FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSmS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
VOL. 31, NO. 10
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FALL RIVER, MASS.
Friday, March 6, 1987
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
." 58 Per Year
Ex-hostage and Tower report TORONTO (NC) - Servite Father Lawrence Martin Jenco, who was held hostage in Lebanon for 18 months, said President Reagan assured him that his release was not part of an arms deal but said the Tower commission report has led him to question the president's credibility. Speaking in Toronto Feb. 22, Father Jenco said Reagan sent a personal telegram assuring him that the United States did not send arms to Iran to get his release. "I want to believe the president," Father Jenco said in Toronto. "I would be shocked to learn that I, a single man with no children, was traded for arms that could cause so much death and devastation in the Middle East. If they'd come to me, I would have said no." But Father Jenco told the Associated Press "March I, three days after the Tower commission released its report: "Now, I'm very confused. I think (the Reagan administration) came to the conclusion that it was a mistake." . "I had to accept his word that I was not exchanged for arms. Now I read this and I have a deep question mark, a question mark of credibility," the priest said. The Tower report found that Father Jenco was released two days after the Iranian government made a partial payment for missile parts.
The priest, who was working in Lebanon as director of Catholic Relief Services, was released by his Shiite Moslem kidnappers in July 1986. Fulfilling a promise to his fellow hostages Thomas Sutherland and Terry Anderson, still being held in Lebanon, Father )enco was touring North America to remind the public of the grave situation in the Middle East and .to help secure their release. ,
Speaking to the Slovak Canadian Business and Professional Association in Toronto; Father Jenco asked his audience to stay informed and find out the truth about the struggle in the Middle East. He asked the public to pray for the hostages still being held in Lebanon and "for all hostages everywhere, whether they be Christian, Moslem, Jew, black or white." If anything is to improve in the Middle East, the priest said, Christians and Moslems must build on what is common to both religions - a belief in one God and in a single community on earth with one and the same origin and end. Although Father Jenco eventually made peace with the men who brought 18 months of pain to his . life, he said he would never return to the Middle East. He believes that Lebanon must solve its own problems and that the Palestine
Liberation Organization, Shiites, Druze and all other groups must sit together and decide on a new constitution for the country before anything can be resolved. Father Jenco added that one possible solution to the struggle in Lebanon may be to allot each religious group or political faction a separate piece of land. The soft-spoken missionary described "the lonely, boring and frightening" time spent as a hostage. His ordeal began when he was kidnapped by an armed group, the Islamic Jihad, in Beirut apparently after he was mistaken for another American. During his 18 months in confinement the priest was often chained and blindfolded but managed to make prayer beads out of a " piece of string. He also talked at length with his captors about religion and politics, and shared their "joys and disappointments, marriages and deaths." The priest described his captors as "deeply religious and committed young men." Father .Tenco said later it was only his faith in God and his missionary training that helped him survive being kept in a closet for a month. He described standing gagged and bound, repeating the words, "Lord, Jesus, have mercy . on us" hundreds of times.
Planning for the papal visit MIAMI (NC) - Father Anthony Mulderry has the kind of job he can "grow into." In fact, it just "becomes bigger" all the time. He worries about such things as the angle of the sun at 10 a.m. on Sept. II, the use of "corrals" for a vast audience, at least I,000 buses, and having enough toilets for a crowd of 300,000 to 500,000. Father Mulderry is coordinating preparations for Pope John Paul II's Sept. 10-11 visit to Miami, first stop on the pontiffs U.S. trip. "You grow into this," he said of his task. "It becomes bigger every day." He wrestles with the details of accommodating legions of spectators at various events; 5,000 stewards, or ushers, to help with crowd management and other tasks; 2,000 reporters and other members of the news media; and miles of streets blocked off. "This is going to be wellorganized," said Father Mulderry. For the pope's outdoor Mass, scheduled for Sept. II at Tamiami Park, Father Mulderry speaks of "building a small city for a day," a city with food and water supplies,
its own streets, first-aid stations, agents expected to provide protecchain-link fences, and toilets. tion for the pope. The exact number of toilets For its part, the Miami Archdiremained uncertain by late Febru- ocese has nearly 100 persons, on ary, although the planners say 15 committees, planning different there must be enough to serve a aspects of the visit. crowd of several" hundred thouEven non-Catholics have volunsand for several hours. "It seems to teered, offering to help as stewards, be a big issue in everybody's mind," the ushers or guides who will help the priest noted .. out at various events. The steIn addition to thinking about wards are being drawn from parsanitary facilities, Father Mulder- ishes and other sources, and one of ry's committee has consulted the top requirements for eligibility will stars and tried to arrange to have be stamina. the papal altar aligned with the "Some of the assignments are sun so as to provide "the best vision of the pope"as well as com- only two hours long, but others may be as long as 12 hours," said fort for those in attendance. "We want as many people to see Robert Senk, police chief of him as possible," said Father Cooper City, Fla., who is coordiDaniel Kubala, one of three asso- nating the stewards. There is a spiritual side to the ciate directors for the papal visit in preparations as well. Archbishop the Archdiocese of Miami. Historically and logistically Edward A. McCarthy of Miami "this is probably the biggest event has designated a "Holy Year of that's ever happened in S~uth Reconciliation"and asked CatholFlorida," said William Ackerman, ics to reach out to neighbors and U.S. Secret Service special agent friends, to get to know them better who heads a team of four who at "pope parties," and to generally have been working on the papal strive to create a spirit of unity visit fulltime since January. " throughout the entire community. Security reasons prevent him There's a committee for that, from divulging the number of too.
Waiting for God?
Home Missions collecti.on set 99.3 cents of every dollar Monsignor Lenz, "and the revidonated during the annual talization of the National Black Home Missions collection go to Congress give evidence of Black and Native American Church concern with the evanmissions, a record unsurpassed gelization of Black and Native Americans." by any national charity. Offering statistics of Black That point was made by Msgr. John J. Oliveira, Epis- and Native American missions, copal Vicar for Ecclesiastical Msgr. Oliveira said that dioMatters and diocesan director ceses considered Black Ameriof the Society for the Propaga- can mission territory, all in the tion of the Faith, in announcing south, include Baton Rouge, that the Home Missions collec- Lafayette and Lake Charles, tion will be taken up this week- La., Mobile and Birmingham, Ala., Beaumont and Galvestonend in diocesan parishes. He said the collection is the Houston, Tex., Biloxi and oldest national collection in the Jackson, Miss., and Savannah, Ga. country, dating back to 1884. Native American and Eskimo In anticipation of this year's fund raising; Msgr. Paul A. dioceses include Bismarck, N. D., Lenz, executive director of the Fairbanks, Alaska, Cheyenne, Black and Indian Mission Office Wyo., Santa Fe, N.M., and in Washington, noted that Great Falls-Billings and Helena, although 1986 was the best year Mont. He noted that a Catholic yet recorded for the collection, raising over $5~ million for Indian Center was opened last evangelization activities, it still April at Has,",eU Junior College, Lawrence, Kans. The colfeU short of needs. "We hope," he said, "that lege is attended by young Indiwhen the faithful become aware " ans from all parts of the United of just how much of their gifts States and the center provides reaUy go to the missions, that them with Catholic leadership people will be more generous opportunities. Msgr. Oliveira said that of96 and thus enable the Church to do more for the evangelization U.S. Catholic universities and colleges only Xavier University programs. "The recent appointment of of New Orleans, with over one with American Indian 2,000 students, serves black blood to the hierarchy, the Catholics. Seven of the 10 U.S. Most Reverend Donald E. black bishops and many black Pelotte, coadjutor Bishop of priests and sisters are Xavier Gallup, New Mexico," said graduates.