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March 26,
2007 
VOL.
45, NO. 6Oakland,
CA
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Urging
peace CNS PHOTO/JAMAL SAIDI/REUTERS |
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House
of Hope CNS PHOTO/AN TO AKKARA |
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Honoring
a hero CNS photo/Octavio Duran |
Pope:
truth, not trends, must guide Christians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Truth, and not what is “merely fashionable,”
must guide Christians as they enter into dialogue with those who hold
different philosophies or religious beliefs, Pope Benedict XVI said during
his weekly general audience, March 21.
Creating men and women with the gift of reason, God ensured that they
could recognize the truth about God, creation and life, said the pope,
whose talk focused on St. Justin, the philosopher and martyr decapitated
in Rome in 165 for being a Christian.
Pope Benedict explained that Justin spent his life pondering truth, particularly
through Greek philosophy. His search led him to prayer, the study of the
Jewish prophets and ultimately to Christianity.
The truth introduced to the Jews and partially explained in philosophy
finds its completeness in Christ, Pope Benedict said.
Human
rights leader sees progress in Ireland
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Progress for human rights and equality under the law
is moving at a slow but steady pace in Northern Ireland, said a leading
human rights activist, Maggie Beirne. While it is hard to get people in
Northern Ireland to agree on major political issues, there is growing
cooperation on the neighborhood and local levels to achieve common goals,
she said.
The key issue is whether Northern Ireland should remain under British
rule as part of the United Kingdom or whether it should join Ireland.
The Protestant majority generally favors remaining under British rule
while the minority Catholics mostly favor union with Ireland.
Catholics must refuse procedures that destroy life
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholic health care professionals, including hospital
administrators, have an obligation to refuse to participate “in
any medical intervention or research that foresees the destruction of
human life,” said the Pontifical Academy for Life. The academy,
in a statement dated March 15, defended the right of both individuals
and hospitals to declare their status as conscientious objectors to procedures
that destroy human life.
In addition to refusing to participate in abortions, the statement said,
doctors, pharmacists and nurses also must be aware of their “moral
responsibility” when asked to provide so-called “emergency
contraception,” clarifying the difference between treatment designed
to prevent conception, for instance in the case of rape, and treatment
designed to destroy a human embryo before it can be implanted in the uterus.
Archbishop
opposes boosting nation’s military
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Boosting the military of Japan would be a “grave
threat” to Asian Pacific countries, said Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki
Takami of Nagasaki. He strongly criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe’s upcoming referendum to revise Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution,
which is an obstacle to Japan’s remilitarization and military involvement
overseas.
If Japanese citizens vote in favor of the referendum May 3, the government
would be permitted to maintain de jure military forces which could be
deployed for combat. Japan’s military would be the third largest
in the world, behind the United States and Russia, said the archbishop.
Nun
will accompany man to his execution
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CNS) – Daughter of Charity Sister Doris Moore
plans to be in Texas, March 28, when Vincent Gutierrez is scheduled to
be executed. “I’ve been with him on the whole journey,”
said Sister Doris, who began corresponding with Gutierrez in 1998 when
he arrived on death row at age 19. After an initial letter to introduce
herself, Sister Doris -- then working at one of her order’s wellness
centers in San Antonio -- committed to driving four hours to Livingston,
Texas, to visit Gutierrez at least twice a year.
Sister Doris now works at the Helping Hand food pantry in Little Rock,
but she has remained a consistent presence in Gutierrez’s life.
Carjackers
shoot, kill missionary priest in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- Carjackers shot at close range and killed a Missionaries
of Africa priest before taking his car in Nairobi. Father Martin Addai,
46, was traveling near the Missionaries of Africa house when he died of
massive bleeding from the gunshot wound March 10. He was on his way to
visit friends when he was shot and his body thrown on the side of the
road. The assailants escaped with the vehicle.
Catholic
philosopher wins Templeton Prize
NEW YORK (CNS) -- A Canadian Catholic philosopher is the 2007 winner of
the Templeton Prize for his life’s work on the need to bring both
secular and spiritual dimensions to bear in studying such problems as
violence and bigotry. Charles Taylor, 75, is currently professor of law
and philosophy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and professor
emeritus in the political science department at McGill University in Montreal,
the city of his birth.
Presented annually since 1973 by the John Templeton Foundation, the prize
has a value of more than $1.5 million in U.S. currency, making it the
world’s largest annual monetary award to an individual. He is the
first Canadian to win it.
Phase
of John Paul II’s sainthood cause to close
ROME (CNS) -- The diocesan phase of the investigation into the life and
holiness of Pope John Paul II will close officially April 2, the second
anniversary of the pope’s death. This means that the cause’s
promoter has interviewed all of the eyewitnesses he felt needed to be
heard and has examined all of the candidate’s writings. In addition,
a panel of historians has written a report on the candidate’s actions
and writings in the historical context in which he lived.
While the documentation will be handed over to the Vatican Congregation
for Saints’ Causes after the April 2 ceremony, the promoter and
his assistants still must prepare the official “positio,”
or position paper, arguing that Pope John Paul heroically lived the Christian
virtues. Normally in order for a beatification to take place, a separate
report must be prepared and accepted recognizing a miracle attributed
to the candidate’s intervention.
Anti-terrorism
bill hinders refugee applicants
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A coalition of religious groups and refugee advocates
is calling on Congress to back off from provisions of the Patriot Act
and Real ID Act that they argue have blocked thousands of vulnerable people
from being admitted to the United States. The two laws include sections
barring anyone who has provided “material support” to “terrorist
organizations” from entering the United States.
By criminalizing broadly defined “material support,” the laws
prohibit the admission of people who have, even under coercion, provided
any kind of financial, physical and material aid to members of a wide
range of organizations involved in armed resistance to any national government.
A March 8 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, notes
that asylum, refugee protection and legal immigration status are being
denied even to people who have provided assistance to people under threat
of death.
A briefing paper prepared by the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services
said in some situations, people have been excluded from refugee protection
for the very reasons they were forced to flee from their homelands, including
women and children who have been raped and tortured.
L.A.
institute promotes Catholic-Orthodox ties
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- With a $5 million pledge by philanthropist Michael
Huffington, Loyola Marymount University has established the Huffington
Ecumenical Institute to promote Catholic-Orthodox dialogue and understanding.
“I feel very passionate about this project,” said Huffington,
a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, “because my dream is that
someday I’ll get to see members of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox
Church be able to take Communion in each other’s churches.”
Loyola Marymount, a Jesuit institution with about 5,000 undergraduates
and 3,000 graduate students, said it plans to identify another $5 million
in matching funds for the institute. The institute will sponsor ecumenical
dialogues and other constructive encounters among Catholic and Orthodox
theologians, religious leaders and church members. It also will develop
a collection of library and Internet resources to be housed in the university’s
theology department .
Vatican’s
U.N. mission gets diplomatic immunity
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In an executive order March 7 President George W.
Bush granted diplomatic immunity and privileges to the members of the
Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. Diplomatic
immunity ensures safe passage for diplomats outside their home country.
They are not subject to lawsuits or prosecution under the laws of the
host country.
Plans
for cathedral dedicated to Mother Teresa
PRIZREN, Kosovo (CNS) -- The government of predominantly Muslim Kosovo
has approved plans for a cathedral dedicated to Blessed Mother Teresa
of Calcutta. Bishop Dode Gjergji of Sape, Albania, said that all the documents
were being finalized and the work will start this year.
The cathedral’s architectural design includes a Catholic cultural
and educational center on the 32-acre compound in Pristina. The cathedral
had been approved before, but two days after a 2005 ground-breaking ceremony,
the site was damaged by a grenade explosion.
