News Briefs
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
U.S. Catholics give warm welcome to a previously unfamiliar pope
NEW YORK (CNS) -- As they prepared to meet Pope Benedict XVI for his first papal visit to the United States, many U.S. Catholics couldn't help but compare him to Pope John Paul II, whom they had known for nearly three decades. In part, that was because they just didn't know much about Pope Benedict, who began the fourth year of his pontificate during his April 15-20 trip to the United States. He has often been portrayed as being strict and scholarly and lacking the charisma of his predecessor. But that perception seemed to change during his six-day visit. "A lot of people thought he couldn't replace (Pope) John Paul, but he can," said Carol Henglein, a parishioner from St. Virgilius Church in Queens prior to the April 20 Mass at Yankee Stadium. She described the 81-year-old pontiff as having "an aura about him" and being a "wonderful inspiration to young people." And sure enough, the young people seemed to "get him," especially during the April 19 rally for seminarians and young people on the grounds of St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, which was reminiscent of a World Youth Day with Pope John Paul. During the rally, the 25,000 participants frequently cheered for Pope Benedict and he in turn, much like his predecessor at youth events, seemed visibly invigorated.
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Monks search for new ways to support Mepkin Abbey
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (CNS) -- The Trappist monks at Our Lady of Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner are looking at a variety of new ways to support themselves as they phase out their popular egg production business. A 10-member advisory panel made up of Charleston-area business and banking executives, an organic farmer and two representatives of the Catholic community recently held an all-day brainstorming session on how the monks could continue to make a living. Suggestions range from growing agricultural products as diverse as bamboo, mushrooms, heirloom corn and wheat, organic vegetables, and beets to be used as an organic road de-icer to pursuing such nonagricultural ideas as licensing beer; book scanning, the process of converting physical books into electronic books; and establishing a public cemetery on the Mepkin property. The abbey announced in December that it would begin phasing out its 56-year-old egg business, citing pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals over the treatment of chickens as one of the reasons. Public protests and a threatened boycott by PETA that started in the summer of 2007 put unwanted pressure on the Trappist monks and interfered with their quiet life of prayer and work.
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Even hidden areas at 'cathedral of baseball' transformed for Mass
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The "house that Ruth built" is known to the fans as the "cathedral of baseball." But Yankee Stadium really did look like a cathedral for the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI April 20, with most of the advertising and references to its primary purpose tastefully obscured with white, black, blue, purple and gold fabric and bunting. Few would deny that the altar and alfresco sanctuary areas were as splendid as those in more permanent church structures. But the transformation from American League ballpark to world-class worship space was perhaps at its most startlingly complete underneath the stadium. The umpires' room, generally noteworthy only for its stark functionality, was turned into a lounge and vesting area for the pontiff. Daryl Latter of Full Production Services in Los Angeles orchestrated the makeover. She covered the concrete block walls with draped lengths of alternating gold, white and subtly patterned fabric, and carpeted the floor with a beige rug. "I wanted something that was appropriate, but not overstated," she said in an interview with Catholic News Service after the Mass.
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Ronald McDonald House residents get unscripted moments with pope
NEW YORK (CNS) -- In an unscheduled April 19 event, Pope Benedict XVI greeted about 40 disabled children and their family members from Ronald McDonald House in New York. At about 8 p.m., chaplain Cherilyn Frei received a call from James Murtagh, the commanding officer of the New York Police Department's 19th Precinct saying that the pope wanted to greet neighborhood residents outside Archbishop Celestino Migliore's residence, where he was staying. The precinct's jurisdiction includes Ronald McDonald House and the archbishop's residence, and officers helped provide security during Pope Benedict's April 18-20 New York visit. "I ran down the halls, knocked on some doors and basically we threw them into vans and took off," Frei told Catholic News Service. The group waited for 30 minutes before Pope Benedict emerged close to 9 p.m. The families, standing behind metal barricades set up outside the residence, held up their children to receive the pope's blessing. About 80 people from the neighborhood also attended. Ronald McDonald Houses, located nationwide, provide temporary housing for a nominal fee to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
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San Francisco ministry fosters hope, change in gang culture
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Julio Escobar recalled driving through San Francisco's Mission District in late June last year looking for a particular corner. After parking, he walked to a nearby taco stand. He was not there to eat. By a tree was a makeshift memorial to Edivaldo Sanchez, a 15-year-old boy who was shot to death June 18, 2007. Escobar tried unsuccessfully to meet with the boy's mother, who lived just down the street, but she was not at home that day. Sanchez, known as "Valdo" to friends, was a Mexican immigrant. He was killed in a gang-related drive-by shooting and collapsed outside the taco stand. Escobar was there as part of his involvement in a ministry called Comunidad San Dimas, launched in 1992 in response to two gang killings in one week near St. Peter Church in San Francisco. Founded by Deacon Nate Bacon and his wife, Jenny, the ministry has evolved into an outreach to young people detained in juvenile hall and youths involved in gang culture.
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Pope says it was 'joy' to witness faith of U.S. Catholics
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) -- Thanking Americans for their hospitality, Pope Benedict XVI departed the United States amid a cheering crowd of 4,000 people who had come to see him off. "It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here," the pope said April 20 in brief remarks to those gathered in hangar 19 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. "It was heartwarming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian communities and other religions," Pope Benedict added. Among those present were Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York; Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.; and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, whose diocese includes the airport. Also in attendance were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne. "It has been a memorable week, and Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a special way," Cheney said.
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WORLD
English diocese to stop adoption work because of gay rights laws
LONDON (CNS) -- An English Catholic diocese will cut its ties with an adoption agency because the diocese cannot accept the government's new laws on homosexual rights. Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham said he and the trustees of the adoption agency, Catholic Children's Society, felt they had been forced into the decision by the Sexual Orientation Regulations, a law that bans discrimination against gays in the provision of goods and services. The law would compel the diocese to place children in the care of same-sex couples. "We have been coerced into this, I am not happy about it at all," the bishop told Catholic News Service April 18. "The regulations have coerced the children's society into going against the church's teaching, and we don't wish to do that." A Vatican directive issued in 2003 said it was morally wrong to place children in the care of same-sex couples. Bishop McMahon said that the agency will try "to salvage what it does best" by merging with the adoption agency of the Anglican Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in October.
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Roadside bomb kills Sri Lankan priest known as human rights activist
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- A Jaffna diocesan priest active in promoting human rights was killed April 20 by a roadside bomb on the way back to his church after celebrating Mass in a parish substation. Father Mariampillai Xavier Karunaratnam was driving the car and reportedly died instantly of head wounds in the explosion on a road about 50 miles south of Jaffna, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. The jungle area, known as the Vanni, is under the control of the rebel group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. An unnamed layperson traveling with Father Karunaratnam was critically injured and was taken to a hospital. A church official at the bishop's house in Jaffna said the Tamil priest was killed while returning for lunch at Our Lady of Good Health Parish in Vavunikulam, a farming village. He had celebrated Mass at the church in Mankulam, about 7 miles away. The priest's body was taken to nearby St. Theresa's Church in Kilinochchi; thousands flocked to pay their respects. His funeral and burial in Vavunikulam were to be April 22. Both government forces and the Tamil rebels have denied responsibility for the priest's death.
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Catholics urge South Africa to refuse shipments of arms from Zimbabwe
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Catholic bishops in southern Africa have urged the South African government to stop all shipments of armaments to Zimbabwe, which is in political and economic crisis. A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe was turned away from the South African port of Durban April 18 after the South African High Court refused to allow the weapons to be transported across the country. "On behalf of the Catholic community in southern Africa, I call on the South Africa government not to allow any more arms and munitions to enter Zimbabwe through South Africa until an acceptable solution is found to the present situation," Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban said April 18 in a statement issued on behalf of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference. Zimbabwe's parliamentary and presidential elections, held March 31, prompted tensions between the government and opposition in Zimbabwe. While Zimbabwe's electoral commission has failed to issue final results, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the presidential poll and his party took a majority of parliamentary seats. President Robert Mugabe, 84, and his supporters are preparing for a runoff as well as challenging some of the parliamentary results.
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PEOPLE
Paraguayans elect retired Bishop Lugo as president
ASUNCION, Paraguay (CNS) -- Retired Bishop Fernando Lugo was elected president of Paraguay April 20, ending the six-decade rule of the Colorado Party. Bishop Lugo took an early lead in the pre-election polls, despite official disapproval from the Vatican and, initially, from the Paraguayan bishops' conference. As support for Bishop Lugo remained high in the largely Catholic country, the conference refrained from further comment. Bishop Lugo won slightly more than 40 percent of the vote, edging out Colorado Party candidate Blanca Ovelar, who was jockeying to become the country's first female president, and retired Gen. Lino Oviedo, former head of the armed forces, who was convicted, then acquitted of a 1996 coup attempt. In Paraguay, unlike other Latin American countries, there is only one round of balloting, and the candidate with the simple majority is the winner. The bishop will take office Aug. 15 for a five-year term.
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Mother calls pope's blessing of youths with disabilities 'validation'
YONKERS, N.Y. (CNS) -- For Yoselin Garcia and her 18-year-old daughter, Isabel, the blessing they received from Pope Benedict XVI April 19 in the chapel at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers was their second papal blessing. Pope John Paul II blessed them in 1995 during a rosary service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Isabel was one of 56 youths who with their caregivers were invited by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York to attend the event with Pope Benedict. Her mother told Catholic News Service the pope's blessing and the time he spent with the youths and their caregivers were "a validation of the children and their families for all the sacrifices we make on a day-to-day basis." Isabel has cerebral palsy and does not speak. She and her family are members of St. Peter's Parish in Haverstraw and she was confirmed at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
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Theology students extol pope's pastoral gifts but say change unlikely
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Catholic students at one of New York City's most prominent schools of theology said Pope Benedict XVI's visit did not soften some of their concerns about his papacy and the future of the U.S. Catholic Church. The students at Union Theological Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school of theology with Protestant roots and a home for Catholic academics who have run afoul of the Vatican, praised Pope Benedict's pastoral gifts and his ability to energize the Catholic faithful. But they also said the visit will not lead to what they feel are much-needed reforms within the church and expressed concern that the U.S. church's current and future needs are not likely to be addressed any time soon. "The excitement of the adults and young people -- that was real excitement and real inspiration," Kim Harris, 50, a Union doctoral student focusing on worship and the arts, said April 20. But Harris said she sees the problems caused by small, rural parishes closing due to a shortage of priests as having grave consequences for U.S. Catholic religious life. "The people of God in the Catholic communion are starving because of the want of Eucharist," she said.
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Arizona doctor's healing hands extend to Mexican children
NOGALES, Ariz. (CNS) -- Thirty-four years ago, when he was 15, Francisco Valencia worked as an interpreter at a budding clinic for the disabled kids of impoverished Mexicans in Nogales, his hometown. Today he's "Dr. V," chief of staff of the orthopedics department at St. Andrew's Children's Clinic in Nogales, taking time from his Tucson practice to volunteer his skills in treating the many youngsters who visit the clinic with life-altering ailments. On the first Thursday of every month, some 250 Mexican children, many using wheelchairs or walkers, make their way across the U.S.-Mexican border into Arizona for the free treatment provided by medical and lay volunteers from both countries. In the beginning there were only three patients. In 1973, Dr. Mark Frankel founded the clinic when a friend asked him to take time from his Tucson practice to attend to the needs of three patients in Nogales, Mexico. It was apparent that others there required treatment, Frankel said in an interview at the clinic, where he still helps out. Those needs extended beyond physical deformities to all types of health issues, including sight, hearing and speech problems, and nutritional deficiencies, he said.
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Pope makes time to pay homage to U.S. theologian Cardinal Dulles
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- During his whirlwind April 15-20 U.S. visit, Pope Benedict XVI took a few moments out of his demanding schedule for a private meeting with one of America's pre-eminent theologians, the ailing, 89-year-old Cardinal Avery Dulles. The wheelchair-bound Jesuit scholar traveled from his residence at Jesuit-run Fordham University's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx section of New York to St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., April 19, for a prearranged, 15-minute private meeting with the pope, just after the pontiff met with disabled youths. "It was a lovely meeting," said Dominican Sister Anne-Marie Kirmse, the cardinal's executive assistant for the past 20 years. She was present to help facilitate the get-together, held in a suite of offices at the seminary. "The pope literally bounded into the room with a big smile on his face," she told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview April 21. "He went directly to where Cardinal Dulles was sitting, saying, 'Eminenza, Eminenza, Eminenza, I recall the work you did for the International Theological Commission in the 1990s.'"
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Colombian Cardinal Lopez Trujillo, Vatican family expert, dies at 72
ROME (CNS) -- Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, died April 19 at Rome's Pius XI clinic, where he had been hospitalized since early April with a respiratory infection. He was 72. Pope Benedict XVI called the cardinal a "tireless pastor" who generously served the church and "the Gospel of life." The pope, who was in the United States at the time of the cardinal's death, expressed his condolences in a telegram addressed to the cardinal's brother, Anibal Lopez Trujillo. The Vatican released a copy of the telegram April 21. The pope said the cardinal gave "clear testimony of his deep love for the church and his dedication to the noble cause of the promotion of marriage and the Christian family." A funeral Mass was to be held at the Vatican April 23 with the pope presiding. The Colombian-born cardinal, who served as archbishop of Medellin from 1979 to 1991, had been president of the family council at the Vatican for nearly 18 years.
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops