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8
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www.charlottedioccsc^ors
Roman
Catholic
Diocese of Charlotte
Parish Profile: St.
Helen Church PAGE
NEW^AIERALD
Established Jan. 12, 1972
by Pope Paul VI
DECEMBER
5,
SERVING CATHOLICS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA IN THE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE
2003
12
A country of conflict and crisis
VOLUME
13
N9
1
Worid AIDS Day draws support
HAS VATICAN
CHANGED POSITION
ON IRAQ WAR, OR HAS WAR CHANGED IRAQ?
fromcliurches BY
PATRICIA ZAPOR
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE BY
JOHN THAVIS
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY
WASHINGTON
—
Early this year, during the
countdown to the Iraq War, Pope John Paul II and his Vatican aides wasted no opportunity to broadcast their opposition to a U.S.-led in-
From Washington
to Dakar, Catholic bishops joined in marking World AIDS Day Dec. 1 with promises of
Senegal,
support for those with
warned
that besides being unjust, an invasion would be counterproducti_ve it would leave
—
many dead and wounded,
Followers of a radical Shiite cleric pray al-Fitr in
in
front of a U.S.
Army tank during
tfie Islamic festival
the Baghdad, Iraq, suburb of Al Sadr Nov. 25. The Vatican's representative
a military withdrawal
now would be the worst
PHOTO FROM Reuters
in
of
to
change behaviors that lead to the spread of the disease.
II
In Rome, Pope John Paul and the head of the Vatican
encouraged Catholics to join them in praying for people with HIV/ AIDS and to care for those office for health care
destroy Iraqi infrastructure, increase the hardships on civilians, increase political pressures on Iraqi Christians, ignite civil strife in the country, weaken the United
across Asia. In Dakar, the S;yTnposium of Episcopal Conferences of Af-
Nations and foment global
rica
terrorism.
CNS
HIV/
AIDS and encouragement
vasion.
They
—
with the disease.
Catholic organizations worked on AIDS pre\ention
and Madagascar, which represents the bishops in
Fast-forward eight
Africa, issued its first collective
months, and it seems that most or all of the Vatican's warnings were accurate, but
proposing a plan of action involving work with parishes,
See IRAQ, page 6
See AIDS, page 6
Eid
statement on
HIV/AIDS,
Iraq has said
option.
FROM LEBANON TO NORTH CAROLINA
Maronite Catholics seek to strengthen, grow their church in Southeast BY
JOHN STRANGE
NC Catholic Staff DURHAM — Father seph
knew what Jo-
Thomas
has a gift for some North Carolina Catholics a gift of "self-knowing" and a return to the traditions of
—
their ancestors in the
Maronite
Catholic Church.
encourage the people of origin, people who all their lives have heard the word 'Maronite' but never "I
ing the Eastern church, Father
pastor of the Maronite Catholic mission of St.
Sharbel in Raleigh, told the
NC Catholic. Sharbel hosted the
Nov. 14-16 Southeast regional conference of the National Apostolate of Maronites, where much of the focus was
1000-665^3 3N IIIH 0£6e 80
meant, to make
Thomas,
St.
Maronite
it
themselves available" and open-minded when consider-
mmn
13dW3
on how to strengthen and grow the Maronite Catholic Church in the Southeast. The Maronite Church is one of 22 Eastern Catholic churches with origins in Eastern Europe, Asia or Afi-ica, often identified by a national or
ethnic
Photo by John Strange,
NC
Catholic
The
character.
Maronites, for example, trace their history back to St. Maron
Father Joseph Thomas, pastor of
St.
Sharbel's Maronite Catholic
mission, identifies Maronite icons for a display at the Southeast
regional conference of the National Apostolate of Maronites
See MARONITE, page 9
Dreams
of Eagles
Durham
Nov.
14-16.
Sister Evelyn Mattern
Culture
Watch
Student project beautifies
Raleigh Diocese loses
Children's books for
Immaculata School
crusader for justice
Christmas gift-giving
nosiiD
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