April 25, 2008

April 25, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives The pope and the president; facing up to the abuse crisis; letters to the editor

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI april 25, 2008

A stewardship way of life

| Pages 14-15 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

In U.S., pope preaches message of hope built on faith

by CINDY WOODEN catholic news service

KATIE MOORE staff writer

NEW YORK — From the White House to the U.N. General Assembly hall and from Ground Zero to the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium, Pope Benedict XVI preached a message of hope built on faith and a joint commitment to defend the dignity of the human person.

He acknowledged the “evil” of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, met privately with a group of victims and encouraged the U.S. bishops to continue their work to restore trust in the church and its ministers.

Celebrating Mass April 19 in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral with thousands of priests and religious, the pope

CONCORD — The advantages of stewardship are endless.

Such was the message shared at the seventh annual Regional Stewardship Day Conference, held at the Embassy Suites Hotel/Convention Center in Concord April 19.

Hundreds of participants from dioceses around the South See GIFTS, page 5

Seeking solutions

Monks search for new ways to support Mepkin Abbey in S.C. by

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS

CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec

Pope Benedict XVI waves to well-wishers as he leaves Nationals Park after celebrating Mass in Washington April 17.

See MONKS, page 13

See POPE, page 8

Parting with the pope

catholic news service

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — The Trappist monks at Our Lady of Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, S.C., are looking at a variety of new ways to support themselves as they phase out their popular egg production business.

A 10-member advisory panel made up of Charlestonarea business and banking executives, an organic farmer and two representatives of the Catholic community recently held an all-day brainstorming session on how the monks

no. 25

Invigorating the faith of his American flock

Conference explores benefits of sharing God’s gifts by

vOLUME 17

Pope Benedict says it was ‘joy’ to witness faith of U.S. Catholics by

BENEDICTA CIPOLLA catholic news service

CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec

Vice President Dick Cheney, his wife Lynne, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Cardinal Edward M. Egan and Bishop DiMarzio wave as the plane carrying Pope Benedict XVI departs JFK International Airport in New York April 20.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Thanking Americans for their hospitality, Pope Benedict XVI departed the United States amid a cheering crowd of 4,000 people who had come to see him off.

“It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here,” the pope said April 20 in

brief remarks to those gathered in hangar 19 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“It was heartwarming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian communities and other religions,” Pope Benedict added.

Among those present at the airport were Cardinal Edward See DEPART, page 6

Around the Diocese

Culture Watch

Targeted for torture

Church groups donate to soliders, those in need

Book on Romanian Christians; VaTech CD

Zimbabwean church leaders call for help

| Page 4

| Pages 10-11

| Page 16

April 25, 2008

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyard

PITTSBURGH (CNS) — Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh was among those who testified on behalf of Pennsylvania’s proposed Marriage Protection Amendment at a hearing April 10 at the Allegheny County Courthouse.

More than 200 people packed the chambers of the Allegheny County Council to hear the often-spirited debate.

“That marriage must be considered truly sacred seems to elude us,” Bishop Zubik said. “We have reached the point of a laissez-faire view of marriage, a concerted effort to expand its definition so vaguely that marriage essentially becomes meaningless.”

“At a time when we should be engaged in doing all we can to strengthen marriage, and strengthen especially the family, we are facing cultural forces that want to so water down the definition of marriage that it could apply to any human relationship, or to no relationship at all,” he said.

The bishop’s testimony came before

Serenity among the snow

CNS photo by James DeCrane

A statue of Our Lady of Beauraing stands in a grotto at St. Bernard Church in Talkeetna, Alaska. The statue, cast by World War II soldier George Herter, contains a splinter of a hawthorne tree brought from the original shrine to Mary in Belgium. The tiny 100-family parish is staffed by volunteers but welcomes thousands of tourists and mountain climbers.

Pioneer spirit helps run rural Catholic church in Alaska TALKEETNA, Alaska (CNS) — Nearly every parishioner at the rugged little Catholic church in Talkeetna is actively involved in running the rural Alaskan parish.

And no one is paid.

Nestled at the foothills of the largest mountain in North America, St. Bernard Church depends on of about 35 dedicated families.

Led by volunteer parish administrator Renamary Rauchenstein, the parish is reminiscent of Alaska’s pioneer days, or even the time of the early church.

Parish decisions and responsibilities are decided once a month in town-hallstyle meetings.

“It’s been wonderful; not every parish can do this,” Rauchenstein said. “Ninety percent of the people are involved in over 10 different committees.”

“It’s a small parish, a small town, but Renamary is a great leader,” echoed parishioner Suzy Kellard.

The two women liken their church to an extended family. When someone hears of a parishioner in need, people rally to help out, either through supplying meals, prayers or delivering Communion.

Kellard describes a volunteer spirit that would likely be the envy of many parishes. And the helping hands reach far beyond the borders of Talkeetna.

“About a quarter of what we make here (collections, fundraisers) goes to outreach,” Rauchenstein said.

The parish holds an annual bazaar to help raise money for other ministries in the Anchorage Archdiocese like the Mary Magdalene House and the Brother Francis Shelter, she said. Kellard and

Pittsburgh bishop testifies for Marriage Protection Amendment

her daughter also help the less fortunate in the Upper Susitna Valley through a parish-run food bank.

“Between here and Trapper Creek, we serve over 100 to 130 families,” she said.

The small church also takes on a giant task each summer, playing host to literally thousands of tourists and mountain climbers who come to the small town for its most famous landmark — the 20,000-foot Mount McKinley.

During this time, tourists flock to the church to attend Mass or quietly pray.

Parishioners said many climbers attend church to pray before attempting to reach the summit of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America.

“St. Bernard is actually the patron saint of mountain climbers,” Rauchenstein said. “We have an ice axe in the church dedicated to St. Bernard from one man who successfully summited the mountain.”

Rauchenstein credits the parish’s volunteer spirit to the work of Sister Louise Tibbets, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary who served the church more than 20 years ago.

“She taught us all,” Rauchenstein said. “She could see the writing on the wall, and knew we would have to take care of ourselves, but she inspired us to know that we could do this.”

“People just started coming forward,” Kellard agreed, while attributing part of the community atmosphere to Rauchenstein’s leadership. “Once people stepped forward, they enjoyed it and planned their Sundays around (volunteering)!”

Diocesan planner For more events taking place in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese. org/calendarofevents-cn.

ALBEMARLE VICARIATE MONROE — A holy hour is held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 725 Deese St., until December 2008 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes. The holy hour consists of evening prayer, recitation of the rosary and Benediction. The celebration is open to all. For more information, contact the parish office at (704) 289-2773.

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE HENDERSONVILLE — The St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order meets the fourth Sunday of each month 1-3 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. West. Visitors and inquirers are welcome. For more information, call Joanita Nellenbach, SFO, (828) 627-9209 or e-mail jnell@dnet.net.

BOONE VICARIATE SPRUCE PINE — A rosary of intercession for priests is recited each Friday at St. Lucien Church, 695 Summit St., before the 9 a.m.

Mass. Prayers are offered for bishops, priests and deacons, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. For more information, call the church office at (828) 765-2224.

the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill, S.B. 1250, would amend the state constitution to read: “No union other than a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage or the functional equivalent of marriage by the commonwealth.”

To date, 27 states have amended their constitutions to protect marriage.

Supporters of the Pennsylvania proposal say it is needed to protect marriage between one man and one woman from redefinition or the legalization of “civil unions.”

Among the arguments against S.B. 1250 was that it would contradict legislation passed by the city of Pittsburgh that granted domestic partnership rights.

Testifying with the bishop in support of the amendment was Rita Ferko Joyce, general counsel of the diocese. She said the Catholic Church supports the amendment because of the beliefs and traditions that marriage and family are central social institutions that must be supported.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — A rosary is prayed every Wednesday at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 4207 Shamrock Dr., at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7 p.m. All are welcome to participate in this sacred tradition. For more information, call Juanita Thompson at (704) 536-0784.

CHARLOTTE — The semi-annual rosary rally will be held Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East.

The rally will include the rosary, a eucharistic procession and Benediction. Join us as we honor Our Lady. For more information, contact Tina at (704) 846-7361.

CHARLOTTE — “None of us are home until all of us are home!” Sister Mary Scullion, advocate and catalyst for supportive housing, employment, education and health care to chronically homeless and low-income individuals in Philadelphia, will share insight and ideas on how to break the cycle of homelessness in CharlotteMecklenburg. May 1, 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. For more information, call (704) 543-7677 or e-mail jmkienast@stmatthewcatholic.org.

CHARLOTTE – An Ignation retreat for women will be held at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., Saturday, May 3. Consider setting aside some time for quiet reflection and prayer. The theme for this retreat is “To Touch His Cloak,” with reflections on hope and healing. There is no charge for the retreat. Registration is at 8:30 a.m.; the retreat will begin at 9 a.m. Parking is free in The Green parking garage next door to the church. To register, sign up by e-mailing retreat4women@gmail.com, or call St. Peter Church at (704) 332-2901.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — First Saturday devotions take

april 25, 2008 Volume 17 • Number 25

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray STAFF WRITER: Katie Moore Graphic DESIGNER: Tim Faragher Advertising MANAGER: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

April 25, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope cites Vatican official’s ‘zeal and passion’ to protect family VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, led church efforts to safeguard and promote a Catholic view of marriage and family life with untiring “zeal and passion,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

The 72-year-old Colombian cardinal died April 19 at a Rome clinic, where he had been hospitalized since early April with a respiratory infection.

The pope presided over the final commendation and farewell during Cardinal Lopez Trujillo’s funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica April 23.

“We cannot help but being grateful for the tenacious battle he conducted to defend the truth about familial love and to spread the ‘Gospel of the family,’” the pope said, and called Cardinal Lopez Trujillo a “tireless pastor” who generously served the church and “the Gospel of life.”

The cardinal, who served as archbishop

of Medellin from 1979 to 1991, had been president of the family council at the Vatican for nearly 18 years.

As president, Cardinal Lopez Trujillo denounced proposals in several countries that would authorize same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.

He helped local churches oppose legislation to legalize abortion or make it easier to obtain and called promotion of contraceptives a form of “biological colonialism” by drug companies and wealthy nations. He described drug addiction as a modern “form of slavery that oppresses the whole world.”

Cardinal Lopez Trujillo was convinced that the family risks destruction and that the church must lead an “evangelical struggle” to defend it.

On several occasions, he praised the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush for its opposition to abortion and its positions on a range of pro-life and family issues.

place on the first Saturday of each month at Belmont Abbey Basilica, 100 BelmontMt. Holly Rd. Devotion begins at 9:30 a.m. with the recitation of the rosary, followed by reconciliation and Mass. For more information, call Phil or Terri at (704) 888-6050.

SALISBURY VICARIATE SALISBURY — Our Lady Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., are making cord rosaries for the missions and the military. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month in the church office conference room, 10-11 a.m. For more information, call Cathy Yochim at (704) 636-6857 or Joan Kaczmarezyk at (704) 797-8405.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — The Men’s Early Morning Bible Study Group at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd., meets Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 a.m. in the Parish Life Center.

Beginning April 29, the group will be studying the Gospel of Mark. For more information, contact Gus Magrinat at gmagrinat@pol.net or John Malmfelt at jmalmsie@aol.com.

GREENSBORO — Come for Coffee Talk Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in the youth room of the Kloster Center, St. Pius X Church, 2210 North Elm St. The topic for April 27 and May 4 will be the “Seven Secrets of the Eucharist.”

For more information, call the church office at (336) 272-4681.

GREENSBORO — Bishop Peter J. Jugis, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving and celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The Mass will take place Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St. Father James Ebright will be the homilist. For more information, contact the Te Deum Foundation at (336) 765-1815.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — Father Robert Ferris leads a Lectionary Bible Study at St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St., Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Mary, Mother of God Room. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

This study prepares participants for the following Sunday’s Mass by reading and studying the liturgical readings for the next week. For more information on this study, contact Kathy Succop at (828) 327-2341 or stalscoordinator@charter.net.

Episcopal

calendar

Vatican official: Relics of Padre Pio remind Catholics saints were people SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, Italy (CNS) — Venerating the relics of St. Padre Pio is a reminder that the saints were real men and women who lived for God, said Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

Cardinal Saraiva Martins celebrated Mass April 24 at San Giovanni Rotondo before officially unveiling the new, crystal tomb in which Padre Pio has been reburied.

Pilgrims will be able to view the body of the Capuchin friar, who died Sept. 26, 1968.

In his homily, Cardinal Saraiva Martins emphasized two things: the meaning of death and the significance of venerating relics.

“Facing the mystery of death, we are called to understand that that which we see does not sum up everything about human existence,” he said. “The body is here, but Padre Pio is not just a body.

In fact, he who lived in full union with the crucified Jesus now lives in absolute communion with the risen Jesus.”

Venerating the body of Padre Pio, he said, believers are called to remember.

“Looking at his mortal remains, we remember all the good he accomplished in our midst through this body. The relics of those who sleep in the Lord — and of the saints in a special way — invite us to look toward the future. They call us to renew our faith in the resurrection of the flesh.”

The Capuchins of San Giovanni Rotondo said the body will be on view at least until September, but perhaps for as long as a year before the crystal will be covered.

Padre Pio’s body was exhumed in a service that began late at night March 2 to verify the state of the body and to allow technicians to ensure its longterm preservation.

The friars had said the body was in “fair condition,” although the skull and parts of the upper body showed serious signs of decay.

The Capuchins hired Gems Studio, the London-based firm that makes figures for Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, to create a silicone mask — including a short moustache and ample beard — for the body.

Bishop and president

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE WAYNESVILLE — Adult Education Classes are held the first three Wednesday evenings of each month beginning at 6:15 p.m. in the St. John the Evangelist Church Social Hall, 234 Church St. For more information, call Charles Luce at (828) 648-7369 or e-mail luce54@aol.com.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., has eucharistic adoration each Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. For more details, call Donna at (336) 940-2558 or Carole at (336) 766-4530.

WINSTON-SALEM — Franciscan Sister Kathy Ganiel will present “Obedience of Love and Service” May 4, 3-5 p.m. as part of a series of free talks offering an exploration into some of the major contributions of Franciscan men and women of faith. The talk will take place at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. For more information and registration, e-mail spiritofassisi@bellsouth.net or call (336) 723-1092.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to kmmoore@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events:

April 26 (5:30 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Mary Church, Greensboro

April 28 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem

April 27 (10 a.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Church, Eden

April 30 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. John Neumann Church, Charlotte

CNS photo by Jorge Adorno, Reuters

Supporters of Paraguayan presidential candidate retired Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo Mendez celebrate his victory outside the Pantheon of the Heroes in downtown Asuncion April 20. Bishop Lugo, 58, retired from the Diocese of San Pedro in 2005. The Vatican suspended him from exercising his priestly ministry when he decided to run for president, but rejected his request for laicization after more than 30 years as a bishop and priest. The Paraguayan bishops’ conference made no official statement after the elections, but the Paraguayan newspaper ABC quoted Bishop Adalberto Martinez Flores of San Pedro, secretary of the Paraguayan bishops’ conference, as saying that the conference “accepts and acknowledges the victory of (Bishop) Lugo as president-elect of Paraguay.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

April 25, 2008

Derby daredevils

Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo

Members of Cub Scout Pack 316 of St. Therese Church in Mooresville display their trophies, ribbons and race cars after the first annual Pinewood Derby Race at an area firehouse Feb. 23. Pictured are (from left) Jack Molbreak, first place; Trevor Conklin, second place; and Matthew McCurry, third place.

Pinewood Derby is an annual Cub Scout event during which Scouts, with the help of parents, build their own cars from wood, usually from kits containing a block of pine, plastic wheels and metal axles. The cars are raced on a specially-designed track for competition.

Helping those in need

Courtesy Photo

Members of St. Therese Church in Mooresville present a $10,000 check from the parish Tithe Committee to Jody Schrandt (right) of the Mooresville Soup Kitchen April 17. The facility is a nondenominational Christian organization that provides meals, fellowship and encouragement to those in need. The donation will be used to help fund the facility’s new building.

Pictured (from left): Frank Nash, pastoral council member; Melissa Conklin, pastoral council president; Jesuit Father Vincent Curtin, pastor: and Scott Marks, Tithe Committee chair; and Schrandt.

Charlotte Del Vecchio (right) of the USO of North Carolina stands with (from left) Jane Anklin, Mary Ann Frohmar and Susan Wallace of the S.W.A.T. team of St. Therese Church in Mooresville April 7. The S.W.A.T. team collected and donated a minivan full of items for U.S. soldiers.

Church group collects, donates items to U.S. soldiers MOORESVILLE — The S.W.A.T. team accepted a mission and accomplished it with much success.

The Special Works and Task (S.W.A.T.) team at St. Therese Church in Mooresville recently collected and donated a minivan full of items to the USO of North Carolina.

The USO is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support U.S. troops.

The area branch is headquartered in Charlotte.

Donations included hygiene items, race team memorabilia, decks of cards, books, food and paper products.

The project began in February after a presentation by a parishioner, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Kathleen Green, who is now a high school health occupations education teacher.

Green showed S.W.A.T. team members a slide show about the Iraq war and provided a list of things needed by soldiers.

At the next meeting in March, “We decided to follow through with the list,” said Mary Ann Frohman, team chairwoman.

Team members contributed many of the items, she said, but to reach their

goal, they sent a list to other parish groups and placed announcements in the parish bulletin.

A room in the church was used to store donated items collected after Masses April 5-6. A USO van came April 8 to pick up the items. The Army Reserve at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, N.C., plans to take any items the USO cannot use.

S.W.A.T. originated as the Altar Guild and was renamed in 1983.

“Kinship, friendship, laughter and hard work are the hallmarks of our group,” said Frohman.

Previous projects to benefit the parish include a rummage sale, Lenten soup lunches, publishing a cookbook, providing meals and gift baskets, and an annual craft bazaar.

Contributing to this story was the Charlotte Observer.

WANT TO HELP? While the church is no longer accepting donations, items can be given directly to the USO. Contact Charlotte Del Vecchio of the USO at (704) 359-5581.

April 25, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 5

from the cover

Conference explores benefits of sharing God’s gifts GIFTS, from page 1

Photo by David Hains

Participants from around the Altanta Province discuss their stewardship experiences during a roundtable discussion at the seventh annual Regional Stewardship Day Conference in Concord April 19.

met to discuss the value of giving one’s time, talent, and treasure for the benefit of others and the good of the church.

This was the second year the Diocese of Charlotte has hosted one of the conferences sponsored by the Atlanta Province.

The Atlanta Province is made up of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, along with the dioceses of Savannah, Charleston, Raleigh and Charlotte.

“The importance of stewardship is that it is one very real and concrete way that we respond to the call to be disciples of Jesus,” said Barbara Gaddy, associate director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte.

The goal of the conference was “to educate parishioners and help them better promote stewardship as a way of life,” she said.

“Jesus has already shown us that the greatest purpose in life is to give ourselves away, to share our abundance,” said Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, in his opening remarks at the conference.

“All that we are, all that we have is a gift — a gift to be shared in love,” he said.

“The focus of the development office is to be a resource to parishes in a number of different areas,” said Jim Kelley, director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte and board president of the International Catholic Stewardship Council.

“In the area of stewardship, we want to help parishes do a more effective job of spreading stewardship as a way of life among their parishioners,” he said.

The keynote speaker for this year’s conference was Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, who spoke on the topic, “The Heart of Stewardship.”

Members of stewardship committees and pastoral councils, along with priests, deacons and other lay volunteers from throughout the Atlanta Province, attended the event.

More than 360 people attended this year’s stewardship conference, making it the largest regional stewardship day in the country, according to the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Development.

The conference included six breakout sessions on topics such as infusing stewardship into the life of the parish; blending multiple cultures in the parish; and forming, strengthening and sustaining parish stewardship committees.

Msgr. Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, spoke about the vibrant ministry of stewardship at his parish in his presentation entitled, “Putting it all Together: Bringing the Principles of Stewardship into all Aspects of Parish Life.”

“The great success we have had with stewardship flows from a profound appreciation of God’s blessings,” said Msgr. Marcaccio, who credits the achievements of his parish to the integration of stewardship in all aspects of their community.

According to the diocesan Office of Development, the benefits of stewardship often show up in numerous aspects of parish life.

For example, one parish found that five years after implementing stewardship in its community, the parish offertory nearly doubled, the number of volunteers ministering in the parish increased by more than 300 percent and weekday Mass attendance was up 200 percent.

“These are the kinds of fruits that most parishes find after they have been promoting stewardship annually over about a five-year period,” said Gaddy.

Roundtable discussions provided an opportunity for stewards from around the region to network and share ideas.

“The part of the conference that I found most helpful was getting together with other stewards from other parishes and finding out what they’re doing,” said Jennifer Shinn, volunteer ministry coordinator at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

What the conference does every year “is provide a new excitement and a new energy for stewardship committees and people on pastoral councils,” said Gaddy.

The conference concluded with Mass concelebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Boland.

“Stewardship is an important concept for our spiritual growth as Catholics, both as individuals and as parishes,” said Bishop Jugis in a letter to stewards who attended the conference.

“In a spiritual sense and temporal sense, adopting stewardship as a way of life changes people and changes the life of the parish as a whole,” he said.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on stewardship, v i s i t w w w. c h a r l o t t e d i o c e s e . o r g / stewardship.html.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

April 25, 2008

papal visit to USA

CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec

Cardinal Edward M. Egan welcomes Pope Benedict XVI to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the celebration of Mass April 19 in New York.

Illuminating the ‘splendor of the church’ Pope urges U.S. church to ‘put aside all anger’ and unite

by JOHN THAAVIS catholic news service

NEW YORK — Pope Benedict XVI urged the Catholic Church in the United States to move past divisions and scandal toward a “new sense of unity and purpose.”

The pope, celebrating Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral April 19 with bishops, priests, religious and seminarians, once again addressed the damage and suffering caused by the clerical sex abuse scandal and called for a time of purification and healing.

More generally, he said it was time to “put aside all anger and contention” inside the church and embark on a fresh mission of evangelization in society.

The pope was celebrating the third anniversary of his election, and he arrived to congratulations from New York Cardinal Edward M. Egan and an ovation from the 3,000 people who packed the cathedral. Many of them held aloft cameras or even stood on pews for a glimpse of the pontiff.

“We are greatly honored that you begin your fourth year as universal shepherd here with us,” the cardinal said.

The setting was New York’s 130year-old Gothic cathedral, built with “the pennies of the poor,” as Cardinal Egan said. In his homily, the pope used the building’s architectural harmony as a metaphor for the church’s inner unity.

Just as the cathedral’s stained-glass windows flood the interior with splendor, he said, the beauty of life in the church can really only be understood and experienced from the inside.

Yet sometimes “the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members,” he said.

“For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed

the Second Vatican Council, with its call for a greater engagement in the church’s mission to the world, has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family,” he said.

The pope said it was important for all in the church to open themselves to points of view that “may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions.”

This is the way to hear what the Spirit is saying, he said.

The pope said all those in the

cathedral were “called to be forces of unity within Christ’s body.” A first step, he said, is to seek inner reconciliation through penance.

He noted that he had already spoken several times during his U.S. trip about the suffering caused by priestly sex abuse. Today, he said, he wanted to assure the priests and religious of his spiritual closeness as they respond to the continuing challenges of the scandal.

“I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community, and a time for healing. I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops, who continue to work effectively

Pope departs on ‘Shepherd One’ DEPART, from page 1

M. Egan of New York; Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.; and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, whose diocese includes the airport.

Also in attendance were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne.

“It has been a memorable week, and Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a special way,” Cheney said.

“You’ve encountered a nation facing many challenges, but with more blessings than any of us could number,” he said.

“You have seen a country where the torch of freedom, equality and tolerance will always be held high, a country where you — a herald of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — will always be welcome.”

After pointing out that the pope was ordained a priest almost 57 years ago, Cheney said, “You might have found it hard to imagine then that you would stand before all humanity as a teacher, a statesman and a shepherd of more than a billion souls. That is what God has called you to do.”

The pope said that one of the high points of his six-day trip to Washington and New York was visiting the United Nations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document he discussed in his April 18 address to the General Assembly.

He also specifically mentioned his April 20 prayer at ground zero, saying it “will remain firmly etched in my memory.”

A three-hour program of music and prayer reflecting the diverse ethnic makeup of the Brooklyn Diocese preceded the papal entourage’s arrival around 8 p.m.

Participants recited the rosary in English, Polish, Italian, Tagalog and

to resolve this issue,” he said.

The pope said the church must be a “beacon of hope” in today’s world, and that means promoting a culture of life.

“The proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of the new evangelization,” he said.

“This is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and embody in a world where self-centeredness, greed, violence and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people’s hearts,” he said.

The church, he said, must work in a society that “sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality.” At the same time, the church’s leaders and its pastors should also make it clear to people that the faith is more than a set of rules, he said.

“Perhaps we have lost sight of this: In a society where the church seems legalistic and ‘institutional’ to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God’s love,” he said.

The pontiff pointed to the late Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, as a model of pastoral vision and zeal. His sainthood cause recently took a step forward at the Vatican.

Many of those in the cathedral said just seeing the pope inspired them.

“Watching him coming into the church -- his peace, serenity, the way he greets people, his whole manner of being — says he is a man of God,” said Sister Ann Kuhn, superior general of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, Fla. Sister Kathrine Marie, a Sister of Life of New York, said the pope’s presence was even more powerful than his words.

“What he does makes you want to be faithful,” she said, “so that same light shines forth in you, as it does in him.”

Contributing to this story was Carol Zimmermann.

Korean. Attendees were encouraged to come in colorful costumes.

Embroidered Guatemalan blouses and striped Polish circle skirts mixed with military uniforms and the elegant capes and feathered hats of the Knights of Columbus.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to come see him,” said Linda Amasiani, 42, of the Brooklyn Diocese’s Nigerian Apostolate. “He’s reaching all religious groups and ethnicities.”

Four elementary-school-age children whose families are from Ecuador, Germany, Trinidad and Korea presented Pope Benedict with a replica of a stainedglass window from the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn.

“He ended by saying ‘God bless America,’ and that was just a beautiful moment at that point. In those words he expressed everything he felt for America and for the American people,” said Auxiliary Bishop Dominick J. Lagonegro of New York.

The pope departed on the Alitalia Boeing 777 dubbed “Shepherd One,” and landed at Rome’s Ciampino airport around 10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. EDT) April 21.

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‘Justice will bring about peace’ Pope, at U.N., says no government or religion should limit human rights CINDY WOODEN and BENEDICTA CIPOLLA

by

catholic news service

UNITED NATIONS — Neither government nor religion has a right to change or limit human rights, because those rights flow from the dignity of each person created in God’s image, Pope Benedict XVI said.

In his April 18 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, the pope insisted that human rights cannot be limited or rewritten on the basis of national interests or majority rule.

But he also said the role of religions is not to dictate government policy, but to help their members strive to find the truth, including the truth about the dignity of all people even if their religious views are different.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon welcomed the pope and met privately with him before the pope addressed the General Assembly.

In his public welcoming remarks, the U.N. leader said, “The United Nations is a secular institution, composed of 192 states. We have six official languages but no official religion. We do not have a chapel — though we do have a meditation room.”

“But if you ask those of us who work for the United Nations what motivates us, many of us reply in a language of faith,” he said. “We see what we do not only as a job, but as a mission. Indeed, mission is the word we use most often for our work around the world — from peace and security to development to human rights. Your Holiness, in so many ways, our mission unites us with yours.”

The pope acknowledged that common ground not only in his speech, but also in a brief homage to U.N. staff

members and peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Before leaving U.N. headquarters, he stopped before the war-scarred U.N. flag that had flown outside the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003.

Placed above the words “Fallen in the cause of peace,” the flag has become a memorial, particularly to Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N. envoy to Iraq who was killed in Baghdad in August 2003.

Before addressing the General Assembly, the pope signed a visitor’s book, writing in Latin: “Erit opus iustitiae pax (Is 32:17) 18.IV.2008 Benedictus XVI.” The Latin quote from the Book of Isaiah is translated in the New American Bible as “Justice will bring about peace.”

In his address to the General Assembly, the German-born Pope Benedict said he came to the United Nations as a sign of his esteem for the organization, founded after the devastation of World War II when several governments ignored the fact that human beings were created by God and that the basic principles of right and wrong are written in the heart of each person.

“In consequence,” he said, “freedom and human dignity were grossly violated.”

The pope, always a strong supporter of the United Nations and its efforts to avoid conflicts and end wars, insisted that when one country has a problem with another, it must not act unilaterally, but seek the assistance of the United Nations.

“This is all the more necessary at a time when we experience the obvious paradox of a multilateral consensus that continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a few, whereas the world’s problems call for

CNS photo by Brendan McDermid, Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI addresses the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York April 18. interventions in the form of collective action by the international community,” he said.

As expected, Pope Benedict paid tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 60 years ago.

The pope said the document — proclaiming the equality of all people, the basic right to life and to freedom, liberty of conscience and the free practice of religion — was the result of “a convergence of different religious and cultural traditions.”

The traditions, he said, were determined to ensure that concern for and protection of the human person was the center of attention in the workings of societies, governments and institutions. “ T h e r i g h t s r ecognized and expounded in the declaration apply to everyone by virtue of the common origin of the person, who remains the high point of God’s creative design for the world and for history,” the pope said.

“They are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations,” he said.

Pope Benedict said an attempt to deny that human rights have a foundation in the way God created human beings and that they are common to all people creates a real risk that they will be limited “in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks.”

The pope said it is essential that people and governments recognize they are not the creators of human rights and they cannot limit them.

Religious freedom is an essential human right, he said, and when exercised as a search for truth, religion can promote a broader recognition of human rights.

“A vision of life firmly anchored in the religious dimension can help to achieve this since recognition of the transcendent value of every man and woman favors conversion of heart, which then leads to a commitment to resist violence, terrorism and war and to promote justice and peace,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict said interreligious dialogue contributes to global peace and the defense of human rights when it brings believers together in their search for truth.

The task of religions, he said, “is to propose a vision of faith not in terms of intolerance, discrimination and conflict, but in terms of complete respect for truth, coexistence, rights and reconciliation.”

While religions have an obligation to promote recognition of human rights, they also must defend the rights of their members to bring the values of their faith to bear on the decisions they make as citizens.

“It is inconceivable, then, that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves — their faith — in order to be active citizens,” he said. “It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one’s rights.”

The pope asked the United Nations and the world’s governments to make special efforts to defend religious freedom in societies where extreme secularism tends to push believers out of the public sphere and where one religion has been adopted as the national religion and other believers suffer discrimination or oppression.

The pope also told the United Nations that upholding all human rights for all residents of a country is a measure of that country’s progress in working for the common good.

In addition, he said, “the promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups and for increasing security.”

When dignity is attacked and when people live in hardship and despair, he said, they become “easy prey to the call to violence.”

After speaking to the General Assembly, the pope met privately with its president and the president of the Security Council. Then he returned to the General Assembly hall, where he addressed members of the U.N. staff.

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April 25, 2008

Pope preaches message of hope built o POPE, from page 1

urged the Catholic Church in the United States to move past divisions and scandal toward a “new sense of unity and purpose.”

It is time, he said, to “put aside all anger and contention” inside the church and embark on a fresh mission of evangelization in society.

Repeatedly during his April 1520 stay in Washington and New York, he made it clear that he believed the “genuinely religious spirit” of the American people had not been extinguished and could be strengthened.

Tailoring his message to each group he met, Pope Benedict urged the people of the United States to resist the temptations and trends of modern society, maintaining their traditional values, defending human rights and reaching out with solidarity.

The Vatican billed the trip as a visit to the United Nations — particularly to help mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — and as a pastoral visit to the United States.

Pope Benedict spent three hours April 18 at the United Nations, addressing the General Assembly and U.N. staffers separately and holding private meetings with the organization’s top officials.

He told the General Assembly that fundamental human rights “cannot be applied piecemeal” and cannot be denied or diminished because of “different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks.”

And, he said, when human rights are violated it creates a breeding ground for violence.

“Indeed, the victims of hardship and despair, whose human dignity is violated with impunity, become easy prey to the call to violence, and they can then become violators of peace,” he said.

Hours before he left April 20, Pope Benedict celebrated an afternoon Mass in New York’s Yankee Stadium.

“In this land of religious liberty,” he said, “Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to the public square and cooperating with

their neighbors in shaping a vibrant, democratic society.”

He urged U.S. Catholics “to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom in order to build a future of hope for coming generations.”

“Throughout his entire pastoral visit, it was evident that the Holy Father has a great love for the Catholics of the United States, and that we have a great love for him,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte.

“Jesus told St. Peter, ‘Feed my sheep,’ and that is exactly what the Holy Father did for us — he nourished us with the love and the truth of Christ,” said Bishop Jugis.

Meaning, freedom through Christ Bishop Jugis was among the U.S. bishops to meet with Pope Benedict in Washington April 16. The pope told them secularism and materialism can influence the way people live out their faith, causing those who worship on Sundays to act contrary to church teaching the rest of the week.

Some people think they can pick and choose what they believe, the pope said.

“We’ve seen this emerge in an acute way in the scandal given by Catholics who promote an alleged right to abortion,” he said.

While Pope Benedict carefully avoided appearances of taking sides in a U.S. election year, in his April 16 speech at the White House, he said it was important to preserve the traditional role of religion in American political and social life.

Religious values helped forge “the soul of the nation” and should continue to inspire Americans as they face complex political and ethical issues today, he said.

“Democracy can flourish, as your Founding Fathers realized, only when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation,” Pope Benedict said before holding a private meeting with President George W. Bush.

The visit to the White House was the first official event on his calendar, and it coincided with his 81st birthday, when he heard dozens of versions of “Happy Birthday” sung in his honor.

Msgr. Anthony Marcaccio, pastor

Pope Benedict XVI prays at Ground Zero in New York April 20. The pope spoke with family members of some of th were first responders to the disaster. of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, attended the welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

“President Bush in his address stated, ‘people usually spend their birthday with friends.’ When he said that, I was struck by that which I already knew — despite all our shortcomings, the universal church has a huge friend in the Catholic Church in America,” said Msgr. Marcaccio.

“Regardless of the relativism and materialism of our culture, there is tremendous good will among people of faith in America,” he said. “The Holy Father’s visit seems to have brought this sentiment of communion out of

people this week.”

Also during the trip, the Pope celebrated the third anniversary of his April 19, 2005, election.

That evening, at a boisterous rally with some 25,000 young people on the grounds of the New York archdiocesan seminary in Yonkers, Pope Benedict not only fueled the youths’ enthusiasm, he warned them of the dangers of thinking freedom could be divorced from responsibilities and from the truth about God and human beings.

Pope Benedict offered a personal reflection on his own youth in Germany, which he said was “marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the

April 25, 2008

on faith

CNS photo by Ettore Ferrari, Reuters

he victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and with those who answers.” Nazism “banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good,” he said.

When freedom disregards absolute truth, relegating it instead to the private sphere of the individual, relativism takes hold, he said.

Truth is neither an imposition nor a simple set of rules, Pope Benedict said.

“Ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ.”

The pope also spoke about the dangers of individualism April 18 when he presided over an ecumenical prayer service. He said he was concerned that in a world marked by a greater sense of global unity and interdependence, the feeling of “fragmentation and a

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retreat into individualism” is seen in Christian denominations just as it is in the world at large.

The Christian faith is not a matter of picking and choosing what to believe and what to discard from the Scriptures and Christian tradition, he said.

Walking away from tradition has split denominations and makes it increasingly difficult for Christians to give a united witness to a world in search of meaning, the pope stated.

Upholding moral categories Celebrating Mass April 17 at brandnew Nationals Park in Washington, the pope urged U.S. Catholics to renew their missionary energy at a time when U.S. society is at a moral crossroads.

He warned of “signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society” and said people need the church’s message of hope and fidelity to the demands of the Gospel.

“The world needs this witness. Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the church in America but also for society as a whole?” he asked.

Brett Keeter, a parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, attended the papal Mass.

“I was very impressed by his knowledge of our country’s history and the respect he has for the unique role the United States has played as a defender of individual liberties throughout the years,” said Keeter. “However, he challenged everyone to remember that true freedom is found only in atotal surrender to Christ — not through materialism or many of the so-called ‘freedoms’ we think of today.”

Meeting with Catholic educators that evening, the pope said the Catholic identity of a school or university cannot be equated simply with the orthodoxy of course content, but is broader and means ensuring “that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberate within the ecclesial life of faith.”

A primary role of the church and, therefore, of church educational institutions is “upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong.”

Without that moral guidance, he said, “hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility that render the person little more than a pawn

Courtesy Photo

Third- and fourth-graders in the school library at St. Matthew School in Charlotte watch television as Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., April 17. on some ideological chess board.”

The need to uphold traditional moral values and to stress the fact that truth is not determined by individual preference or majority vote was not a message reserved for U.S. Catholics.

Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, in Belmont, N.C., was in the second row during the meeting with educators.

“You could feel the Holy Spirit in the room. At that moment, everyone in the room was on board with what he was saying,” Thierfelder said.

“It was so powerful and so good, you almost can’t process it at the moment you hear it,” he said.

Building bridges Meeting about 200 representatives of Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism in Washington April 17, he encouraged all people of faith “to persevere in their collaboration” to serve society and enrich public life.

The pope said it was not enough for religious leaders to get together to find ways to ensure that their people get along with each other.

“The broader purpose of dialogue is

to discover the truth,” he said.

“By bearing witness to those moral truths which they hold in common with all men and women of good will, religious groups will exert a positive influence on the wider culture and inspire neighbors, co-workers and fellow citizens to join in the task of strengthening the ties of solidarity,” the pope said.

The pope met separately April 17 with the Jewish participants in the interreligious meeting to offer his best wishes for their upcoming celebration of Passover. The next afternoon he visited Park East Synagogue in New York.

There, the pope said he felt especially close to Jews on the eve of Passover as they “prepare to celebrate the great deeds of the Almighty and to sing the praises of him who has worked such wonders for his people.”

He was welcomed at the synagogue

by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, 78, an Austrianborn Holocaust survivor, who called his historic visit “a reaffirmation of your outreach, good will and commitment to enhancing Jewish-Catholic relations.”

“As pope, one of his titles is ‘pontifex maximus’ — rendered from Latin as ‘bridge builder.’ I think his visit is building bridges among Catholics, among Christians and people of faith,” said Msgr. Marcaccio.

“The Holy Father’s meetings — not just the huge gatherings but those with political leaders, educational and faith leaders, and victims of abuse — are evidence of his desire and ability to build those bridges,” he said.

Msgr. Marcaccio recalled seeing the pope bless and kiss a baby in the crowd.

“In that sentimental snapshot, I saw him as St. Peter’s successor, the symbolic bridge from the apostolic age to the generation yet to be,” he said.

Contributing to this story were Editor Kevin E. Murray and Staff Writer Katie Moore; also Carol Zimmermann and John Thavis in New York and Washington; Beth Griffin, Benedicta Cipolla and Angelo Stagnaro in New York; and Mark Pattison, Nancy O’Brien, Patricia Zapor, Julie Asher and Regina Linksey in Washington.

April 25, 2008

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Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Book helps Romanian Christians mark anniversary of communist takeover

by VICTOR GAETAN catholic news service

B U C H A R E S T, R o m a n i a — Christians in Romania are marking the 60th anniversary of the country’s communist takeover with resolve and a book commemorating their persecution.

“Sixty years ago, by law, the communists tried to destroy the church,” recalled Archbishop Ioan Robu of Bucharest. “They confiscated our property, jailed our priests, closed our seminaries and schools, shuttered our printing operations, threatened to arrest — then expelled — the Holy See representative to Romania, and instituted an atheist ideology.

“Instead of burying us, the church is thriving today, but we remind ourselves constantly about what we lost,” the archbishop said in the book’s introduction.

As part of a commitment to remember the communists’ suppression of religion starting in 1948, several Romanian Christian churches produced “The Martyrs of Christ in Romania Under the Communist Regime,” on sale for the past 10 months.

The 812-page book is a joint project of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Latin-rite Catholic Church and evangelical churches. It was financed by the Catholic St. Gerhard Foundation in Stuttgart, Germany.

Leaders of the Romanian Catholic Church, an Eastern rite, decided to continue research and postponed the inclusion of their martyrs until the publication of the next volume of the book.

The work includes the biographies of 135 of the thousands of Christians who gave their lives for their faith under the communist regime in Romania.

The first post-communist attempt to catalogue the bravery of Christian leaders in Romania, the book is the result of four years of research in Romanian and foreign archives. The research team included representatives from the various Christian churches.

Father Helmut Moll, a German historian, developed the criteria for martyrdom based on the Bible and

Christian liturgical tradition.

The requirements were that the Christian had experienced a violent death, that persecutors were motivated by hatred of religion and Christianity, and that the martyrs accepted death as God’s will.

Romanian martyrs — including bishops, priests, monks, nuns and laypeople — were executed, hanged, frozen, stabbed, buried alive, starved of food and water, and tortured in jails.

The martyrs died while captured or soon after being released from detention.

Archbishop Robu wrote in the preface to the book, “The acceptance of Christ, even with the price of one’s life, has become a common legacy of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, and the documentation presented here proposed that we maintain this common heritage.”

The issue of Christian martyrdom under communism has been especially contentious in Romania since the 2006 release of a report by the Presidential Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Romania, known as the Tismaneanu Commission.

Commission President Vladimir Tismaneanu has come under attack for anti-Christian bias and for having an activist communist background.

The commission’s report presents the Orthodox Church as a pillar of the secret police and the Communist P a r t y. I t i g n o r e s t h e m u r d e r o f thousands of Christian clerics and believers under communism, the confiscation of church property and the destruction of churches.

In response to the Tismaneanu report, Latin- and Eastern-rite bishops have prepared summaries of the persecution of the Catholic Church under communism. This includes murder, ongoing harassment and the intimidation of Catholics as well as the destruction of churches.

The summaries will be compiled as a “report of the faithful” to cover the “unscientific, biased” gaps in the Tismaneanu report, said a priest familiar with the working draft.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: may 4, 2007

May 4, The Ascension of the Lord.

Cycle A. Readings: 1) Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9 2) Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

We must take on greater roles for God

by JEFF HENSLEY catholic news service

The 50 days of the Easter season allow us to appreciate, ponder and savor the reality of Jesus’ resurrection.

Easter is truly the turning point of human history. Thinking about the meaning of God having power over all things, even death, is worthy of our full attention. This time also prepares us for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and this week’s preparation is very specific.

Just before his Ascension into heaven, Jesus tells his disciples that they “will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon” them, and they “will be [his] witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Ephesians passage gives more definition to just what they will be proclaiming when Paul writes of “the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion. ...”

Taking on this view of the world

changed Jesus’ disciples from their indecisive ways into men who traveled to the far corners of the world to tell others that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

But first they had to wait for the Holy Spirit and then be obedient to Jesus’ command to proclaim this good news, that he had conquered death, and his Father had proclaimed him Lord.

When I first came to my adult faith three decades back, I experienced a profound reorientation of my life.

Instructions in the Catholic faith, a Life in the Spirit Seminar, then service on my parish liturgy committee and in the pro-life movement, displaced the regular companionship of my unbelieving young adult friends.

New friendships with Christians and new activities filled my time and became my passion.

I still have those old friendships, but they ceased being my primary relationships, the ones that formed my values and view of the world, as my life became reoriented around the truth of the Resurrection.

It’s been 34 years since what were for me pivotal times, the times of my own personal Pentecost. I have no regrets. Preparing for the coming of the Spirit is worthy of our best efforts.

Questions: What can you do to prepare for God to take a greater role in your life? Are there Bible studies, retreats, or service projects in your parish or diocese that would help you turn your life toward God? Scripture to be Illustrated: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 27-May 3 Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter), Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21; Monday (St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis de Montfort), Acts 16:11-15, John 15:26--16:4; Tuesday (St. Catherine of Siena), Acts 16:22-34, John 16:5-1; Wednesday (St. Pius V), Acts 17:15, 22--18:1, John 16:12-15; Thursday (Ascension of the Lord), Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Matthew 28:16-20; Friday (St. Athanasius), Acts 18:9-18, John 16:20-23; Saturday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14.

Scripture for the week of May 4-10 Sunday (Seventh Sunday of Easter), Acts 1:12-14, 1 Peter 4:13-16, John 17:1-11; Monday, Acts 19:1-8, John 16:29-33; Tuesday, Acts 20:17-27, John 17:1-11; Wednesday, Acts 20:2838, John 17:11-19; Thursday, Acts 22:30; 23:6-11, John 17:20-26; Friday, Acts 25:13-21, John 21:15-19; Saturday (Bl. Damien de Veuster), Acts 28:16-20, 30-31, John 21:20-25.

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April 25, 2008

Catholic students at Virginia Tech record CD for hope, healing

by PAULINE HOVEY catholic news service

BLACKSBURG, Va. — By noon on April 16, 2007, Bryan Schamus, a member of the Newman Community at Virginia Tech, knew that at least 22 people had been killed on campus.

He quickly gathered with other student leaders of the university’s Catholic campus ministry to figure out how to respond to the tragedy, which would later become known as the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

By the end of the day, 33 students and faculty, including the gunman, had died.

A Mass of healing at the Newman Center that evening “was jampacked with maybe close to 200 people,” Schamus recalled.

People of all faiths had gathered for mutual support, consolation and comfort.

What participants found were uplifting, youthful voices singing about hope and love overcoming fear.

For Schamus, and all those involved in the project, the past year has been a journey of transformation culminating in the creation of a CD of those songs to be released April 16 in memory of the lives lost at Virginia Tech.

Called “Voices of Hope,” the

CD is a message of hope, faith and transformation.

“Instead of being victims, we’re witnesses of the real power of God that helps us to stand up, to walk and to live,” said Schamus, now a senior and director of the CD. “If there’s any community in the world that needs to be at the cross right now, it’s us.”

Father John Grace, Virginia Tech’s Catholic campus minister, couldn’t agree more. “When I got here, I heard a lot of stories about what happened and the response of the Catholic community to that violence,” said Father Grace, whom the Richmond Diocese assigned to the campus shortly after the tragedy.

“Over and over I heard from people their appreciation of the ability to gather together at Newman, and the meaningfulness and comfort people drew from the music at that gathering,” he said.

Since the tragedy occurred in the midst of the Easter season, students chose appropriate songs that communicated love, hope and comfort.

“Given what they were facing, it was very, very powerful,” Father Grace said. “And as I listened to the songs, it struck me that this is an important piece

CNS photo by Chris Keane, Reuters

Virginia Tech University students listen to the names of the 32 killed last year during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the April 16, 2007 shootings on the campus in Blacksburg, Va., April 16. A CD was released the same day in memory of the lives lost. of their journey, and I thought it would be significant for other people too.”

Two professional songwriters aided in the effort. One evening, Schamus sent an e-mail to songwriter David Kauffman, telling him they were singing his contemporary arrangement of Psalm 46, called “Be Still,” every night, and what an impact it was having.

Kauffman, publisher of Good for the Soul Music, immediately sent 100 CDs to Schamus and asked if he could travel from his home in San Antonio to lead them in a night of prayer and song.

Then David Haas, a well-known writer of Catholic hymns, who wrote three of the songs selected for the CD, came to Virginia Tech to perform a onenight concert.

When Schamus asked if he could record their music, the songwriters supported him 100 percent.

“The response was unbelievable,” he said. “All three publishers (GIA publications, OCP and Good for the Soul Music) of the 10 songs we recorded gave us royalties free, and they did it quickly and willingly and were excited to be a part of it.”

In reliving the experience, Schamus himself had to come to terms with the tragedy.

“What I look at now is how we’ve

all been given free will, we all make decisions,” Schamus said. “The ‘God moment’ comes afterward when people rush in to help and to save others. For instance, I thought about what causes a rescue squad to keep pushing against a chained door to get through when they know there’s someone with a gun on the other side?”

“And for us as a music ministry and as a Catholic group, we had free will in how we wanted to respond to this tragedy,” said Schamus, who plans to pursue a graduate degree in pastoral ministries.

“We decided the answer is not to pretend it never happened but to take it head on,” he said.

Even freshmen like Marie Volger, who was not yet a student at Virginia Tech at the time of the shootings, have experienced the impact.

“There’s such a strong purpose in this CD, and the idea that no pit is so deep that God is not deeper still is very appropriate,” said Volger, who plays piano on the CD and is a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester.

“There’s been a deep sense of healing. The end result for me is an affirmation of the sense of community here,” she said.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

April 25, 2008

around the diocese

Traveling icon now in Charlotte

Courtesy Photo by Joe Ordoyne

Vince Lombardo, Knights of Columbus district 13 deputy, presents an icon of Our Lady of Charity to Grand Knight Richard White and Deputy Grand Knight Bob Desch of Knights of Columbus Council 10852 at St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis April 5.

Our Lady of Charity blessed by Pope Benedict XVI CHARLOTTE — An icon of Our Lady of Charity is now on display at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

Blessed by Pope Benedict XVI, the icon had been on display at St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis since February.

During a ceremony at the church April 5, Knights of Columbus Council 12167 presented the icon to Council 10852 of St. Matthew Church.

The framed print is one of three icons currently traveling throughout North Carolina as part of a yearlong Marian Hour of Prayer program sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

“This Marian prayer program with an image of Our Lady of Charity is a graced opportunity to reflect on the virtue of charity and to make more widely known the beautiful teaching of ‘Deus Caritas Est’ (‘God is Love’), in which Pope Benedict XVI explores the true nature of charity, based on love of God and love

of neighbor,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson in a letter to fellow Knights.

The icon first arrived at St. Joseph Church Feb. 18 and has been part of numerous prayer services and visited by thousands of people.

Typically, each council hosts the icon for a couple of weeks before passing it on to the next parish. The icon’s stay at St. Joseph Church was longer than usual because of Lent.

“St. Joseph of Kannapolis was honored to be the first parish in North Carolina to host this magnificent icon on its great journey throughout the United States and the world,” said Joe Ordoyne of Council 12167.

At the conclusion of the yearlong prayer program, a report on the total number of prayer services that were held and the approximate number of participants will be presented to Pope Benedict.

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April 25, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 13

from the cover

S.C. monks seek new support for abbey MONKS, from page 1

CNS photo by Deirdre C. Mays, Catholic Miscellany

The Trappist monks at Our Lady of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina are discontinuing egg production and searching for a new way to support themselves. They stopped selling eggs after the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals criticized the monks’ treatment of chickens.

could continue to make a living.

Suggestions range from growing agricultural products as diverse as bamboo, mushrooms, heirloom corn and wheat, organic vegetables, and beets to be used as an organic road de-icer to pursuing such nonagricultural ideas as licensing beer; book scanning (the process of converting physical books into electronic books) and establishing a public cemetery on the Mepkin property.

The abbey announced in December that it would begin phasing out its 56year-old egg business, citing pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals over the treatment of chickens as one of the reasons.

Public protests and a threatened boycott by PETA that started in the summer of 2007 put unwanted pressure on the Trappist monks and interfered with their quiet life of prayer and work.

The end of the egg business meant the abbey had to find a new way to support itself. Sales averaging 9 million eggs a year have generated around $140,000, which is about 60 percent of the abbey’s annual income, according to Abbot Stan Gumula.

Abbot Gumula said he was impressed with suggestions the panel generated.

“We hope to find a business that will respect the monastic tradition of working on the land and caring for the environment, and the advisory panel’s ideas certainly meet these criteria,” he said. “Our land is a wonderful resource, and ... the panel has come up with great ways for us to use it creatively and wisely.”

Members of the panel agreed there should be an effort to find new products that can be sold locally so the monastery can maintain its strong connection with neighbors.

Mepkin’s eggs have been available in Piggly Wiggly grocery stores for years. Since the abbey’s establishment in 1949, the monks also have sold bread, flowers, timber, milk and beef cattle to support their way of life.

“The abbey has a lot of challenges, including an aging workforce and not a lot of working capital to fund a new operation. The abbey is a wonderful resource and it’s a shame they’re having to face this,” said panel member Dennis Atwood, retired chief financial officer for the Diocese of Charleston.

Atwood said he thought the public cemetery idea was a good one. “There’s obviously got to be a future demand for that kind of service and a lot of people are going to want traditional burials.”

Msgr. James Carter, pastor of Christ Our King Church in Mount Pleasant, said any agricultural venture would need to take into account Mepkin’s aging monks and existing resources.

The abbey also needs to consider how to maximize revenue that can be drawn from existing assets, according to Robert Macdonald, a retired museum director from New York who has been a close friend and consultant for the abbey for many years. He said the panel suggested the abbey increase the use of its conference center by businesses and other groups and look into increasing its retreat program.

Other suggestions included expanding the sale of existing abbey products such as fruitcakes and Drizzle, a syrup that can be used over desserts, meats and other dishes.

“The reality is that the abbey will probably be unable to make up the shortfall from the loss of the egg business solely through labor-intensive agricultural ventures,” he said.

“The solutions to this situation will be varied. It’s going to be a combination of saving money, finding new sources of revenue and increasing the income stream from current resources the abbey already has,” he said.

April 25, 2008

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Facing up to the abuse crisis

People of faith must help reform society, says pope

Sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

In some media accounts last week, Pope Benedict XVI blamed clergy sexual abuse of minors on the influence of those three all-American vices.

That’s an easy — albeit incomplete — answer to the church’s scandalous crisis. Neither is it exactly what the pope had in mind when he mentioned the breakdown of society contributing to the tragic molestation of thousands of minors by clergy.

That Pope Benedict’s American apostolic journey would address the crisis which has consumed much of the church’s energy over the past five-plus years was widely speculated.

Some expected a pro forma apology for the church’s role in the abuse and its aftermath. Others feared he might shy away from the topic.

Rather, Pope Benedict faced it headon, raising the issue with reporters during his flight to the U.S., in his address to the U.S. bishops and again during the openair Mass in Washington.

At each venue, he called the abuse shameful.

And on April 17 the pope talked with and prayed with several victims of clergy sexual abuse from Boston, center of the current scandal. That event wasn’t on the pope’s official schedule, though many had both anticipated and hoped for it.

One victim said the symbolism was a step in the right direction. Still others said it was long overdue.

Pro-forma apology for the horror of the abuse? Hardly. Shy away from a face to face with victims? No way.

During his April 16 meeting with bishops, Pope Benedict acknowledged the assessment of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago that some bishops “badly handled” offending clergy and the aftermath.

Clergy who have “betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior” brought pain to the victims and to the church, Pope Benedict told the bishops.

“As you strive to eliminate this evil, ... you may be assured of the prayerful support of God’s people throughout the world. ... It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged,” he added.

Despite its missteps, the pope approved of the U.S. church’s response, beginning in Dallas in 2002, to identify and discipline offending clergy, create

Guest Column TOM SHERIDAN guest columnist

safe environments for children, raise awareness of abuse in society and to foster healing of individuals and families shattered by abuse.

Not everyone was pleased, however.

Some victims’ groups picketed the popemobile’s route demanding censure for bishops who they said were unresponsive to the crisis.

At the April 17 Mass at Nationals Park, 45,000 people heard the pope again acknowledge the pain of the abuse scandal.

“No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse,” Pope Benedict said in his homily.

“Nor,” he said, “can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the church.”

But what about sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll?

In his messages the pope recognized the perils and promises of the larger society in which the church functions.

He said the question of abuse must be “addressed ... within the wider context of sexual mores,” asking, “What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media?”

In other words, we’re a society awash in images counter to Christian values.

The Catholic Church is hardly alone in facing the problem of sexual abuse.

It exists in schools, sports, families and even other faiths. But while that doesn’t diminish the church’s shame, it highlights the challenge facing people of faith and values.

The pope is correct: Society has a role in forming values, perhaps especially sexual ones. It is a challenge for people of faith, those like the pope who have hope in Christ, to help reform society.

Sheridan is former editor of The Catholic New World, Archdiocese of Chicago, and a deacon ordained for the Joliet Diocese.

He writes from Ocala, Fla.

The pope and the president: Meetings public and private Two leaders discuss long list of moral, religious considerations In the movies, the white-robed pope and dark-suited president stand smiling, hands clasped, in front of the entrance to the Oval Office of the White House as it is revealed that all differences have been resolved and perfect harmony has been reached.

That is in the movies.

In reality, there was little expectation that Vatican opposition to the Iraq invasion repeatedly expressed by this pope and his predecessor would receive any greater acceptance in the waning nine months of the current administration.

In fact, the visit was preceded by a Vatican official’s statement to make quite clear the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to President George W. Bush in no way indicated Vatican support of the U.S. administration’s foreign policy.

“The pope and the Holy See cannot renounce with one visit all the Holy See’s positions of rejecting war, always encouraging dialogue to smooth over disagreements and fostering cooperation,” said Cardinal Renato Martino, a longtime Vatican diplomat.

The papal-presidential visit April 16 was more of an opportunity for the pope to take advantage of an audience to deliver the Gospel message highlighted by his concise presentation of freedom.

“The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, selfdiscipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility toward the less fortunate,” he said.

What was said in the public ceremony may be more meaningful and longer lasting than what occurred in their private talk.

The pope’s message might well have been directed at those who will become the nation’s next leaders and to those who will elect them.

“Concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress,” said Pope Benedict.

And he had something to offer to the “I’m personally opposed but can’t impose my morality” type of politician in this election year.

Freedom, he said “also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.”

The event began with Bush

Extra!

Extra!

STEPHEN KENT cns columnist

welcoming Pope Benedict on the White House lawn with a statement that reflected several of Pope Benedict’s most important ideas, including the dictatorship of relativism that threatens traditional values. The president drew applause when speaking of the sanctity of human life.

“We need your message that all human life is sacred,” Bush said. But at almost the same time a half dozen blocks away, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling rejecting the latest challenge to capital punishment.

The two met privately in the Oval Office for 20 minutes; a joint statement issued after the meeting said the two had discussed a long list of moral and religious considerations including the respect and dignity of the human person; the defense and promotion of life, matrimony and the family; the education of future generations; human rights and religious freedom; sustainable development and the struggle against poverty and pandemics.

It said the pope and president had devoted considerable time to the Middle East, a growing Vatican concern for the “precarious state” of the Christian community in Iraq, and expressed support for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon.

That was a lot of ground to have been covered in only one-third of an hour.

Perhaps things were said in the Oval Office not often heard there: the denial that might makes right; a plea for a sharp reduction in military spending and using funds for peaceful development.

But the meeting did provide President Bush an opportunity, for it was he who once said he could look into eyes of an individual and see the soul of that person.

On April 16 he would have seen — and hopefully appreciated — the soul of a pope prophetically proclaiming peace.

Write a Letter to the Editor The Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

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Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

April 25, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 15

The pope speaks to educators They must engage students’ intellect, encourage them to choose the good If you mine the text of Pope Benedict XVI’s speech to Catholic educators given at The Catholic University of America April 17, you will find concepts that provide a framework for appreciating how “integral” education is to the mission of the church. That mission, the pope said, is “to proclaim the good news.”

A Catholic educational institution participates in the proclamation of the good news by being “a place to encounter the living God who, in Jesus Christ, reveals his transforming love and truth.”

Truth, said Pope Benedict, “means more than knowledge: Knowing the truth leads us to discover the good.”

Catholic schools at all levels go beyond the communication of knowledge to the discovery of what is good; hence the importance of educating the will. It is the will that chooses the good.

“While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will,” said Pope Benedict.

He sees a “reluctance” on the part of many modern people to entrust themselves to God. Entrusting oneself to God involves an act of the will, and this, he said, is a “complex phenomenon and one which I ponder continually.”

When education fosters an encounter with the living God, it is hoped that the

encounter will “elicit” in the student “a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching.”

The word “understanding” is important here. While proclamation elicits a response of faith (I believe), explanation elicits a response of reason (I understand).

S c h o o l l i t u rg i e s , d e v o t i o n s and celebrations participate in the proclamation that leads to (or deepens) faith. Classroom lectures and library research participate in the explanation that leads to (or deepens) understanding.

It is important to bear in mind, remarked the pope, that “the truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another.”

The Catholic identity of a school “is not dependent upon statistics,” said the pope; it does not depend on the number of Catholic students or faculty. Nor can it “be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content.”

Pope Benedict added that Catholic identity is really “a question of conviction”; it requires “that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith.”

That says something not explicitly spelled out about the tone, culture and dominant values of the place.

“Is the faith tangible in our

Incomplete answer on Friday abstinence

In the April 18 issue of The Catholic News & Herald, Father James Dietzen responded to a question regarding Friday abstinence (“Friday again days of abstinence?”). His response was incomplete in terms of the Catholic Church’s current discipline, and could very easily lead your readers into error.

Pope Paul VI’s apostolic constitution on penance, “Paenitemini,” issued in 1966, did indeed give greater freedom to individuals to choose, outside of the Lenten season, what form of penance they wished to perform. In 1983, the Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in which the current law of the church regarding days of penance was formally set out.

Three canons are most applicable: — Can. 1249: All Christ’s faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed.

On these days the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

— Can. 1250: The days and times of penance for the universal church are

each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

— Can. 1251: Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.

Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

As you can see, all Fridays are indeed days of penance and should be days of abstinence. Outside of Lent, however, the faithful are free to determine some other act of penance if they choose not to abstain from meat.

— Father John Putnam, judicial vicar and pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury

Pure Fashion values needed for men, also

I have been reading with interest the articles that have appeared in The Catholic News & Herald and local newspaper on the Pure Fashion show in Charlotte (“Models of the ‘Great Designer,’” April 18). As a Catholic woman, I find it interesting that this movement seems to be limited to young women. I’m wondering if there is a similar program for young men. I haven’t seen evidence of one anywhere

Looking Around JESUIT FATHER WILLIAM J. BYRON cns columnist

universities and schools?” he asked.

Expressing “profound gratitude” for all that is done at all levels of Catholic education in the United State, Pope Benedict then spoke directly to college and university faculty: “I wish to affirm the great value of academic freedom.

In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you.

“Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the church would obstruct or even betray the university’s identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the church’s ‘munus docendi’ (duty to teach) and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.”

There will surely be disputes from time to time over issues of autonomy and independence, but this was a positive speech. Grateful acknowledgment was made for the “crucial role” Catholic education plays in the life of the church.

There was also a plea to religious brothers, sisters and priests not to abandon the school apostolate; and to all Catholic educators to give “public witness to the way of Christ” and to reach out especially to the poor.

Letters to the Editor but perhaps I’ve missed it.

The quote from the Charlotte chair of this program was telling and gave rise to my concern: “The seeds of modesty begin at home. It’s never too early to start teaching our young girls the importance of living a life of dignity.”

I agree that the teaching of all values is the responsibility of parents and should begin at home. But I strongly disagree that young girls are the only ones who need to be taught about “living a life of dignity.”

From what I’ve observed as an adult over the last 10 to 15 years, young men could benefit from a similar message and program. In my view, integrating this message for young people, men and women, seems to be the healthiest approach.

Otherwise young women are continually singled out as those who need “help” or “correction” and this impacts their thinking as adults. That is an unrealistic and unjust burden for young women — as well as adult women.

We need to stop that thinking in its tracks.

—Eileen Crusan Marvin, N.C.

The pope’s visit: It was very Catholic!

Parish Diary FATHER PETER DALY cns columnist

In my parish there was an elderly lady who stopped on her way out of Mass to give me her evaluation of the liturgy. If she liked it she said, “That was Catholic!”

I was thrilled to attend the papal Mass in Washington, and my parishioners at St. John Vianney were very excited. We had 175 tickets distributed by lottery.

The sight lines from my seat in left field were poor. The canopy over the altar platform blocked my view of the jumbo TV. I could barely see the pope between the heads in front of me, but the sound system was great, and the choirs were just to my left.

The music was perfect. It was a mixture of styles and tempos. It ran the spectrum of liturgical music from Gospel to Gregorian chant, meringue to Mozart.

Its variety reflected the diversity of the Catholic Church in America.

In Washington we have a large African-American Catholic community.

The Gospel choir started us off with the great spiritual “Plenty Good Room in My Father’s Kingdom.” They were right.

There was plenty good room for every race, nation, people and tongue.

The liturgy was basically Pentecost.

There were lots of Holy Spirit songs, including several versions of “Veni Creator Spiritus” (“Come Holy Spirit”). I love that prayer, especially the part about “renewing the face of the earth.”

The best rhythm was at the preparation of the gifts when the choir sang in Spanish “Ven Espiritu Santo”

by Jaime Cortez. It had a complicated Afro-Caribbean-Latin drum beat. Even an aging Irishman like me could not sit still. I did my “white boy” dance.

As the bishops entered, the choir sang “Ave Verum” by Mozart. I always cry when I hear it. This time was no exception.

The pope entered the stadium to the great German hymn “Grosser Gott,” known to us as “Holy God We Praise Thy Name.”

Everybody sang. With 45,000 voices, the Spirit was definitely “in the house.”

After Communion, Placido Domingo sang “Panis Angelicus.” The stadium fell silent. Priests around me welled up with tears. Even the pope stood and gave Domingo an ovation and blessing.

The pope struck exactly the right tone in his homily. He was encouraging and correcting, pastoral and probing. His mention of the victims of child abuse by the clergy was necessary. It was an important step toward healing an open wound.

The fact that he spoke in Spanish as well as English was an appropriate recognition that the U.S. Catholic Church is increasingly Latino.

When I walked out of the stadium, I was transformed. And I thought of that elderly lady from my first parish and said, “That was Catholic!”

April 25, 2008

in the news

Zimbabwean church leaders: Opposition voters targeted for torture International intervention is needed, they say

by BRONWEN DACHS catholic news service

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Zimbabwe’s Christian leaders have called for international intervention in the country’s crisis, saying that those accused of voting for the opposition in March 29 elections are being tortured, abducted and murdered.

“We warn the world that if nothing is done to help the people of Zimbabwe from their predicament, we shall soon be witnessing genocide similar to that experienced in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and other hot spots in Africa and elsewhere,” said the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in an April 22 statement from the capital, Harare.

Noting that they recently “issued statements commending Zimbabweans for the generally peaceful and politically mature manner in which they conducted themselves before, during and soon after the elections,” the leaders said recent reports from their churches throughout the country gave cause for alarm.

“Organized violence perpetrated against individuals, families and communities who are accused of campaigning or voting for the ‘wrong’ political party ... has been unleashed throughout the country, particularly in the countryside and in some high-density urban areas,” they said.

“People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the ‘wrong’ candidate and should never repeat it in the runoff election for president, and, in some cases, people are murdered,” they said.

The church leaders urged the people of Zimbabwe “to refuse to be used for a political party or other people’s selfish end, especially where it concerns violence against other people, including those who hold different views from your own.”

Commending Zimbabweans for turning out to vote and “for exercising your democratic right peacefully,” the church leaders urged their members “to maintain and protect your dignity and your vote.”

The church leaders expressed their “deep concern over the deteriorating political, security, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe,” where official results of the presidential and parliamentary elections have yet to be released.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the presidential election and that his party took a majority of parliamentary seats.

President Robert Mugabe, 84, and his supporters are preparing for a runoff as well as challenging some of the parliamentary results.

The church leaders urged Zimbabwe’s electoral commission “to release the true results” of the elections, noting that “the unprecedented delay in the publication of these results has caused anxiety, frustration, depression, suspicion and in some cases illness among the people of Zimbabwe” at home and abroad.

“A pall of despondency hangs over the nation, which finds itself in a crisis of expectations and governance. The nation is in a crisis, in limbo, and no real business is taking place anywhere as the nation waits,” they said.

The church leaders appealed to the Southern African Development

CNS photo by Philimon Bulawayo, Reuters

Innocent Hove eats inside his home in a suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, April 21. Christian leaders have called for international intervention in the country’s crisis, saying that those accused of voting for the opposition in March 29 elections are being tortured, abducted and murdered.

Community, the African Union and the United Nations “to work toward arresting the deteriorating political and security situation in Zimbabwe.”

The church leaders said that, “as the shepherds of the people,” they were appealing for an “immediate end to political intimidation and retribution arising from how people are perceived to have voted.”

Youth militia and military base camps “that have been set up in different parts of the country should be closed,” they said.

“The deterioration in the humanitarian situation is plummeting at a frightful pace,” the church leaders said, noting that the cost of living “has gone beyond the reach of the majority of our people.”

Zimbabwe has the world’s highest inflation rate — more than 100,000 percent — an unemployment rate of more than 80 percent and severe shortages of basic foods and fuel.

“There is widespread famine in most

The Catholic News & Herald 16

parts of the countryside on account of poor harvests and delays in the process of importing maize from neighboring countries. The shops are empty and basic foodstuffs are unavailable,” said the leaders.

“Victims of organized torture who are ferried to (the) hospital find little solace as the hospitals have no drugs or medicines to treat them,” they said.

Zimbabwe’s Jesuits said that if the concepts of national sovereignty and noninterference “prevent the people of Africa from coming to the aid of their oppressed, abused, starved brothers and sisters, then we must question the value of such concepts, inherited from 19thcentury colonial powers, and redefine them according to our” present needs.

“The real people of Africa, men, women and children, their welfare, health, education, work and shelter must be the center and focus of all political endeavors and (hold) the attention of statesmen,” they said in their April 17 newsletter.

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