Ii '
NOVEMBER
16, 2007
, The Anchor news briefs Seven Washington Catholic schools to become charter schools The Archdiocese of Washington has finahzed Its declslOn to reconfigure its current 12-school centercity consortium. Four schools will make up a new smaller consortium. Seven schools will be converted into charter schools and ~ne will be~ome a parish-run school. The Center City Consorttum began l~ 1997 to help schools facing decreasing enrollment, budget defiCIts, deteriorating buildings and the threat of closure. Through the consortium, schools pooled their resources and have been a~sisted.by cons0l1:ium. staff with development, fund raising and purchas1Og. The f10ahzed plans for Washington's urban schools, ~nnoun~ed November 5, was developed in response to several cnses facmg the consortium, including a $7 million shortfall this school year, a projected $56 million deficit over the next five years, a 19 percent decline in enrollment and an increase in the number of the city's tuition-free public charter schools. An archdiocesan statement noted that "a conversion (to charter schools) will allow faculty and students to be 'grandfathered' in and to continue at the school they already attend, although the school would no longer be Catholic." WA~HIN?TON. ~CNS) -
Blogs aim to bring pope to Quebec, but Vatican says it's not in plans OTTAWA (CNS) - A former Quebec justice minister has launched an online petition aimed at bringing Pope Benedict XVI to Quebec for the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in June. Marc Bellemare has set up a Website - www.pape2008.com - so people can sign an electronic version. Several thousand people already had done so in early November. Bellemare told the Journal de Quebec that he believes the pope can be convinced to come if there is widespread support for his visit. More' than a dozen blogs raised awareness of the petition November 7 in coordinated "blogburst," featuring links to the petition Website and pictures of the pope. However, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi director of the Vatican press office, told Catholic News Service November 7: "As I have already said several times, the plans for (papal travel) next year are to the United States for a visit to the United Nations in April; ~,o Sydney: Australia, for World Youth Day in July; and to ~ourdes, .~rance, 10 the fall for the 150th anniversary of the MarIan appanttons there. "I have not seen any plans for a visit to Quebec," he said. Britain's military bishop criticizes housing conditions for personnel LONDON (CNS) - A military bishop criticized the British government over "appalling" conditions ofhousing used by the armed forces and their families. Bishop Tom Burns of the Forces, Britain's military diocese, demanded an immediate injection of cash to raise the quality of dilapidated military accommodations. The English bishop also called on the Ministry of Defense to provide instant access to postoperative care for soldiers sent home wounded from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The condition of many service quarters has been described as 'appalling' - here and now," the bishop said in a past~~al letter to be sent to all Catholic military personnel and their famIlIes for th~ November 11 celebration of ReD].embrance Sunday, ~~ day o~ which Britain honors its war dead. "Only a lump sum lDJected WIthout delay will bring positive effects to the quality of life and support that a family gives to one of its own in the Forces now, at a time of conflict, rather than waiting until later" Bishop Bums said. ' . New French cardinal elected head of bishops' conference PARIS (CNS) - Cardinal-designate Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris was elected president of the French bishops' conference, less than three weeks befo~e being made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. "After a gene~ation that was not interested in religion, we now have a generatIon ignorant about it - a largely areligious society wh~re many no longer have any Christian memory," the cardinaldeSIgnate told France's Catholic Jour de Seigneur TV channel No~em~er. 5 after his election at the bishops' meeting in Lourdes. Chnshans must take their full place in society and involve thems~lves in the organizations of social life," he said. "The persuaSIve force of our voice depends on the strength Christians muster in society." The cardinal-designate replaced Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bo~deaux as conference president. The bishops also el.ected ArchbIshops Laurent Ulrich of Chambery and Hippolyte SImon of Clermont as vice presidents at the November 3-8 assembly, which was preceded by a congress on catechesis at the Marian shrine in Lourdes.
$
The Anchor
$
USCCB's top la~yer brings love for religious lib~rty to new post age to the Church."'· ''The Church has lot to be proud ofin that respect," Picarello said. But the media coverage "leaves people with the impression that the Church is not adequately addressing these issues.... It's as if the scandal is intensifying, and it's riot at all." ' No matter what issue his office
and a private middle and high school and said he has "never been to a Catholic school in my life." But , WASHINGTON - Anthony R. he found "outstanding resources for Picarello Jr. is passionate about reconnecting with the faith" through ligious freedom. campus ministry in college. Whether it involves a pastor facHe earned a bachelor's degree ing interference from local zoning magna cum laude in social anthroofficials over where he can build a pology and comparative religions church or a religious organiat Harvard University, where zation seeking to preserve its he was president of the identity by hiring employees No matter what issue his office Harvard-Radcliffe Catholic of the same faith, the issue of might be dealing with, Picarello said Student Association, and a religious liberty has long fasmaster's in religious studies cinated the new general his role as general counsel is to help from the University of Chipreserve "the freedom of the bishcounsel for the U.S. Conferops to carry out the mission of the cago before graduating from ence of Catholic Bishops. the University of Virginia i Zoning ordinances and hir- Church. II • ldl "!S':--" Law School in 1995. ing practices might not seem Picarello said his wife, likely battlefields over First might be dealing with, Picarello Martha, is "thankfully not an attorAmendment rights, but Picarello said his role as general counsel is ney." She works for the Literacy said that when government officials to help preserve "the freedom ofthe Council. of Northern Virginia, try to tell religious leaders what can bishops to carry out the mission of which provides adult literacy eduor cannot be a worship site and who cation, especially for immigrants. the Church." they can hire it "attacks the Church After law school Picarello spent "I always say, ''The bishop's got where it lives." to bish,'" he said. "That's their job. the next five years clerking for a "It attacks core religious beliefs The last thing I waht to do is to be judge and working for a Washingto say you can't assemble for wormaking any part ofa bishop's deci- ton law firm. He felt a call to do ship," he said in a recent interview sion.... We're here t6 support them." "something else" but said, "I didn't with Catholic News Service in his Picarello came to his post by know what the something else was." office on the fifth floor of the what he called "a long and convo"I was m.oving by faith rather USCCB headquarters. "And in orluted path" that began in Brooklyn, than sight," he added. The path led . der to stay religious for more than N.Y. A lifelong Catholic, he at- to the Becket Fund and eventually one generation, religious organizatended a public eleplentary school tQ the USCCB. tions have to be able to hire people based on religion." Picarello, who turns 38 November 29, came to theUSCCB in midSeptember, succeeding Mark Chopko, who had been USCCB general counsel since 1988. For the past seven years, Picarelio worked at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; a secular organization that describes itself as "a public-interest law firm protecting the free expression of all religious traditions." Many of the issues Picarello will confront as USCCB general counsel are the same ones he saw as vice president and general counsel for the Becket Fund. But others are new, such as the laws that some states have enacted or are considering that extend their statutes of limitations for legal cases involving the sexual abuse of minors. "The Church nationwide should be concerned" about those efforts, which "are fundamentally unjust and threaten to bankrupt the church," Picarello said. In California alone, financial settlements to victims of clergy sex abuse have exceeded $1.8 billion since 2005, after the state lifted for one year the statute of limitations "Set Your Heart on civil suits for sexual abuse cases against private entities. That figure On Tllings Above" is more than the $1.7 billion in es... Col. ,':1 timated Church costs related to clergy sex abuse between 1950 and 70 Holcott Drive the early 2000s. Attleboro, MA Picarello said he is concerned about the possibility that other www.bislIOEfeelzml.C01ll states could pass "a series of unjust laws that could do very great damENTRANCE EXAM: Saturday, December 1 (7:45 a.I1l.-11 :30 a.Ill. By NANCY FRAZIER O'BRIEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
a
I,
I,
O
j
OPEN HOUSE
2007
Sunday • November 18 • 1:00 p.m. SHARP BFHS Auditorium
For more information call
508.226.1731