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VOL. 34, NO. 35
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Friday, September 7,1990
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD &THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Expedite departure for Viets with exit visas, says prelate refugee camps in Thailand and WASHINGTON (CNS) Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Bos- Hong Kong. In the letter to Bush, Cardinal ton, in a statement sent to President Bush, has urged the United Law recommended: - Establishing an education States to speed up its Orderly Departure Program, allowing Viet- campaign to inform Vietnamese namese with immigration visas to refugees of the existence of the orderly departure program, the exit Vietnam more quickly. "All 20,000 holders of current U.S. political prisoner program immigration visas who are ready and its program for Amerasians. - Improving conditions in to move and to whom the government of Vietnam has granted exit refugee camps, including setting permits should be moved out of up a regional holding center to Vietnam as quickly as possible," provide counseling and education. -Improving the refugee screensaid Cardinal Law, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on ing and interviewing process, with Migration, in a letter sent recently applicants told their rights, standto Bush and other administration ards used in deciding claims for refugee status and how to fill out officials. "Such a move, even if it required forms. An appeal process for those a massive airlift or planned boat denied asylum would be created. - Expanding programs for Vietdepartures, would relieve pressure on the Southeast Asian region," . namese refugees who need resettlement. said Cardinal Law. - Backing the International The Orderly Departure Program was established in 1979 as an Catholic Migration Commission's alternative to clandestine escape. Emergency Resettlement slots. - Using "whatever leverage the In 1989 more than 39,000 Vietnamese citizens departed the country possibility of renewed diplomtic safely and legally through the pro- ties and normalization of trade gram. Of these, nearly 29,000 came relationships (with Vietnam) might provide toward evolution of freeto the United States. This summer, the cardinal visited dom in Vietnam."
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Vatican diplomat stresses need for anti-war accords VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Persian Gulf crisis shows the need to strengthen respect for international accords against armed aggression, said a top Vatican diplomat. Countries must abstain from "recourse to threats or to the use of violence, either against territorial integrity or against the political independence of any state," said Msgr. Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican undersecretary of state for relations with states. Msgr. Tauran spoke Aug. 28 in Geneva at a U.N.-sponsored nuclear disarmament conferenct;. His speech was published in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. "War is still a primitive means to resolve conflicts, and force will never create rights," he said. "Recourse to arms does not constitute a sure way of maintaining peace," he added. . "For the Catholic Church, in effect, a defensive war would be only the last resort, once all efforts have been exhausted to peacefully resolve the conflict with the help of allies and international in'stitutions," said Msgr. Tauran. "Today's dramatic and heavy events having the Persian Gulf as their theater recall to us the neces-
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THE TOPPLED STEEPLE and demolished rectory of St. Mary Immaculate Church, Plainfield, Ill., together with totaled autos in foreground, witness to the ferocity of the tornadoes that struck the community Aug. 28. Among 27 people killed were the nun who was principal of the parish school, a lay tea'cher and a parish usher. For a personal recollection of Plainfield, see Father Eugene Hemrick's column on page 6 of this issue of the Anchor. (CNS photo)
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sity, not only of respecting interFie national commitments we have made, but of reinforcing them," he said. The accelerated pace of chemical and nuclear disarmament agreements must be continued so that threats of massive destruction are further reduced, he said. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania Humanity is in a dilemma dur(CNS) - Pope John Paul II, in ing the nuclear age because nuclear Africa for the seventh time, urged weapons can destroy the planet, the international community to yet the threat to use them has make a "supreme effort" in helpresulted in an uneasy peace through ing the millions of AIDS victims the policy of nuclear deterrence, and refugees on the continent. he added. On his way to Tanzania, his first Msgr. Tauran called deterrence stop in Africa, he also called on the a "solution of anguish," valid only international community to con"as a step on the way to disarmatinue efforts to avoid a war in the ment" and only when accompanPersian Gulf and asked Iraqi leadied by the "active search for other ers to join seriously in those efforts. me,ans to achieve peace." Speaking to reporters on his The Vatican favors international plane, he said that "everything cooperation "to eliminate the propossible must be done to avoid liferation of nuclear weapons and war as a solution in the Gulf." to avoid accidents" at nuclear "I think international organizapower plants, he said. tions are seeking to move ahead in Disarmament should be accomthis direction," he said. "It would panied by efforts to develop peacealso be reasonable for the Iraqis to ful uses of nuclear energy and to understand this approach and to rechannel resources to help the collaborate." Third World, he said. Msgr. Tauran asked for "con- i I The pope said the Gulf crisis version of the war ind ustry so that , . was political and ethical because it a good part of its resources are involved "guaranteeing the exisused to aid the most needy." : •tence of a small country confronted
Pope asks world to support peace efforts, AIDS victims by a large country." The rights of smaller nations "must be protected," he said. The pope expressed deep concern about the prospects of more open fighting in the Gulf region, where Iraq's August invasion and occupation of K.uwait was met with a U.S.-led military buildup. "Many things in history have been resolved through war. But on the other hand, war brings with it more violations of human rights and more evil than good," he said. In Tanzania Sept. 1-3, the pope praised the rapidly growing local church for its ministry to the sick and needy and for its overall spiritual vitality. He ordained 43' new priests and told bishops their pastoral future was "rich in promise." The pope also sought to solidify the generally good Catholic-Muslim relations in Tanzania, telling Islamic representatives that the two religions should be "partners" in building a better society.
The mixed Christian and Muslim population gave the pope a warm welcome. Tens of thousands of people stood for hours along papal motorcade routes and cheered when the pontiff rode by in an open Rolls-Royce. . A few hours after he arrived in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, the pope raised the issue of AIDS in stark terms when he spoke to diplomats. "The drama of AIDS threatens not just some nations or societies, but the whole of humanity. It knows no frontiers of geography, race, age or social condition," the pope said. His remarks had special relevance in Africa, home to about two-thirds of the world's AIDS victims. Tanzania has one of the worst rates of AIDS in Africa. The day before the pope arrived, the government announced that some 10,000 children had been left Turn to Page Nine