t eanc 0 VOL. 35, NO. Cjl
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Friday, March 1, 1991
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS.
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Lt. Col. Fox captured in Gulf First man from diocese By Pat McGowan At their weekly prayer meeting, members of St. Dominic parish, Swansea, habitually intercede for relatives and friends serving in the Persian Gulf. On Feb. 20 their prayers took on new urgency. That morning parishioners J oseph and Theresa Fox were notified that the single-seat, A-IO low-level fighter-bomber piloted by their son, Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey D. Fox, had been shot down Feb. 19 and that the younger Fox had been taken captive by Iraqi ground forces. The Pentagon released no other details on the incident and as of Feb. 26, the Swansea couple had no further information on the whereabouts of their son. "We just have to sit and wait," said, Joseph Fox. ''I'm satisfied I have all the information they [the Pentagon) can give me." Jeffrey Fox, whose father is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is a regular Air Force officer with 18. years experience. He is the first armed forces member from the
Fall River diocese to be listed as killed, captured or'missing in action in the Gulf war.
Bishop's Statement I was distressed to learn that the family of Lt. Colonel Jeffrey D. Fox has been notified that he has been shot down and captured in the conflict in the Gulf. Each day I remember in prayer the young men and women in our country's armed forces. When, however, a tragedy such as this occurs, it brings the horrors ofthis conflict nearer home. He is a graduate of Holy Name School in Fall River and Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth. I will continue to pray for him and his safe return as well as for his family who are members ofSt. Dominic parish, Swansea. May God grant us soon the peace for which we all yearn.
Fall River Bishop Daniel A. Cronin said in a statement: "Each day I remember in prayer the young men and women in our country's armed forces. When, however, a tragedy such as this occurs, it brings the horrors of this conflict nearer home. "I will continue to pray for him and his safe return as well as for his family. "May Ood grant us soon the peace for which we all yearn." Father William G. Campbell, pastor of St. Dominic, told the Anchor that the downed pilot's mother had been a daily communicant and was active in the parish women's guild until suffering a stroke some years ago. Jeffrey Fox graduated from Holy Name School, Fall River, Bishop Stang High School, North Dartmouth, Mass., and Widener University, Chester, Pa. Atty. Wilfred C. Driscoll Jr. of Fall River, a close friend of Fox who attended grammar and high Turn to Page 10
Archbishop Roach: TWO-MONTH¡OLD twins Jonathan (left) and Adela Alexander with a picture of their mother, Marine Lance Cpl. Laura Alexander, who was sent to Saudi Arabia in December. The babies' father, also in the Persian Gulf, is in the same unit as their mother. Meanwhile the twins are cared for by their grandmother, Mary Villareal, of Pasadena, Tex. (CNS/ UPI photo)
Bishops join plea for Persian Gulf"orphans" WASHINGTON(CNS)- Two U.S. bishops have joined nearly 100 religious, medical and children's organizations seeking a policy revision so that Persian Gulf "orphans," children of single parents or couples who are both in the armed forces need not "sacrifice their children in order to serve in the military." Archbishop John R. Roach of St. Paul-Minneapolis and Bishop James W. Malone of Youngstown. Ohio, were among signers of a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Richard B. Cheney seeking the change. The letter, initiated by the Children's Defense Fund and Child Welfare League of America, addressed growing concern that current U.S. policy does not exempt single parents or one of two military parents from deployment in a war zone. "The unique circumstances present during wartime place the children of such military personnel at risk ofextreme psychological damage," the letter said.
It said the lengthy separation of children from an only parent or frOm both parents at once, "coupled with children's fears that their parents may not return, can have both short-term and long-term debilitating effects." Archbishop Roach chairs the U.S. bishops' International Policy Committee and Bishop Malone chairs the Domestic Policy Committee. The two committees oversee the U.S. Catholic Conference Department of Social Development and World Peace.
The letter said the Pentagon would be protecting a "strong national interest by taking steps to assure "the well-being of these American children." It did not immediately endorse any of the specific bills introduced in Congress to change the current policy. But USCC official Sharon Daly said the bishops' conference was studying the various legislative proposals with an eye toward Turn to Page 10
Noway should U .8. use chemical, biological, nuclear weapons WASHINGTON (CNS) Whatever atrocities Iraq commits in the Persian Gulf War, the allied forces cannot "fight evil with evil means," Archbishop John R. Roach of St. Paul-Minneapolis said Feb. 25. . "I do not envision any circumstances that would justify the use of chemical, biological or nuclear
weapons against Iraq, even in reprisal," he said. Speaking as chairman of the U.S. bishops' International Policy Committee at a national meeting of Catholic social action leaders in Washington, Archbishop Roach spelled out the policy stance of the U.S. bishops toward the Gulf war and the pursuit of a just peace that must follow.
The Feb. 24-27 meeting, titled "A Century of Social Teaching," marked the 100th anniversary of the first social encyclical, Pope Leo XIll's "Rerum Novarum," on work and workers' rights. Although the archbishop's talk specifically condemned Scud attacks directed at civilians by Iraqi Turn to Page 10
MADONNA MANOR, North Attleboro, continued its 25thanniversary observance with residents, staff and friends gathering Sunday for ajubilee Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin. More photos on page 10. (Hickey photo)