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THEANCHOR- Diocese of Fall River~ Fri., February 25, 2000
Vatican, PLO sign agreement on Church rights, Jerusalem ~
But Israel expressed dismay at the accord dting ongoing peace negotiations.
in the Arab part of the city were protect basic religious freedoms. Afterthe signing, the pope.and aimed at strengthening this claim. Israeli Ambassador Aharon Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met and expressed hopes for a Lopez told Catholic News Service "good visit" when the pope arrives he was "dismayed" at the agree. in the Holy Land. ment because - unlike a similar 'By JOHNTHAVIS "His Holiness has promised me Vatican-Israeli agreement in 1993 CAlliOUC NEWS SERVICE he will come to Jericho," a beam- - it had taken positions on conVATICAN CITY - Vatican ing Arafat said after he issued an troversial issues that "are at the and Palestinian leaders,in. a impromptu invitation to the pon- core of the Arab-Israeli conflict groundbreaking agreement on tiff during their 15-minute'meet- and are on the agenda of future Church rights in Palestinian terri- ing; the pope agreed on the spot. . negotiations." "It is one thing to have a: view Surprised Vatican officials said tories, said unilateral actions affecting the status ofJerusalem were the stop in Jericho, a biblical city on these issues, but it is another to "morally and legally unaccept- and one of the first' handed over share that view with one of the by Israel to Palestinian control, parties, when you know it is not able." Israel's ambassador to the Vati- would be added to the pope's shared by the other," the ambassacan immediately voiced dismay at March 20-26 Holy Land itinerary. dor said. Additionally, Lopez questioned . The far-reaching "Basic Agreethe accord, saying it had strayed into controversial political issues ment" was signed after two years whether Palestinian leaders had the that were still.on the negotiating of Vatican-PLO negotiations and right,to enter into such an agreespelled out principles guarantee- ment. He said the interim Israelitable. Signed by Vatican and Palestin-' ing Church rights and religious Palestinian autonomy accord of ian Liberation Organization offi- freedoms in territories adminis- 1995 had given Palestinians the cials last week, five weeks before tered by the Palestinian Authority. power to enter into agreements that Israel captured the Arab part of dealt with cultural, educational and PopeJohn Paul II was expected to make a historic trip to Israel and Jerusalem in 1967 and later an- development issues, but this agree- , Palestine, the agreement called for nexed it, unilaterally declaring the' ment' appeared to go beyond that. The Vatican-PLO accord said an internationally guaranteed stat- undivided city its capital. In reute for Jerusalem - which Israel cent years, Palestinians have ob- an eventual internationally guarhas always rejected - in order to jected t1]at Israeli housing projects anteed statute for Jerusalem should safeguard ';freedom of religion for all;" legal ,equality for Islam,
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,;" Co;osecration'to the DiviQe Will . "I' , ":1, Oh adorable and 'Divine Will, behold me here, before the immensity of Your Light, that Your eternal goodness may open to me the doors and make me enter into It to form my life all in You, Divine Will. Therefo~, oh adorable Will, prostrate before Your Light, I, the least of all creatures, put mySelf into the little group of the sons and daughters of Your Supreme FIAT. Prostrate in my nothingness, I invoke Your Light and beg that it clothe me and eclipse all that does not pertain to You, Divine Will. It will be my Life, the center of my intelligence, the enrapturer of my heart and of my whole being. I do not want the human will to have life in this heart any longer. I will cast it - away from me and thus form the new Eden of Peace,'of happi- , ness and of love. With It I shall be always happy. I shall have a singular strength and a holiness that sanctifies all things and conducts them to God. , Here prostrate, I invoke the help of the Most' Holy Trinity that They permit me to live in the cloister of the Divine'Will and thus return in' me the first order of creation, just as the creature was created. . Heavenly Mother, Sovereign and Queen of the Divine Fiat, take my 'hand and introduce me into the Light of the Divine Will. You will be my guide, my most tender Mother, and'will teach me to live in ~d to maintain myself in the order and the bounds of the Divine Will. Heavenly Mother, I consecrate my whole bemg to Your Immaculate Heart. You will teach me the doctrine of the Divine Will and I will listen most attentively to Your lessons. You will cover me with Your 'mantle so that the infernal serpent dare not penetrate into this sacred Eden to entice me and make me fall into the maze of the human will. Heart of my greatest Good, Jesus, You will give me Your flames that they may bum me, consume me, and feed me to form in me the Life of the Divme Will. Saint Joseph, youWiII be my protector,the guardian of my heart, and will keep the keys of my wjll in your hands. You will keep my heart jealously and shall never give it to me again, that I may be sure of never leaving the Will of God. My guardian Angel, guard me; defend me; help me in everything so that my Eden may flQ~sh and be the instrument that draws all men into the Kingdom of the Divine Will. Amen.
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( In Honor ofLuisa Piccarreta 1865-1947 Chjld of the Divine Will)
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PALESTINIAN LEADER Vasser Arafat kisses the hand of Pope John Paull! during their recent meeting. (eNS photo from Vatican) Christianity and Judaism; the sacred character of Jerusalem; freedom of access to and worship in the holy places; and the "status quo," an ancient system governing Church rights in holy places. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the agreement was a historic step that could indirectly help spur the stalled peace process. "It is new that it be stated in writing in this way, but the position of
the Holy See has been clear," he . said. The Vatican has long called for a negotiated settlement on Jerusalem that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of all sides and the importance of the city to Christians, Muslims and Jews. A Vatican statement said that in their private talks, Arafat and the pope shared their concerns over the lack of recent progress in peace talks between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.
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~,Vadc'aniclarities status of secretly
ordained in Czech Republic , By JOHN THAVIS CATHOUC NEWS SERVICE.
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said clandestinely ordained priests and bishops in the Czech Republic who have failed to reconcile with ~hurch authorities are forbidden from celebrating Mass and the sacraments. After several years of Vatican efforts to regularize those, secretly ordained under communism - including more than 60 married priests -' the time has come to clarify the status of those who have refused the Vatican.'s terms, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a statement released last week. "Difficulties remain and a clarifying discussion is requested," the statement said, without specifying when or where such a meeting would be held. Meanwhile, it said, the Czech faithful should ,know that Masses celeprated by those r~fusing . the Vatican conditions are illicit and the sacramepts they perform are of doubtful validity, it said. "These Masses, administration ·of sacraments and. other liturgical celebrations are forbidden. Whoever, in fact, refuses the authority of the pope and bishops celebrates illicitly," it said. "The Holy See addresses itself to those Catho-_ lies who have not yet complied with its indications and invites them to unite again with otherCatholics under the guidance of the pope;" said the statement. It was signed by Cardinal Joseph 'Ratzinger, prefect of the doctrinal congregation. The problem of ~landestinely ordained priests surfaced after the fall of Czechoslovakia's communisr regime in 1989. About 250 priests and 16 bishops were ordained without individual Vatican approval as an emergency pastoral measure under communism; of the 127 cases still pending in 1996, more than half involved married priests or bishops.
As a solution for many of the priests, the Vatican offered a conditional re-ordination and technically assigned the married men to Eastern-rite' churches, which have a tradition of married clergy. . But some of the priests have steadfastly refused even a conditional re-ordination" saying the Vatican was showing lack of trust. The Vatican statement said it understood the psychological motives and the objections that had been raised and said Church officials had attempted to explain to these priests that conditional re-ordination was the best way to end doubts about their status. It said, in fact, that the original ordinations had not always been carried out validly, especially those performed by underground Bishop Felix DilVidek. While voicing respect for the courage of underground Church leaders under communism, the Vatican statement sharply rejected the idea that a "clandestine church" still exists in the Czech Republic. Catholics who characterize themselves as clandestine "are not persecuted like Christians in the catacombs, in fact they give interviews to the media, publish bpoks and express in full freedom their dissent from the Roman pontiff," it said. ' The Vatican said the position of married bishops was different from that of the married'priests, since Church law and traditions in the Eastern and Latin rites do not allow for married bishops. It said that the conditions for reconciliation offered by the Vatican to the married bishops were rejected. The Vatican did not specify further, but in 1996 the doctrinal congregation asked the four married bishops in the Czech Republic to sign a statement renouncing their episcopal ministry, with a view toward functioning as permanent deacons following individual examination of each case.