The
join John Pail H in prayer AUGUST
HONDA
eCOIN
General: That respect for the environment, God's gift to all men and women, may increase both on a personal level and on that of world public opinion. Missionary: That in the vast shanty towns of the world the efforts of missionaries may alleviate the suffering caused by injustice and foster the full development of those who live with them.
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WA's only Catholic weekly newspaper Perth: August 29 2002 Price: $1
WHAT OUR POLITICIANS THINK ABOUT EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH Page 3
FEATURE:
It's silly season in Rome, with more conspiracy theories than rain
pages 8&9
Senator Lightfoot says the use of stem cells recovered from embryos at any stage of development or those from fertilised human eggs must be prohibited. Imports of embryos must also be stopped to prevent "embryo farms" from being established in developing countries.
Worki together for our environment
-
"Not by love of authority but by
the authority of their love" - why fathers are important, Editorial, page 7
—
REVIEW
Old Thunder The life and times of Hilaire Belloc reviewed by Tony Evans page 14
SCIENCE FOR HUMANITY, NOT VICE VERSA - briefing on cloning and stem cell research
page 11 Photo: Peter Rosengren
Perth's newest Catholic school
pagc 4
(ZENIT) - John Paul II said man's 'ecological vocation' is more urgent than ever, given the grave threats to the environment. The Pope delivered that message on the eve of the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, which opened on Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa. The summit runs until September 4. 'The human creature feels very little before the wonder of divine Providence, manifested in creation and history,' John Paul II said, before reciting
the Angelus with several thousand pilgrims gathered at the papal summer residence here south of Rome. 'At the same time, [the human creature] realises that he is the recipient of a message of love that calls him to responsibility,' the Holy Father said. 'People, indeed, are appointed by God as administrators of the earth, to cultivate and protect it.' 'From here stems that which we might call their 'ecological vocation,' which in our time has become more urgent than ever,' he said.
Referring to the Johannesburg summit, the Pope said: 'We all hope that the numerous heads of state and government present, and the other participants, will succeed in finding effective ways for an integral human development, keeping in mind the economic, social and environmental dimension.' 'In a world that is increasingly interdependent, peace, justice and the protection of creation must be the fruit of the common effort of all in pursuing the common good together,' the Holy Continued page 2 Father added.
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29 August, 2002
No. 3325
The Record, established in 1874, is distributed to Catholic Churches, presbyteries, religious houses and subscribers throughout the Archdiocese of Perth, Geraldton, Bunbury, Broome and overseas.
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New evidence in the dating of the Shroud of Turin - Page 9
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articles of interest Toronto still abuzz - Page 11 Soccer star quits after death threats Page 12 New Perth Cathechists commissioned page 5
regulars Archbishop's Perspective I say. I say Sunday Readings A column of Marian Devotion Editorial Letters to the Editor Words of Wisdom Record Reviews Panorama
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Lay Maryknoll missionary Phil Brady joins community organiser Maritza Pineda, right, in assessing pollution in Valle Yavalitos, a 1200ha protection zone surrounding Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Photo CNS Reuters
ith the Year of the Outback in mind. I recently spent eight days in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area on Pastoral Visitation. Anyone who is familiar with the Eastern Goldfields, especially if one has lived there for a while, will acknowledge the friendliness of the people and their unique community spirit. I sensed these things very strongly during my visit, especially because it brought back memories of my childhood spent in the outback, particularly in Kalgoorlie and Wiluna. Father Tony Vallis, the energetic Parish Priest, and Fr Charles Waddell, equally gracious, escorted me to the various centres. Fr Vallis took me to meet the Catholic communities of Kalgoorlie, Boulder, Karnbalda, Norseman, Balladonia and Coolgardie. Everywhere the people gave me a warm friendly welcome. I noticed their strong faith and their efforts to hold their Catholic communities together despite the rapid turnover of people associated with today's mining industry. Fr Waddell even took me outside the diocese on a nostalgic tour of Menzies, Leonora and Wiluna. Perth is so large and expanding so rapidly on all fronts that it becomes a little self-obsessed, as if nothing else existed beyond its borders. Yet our outback communities, and our country farming communities contribute so enormously to the economic prosperity of Perth and Australia as a whole, that they should not be forgotten. Nor should the Church forget them. I learned many lessons from my visit to the Goldfields. I became aware of many projects being undertaken for the good of the community, by Catholics working together with other committed Christians. One was a recent census of the whole area. Another was a men's breakfast at which Christian leaders were invit-
ed to speak. I will address "Breakfast for Blokes" in November. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and some mining companies had accepted a program called "Character First", emphasising month by month, good Christian virtues, based on Christ himself, without making it a specifically religious program. Another initiative was the establishment of an Institute for Families, helping families hold together and grow strong, resisting the antifamily forces in today's society. These and other initiatives have attracted lay leaders across faiths who work together, because of their common commitment to Jesus Christ, for the good of the community. It is an admirable example of lay Christian witness. The friendly spirit I found in the various parish communities was evident also in the three Catholic schools in the area, and in the special works of charity sponsored by Religious and lay groups. There is no reason why vocations to the priesthood and the Religious life should not flourish in such rich soil. Some young men are already thinking about the priesthood. I was pleased to note. May these seeds grow. There were other thingsIlearned too - that prostitution was declining, that men were becoming more responsible and respectful of women, and that young people were looking for more than material success. If! were a big player in the share market. I could have picked up a lot of tips about gold and nickel mining ventures. But then, the clergy should be very careful not to talk about gold and gold strikes. Memories of the famous Fr Long are still a little too tender and sensitive in Kalgoorlie. Do readers of The Record remember Fr Long? In this Year of the Outback let us not forget the good work being done by our priests, Religious and laypeople in remote places.
Document highlights our ecological vocation Environment
Johannesburg Summit
Ecology and solidarity are two inseparable elements, the Vatican states in a document prepared for the World Summit for Sustainable Development. The document was distributed weeks ago to delegations that will be attending the August 26-September 4 summit. It comes a decade after the Rio de Janeiro conference. According to the document, ecology is an authentic sign of 'human solidarity' which 'obviously includes the preservation and cultivation of the earth's resources.' Such development must be based on "solid ethical values, or it is without direction and lacks the necessary foundations upon which the sought-after development can be built and sustained.' 'The concept of sustainable development is taken to mean the process of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,' the document stresses. 'This concept has to be understood from the perspective of integral human development' The first principle of the Rio Declaration is that 'Human beings are at the centre of sustainable development concerns.' This is why the Vatican appeals to the Johannesburg summit to adopt the term 'human ecology!
'TThe complete notion of human ecology ... [rests] primarily on ensuring and safeguarding moral conditions in the action of the human being in the environment: the document continues. 'It must also be noted that the first and fundamental structure for human ecology is the family, in which man receives his first formative ideas about truth and goodness, and learns what it means to love and to be loved, and thus what it actually means to be a person,' the document adds. In this context, particular 'attention should be given to a 'social ecology' of work.' In regard to globalisation, the Vatican document explains that 'it is neither good nor bad. It will be what people make of it. No system is an end in itself, and it is necessary to insist that globalisation, like any other system, must be at the service of the human person; it must serve solidarity and the common good.' The Holy See insists on "the absolute necessity to eradicate poverty.' To this end, 'the active participation of the poor" is necessary. 'There is a distinct possibility that too many of the schemes currently under discussion look at the poor simply as a problem, rather than as potentially productive and creative actors in society' the document stresses. From this viewpoint the Vatican regards as critical the 'delivery of employment opportunities, education, basic health care and adequate shelter.' New patterns of consumption
' Pa§e 2 ,
,
and production should be examined and promoted in accordance with the principles of human dignity and solidarity,' the document suggests. 'Since more than half of the world's population still lives in rural areas and the rural poor lack access to the most basic social services, they must be given increased attention and consideration,' it continues. Moreover, adequate 'supplies of water of good quality need to be ensured for everyone.' Regarding relations between states, the Vatican insists that 'solidarity has a spiritual quality that must become more deeply rooted in our approach to international problems.' In this connection, it proposes an "international governance" based on the principle of subsidiarity, according to which if a state is 'incapable of meeting its development needs, others are obliged to come to its assistance.' Lastly, the Vatican document explains that human dignity 'is based on the uniqueness of the human being from the rest of creation; that of being made in the image and likeness of God.' This does not entitle the individual to be selfish, however. "This likeness shows that man, the only creature on earth that God wanted for its own sake, cannot fully find himself except in sincere self-giving,' the document says. Indeed, the 'gift of self ultimately ensures the well being of others and of future generations: it concludes. - Zenit Creation is a gift, says Vatican - Page 13
Record
29 August, 2002
Web way to thank priests By Glenn Rutherford LOUISVILLE, Kentucky. (CNS) Joe Lilly and Rick Redman were having coffee one recent morning when their conversation turned to the sexual abuse crisis plaguing the Catholic Church. It is a depressing and disheartening subject, especially when the two friends began discussing the harm that the controversy has caused to those in the Church innocent of any wrongdoing. "We decided we wanted to do something to help uplift the people who've been true to their vows and who have also been taking a beating in this thing," said Redman, a member of St. Albert the Great Church in Louisville. "We really wanted to do something to help these good priests
who have lived Christlike lives and who've done what they vowed to do." Redman thought perhaps an event, a night of appreciation, might be the ticket. 'But then Joe said, 'What about a Web site?'" Redman recalled. And an idea was born. The new site, now up and running at www.thankyoufathercom, is designed to convey exactly what its name implies. So far, more than 160 messages of support for priests have been posted on the site, which had more than 3,000 visitors in its first two weeks. "In reality, we believe the best thing people could do is tell their favorite priests how much they've meant to them," said Lilly, a member of Holy Spirit Church in
Louisville. "We decided the Web Both men say their effort isn't site should offer thanks and meant to make any statement encouragement to this group of about the current crisis. people who have meant so much "We want to make it crystal clear to so many." that we're not involved in the Lilly, Redman and a handful of debate about this issue," Lilly said. their friends - Ingrid Bolton, "The court cases should work Bryan Rensel, Steve Costello and their way through the system, and Doug O'Donnell - put the site justice should be done. together and had it up and run"But our main concern is for the ning in early August. good priests who do God's work "We were able to get the domain every day," he added. "They're name (thankyoufather.com) and being painted with a broad we found a host site," Lilly brush." The Web site allows people to explained. "The graphic design work was post messages to their priests, and donated, the programming was it also contains a prayer that, Reddonated and with this core group man said, he would encourage we were able to get things going." every Web site visitor to pray. "We don't want to downplay the The main premise of the site, "is to encourage people to say 'thank victims (of sexual abuse) in all of you' to the priests who have been this," he said. "We want to make sure that those people who have ministering to them for so long."
Reconciliation a congress focus
c_c t Cerszlo4 COPtik
a legitimate claim are respected, and we pray they receive the healing they need. We simply want to acknowledge the role of those priests who have been devoted and ethical. "We want to minister back to them in some way." Those priests "have been there for us 24 hours a day," Redman said, "in bad times and times of tragedy and in times of celebration. "Most priests today wear pagers and have cell phones so they can be there for us whenever we need them. Bless their hearts. "We want to do something to help lift their spirits and boost their morale. "We want them to know that the people of their parishes care for them."
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Jeannie Evans receives Communion from Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick during the closing Mass of the Diocese of Amarillo Eucharistic Congress on August 24. The two-day event focused on healing, recPhoto. CNS Cathy Lexa, West Texas Cathoh, onciliation and renewal.
Jesuit morality group combating pornography on Worldwide Web NEW YORK (CNS) - Morality in Media, an organisation co-founded by a Jesuit priest, has launched a new Web site aimed at helping people report possible violations of US federal laws against the distribution of hard-core pornographic materials on the Internet. Through the site at www.obscenitycrimes.org, the New York-based organisation will forward the reports to the appropriate US attorney and to the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in Washington for investigation and possible prosecution. Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, said the Web site "shortens the distance between citizens, whose homes and places of business have been invaded by Internet obscenity, and federal prosecutors, who have the responsibility to enforce federal Internet obscenity laws." Visitors to the site can make a report by giving their name, address and county of residence, as well as the Internet address of the offending site. They may describe the hard-core material by selecting words or phrases in a multiple-choice list provided by Morality in Media. The report form does not accuse anyone of a crime. It simply asks the US attorney to investigate for possible violations of Internet obscenity laws. "For almost 10 years, there has been almost no enforcement of federal obscenity laws against commercial distributors of hard-core pornography," Peters said. "Millions of Americans have been assaulted by hard-core pornography in their homes and at their jobs and are shocked to see how easy ills for even children to access these vile materials." Morality in Media was founded in the early 1960s by Jesuit Father Morton A. Hill, together with a rabbi and a Lutheran pastor. Father Hill served as president of the organisation until his death in 1985.
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Rebce ord 1111
29 August, 2002
/version stories... A
qAords
W IS
D eA4
with Tony Evans
W
ith the publication of the review of a new biography of Hilaire Belloc in this week's edition of The Record it is only fitting that we should find words of wisdom from Belloc himself. Reading a literary A biography, however excellent, is a poor substitute for reading the author himself and to read biographies without reading the original works is cheating or perhaps merely an affectation. There is so much wisdom in Belloc, one of the most important and prolific Catholic writers of the twentieth century, that it is difficult to select one passage above a hundred others. This column has already quoted, several months ago. Belloc's defence of attending daily Mass from The Path To Rome. Here he is, in prophetic voice, writing as early as 1931, about the likely collapse of Western civilisation which rejects Catholicism. It was first published in his book of that date. Essays of a Catholic: ur civilisation developed ‘ ../ as a Catholic civilisation. It developed and matured as a Catholic thing. With the loss of the Faith it will slip back not only into paganism but into barbarism with the accompaniments of paganism, and especially the institution of slavery. "It will find gods to worship, but they will be evil gods as were those of the older savage paganism before it began to advance towards Catholicism. The road down hill is the same as the road up the hill. "It is the same road; but to go down back into the marshes again is a very different thing from coming up from the marshes into pure air. "All things return to their origin. A living organic being, whether a human body or a whole state or society, turns at last into its original elements if life be not maintained in it. "But in that process of return there is a phase of corruption that is very unpleasant. "That phase the modern world outside the Catholic Church has arrived at. "Men do not live long without gods: but when the gods of the new paganism come they will not be merely insufficient, as were the gods of Greece, or merely false; they will be evil. "One might put it in a sentence, and say that the new paganism, foolishly expecting satisfaction, will fall, before it knows where it is, into Satanism."
i‘n
Old Thunder review - Page 14 Page 4
By Steve Proud
/
was born November 18, 1978, in Rockhampton, Queensland, to two loving parents Jasmine and Mark. Soon after my birth we headed to Townsville, where two years later my brother was born. We went to Townsville because my Dad was in the Army. We lived there for about seven years. A pretty happy seven years it was as well. Towards the end of that time Mum and Dad went their separate ways. Like many families these days. So we headed to Cairns with Mum, no stress no hassles no worry. I guess though things took a nasty surprise. Mum had met this bloke who we moved in with in Cairns. I think a couple of hours after getting there they got into an argument in the bedroom and by the time they had finished Mum walked out black and blue. From then on I guess I'd realised that home wasn't going to be the nicest place to be for awhile. That 'while' lasted about 11 years. Different men in mum's life, different sorts of abuse.Iwas fine, but mum was the one who suffered. We saw dad every couple of weeks, which was good. I started to become very shy and quiet at home. Probably because I had trouble dealing with things. At school though it was a different story. At school I'd sought everyone's attention. I was your everyday run of the mill class clown. School was the place
Steve Proud
for me; it became my source of tion that it wasn't other people affection and attention. I'd prac- who made me act this way - but tically do anything anyone told it was myself. Life rolled on. It's me. I loved it on the outside. But funny though. I couldn't escape. on the inside the hole felt like it I'd experienced something on was getting bigger. If we had that weekend. I could not define labels at school mine was the it, couldn't put my finger on it. I started searching for some'class down'. This was probably the case the thing; the hole I had once expeentirety of my schooling. I start- rienced had come back. Music ed to feel very alone in myself. was the only thing I really found Don't get me wrong, it was all fun could touch base with the way I and games but at night, at home was feeling. After a while I startin bed,Icouldn't escape this feel- ed listening to bands like 'Tool', ing of loneliness. In year 12 I met 'Faith No More', Netallica'. I some people who came to our could get all this pent up anger school to tell us about this youth out. But, the hole kept getting biggroup who were running a week- ger. On my journeys, I was invited end. I couldn't resist. I longed to meet some peopleIcould just be to a week-long Retreat at normal with and not have to be Bathurst (NSW) by a friend who someone else with others.I went was known around the place to along to the weekend, and was be Christian. He offered to pay for it so I couldn't resist. Little blown away by their welcome. But, after that weekend, I still was I to know what I was headfound myself doing the same stu- ing for. I'd started to encounter pid things. I came to the realisa- this thing called the Charismatic
Why I became a Catholic The Record, PO Box 75 Leederville WA 6902 email: cathrec@iinet.net.au
Renewal, which was as far I could see, a bit 'sus.' The first night I walked into the hall, took one good look around. and walked out again. The second night was the same. On the third night a religious Brother encouraged us to head in, so we did. This night was different. They weren't singing - everyone was sitting down. The Disciples Youth Mission Team of 1997 performed a drama called the Passion play - a play depicting the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I was stunned by the realness of the thing. At one point Jesus rose to this awesome music andI felt my heart just smash to bits. The tears welled up and I could no longer hold them in. The searching was over. Jesus had been to the cross. He understood. He understood like no one else. That night, caught up in the whirlwind I gave him my heart. Little was Ito know the cost. Still today, everyday, I come to grips with the reality of a relationship with Christ. Everyday I realise that in growing and coming to know God more personally, the more God wants to change me. Change is always hard for anyone. Especially for any Aussie fella. God calls people to be courageous and humble. I know now that that is the recipe for life. When I lost my life I found it.
The Disciples of Jesus website can be located at www.disciplesofiesus.org
Bishop blesses newest primary school Western Australia's newest primary sector member of the Catholic education community, Canning Vale Catholic Primary School, has celebrated its official blessing and opening. Bishop Don Sproxton, Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, and Therese Temby, the Director of Catholic Education in WA, officiated for the ceremony. Under a cloudless winter sky the school's foundation students led the morning's proceedings with a procession of blue and yellow balloons followed by rousing song (complete with actions). In blessing the new school, Bishop Sproxton prayed that the grace of Almighty God come down upon the school community and remain with them forever, before he toured the new facilities, placing crucifixes in each of the rooms. In her address to the large audience, Mrs Temby said the blessing and opening ceremony was probably the most significant day in a new school's history. Emphasising the importance of the broader community in the establishment and development of the new school, Mrs Temby said the principal, teachers,
parish priest, parishioners, parents and children all had significant roles to play in ensuring its continued growth. With the facilities now established, Mrs Temby said the students of Canning Vale Catholic Primary School would have access to an excellent education program that has Jesus Christ as its foundation and that will equip them for the future as young people who can make a valuable contribution to society. 'Riming her attention to the foundation staff members, Mrs Temby thanked them for what she described as their 'extraordinary commitment, energy, determination and love of the children in their care. Similarly, the parents of the children at the school were applauded for their faith in and contribution to its development. 'In 2002 you all started on a journey - the journey of Canning Vale Catholic Primary School. I encourage you to build on this wonderful beginning, where parish and school continue to work together and support one another in order to build a strong Catholic community; she said. Offering her thanks to all involved, Principal Sally O'Dea said the gifts to her school had
Children rejoice at the blessing of the school . . .
Bishop Sproxton at the ceremony in Canning Vale.
been both plentiful and varied 'Everyone has given of their time, talent or treasure in a totally selfless way which bears true
. . . all seemed in good voice . . .
Photos: Phil Bayne
witness to our school motto of Growing in Grace,' she concluded. - Phil Bayne, CEO Media
. and ready to 'tick into the cake.
29 August, 2002
II Record
Scant help from WA politicians require stem cell treatment or therapy. Only four of Western Australia's 26 Another opponent of the legislation, federal politicians definitely oppose Labor Senator Mark Bishop, said he John Howard's embryonic stem cell is a member of Labor's national execlegislation, according to a telephone utive and had worked toward parliasurvey conducted by The Record mentarians having a conscience vote this week. on the issue. He said he accepts that Those registering positive opposi- life begins at conception, and has not tion to the legislation included Gov- been convinced by the quality of the ernment senators Ross Lightfoot and arguments of those advocating the Chris Ellison, and Labor senator Mark research. Bishop and MHR farm McFarlane. They appeared bound by the little Ten of the Western Australian politiand hope some good will chance cians said they would definitely supthe research many years from result port the legislation. had been raised in Nothing hence. They were Labor's Senator Peter Cook. Democrats' Senators Brian the debate that would persuade him Grieg, and Andrew Murray, and Lib- to depart from his original views, Seneral MHRs Don Randall, Dr Mal ator Bishop said. Although supporting the legislation, Washer, Barry Haase, and Judi MoyLabor MHR Carmen Fremantle Lawrence, Carmen Labor's and Ian. Graham Edwards, and Stephen Lawrence urged any move to introduce embryonic stem cell research be Smith. Yc.e Minister for Regional Services, done with "great caution." She said Territories and Local Government, "ethical issues are so fraught and we Wilson Mickey, refused to comment should be humble enough to say we or say which way he would vote on know little." Liberal MHR for Pearce, Judi Moythe legislation. Former Labor Opposition Leader, lan, said she supported the legislation Kim Beazley, said at this stage he was because to do otherwise would mean dismantling the whole of the IVF pro"non-committed." Five MHRs and six senators failed to gram. and that would not be in the public interest. respond. The MHRs who did not respond include Julie Bishop. the Liberal member for Curtin, Geoffrey Prosser. Liberal for Forrest, Kim Wilkie, Labor for Swan, and the Attorney General. Daryl Williams. the Liberal member Noted international bioethicist, for Tangney, Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, is visiting Non respondents among the senaPerth for a lecture on Sunday, Septors were the Parliamentary Secretary tember 8. three Campbell, Ian Treasurer, to the Dr Tonti-Filippini is a sessional other Liberals in Alan Eggleston, Sue at the John Paul II Institute lecturer and Knowles, and David Johnston, for the Study of Marriage and Labor's Chris Evans and Ruth WebFamily in Melbourne and in the ber. philosophy department at MelGovernment MP Chris Pyne said a bourne University, and a member video purported to show a rat healing of the ethics advisory panel of the after treatment with embryonic stem Victorian Infertility Treatment cells when the cure had actually come Authority from aborted foetuses. He was also a consultant to One of those from WA opposing the in Paris on the developUNESCO LightRoss Senator Liberal legislation, ment of the Universal Declaration foot said he opposed the legislation on the Human Genome and and that any stem cell research should Human Rights, and established be confined to adult types or those the research office for the Ausrecovered from umbilical cords. tralian Catholic Bishops ConferSenator Lightfoot said it should he ence. The subject of his lecture at prohibited to use stem cells recovered the L J Goody Bioethics Centre, 39 from embryos at any stage of develJugan St, Glendalough from 730 to opment or those from fertilised 9.30pm is 'The Culture of Life: the human eggs. human genome and the edges of They should also be a prohibited life.' import until legislation was concludThe lecture has been organised ed to protect Australians and to prethe Catholic Association for by vent "embryo farms" from being Nurses and Catholic Doctors Assoestablished in developing countries. ciation. Cost: donation. ReservaSenator Lightfoot urged further tions should be made with Natalie funding be sought for research into at the Goody Centre. on 92424066. the stimulation and harvesting of stem cells from persons who will or may
Bishop commissions catechists
By Neil Smith, with Stephen Spited
Bioethicist lecture set down for Perth
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Message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace, given to Marija Pavlovic Lunetti for the village of Medjugorje and the world on August 25, 2002 "Dear Children! Also today I am with you in prayer so that God gives you an even stronger faith. Little children, your faith is small and you are not even aware how much, despite this, you are not ready to seek the gift of faith from God. That Is whyI am with you, little children, to help you comprehend my messages and put them into life. Pray, pray, pray and only in faith and through prayer your soul will find peace and the world will find joy to be with God. Thank you for having responded to my call." (It is accepted that the final authority regarding apparitions of Our Lady at Mediugorie rests with the Holy See of Rome)
Bishop Sproxton commissioning 53 catechists to help in the Church's teaching mission. The commissioning of 53 catechists by Bishop Donald Sproxton at St Michael the Archangel Chapel on July 31 was a joyful occasion. Parish members, family and friends came to support, give thanks and celebrate. It is almost 100 years since Pius X revived the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, originally established by Charles Borromeo in the 16th Century to assist in the catechetical mission of the Church. Responding to the trend towards completely secularising education in turn of the Century Europe, Pius X decreed that the Confraternity be established in every Parish of the Catholic world.
He called for the employment of lay catechists to help in the Church's teaching mission. The newly commissioned catechists are the latest of our conlocal and temporary contribution to this endeavour. They will join over 500 other catechists in providing religious education and catechesis to children outside the Catholic School system. The 23 who have been trained by the Personal Advocacy Service will work on a one to one basis with children and young adults who are challenged by disabilities. The others have completed their Initial Formation Course with the Catechist Service at the
New Book Release! I the Lord Am With You Always Prayers and Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration
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Catholic Education Office and will carry out their ministry in Parishes. Bishop Donald Sproxton commended these services for the training and support they offered to catechists. He also praised the catechists for their selfless response to God's call, and he noted that often in the course of their catechetical work people discovered skills and strengths that they did not know they possessed. He pointed to the human sensitivity and personal witness that make their work so effective. Dr Pina Ford Coordinator, Catechist Service
The Eucharist is at the heart of our life as Catholics and adoration of the Eucharist has been and continues to be an unrivalled source of grace and support for all who seek to follow Christ faithfully. I the Lord Am With You Always is a wonderful collection of prayers. meditations and reflections on the reality of Our Lord in the Eucharist. I am sure it will be a great aid to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament." Most Rev. Dr. George Pell - Archbishop of Sydney "This book ... contains a wealth of prayers. thoughts and meditations, all centred around the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament . It is a privilege for us to be able to spend time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. During those precious moments we sense Jesus' tremendous love for us. We bring to Him our joys and our sorrows, we talk to Him about the needs of those around us, and we ask for that deep conversion of the heart and mind that will make us one with Him ... I commend this book to all, especially to those who have rediscovered the beauty and joy of Eucharistic adoration..." Most Rev. B. J. Hickey - Archbishop of Perth A beautiful set of Vatican Rosary beads will be sent to all those who give an additional charity donation of S10.00 or more to help the projects of Aid to the Church in Need for the persecuted Church in Sudan*. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive the Papal Rosary beads.
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I Say, I Say..
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n Wednesday September 12 2001, strophe but also to each one of us. The the day after the terrorist attack on Pope calls all of us to trust in the power of New York and Washington DC, grace to transform human hearts and to Pope John Paul made this public statement: work fearlessly to shape a future of justice "I strongly reiterate that the ways of vio- and peace. lence will never lead to genuine solutions In his letter, 'At the Beginning of the New to humanity's problems . . . Even if the Millennium', urging us to action, Pope John forces of darkness appear to prevail, those Paul quotes St Therese of Lisieux, who, who believe in God know that evil and coming to realise her own place in the Church, declared, 'I understood that the death do not have the final say." Three days later he sent a message of Church had a heart.' It was within the heart of the Church that condolence through Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, DC. Therese found her vocation: 'I had discovered where it is that I belong in the The Pope's message read: "To those affected by this immense Church, the niche God has appointed for tragedy I hold up the light of the Gospel me." I wonder how many of us have discovand pray that by the prompting of the Holy Spirit they will be led to an ever closer ered where we belong in the Church? The road to where we belong is long and union with the Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of His cross and resurrection. To winding. It seems that Therese was in the all,I solemnly repeat the Gospel injunction Carmelite Convent well before she discovnot to be conquered by evil, but to conquer ered where she really belonged. evil with good (Romans 12.21), to trust in Let me suggest that the vocation of many the power of God's grace to transform Catholics today may lie in these particular human hearts and to work fearlessly to words of Pope John Paul in response to shape a future of justice, peace and secu- 9/11 2001. rity for the children of our world." 'To all, I solemnly repeat the Gospel This message was directed not only to Injunction not to be conquered by evil those immediately affected by the cata- but...to trust in the power of grace...to work
RD °n
Sunday A laywoman's meditations
by Norma Woodcock
T
he scriptures this week remind us that we are destined for glory and that we must keep ourselves focused on that destiny despite the hardship we may encounter on the journey. In the first reading, Jeremiah 20:7-9, we hear the cry of this Old Testament prophet 'You have seduced me Lord and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me; you were the stronger.' St John of the Cross, in his writings, tells us that many times the problem people have is not that they walk away from God but that they do not enter deeply enough into a love relationship with him. Jeremiah fell in love with God. That enabled him, in spite of the taunts and derision of the people he was sent to prophesy to, to continue to speak to them in God's name. In the Responsorial Psalm 62:2-6, 8-9, we say, "0 God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.' In the second reading, Romans 12:1-2, St Paul reminds us that we must follow God's ways and God's will for our lives. This theme continues in the gospel, Matthew 16:21-2Z In the preceding scripture, Matthew 16:13-20, Peter is lifted up by Jesus after his Profession of Faith. V17, 'You are the Christ', he said, The Son of the living God.' Yet in this week's Gospel, when Jesus gave his first prophecy of his passion, Peter remonstrated with him. V22, 'Heaven preserve you Lord,' he said, 'this must not happen to you.' He wanted the glory to come but not the suffering of the Cross. The tendency is within each one of us. Jesus answered Peter, 'Get behind me Satan. You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God's way, but man's.' Then Jesus tells his disciples that to be a follower of his is to renounce themselves, take up their cross and follow Page 6
him. In v27, Jesus speaks of the glory and the reward that will be there for each disciple who follows God's way. God's way and God's thinking is so far above our human understanding. We see with our limited vision. God sees the end before the beginning. Jeremiah and St Peter had their own plan for following God. It was not God's plan. Perhaps for Jeremiah, to be a laughing stock among his people freed him from pride and taught him to trust God more and more. In Vii, Jeremiah says, 'But Yahweh is at my side, a mighty hero; any opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure.' Yes he complained to God about his many hardships, but he also believed that God would be with him and would be victorious. Perhaps St Peter's denial 3 times, about even knowing Jesus, after his arrest, freed him from any pre conceived ideas about his place in God's plan as the rock He probably learned in his failure to support Christ in his final hours that he could not rely on himself to fulfil God's plan for his life and for the Church. Only total reliance on God would do it. What is God's plan for each one of us? Only he knows. We must grow in our faith that whatever awaits us, the grace is sufficient for the trial and that God walks with us every step of the way. St John of the Cross says that God leads us down paths that we would rather not walk on. We must endure suffering in all its variations, changing what we know we can and must change and accepting all that we cannot change. We must always keep our eyes on Jesus. God will free us from ourselves, our selfishness, and our ego centred protectiveness and our all consuming pride so that we can serve him and serve the suffering people of our time.
St Therese of Lisieux
fearlessly to shape a future of justice, peace and security for the children of our world.' A major positive feature of our world today is the wide adoption of human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was a major humanitarian achievement following a period of horrific violence. Concurrently, in God's good time, a primary mark of the contemporary Catholic Church is its Social Teaching. Some call it correctly, 'Social Magisterium'.
he heart of being human: the heart of the Church. Where do I belong?
with Terry Quinn Catholic Social Justice Council
It is Catholic Social Teaching that provides for us a beacon 'to work fearlessly to shape a future of justice, peace and security for the children of the world.' Many of us have come to think of words such as 'conscience', 'grace' and 'sin' in excessively personal terms. Catholic Social Teaching will lead us to see that there are realities such as 'a social conscience', or seeking appropriate ways of resolving issues of injustice or violence. There is 'social grace', or working to create structures that will affirm the dignity of the human person and liberate from whatever makes us less than human. There is 'social sin' or policies and practices within structures, including the Church, which dishonour the dignity of people. 'Where do I belong?' This is a question only I can answer. But the situation I find myself in today points to an active involvement in our troubled and fascinating world. A direction pointed out by no less a figure than our Holy Father, John Paul II. In the next while I hope to elaborate on the seven principles of Catholic Social Teachlug. They may just speak to your heart.
TO JESUS THROUGH MARY A column of Marian devotion The apparitions which church authorities approve as worthy of credence after exhaustive study and testing, provide strong faith support when confident belief is being sorely tested. Moreover, the message of the apparitions is strikingly similar and from La Salette to Medjugorje: Mary calls for a 'back to basics' service of God from members of the faith community: conversion of heart, prayer, There are styles in spirituality as in other devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and use areas of peoplels life and in the modern of the other sacraments, penance and repascene early in the third millennium devo- ration for personal and human sinfulness. tion to Mary, Mother of God has waned The apparitions explained are those at La among some practising Catholics - certain- Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain and Pellevoisin ly not all. (all in France), Knock (Ireland), Fatima (PorMary's apparitions and their message tugal), Banneux and Beauraing (Belgium) strike a response with some five million pil- and Medjugorje (Croatia). grims visiting Lourdes in France annually, The text is illustrated with maps, diagrams but are not mentioned in mainstream and photos and there is a great deal of useCatholic circles as they once were. ful information for anyone planning a pilThis is a pity and in tough times for the grimage to any or all of the above apparition English-speaking church more so. sites. The modern apparitions of Our Lady: a confrontation with secularisation, by B. M. Coldrey, Tamanaraik Press, 2002, RRP $ 9.95, (postage included), 7/67 Collins Street, Thornbury Vic 3071. Tel: (03) 9480-2119, or email. busherw@bigpond.com
Thousands of pilgrims are seen in a bell-tower view from the basilica at Fatima, Portugal, May 13. The shrine was hosting celebrations marking the 84th anniversary of the first of the Marian visions pew, of three shepherd children in 1917.
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Fathers are the head of the family
The Record
t has been wisely said that the best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. It is true. Unfortunately, in our current society this profound statement is taken to mean that men themselves are somewhat incidental and derive whatever meaning they have from their relationship with the really important people, mothers. That is not true. The strength and reliability of a father's love provides the security in which a mother's love flourishes uninterrupted and from which children draw the certainty of their own lovableness.
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born, and the results are consistent. The most important influence on a child's physical health and emotional capacity to deal with the challenge of life outside the womb is the extent to which the child is loved and welcomed by the mother while in the womb. The second most important influence is "The presence of committed security the mother feels in the love of the fathers is vital to the her husband. Anxiety in the mother about development of that relationship - whether in the relationship itself or because of external dancharacteristics..., which are gers such as a husband away at war - can fundamental to learning to live have a seriously negative influence on the baby in the womb. and work with the outside The pattern continues when the child world." leaves the womb to continue the journey of life. Children draw love and comfort In their earliest years in particular, chil- (strength) from their mother, but they dren draw their identity of self primarily learn to believe they can love and be loved from their mother. From the womb by others according to whether they sense onwards, she is their primary source of their mother as being loved by another, love and security, but the quality of that her husband, their father. That is why the love and security is profoundly affected by best thing a man can do for his children whether the mother herself is secure in Is to love their mother. Ills part of the whole process by which the love of another, the father of her children. There have been many studies seek- fathers become the major influence on in g to determine what affects the physical children's relationships with the outside and emotional state in which children are world. The presence of committed fathers
Infamy, greed and inequality
S
eon we will have the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. September 11th 2001 was indeed a day of infamy and yes, ills true that our world cannot be the same again. What happened on September 11th demonstrated the new threat posed to the world community by groups seeking to achieve their political ends through violence and terror. Those particular terrorist attacks and others like them, for example, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, do not happen in isolation. They happen in a world where there are deep and grave injustices, Inequality and greed. Such a world is a fertile breeding ground for desperate acts. These situations call for farsighted and effective responses. What we have seen in this past year has been deep anger (understandable) and a powerful military retaliation that in the light of our Christian teaching and tradition is immoral. Conflict resolution must seek to address the historical circumstances that create and perpetuate hostilities. Yet, what real attempts have been made in this regard? Afghanistan, a country that for years has been a theatre of war, has again been the victim of powerful nations who regard war as an acceptable instrument for foreign policy. The way to peace can never be through war but through the transformation of structures of injustice. People's hearts -yours and mine - must change. The alternative is a moral bankruptcy that will Immerse us in more armed conflicts. Currently, there is growing fear that Iraq will be the next target. Indeed, it has already been targeted through a combination of sanctions and US/UK bombing: sanctions that ultimately harm only the civilian population, especially the children. Why should they suffer further, when they are already living under a dictator who in his early years in power enjoyed the collusion and support of western nations? Our world and its leaders so much need the grace to move forward out of our present attitude of self-righteousness and thirst for vengeance. Can we not, instead, be agents of change and witnesses to a larger vision? Fr Paschal Kearney Catholic Presbytery, Albany
Immorality sensation front page article in a recent edition of A The Australian entitled "Last words of a woman in pain", clearly advocated the
the
o 0,) LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Is vital to the development of characteristics such as self-discipline, concentration, delayed gratification, teamwork and sustained effort .. . characteristics which are fundamental to learning to live and work with the outside world.
"The responsibility is to lead their children into the outside world and into the eternal world, but they must meet that responsibility not by love of authority but by the authority of their love." This is both ancient wisdom and modern science, confirmed by long-term empirical studies which have measured almost every facet of human performance in almost every kind of human environment. As always in human affairs, there are no absolutes: orphans do well, motherless children grow up fine, and fatherless children bridge the gap. But the overriding reality is that without committed fathers, children find it very
hard to realise their full potential at school, at work, and in the broad measures of socialisation. There is even evidence to suggest that children's spiritual development depends more on the religious practice of their fathers than their mothers. As we celebrate another Fathers' Day, it is important for fathers and young men who are not yet fathers to think seriously about the responsibility that is theirs and theirs alone. Men are the head of the family, but it is a position of responsibility, not of authority. The responsibility is to lead their children into the outside world and into the eternal world, but they must meet that responsibility not by love of authority but by the authority of their love. There is no greater need in our society today than the need for the reaffirmation of the importance of fatherhood. One of the great things to come out of the world wars was the recognition by the men who came back of their obligation to help the children of those who did not, an obligation they did their best to fulfil through Legacy. A generation later, we began to succumb to the belief that fathers hardly matter. It is time for men to regather their _strength and reaffirm their commitment to their children and to their children's mothers.
tion and to honour his sanctity most fittingly for his being a very significant sign of God's favour among the many new and great saints of our own times. I convey my thanks while at the same time expressing sincere compliments for the much-improved layout with its more enhanced journalistic look, the upgrading and notable depth of content and greater appeal of The Record. You and your staff are to be commended. With compliments and grateful appreciation and blessings from All Saints. Father Jim Shelton Chaplain and Chairman of the Friends of All Saints
Preserving principles voluntarily taking of life, that we call 'suicide', lauding it 'courageous', and calling it a 'right'. Empathetically, this is wrong, and the paper should not sensationalise such immoral acts. Generally people who face acute sufferings, like the woman pictured in the article, meet pain, with courage and faith in a benevolent God; but to commit suicide is simply a coward's way out. Even doctors do not want to know about it. Often the criterion for taking human life is because of acute disability and, allegedly, no quality of life. But who decides quality of life? The Bible, the world's greatest book, proclaims" "Thou shall not kill", and this means the killing of the individual, either yourself or another. The latter is simply murder. The world's greatest dramatist. Shakespeare made many profound studies of complex humanity which he analysed in his 11-agedies. His view of the hunian condition was uncomplicated. liis characters said what they meant. With Hamlet, the ultimate self-doubter, Shakespeare left no doubt that life was worth living and must be lived out to its natural end. He was a Christian believer and his meditation on suicide - `to be or not to be' - proclaimed the act of suicide to be morally wrong. All of us who respect human life should be prepared to discourage the view that death remains an attractive alternative to the difficulties of life and be prepared to stand up against laws that encourage suffering people to euthanasia. George Russo Iluka
Thanks from All Saints rilhe Friends of All Saints andIare appreciative of the coverage that you have given the liturgy and blessing of the stained glass window commemorating the canonisation of St Pio of Pietrelecina here at All Saints Chapel. The prominence has given occasion for the people of Perth to express their devo-
niversally, everyone has a right to his or her good name. Constitutionally, U everyone is innocent unless proven guilty.
We honour father and mother and those in society who are in authority, despite the fact they are human [like us] and, therefore fallible. These are some of the principles Australian society is based upon. These are principles that must be preserved and defended when attacked. Otherwise every politician would be a liar until proven otherwise; every police officer would be corrupt; every parent a child abuser; every judge a paedophile; every car salesman a crook; every religious a pervert, and everyone would be guilty of any crime and sin under the sun unless proven otherwise... A society like that is repulsive to sound reason. The obsession by the media to find out and expose details of defects and moral weakness among public figures is unjustifiable; especially when irrelevant to the common good, when out of character for the individual and even more so when based on allegations which may be aimed simply at attacking the persons' good name for ulterior motives. It is this pharisaic attitude that is becoming more and more prevalent in Australia thanks to our Americanised media. The Prime Minister's support for Archbishop Pell reported in The Australian and the cautious response by Mr Crean are, respectively, two perfect examples of these differing attitudes. Mr Howard came out in defence of Archbishop Pell's right to his good name with the evidence of [Pell's] character and history of service. On the other hand, Mr Crean preferred to leave Archbishop Pell out in the cold as a condemned criminal before proven guilty, probably [hopefully not] to make some opportune personal political mileage. On what evidence? On the basis that Dr Pell is a Catholic priest, therefore probably guilty, and of an allegation of a single [questionable] individual for "something" that was alleged to have happened 40 years
• The opinions expressed in this editorial, and any other Record editorial, are not necessarily those of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Perth.
ago. Mr Crean showed no regard for Dr Pell's character, history of service, nor regards for the hatred certain individuals have towards him for his refusal to distribute Holy Communion to non-practising Catholics who remain defiant of Catholic doctrine with respect to sodomy. Tabloid titles in The Australian [a supposedly respectable newspaper] such as "Second claim of sex abuse" when it is clearly referring to allegations of abuse against somebody other than Dr Pell is at best misleading if not ill-intentioned. The truth has to be told to those who have a right to know it. If that's the case with the truth, how much more cautious must the media be reporting singular unsubstantiated allegations, especially when there could be malicious intent by the perpetuator and the alleged suspect is a public figure? I think it has been a mistake for Dr Pell to step down as Archbishop, but I can understand his intentions and he should be commended for doing so. It is an interesting contrast to note that when current substantiated complaints relevant to their public offices arose in the past against other public figures such as Carmen Lawrence or Paul Keating, neither offered to step down. A Clarke Kellyville, NSW
Quandary on words a regular reader of The Record and Jforam sometimes I wonder if the paper is only very intelligent people.
I'm only a migrant of 48 years and have a pretty good general knowledge. However, in this week's paper I came across two words I do not understand. Analogous series (I can see analogue in it but cannot see the connection). Also the word "Tilrna". I cannot even find it in an Oxford dictionary. Also I'm very glad to see that you have introduced the subject of asking questions about our faith by Father Tim. I remember the time when Father Rumble had those questions and answers years ago. Hope to get an answer. Charlie Sharmay Bedford Analagous' comes from 'analogy' and means one thing (or series) has qualities similar to another. While 'analogy' is a common word, the adjective `analagous' is not often seen. Tilma' is the name of the native Mexican garment worn by St Juan Diego when Our Lady appeared to him in 1531. It has come into our language because the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is imprinted upon St Juan's •• • • tilma. Page 7
Features needs to be verified. Maybe by Christmas, sources in Rome said hopefully. Nobody on the outside really knows if the Pope regularly reads the morning newspaper. But imagine the pontiff opening his copy of Ii Messaggero on August 20 to a report alleging that a group of KGB 'moles' had worked out of the Vatican newspaper office in the early years of his pontificate. The report also said a Swiss Guard commander, murdered along with his wife by a fellow guard in 1998, was in fact an East German 'Stasi' secret agent.
"But imagine the pontiff opening his copy of II Messaggero on August 20 to a report alleging that a group of KGB "moles" had worked out of the Vatican newspaper office in the early years of his pontificate." •
Silly season in Rome
And it said the group of Vatican spies had important links with those who planned and carried out the 1981 papal shooting, the kidnapping and killing of Italian politician Aldo Moro in 1978, and the disappearance of a Vatican City teen-ager in 1983. Oh, yes - the CIA and the Mafia also supposedly were involved. It read like the mother of all conspiracy theories, and even more amazing was that it came from retired Italian magistrate Ferdinando Imposimato, who carried out the first state investigation of the papal shooting. Imposimato said he arrived at his conclusions based on his own investigations and evidence from a controversial dossier of Soviet papers called the 'Mitrokhin archive.' His behind-the-scenes story is coming out soon as a book. The Vatican chose not to react to this bombshell, except to say that former Stasi officials had long ago denied that the murdered Swiss Guard commander was one of theirs. As one prelate shrugged, 'It's summer, and this is a summer fable.' Like the ancient brick walls that surround its territory, - CNS the Vatican's skin is pretty thick.
Former Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, shown in New York following his May 27, 2001, marriage to South Korean acupuncPhoto CNSReuters turist Maria Sung. He is now the subject of more outrageous rumours circulating in Rome.
Science trips up New evidence points to errors in the dating of the Shroud of Turin
Archbishop (Zenit.org). Emmanuel Milingo. who went through a marriage ceremony presided over by Sun Myung Moon last year, will return to Italy in October, a Vatican official says. Following a year of 'retreat' in Argentina which enabled him to write an autobiography, the Zambian prelate is preparing to take up his ministry in the Zagarolo centre of spirituality near Rome, according to Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone. secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Archbishop Bertone revealed the news to the newspaper // Giornale and to Italian state television. He said Archbishop Milingo 'is 1 well physically, morally and spiritually," thus denying the public protests of some followers who , accused the Vatican of keeping the African a 'prisoner.' The Vatican official said that since October 10, Archbishop Milingo has been living in Argentina with a local bishop and two priests. Neither the city nor the bishop was identified. "He has made peace with himself, , with the Church, with his vocation as priest and bishop," Archbishop Bertone said. 'Near the villa will be a large structure where he can meet with hundreds of faithful at a time. There will even be a parking garage,' Arch! bishop Bertone told 11 Giornale. He added that Archbishop Milingo would continue to guide three religious congregations he founded. 1 Archbishop Milingo previously was a 'special delegate' of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers. 1 It is believed that his book will I reveal new details about his May
N
ew studies reveal that the 1988 carbon-14 dating analy-
A nun tries to shield herself from a downpour as she makes her way across St Peter's Square. Heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning hit Rome on August 10 causing much of the Italian capital to come to a standstill. Photo CNSReuters
A
ugust is the silly season for Italian newspapers, which may explain the recent rash of journalistic scoops about the Vatican - some odd, some tantalising and some outright fabrications. The month began with a bang. Italian readers opened their papers on August 1 to banner headlines: 'Youth Fires on Papal Motorcade, Wounds a Policeman." In Mexico, the scene of the alleged assassination attempt, papal aides and other journalists simply shook their heads in wonderment that anything could be reported so wrongly.
oning Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo in an Italian monastic cell and keeping him on a diet of bread and water. An Italian artist said she had received a worrisome letter from the faith-healing archbishop, who dropped out of public view last year after disavowing his brief marriage with a follower of the Rem Sun Myung Moon. In reporting the development, Italian newspapers duly noted the various Milingo-sightings over the last year in Argentina, Canada, Australia, Africa, on a flight from Austria and strolling the fashionable Rome shopping street of Via Condon'. This time the Vatican and a Zambian bishop threw cold water on the story, saying Archbishop Milingo was praying and resting and was not being held against his will. But a week later, an African petition urging the Vatican to release the archbishop had gained 20,000 signatures, and in midAugust an Italian political group held a small 'Free Milingo" protest in St Peter's Square.
COMNUL
Tourists take pictures of Maria Sung, wife of controversial Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, as she prayed in front of St Peter's Basilica on August 24 2001. Photo' CNS/Reuters
Page 8
What really happened was that a 14-yearold boy shot a BB-pistol in the air during festivities along the papal motorcade route; the pope was nowhere near the site. The police dismissed the whole thing as an act of stupidity and turned the youth over to his parents. The Vatican, perhaps more aware than others that today's newspapers are tomorrow's fish-wrap, made no real effort to correct the Italians' Mexican fantasy. Anyway, it was soon replaced by a new alarm: a report that the Vatican was impris-
A saint story is always good news, so who could object when the Italian press reported that Mother Teresa would be beatified on October 13? But even for someone on the fast track to sainthood, that's rushing it a bit. What is really likely to happen, according to those in the know, is that sometime early this northern-hemisphere autumn Mother Teresa will be declared "venerable,' which means the Vatican will declare that she heroically lived the Christian virtues. But before a beatification date can be set, a miracle attributed to her intercession
sis of the Shroud of Thrin did not take into consideration the mending done to the cloth in the Middle Ages. 'The mending was medieval, not the shroud,' wrote Orazio Petrosillo in the Roman newspaper II Messaggero. Petrosillo is the author of several books on the cloth widely believed to be the burial linen of Jesus. Petrosillo explained that during the Middle Ages it was very common to use a type of sewing - invisible to the naked eye to reinforce fabrics of artistic or historical value. According to Petrosillo, whose thesis is based on studies by US scientists Sue Benford and Joseph Marino, researchers from laboratories at Oxford, England; Thcson, Arizona; and Zurich. Switzerland, examined the shroud in 1988 without realising it was mended with linen in the 16th century That study concluded the shroud was made sometime between 1260 and 1390. The new thesis was articulated after scientists presented fabric experts with a series of photographs of one of the small pieces of cloth of the shroud taken in 1988 for carbon-14 dating, as well as a section which was not used. The three experts agreed that there are different weaves in the sections analysed. According to Beta Analytic, a radiocarbondating service, a mixture of 60 per cent of 16th-century material with 40 per cent of first-century material could lead to a dating of the 13th century The calculation of percentages is based on the observations of the three fabric experts. Petrosillo also quotes the study of chemist Ray Rogers, who was part of the Slurp group of US scientists that examined the shroud in 1978. Rogers had linen fibres of both the area of the cloth taken to carry out the carbon-14 analysis (cut out by the Belgian fabrics expert Gilbert Raes in 1973) as well as other parts of the shroud. Both in the section extracted by Raes as well as that used in 1988, the fibres are impregnated by a dark yellow substance, whose colour varies in density from one fibre to another. However, the fibres of the rest of the shroud do not have this substance. According to the experts, it is a type of yellow vegetable glue, often used in the past. Rogers has verified that there is an invisible mend in the piece taken out by Raes, like those made in the 16th century. In fact, a thread of Raes' section was dated with the carbon14 method at the California Institute of Technology. Half the thread turned out to be covered by starch. The thread was divided into two equal parts: the part without starch turned out to be of the third century while the part with starch was dated in the 13th century. Petrosillo concluded that the shroud continues to raise scientific questions calling for new and more adequate study. - Zenit
The truth behind the Milingo rumours
i 2001 'marriage' to a Korean woman
The left portion of the Shroud of Turin showing the frontal view of the mysPhc CNS Nano, W eche,terious image is pictured in vertical.
: chosen for him by Moon, founder of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. Page 9
29 August, 2002
ulture of Death
Record
Size doesn't matter
whatever your stage of development, you exist. Enough said, writes a US medical researcher.
Human Life
Stem cells, cloning
By Dr John Collins Harvey
A
human clone is produced by replacing the nucleus (the genetic material) of a human egg cell with the nucleus of a cell of almost any type obtained from the donor and then stimulating the egg by either electrical or chemical means to start dividing. The clone in its early stages of development is composed of from one to 128 cells. • the eight cells produced by the first three cell divisions of the clone are called toti-potent because they may develop singly or as a group - into a person, it is believed. • cells from the fourth to the seventh cell divisions are called pluri-potent because, it is believed, they may develop only into various types of body cells. Cloning is said to be of two types: therapeutic or reproductive: What is the goal of these two types of cloning? For therapeutic cloning, those in favour of the procedure claim two ends: 1. One goal is to procure pltuipotent embryonic stem cells, which may be used by the donor of the genetic material in the clone to cure a disease from which the donor suffers. For instance, if the individual suffers from diabetes, the pluripotent embryonic stem cells Inserted into that patient's pancreas would turn, it is believed, into pancreatic cells, which would produce insulin in sufficient quantity to control the metabolism of sugars in that individual.
Utilisation of the stem cells from • the clone thus cures the disease from which the patient suffers! 2. The second goal is to replace certain types of cells in the vari, ous organs of the body which ....„,, "44111f.:„11.111 have been lost from trauma, disuIII lN. ease or degeneration. "N.,... ...! 0.1...., ' ,..."....... ••• .For instance if the individual has disa degenerative neurological • ,...* ....b, 146\.1' .. % . ..t.,.. , j order such as Lou Gehrig's dis1 1 4 / 4 , . , :. ease, pluri-potent embryonic -,_-.. 110 11,, .,. ,,..., stem cells injected into the spinal ...k %..aille.. b ' 'NI.' cord, it is believed, would turn A eL :• into the same type as those neu\ It. \ l• . -. '. , rological cells which had degen.1V6 4 ‘1.1 • , erated and thus would replace it t . • .-- *., • A, • . those cells, restoring the individ‘,V..,t, .. .4„... it 4 . . . I . ual's functional neurological ,A ....,No capacity. 0 ,, . • N1 , k In the case of reproductive t.,,,.. . • cloning, the goal is to produce a person, which could be a twin or .., . y . ttsiV, 41 II I' triplet, for example, of the donor ..4 ., .,..,k • ‘.,, ,...4., ., .......1. • ,../,,'. • *kJ .'‘. ‘ of the genetic material in the •'`. A. . '."'"' \ , 0 4 ..... , ,,,,...... i 1• -- . clone! Thus one or more persons ' 120.... would be reproduced by asexual ' . • , reproduction. , / t__ . 7 1,': • The end or result of therapeutic '"" ' . '4111114: ., • ... N ' 'N t '' 'Ps *.' .."....a `1, t , .' .74,,, \ea' cloning appears at first to be a - -.4,4=4,ftb: Illit•LYVWS4h._ %-i_11 \444 .6.4' - -.4 .3".".: benefit for human beings - a gond thing. We must, however, look at "The clone at its single cell stage is certainly one of us, a person in potency'!" writes Dr John Collins Harvey of the . oto of stem cells courtesy of Owls The 2002.) how this end or benefit is Centre for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University Medical Centre. obtained. We need to ask by what This entity is indeed a new human an innocent living human being, their own natural ends. Human means we bring about the good Individual who is present in a sit- a person. one of us! And what reproduction is naturally sexual, thing in this case. not asexual! Reproductive cloning uation of substantive perfection about reproductive cloning? It is a matter of looking into the yet open to further development. Most people believe that repro- employs an action for human means of accomplishing this end. The potential/actual distinction ductive cloning is clearly wrong reproduction that is against What are the means to achieve allows us to consider a rather In itself, but even if its purpose nature and thus is never to be the ends in these two types of paradoxical situation: was considered good, one would done. cloning? For therapeutic cloning, So even if the goal of reproducThe human being is perfect in have to consider whether the the means to accomplish these Itself (in its potency), yet open to means of accomplishing that pur- tive cloning was good (and most ends is the killing of another further development. people do not hold it as a good), pose also was morally good. human person! The means used to accomplish the means to accomplish this goal We human beings continue to Why is this so? develop when we start acting in the ends of reproductive cloning can never be justified. It is because the clone at its sin- the world. In fact, we even keep is "contra naturam" (against gle cell stage is certainly one of on growing spiritually: for us, the nature), for in this type of cloning DR HARVEY, a senior research us, a person "in potency"! kingdom of God is "already" but the htunan person is created by scholar and professor emeriThe clone contains all the genet- "not yet." The reason the means an unnatural means: asexual tus of medicine, is a member ic material that allows for the to accomplish the ends of thera- reproduction! God created man of the Centre for Clinical actualisation of all the potentiali- peutic cloning is intrinsically evil and woman in his image and like- Bioethics at Georgetown Unities present in the human being. is that it is never permitted to kill ness. All the human organs have versity Medical Centre. •
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Is cloning's best ally a French UFO cult? By Richard Doerflinger
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UFO cult called the Raelians wants to produce liveborn children by cloning. Some scientists want instead to use cloning to massproduce human embryos of certain types - not to bring them to birth, but to destroy them for useful cells and tissues. Earlier this year the US Congress banned human cloning for either purpose, a ban supported by the Catholic bishops and the United Methodist Church, among others. How would I respond if a couple said to me, "We'd like to have a daughter by cloning"? My first questions might be: "What do you mean 'we'? What do you mean 'daughter'?" These terms suddenly become unclear because cloning is so radically different from any reproductive method we have seen in humans. A human body cell's nucleus is transferred into an egg whose nucleus has been removed or inactivated. The resulting cell is stimulated by an electric pulse to begin development. This is asexual reproduction, generally found in lower forms of life. If a woman cloned herself, there would be no contribution from her husband at all. Genetically, the resulting child would not be her daughter but her twin sister, born decades later than she was. Page 10
"How wouldIrespond if a couple said to me, 'We'd like to have a daughter by cloning'? My first questions might be: 'What do you mean 'we'? What do you mean 'daughter'?" says Richard Doerflinger of the US Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. (CNS photo by Martin Lueders, May 6, 2002.)
This child's uncle would be her brother, and, well, you get the picture. Actually, live births from cloning would be rare at first. Animal trials show that 95 per cent to 99 per cent of cloned embryos die. Of those that survive, most are stillborn or die shortly after birth. The rest will have unpredictable but potentially devastating health problems. It is frightening to think that these seriously damaged children would be born to parents who are most picky about their children's
traits: "I want a son 'just like me.'" How will they greet this person they may see as a faded copy? For that matter, how will they greet a perfect copy when he or she tries to live a life of his or her own? Cloning is the ultimate depersonalising of human reproduction. Begetting a child should occur in a loving union between man and woman - one open to, and willing to accept, the new, unique human life that may arise. That openness, and the unpredictability of how the traits of husband and wife will combine in a
new individual, express the fact that this child is our equal in human dignity, a new person with his or her own open future. Cloning is the opposite. Children are manufactured in the laboratory to preset specifications. So dehumanising is this that some scientists want to use cloning chiefly to make large numbers of human embryos for destructive experiments. Creating human life solely to destroy it is seen as "good enough" for clones. Our ancient creeds express the equal dignity of God the Father and God the Son by saying that the Son was "begotten, not made." The radical distinction between divine and human is dramatised In Genesis when God "makes" Adam and Eve by his own hands. Should we now act as "gods" to our children - making rather than begetting them? Will we then see them as our inferior "creations" - even as our slaves? Here, as in other areas of biotechnology, the new powers we have discovered for understanding and altering nature can acquire a dark side. It will require careful discernment to use our new powers for human good without turning our fellow humans into research material for our manipulation. Doerflinger is deputy director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Food for thought
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he principle that the end - the goal - does not justify the means used to reach it can be applied to situations of all kinds. A few years ago Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh applied the principle to the ways people speak to each other - their manner of discourse. Specifically, the bishop was concerned about how people speak to and about each other within the church community. "Name-calling, groundless accusations and gratuitous insults are not signs of a dialogue blessed by God," he wrote. Bishop Wuerl said: "It would be a true tragedy to accept as a principle of discourse that the end justifies the means so that 'winning' would validate any destructive behaviour or speech. While each person engaged in discourse is understandably concerned about his or her point of view, the rights of others cannot be forgotten." The principle that the end does not justify the means suggests that in making moral decisions about specific actions, we ought to ask not only "what" the action's goal is but "how" we will achieve that goal. The "means" have to do with the "how." David Gibson, CNS
Features
II Record
29 August, 2002
Toronto keeps its youth buzz Basilian Father THOMAS ROSICA, national director and chief executive officer of World Youth Day 2002, shared his impressions about the historic event with ZENIIT.
What did World Youth Day mean for you as national director? Upon his arrival among us on July 23, Pope John Paul II set the tone for what would take place throughout the week. He told us that "the young people from all parts of the world ... gathering for the World Youth Day bear the marks of a humanity that too often does not know peace, or justice.... Too many lives begin and end without joy, without hope. That is one of the principal reasons for the World Youth Day. Young people are coming together to commit themselves, in the strength of their faith in Jesus Christ, to the great cause of peace and human solidarity." What lasting images remain with you from World Youth Day? I will never forget the Holy Father's arrival. We patiently waited [at the airport] for the Holy Father to be lowered to the ground in a specially fitted lift that I myself helped to prepare weeks before. To our astonishment, the lift was not used. Pope John Paul II appeared at the door of the aircraft and began a slow decent of the stairs. The eyes of the world were fixed on this elderly man, and every step was carefully measured. Then the mar of the crowd was heard inside the terminal and all across this country. World Youth Day truly began on a grand note. Another moment took place later that week, on the night of the papal welcoming ceremony at Exhibition Place. Around midnight I visited the press centre just to express thanks to the hundreds of journalists covering the event. We had over 3,800 accredited journalists representing over 800 media outlets. It was astonishing. On that Thursday night Ientered one of the offices of a large American television network and those present burst into applause. One senior woman producer blurted out: "This is one of the most beautiful stories we have ever covered. Thanks for helping to arrange it." Even the most cynical among us cannot help but be impressed or moved by the streams of young people who have expressed their joy of being Catholic Christians in a complex and shadow-filled world. All of this has not been a show, nor a protest or photo oppor-
Flags from many countries wave in the crowd for the July 25 welcoming ceremony for World Youth Day in Toronto.
Photo: CNS/Paul Finch
cance of the Roman Catholic tunity staged by some big marketChurch. I came away from the ing company hired by the Catholic "On that Thursday night I entered one of the experience with a deep appreciaChurch to restore its image in the offices of a large American television tion of the faith and of the work light of scandals and difficulties. done by the countless being What has been the response to the network and those present burst into applause. priests, bishops and members of event? One senior woman producer blurted out: "This is the Church. The Church is alive The national office in Toronto has and well and prospering." been inundated with calls, letters, one of the most beautiful stories we have ever The multicultural, multifaith, messages and e-mails from every covered. Thanks for helping to arrange it." Even ecumenical nature of Toronto was corner of the globe. Many of those very evident during World Youth messages I have received begin the most cynical among us cannot help but be Day 2002. The Muslim Congress with: "Dear Father Rosica,Iam not impressed or moved by the streams of young peowas extremely supportive of the a Catholic but I write to you to let ple who have expressed their joy of being Catholic event, and mosques throughout you know the impact World Youth the city sent many volunteers. Day has had upon me. my family, Christians..." - WYD organiser Fr Thomas Rosica Several young pilgrims were my friends, my colleagues.... We hosted in Jewish families. have not stopped talking about it." People of other faiths worked as Thousands of people were borough wrote: "My grandchil- us." One of the senior RCMP officers volunteers, pilgrim hosts, etc. The deeply touched by the Stations of dren don't come to visit me any the Cross that took place in the longer but during World Youth [federal police] assigned to the pro- Mormons sent a large delegation heart of Toronto on Friday night, Day I took in six young people in ject for the past two years wrote to of volunteers to help with the meal July 26. The CBC, Canada's nation- my house. They made me young me: "Many RCMP officers who distribution, as well as donating al television network, told us that again.Iloved them and cried when worked on WYD 2002 told me that one ton of fresh cut flowers to decit was the highlight of their careers orate all of the places where the the event was transmitted to over they left." A streetcar driver from Toronto to work on this event and in many Pope would be. 160 countries in real time. Over 1 .... The great irony of all of this billion people participated in the wrote to us that he was on vaca- cases to meet the Holy Father. They tion the week of July 23 in Toron- were very proud, as I was, when incredible story is the fact that the events via television. For those throughout Canada, to, but insisted on coming in to Pope John Paul II mentioned the catalyst of the whole adventure of and especially in Toronto, who had work every day "just to catch the work of the police in his address World Youth Day is an old man, a the opportunity of hosting the spirit that was alive on the TTC." at the Sunday Mass. ... On a per- warrior, a fighter, a shepherd and young pilgrims in their homes, "Father Tom, bring those young sonal note, as a Protestant,Imade courageous leader who has come there has been nothing but words people back again, with their sure during the year that I was to Canada to help us rediscover of profuse gratitude. An elderly songs, their music, their infectious involved in planning for the event, our own youthfulness, hope and woman from the Diocese of Peter- joy. They were a blessing to all of to study the history and signifi- joy.
Brain research leads to new rethink about human nature By Father Robert Kinast, CRS
T
wo of my nieces are pregnant. One can't wait to have a sonogram tell her the sex of her child; the other doesn't want to know yet. Their attitudes reflect the feelings of many people about scientific and technological developments. Some wholeheartedly embrace every new development while others act as if nothing ever should change. Sometimes we don't really have a choice. Stem-cell research is a case in point. Last northern-hemisphere summer there was much public debate about the use of federal funds to harvest stem cells from frozen embryos. The deeper moral question in this debate was whether these embryos are truly human and therefore deserving of protection as unborn human - •- -
life. The Catholic Church left no doubt kind of challenge. As scientists suggest to about its position. Still, many people felt us that certain regions of the brain exert that the potential benefit of a cure or treat- control over specialised functions such as ment of diseases justified this procedure. fear, sexual attraction and even altruism, Stem-cell research has been raising the they make us rethink traditional assumpquestion for society of what constitutes tions about human nature, personality and human life and when it begins. individual responsibility. Similarly, gene research offers the possiUsing this research along with computer bility of curing or preventing certain abnor- technology, scientists are developing robots malities by altering or supplementing a and "thinking machines" that some believe person's genetic makeup. ultimately will challenge understandings In cases when scientists can actually of the meaning of intelligence and conachieve this kind of genetic engineering, sciousness. we are forced to consider the conditions Apart from robots, computer technology under which it would be morally justified, already has created an unprecedented netespecially if it 'allows parents to "order" work of connections and communication features and qualities they want in their opportunities commonly referred to as offspring or enables governments to elim- cyberspace. Accompanying this virtualinate undesirable citizens before they are reality world are new questions about how born. Brain research is posing a different people relate to one another in a comput-
erised environment, what forms community might take and what happens to human development if it is mediated only through computerised experience. Meanwhile back in the natural world specialists ranging from microbiologists to astrophysicists are discovering facts about the universe's makeup and functioning that do not fit neatly into either a creationist or evolutionary view of the origin of creation. Deciding whether or not to have your doctor tell you the results of a sonogram is not the most difficult question my nieces will face, but Ills typical of the questions being raised by the technologies and scientific discoveries of our time. Father Kinast is Director of the Centre for Theological Reflection in Largo, Florida. Page 11
29 August, 2002
International News
Re"cord 1111
Soccer star quits By Clan Molloy
Bishops' caution LAGOS, Nigeria (CNS) - The Nigerian bishops' conference has urged caution by lawmakers planning to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo, accused of bungling the country's transition from decades of military dictatorship. Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, president of the bishops' conference, said the "stability and peace of Nigeria is a serious matter." The archbishop said, "The bishops call on all Nigerians, especially those in authority, executive and legislature, to work honestly toward this necessary objective. "We must also think of our image abroad, whatever our local struggles and rivalries may be." Archbishop Onaiyekan said that if the House of Representatives has "good reasons" to impeach the president. the bishops would not interfere.
Jail Ministry AMBIKAPUR, India (CNS) An Indian nun jailed for violating a law on conversion said she hopes to begin ministering to those in prison. "I want to take up the cases of those unjustly jailed," Ursuline Sister Bridhi Ekka told UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. "I was so sorry to listen to the Inmates' stories. "Though all those stories may not be true,I felt that some of the women are really innocent," she said. Initially denied bail, Sister Ekka spent seven days in a 17square-yard cell with 15 other women. Her lawyers eventually obtained bail from an Indian high court. • While in jail, Sister Ekka said the other prisoners treated her "like a queen." "There were three Catholics. five Muslims and eight Hindus," she said. "One Muslim woman was especially concerned about me."
Priest killed HONIARA, Solomon Islands (CNS) - A Catholic priest in the Solomon Islands was murdered August 20 on the orders of a notorious tribal warlord, the British news agency Reuters reported. The priest, Father Augustine Geve, served as minister for youth, sport and women's affairs in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza. Reuters said the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation radio reported Harold Keke, leader of the Guadalcanal Liberation Front, ordered Father Geve's assassination over alleged misuse of public funds in the priest's Weather Coast constituency. Page 12
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) - The captain of Northern Ireland's national soccer team, Neil Lennon, said he has quit international soccer after receiving sectarian death threats. The 31-year-old Catholic said he would never wear the Northern Ireland team jersey again after the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a Protestant paramilitary group, allegedly said the midfielder would be killed if he played in his team's friendly match against Cyprus in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 21.
Lennon has more than 30 appearances for the Northern Ireland national team, but sections of the crowd started booing him 18 months ago when he signed for the Scottish club team Glasgow Celtic. The club has been Identified with Catholicism ever since it was founded in 1888 to help instill a sense of pride in Irish Catholics living in Scotland's biggest city. Sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland and Scotland increase significantly every time there is an "Old Firm Derby" between Celtic and their local rivals, the Glasgow Rangers, who are identified with Protestantism and loyalty to Britain. Politicians of all political and religious persuasions condemned the sectarian intimidation against Lennon. Mark Durkan, deputy first minister of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly, said:
unequivocal and universal condemnation of all threats outside the sporting arena." A former Loyalist paramilitary, John White, said he believed Lennon was "overreacting." White pointed out that the threat against Lennon, which was delivered to the BBC, was not accompanied by a recognised codeword and that the call was probably that of a crank. He added: "None of the paramilitaries have ever intimidated sportsmen." However, Lennon said police were taking the threat seriously. While no codeword was used in the call to a BBC newsroom, graffiti depicting a gallows and the words "Neil Lennon RIP" had appeared near his home in Lurgan and near his parents' home in Belfast. He said: "I have thought long and hard about it and enough is enough - I have to think of my family. My parents are pretty devastated about this. I have a 10year-old daughter who knows nothing about this, and we are trying to keep her away from this as much as possible, but we can't go through this every time I appear in a football match." While most Northern Irish socfans are dismayed at the news cer Neil Lennon, right is seen celebrating with Glasgow Celtic teammate Henrik Lennon's international career that Larsson during a match in Scotland in April 2001. Lennon,aid he has quit interhas ended, one fan going to the national soccer after receiving sectarian death threats because of his assomatch August 21 wearing a CNS ciation with Celtic. Rangers' shirt shrugged off the "This kind of action damages us that thisis restricted to the sports development, saying, "It won't be all and is so self-defeating. An arena, and just as there has been as much fun now because we injury to one is an injury to all. But a united condemnation of this won't be able to boo Lennon off we should be under no illusion threat, there should also be an the field anymore."
Infanticide continues Asian News MADURAI, India (CNS) - The killing of newborn girls continues in some parts of southern India despite efforts by government and voluntary groups to stop the practice, church workers said. Female infanticide has severely affected the male-female ratio in several villages of Tamil Nadu state, said Claretian Father G.L. jayaraj, who manages a home for abandoned children, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The ratio is 870 girls for every 1,000 boys in the state's Andipatti "taluk," about 1,600 miles south of New Delhi, Father jayaraj said, quoting statistics from the state public health department. A taluk is an administrative division comprising several villages. Health department records show that parents killed at least 43 out of 1,818 girls soon after birth in Andipatti last year. In Kadamaligundu taluk, 26 newborn girls died April-July, and the "majority of the deaths could be attributed to infanticide," said Dr. S. Dinesh, head of a primary health centre. The practice of killing girls has gained greater social acceptability in the past two decades as dowry demands increased, explained A. Vijayaraman, director of an anti-infanticide centre. Dinesh said that even a farm labourer earning 50 cents a day has to give about $1,000 or more as dowry to his daughter's husband, in addition to treating the entire village when she attains puberty and during her wedding. Father Antony John Kennedy of Madura' Archdiocese's Social Service Society said female infanticide continues despite opposition from government and human rights organisations because what drives people are economic factors rather than moral considerations. To fight female infanticide, Chief Min ister jayalalitha Jayaram last year enlist-
ed several government and voluntary agencies, including Father layaraj's Claretian Mercy Home, to relaunch the "cradle baby" program, which allows parents to put unwanted female babies in cradles placed at such centres. The initiative won praise from Mother Teresa when it was launched 11 years ago but was shelved following Jayaram's defeat in state elections in 1996. She revivedit after regaining power last year. Now Andipatti has 27 programs at primary health centres, but no parent has used them so far, Dinesh said. Several villagers said they would rather kill their girl babies than give them to someone else. Immaculate Conception Sister Agnes Xavier, director of the Damien Leprosy Control Centre in Nilakottai village, said that for infanticide to end, the government must implement "a pragmatic program" that reduces poverty. The nun, a physician, said the most common methods villagers use to kill a baby girl are to bury her alive or stuff husks into the child's mouth to choke her. Others suffocate the child by placing her in front of a fan rotating at full speed, which avoids telltale marks during autopsies, Sister Xavier explained. "Yes, we buried alive our third girl child," said a person identified only as Malarkodi of Andipatti. "How can poor people like us afford to have three daughters?" she asked. T. Vatsala of Subblapuram village said that government doctors threatened to jail her if her family buried her third daughter alive. However, a woman in neighbouring Rajendra Nagar allegedly escaped jail by not going to government primary health centres. Neighbours of the 35-year-old woman said she has already killed four female babies and is pregnant for the eighth time. Father Kennedy warned that the girl child will remain "a threatened species" in Tamil Nadu unless "a high-profile campaign and health care penetrate" villages that practice female infanticide.
Groups call for ban of RU-486 By Victor Reklaitis WASHINGTON (CNS) - Three pro-life groups have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to stop sales of the abortion drug commonly known as RU486, saying it is unsafe and should never have been approved by the federal agency. The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Christian Medical Association and Concerned Women for America filed the 90-page petition, based on nearly two years of research by the organisations. "The petition sets forth startling evidence that the FDA repeatedly violated its own procedures and safeguards to bring this drug to market," said Cathleen Cleaver, director of planning and information for the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, in a statement. Grounds for the withdrawal of RU-486 from the market include the death of one user from a ruptured fallopian tube; the hospitalisations or other interventions necessary for 22 users; and side effects such as bleeding, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. A 21-yearold user died from a heart attack and another died from a serious bacterial infection, but the FDA has not yet determined if the drug played a role in those cases. In the petition, the three pro-life groups said the FDA approved the drug "without the submission of data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials." They added that it is dangerous for the agency not to require ultrasound scans to date and locate users' pregnancies, as it had required in clinical trials. Additionally, the petition said the drug's distributor has failed to complete a post-approval safety study. "Under pressure from the abortion lobby ... the FDA dropped a number of requirements that, while they would not have made the drugs safe, would have offered some limited degree of protection," said Olivia Gans, an outreach director for the National Right to Life Committee, in a statement released by the organisation. Known generically as mifepristone RU-486 induces an abortion in the first seven weeks of pregnancy when used in conjunction with another drug, a prostaglandin. RU-486 prevents the fertilised egg from clinging to the uterine wall, and the prostaglandin is used 48 hours later to set off contractions that expel the embryo. RU486 was first produced in France and approved there in 1988.
ewcord
International News
29 August, 2002
Lankans debate Iraqi archbishop Sri corporal punishment calls for end to UN embargoes Asian News
EVANSI'ON, Ill. (CNS) - U.S. citizens should call for an end to the U.N. economic embargo against Iraq, an Iraqi archbishop appealed. "To all you people of conscience, we raise our voice asking for your help to lift the embargo, the sanctions, from us, from the people of Iraq, and apply justice by allowing us to get what is necessary for our daily survival," said Chaldean Archbishop Djibrael Kassab of Basra, Iraq. During his homily at St Nicholas Church in Evanston August 18, Archbishop Kassab said the U.S.supported sanctions has paralysed Iraq, causing death, disease, widespread poverty and birth defects. Established to limit trade with Iraq. the sanctions were imposed to ensure Iraq's compliance with orders to eliminate chemical and biological weapons. The sanctions instead have caused massive shortages in food and medical supplies, the archbishop said. Archbishop Kassab said that the scarcity of medical supplies has resulted in a high incidence of chronic disease and death among elderly and children. "Lack of medical devices and medications leave doctors and hospitals helpless when it comes to performing operations or emergency work Surgeries have been done without anaesthesia or pain relievers," he said. He described the daily life in Iraq as being "simply inhumane and unacceptable to any just person. It is an unbearable situation, improper and unjust for any human being
Chaldean Archbishop Djibrael Kassab talks with Salina Ezrah, an elderly Jewish woman being cared for at his Basra church, in a photo taken earlier this year. Photo Courtesy Archbishop Kassab
anywhere in the world," he said. The sanctions also have caused long power outages, disrupting the country's factories and manufacturing plants, which are forced to close down. The lack of electricity also prevents students from studying, the archbishop said. "Many students have to drop out of school because they could not
afford school supplies, clothes and shoes," he said. "Our social life has been destroyed. Many psychological and mental problems are spreading widely day after day through the people, especially our youngsters. Worry and stress are causing nightmares for everyone, especially our children," he said.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) As a child protection agency in Sri Lanka launched a campaign against corporal punishment for children, Catholic teachers and parents differed in their views on whether and how children should be disciplined. In early August. the National Child Protection Authority launched an islandwide awareness campaign to educate parents and teachers against using corporal punishment to discipline children, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The move follows the Sri Lankan government's endorsement of a global campaign, supported by the United Nations, seeking to promote the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. This urges an end to physical and mental violence against children. "Caring for and loving children is the best way." said Marist Brother Lal Fonseka, rector of Holy Cross College in Kalutara, south of Colombo. He said teachers or parents who resort to corporal punishment cause not only physical pain but also severe mental trauma. Sooner or later, he warned, these children would vent their anger on society. Father Ivan Perera, national director of Catholic education, admitted that the conduct of children at home and in school has deteriorated severely. Teachers and parents must therefore find new ways to discipline children, he said, citing developments in child psychology One should not encourage corporal punishment, he added. If a teacher or a parent is forced to use it as a last resort, it should be done in a "very limited manner." he said.
He recommended more "civilised" forms of punishment such as "deprivation of privileges." An example would be to make the student sweep the classroom or do extra homework, he said. Apostolic Carmel Sister Mirani Gunawardene. child psychologist and head of a pm-school near Colombo, said school staffers never use corporal punishment on children. "This could instill hatred and a feeling of inferiority in a young child," she said. Father Maxwell Silva, rector of St. Thomas' College in Kotte, just outside of Colombo, cited the official code of ethics for educational institutions. A teacher is allowed only three strokes of the cane on the hand of an erring student, and only with the principal's approval, Father Silva said. But "a teacher, due to practical difficulties, may not always adhere to this rule," he said. He said he agreed with Father Perera's mild forms of punishment. However, he observed that students are not as obedient as in the past and any offence they commit should not go unpunished. "A child should be punished in a correct and humane manner, not out of anger or revenge but out of love and understanding," he said, adding that caning should be regarded as the most severe form of corporal punishment. Rohan Weerasuriya, whose son attends St. Peter's College in Colombo. agreed that corporal punishment should be replaced by more ethical forms of punishment. "Teachers having family problems may take it out on poor students." he warned. Yet Joseph Stanislaus Pius, a teacher from the leading St. Joseph's College in Colombo. disagreed about using milder forms of punishment because they were "impractical."
Cathedral sex stunt in Creation is a gift, says book NY backfires for hosts By Cindy Wooden
NEW YORK (CNS) - A New York radio station cancelled its popular "Opie and Anthony Show" and fired the show's hosts on August 22 in the wake of criticism of the August 15 broadcast of a couple allegedly having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. "Based on recent events, the `Opie and Anthony Show' has been cancelled and will be replaced by other programming," the radio company said in an August 22 statement. Initially, the syndicated afternoon drive-time radio show had been suspended by the station's owner, Infinity Broadcasting Operations Inc. The show was cancelled when the Federal Communications Commission announced that it was opening an official investigation into the broadcast. The FCC had received hundreds of "outraged e-mails and phone calls" complaining about the radio broadcast and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps had said the complaints were "on the fast track" for being considered by his agency. If they proved true, he said in an August 19 statement, "this commission should consider the strongest action possible against this station, up to and
WIGAN CITY (CNS) - Official including revocation of the sta- Catholic teaching on the environment is based on the belief that tion's license." The August 15 stunt was part of creation is a gift of God that must the radio show's contest which be protected, used responsibly and offered prizes to couples having shared equitably, said a new Vatisex in the riskiest locations of the can book Under Pope John Paul II the city. The couple and a producer for teaching has developed, uniting the radio show who was provid- spirituality with morality and ing listeners with details of the addressing concrete problems, couple's activity were arrested including population growth, shortly after 4pm in a side area of access to water, development and the cathedral. The church had the impact of genetic manipulabeen filled with Mass-goers tion, said the book, released on throughout the day for the feast of August 21. The Pontifical Council the Assumption, but no afternoon for Justice and Peace published the Masses were celebrated between book, an overview of church teaching on environmental issues, in 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. that day. Police identified the couple as preparation for the United Loretta Lynn Harper, 35, and her Nations' August 26-September 4 boyfriend, Brian Florence, 37. World Summit on Sustainable They were arraigned on charges Development in South Africa. of obscenity in the third degree The Vatican announced on and public lewdness. Paul Mer- August 22 that it would send a curio of New York, who allegedly seven-person delegation to the provided the live commentary, Johannesburg conference, headed was arraigned the same day on a by Archbishop Renato Martino, charge of "acting in concert" with the Holy See's permanent ohservHarper and Florence. The cou- er at the United Nations in New ple's lawyer maintains they were York simulating sex. William Donohue, "From Stockholm to Johannespresident of the Catholic League burg: An Historical Overview of for Religious and Civil Rights, said the Concern of the Holy See for his group wanted Infinity Broad- the Environment" focused on statecasting Operations fined and the ments from 1972 to 2002, but also license of WNE'W revoked. traced the beginnings of modern
Catholic moral concern for the contemplation of the wonders of environment to the Second Vati- nature has led Pope John Paul Li to can Council. address an evermore urgent Written by Sacred Heart of Mary appeal to all to turn toward creSister Marjorie Keenan, a semi- ation, to see in it the reflection of retired U.S. official of the council. the creator and to assure that its the book also includes major fruits are for all," she wrote. excerpts on environmental issues The book incorporated several from 24 papal or Vatican doculists of theological and moral conments. cepts and principles from Catholic Pope John Paul, she wrote, has "never hesitated to make explicit teaching on environmental issues, the relationship between a cre- including: - "All of creation has a ation-based spirituality and care value in its own right for the environment that is for all • "The goods of the earth are of God's creation." a unique patrimony of all of The Pope's teaching on environhumanity. mental issues presents nature as • "Their distribution must be one of the means by which God regulated by justice and accomreveals himself to humanity; and panied by love. while it clearly places human • "Nature is a mirror reflectin concern centre of at the beings ing the covenant of all of creevaluating the environmental centred in the human ation, impact of progress, it stresses "the person, with the creator. obligation to care for it in all its • "The present high rate of splendour and beauty, rememberconsumption and pollution is ing that it was created for all." not tolerable. The centrality of the human per. • "Science and technology son, in addition, requires respect have contributed much to for the conscience of each individprogress. However, there are ual. While the Catholic Church moral limits to their use and urges couples to be responsible in applications, among which (is) their parenthood, it absolutely their effect on the environment. opposes any government or inter• "The present destruction of national organisation's efforts to environment is only one the pressure people to have fewer chilaspect of a profound moral cridren than they want or can care sis. for responsiblc the book said. "The Page 13
29 August, 2002
Record Reviews
Reh'cord
Old great resurrected Old Thunder, A Life of Hilaire Belloc, by Joseph Pearce. HarperCollins Hbk 318pp, $69.95.
Reviewed by Tony Evans
L
ilce many other pre-Vatican II Catholic writers, Hilaire Belloc (1874-1953) has suffered more than his fair share of disfavour in recent years. There may be several reasons for this: apart from the general eclipse in popularity which most writers suffer in the years following their death, Belloc's fearless, outspoken defence of his religion, both in his writings and on the public platform, sits uneasily with the more deferential ecumenical attitudes of today. His historical biographies, which sought to correct the anti Catholic slant of so much official English history at the time, are now ignored in most universities, schools and seminaries, to be read only by an admiring few. The admiring few are still there and far from insignificant as is evidenced by this the third fulllength biography to be published since Belloc's death 48 years ago. Also available are numerous shorter studies, anthologies, and reprints of his major works. There exists also an international Belloc Society with members in Australia. Like that of his great friend Chesterton with whom he is forever linked, Belloc's verse (more polished and enduring than Chesterton's), and his aphorisms, are widely quoted and admired. The haunting beauty and craftsmanship of his serious poetry, which he hoped of all his work would survive, is generally overshadowed by the popularity of his Cautionary Verses. These have long delighted children up to the age of seventy and beyond. They describe with wit, moral wisdom and impish humour how little characters like Matilda told such dreadful lies that when she summoned the fire-brigade they thought it was another hoax and she was burnt to death; how Maria pulled ugly faces and as a result made a deplorable marriage; How Jim ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion; how a boy called John loved throwing stones and lost a fortune when one missile hit his rich uncle in the eye. And there are
IF1-. OF HILAIRE BELLOC
many. many more, all repeatedly published in various popular editions. But if Belloc's light verse was his only claim to fame, this biography would not have been written. There is much more to him than that. His literary achievements, his intellect, his powerful personality and his contribution to political and religious thought ensure his place in modern history. An almost exact contemporary of Winston Churchill, Belloc shares some similar characteristics with him - a point made but not laboured by Pearce. They were similar in appearance when young men. Belloc, like Churchill, had a prodigious intellect, read voraciously and wrote equally voraciously, motivated mainly by the need to earn a living. Both were masters of prose style, had a fascination and under-
standing of military history and were brilliant public speakers (Belloc, President of the Oxford Union), and both entered Parliament about the same time as members of the Liberal Party Belloc became disillusioned and highly critical of the parliamentary party system and resigned after a second term, which is where he and Churchill part company. The author of this latest biography is a convert with a mounting reputation as a major Catholic writer; he already has several biographies to his credit, including the much praised life of G.K. Chesterton, Wisdom and Innocence Like the Chesterton, the new Belloc biography is a sympathetic study which helps to restore Belloc's reputation and argues that he was a major force in raising Catholic self-esteem
and influence at a time when the Church was shedding its Cinderella-like status in Britain in the closing years of the 19th century. Pearce is persuasive and at his best when countering or at least tempering the oft-repeated charge that Belloc was anti-semitic. He demonstrates, using numerous quotations from Belloc's own writings, that he was appalled at attacks on the Jews and was one of the first to criticise Hitler's treatment of them. He was openly critical of Cecil Chesterton's New Witness for its anti-Semitism. As early as 1924 he wrote: "There is not in the whole mass of my written books and articles, there is not in any one of my lectures (many of which have been delivered to Jewish bodies by special request because of the Interest I have taken), there is not, I say, in any one of my writings a single line in which a Jew has been attacked as a Jew, or in which the vast majority of their race, suffering and poor, has received anything which could he construed as dislike". It may come as a surprise to Belloc's detractors that for many years he employed a Jew as a secretary and he treated her with affection and loyalty. Pearce is also insightful when dealing with Belloc's home-life, his family and his great love for his American wife, Elmlie. He counters previous biographer A.N. Wilson's contention that Belloc neglected his family, and after Elodie's untimely death spent the rest of his life in morbid repentance. Belloc was a compulsive traveller but he would have argued that travel was necessary, the inspiration of his writing. He was never happier than when he returned as often as possible to his family. He suffered greatly the loss of his Elodie, his eldest son Louis in World War I, and his younger son, Peter, in World War II. Pearce shows that his heart was broken by these events and that they were the cause of his steady decline into old age and senility. If the test of a good literary biography is to send the reader back to the author's work with renewed enthusiasm and understanding, then Pearce's book passes with honours. As a life-long admirer of Belloc, conversant with most of his works, this reviewer is now
Spy film fails to thrill with its use of violence By Gem Pare, CNS
C
tinning neo-Nazi terrorists bring the U.S. and Russia to a nuclear showdown in the horrifying thriller "The Sum of All Fears" (Paramount). This is the fourth instance of a Tom Clancy espionage novel turned into a movie, but this is a prequel, in which key character Jack Ryan is a young and inexperienced CIA analyst played by Ben Affleck. Loosely adapted from the 1991_ novel of the same name and set in the present, lowly Russian expert Ryan is suddenly called to advise CIA director William Cabot (Morgan Freeman) about new Russian president Nememv (Ciaran Hinds looking like a handsome Bela Lugosi), whom Ryan has studied and considers a moderate. Cabinet members and national security advisers around U.S. President Fowler think otherwise, however, suspecting Nemerov is an extremely dangerous and
Page 14
hawkish hard-liner. Meanwhile, a shadowy group of international neo-Nazis (led by Alan Bates) has acquired an unexploded atom bomb newly uncovered in the desert sands after a 1973 Israeli fighter jet crash. Once put back in working order by three rogue Soviet scientists who foolishly think they will be paid a fortune, the bomb is to be transported and exploded at the upcoming Super Bowl game in Baltimore - with President Fowler in attendance. The terrorists expect Russia to be blamed and suffer nuclear retaliation, leaving a power vacuum they are prepared to fill. Although Ryan is still the resourceful hero, the unthinkable does happen midway through the film, leaving him scrambling to prevent a worldwide catastrophe. A story that once might have seemed far-fetched can now ratchet up fear and dread in an already nervous public. It's cer-
Morgan Freeman and Ben Affieck star in The Sum of All Fears by Paramount Pictures. Photo: CNS/Paramount Pictures tainly not a movie for those still emotionally fragile from having lost anyone in a terrorist attack, and it still may be too soon for many others. In fact, given the disastrous turn of events the movie takes, one can find fault with presenting a film in which thousands are killed as an exciting thriller. Director Phil Alden Robinson, however, keeps the trio of story
lines about the strategies of the terrorists, the Americans and the Russians moving along at a good clip as Ryan races against the clock to pinpoint the true perpetrators of the attack Because of violence, the issue of vigilante justice, an implied affair, intermittent profanity, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is AIV- adults with reservations.
impatient to re-read all his poetry, The Path To Rome, Survivals and New Arrivals, Belinda, and The Cruise of the Nona - books which Pearce chooses as among Belloc's finest. The blemishes are more the publisher's rather than the writer's: the jacket blurb mentions previously unpublished photographs, but there is an absence of photographs in the text, a disappointing omission in view of the high price. And the index is seriously inadequate. But what of the curious title? 'Old Thunder' was how Belloc's mother referred to her son partly because he was born during a thunder-storm, and partly because she thought it fitted his mercurial temperament. 'Old Thunder' was certainly a description which grew more apposite as the life of this great champion of the Catholic Faith unfolded.
we Aview LiCILIEl DO CI Ell El [1]
AusrmuArsi COUNCIL FOR
OVERSEAS AID
wvvw.acfoa.asn.au Through the news and through the papers we see aid agencies pleading for assistance, whether it be for money, to sponsor a child, or just to give food and blankets. Many a time the papers have also published articles related to agencies that are bogus. or that use the donations both financial and material for their own purposes, with very little actually going to those who you think you are donating to. How then can we find out who to support or avoid. This Is not as easy to answer as I first thought. I did however find a great site www.acfoa.asn.au. This site belongs to The Australian Council for Overseas Aid which is the coordinating body for some 96 Australian non government aid and development organisations. The Australian Council for Overseas Aid was formed in 1965 to "create a vehicle to enable government to relate to the Non Government Organisation (NGO) community more easily". In 1966 ACFOA coordinated the Australian voluntary aid effort to Vietnam and received its first government grant of $11,000 for Vietnam. Since 1995 ACFOA has moved significantly in the direction of acting as a body through which the aid sector regulates itself more stringently. ACFOA has established the Code of Conduct for NGOs which is now a requirement for any NGO seeking AusAID funding. The Agencies listed within this site have all signed the code of conduct. For anyone wishing to invest in an aid organisation it is perhaps worth checking this site first to see if the agency is listed. The least it can do is lead you to the agency you are interested In or to another that you didn't know of and should you have a complaint you know who to contact.. This site not only offers information on aid agencies, but also provides a diary and pages on employment, training, and information on initiating an NGO. Well worth the browse.
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official diary panorama AUGUST Friday 30 Mass for Padre Pio Prayer Group, Como Parish Archbishop Hickey Confirmation, Hilton - Fr Greg Carroll
Friday 30 - Sunday 1 September Canonical Visitation. Willetton/Brentwood - Bishop Sproxton
SEPTEMBER Sunday 1 Mass at Melkite Church - Archbishop Hickey Confirmation, Gosnells - Mgr P McCrann
Sunday 1 -Thursday 5 Clergy Retreat - Bishop Sproxton
Tuesday 3 - Thursday 5 Central Commission, Canberra - Archbishop Hickey
Thursday 5 Catholic Students' Mass, Murdoch University Bishop Sproxton
Friday 6 - Saturday 7 Confirmation, Lesmurdie - Archbishop Hickey
Friday 7 Confirmation. Southern Cross - Fr G Carroll Mass and Rosary Procession - Bishop Sproxton
Saturday 8 Adult Confirmation. St Mary's Cathedral - Archbishop Hickey Confirmation, Belmont - Mgr Thomas McDonald Confirmation, Clarkson - Bishop Sproxton Confirmation, Dianella - Mgr Tim Corcoran Procession and Benediction for Feast of Maria SS del Tindari, Fremantle - Archbishop Hickey
Monday 10 Attadale Parish Mission - Archbishop Hickey Mass at St Gerard's School, Westminster - Bishop Sproxton Performing Arts Awards for Excellence, Perth Concert Hall Bishop Sproxton
Tuesday 11 Visit Confirmation Candidates, Langford - Archbishop Hickey
Wednesday 12 Visit Confirmation Candidates, Mercedes College Archbishop Hickey
Wednesday 12 - 26 Colloquium for New Bishops, Rome- Bishop Sproxton
Where have all my penguins gone. long time passing?
Stargazing Scorpio Scorpios are notoriously dim, bordering on gullible. This week I predict that you will be reading a satirical newspaper column, fail to understand that it is a sendup, completely miss the point that it's author's ludicrous name cannot possibly be real, become outraged at the advice it offers in relation to penguins - not to mention matters such as the square root of a number smaller or equal to .5. and geraniums - and complain to the editor. As an antidote I urge all Scorpios to remember that the only sound advice about life is to be found in this column. Do not believe mysterious spurious anonymous newspaper columnists with dangerously insane motives. Dr Moominit Vaeanstare PhD (Oxen) Dip. Fencing enjoys cooking timber in his spore time.
Sunday September 1 THE MARTYRDOM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN UKRAINE On the occasion of the celebration of the Ukrainian independence this month, switch on to the Catholic radio broadcast "The Layman's Hour" with Raymond and Theresa de Souza (Radio Fremantle. 107.9 FM) at 7.30pm and hear the special documentary on the persecution of the Catholic Church in Ukraine. Hear also t he live interview with Australian-Ukrainian Andrew Kania of Notre Dame University on the history of those martyrs. Tuesday September 3 DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE Nasser Graham (psychologist) will be holding a talk ' Dealing with difficult people' 7.30-9.30pm S5 (donation unwaged). Multi-purpose room John XXIII College. Details Ph: 9383 0444 September 4-6 48 HOUR PERPETUAL ROSARY Commencing Wed 4 Sept. 6pm, concluding Friday 6th Sept. 6pm. Please contact Margaret 9446 1935 (fax 9446 1933). Jan 9255 1382 (fax 9255 4182), Kathy 96225963 or post rosters to 2 Suso St, Woodlands. 6018. Thursday September 5 HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONS For men and women discerning a call to Priesthood or Consecrated Life. Pro Cathedral, Victoria Avenue, 7.30 - 8.30pm. Enq, Fr Doug Harris Ph: 9223 1350 Friday September 6 PRO LIFE PROCESSION The first Friday mass, procession and Rosary Vigil will c ommence at 9.30am, with Mass celebrated at St Brigid's Church, Midland. Followed by prayers at the abortion centre. All are invited to witness for the sanctity of life and pray for the conversion of hearts. Enq: 9279 3934 ALL NIGHT EUCHARISTIC ADORATION All Saints Chapel, Allendale Square. 77 St George's Terrace. First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and First Saturday to the Immaculate Heart of Mary commencing 9pm with Holy Mass, Rosaries, hymns and prayers. Concluding with Holy Mass at 7am. Inq: Catherine 9444 1940, Yolanda 9385 8563. ALLIANCE AND TRIUMPH OF THE TWO HEARTS ALL NIGHT EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Nine consecutive first Fridays of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Girrawheen. Confessions from 8pm, Holy Mass at 9pm. Each vigil concludes on Saturday morning with Holy Mass at 7.15am. Celebrants: Fr Hugh Thomas and Fr Oliver Ryan. Enq: 9342 5845 Saturday September 7 OUR LADY'S BIRTHDAY 2002 Our Lady's Birthday Celebrations at St Mary's Cathedral, Comm 7.30am, Eucharistic adoration, praying specifically for our Holy Father John Paul II, 9.45am, Meditative Rosary by Fr Deeter. 10.30am, Holy Mass (Msg McDonald) WITNESS FOR LIFE PROCESSION The next first Saturday Mass Procession and Rosary Vigil will commence with Mass at 8.30am at St Anne's Church, Hehir St Belmont, with Bishop Sproxton. We proceed to the Rivervale abortion centre and conclude with Rosary, led by Bishop Don Sproxton. Please join us to pray peacefully for the conversion of hearts. Enq: Helen 9402 0349 FILLING MY SPIRITUAL WELL (IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY TALK 3) Murray Graham (Inigo Centre Director) Saturday between 11am - 1pm. Multi-purpose room John XXIII College. Details Ph: 9383 0444. September 8 PRAYER SERVICE Prayer Service against sickness and evil held every second Sunday of the month at St John's Pro-Cathedral, Victoria Ave, 2.30-4.30pm. Inq: Fr John 9361 2000.
Deadline: 5prn Monday
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a roundup of events in the archdiocese Sunday September 8 EVENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AT SCHOENSTATT SHRINE Celebration of Mary's Birthday: 2pm talk and reflection with Fr Ivanhoe, 3.30pm Mass, 4.30pm Birthday party to honour Mary GERMAN MASS A German speaking Mass will be held on Sunday at 12 midday. at St Francis Xavier church. Windsor St, East Perth. it will be followed by a family picnic. EUCHARISTIC REPARATION The next Holy Hour for the World Apostolate of Fatima will be held on Sunday at 3pm. in the Mercedes Chapel. Victoria Square. Fr M Rome will officiate. All welcome. BULLSBROOK PILGRIMAGE For Our Lady's Birthday at the Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation. 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook. Celebrations commence in the Shrine at 2pm. The anointing of the sick will take place during Mass. Bus bookings 9277 5378. Inquiries: SACRI 9447 3292. VISITING BIOETHICIST L J Goody Bioethics Centre, 39 Jugan St. Glendalough 7.30-9.30pm. The culture of life: stem cells, the human genome and the edges of life. Enq Nat: 9242 4066. September 9 - 13 GET TOGETHER. BODY AND SOUL Mater Christi Parish Mission 2002. at Mater Christi Church, 340 Yangebup Road, Yangebup 7.30 - 8.45 pm. All are Welcome, conducted by the Redemptorists - Fr John Hodgson and Fr Gerard Nagle. Wednesday September 11 CURRENT ISSUES IN THE STEM CELL DEBATE Speakers Prof Alan Harvey and Rev Parkinson. Open to all health professionals, 6.15 for 6.30 start at St John of God, Subiaco Conf Centre. level 3 McCourt St Clinic. RSVP Natalie 9242 4066. Saturday September 14 IGNITING THE PASSION IN OUR PARISHES Workshop presented by Fr Chiera, Vicar General Bunbury Diocese, designed to benefit Priests, parish Pastoral Councils, Liturgy Committees, RCIA teams. 1-4pm, Willetton Parish Centre. Pinetree Gully Road. Tel: 9221 1548 Fax: 9221 3694, Email: litrcia@nw.com.au September 14/15 TWILIGHT RETREAT 'Young people at prayer'. We welcome back all the pilgrims from World Youth Day,Toronto and invite all youth to a Twilight retreat on Saturday Sept 14 at 3pm. The retreat will consist of talks with inspirations from WYD.: Presentations will continue until early Sunday morning and conclude with Holy Mass at 6am, followed by breakfast. Info: Sr Lisette 9399 2349. Friday/Saturday September 20/21 EUCHARISTIC TEACHINGS Eucharist as the Prayer of Praise Friday, 9-10am, St Gerard's Church, 36 Changton Way, Mirrabooka. Eucharist - The challenge to be radically new, Friday 7-9pm, St Anne's Church, 11 Hehir Street, Belmont. Eucharist Doing it in memory of the Lord Jesus, Sat 10.1011.15am, Holy Sprit Church, 2 Keaney Place, City Beach. Eucharist as Commitment to Build God's Kingdom. Saturday 4-6pm, Holy Trinity Church, 8 Burnett Street, Embleton (followed by Holy Mass) Please bring a plate to share. Saturday September 21 ST PADRE PIO DAY St Mary's Cathedral 7.30am - Exposition, 11.00am Mass, 12 noon - Close. CHARITY BALL AND PARISH RAFFLE Gingin-Chittering parish invites all to our Charity Ball at Queens Park Recreation Centre, Cnr of Centre and George St. Tickets $12.00 per adult & $6.00 per child (under 12). BYOG. On sale: Soft drinks and finger food. Tickets available from Francis Williams 9459 3873 or mob: 0404 893 877 or Fr Paul 9571 1839. 1st Prize: S10,000. All proceeds will go towards building a small church in the parish.
Page 15
Remembering those who didn't make it An Armadale parish Mass strikes a poignant note with parents who have lost children before birth and helps them towards healing by Carolyn Richer
F
ifty tea light candles adorned the altar on 19 August at St Francis Xavier Parish, Armadale, during a special mass dedicated to the memory of babies that died before birth or baptism. Celebrant, Fr Tony Pires, invited families from the congregation to light a candle for their babies or friend's babies that died due to miscarriage, still birth, cot death or even abortion. For some parents, the painful memories were still evident in their faces. Sr Ann Cullinane, SJG, spoke at the Saturday evening mass with conviction and said, it takes courage to open wounds from the past, to treat and heal them. And yet, if we don't, our grief doesn't just go away. If we don't transform our pain we are sure to transmit It.', Sr Ann drew on her experiences with the bereaved and said that sometimes the death of a baby can produce deep and conflicting emotions. She said often it's best to simply hold grieving parents to comfort them rather than use words that may be inappropriate at the time. Mrs Rosaleen Byrne, on holiday from Ireland, confided that she had lost five children over 10 years. "I am very happy that I came tonight. It has been on my mind for years to name the chil- nity cigars burn on the altar for tiny humans as Father Tony Aires celebrates Mass at St Francis Xavier parish in Amadei* far those who sled before birth. dren I lost so I gave then names God's will. But I never blamed extremely important because regrets." Sr Ann said abortion ciful and loving - a God who tonight: God. I always had a strong faith. Christ said we would be called by grief counselling was very impor- understands and forgives. She In a special part of the ceremo- Jesus was my friend all through name.I believe whenever I pray I tant and added that God is mer- said Pope John Paul II said on one ny, people were given the oppor- my life. He has seen me through am with them at that moment". of his letters, "...You will come to tunity to write the name of their a lot of suffering." A particularly poignant moment understand that nothing is definbabies on a paper leaf and place during the mass was when Fr itively lost and you will be able to It on a tree on the altar, which "I wasn't told that on the Tony asked people to come forask forgiveness from your child symbolised the tree of life. Some ward and link hands around the who is now living in the Lord' birthdays of my living families placed more than one altar extending out to the congre(Evangethun vitae 1995). leaf on the tree. gation. The experience moved Sr Ann said, "In death, the smallchildren I would Mrs Byrne said, "I think people some families to tears. est child becomes more alive, remember the two for who have lost babies will receive Sr Ann also prayed for parents more developed because in the great healing. I never saw my who had taken their babies' lives whom I would never encounter with God, everything babies. They were just taken from through abortion. that that child is, or can become, make a birthday cake..." me.I was heartbroken. It was terShe said, "one woman confessed is brought to perfection in God. In rible. You got no sympathy,I think "I wasn't told that on the birthdeath the child reaches instantly people were afraid to say anyA visitor to the parish. Ms Mary days of my living childrenIwould the fullness of life and love." thing.I would go into town on my Lally said, "I'm not married and remember the two for whom I bicycle so I didn't have to talk to soInever had children butIcame would never make a birthday anyone. Whenever Ilooked into a tonight because my sister in Ire- cake, or that on Mother's Day I pram I felt envious." land lost a child a number of years would remember the two who She said, "I felt I grieved all ago. I pray for this child and also would never send me a card or alone. Now they give you the child for a niece of mine who lost a that every Christmas I would to hold and encourage you to give child: remember the two for whom The 'tree of life'. Participants were the child a name, so that they are She said, "the Irish Celtic ances- there would never be any preencouraged to come forward and not forgotten. People would say to tors believe very strongly that they sents.' The woman didn't realise place a paper leaf, on which was writme, 'oh you're young you can will be reunited with the dead. I that a 'quick fix' for her problems ten the name of a deceased child, on always have another or that it was think naming the children is would have no 'quick fix' to her the tree.
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