I---------~--------_·_--------------------,
t eanc 0 VOL. 37, NO. 28
•
Friday, July 23, 1993
FALL RI'VEll DIOCESAN NI:WSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
-
F ALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
•
$11 Per Year
Flynn, Vatican discuss Somalia in first talk
"
•
.. FIGHTING FLOODING: Volunteers in Des Moines, Iowa, fill sandbags to try to prevent further contamination ofthe city's drinking water by overflowing rivers. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for assistance for Midwest flood victims from dioceses nationwide. (eNS photos)
Diocese to aid flood victims with CNS reports Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has authorized a collection in Fall River diiocesan parishes this weekend to alid the victims of flooding in the Midwest, in accord with a national response to the disaster requested by the National Conference of Caltholic Bishops. Archbishop William H. Keeler of Baltimore, NCCB president, said after consulting with bishops in the affected areas of the country that "an appeal for a national response is very much in order." The six weeks of flooding in the Midwest have caused at least 30 deaths and $10 billion in damage a nd left some 16.000 sq uare miles of farmland under water. The American Red Cross estimates that at least 22,000 homes have been damaged. Donations will be funneled through local Catholic Charities agencies in the flood-stricken areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and South Dakota, Archbishop Keeler said. "The director of the Catholic Charities USA Disaster Response Office reported that many people in the affected areas are facing a horrendous uncertainty about their future," he said. "There is a need to provide them with material goods to rebuild their homes, financial assistance to meet their living needs and counseling support to ease their fears and an.xieties." The Disaster Response Office, along with the U.S. bishops' conference, represen.ts the Catholic community during domestic disasters., .'
As the Mississippi River and its tributaries continued to flow over their banks, flooding Midwestern cities and towns, Catholic churches became places of refuge and parishioners did everything from filling sandbags to providing food and shelter. Severe storms have pelted a large area of the Midwest since April, and flooding began in late June: On July 10, President Clinton formally declared Iowa, Illinois and Missouri major disaster areas, clearing the way for federal relief of $1.2 billion. Jane Gallagher, Catholic Charities USA Disaster Response director, said that financial assistance will help address specific needs, but that the agency also wants to provide support over the long haul. "Many people in the affected areas are facing a horrendous uncertainty about their future," she said. "We want to help ease them back into some sense of stability by providing them with material goods to rebuild their homes, financial assistance to meet their living needs, and counseling support to ease their fears and anxieties about what has happened to them." In St. Louis, Catholic Charities spokeswomen Karen Wallensak said the local disaster relief team, led by Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, has visited areas affected by the flooding. But the main work will come, she said, when the floodwaters recede and people begin to return to their homes. Bishop William H. Bullock of Madison, Wis., said that the,
Catholic response to the floods afflicting the Midwest must go beyond tears to include prayer and a helping hand. The bishop recently came to Wisconsin from the now beleaguerptj Des Moines diocese. "When I look at the TV coverage this past week of Wisconsin and of my beloved city of Dt:s Moines from which I came to yOIl, I must admit to tears," "But tears are not enough. Sandbagging, a check to relief victims and honestto-God prayer is expected from all of us." He added. "Sometimes it's too easy to forget when the news coverage ceases, so my plea is: pray for the victims, lend a helping hand if you can and dollars if they are needed." Early Catholic response to the floods included an Illinois Catho~ lie college's transformation into a Red Cross center and a sandbagging factory. In Quincy, III., city officials billed the sandbagging effort in the parking lot of Quincy University's football stadium as a "beach party." Jeff Jansen, director of administrative services for the city, said more than 8,000 volunteers helped out over a five-day period, filling sandbags that were transported to areas where they were needed to prevent flooding. The local chapter of the American Red Cross also moved its flood relief operation into Quincy University's Retreat Center. It was one of more than 20 Red Cross centers operating in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Turn to Page II
VATICAN CITY (CNS)- The new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Raymond Flynn, discussed the crisis in Somalia and other world problems during his first meeting with top Vatican officia1.s. - -Flynn presented copies of his credential letters July 17 to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, and the ambassador said the two held "very substantive" talks for about 40 minutes. --"My first comment to the cardinal was a message from the prei;ident that he's looking forward to meeting with the Holy Father on the issue ofthe youth in the world ," Flynn said afterward. President Clinton is scheduled to meet Pope John Paul II at Denver's Regis University Aug. 12, shortly aft er the pontiffs arrival in the city. The encounter, the first between the new president and the pope, was confirmed this month when the Vatican released the complete schedule of the pope's Aug. 9 to 16 visit to Jamaica, Mexico and Denver. In discussing Somalia, Flynn said he stressed the humanitarian purpose of U.S. and U.N. activities there.
"I spoke to the president [before coming to Rome] and he wanted me to very clearly affirm that our aim is two-fold: to bring food and to bring peace," Flynn said. He said he thanked Cardinal Sodano for the pope's early support of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. ]n recent weeks, however, the Vatican newspap,~r and the papal press spokesman have been critical of U.S. and U.N. military actions in Somalia and have questioned whether the original humanitarian aim of the intervention had been forgotten. Flynn said his message for the Vatican was that the United States was acting out of moral responsibility and that its "only interest" was to bring peace and relieve hunger in Somalia. . "You have warlords who aren't interested in helping their own people, so they're going to fight the efforts of people of good will to bring some sort of economic relief and some sort of humanitarian aid," he added. "We're hoping that we can continue to work and get the support Turn to Page II
Catholic presence v~lried in Operation Rescue events WASHINGTON (CNS) - Operation Rescue abortion protests got a mixed reaction from Catholic leaders in the seven cities targeted for the "Cities of Refuge" campaign July 9-18. In Dallas, Bishop Charles V. Grahmann addressed about 300 participants in a nightly rally that was part of the campaign. In Philadelphia and Minneapolis, Catholic leaders had seemed to discourage Catholic participation ,n comments before the Operation Rescue campaign began. In San Jose, Calif., Bishop It. Pierre DuMaine said the protests should prompt discussion about· abortion itself and not on the demonstrations and counterdemonstrations. "The focus changes from the issue to the ruckus and nobody gains anything from that," he said. Operation Rescue protests also took place in Cleveland, central Florida and Dallas. The campaign included such tactics as blocking clinic entrances, prayer vigils and educational seminars, sidewalk counseling and picketing outside the homes of abortion clinic employees. According to figures supplied by Operation Rescue's national headquarters in Summerville, S.c., more than 10,500 people officially registered to take part in the pretests. Police arrested 593, pro-life
activists and 32 counterdemonstrators. According to Operation Rescue, 39 pregnant women told sidewalk counselors or pregnancy center staff members during the "Cities of Refuge" campaign that they had decided not to have abortions as a result of the protests. Michelle Cramer, an Operation Rescue spokeswoman, told the Catholic Courier, Rochester, N. Y.. diocesan newspaper, that the women will receive support and material assistance from pro-life groups in their respective areas. Ms. Cramer reported, for example, that one homeless woman in Dallas - who was six months pregnant - changed her mind about having an abortion after talking with a sidewalk counselor. In addition to finding the woman housing, pro-life officials are pro. viding help with medical care and counseling, she said. In addition to the seven targeted cities, the protests also spread to nearby communities. In Wilmington, Del., for example, protesters from Philadelphia took part in a rescue at the Brandywine Valley Women's Center July 10. That center's porch collapsed under the weight of pro-life activists, effectively closing the clinic. Approximately] 30 people were Turn to Page II