calif. (CNS) -- Magnificat Ventures, a large corporation that regularly builds Catholic churches in the Philippines, is developing a 17-acre cemetery dedicated to St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Tecopa. Randy Dizon, the corporation's owner, and his family have a deep devotion to the 19th-century Carmelite saint, better known to many as St. Therese of Lisieux, or the "Little Flower." Anthony Luis, executive director of training and sales for the project, called St. Therese Mission, said the cemetery will not be a Catholic facility. It is a private project and has no connection to the Diocese of Fresno, where Tecopa is located. It will be a nondenominational Christian cemetery. In an interview, Dizon said his family credits the saint for his father, Rafael Dizon Jr., living 10 years longer than anyone expected. In 2000, the elder Dizon underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and was sent home, but he later suffered complications and was rushed back to the hospital. "My dad flat-lined for about eight minutes before the doctors were able to revive him," Randy Dizon said, adding that the doctors said he'd have some brain damage as a result. "My family and I, like we always did in time of turmoil, turned to prayer, and to the intercession of St. Therese. All of my siblings and I (and my mom) prayed the novena," he said. "My dad would fully recover from that ordeal without any ill effects and continued to live on for almost another 10 years before he passed away" three years ago. The cemetery will have a structure with 20,000 niches for cremated remains, a chapel, a small statue of St. Therese, scenic gardens and a visitor center. According to Luis, the sale of the niches will pay for the shrine and the chapel.
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WORLD
Number of Vatican Museums' visitors tops 5 million
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In 2011, for the first time, the number of visitors to the Vatican Museums topped 5 million. Antonio Paolucci, director of the museums, said breaking the 5-million threshold poses serious problems as well as challenges in the areas of access and education. "Five million visitors means 10 million hands that touch or can touch and 10 million feet that, day after day, wear out the multicolored stone (floors) and the most famous archaeological mosaics in the world," he said. Writing in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Paolucci said the total number of visitors in 2011 was just under 5.1 million. In 2010, the museums reported having almost 4.7 million people enter its doors. The museums expanded their opening hours in 2011 and added more of the special Friday night openings they experimented with briefly in 2009. The standard price of admission to the museums is 15 euros, or about $19. With the growing number of visitors, Paolucci said, security is a growing concern and not just to ensure that people keep their hands off the art. The sheer number of visitors means there will be "an unknown, but certainly significant, percentage" of people with serious problems, who could pose a danger to themselves or others. When dealing with such a massive number of people, even the best behaved cause damage because "they bring with themselves humidity and dust" which have a negative impact on the frescoes, stucco and mosaic tiles in the floors.
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Eucharist gives strength to those who are weak, weary, lost, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Eucharist sustains those who are tired, worn out or lost in the world and transforms human sin and weakness into new life, Pope Benedict XVI said. Speaking at his weekly general audience Jan. 11, the pope focused on Jesus and the Last Supper, where he instituted the Eucharist, "the sacrament of his body and blood. Jesus' gift of himself anticipates his sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection," the pope said. He offers his life before it is taken from him on the cross and as such "transforms his violent death into a free act of giving himself for others. Violence immediately is transformed into an active, free and redemptive sacrifice," the pope said. The pope said that, at the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for his disciples, especially Peter, warning him, according to the Gospel of Luke, that "Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat." But Jesus prayed that his disciple's faith would not fail and that Peter, who would betray Jesus, would return to strengthen the others' faith, the pope said. "The Eucharist is food for pilgrims, which becomes (a source of) strength also for those who are tired, worn out and lost," he said.
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Bishops see hope, fear, complexities in visit to Mideast Christians
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Almost a year after the eruption of the Arab Spring uprisings, the Middle East is a place of hope and fear for Christians, said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz. Bishop Kicanas, chairman of the board of the U.S. bishops' Catholic Relief Services, was in Baghdad late last year and visited Egypt prior to his arrival in Jerusalem Jan. 8-12 for the annual Holy Land Coordination meeting with bishops from the United States, Canada and Europe. "There is a fear among the Christians (in Egypt) whether they will be given human rights and whether they will be treated as equal citizens. There is a sense of wait and see," Bishop Kicanas told Catholic News Service Jan. 11. While there is hope for the creation of a new, equal society with a progressive economic situation, there are still concerns whether Egypt's newly elected government with its Islamist majority would put restrictions on the rights of minorities in Egypt, the bishop added. Likewise, he said, in the Holy Land, while people continue to be hopeful for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, they are frustrated by the inability of their leaders to reach an accord. "There is the tension between the needs of the people and the bickering of the politicians," he said. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land joined the bishops in their opening session Jan. 9, and during the four days of meetings the Coordination bishops met with church leaders as well as with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders. The bishops also met with local Christians in parishes in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel.
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PEOPLE
Edmonton official: Talking to former boss like opening 'treasure chest'
EDMONTON, Alberta (CNS) -- The priest who worked most closely with Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins during his seven years in Edmonton said speaking with him was "like opening up a treasure chest." Father Greg Bittman, archdiocesan chancellor, said the cardinal-designate was always full of valuable insights and wisdom but was a modest, unpretentious man. "Archbishop Collins is a man who's full of compassion," the chancellor said after Pope Benedict XVI named the priest's former boss to the College of Cardinals. "He cares for people greatly and he's a tremendous worker, prolific reader, and has this great knowledge of theology, Scripture and literature, yet at the same time he is humble. He never shows that off," Father Bittman said. Cardinal-designate Collins, who turns 65 Jan. 16, was among 22 bishops selected by Pope Benedict to become cardinals. When he is officially installed in the College of Cardinals Feb. 18, he will become Canada's third active cardinal, joining Cardinals Marc Ouellet, president of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, and Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal. Those in the Edmonton Archdiocese who knew Cardinal-designate Collins or worked with him when he was archbishop there, from 1999 to 2007, were elated at his Jan. 6 appointment. Archbishop Richard Smith, the cardinal-designate's successor in Edmonton, said he was rejoicing at the "great honor."
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Polish priest testifies for first time in clergy sex abuse trial
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- A Polish priest testified that a man reported to him that he was sexually abused by the former rector of a parish in Kolobrzeg, Poland. The testimony Jan. 6 from the unnamed priest is believed to be the first by one cleric against another accused of sexual abuse in Poland. The trial comes amid growing complaints about the church's lack of response to abuse allegations against clergy. The trial was scheduled to continue Jan. 12. "The victim told me about his trauma," the priest told the Regional Court in Koszalin in the trial of Father Zbigniew Ryckiewicz, former pastor of St. Wojciech Parish in Kolobrzeg, who is charged with abusing two juvenile male altar servers from 1998 to 2001. "I wanted to keep this person for God and the church, so I gave spiritual and material help to him and family, keeping his spirits up as a therapist," the priest from Opole said. Judge Slawomir Przykucki, the court spokesman, declined for legal reasons Jan. 11 to name the priest, whose testimony was reported by Poland's mass-circulation Gazeta Wyborcza daily. The length of the trial would depend on how many additional witnesses and experts were called to the witness stand, he said. However, a church lawyer questioned the propriety of the case and accused the main victim, now 26, of "attempting to profit from his injuries. The first we heard was when this young man demanded damages from our diocese, and threatened to cause a scandal if we didn't pay him," Krzysztof Wyrwa, attorney for the Koszalin-Kolobrzeg Diocese, told Catholic News Service Jan. 10.
Copyright (c) 2012 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops