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News & Herald
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
Volume 5 Number 10 • November
24, 1995
Bishops Give Moral Guidance On Resolving Budget WASHINGTON
(CNS)
— As
The bishops
the budget crisis
principles of their 1986 pastoral on the
human and moral considerations must not be discarded
reform measures pending in Congress. By a 236-2 vote Nov. 14, the bish-
in favor of purely financial factors.
During
Nov. 13-16
their
members of
ton,
fall
meeting
in
Washing-
the
National Conference of
economy and harshly criticized welfare
ops approved a pastoral message marking the 10th anniversary of
"Genuine reform ... will encourage work, strengthen
Catholic Bishops and U.S. Catholic Confer-
tice in
families Bishops
jected attempts to make
letter
pro-life
the working poor and
from chairmen of
and domestic policy
inequitably."
committees.
children bear the brunt
On the same day, the bishops' conference released a let-
of federal budget cuts. In a last-minute addition to the agenda, they their
own
made
an appeal to national leaders from their
president, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore.
The document, for the
ordained to the priesthood next June, the ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte.
"We do
not think
cially the poorest
nal
future at the
— Clearly
came
dent of schools for the archdiocese of
cently as Dr. Elinor Ford hobbled back
of religious education resources, was the main speaker for the day. She urged the group to transmit a passionate faith to the next generation of Catholics. "No matter how good the homilies may get
Sadlier
how
and one-time head of The
Company,
a national publisher
well the band plays or the choir
in
young as if the middle of a Maalox Mo-
ment when expressing our
faith,
they
will never participate," she said.
former regional director of the Office of
Repeatedly Ford reminded the par-
welcomed participants
ticipants of their pivotal place in the
Faith Formation, to
Lake Junaluska Conference Center
for the day-long event.
process of renewal:
"We have forgotten
ships and future," this year's gathering
God's most critical unit of the church." Drawing extensively from the 1981 statement of
"A Third Millennium Church." Dr. Ford, a former superinten-
See
that the family is the locus of
Promoted as an opportunity for area Catholics to "feed their
faith, friend-
presence, and the parish
is
Fire,
page 9
of
deserves to be rejected, and replaced by
genuine reform which will encourage
the
End Debate
Ordination than a million
German Catholics signed
a petition calling for
women priests and
other changes in the church. Opinion
longs to the deposit of faith and has been "infallibly" taught, the Vatican is aiming to shut the door on debate about women's ordination and slide a theo-
polls elsewhere
logical bolt across
vember, a 65-year-old
it.
The statement, published Nov. 18 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
is
the strongest effort yet to
end a simmering discussion inside and outside the church.
stantial
have shown that subpercentages of Catholics sup-
port the idea of
women
priests.
In a much-publicized case in
was ordained a
woman
No-
said she
priest in the "under-
ground church" when Czechoslovakia was under communism. The Vatican said the ordination would have been invalid; the
woman said she would con-
brief text took an already au-
tinue her battle for women' s ordination,
by Pope John Paul and presented it as even more final. It appeared only a year and a half after the pope delivered what he described as the church's "definitive" position on the
though recognizing that the church's tradition "cannot be changed overnight." Meanwhile, there have been increas-
matter.
plore the possibility of ordaining women
The
thoritative teaching II
Why,
then,
was another statement
—
by cardinals, bishops, canon law experts and the faithful to exing calls
as deacons.
—
The Vatican considers
this
needed?
a separate issue that merits careful study,
One reason is that the teaching has continued to be openly questioned by
but in the minds of some
many
focused on
falls far short
claring that the all-male priesthood be-
sings, if we all appear to the
we're
by
billion
See Bishops, page 12
By JOHN THAVIS VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In de-
to feed their faith,
New York
ishes in the western region. Jane Keifer,
said Cardi-
$110
the bishops' criteria for reform, and
On Women's
second annual convocation.
or
members of our country,"
"This legislation
at
Vatican Seeks To
enjoying the spectacle, western region Catholics watched with amusement re-
and forth through their midst carrying her one shoe aloft. Parishioners from fifteen churches nodded knowingly and chuckled as her pump personified nostalgic, comatose, or just plain weary Catholics. Skillfully, Dr. Ford engaged over 100 participants at the second Fire in the Mountains convocation of par-
Washington
—
estimates."
Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles, who had sug-
By PAUL FREDETTE
LAKE JUNALUSKA
working families
gested the appeal.
Parishioners from the mountain regions of the diocese
and
to
from the chairmen of its pro-life and domestic policy committees which said the current welfare reform proposals in Congress "appear to represent a mas sive disinvestment in poor children and ter
some
time and remain silent as our leaders face policy decisions that will affect every one of us, espe-
Western Region Spreads Tire" To Feed Their Faith friendships
we can come
human conse-
this critical
Hispanic priest
first
"A Catholic Appeal: Leadership
Common Good," said the budget debates "have
fundamental moral dimensions and quences."
—
—
called
"Economic Justice for All." In the new message the bishops call for "greater economic jusan economy with remarkable strength and creativity, but with too little economic growth distributed too
and protect human life and dignity."
ence declared themselves solidly on the side of the poor and re-
Photo by JOANN KEANE Newly ordained deacon, Rev. Mr. Fidel Melo with Bishop William G. Curlin. "As a deacon, you can say with the greatest humility but with honesty it is not my life anymore; it's Jesus alive in me," said Bishop Curlin. Rev. Mr. Melo will be
also reaffirmed the
threatened to paralyze the federal government, the U.S. Catholic bishops came to Washington to warn that
faithful
it
and some theologians.
In recent weeks, for example,
more
See Women, page 9
would be an