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New Stress on Catholic Social Teaching, and . . .
. . . Hostages slain in the Philippines; a change at the
helm in New York
Canonization
for Sister Faustina An estimated 200,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square loosed a thunderous burst of applause on April 30 when Pope John Paul II formally pronounced the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska, the founder of the Divine Mercy devotion. In Krakow, where the Polish nun died in 1938, another 300,000 people were on hand for Divine Mercy Sunday at the Marian sanctuary in Lagiewniki, where the canonization ceremony was broadcast live from Rome. In Rome, an enthusiastic congregation—obviously including many pilgrims from Poland, some of them flourishing Polish flags—was also enthusiastic in welcoming the Pontiff’s announcement that henceforward, the first Sunday after Easter would be known throughout the Church as Divine Mercy Sunday. After the conclusion of the formal ceremonies, thousands of people remained in St. Peter’s Square, under a bright sunny sky, to hear Polish choirs sing. Among the participants in the ceremonies were the president of the Polish government’s Council of Ministers, Jerzy Buzek; and the president of Solidarity, Marian Krzaklewski. In his remarks to the Polish pilgrims, the Pope noted, “This is a very special day for our country.” Pope John Paul himself was clearly delighted with the first formal canonization of the 21st century. “It is truly a great joy for me today to propose the life and witness of Sister Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church,” he said. The Pope is well acquainted with the message of Sister Faustina; as an underground seminarian in the Krakow archdiocese, he frequently visited the Lagiewniki shrine where St. Faustina was living at that time. The Holy Father said that it was no coincidence that the Lord’s message of Divine Mercy was brought to Poland between the two great wars of the 20th century. The suffering of that country, he said, helped to make the Catholic population “understand how much the message of mercy is necessary.” Now, the Pope continued, this message “is a message for the new millennium.” Although we cannot know what the future will bring, he said, “it is certain that the light of Divine Mercy, which the Lord chose to make manifest in the world for the first time through the charism of Sister Faustina, will light the path for mankind in the third millennium.” Jubilee for workers On May 1—the feast of St. Joseph the Worker—the Vatican observed the Jubilee for workers, with representatives from at least 45 different countries on hand. The observance took place at Tor Vergata, to the south of Rome, where the World Youth Day celebration will be held in August. That site is considered a more favorable location for major Jubilee gatherings, because it affords more room than St. Peter’s Square. Pope John Paul II arrived in the morning by helicopter from the Vatican, along with the new Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato, Rome’s Mayor Francesco Rutelli, and the president of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio. In his homily, the Pope emphasized that this celebration should include all facets of the world of human work, embracing entrepreneurs and financiers as well as laborers and craftsmen. He said that the Jubilee affords a new occasion for “the rediscovery of the understanding of the intrinsic value of work.” The Pope also said that the occasion furnishes an opportunity for reflection on “the economic and social imbalances that exist in the world of work,” and to remedy certain injustices against human dignity. He said that the working world should be characterized by a recognition of human dignity, solidarity among workers and with those who are unemployed, and efforts to reduce the debt of impoverished countries. “All this can be accomplished,” the Pope argued, “and since it is possible to do it, it becomes our duty.” After celebrating Mass under a sunny sky, the Pope remained to hear speakers and musicians. He left in the afternoon, prior to a rock concert that had been organized to provide support for reduction of international debt. Frustration on debt As the Vatican prepared to celebrate the Jubilee for workers, some Vatican officials complained that the world’s leading powers had not adequately responded to calls for the alleviation of Third World debt. Msgr. Giampaolo Crepaldi, the under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, repeated the Pope’s call for a reduction in the debt burden of the world’s most impoverished countries, pointing out that such a move would honor the spirit of the Jubilee, and would also enable those countries to engage in real economic growth. And Bishop Diarmuid Martin commented that the world’s wealthiest countries are moving “too slowly” in the drive to reduce Third World debt. The bishop said that the Jubilee year poses an ideal occasion for action on the issue of international debt, and he added that it would be a shame to let that opportunity pass. Yet Bishop Martin pointed out that only five countries—Bolivia, Uganda, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Tanzania—have seen tangible results from the reduction of their debt burden. He said that the goal should be to wipe out the debt of 19 impoverished countries before the end of the year. Bishop Martin also pointed out that the implementation of existing debt-reduction efforts has been painfully slow. The leaders of the influential “G7” countries—the world’s leading financial powers— have agreed to put $100 million into a debt-reduction campaign. But only $11 million of that funding has actually been made available. Political opposition has stalled debt-reduction efforts in Europe and the United States, he reported. The Vatican official also mentioned that international leaders should make special efforts to ensure that the funds freed up by debt relief are allocated to the people of the poor countries, rather than being diverted for the personal use of the political elite. He mentioned the situation in Uganda, where debt-relief efforts were suspended after the country’s president used international aid to buy an airplane for his private use. Bishop Martin insisted that the countries receiving debt relief should avoid using their newly available funds for military hardware or “prestige” projects. Instead, he said, they should adopt “clear and transparent” policies in their efforts to fight poverty. In an interview with the Fides news service Bishop Martin used even stronger language, saying that the effective action on debt relief and other issues is being stalled by the “cumbersome mechanisms, complicated bureaucracy, and political bartering” that can often be seen in international negotiations. “Soulless bureaucrats must be replaced by leaders with vision and courage” if we are to solve delicate world problems such as the question of the debts of poor countries and the involvement of these developing countries in the new world economy,” he said. New text of social teachings On April 27 the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace released a 225-page volume, containing a collection of key texts of Catholic social teaching. The book, which is published in English, is entitled The Social Agenda: A Collection of Magisterial Texts. It contains portions of 75 different texts relating to the Church’s social teaching, including the writings of the Church fathers and the social encyclicals of 20th-century popes. Archbishop Francis Xavier Van Thuan, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told reporters that the text is not meant as a replacement for a forthcoming “social catechism.” On the contrary, he said, this book should be seen as an “appetizer,” stimulating interest in the topic and preparing for the larger work on Catholic social teaching, which will be available before the end of the Jubilee year. The Social Agenda is divided into 10 chapters, which cover the range of topics from human dignity and family life to subsidiarity, private property, and Church-state relations. The texts come from writers ranging from Sts. Clement and Augustine to Pope John Paul II. The book also has an extensive index. Papal concerns for global economy As he received union leaders and corporate executives in an audience on May 2, Pope John Paul II said that he is “ambivalent” about the globalization of the economy. The Pope met with 200 labor and management leaders on the day after the Vatican’s Jubilee for workers. Most of the participants in the audience were Italians who had remained in Rome after that celebration. The globalization of the financial world, the Holy Father said, “is a new phenomenon,” which should be studied carefully. “Globalization could be a benefit for mankind,” he said, “but it could also turn out to be a form of prejudice, with consequences that should not be overlooked.” An unhealthy form of globalization, he explained, would establish a bias against the poor, and in favor of commercialization and consumption at the cost of human solidarity. Which route will globalization actually take? The Pontiff said that the answer to that question would “all depend on the consequences of certain basic choices.” Specifically, he said, the question would hinge on whether “globalization is put in the service of mankind—of all men—or whether it is concerned exclusively with the pursuit of profit.” The globalization of the marketplace, the Pope continued, could help to create “a global culture of solidarity, attentive to the needs of the neediest.” But that can happen, he said, only if the “new culture” of the world economy pays careful attention to the principle of subsidiarity, and avoids the temptation toward monolithic and monopolistic forms of financial control. Steady progress on cause of Pius XII The cause for the beatification of Pope Pius XII is moving ahead “rapidly,” according to the Jesuit priest charged with the promotion of that investigation. Father Pierre Gumpel, the relator of the cause for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, told participants at a conference in Rome that Pope Pius XII had been the victim of “a real campaign of denigration.” But he added that the facts supporting the beatification of the late pontiff were being systematically collected and organized. Father Gumpel made his remarks to a conference organized by the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, on the European victims of the Nazi regime. The conference was brought together in anticipation of the May 7 ceremony at which Pope John Paul II honored the Christian martyrs of the 20th century. The German Jesuit said that the charges frequently leveled against Pope Pius XII—the accusations that he was slow to respond to the Holocaust—reflect the “crass and culpable ignorance” of the accusers. He added that the accusations were the product of “an organized campaign, very systematically orchestrated, for the sole purpose of discrediting the Catholic Church.” Because these accusations have no basis in fact, Father Gumpel continued, they should not affect the progress toward the beatification of Pius XII. “We work with historians, and with scientific facts,” he said; “We do not allow ourselves to be influenced by baseless criticism.” The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has already completed the preparation of two volumes of testimony regarding Pope Pius XII, Father Gumpel reported. Two more volumes, completing the process, will soon be available. Questioned on whether the beatification of Pope Pius XII might be delayed until a time when public opinion might be more favorable, Father Gumpel predicted that such considerations would not influence the Vatican’s decisions. He acknowledged that the beatification of Pope Pius IX—which will take place on September 3—had been delayed for years because of controversy over that pontiff’s role in Italian history. But Father Gumpel argued that the case of Pius IX involved real differences of opinion among legitimate historians, whereas the accusations against Pius XII, he repeated, have no basis in fact. New Swiss Guards A new group of 35 men was sworn into the Swiss Guard at ceremonies held at the Vatican on May 6. The annual ceremony followed a Mass at which the Swiss Cardinal Henri Shwery presided. In the courtyard of St. Damasus, the new recruits took their oath of service and fidelity to the Pope, in the presence of Vatican officials, Swiss and Italian military leaders, and an assortment of diplomatic representatives. The annual swearing-in ceremony also marks the anniversary of the date in 1527 when 147 members of the Swiss Guard died in defense of Pope Clement VII during the sack of Rome. Prior to the ceremony, Pope John Paul II conveyed his thanks to the families of the new recruits, acknowledging the sacrifice of the young men who left their homes and families “to serve near the tomb of Peter.” He added: “I am sure that this experience in the heart of the universal Church will leave deep impressions on their hearts.” New head for Ecclesia Dei Pope John Paul II has named Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, to head the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. The Ecclesia Dei commission was established under the terms of the Pope’s motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, issued in July 1988, which called for a “broad and generous” provision of permission for priests to celebrate Mass according to the Tridentine-rite liturgy. For the hundreds of thousands of Catholics who prefer the traditional liturgy—most of them living in France, Germany, the United States, and Australia—the commission has supervised the use of the “indult” which allows the celebration of the traditional Mass. The commission has frequently been caught up in disputes between traditionalist Catholics and diocesan bishops who are reluctant to allow the indult Mass. With the April 13 appointment, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos replaces Cardinal Angelo Felici, who has presided over the Ecclesia Dei commission since 1995. Cardinal Felici, who is 81, is retiring. Armenian Catholic Jubilee The former Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia, Jean-Pierre XVIII Kasparian, led the Jubilee celebration of the Armenian Catholic Church at the Vatican on April 24. The date chosen for that celebration coincided with the day on which Armenians all around the world commemorate the genocidal massacres of 1915 and thereafter, which wiped out a substantial portion of their people. (Over one million Armenians were killed in concentration camps or died of hunger and disease between 1915 and 1918, as the “Young Turks” of the Ottoman Empire forcibly moved the entire Armenian population from their original homeland on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to a new land on the other side of modern-day Turkey, just south of Georgia and east of Azerbaijan.) About 300 members of Rome’s small Armenian Catholic community participated in the Easter Monday ceremonies at the Vatican, with a procession through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and a celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian rite, in the smaller church of St. Anne. The Armenian Catholic Church traces her origins back to the Crusades, when the Christian armies made their way through Armenia on their way to the Holy Land. There are about 345,000 Armenian Catholics in the world today; the Armenian Apostolic Church, which broke from Rome at the time of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, is much larger, with about six million faithful. The Armenian Catholic Church is headed by a patriarch, whose base is now in Beirut. Patriarch Jean-Pierre XVIII Kasparian held that post from 1982 until his retirement last year. In October 1999 the Armenian Synod elected his successor, Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX.
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ITALY No rock at Mass
Choir directors and music ministers now have a list of 360 songs from which to choose, with a heavy emphasis on traditional music. The list is a result of a four-year process by the bishops’ conference to reclaim the Church’s musical heritage. “The congregation is upset. Whenever innovations are made, someone always stops me and asks me why rock songs will not be selected,” said Ezo Cervasi, the choir director for the San Eustorgio Church in Milan. However, supporters of the bishops’ move said that the list will allow the Church to recover “many traditions such as Gregorian chant, which were eliminated from churches in the 1960s and 1970s and replaced by guitar music.” The noted Italian journalist Vittorio Messori said: “Singing banal songs like ‘How Pretty It Is to Love Oneself,’ hymns to pacifism, to save the earth, or whatever else is politically correct, are afflicting a majority of Christians, and they simply cannot compare with the intensity of feeling inspired by a rendition of the Lourdes Ave Maria.”
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FRANCE Breaking the silence In a departure from the usual pattern of silence among Church leaders about the physical condition of Pope John Paul II, the leading prelate in France has said that the Pontiff is suffering from a progressive paralysis. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris told Le Journal Du Dimanche: “We know that his illness is causing progressive paralysis of the body, but his mind remains intact. This man, who was an athlete, is becoming more and more a prisoner in his body.” The archbishop said the Pope “retains a spiritual strength, an intellectual capacity and a memory which are extraordinary” for a man 80 years old. Condom machine removed . . . A Catholic high school outside Paris promised to remove a condom dispenser from the school after complaints by parents resulted in a strong condemnation from the Vatican. The school administrators installed the dispenser last September after consulting with students who felt the move would respect their ability to take responsibility for themselves. But Vatican education officials said in a letter to school officials that the installation of the machine “took all sense out of a Catholic education, took responsibility away from students and teachers alike, and legitimized behavior which is not acceptable.” A spokesman for the French Catholic Education Board supported the Vatican’s stance. He said this is the first instance of the installation of such a dispenser in French Catholic schools. “There is no obligation in France to remove the dispenser, but schools must conform to the Church’s view on this subject,” he said—leaving open the question of why the machine was installed in the first place.
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BELGIUM European Church disappearing? Belgium’s Cardinal Godfried Danneels has warned that the Catholic Church in Europe is facing extinction. In an interview published in England by the Catholic Times, the cardinal said that the vocations crisis in the West could mean that Catholics would become more like Protestants in their religious habits, as they are forced to rely more on the Bible and less on the seven sacraments. “Without priests the sacramental nature of the Church will disappear,” he predicted. “We’ll become a Protestant Church without sacraments. We’ll be another type of Church, not Catholic.” The cardinal, who was in England to deliver a lecture at St. Philip’s University Church, Salford, said that in his own country the shortage of priests was particularly acute. “We’ve got lay people who are working with us,” he said. “We see that without priests who are permanently there, it’s difficult for lay people to play a full role—they need to work and have families. We’ve reached a very low level. It’s the same level as in Holland, France, Switzerland, and even Germany.”
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NETHERLANDS Euthanasia toll rising A report released in May, from the regional commissions which oversee the practice of physician-assisted suicide, revealed that Dutch doctors deliberately killed 2,216 patients last year under the guise of “mercy killing” and assisted suicide. Under present law Dutch doctors may kill their patients, but must inform regional review committees. The committees then check that the doctors acted in accordance with the legal guidelines. Although the practice is technically illegal, the government has routinely tolerated the practice for years. A bill now pending before the Dutch parliament would formally legalize the practice. More than 90 percent of those dying through euthanasia and assisted suicide suffered from cancer, the committees’ annual report said. The Dutch Voluntary Euthanasia Society also released its more comprehensive figures for 1995—the last year for which complete statistics are available, based on a thorough review rather than the doctors’ voluntary reports. Those figures showed 3,600 deaths during the year as the result of assisted suicide or “mercy killing.” The Society said that its figures are much higher than the government’s count because as many as 50 percent of the deaths are not reported to the coroner as assisted suicides, but instead treated as routine deaths. Critics of assisted suicide have pointed out that because doctors’ actions are not carefully supervised, patients who are terminally ill may be put to death without their consent.
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ENGLAND Exorcisms on the rise The number of exorcisms worldwide is rising as a direct result of New Age philosophies and religious ignorance, an English exorcist has claimed. Father Jeremy Davies, an exorcist in the Westminster archdiocese, said the increase was due to the spread of false religions and “irreligion.” “The incidence of the demonic in the world is rising,” Father Davies told the Catholic Herald. “At the center of this is man’s ever-growing pride and attempted self-reliance, man trying to build a better world without God—another Tower of Babel.” Father Davies also blamed ignorance of the Bible, lack of faith, spiritual blindness, and gullibility about false prophets. “There have been more exorcisms, undoubtedly,” he said. “There are more and more people in need and the Church is dealing with the problem more effectively.” A tradition in jeopardy The annual pilgrimage to Tyburn in central London, where more than 100 martyrs were hanged, drawn, and quartered in the 16th and 17th centuries, may itself be axed because of complaints that it disrupts shopping in Oxford Street. For the last century, hundreds of pilgrims have followed the two-mile route from the Old Bailey to Marble Arch along which the martyrs were dragged on hurdles or taken by cart to a gruesome death at the gallows. But this year’s walk could be the last. Organizers are under pressure from police to reroute the procession away from Oxford Street, which has become increasingly busy on weekends. And they in turn feel that if they can no longer walk in the footsteps of the martyrs, the event loses much of its significance. Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood, who is one of the leaders of this year’s Great Jubilee walk, said the observance has become a “casualty of our age.” “It is very regrettable,” the bishop told the Daily Telegraph. “It is a sign of the growing secularism and commercialism of our age, exemplified by such things as Sunday opening. Life today is full of so many things, but it is good to have time to pause and remember. We all respect the tremendous integrity of the martyrs and, of course, many Protestants as well as Catholics died during those times. In many parts of the world, there is more martyrdom now than ever before.” Mother John Baptist, a 77-year-old nun at Tyburn convent near the site of the executions, at Marble Arch, said the news had come as “a great blow” to her cloistered community. “In the past people used to stream to Tyburn to see the executions,” she said. “Now people stream here from all over the world to visit the shrine of the martyrs. People are being attacked in different ways today. You don’t have to risk your life, but you can be jeered at for honoring the martyrs.” Focus on celibacy When the newly installed Archbishop of Westminster said that the tradition of clerical celibacy could be changed, the secular media in both Britain and the United States quickly fastened on his remarks. Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who succeeded the late Cardinal Basil Hume as the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, pointed out to the Guardian newspaper that celibacy for priests is a matter of Church discipline rather than a theological requirement. Pointing out that the Church has already accepted married clergy who have left the Church of England, Archbishop Murphy-O’Connor said: “Disciplines can change. When a priest accepts celibacy when he is ordained that rule should be kept. But is it [marriage] incompatible with priesthood? The answer is obviously no. I would not rule it out.” The new archbishop also offered his opinions regarding controversies in the secular world. Asked about the public debate in England over the repeal of a law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality in schools, the archbishop declined to tackle the topic of homosexuality directly. Instead he suggested that Catholics should concentrate on encouraging their children to be chaste. “People should try to understand what the Church is saying,” he said. “Society can’t divorce sex from marriage and children. I am not going to make a judgment about a couple, that is not my job and . . . I would encourage tolerance, but if people are in a relationship outside marriage—heterosexual or homosexual—that is not right.” Archbishop Murphy-O’Connor also said he did not believe that traditional Christian teachings are irrelevant to people today. “I don’t think these are particularly bad times for the Church in this country,” he said. “People are going to be Christians these days because they really believe, not because their parents were,” he said. He went on to say that the Church and her clergy must adapt to changing cultural conditions and look at them as opportunities. “The Church must always reform, and there is always room for development, but there is a heritage handed down which the Church must always be sensitive to.”
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SCOTLAND Priest faces discipline A renegade Scottish priest, who has frequently spoken out against Church leaders, was finally called in for a disciplinary meeting with his bishop after launching a stinging public attack on Cardinal Thomas Winning of Glasgow and Pope John Paul II. In a newspaper interview published in April, Father John Fitzsimmons accused the Holy Father of “tearing the Church apart” and attacked the Church’s teachings on the male priesthood, contraception, and priestly celibacy. Just a week earlier, Father Fitzsimmons had criticized Cardinal Winning in a television documentary, saying he lacked the support of Scottish Catholics and that he was under the influence of Opus Dei. Local newspapers reported that the papal nuncio to Britain, Archbishop Pablo Puente, in a meeting with British bishops, demanded that Father Fitzsimmons be asked to explain his behavior and issue a public apology. The priest was subsequently called in to a private meeting with Bishop John Mone of Paisley. When asked before his disciplinary meeting if he would apologize, or risk suspension, Father Fitzsimmons said: “As to the first, I will not. As to the second, it’s up to them. I am not prepared to renounce the substance of what I said, certainly not.” Critics of the priest expressed disappointment that it was his verbal attacks on the Pope and Cardinal Winning that prompted the disciplinary meeting, not his public rejection of the Church’s teachings. Bishop Mone and Father Fitzsimmons both said they had no comment on the content or outcome of their meeting.
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IRELAND Orange Order not welcome Ireland’s major Protestant church, the Church of Ireland, announced in April that the pro-British Orange Order would not be allowed to use a church following a parade in May. (The Orange Order eventually cancelled the planned parade, citing heavy opposition among both religious and government leaders.) The church’s Dublin diocese said it was refusing permission to use a church in the city because that use would have reinforced public perceptions that the Church of Ireland and the Orange Order are officially linked. The Orange Order is named after King William of Orange, a Protestant, who defeated King James II, a Catholic, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The order had asked to use the church following a march through Dublin on May 28, but critics have said the city’s approval of the parade is inappropriate because the group is anti-Catholic. The Orange Order has not held a parade in Dublin since 1930, although the group holds annual parades in Northern Ireland. Archdeacon Gordon Linney of the church’s Dublin diocese said the Church of Ireland has been closely linked to the Order because of an annual parade, banned by the British government, held through the mainly Catholic Northern Ireland town of Portadown following a prayer service in a Church of Ireland church in Drumcree; that annual event has resulted in tensions and violence. “There has been an association, going back several centuries, through people’s dual membership of the Orange Order and the Church of Ireland, but there are no formal links of any kind,” Linney emphasized. “At Drumcree there have been ugly scenes with the church in the background which have created the impression of a close relationship. Apply that to [the Dublin march] and you can see why a special service would not be appropriate.”
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POLAND Protecting a religious heritage Pope John Paul II has encouraged his fellow Poles to keep alive the country’s Christian heritage, and to make sure that young people are acquainted with the saints who have played important roles in Polish history. The Pope made his remarks on May 3, when Polish Catholics celebrate the feast of the Virgin, Queen of Poland. Pope John Paul recalled that the Polish constitution of 1791 was adopted on that national feast day, after King Jan Casimir placed the entire country “under the protection of the Mother of God” in 1656. The Polish people must never forget “these events, so deeply rooted in the history of the nation,” the Pontiff argued. “They are so strongly impressed on the conscience of the Polish people that their memory shines through all the most difficult times the country has undergone: the more than 100 years of partition, the times of great wars and persecutions, and domination for so many years by a Communist system.” The Pope particularly cited the importance of several saints whose influence shaped Polish history. First he mentioned St. Albert, the bishop of Prague, and St. Stanislas, the bishop of Krakow. Both bishops were martyred, in the 10th and 11th centuries respectively, for opposing the immoral dictates of the reigning monarchs. “The witness of their martyrdom, a thousand years ago in our land, has endured down the centuries, from one generation to another, bearing abundant fruits,” the Pope said. From more recent times, the Pope mentioned St. Faustina, whose canonization he had formally pronounced just a few days earlier. “This simple nun recalled to the world that God is love, and rich in mercy—that his love is stronger than death, stronger than sin and every other evil,” the Pontiff said. Celebrating union with Rome |
ROMANIA Celebrating union with Rome Pope John Paul II participated on May 9 at the celebration of the divine liturgy according to the Byzantine rite, as 2,500 pilgrims from Romania gathered in Rome for the occasion. The celebration marked the 300th anniversary of the ecclesial agreement that established the Romanian Catholic Church. In 1700, the Orthodox bishop of Transylvania signed an accord with the Holy See which established full communion between Rome and the faithful within his jurisdiction. The union recognized the right of the Romanian Catholic Church to retain her own Byzantine liturgical traditions. The Romanian pilgrims included faithful of both the Latin and Romanian rites. But the celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica followed the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The celebrants included bishops of both rites. But Pope John Paul —who was not among the celebrants—preached the homily. The Holy Father saluted the Romanian Church for the courage displayed by so many people who suffered for the faith, particularly during the years under Communism when the Romanian Catholic Church was outlawed and the faithful were driven underground. “Keep alive in your hearts the memory of the martyrs, and transmit that memory to future generations, so that it can continue to inspire generous and true Christian witness,” the Pope urged the Romanian worshippers. The Romanian Catholic hierarchy in turn proclaimed unswerving allegiance to the Holy See. “Today in your presence, we renew—with the same excitement and the same spirit of faith—the union brought about by our ancestors, and conserved through all the vicissitudes of history,” the Romanian bishops’ statement proclaimed. The statement was read by Archbishop Lucian Muresan of Fagaras-Albia Julia, the president of the Romanian bishops’ conference and metropolitan of the Romanian Catholic Church. Pope John Paul also sent a special message of greeting to the Romanian Cardinal Alexandru Todea, who was unable to attend the ceremony because of his age (87) and illness. Cardinal Todea, who was secretly ordained as a bishop for the underground Church in 1950, was arrested the following year and spent 16 years in prison. In one of the most emotional moments of his May 1999 visit to Bucharest, the Pontiff embraced Cardinal Todea, as the Romanian prelate sat beside him in his wheelchair.
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BELARUS Persona non grata One hour before an April deadline imposed by the nation’s government, which insisted that he must leave Belarus, Father Zbigniew Korolyak said that the leading figure in the Catholic Church in that country, Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek, had ordered him to defy the government order and remain in his parish in the western Belarusian town of Brest. “Cardinal Swiatek told me that I remain, as before, priest of the parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. So I must stay in the parish,” he said. The Belarusian government had ordered the Polish priest to leave the country after refusing to extend his visa, which expired in March. The priest’s lawyer, Igor Kabalik, confirmed that since the cardinal has issued the instruction to Father Korolyak to remain to serve his parish, the Catholic priest will not comply with the expulsion order. Kabalik believes that given Father Korolyak’s decision to comply with his cardinal’s instructions and remain, the authorities will forcibly deport him. Kabalik reported that parishioners were mounting a guard outside Father Korolyak’s home in an attempt to defend him from such a raid. Father Korolyak added that these parishioners will stay all night in the parish church. The police chief of the Leninsky district of Brest, Arkady Kostyuchik, fined Father Korolyak—who is a Polish citizen—44,000 rubles (just over $50) for remaining in Belarus without permission. Kostyuchik also issued the order for him to leave the country and the deportation order was stamped in his passport. The parish is contesting this decision and Kabalik said: “We have already lodged an appeal with the police.” Under canon law, a priest is named to a parish by his bishop and is to exercise that responsibility until the bishop relieves him. Father Korolyak has served as priest of the parish for nine years, despite the persistent attempts of the local authorities to remove him. Father Korolyak said there had been “great pressure” on the parish from the authorities. The Belarusian government has waged a campaign in recent years against Polish priests who they consider a destabilizing force in the mainly Russian Orthodox country. More than three weeks after the government deadline, as CWR went to press, Father Korolyak still remained at his post in Brest. The priest maintained that his decision to remain is motivated both by obedience to his superior and by loyalty to his flock. “I should not and cannot leave the parish as long as the parishioners want to see me as their spiritual pastor,” he said. And the parishioners continued to demonstrate their fierce loyalty to their pastor, with members of the parish council accompanying him everywhere to deter police from attempting a quiet arrest. After a local court rejected his argument that the government was acting illegally in expelling him, Father Korolyak won a round when a higher panel ordered the local court to hear the case. The priest argues that the authorities’ position is a direct violation of the Belarusian constitution, which guarantees that the government will not interfere with the process of clerical appointments. Cardinal Swiatek, meanwhile, has avoided all contact with the press—a relatively easy task in a country where press freedom is strictly limited, and the government is openly unfriendly toward the Catholic Church. However, informed sources report that the cardinal is doing everything possible to avoid an open confrontation with the government. One report indicated that the cardinal had appealed to the governor of Brest twice in the past month, seeking a meeting at which “the Korolyak affair” could be discussed. The governor turned down both requests. Belarusian officials said Father Korolyak has been singled out because he is viewed as an “agitator.” A source in the Council of Ministers in Minsk told the Keston News Service:
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UKRAINE Still no churches For the ninth consecutive year—starting from the date when the Ukrainian Catholic Church became legal once again after years of Communist suppression—the Eastern-rite Catholics of Crimea held their Easter services on borrowed premises this year. The Ukrainian Catholic Church, the largest of the Eastern-rite Catholic churches, has been in communion with Rome since the Union of Brest in 1596. The Church was suppressed and her property confiscated by the Soviets after the annexation of Western Ukraine during World War II, and emerged from the underground only in 1989. Despite having official registration in the town of Yalta since 1991, the local Ukrainian Catholic parish of St. Nicholas still has to hold its services in the Roman-rite church of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. About 60 Ukrainian Catholics gathered there to celebrate their Palm Sunday on April 23, with a larger number present for services on Easter Sunday, April 30. The community in the port city of Sebastopol—also legally registered in 1991—likewise has only a precarious existence. Father Nikolai Berdnik, a Catholic chaplain of the Ukrainian Navy in Sebastopol, maintained that there were 1,000 Ukranian-rite Catholics in the city, including officers and sailors from the Ukrainian fleet. Father Berdnik said his community has tried to begin work on building its own church, so far without success. “Our request to allocate us a plot of land to build our own church has been declined twice,” he said. Anatoli Segorah, head of the Department for Religious Affairs in the Sebastopol city council, claimed that his office was trying to help the Catholics. “You have to understand that this confession is very untraditional for our region,” he said. “As for giving them a plot of land, we have already offered them two different places but they rejected them giving the reason for their refusal that the sites were in a suburban location. But we simply do not have free land in the city center.” Father Berdnik responded that one of the plots of land was near a rubbish dump, while the other was on the side of a mountain. Asked how his community intended to finance the construction of a church, Father Berdnik declared that they planned to launch an appeal to Catholic organizations in the West.
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ISRAEL Threats on the Vatican? The Israeli security agency Mossad reportedly warned Italian and Vatican security officials that “Islamic terrorist groups” might be planning an attack on the Vatican during the Easter season. The warning, which came in time to arrange tighter security for Palm Sunday ceremonies in St. Peter’s Square with 100,000 people, became public knowledge through a report in the Times of London. According to the report, the tip was the sign of a warming relationship between Israel and the Vatican following Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Holy Land in March. The Vatican had already increased security for the Jubilee year at the prompting of Italian police. New measures taken to ensure safety have included the placement of 35 airport-style metal detectors inside the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square. The Times also reported that hidden surveillance cameras had been set up and plainclothes police stationed inside the square and on rooftops. Il Messaggero newspaper also quoted Italian intelligence sources claiming terrorists plan to “strike at the heart of the Catholic Church during the Holy Year.” The newspaper said the target was “probably the Pope himself,” although other targets were possible, since “what matters is the symbolism of an outrage . . . an attack in or around the Vatican would be enough.”
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SAUDI ARABIA Saudis accept family planning Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry has asked the help of the United Nations’ Population Fund (UNFPA) in managing the country’s adolescent and reproductive health care, according to Dr. Nafis Sadik, executive director of UNFPA. The cooperation between the conservative Islamic country and the pro-abortion UN agency is sure to raise eyebrows among pro-life groups and other conservative governments. Sadik said the kingdom had three main concerns in its cooperation with UNFPA: health-care management, health education programs for adolescents and others of child-bearing age, and manpower development in the health-care sector. Asked if the Saudi kingdom was inclined towards a family-planning policy, she replied, “the government has said they are not actively going to promote it, but the health-care providers are aware of it. They are clear that it must be provided only to those who are legally entitled—that is, the married couples,” she added. Sadik also said UNFPA and the Arab Gulf Program of the UN will allocate $3.5 million for a survey on maternal and child health, the situation of women in the Gulf, and other issues. UNFPA has been accused by pro-life and Muslim groups of promoting population control and abortion policies that undermine traditional Muslim moral principles and family traditions.
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MOROCCO Mohammed’s heir As he met with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, in a private audience at the Vatican on April 12, Pope John Paul II observed that the young king traces his ancestry back directly to the Islamic prophet Mohammed. “You are a descendent of the Prophet, aren’t you?” the Pope said as he greeted the Moroccan ruler. “Yes, your Holiness,” Mohammed replied, visibly startled and pleased by the question. The Moroccan king, who was enthroned in July 1999, stopped at the Vatican for a courtesy call during a state visit to Italy. He met with the Pope for about 15 minutes; their conversation was conducted in French.
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RWANDA Bishop’s trial concluding The trial of Bishop Augustin Misago on genocide charges was adjourned for two weeks in April so that the bishop could receive medical treatment for his high blood pressure. But the trial rounded to a close in May, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty, and the court set to issue a decision in June. The imprisoned bishop of Gikongoro faces the death penalty if he is convicted on any of the eight charges of genocide, complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity—all of them based on allegations that he was involved in the country’s 1994 ethnic killings. Rwanda’s bishops and Vatican officials have protested Bishop Misago’s innocence, claiming the prosecutors are using the bishop as a scapegoat. On the other hand many survivors blame the Church for failing to stop the murders, and at least 20 priests and religious have been charged with participating in genocide. Bishop Misago has pleaded innocent to charges that he sent three priests and more than 10 children to their deaths by denying them shelter in his parish. More than 500,000 Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed in 1994 before a Tutsi-led group seized power. Pope John Paul II sent a message of solidarity to Bishop Misago after prosecutors in Rwanda demanded the death penalty for the imprisoned bishop. In a telegram made public by the Holy See on May 10, the Pope said that he felt “a duty to tell you again, my dear pastor of the beloved diocese of Gikongoro, that I am close to you, as is the entire Church.” The Pope lamented the bishop’s imprisonment, which had then stretched for 13 months. And he especially decried the decision of prosecutor Edouard Kayihura to seek the death penalty. The Pontiff expressed his wish that Bishop Misago would soon be cleared of the charges, and released to resume his ministry in the Gikongoro diocese. Closing arguments in the bishop’s trial were heard during the first days in May. Prosecutors repeated their claim that the bishop had turned away people who were seeking refuge; they also argued that he had allowed killers to murder their ethnic victims in churches of his diocese. The prosecution also pointed out that the bishop had attended meetings at which Hutu leaders allegedly planned their massacres. The defense attorney for Bishop Misago said that the bishop had no choice but to attend meetings. “If he had refused to go, he would have been killed himself,” said lawyer Alfred Pognon. Bishop Misago said that he had done his best to issue the warning about the plans for ethnic violence. “I never kept quiet,” he said. “I wrote to the bishops of Rwanda and the Vatican about what was happening.” But he complained that his defense had been hampered during the trial. “My witnesses were refused by this court, and even those who came to testify were intimidated,” he said.
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TANZANIA Arson destroys parish Arsonists in a mostly Muslim region of Tanzania attacked and burned a Catholic church on Holy Saturday, the bishop of Zanzibar has reported. Bishop Augustine Shao said the fire destroyed the church and several other parish properties, although no one was injured. He added that arsonists had tried to burn down the same church last year. Two years earlier, arsonists had damaged another nearby church with a gasoline bomb. While no one has been arrested so far, police said they are investigating several leads. Attacks on Christians’ property have escalated since 1995, when Muslim extremists began a campaign to drive Christians out of the region.
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MADAGASCAR Jubilee pardon President Didier Ratsiraka of Madagascar has ordered the release of 3,000 prisoners in response to a plea made by local Catholic leaders. The gesture was a response to Pope John Paul II’s call in the apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente that Christians should give special attention to the situation of prison inmates during the Jubilee year. At the country’s central Antanimora-Tana jail alone, 500 were granted amnesty. The release was the result of efforts by the Catholic Organization for Spiritual Assistance in Prisons, led by Father Angelo Buccarello, a Trinitarian missionary who was appointed by the bishops’ conference for that special task. Father Buccarello was accompanied by Cardinal Armand Razafindratandra of Antananarivo when he met with the country’s president to deliver the bishops’ requests. “This is a wonderful result,” Father Buccarello said, “but we could have obtained more. The problem is that in Madagascar two out of three prisoners are awaiting trial, some have been waiting as long as twelve years.” Father Buccarello, an Italian native, has worked in Madagascar for 30 years. The Italian priest also observed that the government’s action, impressive as it was, fell short of the bishops’ requests. The bishops had issued a letter for the Holy Year entitled “Forgiveness and Reconciliation” calling for the release of minors, those who have already completed half their sentences, and men over 60 and women over 65. They also asked for the government to reduce the severity of prison sentences, commute death sentences, and offer early release to female prisoners who were pregnant or had young children. The bishops’ document also denounced living conditions in the country’s overcrowded jails. “Food is lacking in both quality and quantity, and prison staffs have little or no training,” the bishops said. The bishops’ conference also complained that prison inmates live in situations of “degrading promiscuity,” and that first-time offenders are detained with recidivists, and minors with adults, making the prisons into a “novitiate for violence and recidivists.” The bishops pointed to reports of prisoners who had died in jail because of starvation. At times, they said, “guards treat prisoners like wild beasts.” The bishops also addressed prisoners in their letter: “We want to open for you the door of charity and hope and those among you who will be released should prepare for the event. Be grateful for the gesture, show yourselves worthy. May this forgiveness be a source of ongoing strength to guide you in a new life.”
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INDIA Secular groups rally for Christians Defying a police order, several secular organizations staged a protest demonstration at the historic India Gate in New Delhi on April 15 to express their concern over a rash of attacks on Christians. The sit-in at the war memorial in New Delhi, where no demonstrations are allowed, was organized by Citizens for Democracy in the wake of three attacks on Christian schools and convents in Mathura, about 100 miles south of New Delhi, during the previous week. Although it was called by secular groups, the demonstration was attended by many Christians, including dozens of Catholic nuns who were readily identifiable in their habits. The purpose of the demonstration was to focus public attention on the dangers posed by Hindu extremists. One group of protesters put their concerns into song, asking the rhetorical question: “How many more convents you are going to destroy? How many more churches you are going to burn?” Kuldip Nayyar, one of the most respected veteran journalists in India, told the crowd that the new spate of attacks on Christians showed that Hindu zealots were engaged in “the beginning of a conspiracy to enforce their agenda.” Nayyar, the former chief of India’s two premier news services (Press Trust of India and United News of India) said that the Hindu extremism could subvert the “national ethos” of “freedom to all, equality to all.” However, the assaults on Christians continued. Two nuns walking to church for Easter vigil Mass were “deliberately” knocked down on Holy Saturday night by a masked assailant on a motorbike in Rewari, 50 miles west of New Delhi, in the northern Haryana state. Archbishop Alan Basil de Lastic of Delhi, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), responded to the incident with an impromptu press conference. “This was no accident. It seems to be intentional,” Archbishop de Lastic said. He said that the attacks were intended to frighten Catholic missionaries away from rural areas. A spokesman for the nuns in Rewari said that their convent had been “receiving threats for the last six months, asking us to leave the place.” She reported that anonymous pamphlets had been circulating around the town, warning that the nuns would surreptitiously try to convert Hindu natives.
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CHINA In communion with Rome On May 7 a Chinese bishop was ordained for the Communist country’s state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association with the approval of Pope John Paul II. The explicit and public approval of the Holy See marks a significant step forward in relations between the Vatican and China. Bishop Zhao Fengchang was ordained bishop of Yanggu and apostolic administrator of Linqing (Shandong) by Bishop Giuseppe Ma Xuesheng of Zhoucun, assisted by Bishop Fang Xingyao of Linyi and Bishop Wang Dianduo of Heze. These ordaining bishops are also in communion with the Holy See. The ceremony took place in the presence of about 1,500 Catholic witnesses. Before the Ordination Mass began, the Holy See’s approval was publicly announced. This was not the first time that the Vatican has given its stamp of approval for the ordination of a Patriotic Association bishop, but it was the first time that the ordaining bishops were all in legitimate communion with the Holy See. Thus the circumstances of the new bishop’s ordination—as well as the public reading of the Holy See’s approval—fulfilled the terms of the Vatican’s requests. The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations, including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which generally has eschewed any formal connection to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches, following only bishops appointed by the Pope. The two groups make up parallel hierarchies, but there is considerable overlap with priests, laymen, and even some bishops serving both groups. The episcopal ordination in May stood in marked contrast to the highly publicized ordination of five bishops for the Patriotic Church in January. In that instance, the Vatican did not give its approval for the ordination and only one of the ordaining bishops was recognized by Rome. That ceremony was also sparsely attended; only about 200 people were on hand for the ordination. That January ceremony also caused a backlash of protest against the heavy-handed control exercised over the Catholic Church by the Patriotic Association. Communist Party leaders, stung by international criticism, apparently decided to postpone other ordinations that had been planned for the Patriotic Association, and to allow greater freedom for Chinese Catholics in order to avoid further criticism. The procedure adopted for the May 7 ordination suggested a mutual agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese Church on the need for explicit communion. With the ceremony, Chinese Catholics clearly took a step away from the governance of the Patriotic Association. The May ordination also gave the Vatican an opportunity to confirm the arrangement of China’s dioceses. Zhao Fengchang was ordained as “Bishop of Yanggu and apostolic administrator of Linqing.” The Holy See and the Chinese Church thereby rejected the administrative scheme set forth by the government’s Religious Affairs Bureau, which puts Linqing within a new diocese of Liaocheng. The Patriotic Association has created a number of new dioceses, explaining that these moves increase the “efficiency” of the Church. The Vatican has not recognized the new dioceses. Call to unity Just prior to that May ordination ceremony, in a message to the Catholic people of China, Cardinal Jozef Tomko had encouraged the faithful to remain united with the Holy See, resisting all efforts to divide the Church. Cardinal Tomko, the prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, had celebrated a Mass in the chapel of the Vatican Radio station, which is observing the 50th anniversary of its Chinese-language broadcasts. (The celebration was slightly premature; the broadcasts actually began in June 1950.) Taking note of the tensions between the Patroitic Association and the underground Catholic Church loyal to Rome, Cardinal Tomko said that “only the bishops in union with the successor to Peter are legitimate pastors of the Catholic Church.” “No authority, institution, or association can arrogate that function to itself,” the prelate reminded the Catholic faithful of China. “Along with you—and with all the faithful throughout the world—we profess that the Catholic Church was founded by Christ on Peter.” Invoking the memory of the 120 Chinese martyrs who were canonized by Pope John Paul II last October, Cardinal Tomko paid homage to the sacrifices endured by the faithful in China. He acknowledged that today the underground Church is suffering, precisely because the faithful Catholics refuse to relinquish their union with the Holy Father. The cardinal pointed out that Vatican Radio, through its Chinese-language programming, has helped to sustain the ties between the Catholics of China and the Holy See. “We cannot meet with you personally in your great country,” he said, “but we can send you—across the radio waves—all our affection and communion.” He added that he sent the greetings of the Pope, who “admires your fidelity, and urges you always to remain strong in faith.”
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PHILIPPINES Hostage drama A tense showdown between the government of the Philippines and Muslim
rebels in the Mindanao region continued through April and into May, with the guerrillas
killing several hostages as government troops closed in on their stronghold. “Remove all crucifixes, have Islamic instruction in schools, release terrorists and kidnappers: these conditions laid down by rebels in Basilan wound to the core our hearts as missionaries,” said one priest who sought to remain anonymous for his safety. At the time when the demands were released, the Abu Sayyaf rebels still held a group of 29 hostages, including Claretian missionary Father Ruel Gallardo. The rebels also demanded an opportunity to speak with the Italian ambassador Graziella Simboletti, because “Christianity came from Europe.” After receiving two truckloads of rice and other food on April 14, the rebels had released two 10-year-old children who had taken ill during their captivity. The children were handed over to Father Nestor Banga, a Catholic representative in negotiations. The rebels listed their requests in a letter to President Joseph Estrada, signed by their leader Khaddafy Janjalani. They demanded the release of several terrorists now being held in the US, including Ramzi Yousef, mastermind of a bomb blast at the World Trade Center in New York; Abu Haider, one of Janjalani’s mentors, who is now detained in California; and Egyptian sheik Abdurrahaman Omar, who is detained in New York. They also demanded the release of two members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who are being held in the Philippines; the removal of all crucifixes in the area of the cities of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi; and a presidential order to the Education Department to allow Islamic instruction for Muslim pupils. The Abu Sayyaf leaders threatened to begin executing hostages if the government did not respond to these demands. “The destiny of the Catholic priest, the teachers and students is in your hands, as head of state and father of the people,” the rebels’ letter to Estrada continued. “We expect a reply. The release of the hostages depends on the government’s decisions.” The Philippine government said it would not give in to the terrorist demands. On the contrary, the government promised to redouble its military activities against the Mindanao guerrillas if negotiations did not promptly result in the release of the hostages. Alexander Aguirre, a presidential councilor for national security warned the rebels that “the government’s patience is not unlimited.” The US embassy in the Philippines also confirmed that the American government would not agree to the release of convicted terrorists. While tensions mounted in Mindanao, the local Catholic community organized peace marches and prayers for the hostages. Some 500 Muslim and Christian women gathered together for a “Prayer for Peace in Mindanao” rally in Makati City. The gathering was coordinated and supported by the Catholic bishops’ conference, the Council of Churches of the Philippines, and four Muslim organizations. “The God or Allah we profess is a god of peace, promoting justice and extending mercy to all his children,” said Bishop Crisostomo Yalung in his greetings to the rally participants. On April 13 in Quezon City, Claretian missionaries organized a procession and inter-religious prayer meeting, bringing together Christians and Muslims. Among those taking part was Father Bernardo Blanco, a Claretian missionary who had been kidnapped in 1994 and held for 49 days by the same Abu Sayyaf group. Abu Sayyaf is a militant faction of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The Abu Sayyaf, which boasts 15,000 fighters, rejects an agreement reached between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government, which calls for the creation of an autonomous Muslim-administered region of Mindanao. The guerrilla fighting on Mindanao island has caused almost 100,000 people to leave their homes in search of safer quarters. On April 18, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Ahmad announced that the guerrillas would execute two male hostages on the following day “as a birthday gift to President Estrada,” who would turn 63 that day. The government’s chief security official, Alexander Aguirre, responded that he did not believe the group would carry out its threats. Aguirre was wrong. The rebels, true to their threats, beheaded two hostages. Government officials grimly promised vengeance. The guerrillas “have drawn the first blood and they signed their own death warrants,” said a military spokesman, Colonel Rafael Romero. On April 24, the Philippine army launched a vigorous assault on the rebels, sending artillery shells into a mountain camp that they had identified as a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf. Father Ruel Gallardo, one of the surviving hostages, quickly issued a statement through a local radio station, saying that the artillery fire was jeopardizing the hostages’ lives. “We are all scared, we will die from the bombings,” he said. “If you want us to be released, do it peacefully through negotiations, not through bombings.” Father Gallardo also urged the government to accept the terrorists’ demands. It was not clear whether or not he was speaking under duress from a rebel script. As government troops continued to comb the mountainsides of Mindanao, seeking to locate the hidden rebel headquarters, they stumbled into a confrontation with a group of rebel soldiers who were escorting the hostages to a new location. The soldiers screamed at the hostages to get down, and opened fire on the guerrillas. When the skirmish ended, 15 hostages had been freed. But four others had been killed, apparently by their captors. One of the victims was Father Ruel Gallardo. A priest who anointed the bodies of the victims said that they appeared to have been shot at close range and/or hacked with large knives. The newly freed hostages reported that Father Gallardo had been beaten and tortured during his captivity. Bishop Romulo de la Cruz of Basilan said medical examiners told him that the nails on both of Father Gallardo’s big toes had been pulled out. Although they were staggered by the news and the circumstances of their fellow priest’s death, Claretian missionaries insisted that they would not be deterred from their work in the Philippines. “We are ready for martyrdom. We work in many parts of the world where the Church’s life is difficult: this is our mission. We are sad for the death of our brother, but like the crucified Christ, Father Ruel died to gain eternal life,” said Father Santiago Gonzales, procurator general of the Claretian missionaries. |
JAPAN Converting the Emperor? General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II, once considered attempting to convert Emperor Hirohito to Christianity, but abandoned the idea, according to the diary of the man who was US Secretary of the Navy at that time. According to a report published May 1 by the Kyodo News, James Forrestal wrote in his diary that during a meeting on July 10, 1946, MacArthur said he had “given some consideration” to the attempt at conversion, but thought it would need a “good deal of reflection and consideration before it could be carried out.” Forrestal’s diary is part of the former Navy Secretary’s official papers, which were bequeathed to Princeton University. MacArthur apparently believed that converting the emperor could spread Christianity in Japan, and thus spread democracy, which the general believed was derived from Christian principles. In October 1945, MacArthur urged Protestant leaders in the United States to send a “thousand missionaries” to convert Japan to Christianity. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also formally approved his plan to help support missionaries that year. Ray Moore, Japanese history professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, told Kyodo News that Imperial Palace officials told the general the emperor would convert and that “the emperor had offered to make Christianity the official religion of Japan.” The emperor later denied making such an offer. Gen. Elliot Thorpe, who served as custodian of the emperor and his household during the occupation, later wrote in his memoirs that MacArthur abandoned the idea of converting the emperor, believing it would create conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Most Christians in the country at the time were Catholics.
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INDONESIA Halting the jihad Early in April the Indonesian government said that it would move against a training camp for Muslims preparing to wage a jihad, or holy war, against Christians in the mainly Muslim nation. General Rusdihardjo, head of national security forces, said police would close the camps, confiscate weapons, and prevent the extremists from entering the Moluccuas region, where months of fighting between Christian and Muslim gangs has left thousands dead. More than 2,000 militants had set up the military-style training camp just south of Jakarta after demanding the government allow them to slaughter the Christians. The Muslim extremists’ leaders had previously said they would wage their war on the main island of Java if they were prevented from going into action in the Moluccas. The Indonesian navy has maintained a blockade in place around the Moluccas for several months to prevent the shipment of arms into the troubled region. A prominent political analyst, Mochtar Pabottingi, said that disgruntled factions within the Indonesian military may have been organizing and sponsoring the extremist groups, in an effort to undermine the regime of President Abdurrahman Wahid. The Indonesian military—which is notorious for its involvement in political affairs, and especially for fomenting conflicts in the country’s provinces—has been notably slow to act against the Muslim extremist groups. When security forces finally did announce their crackdown on the militants, the Muslim leaders who had been planning a jihad agreed to disarm and disband their training camp. But they said that they would not abandon their goal of ousting Christians from the Moluccas. “To go along with the law, we will obey the police orders,” Ahlus-Sunnah Wal Jama’ah Forum spokesman Hilal Thalib said. “However, God willing, we will still go as planned. Weapons are easy to find in the market.” Uneasy Easter While Easter was discreetly celebrated across Indonesia, the Catholic community in the Poso district, in central Sulawesi, was barred from holding Masses due to the high tensions prevailing in that region in the aftermath of a series of riots. Some Catholics even had to ask for the protection of the unofficial security forces formed by friendly Muslim groups. Sister Paulina Siseng, OSU, said the local Catholic community had to be satisfied with a simple prayer during the Easter vigil, which was celebrated quietly in an orphanage not far from their community. She said she also had to evacuate the boys and girls living at a boarding school affiliated with the orphanage. Two local children fled from the community, she said, after hearing rumors that Muslim extremists were hunting down Catholic clerics. The tension and threats stemmed from riots that were triggered by a fistfight between an immigrant Muslim and a local Christian. In clashes on April 17, seven people were killed and over 300 homes—most of them belonging to members of a local Protestant community—were destroyed. About 3,000 people had to take shelter in neighboring locations. The rioting took place shortly after police stopped militant Muslims from pressing their jihad in the Moluccas.
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TIMOR New
perils for the homeless The Indonesian government has threatened to cut aid to some 100,000 displaced persons from East Timor who are now living in refugee camps in West Timor. But volunteer workers have told the Fides new agency that the threat of an end to that humanitarian aid is less frightening than the terror caused by the paramilitary groups that dominate many of the camps. “The food situation is critical” said Cassianus Teguh-Budiarto a volunteer working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Atambua, on the border that divides East and West Timor. “The government still hands over about 15,000 rupiah [$2] per person, per month, for food, although the money does not arrive regularly and is often months late in coming. The news that the West Timor government will soon cut humanitarian aid, the volunteer said, has motivated many refugees to seek to return to East Timor” Recently the West Timor Governor Pieter Tallo said that the province is in financial difficulty. The central Indonesian government had threatened to cut aid at the end of March. On March 31, foreign minister Alwi Shihab said “There is room for extending the refugee deadline—if the international community can provide additional financial assistance.” Vice provincial governor Johannes Pake said the government must assign more funds because the already impoverished local people have become exhausted taking care of the refugees. The authorities tried to convince refugees to move elsewhere, but only 150 families accepted. Indonesia’s national budget opens the new fiscal year of 2000-2001 in April 2000. The central government argues it cannot support the East Timorese refugees for an indeterminate length of time while there are another 400,000 refugees from various other conflicts across the country who need attention, particularly in the Moluccas and in Aceh, the northern tip of Sumatra. But aside from this precarious financial situation there is another more serious problem: “The refugees are too frightened” to be worried about the loss of humanitarian aid, says Teguh-Budiarto, because militiamen command many of the camps terrorizing the refugees. In Lebur camp, one of the largest in West Timor, militia guards have let the refugees return to East Timor. But at the Haliwen and Haliluli camps many Indonesian soldiers of East Timorese origin, along with militia members, threatened the refugees and warned them not to leave the camps. “They apparently hold the refugees for their own ends” he explained. Bishop Anton Pain Ratu of Atambua reports that many people are uncertain what they should do. This uncertainty, added to serious shortage of food, “could provoke incidents of violence” he told Fides News Service. He said many had tried to return to their homes, but they faced more uncertainty in the newly born country of East Timor and terror because they were suspected of being pro-Indonesia supporters, who are now unwanted in their old homes. Suspicion leads to violence. One volunteer said he accompanied the return of some East Timorese, “former militiamen who tried to enter, and were greeted by the local people by beating and prison in Dili.” He said: “Civil power in East Timor has not yet reached full security control.” The Jesuit Refugee Service has filed a complaint with the East Timorese civil authority in Dili asking why they urge agencies in West Timor to send refugees back, when in East Timor they are unable to guarantee security for returning refugees. The Jesuit Refugee Service has been making an effort to help communication between East Timorese families separated forcibly after the post-independence ballot terror campaign in September 1999, with personal letters, photos, and videos: “We hope to encourage them to return” the volunteer explained, but only 8,000 have done so. The Jesuit service works in collaboration with the UN office of refugees, helping to register the refugees who are willing to return. But even UN officials have been intimidated by militiamen. Former supporters of Indonesian rule, now calling themselves the Unit of Timorese with Dignity, refuse to engage in dialogue with the United Nations, and are still encouraging pro-Indonesian refugees to stay in West Timor.
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ZEALAND Bishops
approve same-sex unions The New Zealand bishops’ conference has given its approval to a government plan that would grant same-sex couples the same legal rights enjoyed by married couples, in apparent contradiction to current teaching from the Vatican. The bishops said in a report to the Ministry of Justice that they will support a proposed new registration system, which will grant legal rights—including tax allowances, legal aid, and property entitlements—that married couples have. But the bishops opposed the authorization of adoption by same-sex couples, or access to “reproductive technology” that would allow them to become parents. Opponents of the plan, including the Christian Heritage Party, were stunned by the bishops’ acquiescence to the plan. The Rev. Graham Capill, leader of the party, insisted that same-sex unions should not be recognized in any form. “We are playing with semantics. To treat homosexual couples to a form of registration but not call them married is to give them the same status but not the same title,” he said. In January Pope John Paul II told European legislators that elevating homosexual relationships to legal equivalence with marriage is morally unacceptable. “I ask authorities to avoid any initiative which could favor or guarantee legal equality between the family and other forms of living together,” he said. Last year, the Holy Father told the Pontifical Council for the Family:
Bishop recommends contraception . . . The bishop of Auckland, New Zealand, has encouraged young people who are engaged in premarital sex to “contracept themselves to the eyebrows,” according to the Sunday Star Times newspaper. Bishop Patrick Dunn said he still insisted that young people should still remain chaste, but if they did not they should take precautions. “I am not advocating anything,” he told the newspaper. “But if that is the way people want to behave, certainly they should be very careful. We are not just talking about physical risks, we are also talking about broken hearts.” The bishop had made a splash previously when he offered money and assistance to women who might be considering abortion. “What I am seeing now is that the primary victims of abortion are not the babies but the mothers. It is a realization that women are wounded by abortion and are hurting in our society,” he told the Star Times.
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| BRAZIL Floods leave thousands homeless Flooding on the Amazon River has left 20,000 homeless and five people dead following weeks of record-breaking rainfall. Aid workers in the Brazilian town of Laranjal do Jari, at the mouth of the Amazon River, issued a desperate plea for help. As world media concentrated on Brazil’s celebrations marking the 500th anniversary since its discovery by Europeans, and the accompanying discussions about past violence against the native Indians (see related story, page 35) little attention was paid to the gravity of the disaster which struck in the Amazon region, the Indians’ homeland. Laranjal do Jari has a population of about 50,000 people, half of them living in riverside dwellings. When torrential rainfall caused a two-foot rise in the water level, these homes were flooded; most of the dwellings were destroyed. Father Aleandro Castrese, a PIME missionary who has served in Brazil for the past five years, said he had no idea what to do: “Thousands have lost everything, they have no food,” he said. “Our churches, at some distance from the waterfront, are now havens for hundreds of flood victims.” Because of the high water level, roads were flooded and even the priest’s jeep could not pass. “The most edifying thing is the generous hospitality among the people,” the missionary said. “Those with a safe home readily take in others; the poor help the poor.”
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| PERU Preserving national unity Peru’s bishops called on Peruvians to avoid “breaking apart our nation” as a consequence of the tensions and controversies following the country’s April 9 presidential elections. In the statement entitled “First of all, Peru,” the bishops said that “with the political situation we are going through, we make a plea in favor of non-violence and serenity.” “Let us all work for the well-being of Peru. Let us not break apart our beloved nation,” the bishops continued. “The Church in this difficult moment trusts in the Peruvian people, while offering and requesting fervent prayers.” Tensions rose when 20,000 people gathered in Lima to support the claims of presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo that the election results had been manipulated by the government of incumbent President Alberto Fujimori. Toledo said that he would not accept the official results unless they included a second electoral round, and threatened more public protests around the country. Peruvian election officials defused the controversy when they announced that Fujimori’s disputed victory in a first round of voting had not given him the majority he needed to secure re-election. A second round of voting was scheduled for May 28. Some Peruvians—including the president of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luis Bambaren Gastelumendi, suggested that the Catholic Church could serve as mediator in any disputes that might arise from the second electoral round. But Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Lima said he was pleased when the bishops decided not to accept such a role. Archbishop Cipriani said: “The role of the episcopate is not to replace democratic institutions, but to appeal to all sectors to strengthen them in good faith.”
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| COLOMBIA A plea for reforms Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cansino of Cali has called on Colombians to support the proposed political reform launched by President Andres Pastrana, which could even lead to the closing of the Congress and the call for a general referendum. “As believers, we have to help in the political and social transformation of our nation,” said Archbishop Duarte, during a press conference following a Mass at Cali’s cathedral. “That is why I want to invite you, dear brothers and sisters, to support the reforms proposed [by Pastrana] to reform our country,” said the archbishop, who is regarded as one of the most influential authorities in Colombia. “We all have to actively participate in the quest for the common good to ensure Colombia a better future.” Pastrana has presented to the Congress and the nation a set of dramatic reforms that would affect nearly every aspect of Colombia’s political life—from the way parties are financed to the way the judiciary works. If the Congress approves the package of reforms, representatives and senators would have to agree to give up their positions and run for re-election. Recognizing that Colombia is riddled by political and economic corruption, Archbishop Duarte added, “it is because we have fallen away from God and from making our faith active in society.” He added: “The desire for power, wealth, and comfort has brought our country to its current situation, marked by drug trafficking, violence, and corruption.” Rebel shakedowns Marxist rebels in Colombia are extorting thousands of dollars from Catholic churches in the country to finance their war against the government, said Archbishop Pedro Rubiano Saenz of Bogota. Archbishop Rubiano said the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have stepped up the pressure on priests to come up with huge sums of money. “They’ve sought 50 million, even 100 million pesos [$25,000 and $50,000 respectively] from certain parishes,” he said. The archbishop added that many pastors have resisted the extortion. “The parishes have been very clear that it’s a matter of principle that they cannot hand over monies collected for social and evangelical project |
