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Two proposals for women get the nod PERTH, WA: March 16, 1995
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The Vatican delegation was pleased with the success it had in getting other delegations to accept two of its proposals dealing specifically with women, Navarro-Valls said. The first was inserted in a chapter on the importance of work for enabling people to become active participants in society. The Vatican proposal called on governments to report in their gross national product statistics the value of unpaid work that women perform at home. The final language adopted also recognized "the great social importance" of the unpaid work of those who care for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. The second Vatican proposal was included in the summit declaration's commitment to equal access to health care and education for boys and girls, men and women. The amended and adopted passage called for an international effort to promote respect for human dignity and protect "all women and children, especially against exploitation, trafficking and harmful practices such as child prostitution, female genital mutilation and child marriages." The Vatican along with many Latin American countries and most Islamic nations also worked to ensure the summit recognized the central place of strong, stable families in creating strong, stable societies, Navarro-Valls said. Cardinal Sodano told the summit its goals could not be met without government support for institutions which teach people the values of solidarity, love, friendship, tolerance and cooperation. "Undoubtedly, the first of these institutions to be safeguarded is the family, the basic unity of society," he said. • See Page 7
Church proposals get into final World Summit on Social Development document The Vatican delegation agreed at the summit that behind OPENHAGEN, DENMARK (CNS) - After bargaining C that went into the early hours of the morning, the Vatican every social and economic proposal made, there must be a was able to support the conclusions of the World Summit on moral commitment not only to giving to the poor, but to
Social Development. "We share the consensus, and overall we are pleased with the documents," said Vatican spokesman Joaquin NavarroValls, a member of the Vatican delegation. The last hurdle faced by the Vatican in getting a document it could support was convincing other delegations to recognize the rights of parents in overseeing the sex education and health services provided to their children, Navarro-Valls said. The Vatican's point was accepted at 2 a.m. barely making the deadline for completion of the declaration and plan of action signed by some 120 presidents, vice presidents and prime ministers on the summit's closing day. The meeting began with a proposal that industrialized nations earmark 20 percent of their foreign aid to social projects and that the countries which receive such aid allocate 20 percent of their government spending to similar projects. The summit ended up promoting the "20-20 formula" as a purely voluntary target. "At first I was pessimistic because it is only voluntary," Navarro-Valls said. "But all of these heads of state are making a public commitment to this goal. It will be a moral obligation."
changing the patterns of spending and consumption in rich nations which monopolize the world's resources and lock poor nations out of the global market. Msgr. Diarmuid Martin. secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and head of the Vatican delegation, told the summit: "The leaders of the world's nations at this summit will make a promise to those 1 billion people in today's world who live in abject poverty, to do something concrete and definitive about their situation," said Msgr. Martin. One area where the Vatican had hoped for stronger action was on the question of the foreign debt burden of poor countries; many of those nations pay more in interest on their debts each year than they receive in development aid. Msgr. Martin had told the summit the saga of foreign debts and out-of-control loan payments had a historical beginning and must have a historical end. "The summit did not accept the challenge to cancel the debt of the poorest countries. but it did accept the need to study ways to do so," Navarro-Valls said. At the same time, the summit recognized the need to reform programs imposed on debtor nations as a condition for new loans.
Our Lady statue unveiled at NDA
Notre Dame Indiana president Father Malloy (left) and vicepresident Father with Beauchamp sculptor Peter Schipperheyn.
"What has been done here (in Fremantle) Father Beauchamp said that Father Sorin he Catholic universities of Indiana and Father Beauchamp compared the beginTFremantle share a name in common, nings of Notre Dame US and Notre Dame was a man of great faith and vision, but that is again a reflection of the protection of Australia. even he might be shocked today to see the Mary." "but more importantly they share the dedication to Mary and her son," the vice president of the American institution said at Fremantle on Sunday.
Father William Beauchamp said that just as the Notre Dame US has the Golden Dome surmounted by Our Lady's statue as a symbol, Notre Dame Australia needed a symbol of Our Lady and that is why they donated a statue of Our Lady to Notre Dame Australia. The statue, which stands in the main entrance of NDA was sculpted in marble by Peter Schipperheyn, Australia's pre-eminent sculptor.
In 1842, a 26 year old Holy Cross priest, reality of his vision, as the University of accompanied by six Holy Cross brothers, Notre Dame Du Lac has grown so large. Father Beauchamp said that the Univerarrived in the wilderness of northern Indiana to found a university. On the day he sity has grown and prospered because all arrived Father Sorin wrote that the white that was done was under the protection of snow reminded him of the Virgin Mary and Mary, the Mother of God. straight away he named the site, Notre Father Beauchamp then recalled when a Dame Du Lac (Our Lady of the Lake). group of men from Australia arrived at the The university had its early trials. "When same site in Indiana in 1987. Father Sorin was an old man he watched as "They had a dream, but no students, no the university burnt down." facilities, no resources." "They wanted to set up the first Catholic However, he immediately began to rebuild and the first thing he did was to university in Australia. in Fremantle, a place construct the now famous Golden Dome, just about as far away from Notre Dame with a 19-foot (5.7m) Statue of Our Lady on Indiana as you can get, and they wanted to call it Notre Dame." top.
In thanking Father Beauchamp and the University of Notre Dame US, the Chancellor, Terry O'Connor QC, said the statue represented the strong bonds between the two universities. Scultpor, Peter Schipperheyn, said the statue of Our Lady and Jesus, was the culmination of many years of work. "I completed my first sculpture when I was 11 years of age," said Peter. "It was of a `mother and child' and it is still sitting in my mother's home today." The Vice Chancellor of Notre Dame, said Schipperheyn's statue will become a landmark in Fremantle. .1.1010"'717MT •