t eanc 0 VOL. 36, NO. 42
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F ALL RIVER, MASS.
Friday, October 23,1992
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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U.8. must pursue global responsibilities WASHINGTON (CNS) - Urging Americans to resist the temptation of isolationism, a committee of U. S. bishops said this election and the coming months present an opportunity for global involvement that comes along only once every two or three generations. "Choices made and policies set in the months and years immediately ahead may well determine whether or not the people of the world can meet the challenges of the 21st century," said the statement from the Committee on International Policy of the U.S. Catholic Conference. "It is urgent that American Catholics, as citizens of a powerful democracy and members of a universal church, reject the' temptation to isolationism or indifference and take up the challenge ofpursuing peace and securingjustice both in our nation and in a new world," the bishops said in the statement
"Lazarus at the Gate: American Responsibilities in a Changing World." New opportunities for cooperation and progress in the wake of the crumbling of the Iron Curtain and resolution oflong-Iasting conflicts in Central America, Asia and Africa are being undermined by old hatreds, debt and underdevelopment, they said.
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"Today more than ever our world needs an ethic of solidarity and a vision ofthe global common good," they continued. "This is a moment that requires boldness and vision on the part of political leaders and of citizens. Our country still has a vital role to play in building a more just and peaceful world community." Among the challenges of a uni-
versa I church and the nation listed are: - The strengthening of peacemaking and peacekeeping institutions. - Social and economic development in the poorest nations. - Support for refugees and migrants fleeing oppression and seeking a new life. - Collaboration on global environmental protection and restoration. - The protection of human rights and the advancement of democracy. - Help for economic and political transformation in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. - Restraint on the arms trade. The statement referred to Pope John XXIII's encyclical "Pacem in Terris," (Peace on Earth), which acknowledged the inability of the Turn to Page II
Historian Msgr. Ellis dies at 87 WASHINGTON (CNS) Msgr.' John Tracy EIlis, one of America's leading church historians, died Oct. 16 in Providence Hospital in Washington at age 87. He had been hospitalized for two weeks after suffering a hip injury. The cause of death was gastrointestinal bleeding from a chronic ulcer. A funeral Mass was scheduled for Oct. 20 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington with Cardinal James A. Hickey of Washington as the main celebrant. In an Oct. 19 statement, Cardinal Hickey said the priest would be greatly missed by many. "I was always impressed by his love for the church he observed so keenly, by his common sense and by his uncommon wisdom." "His knowledge was legendary, his writings were rich, he was unsurpassed as a speaker and he was an inspired teacher to generations of students," said Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. "A deep love for the church he knew so well shone brightly through his priestly life." Born on July 30, 1905, in Seneca, Ill., Msgr. Ellis for 42 years taught church history at The Catholic University of America in Washington. He was there from 1935 until 1964 and from 1977 to 1989, when he retired. From 1964
"Out of an understandable desire and clear need to face neglected problems at home, then, many Americans may be tempted to shut out international problems and to shun global responsibilities," the bishops said. "Yet as pastors in a universal church, we appeal to the American people not to turn away from the cries of a still-suffering world beyond our shores."
Catholic life erased in Banja Luka IIIP~
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PRISONERS OF WAR: Muslims and Croats sit in a prison near the northern BosniaHerzegovina town of Banja Luka, where occupying Serbian forces have effectively wiped out organized Catholic life, according to a local priest. (CNS/ Reuters photo)
Massachusetts bishops'statement on political responsibility The four bishops of Massachusetts have issued the following statement regarding the Nov. 3 general election. The message was issued through the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. On November 3rd, citizens of the United States go to the polls to choose our national and state leaders. Freedom, justice and peace in a democratic society depend on the active participation ofits citizens. Every citizen of voting age has a moral obligation to exercise that franchise in an informed and responsible way. Choosing leaders should involve more than party loyalty or personal preference. Informed voting means knowing the candidates, the positions they espouse and the proposals they offer for buidling the society in which life is affirmed, in which freedom is protected, and in which justice, based on the equal dignity of every human being, is pursued. Citizens must examine the candidates and the issues not
from a selfish personal perspective but from a commitment t() the good of every person, the common good of city, state and nation and the ultimate good of all humankind. Such an outlook says "no" to abortion, to euthanasia, to violence, to injustice and to those policies that are contrary to sound family life. Such an outlook says "yes" to life, from conception to natural death, to educational choices and reform, to accessible health care, especially for the poor, and to a responsible national economy. With the kind of leadership which builds a nation ofsound character, good moral life and just practices, our country will then be able to make its proper contribution to world peace and help build a better world for the generations to come.
A commitment to truth is incumbent on the candidates, on the media and on all who have the task of bringing the issues to the people. On the part of the voting public, it is our duty to vote on November 3rd in an informed way. It is our personal responsibility to make our choices based on an appropriate vision of the person and society.
Bernard Cardina'Law A rchbishop of Boston + Most Reverend Timothy Harrington Bishop of Worcester + Most Reverend John Marshall Bishop of Springfield
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Most Reverend Sean O'Malley Bishop of Fall River
ZAGREB, Croatia (CNS) Organized Catholic life in Banja Luka. about 150 miles northwest ofSarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. has been effectively wiped out by Serbian occupation forces, according to a local priest recently allowed to visit Croatia. The priest, who asked not to be named, confirmed that 40 percent of Catholic churches in and around Banja Luka had been totally destroyed, while virtually all the rest, including the citY's S1. Bonaventure Cathedral. had suffered heavy damage. He said Catholics in Banja Luka, now part of the self-proclaimed "Serbian Republic of Krajina." had faced constant harassment and intimidation. Most Catholic parishes are without priests. while in those where priests still lived, lay people were usually barred from attending church. At least 150 Catholics had been killed in their own homes after the fighting had stopped. the priest added. "Many have been hiding in the forests for months, while their homes and possessions were looted," he said. "Most Catholics outside Banja Luka would prefer to leave everything and go abroad." The priest, who was permitted to cross the border earlier this month on a humanitarian mission, said church authorities in Banja Luka were still completely cut off from the Sarajevo archdiocese. Turn to Page II
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