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FALL RIVER DIOCE~,N NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST M~SSACHUSE"S
CMI'~QD&.TH'H~NDS VOL. 39, NO. 29
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Friday, July 28, 1995
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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511 Per Year
Pope says military action in Bosnia could be justified
TWO MEN pray with a third at a Promise 'Keepers crusade that drew 65,000 men to the Seattle Kingdome. (eNS/ Fetchko photo)
Promise Keepers draw C.atholic men MINNEAPOLIS (CNS) - A Christian, evangelical-style crusade that invites men to cheer for Jesus Christ in stadiums where they usually cheer for sports teams is attracting Catholic attention and participation. In the Minneapolis and Seattle areas, where Promise Keepers held conferences this month, Catholic have become active in the effort to promote spiritual n:vival in America. Steve Jenkins is a Catholic O1ember of the Community of Christ the Redeemer in West St. Paul, Minn., and the Promise Keepers' field representative for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. He recalls that as he watched the seventh game of the 1991 World Series at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, he was thinking, "Wouldn't this be great to fill with people praising God." Some 65,000 m(:n did just that July 14-15 for a Promise Keepers "Raise the Standard" conference, one of 13 scheduled at stadiums around the country from April to October this year. Even with a $55 registration fee, the Minneapolis event sold out almost immediately.
LES COMBES, Italy (CNS)As a "last resort" to defend innocent civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, international military action could be justified, PopeJohn Paul II said. "This remains the last resort. There has always existed the principle of a just war, which is defensive. Even this type of war is ugly, but it [war] is that way," the pope told journalists as he ended a mountain vacation. The reporters asked his reaction to a July 21 decision by 16 European and North American countries to authorize NATO forces to bomb Bosnian Serb positions if attacks continue on U. N.-declared safe zones harboring thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats. "If one attacks and wants to trample the right to life and the right to exist, then there is the right to defense," said the pontiff. Pope John Paul said the Vatican was not advising the international community on how to proceed in Bosnia, but outlining the moral principles that should guide
specific political and military decisions. "Above all, we are concerned about those who are suffering, no matter which side they are on. And every day we see how much they suffer, including through the images on television," he said. For the past three years, Pope John Paul has pleaded for an immediate end to the fighting and for the sides involved in the Balkans conflict to treat peace negotiations seriously. He has also repeatedly asked the international community to devote all possible energy to mediating an end to the fighting. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters July 22 the pope believes even a defensive war involves moral problems, which is why it truly must be the last resort for resolving conflict. "The priority now is humanitarian, to respond to the incredible sufferings of these thousands of people which have reached a level not seen in Europe since the Second World War," Navarro-Valls said.
The interdenominational men's ministry was started in 1990 by Bill McCartney, former football coach at the University of Colorado, and Dave Wardell. The first conference in 1991 drew 4,200 men. This year's series is expected to draw 500,000. The response "demonstrates the level of hunger of men to have a relationship with God," said Jenkins. He added, though, that most men think the conference is the main experience. "But that's just two days," he said." Actually, we're interested in the other 363 days. The conference is the ignition point. "It gives them ~ stronger desire to honor their wife and children, to really become male servant leaders," he said. All of that is supposed to come from seven promises: to honor Jesus Christ and model their lives on his; build support networks with other men; practice spiritual and moral purity; strengthen family ties; support their local church,es; bridge racial and denominational barriers for the sake of unity; and actively influence society. Turn to Page II
EXHAUSTED AFTER FIGHTING his way from Srebrenica to Tuzla in BosniaHerzegovina, a 14-year-old boy soldier rests near a Tuzla refugee camp. (eNS / Reuters photo)
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B:abe Ruth
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"The pope's priority is not political, strategic or military, but humanitarian," he said. He added that the Vatican had not been asked to mediate, although the papal nuncio in Bosnia met July 22 with Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic. Pope John Paul called on Catholics throughout the world to work for an end to the war through the use of prayer, "the great means we have at our disposal to obtain that which seems humanly difficult." The pope called for the prayers July 23 during his midday Angelus address at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence south of Rome. "How can we not once again turn our worried attention to the martyred people of Bosnia?" he asked pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of his summer villa. "How can we not listen to their heartrending cry for help?" "With courage and generosity may everyone contribute to restoring the minimum conditions for peaceful coexistence in the Balkans," he prayed.