THE VATICAN

Accusations exchanged
New book re-ignites old controversy

In July a conference on Jewish-Catholic relations, being held in Tel Aviv, erupted into heated controversy when a Vatican representative said tensions between the two faiths were caused not only by Catholic anti-Semitism, but also by Jewish hostility toward Christianity.

Father David Yager insisted that the Catholic Church is not anti-Semitic, and that Church leaders have sought to purge all traces of anti-Jewish ideology from the Church’s institutions, but argued that the government of Israel still harbors anti-Catholic prejudices that harm the prospects for friendlier relations. In particular, Father Yager cited the steady flow of charges by Jewish leaders that Pope Pius XII collaborated with the Nazi government during World War II.

“The Catholic Church and the Jewish people are now allies, friends, and lovers,” Father Yager said. But he charged that Israel’s continuing coolness toward overtures from the Vatican is harming relations—even at a time when millions of Catholics prepare to visit the Holy Land during the Jubilee Year. He said that continuing criticism of Pope Pius is essentially a “blood libel.”

The accusations against Pope Pius XII appeared in newspaper headlines once again early in September, with the first wave of publicity for a new book which claims that Pope Pius XII was instrumental in the rise of Adolph Hitler. Hitler’s Pope, a 500-page work by the English author John Cornwell, was not scheduled for publication until October, but advance publicity—including the appearance of excerpts in the American magazine Vanity Fair—re-ignited an old dispute.

Cornwell—a frequent critic of the Vatican, whose most recent book hints at a conspiracy behind the death of Pope John Paul I—claims that he began work on the book with the intention of clearing the reputation of Pope Pius XII. But he says that he discovered “proof” of the Pope’s sympathies for Hitler, and his “almost obsessive” fear of Communism.

But Father Pierre Blet, SJ—one of four historians who produced a definitive 11-volume history of the actions of the Holy See during World War II—told Italian reporters that Cornwell offers a “very confused” view of those events, and that Hitler’s Pope is in effect a “fictional” work. The book, the Jesuit scholar concluded, is “not a real historical analysis.”

The notion that Pope Pius XII harbored anti-Semitic feelings is a myth, Father Blet continued. While there is no evidence to support such a thesis, there is abundant evidence to the contrary. The Jesuit historian also pointed to obvious distortions in the book, such as Cornwell’s assertion that Pius XII helped suppress a Catholic political party in Germany, paving the way for the Nazi ascent to power. As Father Blet notes, that party died out before Eugenio Pacelli became Pope Pius XII. Cornwell, Father Blet concludes, intends not merely to impugn the character of Pope Pius XII, but to launch an attack on the Catholic Church.

Guidelines on contraception
Priests urged to avoid ambiguities

In a new document, the Vatican has issued guidelines for priests who hear the confessions of married people who use contraceptives.

The 223-page document, issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family, has been published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Entitled “Conjugal Morality and the Sacrament of Penance,” and is currently available only at the Vatican; it is designed as a deeper analysis of the guidelines first published in 1997, and intended to help priests be more effective as confessors—specifically in relation to difficult questions involving chastity within marriage.

The question of contraception is one of several issues treated in depth in the 13-chapter book. The Pontifical Council stresses the importance of providing proper formation for the consciences of penitents, making sure that they understand the “hard truth” of the Church’s teaching that the use of contraceptives is a serious sin. This is particularly important today, the Council notes, because in a society “marked by a profound crisis” in morality, “the truths concerning marriage and the family—and especially the role of procreation—are very often obscured.”

Particularly in the Western world, the Council observes, the general acceptance of contraception is so widespread that it is difficult to convince married couples of the “objective gravity” of the sin. That gravity cannot be ignored, the document says, but at the same time confessors should recognize that—because of the widespread ignorance on this question—penitents may not bear the guilt of having freely and knowingly chosen this evil. Priests are therefore encouraged to help the penitents understand the truth of the matter, and to deepen their spiritual understanding so that they may come to a recognition of the sin and embark on “the path to sincere repentance.”

The Pontifical Council draws a distinction, however, between two different types of penitents who have used contraceptives: on one hand those who show a sincere desire to amend their behavior, and on the other hand those who show neither repentance nor any inclination to change. In the latter case, the document suggests, it might be proper for the priest to refuse absolution.

The new Vatican document provides a detailed analysis of the means of contraception, written by a priest who is also a physician. It deals in some detail with the compound moral problems involved in the use of contraceptives which act as abortifacients.

The document also includes a chapter on concrete means of promoting family life in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, such as the use of natural methods of family planning.

Synod document prepared
Confronting secularism in Europe

Early in July the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops finished the preparation of an Instrumentum Laboris—a working document—for the European Synod which will meet in Rome in October.

The 100-page text is entitled “Jesus Christ, Alive in His Church, the Source of Hope for Europe.” It is written in four languages: Italian, French, English, and German. The document reflects the synthesis of comments obtained from bishops all over Europe in response to a questionnaire sent out by the office of the Synod of Bishops in 1998.

The situation in Europe today is one of “endangered unity,” the Instrumentum Laboris says. An earlier European Synod, in 1991, had spoken of “rediscovered unity” after the fall of Communism, but the new document suggests that “crises and divisions” now show that true unity cannot be achieved except by “a return to the Gospel.”

The first section of the document, which takes stock of Europe on the eve of the third Christian millennium, concedes that many Christians in Europe “seem to have lost their faith,” or at least practice it only casually. While also noting the emergence of lively new small communities of faith, and new lay spiritual movements, the document indicates that “practical materialism” and “religious and cultural relativism” are powerful obstacles to the formation of a genuine Christian culture. The document also puts readers on guard about the emergence of powerful new currents of nationalism, and “new forms of exclusion,” which seem to have replaced the Communist ideology.

Within the Church herself, the document notes the unfortunate tendency to “make all ethical and doctrinal questions matters of discussion.” The continued decline in priestly and religious vocations is cited as a matter of concern, as well as the reluctance of Catholics to proclaim their faith in public, and the relative rise of militant Islam.

The second portion of the Instrumentum Laboris emphasizes that the Church works “not for herself,” but in order to proclaim faith in Jesus Christ. The document insists that “the cause of God is in no way opposed to the cause of man.” And the final section of the Synod’s working document poses the crucial question of how the Church can bring the message of salvation to everyone in Europe, while carefully maintaining “the primacy of the spiritual realm,” and avoiding “any tendency to fall into activism.” The document reminds readers that “it is impossible to promote any true renewal, even in the social world, if we do not insist on the encounter with God through prayer.”

The challenge that will face participants in the Synod is to find new ways to proclaim the Gospel in a society which has come to ignore the Church. That is the opinion of Cardinal Paul Poupard, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

In an interview with the Roman news agency I Media, Cardinal Poupard said: “In Europe today, the Church is too often merely tolerated as a sort of organization devoted to humanitarian and cultural ends.” If the Church were to accept that understanding, he continued, she would be undertaking a “suicide program.” Cardinal Poupard, who will be one of the three co-presidents of the Synod, said that the European continent has become “de-Christianized,” and now more than ever needs to hear the message of the Gospel.

Because of the secularization of European culture, the cardinal continued, the Church faces two temptations. One temptation is to “censor her message so that it is acceptable to the world,” and preach “a vague humanism with Christian coloration.” That approach would be suicidal, he said, because “the Church would be accepted, but no one would be interested.” The second temptation is for the Church to “shut herself off within a fortress,” as a way of preserving the integrity of the faith in the midst of a hostile culture. But any such move would be a betrayal of the Christian duty to preach the Gospel, he argued.

The participants in the Synod for Europe will include all of the cardinals from the continent, along with the presidents of the 32 different episcopal conferences, and 75 other bishops who were elected by their colleagues.

Suicide in St. Peter’s
Security concerns raised

The suicide of a retired Italian laborer inside St. Peter’s Basilica has shocked Church officials and visitors alike, and raised concerns about security at the Vatican.

The 64-year-old man stunned pilgrims in the basilica on August 26, when he produced a pistol and shot himself in the mouth. He died on the floor of the basilica, not far from the main altar.

Swiss Guards and other Vatican security officials quickly cleared the area, and the entire building was evacuated. However an Australian tourist apparently captured the suicide on videotape.

St. Peter’s Basilica was closed for two hours after the suicide, and hundreds of pilgrims were turned away, before the doors were opened again late in the afternoon.

According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, this was the first time that blood had been shed inside the basilica. There have, however, been suicides in which people have thrown themselves from the roof of the building. The most recent such death occurred in 1992.

Contrary to reports that quickly circulated in the Italian press, it was not necessary to “reconsecrate” St. Peter’s Basilica before religious ceremonies could take place there again. As Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls explained to reporters, the rite of reconsecration is required only when a church building has been substantially destroyed, or when it lost its sacred character because it has been used for profane purposes. There was, however, a “rite of reparation” performed in the basilica on August 27, prior to the celebration of daily Mass there.

Meanwhile, the bloodshed in St. Peter’s Square called attention to the absence of metal detectors there. Italian law-enforcement officials have reportedly expressed concerns about the security problems that could face Vatican officials during the Jubilee Year, as millions of pilgrims flock to Rome for the celebration.

Muckraker faces charges
Vatican insider protests inquiry

In July the author of a muckraking book about Vatican politics refused to attend a hearing before the Roman Rota to answer defamation charges. But after some preliminary wrangling the hearings began again in August, with a canon lawyer appointed to act as the author’s advocate.

Msgr. Luigi Marinelli, who has been identified as the author of the book, Gone With the Wind at the Vatican, said that he did not want to participate in a process that could only “add to the clouds of smoke” surrounding his book. Gone With the Wind at the Vatican, brought out in February by the Kaos publishing house, labels a number of prominent Vatican officials as “careerists,” and claims that self-serving deals and Masonic influence are common within the Roman Curia.

Once Msgr. Marinelli was revealed to be the author of the book—which originally appeared under a pseudonym—several Curia officials charged him with defamation, and the Roman Rota asked him to answer the charges. But the 72-year-old Italian priest declined. He told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that he would not participate in a process that is “defective” because it does not allow him to be represented by counsel. “Under such conditions, my lawyers have advised me not to attend,” he said. Msgr. Marinelli also said that he did not want to reveal the identities of other individuals who contributed to the book. He insists that the work is a collaborative enterprise, and that the identity of the contributors has been guarded so tightly that many of the contributors themselves do not know who the other contributors are.

According to the story in Corriere della Sera, Msgr. Marinelli could risk suspension from his priestly ministry because of his refusal to appear before the Rota. The Code of Canon Law allows for suspension in cases of “calumny, defamation, or grave offenses against the dignity of the person.” But the Code also stipulates that anyone accused of such offenses will have the right to defend himself against the charges. On August 26 the Vatican announced that the Roman Rota has named a canon lawyer to represent Msgr. Marinelli at hearings that were re-scheduled for September.

Meanwhile, the Kaos publishing house, which has now sold over 100,000 copies of the book in an Italian edition, is preparing translations of the 288-page book for sale abroad.

New rules for curial staff
Emphasis on moral standards

The Vatican has released a new set of rules for employees of the Roman Curia, calling them to “exemplary religious and moral conduct, even in private and in family life, in conformity with the social doctrine of the Church.” The new rules, set down in a 90-page document composed of 146 articles, replaces old regulations published in February 1992.

The Congregations and Councils of the Vatican should be staffed, as far as possible, by representatives of different nations, so that “the Curia reflects the universal character of the Church,” the new rule says. All such officials should be distinguished by their “virtue, prudence, learning, and experience.” They should be between the ages of 25 and 45 when they enter the Curia if they are clerics or religious, and between 21 and 35 if they are laymen. And no Vatican dicastery should employ more than one person from any one family.

Curial workers should perform their tasks with “diligence, precision, a sense of responsibility, and a spirit of full cooperation,” the document continues. They are called to make a profession of faith and to observe a professional code which includes a strict code of confidentiality. “No one may give statements or interviews concerning the persons, activities, or orientation of the dicasteries,” without prior authorization from the head of the Congregation or Council.

The rules stipulate that some roles in the Curia will carry special requirements, such as the knowledge of Latin. And it says that all clerical and religious workers in the Curia must wear distinctive ecclesiastical garb, while lay people are to wear “appropriate” professional attire.

The regulations set out policies regarding leaves of absence for illness or maternity, as well as the hours of the working week—36 hours, divided among six days. Each employee is entitled to four weeks of vacation, as well as special holidays such as the anniversary of the election of the reigning pope.

Shroud traced to Holy Land
New evidence of authenticity

The cloth of the Shroud of Turin can be traced to Jerusalem, according to researchers presenting their findings to a conference of botanists in August.

Speaking at the 16th International Botanical Congress, which was held in St. Louis, Professor Avinoam Danin of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem said that he determined the Shroud must have come from Jerusalem after he made a careful analysis of the minute particles and faint images which appear on the cloth.

“We have identified on the Shroud—by images and by pollen grains—plant species which are restricted to the vicinity of Jerusalem,” said Danin. “This combination of flowers can be found in only one region of the world.” The Hebrew University professor concluded that previous studies based on Carbon-14 testing, which led some researchers to conclude that the cloth of the Shroud was manufactured in Europe during the 13th or 14th century, “cannot hold up” in the light of his new evidence. While he could not set a precise date for the age of the cloth, Danin said that it must have been woven sometime before the 7th century.

Abortionists arrested
Crackdown related to illegal immigration

In August Spanish police arrested two Chinese immigrants and charged them with performing hundreds of illegal abortions.
The two men, neither of whom had medical qualifications, were accused of carrying out brutal abortions on Chinese immigrants who had entered Spain illegally and been forced into prostitution. “The women we found were in such a bad state. It was like something out of a horror film,” said Jose Luis Povres, the chief police investigator for the case.
Detectives confiscated thousands of bottles of out-of-date medicine, rusty and unsterilized instruments, and medical notes on a thousand women who visited two makeshift abortion clinics. They said the men performed abortions using medicines to make the women hemorrhage then a household vacuum cleaner to abort the unborn child. “These women are victims of the Chinese mafia,” said Povres.

PORTUGAL

Cause advances for Fatima seers
Youngest ever to be beatified

When two of the three children to whom the Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima are beatified, they will become the youngest people, aside from martyrs, ever to attain that honor. Archbishop Jose Saraiva Martins, the Portuguese-born prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, made that point in a July 13 interview with journalists in Rome.

On June 28 Archbishop Martins read the decree formally recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of François and Jacinta Marto, thus clearing the way for their beatification. The date for that ceremony has not yet been set.

“The Church has always recognized the possibility of finding a true martyr among children and adolescents,” the archbishop pointed out. He observed that St. Agnes was 12 years old when she died during a persecution under the Roman Empire. Among the Japanese martyrs who died between 1617 and 1632 and were beatified in 1867, there were 15 children between 10 and 13 years old. And St. Maria Goretti was 12 at the time of her martyrdom.

“However, between 1588, when the dicastery for the causes of saints was instituted, and 1981, it seems that the youngest saint who is not a martyr was St. Dominic Savio, who died at the age of 15,” Archbishop Martins reported. In 1981, he continued, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints met to discuss the question of whether a child could demonstrate the “heroic virtue” that is expected of saints. The Congregation gave a positive response to that question, and the Holy Father ratified that decision, thereby making it possible to proceed with the cause of François and Jacinta Marto. François died when he was 11 years old; Jacinta was 10.

ENGLAND

No treatment
Hospital rejects retarded child

A British hospital refused to approve a heart transplant for a 9-year-old girl afflicted with Down’s Syndrome because her quality of life is not deemed satisfactory, the Times of London reported on July 25.

Katie Atkinson would die without a transplant, but her parents complained that the Leeds General Infirmary would not approve transplants for children with Down’s Syndrome, as a matter of policy—although other hospitals in Great Britain’s National Healthcare System rationing lottery have more liberal policies.

“We can’t stand by and do nothing,” said Philip Atkinson, Katie’s father. “It was a shock to find that in the end, they are not prepared to help her because she is a second-class citizen.” He added, “They are ruining more than her life. We will all be devastated by losing her. My wife and I are committed to doing everything we can for her.”

Lesley Herbertson, a lawyer representing other Down’s Syndrome children in similar circumstances, said she knows of a number of similar cases. “Down’s children are put to the bottom of the list because they are considered less important than normal children,” she said. “They are not offered all the options that would be offered to a normal child.”

NORTHERN IRELAND

A painful path toward peace
Shared sorrows, old hostilities

The Northern Ireland Parades Commission announced on August 9 that it had given permission to a Protestant Loyalist group, the Apprentice Boys, to hold a controversial march through a Catholic neighborhood in Belfast. The announcement prompted new fears of confrontations during the “marching season,” at a time when peace talks aimed to resolve the future of Northern Ireland appeared to be in danger of collapse.

The Apprentice Boys were allowed to march along Lower Ormeau Road, in one of a series of the annual marches commemorating historic victories of Protestant forces over Catholics in Northern Ireland. The commission said it gave permission because there had been progress in dialogue between the Apprentice Boys and the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community (LOCC) group. The decision also came after police successfully contained the minor conflicts generated during an earlier parade in Portadown. But LOCC representatives protested the decision, calling it “unfair.” “We are very angry at this decision,” said LOCC spokesman John Gormley, vowing that residents would demonstrate against the march when it passed through their neighborhood.

The parade and the counter-demonstration occurred on schedule, marred again by only scattered episodes of violence. And after it was over, thousands of Catholics and Protestants came together in prayer in the town of Omagh on the anniversary of the worst single terrorist attack in the history of “the troubles.” The prayer service commemorated the lives of the 29 people killed in a car-bomb attack by a group calling itself the “Real IRA.” The gathering observed a minute of silence at 3:10 pm, the moment when the car bomb exploded in the midst of a crowd of tourists and shoppers. The prayers also included a petition that the 1998 Good Friday peace accords would bring peace to the troubled land despite ongoing political disputes.

GERMANY

Sex education required
Court overrules parental objections

A court in the mainly Catholic state of Bavaria ruled in July that children must attend sex education classes in school, even if their parents object to the content of the courses.

The court in Munich ruled against a father of six children who asked for them to be excused from the classes because he said the teaching would violate their Christian faith and promote promiscuity. The judge, in his decision, cited a 1977 verdict by Germany’s highest court that ruled sex education classes did not infringe on parental rights.

SWITZERLAND

Abortion pill approved
Vatican laments sales of RU-486

The official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano noted with regret the decision by Swiss authorities to allow the sale and distribution of the abortifacient drug RU-486. L’Osservatore observed that the announcement from Switzerland showed that “the geography of ‘anti-life’ is expanding still further.”

RU-486, which comes in the form of a pill, causes an abortion when it is administered during the first three months of pregnancy. It has been advertised as an alternative to surgical abortion, entailing fewer risks to the health of the mother. However, there have also been complaints that RU-486 can have severe side effects.

NETHERLANDS

Expanding field for euthanasia
Lowering the minimum age

The government of the Netherlands plans to seek full legalization of euthanasia, removing the practice of “mercy killing” from what is now a gray area in the law. And as the government considers amendments to the existing law, there have been proposals to lower the age of consent for physician-assisted death, opening the way to suicide for anyone over the age of 12.
Justice Ministry spokesman Wijnand Stevens announced in July that “decriminalization” of euthanasia was the next logical step, to replace the current policy under which the government turns a blind eye to the actions of doctors who help speed the deaths of patients who indicate their wish to die quickly. Under that existing policy—which does not legalize euthanasia, but does prohibit prosecution of physicians whose patients want do die—doctors in the Netherlands bring about the speedy deaths of thousands of people every year.

Responding to pressure from euthanasia advocates, the government has suggested that assisted suicide should now be declared legal, provided that those who ask to die are suffering from irremediable pain and can demonstrate that their mental faculties are not impaired. The legislation unveiled in August would make physician-assisted suicide legally available to any qualified patient over the age of 12. The proposed legal guidelines require that the patient make a voluntary and informed request, that all medical options for treatment be exhausted, that a second opinion be sought, and that the final act of euthanasia be “carefully carried out.”

YUGOSLAVIA

Milosevic under fire
Religious leaders seek a change

In an extraordinary display of disgust with the Serbian government, the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle told a German magazine that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic should be held accountable for war crimes in Kosovo and for the effects of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

The patriarch told Welt am Sonntag that Milosevic was personally responsible for the decisions that led to a series of events that included the murder of thousands of ethnic Albanians, the NATO air attacks that devastated Yugoslavia over a period of 90 days, and the revenge attacks that have terrorized Serbs in Kosovo in recent weeks.

“It’s a shame that Slobodan Milosevic —a Christian like us—has trampled underfoot Christian values,” the patriarch told the German magazine. “As a free man, Milosevic has made decisions regarding which actions should be taken. For his decisions, he should be called to account.”

Patriarch Pavle added that only those who are guilty for Serbian policy decisions—not the entire nation—should be punished. “I am convinced that a majority of Serbs denounce the barbaric massacres that have taken place,” he said. “In the last analysis, the question of guilt in Kosovo would be possible to solve only on God’s scales.”

ALBANIA

Violence across the border
Orthodox churches are targets

The Albanian Orthodox Church has called for an end to attacks on its churches in the mainly Muslim country, seeking to halt a spillover of ethnic and religious tensions from its neighbors, notably Serbia and Kosovo.

Reporting a series of attacks on Orthodox churches in Albania, the Albanian Orthodox Synod said: “We appeal for an end to these acts and ask the authorities to take the necessary measures to stop this dangerous and unprecedented escalation which spoils Albania’s image in this critical historical period.”

“We raise our voice not only to defend our churches and monasteries but also religious harmony and the peaceful coexistence characteristic to our country,” the statement added.

RUSSIA

Construction blocked
Orthodox protests stymie Catholic builders

A Russian Catholic priest from an isolated region of Russia has reported to the Keston News Service that Cossacks in Anapa, 750 miles south of Moscow, had forcibly attempted to block construction of a Catholic church in April.

Father Miroslav Yanyak said the ethnic Cossack tribesmen protested the construction as the NATO war in Yugoslavia heated up, even beating a construction worker, but relented after Catholics filed a lawsuit and the local Orthodox bishop intervened. Father Yanyak said the local Cossack chief asked that the lawsuit filed with the local prosecutor be withdrawn after an investigation was begun.

The priest said that Orthodox Archbishop Isidor of Krasnodar mediated a written agreement between the Church and Cossack Chief Ataman Gromov. “It states that we are brothers in a common faith and is specifically intended to ensure that the Cossacks do not attempt to obstruct the construction of our church,” he said. Father Yanyak added that the incident followed Cossack accusations that the Catholics were from the West and that the priest was an agent of the CIA. He said, “When I explained to them that Greece—an Orthodox country—was also a member of NATO, this came as a complete surprise to them.”

The construction of Catholic churches in Russia is especially sensitive because the government owns every church building. Father Vadim Shaikevich, secretary to Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the apostolic administrator for the Latin-rite Catholics in European Russia, said, “We do not own a single building; all our churches belong to the Russian Federation, together with the land on which they stand. For this reason only a very few churches, such as the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow, have been returned to us—or to be more precise, the authorities have permitted us to use them.”

Death for conversion?
Muslims condemn the governor

Muslim clerics in the rebellious southern province of Chechnya have called for the death of the governor of the Siberian region of Kemerovo because he reportedly converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity, according to the Interfax news agency.

A spokesman for Governor Aman Tuleyev quoted him as saying that he had never converted, and in any case had no interest in religion. Theologians from Chechnya and Daguestan (a neighboring region which also has a Muslim majority) called for Tuleyev’s death after an assembly in Grozny, Chechnya. The organizers of that assembly urged Muslims to carry out the sentence at the first possible opportunity.

Russia withdrew its troops from Chechnya, a mainly Muslim region, after suffering humiliating defeat in a conflict that lasted from 1994 until 1996. Moscow now has no real control over the province, although the Russian government has never acknowledged Chechnyan claims of independence.

TURKEY

Outpouring of aid
Earthquake relief across religious lines

Hundreds of rescuers, tons of equipment, and millions of dollars in aid poured into Turkey in August in the aftermath of an earthquake that left thousands of casualties. While the earthquake itself was devastating, the relief effort offered a model for humanitarian cooperation, stretching across ethnic and religious lines.

The United Nations Disaster Management Team coordinated relief efforts with the Turkish government in Ankara. Specialized rescue teams from the United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Austria, Israel, and Greece arrived in the country within a few days after the initial shock, and more countries soon were sending help as rescue workers searched for victims in the rubble of devastated buildings—keenly aware of the fact that each passing hour made it less likely that buried victims could survive.

Putting aside a long-standing political rivalry with Turkey, Greece sent three C-130 military transport planes carrying two emergency medical teams with 11 doctors and pharmaceutical aid, the Athens News Agency reported. At the request of the Turkish Red Crescent, the International Red Cross launched an initial appeal for $7 million to assist some 100,000 people affected by the quake. The American Red Cross sent $50,000 to the Turkish Red Crescent to jump-start local disaster relief and was sending another $25,000 for other assistance. And Israeli military units, sent in to help maintain public order and organize rescue efforts, were delighted to find themselves welcomed as heroes in a predominantly Islamic society.

IRAQ

Papal visit scheduled
Despite protests

Although no official announcement has been made as CWR goes to press, Vatican sources confirm that Pope John Paul II will visit Iraq in December.

The Pontiff will reportedly travel to Iraq on December 2, for a two-day visit that will fulfill the Pope’s desire to make a pilgrimage there, following in the footsteps of the patriarch Abraham. He will arrive in Baghdad, and travel by helicopter to the south of the country, and the ancient home of Abraham: Ur of the Chaldeans.

A secondary goal of the trip, officials add, is to offer “moral comfort” to the people of Iraq, who are suffering because of an international embargo and the effects of repeated air strikes.

The Chaldean-rite Patriarch Raphael II Bidawid confirmed the plans for the papal visit in August, despite the absence of any official news from Rome. “We believe the visit will occur in the first week of December, but the exact date and time have yet to be set,” he told reporters. Then, narrowing down the possibilities, he added: “This issue is currently under discussion, but the visit will certainly take place before the year 2000.”

Aggressive US diplomatic efforts to persuade the Pontiff that he should not undertake such a trip proved fruitless, the Wall Street Journal reported in July. The newspaper reported that envoy Thomas Pickering and a senior White House aide had made separate trips to Rome to meet with Vatican officials and lobby against the papal voyage. The US officials pointed out to their Vatican counterparts that no head of state has visited Iraq since the Persian Gulf War, and a visit by the Pope could lend credibility to Saddam Hussein.

Exiled political enemies of Saddam Hussein also expressed their opposition to the papal trip in an open letter to Pope John Paul. “It is our wish that Your Holiness not visit Iraq while it is under the rule of a despot with the blood of innocent people on his hands,” the exiled opposition leaders wrote. Their letter referred to human rights abuses by Saddam and to a UN report saying that the Iraqi government had one of the worst human rights records of any country since World War II. The signatories said that while they understood the Holy Father’s desire to visit Ur of the Chaldeans, they were concerned that Saddam could use the visit for political purposes. The Vatican dismissed such concerns, alluding to the Holy Father’s visits to other countries in which he had directly confronted political leaders and brought about new progress toward religious freedom.

Bombing continues
Clerics cite people’s suffering

In August the Iraqi government charged that American and British war planes had attacked a 4th-century Christian monastery, endangering tourists who had gathered to observe a solar eclipse. The official Iraqi News Agency (INA) said an undisclosed number of people were injured in the attack.

The US military confirmed that it had launched strikes in the northern and southern no-fly zones on the day in question. The no-fly zones were set up in the early 1990s to protect minority groups from attack by Iraqi forces. Air strikes against Iraqi targets have become commonplace since last year, when Baghdad began challenging patrolling planes.

Two weeks later, the British government said that it would investigate reports claiming that the air attacks on Iraqi military positions had damaged the burial site of St. Matthew the evangelist. The Defense Ministry said British and American aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone on August 10 had fired in self-defense on Iraqi anti-aircraft emplacements in the Ba’ashiqa area.

The permanent Vatican observer at the United Nations has called for a suspension of Anglo-American bombing missions in Iraq “at least” during the papal visit to that country in December. Archbishop Renato Martino told the Italian daily Avvenire that he hoped for a halt to the air strikes from December 2 to December 4.

Archbishop Martino emphasized that the papal visit would not be dependent on the agreement by British and American leaders to halt the bombing. That visit would take place as scheduled, he promised, despite the absence of confirmation from the Vatican. Informed sources also say that the Pope will stop in Egypt during his return trip on December 5, for a visit to Mount Sinai.

The papal voyage is intended as a religious rather than political event, the archbishop stressed. However, he observed: “There are people for whom the prospect of this trip is not pleasant, and they have sought to give it a political significance.” The Holy See cannot ignore the political situation in Iraq, Archbishop Martino continued. He noted that the Pope has spoken out frequently in opposition to the international sanctions that have been imposed on Iraq, and the bombing raids, which continue, on a regular basis. But the Pope’s trip to Iraq is not intended as a means of “giving a blessing” to the regime of Saddam Hussein. He added that the Vatican seeks only to remind the world that “the fault is not completely on one side.”

ISRAEL

New rumors of papal visit
Obstacles remain before March trip

The Vatican’s diplomatic representative in Israel has said that Pope John Paul II will visit the Holy Land early in the year 2000.

As reported by the Italian news agency SIR on July 23, Archbishop Pietro Sambi told an audience in Rimini, Italy, “The Pope will travel to the Holy Land in the spring of next year.” Archbishop Sambi, the papal nuncio to Israel, was essentially confirming what Israeli government officials have already announced: that a papal visit is being planned for March 2000.

Although the Holy Father has repeatedly indicated his desire to visit the Holy Land, the Vatican has never confirmed the reports from Israel about the scheduling of the papal visit.

However, while he did confirm the plans, Archbishop Sambi cautioned that obstacles still remain in the way of the trip. He stressed that the Pope wishes to make his voyage “a true spiritual pilgrimage,” and “a strong stimulant to encourage peace.” But the Holy Father is insistent that the trip should not be used for political purposes.

Archbishop Sambi underlined the same theme of spiritual renewal for the Jubilee Year, saying that the millennium should be an opportunity for “ecumenical meeting among all the brothers of the different churches that believe in Christ,” and “dialogue among the three monotheistic religions.”

The papal legate also sees the Jubilee Year as a time when Christians from throughout the world should become better acquainted with their fellow Christians who remain in the Holy Land. These remaining Christians, he said, are “few in number, but precious” to the Christian community because they “maintain the living faith in the places connected to our redemption.” He expressed regrets that, to date, Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land have had very few opportunities to come in contact with the Christians who live there. He suggested the Catholic pilgrims might visit a parish in Jerusalem, and make an effort to speak with the people there.

Suffering ignored
Bishop scolds West for indifference

The Catholic bishop of El Obeid in Sudan, writing in the Boston Globe, chided Western nations for ignoring ethnic cleansing in Sudan even as they intervened in Kosovo.

Bishop Macram Max Gassis said the militant Islamic government of Sudan has waged a decade-long campaign of ethnic cleansing in southern Sudan that has left nearly two million people dead—more than the entire population of Kosovo—and has left more than four million displaced, constituting the largest refugee population in the world.

Bishop Gassis also reminded US President Bill Clinton of a comment he made in a recent meeting with Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel that “he would countenance no more holocausts in Africa.” The bishop asked, “President Clinton, what are you doing to live up to your promise?” He remarked on the comparisons between the Holocaust and Kosovo. “This is our reality as well,” he said. “We, too, are starving to death. We are confined to inhuman camps. We are loaded onto trains and sent to inhuman fates.”

The bishop also asked the reason for being ignored. “I pray that the reason for the indifference . . . is not that we are black while the Kosovars are white, not that we are Africans rather than Europeans,” he said.

DEMOCRATIC
CONGO

Toward the peace table
St. Egidio group offers mediation

The Rome-based St. Egidio community, which has played a pivotal role in peace negotiations in several conflicts, announced in August that representatives of the factions fighting for control of the Democratic Republic of Congo would soon come together to discuss prospects for ending their conflict.

On August 31 the two main rebel groups fighting against the government of President Laurent Kabila endorsed a cease-fire agreement which had been originally signed in July by several nations whose citizens had become embroiled in the Congo conflict. At a peace conference, the former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali revealed that Father Matteo Zuppi of the St. Egidio community would serve as a “facilitator” in peace talks, along with Benin’s President Emile Derlin Zinsou.

RWANDA

Bishop on trial
An attack on Catholicism?

A Rwandan bishop was put on trial in August on charges relating to the 1994 ethnic genocide that left hundreds of thousands dead.

Bishop Augustin Misago of Gigonkoro was charged with failing to offer sanctuary to victims of the massacre. If convicted on those charges, he could face the death penalty. The bishop—the most prominent Catholic clergyman to be charged in connection with the massacres—has said that he was forced to make difficult choices in order to protect as many innocent people as possible, but he has denied taking any part in the massacres.

After preliminary arguments, the court refused to drop charges against Archbishop Misago, and denied a petition to free the prelate on bail, insisting that he must remain in prison until his trial in September. The Vatican has strongly protested the archbishop’s arrest, and pointedly refused to remove him from his episcopal duties.

One prominent Catholic theologian, Father Rene Laurentin, described the trial of Bishop Misago as a public scandal. Speaking to the Fides news agency, Father Laurentin said that the accusations against the bishop were part of “a campaign against the Catholic Church, to make her appear as the cause of an evil which she sought in every possible way to prevent and to stop.”

Bishop Misago was arrested on April 14, a week after Rwanda’s President Pasteur Bizimungu accused Catholic leaders of complicity in the 1994 genocide. The president made the accusation during an April 7 memorial celebration marking the 5th anniversary of the genocide. Government circles accuse the bishop of being directly involved in the slaughtering of 150,000 Tutsi in his diocese, and in particular the killing of 30 girl students who were under his protection.

Father Laurentin, a French theologian who has developed a worldwide reputation as a Marian scholar, became acquainted with Bishop Misago—and with the overall situation in Rwanda—when he was called in for advice about reported Marian apparitions in the town of Kibeho in 1986. He reported that during his stay in Rwanda he had observed a friendly and healthy relationship between members of the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, and noticed that Bishop Misago was “above all a man of balance, and a lover of peace.”

The French theologian continued:

I think it is scandalous from every point of view. A noted French lawyer told La Croix that the trial is “a deadly mixture of justice and revenge.” I find it preposterous that the President of Rwanda should say Bishop Misago is guilty, before any inquiry or judgment was undertaken, and that, defiant of justice, he should declare: “even if he were proved innocent, I do not want him in the country.” Misago is condemned to exile even before the trial.

SOUTH AFRICA

Church discipline for outlaws
Bishop curbs gangland funerals

The secretary general of the South African bishops’ conference (SABC) called on bishops in the country to refuse to arrange funeral Masses for gangsters and notorious outlaws in their parishes.

Bishop-elect Buti Tlhagale of Bloemfontein said that burial services for gangsters in Johannesburg’s Avalon and Croesus cemeteries have become dangerous spectacles for the families of the deceased. “At both Avalon and Croesus graveyards for example, when a dead gangster is buried, his friends fire shots into the air, reminiscent of the military salute. At times gunshots go on endlessly. The girlfriends of these modern day ‘heroes’ scream and ululate,” he said.

The bishop-elect also expressed his contempt for the manner in which gangsters “undermine the morals of society” and are “extolled as models for our youth.” He added, “At times, during such funerals, a stolen car is set alight —a modern day sacrificial lamb to accompany the deceased.”

SRI LANKA

Peace activist slain
Bishops raise sharp protest

On August 2 the Catholic bishops’ conference of Sri Lanka issued a strongly worded letter denouncing the brutal slaying of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.

In the letter the bishops appealed to the country’s political leaders “to rethink the whole question of peace and accelerate the process, eschewing petty party politics and bickering which are of no consequence.” Tiruchelvam, known worldwide as a human rights activist and a pacifist, was one of the architects of a new proposal promoted by the government as a solution to the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka. He was killed by a suicide bomber who, according to police sources, was a member of the Liberation Tigers Tamil Elam (LTTE).

Tiruchelvam was a member of parliament representing the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), which was one of the first Tamil parties to organize in support of political autonomy, in the 1970s. The LTTE eventually rejected the TULF leadership, and several TULF leaders have become the victims of terrorist attacks during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Catholic bishops said in their message, “We pray that at last this brutal killing will touch the conscience of our political leaders, and that of the militant groups, and prompt a firmer, more determined effort to join in support for a political solution.”

INDIA

Papal voyage confirmed
To wrap up Asian Synod

Pope John Paul II will visit India in November to release the apostolic exhortation summarizing the work of the Asian Synod.

While Catholics in India eagerly await some formal announcement of the impending papal visit, a senior government official has confirmed that “the visit is on.” M. P. Singh, protocol director for the Indian foreign ministry, told a reporter, “The visit is taking place toward the end of this year, probably in November.”

The government official said, “The official announcement of the visit will be made public only later. But arrangements are being made.” He said that official invitations would be issued to Church authorities only once the preparations were complete. But that process is well underway, he added.

When public reports of the papal visit first circulated in the secular press, Church leaders in India at first avoided any direct confirmation of the plans. “So far, there is nothing concrete about it,” said Archbishop Alan Basil de Lastic of Delhi, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). “I am aware of media reports and speculation, but there is nothing more right now.”

During the meeting of the Asian Synod in Rome in April and May of last year, India had been mentioned among several possible target sites for a papal visit. (Having called for special synods to bring together the bishops of the several continents, Pope John Paul has made it his practice to make a trip to that continent for the promulgation of his apostolic exhortation—as, for example, he when traveled to Mexico to issue the exhortation that concluded the American Synod.) But even as CWR went to press in September—a full month after Indian government authorities had confirmed the plans for the papal visit—the Vatican had not formally announced the site for the Pontiff’s trip to Asia.

“India is very strong on the list,” said Archbishop de Lastic. “And the Holy Father is very keen to visit India.” The Delhi prelate characterized India as the “country with big religions”— a reference to the country’s status as the cradle of major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Archbishop de Lastic also recalled that during the meetings of the Asian Synod, the bishops of India—who composed nearly 30 percent of all the bishops participating in the Synod—strongly urged the Pope to visit India for the release of the apostolic exhortation.

On July 31 Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the new ambassador of the Holy See in India, confirmed that the Holy Father would like to visit India in the near future, but said that no dates had yet been set. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the director of the Vatican press office, had issued a similar hint earlier in July; he told reporters that during his vacation in the Italian Alps, Pope John Paul was thinking about his forthcoming travel plans, mentioning among them the Pontiff’s hopes to visit both Iraq and India.

Pope John Paul II expressed his desire to visit India after the Chinese government rejected a Vatican inquiry about a papal visit to Hong Kong. After a negative response from Beijing, the Vatican turned to the government of India—which evidently welcomed the idea.

An official announcement of the impending papal visit would come from the government, not from the Indian bishops’ conference. “The local Church has nothing to do with the announcement of the visit; it is between the government and the Vatican nunciature,” said Bishop Oswald Gracias, the secretary general of the CBCI. He told CWR that the Indian bishops “will come into the picture only when the visit is official.”

“So far, we have not received any communication to this effect,” the Bombay bishop reported. “All the same, we would like to be told about it at the earliest. The Indian church has a crucial role in working out the details of the visit.”

Bishop Gracias said that Pope John Paul’s second visit to India is “likely to be a short and symbolic visit,” unlike the 10-day pastoral visit in 1986, during which the Holy Father crisscrossed the nation.

While the Indian Church is hopeful that a visit by the Pontiff could help to broaden a dialogue with other religions—especially Hinduism—in the wake of the anti-Christian violence last year, the possibility of public protests by Hindu fundamentalist groups has been raised in the media. Rediff on the Net, India’s premier internet daily, has reported that the government’s decision to approve the Pontiff’s visit is “under fire” from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Council of Hindus. The VHP, the report said, has written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying that “the papal visit should not be permitted without imposing certain conditions on the Pontiff.” One of the proposed conditions would reportedly be that “the Pope should give a commitment to the government that during his visit he will condemn conversion activities of Christian missionaries across the country.”

VHP president Vishnu Hari Dalmia said that the internet report was “baseless,” denying that any such letter had been sent to the prime minister. “The VHP always welcomes dignitaries to India,” he said. “We are not opposed to any person.” However, he cautioned that if he did visit India, the Pope “should not encourage conversion or speak in favor of it.” Dalmia then made a stronger statement, arguing that the conversion of Hindus to Christianity “leads to tension.” He added: “The unhappy incidents last year were the result of this.” The “unhappy incidents” were a series of brutal episodes of anti-Christian violence which made headlines during 1998 and the early weeks of 1999. VHP officials, along with other Hindu militants, have insisted that the violence was sparked by Hindu resentment of the missionary efforts.

“If the Pope would speak out against encouraging conversion, we are one with everyone else in welcoming him to India,” insisted Dalmia. But he concluded on a less friendly note, saying: “If he is going to speak in favor of conversion, we will definitely protest.”

For his part, Bishop Gracias said that he felt no apprehensions about the prospects for the papal visit. “The Pope will say what is proper and right,” he predicted. “He will not heed what the others say.”

Stopping at two
Benefits denied for larger families

India’s federal government has decided to limit the Family Planning Allowance—for couples who have undergone sterilization—to government employees with only two children.

The finance ministry specified that government employees with even three children will not be eligible for the extra pay for sterilization even if they opt for it. The new government directive modifies the 1979 provision that had made government employees with three children also eligible for the family-planning allowance.

With the Indian population—it is the second most populous nation in the world, after China—on a course to reach a population of one billion within months—India has redoubled efforts to control population growth.

CHINA

Pope not welcome
Visit to Hong Kong rebuffed

The government of Communist China told Pope John Paul II that he will not be welcome to visit Hong Kong, according to the Archdiocese of Hong Kong.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Vatican’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province, was the reason behind the refusal. Mary Seung, spokesman for the Hong Kong archdiocese, said the lack of formal relations with Beijing, which has controlled Hong Kong’s foreign affairs since regaining sovereignty in 1997, is at the root of the problem.

The reports that the Holy Father would not visit China left two questions still unanswered: Did the Vatican ever formally seek permission for a papal trip to Hong Kong? And did Beijing refuse the request because the Vatican continues to enjoy diplomatic relations with Taiwan? According to the Fides news service, the answer to both questions is No.

The fact that the Holy See never formally sought China’s approval for a papal trip is a diplomatic nicety. The possibility of a visit by the Pontiff is ordinarily pursued quietly, along informal channels; no formal request is made until these preliminary negotiations reach a formal conclusion. So it should be no surprise that the Vatican never officially sought Beijing’s approval for a papal visit to Hong Kong—and consequently, the Chinese Communist regime never officially turned down such a request.

However, it is no secret that the Holy See did inquire about the possibility that Pope John Paul might visit Hong Kong. And those inquiries met with a rebuff from Beijing. The official explanation from the Chinese government was voiced by an official in the Chinese foreign ministry. “It would not be appropriate for the Pope to visit Hong Kong,” he said, “since the Vatican still maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan.”

According to the Fides news service, however, the Chinese government refused to allow a papal visit because the Vatican would not accept the Beijing government stage-managing the Pope’s trip. As Fides reported, “As is so often the case in Vatican relations with China, the question of Taiwan is a smokescreen which obscures problems of religious freedom.”

The political issues that surround Taiwan, and the religious-freedom issues that concern Chinese Catholics, have been intimately connected for more than a generation. While Communist leaders insist that the Vatican is seeking to meddle in domestic affairs, Vatican officials point out that the Beijing government is infringing on the religious freedoms of Chinese Catholics.

Since 1949, when Catholic priests were driven out of China in the wake of the Communist takeover, the Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with the mainland regime. A papal nuncio, stationed in Taiwan, is theoretically charged with representing the Holy See to the entirety of China. High-ranking Vatican diplomats have indicated that the nuncio could be transferred to Beijing immediately, if the Chinese government would only acknowledge the necessity for diocesan bishops to remain in full communion with the Holy See. However, since the Beijing regime insists that Chinese Catholics cannot recognize the authority of the Vatican —but must instead belong to the government-controlled “Patriotic Catholic Association”—efforts to promote formal diplomatic relations have proved fruitless.

These issues surfaced anew when the Vatican inquired about a papal visit to Hong Kong. According to the Fides news agency, sources who were close to the negotiations reported that the Beijing government insisted on exercising a veto power over papal appearances. The Chinese leadership was reportedly worried that the Holy Father might concelebrate Mass with bishops from the “underground” Catholic Church—which is loyal to Rome—rather than showing his approval exclusively for the bishops of the “Patriotic” Church.

Fides sources indicate that the Beijing government had also asked the Vatican to agree that any address delivered by the Pope while he was in Hong Kong would be subject to prior approval by the Beijing government. The Vatican flatly rejected that demand.

American criticism
Religious persecution confirmed

In August the US State Department released its first annual report on religious persecution in the world, calling attention to countries where religious freedom is restricted.

The report included on its list of religious persecutors China, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, among others. “Much of the world’s population lives in countries in which the right to religious freedom is restricted or prohibited,” the report said. China was cited for persecuting Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, and Protestants and Catholics who do not belong to “official” sanctioned churches.

In its analysis of China, the State Department said religious persecution varies in intensity from region to region. “There were credible reports of incidents of abuse or torture of Buddhist monks and nuns,” the report said. Meanwhile, the Communist Chinese government said in Beijing that the report was malicious interference.

“Nobody has been arrested or detained because of religious beliefs,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said in response to the American criticism. “If religious believers are arrested, it is not because of their religious beliefs but because they have taken part in criminal activities.”

Just one week before the release of the State Department report, a human-rights group had reported the arrest of at least 30 Protestant leaders of underground churches in the country’s Henan province. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that the Christians were arrested in a private home as they gathered for prayer. They also said that National Security police were involved in the arrests and interrogation for the first time. The government has stepped up a crackdown on illegal religious groups following a campaign against the multi-million-member Falun Gong spiritualist movement.

International aid for
one-child campaign?
UN group seeks to restore funding

A pro-family group charged in July that the United Nations is working to restore US funding for Chinese population-control programs, despite the notoriety of the “one-child, one-family” policy that results in thousands of forced abortions every year.

The Population Research Institute (PRI) disclosed that the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) wants the US government to give $50 million per year to a program in 32 Chinese counties that—as PRI describes it—would “replace direct coercion with more subtle forms of pressure that the UNFPA commonly employs to stop Third World families from having children.” UNFPA has said that the Communist government has agreed to suspend the one-child policy during the course of a four-year experiment administered by UNFPA.

Nafis Sadik, executive director of UNFPA, admitted in a 1998 letter to the US ambassador to the UN that China may still use economic coercion in the experiment. Parents “may still be subject to a ‘social compensation fee’ if they decide to have more children than recommended by the policy,” she said.

SOUTH KOREA

Pro-natal policy
Families urged to have more children

In a move that is sure to ignite the fury of population-control activists, the Catholic Church in South Korea is encouraging parents to have at least three children.

The Vatican’s Fides news agency reported that during a general assembly the Family Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul held July 16-17, it was decided that this pro-natal policy was necessary in order “to promote a more prosperous society, with more children and more healthy children, and in order to solve the problems we face today as a result of a low birthrate.”

According to UN statistics the birthrate in South Korea is far below the replacement rate (2.1), at 1.6.

VIETNAM

Church destruction denied
Government reacts to criticism

The government of Vietnam angrily denied reports, put forward by a British charitable group, that government officials had razed four Protestant churches in a southern region in July.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide said that four churches in Binh Phuoc province had been destroyed. “The authorities have promised to destroy all places of worship,” the group said. Separate religious sources in Vietnam confirmed that at least three churches had been pulled down in the province, which borders Cambodia.

Le Sy Vuong Ha, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Press Department, denied the report. Ha said some people in Binh Phuoc had built homes without permission and were forced to tear them down after they refused to destroy them voluntarily.
Vietnam’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but in practice, the Communist government strictly controls religious groups and their activities. Some Western governments have privately expressed concern at what they say appears to be Hanoi’s attempt to clamp down on Protestantism, especially in more remote regions.

Flocking to the feast
Government fails to deter pilgrims

August 13 to 15 brought the closing celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of La Vang, to whom Vietnamese Catholics are very devoted. During the summer months, thousands of pilgrims—including some who made the trip from overseas—made their way to the Marian shrine at La Vang.

Last year the Vietnamese Communist government tried to play down the ceremony that opened the anniversary year, and restrict attendance to Catholics from the local diocese, arguing that these restrictions were necessary for security reasons. But when the ceremonies took place in an orderly manner and with great solemnity, the government officials praised the country’s bishops. Nevertheless, this year Vietnamese priests again received “advisory” messages from the government, suggesting that visits to La Vang should be postponed until late August—after the close of the festival.

Those warnings apparently fell on deaf ears. Throughout the summer, pilgrims flocked to the shrine in record numbers; sometimes more than 2,000 visitors arrived at the shrine in a single day. The final three-day festival matched the popularity of last year’s opening ceremonies, drawing more than 100,000 participants.

JAPAN

The oldest rosary
From days before persecution

Japanese archeologists announced in August that they had found the oldest rosary beads ever discovered in the country, in a wooden coffin which had been unearthed last year.

The rosary found at Takatsuki Castle in Osaka predates the anti-Christian edicts issued by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587. The castle had been the seat of Takayama Ukon, a Christian nobleman of the late 16th century. The archeologists said the beads will be of assistance in studying the history of Christian missionary work in Japan, which began with the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1549.

All other rosaries previously uncovered were believed to date from the era of “Kakure Kirishitan”—Christians who practiced the outlawed faith in secret—during the Edo period of the 17th century, the researchers said.

Ukon was Japan’s best-known Christian figure. Noted for his deeply held Christian faith, Ukon was baptized at age 12. Known by his Christian name Dom Justo, he propagated his faith among local residents after becoming lord of Takatsuki, opening his doors to missionaries and building 20 churches in his domain. Ukon was exiled in 1614 along with 147 other Christian nobles from Japan, dying the following year in the Philippines.

PHILIPPINES

Opposing the president
Cardinal allied with former leader

The key leaders of the 1986 peaceful revolution that toppled Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos united again this summer to oppose the policies of current President Joseph Estrada.

Former president Corazon Aquino and Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila organized an August rally to air complaints about corruption within the Estrada government. “I am against the return of cronies and the return to power of the past plunderers of our nation,” Cardinal Sin said as he and Aquino announced plans for the rally.

“I am against the harassment of journalists.”

The rally was held on the 16th anniversary of the death of Aquino’s husband, Benino, a democracy activist who was killed at Manila airport in 1983 as he returned from political exile in the United States. Many Filipinos held Marcos responsible for that killing. After massive Church-backed protests forced Marcos out in 1986, Corazon Aquino was elected president and ushered in a new constitution that limits presidents to one six-year term and sets term limits for the Congress.

Estrada had introduced plans to amend the constitution, a move which prompted widespread criticism. “I am against the move to amend the constitution at this time,” Cardinal Sin said. “Invoking a constituent assembly will endanger our democracy.”

Estrada offered to meet with his critics and hear out their complaints, but withdrew that offer when it became clear that Cardinal Sin would participate. “I’d prefer to talk to former President Aquino and former President [Fidel] Ramos, because they have experience in running government,” he said. “Maybe the religious sector should first attend to the spiritual needs and moral values of Catholics,” he added.

However, Estrada did meet with the protest leaders—including the cardinal—a week after their massive public demonstration. He later told reporters that the conversation had been cordial and productive. “We have the same interests, the same objectives,” he said. “We are finding solutions on how to unite for the interest and welfare of our people.”

Primer on execution
Bishops explain opposition

In July the Philippines bishops’ conference issued “A Primer Calling for Commitment to Life and the Abolition of the Death Penalty,” reiterating the hierarchy’s support for the abolition of capital punishment.

“It is a catechism on the death penalty, giving a history on what we have been saying and teaching about the morality of killing people for their crimes,” said Bishop Francisco Claver, SJ, of Bontoc-Lagawe. “We realized that there was need for a greater education for all our people on what the implications of the death penalty were.” The bishops’ primer concedes the need for punishment of criminals, but questions “whether the extreme penalty of death leads to any good.” The bishops note: “There have been studies indicating that it does not deter crimes.”

The primer, said Bishop Claver, will be distributed to all Catholic schools, as well as to all clergy and religious men and women, so as to clear up any controversies on the issue. Last January several priests were vocal in their support for the execution of Leo Echegaray, who had been convicted of raping his daughter and was killed despite pleas for clemency from the victim. Capital punishment was reinstated in the Philippines in 1996 as a response to an increase in violent crime.

INDONESIA

Sharp critique
Bishops challenge government leaders

In a major August statement on the country’s public life, the Catholic bishops of Indonesia scolded the country’s political leaders for failing to serve the people’s interests, and called for an end to the widespread corruption in the government.

The statement by the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference said: “We regret and strongly warn the political elite, who have failed to behave for the people’s good. Certain narrow group interests—and worse, selfish personal interests—should not become the leaders’ way of thinking, because they harm peace and the just course of social development and the future of our people.”

The statement, described by the authors as a “Moral and Political Appeal,” was issued on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, which was celebrated on August 17. The message was signed by Bishop Joseph Suwatan of Manadao and Bishop Johannes Hadiwikarta of Surabaya—the president and vice-president, respectively, of the episcopal conference.

Hailing the success of the general elections which were held in June, the bishops called on the country’s political leaders to pursue the development of real democracy by serving the public interest rather than their own private goals. The statement said that all government officials should “avoid using the money of the people and of the state to manipulate and support unjust political structures, harmful to the people.”

The bishops charged bluntly that the corruption in public offices had led to the manipulation of the economic system, inequalities in enforcement of the country’s laws, and a great deal of outright swindling. They wrote: “Stern and consistent implementation of the rule of law should become the commitment of everyone. The nation’s leaders should not make unclear statements confusing the people, or worse, tell lies that impair the people’s confidence and their efforts to live and to strive for goodness.”

The Indonesian Bishops’ Conference also expressed deep concerns about the continuing violence in the region of Aceh, the riots in Ambon, and the conflict that surrounded a referendum on the future of East Timor. On Aceh, a region on the northern tip of Sumatra, the bishops said that violence must cease, and attention must be given to victims and refugees. “Aceh’s problems will be solved not with rhetoric, deceptive agendas, excessive security, and violence, but with a humanitarian approach, dialogue and openness,” they wrote.

As for Ambon, where riots based on ethnic and religious rivalries have occurred repeatedly over a period of months, the bishops wrote that “the Ambonese people ought to focus on the common good and not let themselves be cruelly manipulated by uncivilized, irresponsible and inhumane persons.”

Finally, on the volatile question of East Timor, the bishops’ statement urged Indonesian political leaders to fulfill their promises to the people of that region, allowing a swift and secure transition toward autonomy for the people of the province.

CHILE

Food for all
Justice requires better distribution

Archbishop Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago said that jobs for all wage-earners and “bread on every table” should be the norms in a Catholic country such as Chile.

In his homily at a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patroness of Chile, Archbishop Errazuriz said that Chileans should show their devotion to the Virgin by “helping in the construction of a more just society.” He pleaded with employers not to lay off workers, despite Chile’s critical economic situation. “Entrepreneurs are called upon in these difficult days to show their solidarity by caring for Chilean families who need a working father to bring food to their tables,” the archbishop said.

“Many Chilean families are suffering in our critical economic and moral situation, and this is something that should not happen in a country that claims to be Christian,” said the archbishop. He urged Chilean Catholics to “reach out and find ways to help the needy.”

“Each one of you can do something to improve the situation of one family, by helping them in their material needs, by consoling them in their suffering, by cooperating in any form to make more bearable the life of those in need,” he said. “Our Lady of Carmel urges us all: No more hunger! No more bread-less tables in Chile!”

BRAZIL

Death of outspoken bishop
Champion of the poor

Archbishop Helder Pessoa Camara, who had gained a worldwide reputation as a champion of the poor in Brazil, died on August 28 at the age of 90. Archbishop Camara had been living in retirement in northern Brazil.

During the 1960s, when he was head of the Archdiocese of Recife, Archbishop Camara clashed frequently with Brazil’s military regime, and became a focus of controversy with his persistent complaints about the inequalities of Brazilian society and his calls for land reform. He also became enormously popular among the people of his diocese, and thousands filed through the “Church of the Frontiers” in Recife, where his body lay in state, to pay their final respects before his burial on August 31.

Pope John Paul II paid tribute to the Brazilian prelate as a “zealous pastor,” and pointed out that Archbishop Camara had been an active participant in the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council and in the creation of CELAM, the conference of Latin American bishops. His fellow Brazilian, Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves—who is now prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops—recalled Archbishop Camara as a man with “an immense capacity to work with the poor, without neglecting any sector of society.” Cardinal Neves said that the late archbishop had exerted “a great influence in the defense of human rights and in defense of the poor.”

Bishops clash on pagan rituals
Syncretism in the Catholic liturgy

At the 11th Encounter of Black Bishops and Priests in Brazil, the inclusion of some rituals from Afro-American cults in the liturgy gave rise to a heated debate on the differences between ecumenism and syncretism.

A number of bishops—notably including Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, the former Archbishop of Bahia —have been critical of the tendency among some priests in northeastern Brazil to insert pagan rituals into the Catholic liturgy, and even to invite priests and priestesses from the traditional cults to participate in some ceremonies. This controversy came to a head in August during the Encounter of Black Bishops and Priests. At that meeting, held in the city of Sao Salvador in the northeastern Bahia state, organizers made inter-religious dialogue a central theme of their sessions, with a special emphasis on the traditional cults. The meeting included a Mass celebrated at the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pelourinho, a church adorned with African ornaments; the Mass was preceded by a “procession” that visited the city’s most noteworthy temples of the African cults.

At two stops on that procession, the participating priests asked for and received a “blessing” from the pagan priests and priestesses. One Catholic participant, Father Clovis Cabral, SJ, commented that it was “very nice” for a particular priestess to receive the Catholic clergy, and said the visit was a way to repay “the debt that the Catholic Church owes to the black people.”

But other Catholics in Bahia took a very different view of the ceremony, and hundreds gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows for a Mass of reparation. Father Dominique Mathon, the pastor who presided at the Mass of reparation, remarked: “To engage in dialogue is all very well, but to seek a blessing from a pagan priestess goes too far.” The French-born priest said that, in light of the demonic influences within the traditional religions, the Catholic priests who participated in the “procession” had “given a terrible witness” for the Catholic faith.

The controversy continued still further when some of the priests participating in the Sao Salvador meeting charged that Father Mathon was promoting racism by denigrating the traditional African cults. They brought formal legal charges of racial and religious discrimination against the French priest.

ARGENTINA

Shared responsibility
for debt
Bishop points to creditors’ greed

The large Latin American debt is not only the consequence of the ill-administration of governments, but also the result of the creditors’ greed, said Argentine Archbishop Hector Aguer of La Plata, in a July letter sent to the newspaper La Nacion.

The archbishop was responding to an article previously published in La Nacion —Argentina’s most influential newspaper—which had questioned the enthusiasm shown by Church leaders for a reduction of international debt. Archbishop Aguer’s letter, which the newspaper printed as an op-ed column, introduced the argument that the Church’s plea for the reduction of debt “is not only a request for a favor, but an application of justice, since the current debt is also the responsibility of the creditors.”

In seeking to explain that argument, the archbishop wrote that “the Church does not favor the irresponsible forgiveness of the debt, because many debtors have to assume their responsibilities.” But he complained that during the 1980s the interest rates on loans had risen dramatically, “thus turning the debt into open usury.” He accused some lenders of seeking “excessive gain, profit, or advantage,” and observed that “the Church has made many statements condemning usury, but the most recent can be read in the # 2438 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

PERU

Prods government on education
Religious instruction as a right

During a Te Deum celebrated on the occasion of the Peruvian Independence Day, Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Lima said that religious education is not a privilege but a right that must be granted by the state. He delivered his pointed message as President Alberto Fujimori and other top government officials looked on from the pews.

In his homily, Archbishop Cipriani congratulated the government for significant achievements such as the peace agreement with neighboring Ecuador and the end of rebel movements, thus becoming the first archbishop in the last 20 years openly to mention government achievements during such a ceremony. Nevertheless, Archbishop Cipriani criticized the government’s decision to exclude religious education in the new education program.

Under the current Peruvian law and an agreement signed in 1979 between Peru and the Vatican, the government pays for and provides Catholic education from kindergarten to grade 12 in all public schools. Non-Catholics can be excused from the course on request. But starting in 2000, the last two years of high school will be replaced by a new, three-year program from which the Ministry of Education has eliminated the religion course. “The Church’s request of the government to provide religious education is not asking for a privilege but claiming a right that belongs not to Church authorities, but to the Peruvian people, who are largely Catholic and want to preserve their religious and moral principles,” said the archbishop.

“I make an appeal to the authorities, asking them to reconsider their decision and include Catholic education in the new program,” said Archbishop Cipriani. “That will be the most concrete way to represent the desire of the Peruvian people.”

COLOMBIA

Excommunication for guerrillas
Prelate carries out his threat

On Saturday, July 30, Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali, Colombia, formally announced the excommunication of the members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group.

The archbishop’s announcement was a response to the ELN’s refusal to release 40 hostages, who had then been held by the guerrillas for several weeks.

“This is what we want: to send them a message that what they have done is wrong, and that is the reason why they are being separated from the communion of the Church,” said Archbishop Duarte, during a candlelight Mass celebrated at La Maria Church in Cali.

That same parish church in Colombia’s second-largest city was the site of a May raid by ELN guerillas, who broke into the church during a Mass and took 150 hostages from the congregation. The guerillas later released most of those hostages, but kept 36 people sequestered in their mountain hideouts, along with 16 other hostages captured during the hijacking of an Avianca airliner in April. Despite a series of appeals from Church leaders, the ELN has refused to release the remaining hostages, who were evidently selected because of their political prominence.

“We hope they will understand that they have committed a great mistake and that they have to make reparation of their wrongdoing to be accepted back into the Church and recover God’s graces,” Archbishop Duarte said as he announced the excommunication of the rebels. Two weeks earlier the archbishop had warned that he would excommunicate all ELN members if the rebel leadership did not free all their hostages by a July 30 deadline.

In carrying out that threat, the archbishop explained that ELN members would now “lose all the graces that are handed out so abundantly by God—lose the right to attend Mass or any official ceremonies, to receive the sacraments, to receive a Christian burial.”

Excommunication is a serious matter for the ELN. The rebel group was founded by a former Catholic priest, and heavily influenced by trends toward liberation theology. It is estimated that as many as 95 percent of all ELN members profess to be Catholics; Catholics make up the same proportion of the country’s overall population of 40 million. In announcing the excommunication, Archbishop Duarte obviously hoped to provoke many ELN guerillas to leave the group, thus forcing the rebel leadership to change its policies.

Until this year, the Catholic bishops of Colombia have generally played a mediating role in the civil strife between the government and two rival rebel groups: the ELN and the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). But this year the bishops began to speak out forcefully against some guerrilla tactics—in particular, the use of kidnapping and collection of ransom as a fundraising tactic—at the same time that they helped to arrange face-to-face negotiations between government officials and guerrilla representatives. Then after the shocking ELN raid on the Cali parish church, the bishops—led by Archbishop Duarte—announced that the ELN had shown its contempt for the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, and forfeited any claim to represent the interests of the Colombian people.

Archbishop Duarte has also asked all Catholics in Colombia “to avoid any relationship with ELN members, unless it is strictly needed for reasons of charity.” The archbishop had already asked European Catholics to stop contributing funds to the ELN. He made the latter plea after Nicolas Rodriguez, the top ELN leader, traveled to Europe on a fundraising venture. While in Italy, Rodriguez visited the Vatican, seeking to convince Church officials that the ELN should not be subject to the penalties which Archbishop Duarte was threatening.

On the day after the archbishop announced the excommunications, Pope John Paul II alluded to the situation in Colombia during a public audience. At his regular Angelus audience on August 1, the Pontiff said: “During these weeks I have closely followed the painful events involving the armed conflict that is going on in Colombia,” and said that the latest developments were “worrisome.” The Pope stressed that “peace is the only road” to reconciliation in the South American land, and added—in what appeared to be a sign of confidence in Archbishop Duarte—that the Holy See “encourages and supports the work of reconciliation undertaken by the Colombian bishops.”

Bishop kidnapped again
Splinter group promises release

Bishop José de Jesus Quintero Diaz of Tibu was kidnapped on August 15 as he traveled homeward from a religious ceremony in the town of Tarra, near the Venezuelan border. This was the second time that Bishop Quintero had been abducted; he was previously kidnapped by rebels in November 1997.

The original reports of the kidnapping—based on eyewitness testimony from a priest who was captured alongside the bishop, and then released—indicated that his captors were members of the National Liberation Army (ELN). However, the ELN denied any involvement in the kidnapping. And sources within the Colombian bishops’ conference indicated that they had not dismissed the possibility that the bishop might have been kidnapped by another group, masquerading as the ELN. Later reports suggested that the kidnappers may have belonged to a small splinter group known as the José Libardo Toro Front. And finally, early in September, another rebel faction called the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) admitted the abduction.

In an open letter to Pope John Paul II, the EPL apologized for kidnapping the bishop, and said that the act had been “a desperate measure to attract the world’s attention.” The group promised to release the bishop promptly, in exchange for the Colombian bishops’ support for an inquiry into alleged human-rights abuses by the Colombian government. The EPL charged that the government is responsible for “the systematic murder of peasants by paramilitary groups.”

NICARAGUA

Bid to legalize abortion
Catholic leaders in opposition

A new law on abortion, which would make the practice legal in some circumstances, has roused a lively debate among Nicaraguan legislators and lobbyists.

In July the Justice Committee of the Nicaraguan legislature opened discussions on a revision of the country’s penal code. The new measure would make most abortions punishable by prison terms: one year for the mother, four years for the abortionist. At the same time, however, the law would allow for legal abortion in cases of rape, fetal malformation, or danger to the mother’s life.

The proposal, put forward by the National Feminist Commission, has the support of a broad range of pro-abortion groups. Eva Maria Senqui, a feminist leader, observed that while “it is difficult to eliminate penalties against abortion completely,” the new measure is “a step in the right direction” because it limits prison sentences for women who abort; current law allows a five-year sentence for the crime.

Rafael Cabrera, the president of the country’s leading pro-life group, did not object to the shorter prison terms. Ordinarily, he observed, the women who procure abortions “are not well informed, and are often induced by desperation.” For that reason he argued that stiffer penalties should be imposed on those who promote abortions, and on the abortionists themselves. However, Cabrera planned to fight against the legalization of abortion in some cases. He pointed out that rape is difficult to establish, and that abortion is rarely—if ever—needed in order to save a woman’s life. In the case of a deformed fetus, he argued, “Doesn’t a child with Down‘s Syndrome have a right to be born, just like any other?”

Church claims challenged
Dictator’s heirs seek to recover land
The heirs of Anastasio Somoza, the dictator who ruled Nicaragua for more than 30 years, have started a legal process to recover what they claim to be their land, which is at present being held by the Catholic Church.
The land in dispute is a 27-acre property located in the capital, Managua, which was a farm but has become, with the growth of the city, valuable real estate. In 1985, the Catholic Church received the land, without ever knowing that it had belonged to the Somoza family and been confiscated in 1983 by the revolutionary Sandinista government. The land now includes the site for Managua’s new cathedral. Javier Rivas Somoza, a nephew of the former Nicaraguan leader, said that he would willingly allow the Church to retain the land on which the cathedral is built, but he wants the remaining portion of the property for himself.
Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo of Managua has said that he regrets the fact that the land was originally confiscated from the Somoza family, and stated that “the Church would have never accepted it if we had known its origin.” But he added that the archdiocese already has an extensive pastoral and social plan for the area. “The problem involved with the restoration of the property is now between the state and the Somoza family; the archdiocese is not part of the problem,” the cardinal said.

COSTA RICA

Sterilization law challenged
Risks of abuse

Archbishop Roman Arrieta of San Jose has called upon government authorities to ensure that the public receives adequate and accurate information about the provisions of a new law that legalizes sterilization.

The government recently approved a new policy which allows physicians to perform sterilizations, provided that women are fully informed about the consequences of the surgery. The new policy requires women to sign an authorization form prior to the operation, and to receive counseling about the effects of sterilization.

While reiterating the Church’s opposition to sterilization, the archbishop also pointed out the new policy could open the way for serious abuses. He observed that by signing an authorization form, women might be absolving doctors of responsibility for any damage done by the surgery. He also questioned whether women could receive proper and objective counseling about the dangers and drawbacks of sterilization from clinics which derived profit from the surgery.

GUATEMALA

Detecting a breakthrough?
Investigators claim new evidence

The chief prosecutor in the 1998 murder of a Catholic bishop announced in August that DNA evidence taken from blood found at the scene of the crime matches DNA taken from unnamed suspects.

Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera was bludgeoned to death outside his home on April 26, 1998—two days after releasing a report that blamed the military for most of the deaths during the country’s 36-year civil war. Despite accusations against the military by Catholic leaders and human-rights groups, the original prosecutor in the case arrested and charged a priest who lived with the bishop at the time. Current prosecutor Celvin Galindo declined to name the suspect who matched the DNA sample, but the suspect list includes several soldiers as well as civilians.

MEXICO

Vatican authority upheld
Controversial bishop announced own successor

In a joint public statement, the Mexican bishops’ conference and the papal nuncio in Mexico have emphasized that only the Pope has the authority to appoint a diocesan bishop or accept his resignation. The unusual announcement came in response to the news that a controversial bishop had handed over authority to his coadjutor bishop.

During the summer, Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia of San Cristobal de las Casas convened several ceremonies at which he has apparently announced that Bishop Raul Vera Lopez had taken the reins as the new bishop of the diocese. These ceremonies were widely interpreted by reporters as a formal transfer of authority. However—as the nuncio and the head of the episcopal conference emphasized—Bishop Vera had been appointed only as a coadjutor to Bishop Ruiz, and the Vatican has not yet authorized any transfer of authority.

In their statement, the papal representative, Archbishop Justo Mullor Garcia, and the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Luis Morales Reyes, said that the meetings convened by Bishop Ruiz should be seen as welcoming ceremonies, in which the bishop made “mere expressions of respect” for his new coadjutor. They pointed out that under the Code of Canon Law, a new bishop cannot take office without express approval from the Pope. And while a coadjutor bishop may have the right to succeed the incumbent bishop of the diocese, the transfer of authority can take place only through a formal act, approved by the Vatican. Until the Pope makes that decision, the statement concludes, Bishop Ruiz remains the bishop in authority in the Chiapas diocese.

Bishop Ruiz has become the focus of considerable controversy in Chiapas—the southern region where the San Cristobal diocese is located—because of his involvement with the Zapatista rebellion there, and his identification with new forms of liberation theology. The appointment of a coadjutor bishop was widely seen as an expression of concern by the Vatican that Bishop Ruiz had become too heavily involved in political and theological controversies.

Sectarian clashes
New violence in Chiapas

In July the Chiapas province saw the outbreak of a new sort of conflict, as Catholics and Protestants clashed in the remote village of Icalumtic, leaving at least three people wounded.

Although Protestant leaders originally reported that several people had been killed in the fighting, local government officials denied that there had been any deaths. The officials said fighting broke out when three Protestants from another village arrived in Icalumtic to preach and proselytize; Catholics reacted violently, and three Catholics were left wounded. Protestants and Catholics have often been in contention in Chiapas, where Protestant missionaries have only recently begun efforts to convert the traditionally Catholic people of the Indian villages. Many Catholics feel the Protestant evangelists are a threat to their religious, cultural, economic, and political traditions.

“Lazy Catholics” prey
for sects
Prelate urges vigorous evangelization

In his characteristic blunt style, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara closed an Archdiocesan conference on evangelization in August by saying that “lazy Catholics” are easy prey for the increasing presence of fundamentalist groups in Mexico.

“Thanks to God, not even internal betrayals have been capable of destroying the Church,” said the cardinal, who added: “Probably the most common means of betrayal today is the one posed to lazy Catholics who do not deepen their faith and become easy prey for the fundamentalist sects coming from our northern neighbor.” Cardinal Sandoval said that US-based sects have deployed an “aggressive, well-financed campaign,” but he said that “the only way to resist their action is by strengthening Catholic identity by means of true devotion, solid catechesis, and strong community life.” He then ruled out “any sort of calumny, aggression, or violence, because this is a Christian contest which must be carried out by proportional means.”

A month earlier, Archbishop Emilio Berlie Belaunzaran of Yucatan had warned the faithful of his diocese that they should not place credence in the millenarian prophecies spread by self-styled Catholic groups claiming special access to the “third secret of Fatima.”

“Some time ago we detected a group of ‘disoriented Catholics’ who were distributing—at the exits of churches and in several public places—millenarian messages attributed to Our Lady of Fatima,” explained the archdiocese’s vicar general, Msgr. Carlos Heredia.

Msgr. Heredia, who briefed reporters on the archbishop’s message, said that the messages being spread were fraudulent. “They are false prophecies spread by these groups,” he said. “Authentic Catholics must simply ignore these false writings, which are causing preoccupation among the people.”

UNITED STATES

Silence imposed on New Ways founders
Ambiguous on homosexuality

The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has banned two American religious from exercising their pastoral ministry among homosexuals, because their views on the morality of homosexual acts have been judged “unacceptable.”

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has signed a note from the Congregation, with the express approval of Pope John Paul II, pointing out that Father Robert Nugent, SDS, and Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church insofar as they do not recognize the intrinsic immorality of homosexual acts. The note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was made public on July 13.

For more than 20 years, Father Nugent and Sister Gramick have specialized in work with homosexuals; they had founded New Ways Ministry, a Washington-based organization dedicated to promoting “justice and reconciliation” for homosexuals and lesbians. They are the authors of the book, Building Bridges: Gay and Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church, and editors of Voices of Hope: A Collection of Positive Catholic Writings on Gay and Lesbian Issues. They have also been influential in the preparation of documents such as “Always Our Children,” a statement on homosexuality issued by the administrative committee of the US bishops’ conference.

The note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith observed that Father Nugent and Sister Gramick had repeatedly and publicly “called into question” several important elements of Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality, and had continued their pattern of dissent despite the fact that several Church authorities had invited them to change their positions. Reporting that the Vatican had received many complaints and urgent inquiries about the work of New Ways Ministry, the Congregation said that the public stance of the two religious had become “a source of embarrassment” within several American dioceses.

In 1988, the note revealed, the Congregation had formed a committee to look into the public statements and writings of Father Nugent and Sister Gramick. After a long series of exchanges of notes, communications, questions, and responses, the two Americans were asked to renounce their errors and clarify the “ambiguities” of their positions. The Congregation did find “positive elements” in the work of New Ways Ministry, but also found stances that were “incompatible with Christian morality.”

The final stage in the Congregation’s process came in 1998, when the two Americans were asked to sign statements of support for the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding homosexual acts. Their declarations, which arrived in Rome in August 1998, were finally judged unacceptable, and the Congregation chose to declare their positions “doctrinally unacceptable.”

The July 13 note from the Congregation states that Father Nugent and Sister Gramick are “permanently barred from any pastoral work regarding homosexual persons.” They will also be ineligible, for an undisclosed period of time, for any position of leadership in their respective religious institutions.

Father Nugent said that he would reluctantly accept the discipline imposed by the Vatican, but warned that the Church’s position would alienate homosexuals. In a three-page public statement, he complained about the process leading up to the Vatican decision, and explained that he had refused to sign a statement of support for Church teaching because that statement referred to homosexual acts as “intrinsically evil.” Citing the example set by the US bishops’ statement “Always Our Children”—which he had reportedly helped to draft—Father Nugent said that he had replaced the words “intrinsically evil” with “objectively immoral” —a change which he said was required for “pastoral reasons.”

In her own statement responding to the Vatican announcement, Sister Gramick stopped short of promising to comply with the disciplinary sanctions. She charged that the Vatican had been unjust to ask for a formal statement of support for Church teachings. “To intrude, uninvited, into the sanctuary of another’s conscience is both disrespectful and wrong,” she wrote. Sister Gramick added that she had not made any public statement of her own beliefs on the morality of homosexual acts because “these are the areas of contention between the magisterium and lesbian/gay Catholics.”

Bishop resigns
Admits affair with priest

The bishop of Santa Rosa, California, abruptly resigned in July, then admitted to having sexual relations with a former priest of the diocese.

Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann had been accused of sexual assault by Father Jorge Salas Hume, in a complaint filed in Sonoma County Superior Court. In 1996 Bishop Ziemann had removed Hume as pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Ukiah after the priest admitted to stealing $1,200. Hume alleged that the bishop then forced him to engage in sex acts in exchange for silence about the thefts.

“The bishop did regretfully have a personal consensual relationship with Father Hume that was inappropriate for both of them as priests,” said Joseph Piasta, a lawyer for Bishop Ziemann. He added that Hume filed the lawsuit only after the bishop refused to pay him $8 million—a charge which Hume’s attorneys do not deny.

“The bishop has refused to buy his reputation and peace of mind from this man at a price of millions from the people of this diocese,” Piasta said. “These charges threaten not only the reputation of a very holy man, but the faith of thousands of North Bay Catholics that recognize him as what a modern American Catholic leader should be.”

Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bishop Ziemann and appointed Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco as apostolic administrator of the diocese.

Protest human cloning
Demonstration targets research project

On Sunday afternoon, August 8, over 60 protesters gathered outside the research facilities of Advanced Cell Therapeutics (ACT), a Worcester, Massachusetts firm where scientists are engaged in experiments with cloning, using embryonic human cells.

The two-hour demonstration, organized by the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, of the Washington, DC-based Christian Defense Coalition, was the first demonstration in the nation against privately funded human cloning. Mahoney said, “They are growing human beings to experiment on and then kill. This is no different from the behavior of the Nazi Dr. Mengele or the fictitious Dr. Frankenstein.”

ACT researchers are cloning embryos from human stem cells. While federal regulations have banned the use of government funds for research on human embryos, ACT—along with the Geron Corporation in California—has continued its experiments, using only private funds. The company insists that it has no plans to clone human beings, and carefully destroys all human embryos before they are 14 days old.

Showdown in the military
Air Force officer refuses assignment

A Catholic Air Force officer who asked not to be assigned to sleep at close quarters with women in nuclear missile silos has said that he objects to a decision to retrain and transfer him.

First Lieutenant Ryan Berry was stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota where he was trained as a nuclear missile silo officer. In that job, two officers live at close quarters for 24 hours at a time, in an area no larger than a school bus, with a single bed and semi-private toilet facilities.

When told he may have to serve with female officers in that capacity, Berry protested to his superiors, citing his Catholic beliefs as prohibiting the married father from living in such close quarters with a woman to whom he is not related. “I love my Church, I love being in the military, I love my wife, I love my child,” Berry said. “I’m not being allowed to combine those loves. I have to sell one of them short.”

When a group of Congressmen wrote to Air Force officials in support of Lieutenant Ryan, the Air Force chief of staff replied that the young officer’s personal convictions could no longer be accommodated without creating an unacceptable impact on the unit’s ability to accomplish the military mission.” While conceding that the armed forces “must accommodate religious beliefs to the maximum extent possible,” General Michael Ryan informed the legislators that Ryan would be transferred to another assignment.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said Berry’s stance was fully justified. He questioned why military leaders were unable to accommodate the moral principles of a Roman Catholic, when the demands of feminist groups appear to receive top priority.

Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, a member of the Armed Services Committee in the US House of Representatives, added the observation that the Air Force policy of putting men and women together in such proximity could easily lead to sexual misbehavior. “It is silly. This policy is stupid, quite apart from the religious aspects of it,” Bartlett said. He called it “a case of worshipping at the altar of political correctness.”

Archbishop protests contraceptive coverage
Forced support for immoral acts

The Archbishop of Denver has criticized the US Congress for approving legislation that would force taxpayers to fund abortion and contraception in the US and abroad.

“No government (and surely not one representing the ‘land of the free’) should force its citizens—individually or collectively—to do what they find repugnant on religious or moral grounds,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap, of Denver. In an article published by his diocesan newspaper, the archbishop also expressed his concern about the legislative efforts to require coverage of contraception and abortifacient drugs in health-care packages for federal workers.

“It’s the issue of coercion which should alarm any reasonable observer,” wrote the archbishop. He wrote:

Forcing health-care plans—whether those which participate in the federal employees’ health-care program, or private plans—to cover contraceptive and abortifacient drugs and services is profoundly offensive to Catholics and other people of faith who view marriage as a sacrament and each child a gift from a loving God. But it’s also offensive to all citizens because it sets a dangerous precedent of government interference in each citizen’s constitutional right to practice his or her religious beliefs and moral convictions.

Priest to head Harvard Divinity School
Prominent in “peace pastoral” process

The Harvard Divinity School has appointed a Catholic priest to lead the school on a permanent basis, for the first time in its 183-year history.

Father J. Bryan Hehir has been a professor of religion and society at Harvard since 1992 and has been acting dean since the university asked Dean Ronald F. Thiemann to resign last fall after thousands of pornographic images were found on his university-owned computer.

Father Hehir will not officially assume the role of dean, under the terms of an unusual arrangement that leaves him free to maintain his pastoral duties as a priest of the Boston archdiocese and a counselor for Catholic Relief Services. Instead he will become the chairman of an executive committee made up of other faculty members and associate deans. “Primarily, his responsibilities as a Catholic priest are to the Catholic Church. Given that, the job has been adjusted slightly in order to take advantage of his talents,” said Joe Wrinn, a Harvard spokesman.

Father Hehir served for years on the staff of the US Catholic Conference in Washington, DC. He is widely regarded as the principal architect of the bishops’ controversial 1983 statement on the morality of nuclear deterrence.

Father Marx steps down
International pro-life leader

The founder of the prominent international pro-life group Human Life International (HLI) has stepped down from his leadership position with the group, citing health reasons.

Father Paul Marx, OSB, founded HLI in 1981 and served as president and chairman until Father Matthew Habiger became president in 1994. Father Marx then served as chairman until 1998 when Father Habiger assumed that role. Father Richard Welch, CSSR, is currently president. The elderly Father Marx, who recently celebrated 57 years as a religious, returned to St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota earlier this year for medical tests.

“The best gift we can give Father Marx is to insure that his legacy will continue through the work of HLI throughout the world,” said Father Welch. “In this time of transition, we call on HLI’s worldwide family of friends and supporters to honor him by joining to pray and work together to help HLI to flourish in the years ahead, as we fight the good fight for faith, life, and family.”

CANADA

No rights for unborn child
Court rejects boy’s suit

In July the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that a 6-year-old boy cannot sue his mother for actions she took while she was pregnant—actions that caused him permanent disabilities—because he was not a legally recognized person at the time. The court, in a 7-2 ruling, upheld previous decisions which had concluded that the unborn child is not legally distinct from his mother and thus has no separate legal rights.

The case involved Ryan Dobson, who was born 13 weeks premature after his mother Cynthia was involved in an automobile collision. The premature birth left young Ryan suffering from cerebral palsy, and requiring expensive medical treatment. The boy’s grandfather brought suit against Cynthia Dobson on Ryan’s behalf. It was an “amicable” lawsuit, intended to set a legal precedent that would enable the family to claim insurance coverage for Ryan’s medical costs.

However, the Canadian court ruled that an unborn child has no legal standing to sue his mother. “In light of the very demanding biological reality that only women can become pregnant and bear children, the courts should be hesitant to impose additional burdens upon pregnant women,” said the majority opinion. “There can be no meaningful analogy between a child’s action for prenatal negligence against a third party on the one hand, and against his or her mother on the other.”

Challenge to confessional seal
No privilege in international court?

A Canadian proposal for the rules governing a new International Criminal Court (ICC) would revoke the centuries-old precedent that protects a priest from being compelled to reveal information disclosed in the confessional.

The bid to create an International Criminal Court gained approval in Rome last year, and now awaits the approval of 60 governments for ratification. Until then national delegates have been meeting to refine the statute, including the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The Canadian proposal would eliminate the traditional privileged status accorded to confessions and other private conversations with religious counselors of all faiths.