March 27, 2009
The Catholic News & Herald 1
www.charlottediocese.org
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
Perspectives The cross and joy; Easter hope; the disease of ‘a thousand things to do’
Established Jan. 12, 1972 by Pope Paul VI march 27, 2009
CONSCIENCE MATTERS
N.C. bishops call for help in defending health care workers’ rights
| Pages 14-15 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
In Africa, pope challenges attitudes, cultural trends by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service
LUANDA, Angola — Pope Benedict XVI’s in-flight statement opposing condom distribution in AIDS prevention drew sharp criticism and was seen by many as a distraction fr om his main mes s age in Africa. But a closer look reveals that very little of what the pope had to say during his March 17-23 African journey was easy or accommodating. On issues ranging from abortion to corruption,
KEVIN E. MURRAY editor
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Raleigh Bishop Michael F. Burbidge are encouraging local Catholics to help keep a regulation that gives federal protection to the conscience rights of health care providers and institutions. “The right to life and the freedom to exercise one’s religious and moral beliefs in the medical field without See HHS, page 6
no. 21
Bringing Christ’s message to a ‘land of hope’
USCCB comments cite reasons for HHS to keep conscience regulation by
vOLUME 18
See AFRICA, page 7
CNS photo by L’Osservatore Romano via Catholic Press Photo
Pope Benedict XVI kisses a child as he leaves Amadou Ahidjo stadium following Mass in Yaounde, Cameroon, March 19. In his homily the pope urged African families to reject the “tyranny of materialism” and other social changes that risk eroding the continent’s traditional values. The service was attended by more than 40,000 people.
Festivities of green
Considering the alternative
Students spend spring break doing service projects in western North Carolina by
KATIE MOORE staff writer
Courtesy photo
Student volunteers, Becky Whaples and Kelly Laccinole, paint a wall at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville March 12. As participants in Catholic Campus Ministry’s alternative spring break, the students spent a week doing service projects in western North Carolina counties.
M U R P H Y — A s m all group of college students and campus ministers from around the Diocese of Charlotte recently made a big impact on four rural mountain counties of western North Carolina. As part of an alternative
spring break, the students spent March 7-14 performing service projects with a Catholic agency and local nonprofit organizations. The project was a collaborative effort between diocesan campus ministry and the Office of Economic See SERVICE, page 5
Photo by Kevin E. Murray
The 13th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival was held in uptown Charlotte March 21. For photographs of participating Catholic schools and organizations, see pages 8-9.
Culture Watch
In Our Schools
‘Beacon of hope’
Menus and saints’ lives; filmmaker works to help poor
Students experience styles of music, art in school
Catholic church reopens in New Orleans’ 9th Ward
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