t eanc 0 VOL. 38, NO. 31
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Friday, August 12, 1994
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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Father Coleman named Vicar General, Moderator of Curia
FATHER GEORGE W. COLEMAN
Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has appointed Father George W. Coleman Vicar General of the diocese and the first Moderator of the Curia, effective Sept. 15, in the first step of implementing a new model for administration in the diocese. Father Coleman, who will oversee a cabinet whose various components are in formation, "brings to this ministry strong administrative skills and a rich pastoral experience which are so important in assisting me in serving the people of God in Fall River," said Bishop O'Malley. Father Coleman has been pastor of Corpus Christi parish, Sandwich, since 1985 and dean of the Cape Cod and Islands Deanery since 1990. Born Feb. 1,1939, he is the son of the late George W. and Beatrice K. (Shea) Coleman. He graduated from Coyle High School in Taunton in 1957 and attended Holy Cross College, Worcester. He prepared for the priesthood at St. John's Seminary in Brighton and at the North American College in Rome, where he also earned a graduate degree in sacred theology from the Gregorian University. He also pursued graduate studies in religion at Brown University. He was ordained at the North American College Dec. 16, 1964, and assigned as associate pastor at St. Kilian's parish, New Bedford; St. Louis, Fall River; and Our Lady of Victory, Centerville. Upon his appointment to direct the Diocesan Department of Education in 1977, it was noted that he is considered by his peers to possess one of thc keenest and most distinguished minds in the diocese, and that during his two terms as president of the Priests' Senate in the early 1970s he demonstrated a dedication and commitment to the concerns of diocesan life, always reflecting deep pedagogical awareness and understanding. He was named pastor of St. Patrick's Church, Fall River, in 1982, serving there until his current pastorate. In addition, his ministries have included membership in the Presbyteral Council, directing the Fall River area Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the 1960s, and serving as vocations coordinator for the Lower Cape area. He has also been involved in adult religious education and the ecumenical hunger relief organization Bread for the World.
Croatia visit on papal agenda for September ZAGREB, Croa.tia(CNS)- Pope John Paul II hopes a visit to Croatia this September will help end the fighting in the former Yugoslavia, said Cardinal Franjo Kuharic of Zagreb. "The pope eclipses all divisions, all conflicts and all bordl:rs by the universality of his mission," the cardinal said in televised talk announcing the papal trip. "He represents Jesus Christ, and Christ offers salvation to every person in every time and every civilization," he added. Cardinal Kuharic said the pope's original intent was to also visit the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and the Serbian capital of Belgrade as "an angel of peace" throughollt the ex-Yugoslavia. The Vatican has said that the continued fighting around Sarajevo makes a trip there highly unlikely in September and that the conditions are not right yet for a visit to Belgrade. Preliminary plans call for the pope to visit Croatia Sept. 11-12 as part of celebrations marking the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Archdiocese of Zagreb. Cardinal Kuharic said that plans are being made for the pope to celebrate
Masses in Zagreb and the national Marian shrine at Bistrica, about 40 miles northwest of Zagreb. A papal meeting with priests and religious is being organized, he said. Although Catholic and Serbian Orthodox church officials talked, no invitation to Belgrade was forthcoming. A diplomat said the Serbian government did not invite the pope because the Serbian church did not invite him. "This is a matter for churches," he said. "If the Serbian church invitee! him, the government would allow him to visit." The Serbian church's refusal to issue an invitation will cause disappointment at the Vatican. Despite the fact that Serbian propaganda demonizes him, the pope has been careful not to identify the Catholic Church solely with the sufferings of the Croats. who are predominantly Catholic. In addition to speaking of the suffering of Bosnian Muslims, the pope has referred to the suffering the sanctions are causing the population of Serbia. The pope has sought to make reconcili- . ation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches a priority. The Bosnian conllict
has dramatically worsened relations, already tense over Orthodox accusations of Catholic proselytism in Eastern Europe. Because of the situation, a visit to traditionally Catholic Croatia would test the pope's ability to handle delicate matters. He would want to distance himself from the more extreme wing of Croatian nationalism, which is strongly tinged with echoes of the World War II Nazi puppet regime in Zagreb. The war 50 years ago saw the same type of bloody ethnic and political conflict between the same groups who now are warring with each other in the Balkans. Hundreds of thousands of Serbian Orthodox were killed by the Croatian Ustasa regime, as today thousands of Muslims and Croatians have died at the hands of extreme nationalist Serbs. By scheduling a trip to Croatia, Pope John Paul II hopes to keep a promise made three years ago when Croatia flared as the hot war spot in the former Yugoslavia. The promise was made on rolling Hungarian farmland 20 miles from the Croatian border.
"I am hopeful to be able to visit you one day in the near future," the pope told the several hundred Croats who crossed the border for the Aug. 17, 1991, morning Mass. Two months earlier, Croatia had declared independence from Yugoslavia. The decision sparked a civil war between Croats and Serbs in Croatia who opposed separation ..The Serbs were supported by neighboring Serbia, the militarily and politically most important republic of what was then Yugoslavia. A papal visit to Croatia, said Cardinal KUharic, provides a focal point for the deepening of Christian faith and life, especially for "the sick, suffering, exiled and wounded." According to government figures, nearly 197,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Croatia between Croats and Serbs. Government figures sayan additional 183,000 refugees in Croatia have fled the fighting in neighboring BosniaHerzegovina. One-third of the nearly 380.000 displaced and refugees are under 18, according to government figures.
_---"In This I s s u e - - _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , Bewure of Phony Compromises Page 8
Wisdom of the Elderly Page 10
Toughest of All Missions Page 12
Altar Girls F~nding Their Niche Page 13