A speedier process

Under norms established in 1983, a "cause"—the process that can lead to beatification and eventual canonization cannot begin until five years have elapsed from the death of the individual involved. But for the first time since the adoption of those rules, the Holy Father has used his authority to dispense with them, in the case of the nun whose work with "the poorest of the poor" made her a revered figure throughout the world.

In an official statement released March 1, the Holy See announced that the process toward beatification for Mother Teresa had been opened "at the insistence of the Archbishop of Calcutta, Henry Sebastian D’Souza, and many other prelates." So the process for Mother Teresa’s beatification has be gun, with a diocesan inquiry in Calcutta.

The announcement provoked some surprise in Rome, since the Pope had previously indicated that the cause of Mother Teresa would follow the usual pattern. During an interview with re porters on an airplane flight to Brazil in October 1997, just weeks after Mother Teresa’s death, he had said that the cause could not begin until the year 2002, under the terms of the apostolic constitution Divinus Perfectionibus Magister, which he himself had promulgated on January 25, 1983.

On the other hand, when he visited India as the Pope’s personal representative at Mother Teresa’s funeral, Cardinal Angelo Sodano said that the process toward beatification would probably move quickly. And Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had observed that "there are cases so clear that the ordinary procedure can be rapid." In the case of Mother Teresa, whose life was "so splendid in everyone’s eyes," Cardinal Ratzinger said, "a long process will not be necessary."

The Annuario for 1999 was formally unveiled in Rome in February. The volume’s summary of statistics shows a grand total of just over one billion baptized Catholics alive on December 31, 1997, the final day of the year covered by the statistical survey.

Of these Catholics, nearly half—49.3 percent—live on the American continents. Europe accounts for 28 percent of the world’s Catholics, Africa for 11 percent, Asia 10 percent, and Oceania less than 1 percent. The American continent is the only one where Catholics form a majority of the population, at 63 percent. In Europe, Catholics are only 41 percent; in Oceania 28 percent; in Africa 15 percent; and in Asia only 3 percent.

The Academy said that euthanasia and other forms of "death inflicted or administered through false piety" contravene the dignity of the dying person. Bishop Elio Sgreccia, the vice-president of the Academy, observed that such acts are "offenses against life, even if one presumes that the patient is willing." Medical personnel bear direct responsibility for killing the patient, he added—whether or not they have his permission.

The Academy urged medical personnel to take the proper steps to preserve the dignity of those who are facing death, by offering palliative care to suffering patients and by fighting against "any attempt to abandon those who are terminally ill"— including, of course, attempts at euthanasia.

The members of the Pontifical Academy were received by Pope John Paul II in an audience on Sunday, February 28, after the Academy had concluded four days of discussions. The Holy Father congratulated and thanked the participants for their "rigorous research and diffusion of information" on matters pertaining to the dignity of all human life.

"The life of the dying and of those who are gravely ill is today exposed to a group of dangers which sometimes manifest themselves in inhuman treatments, or in lack of consideration for—and even abandonment of—these persons," the Pope said. He observed that euthanasia is the logical end toward which these insensitive attitudes tend. The Pope said that these unhealthy new approaches to end-of-life issues are prompted by an exaggerated concern for material welfare, by uncontrolled scientific research, and by philosophical theories which accept "the principle of self-determination" as the only absolute good. These philosophical streams, he said, seek to give each individual an absolute autonomy over his own life, which paradoxically includes the power of self-destruction.

In the health care industry, the Pope continued, "medical structures are not always adapted to furnish personalized and humane assistance." Particularly in the cases of those who suffer debilitating illness, and those who remain ill for extended periods of time, the approach of the health care industry can sometimes be tainted by resentment, or by a feeling that treatment for these people is not fully justified by a "utilitarian ethic."

The Holy See has confirmed making a diplomatic approach to the government of England regarding the case of General Augusto Pinochet.

In an official statement released on February 19, the Vatican confirmed what had already been revealed the previous day by Baroness Symons de Vernham Dean of the British Foreign Office, who—in answer to a question raised in the House of Lords—had said that the Vatican had made an intervention in the case. Sources in London indicated that the intervention was in written form, and came from a "senior Vatican official," but not directly from the Pope.

The Holy See reported that the actual diplomatic approach was made nearly a month earlier, but was not made public because of diplomatic considerations. The Vatican statement went on to say that the contents of the diplomatic intervention would remain private, and to note that "the information given by the press on this subject consists of speculation on the part of the journalists." The precise nature of the Vatican involvement "may be made public at an opportune time," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. He observed that the United Kingdom would have to agree to make the matter public, as is customary in such diplomatic ex changes. When asked when "an opportune time" might arise, Navarro-Valls answered that it could happen only when the matter had been settled.

The Vatican spokesman did indicate, however, that "the interest of the Apostolic See" in the Pinochet affair had been aroused by "a request from the Chilean government itself." The Chilean appeal, he said, raised issues about the importance of observing diplomatic immunity. The Chilean bishops had also ex pressed concerns that the revival of international debate about Pinochet’s regime has re-opened old divisions in that country’s society.

Rumors about Vatican involvement in the case had been circulating since November 2, 1998, when Mariano Fernandez, the second-ranking official in the Chilean foreign ministry, visited the Vatican and discussed the Pinochet case with Cardinal Angelo Sodano. There is some speculation that Cardinal Sodano—who once served as the papal nuncio in Chile—is the "senior Vatican official" who eventually made the diplomatic approach to England.

Arafat was in Rome for a conference on a closely related topic, sponsored by the United Nations. The UN, in an effort to increase worldwide support for the rights of the Palestinian people, has organized an initiative known as Bethlehem 2000. The purpose of the project is to usher in the new millennium in Bethlehem as an era dedicated to peace and reconciliation among peoples.

Arafat told the UN conference that Jerusalem could be the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state. He cited the precedent set by Rome itself. "Just as both the capital of the Italian state and that of the Vatican are in Rome, so Jerusalem can contain two capitals, with no barrier or wall," Arafat told reporters after his formal address.

Archbishop Carey, who was in Rome for the opening of a new Anglican center there, has visited the Vatican on two previous occasions: in December 1996 and again in December 1997. The latter meeting was marked by tensions, as the discussions between the Pope and the Anglican primate centered on the question of ordination for women. The decision by the Church of England to ordain women to the priesthood marked a major setback to the hope of unity between the two churches.

Journalist Massimo Lacchei, the author of a collection of essays on issues related to homosexuality, claimed in one chapter of his book that he had encountered Col. Alois Estermann in the company of Corporal Cedric Tornay at a gay bar. Without producing any evidence to back his claims, Lacchei went on to say that Tornay eventually shot and killed Estermann and his wife in a fit of jealousy.

The new volume—a project suggested by Pope John Paul II—includes only statements which have been previously published, but groups them under one heading in order to provide a single source of advice for priests working with divorced Catholics. The book was produced under the supervision of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of that dicastery, wrote an introduction.

The two main subjects for discussion were the "Pilgrim’s Card" which organizers have designed, and the new Web site (www.jubil2000.org) which was recently launched to provide information about the Jubilee.

The "Pilgrim’s Card" is a "smart card" which will help visitors to Rome gain entry to Vatican sites, find information about Jubilee events, use public transportation, make telephone calls, and pay for their food and lodging. At the same time it will help organizers to track the number of pilgrims, their countries of origin, and the places they visit. Six million such cards are being prepared for 2000. The "Pilgrim Card" for each visitor will include some personal information, including medical data which might be needed in case of an emergency. The price for the cards—which will offer different levels of services—has not yet been set.

Offense against marriage

The Vatican’s official newspaper responded angrily to a decision by the Italian Chamber of Deputies to allow unmarried couples to obtain fertility treatment. "This much should be clear to all," L’Osservatore Romano argued: "The vote of today—February 24, 1999—is a vote against the family."

Because L’Osservatore Romano appears in print on the evening before the cover date, the February 25 issue was available just hours after the Italian legislature voted—by a margin of 276 to 188—to approve a bill governing the use of fertility treatments. The deputies also rejected a measure which would have prohibited the use of sperm donated by third parties.

The service in Glasgow drew a large number of people. Father Brian McGrath, parish priest at Blessed John Duns Scotus Church, said he had no doubt that the bones were genuine. They had been kept since 1868 in a brass-bound casket in nearby St. Francis’s Church, where Franciscan friars looked after them.

The bones were brought to Glasgow by a member of a wealthy French family, and were moved again when St. Francis’s was vacated six years ago. They will be displayed in an atrium at the church’s pastoral center. During the service of dedication, prayers were said for young people, couples, and those who are separated or divorced.

Mystery surrounds the history of St. Valentine, who may have been a Roman priest executed in Rome or a bishop in the town of Terni, near Rome, who was martyred in the capital. Legend says that he was killed on February 14, around 270 AD. The saint’s links with romance are unclear, but may be associated with the first stirrings of spring.

Speaking of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, the archbishop acknowledged that the Church’s opposition to artificial means of regulating births has tested the faith of many, "even of many who want to believe." But he insisted that the Church’s teaching contains the key to all of sexual morality. "Acceptance of contraception has encouraged such resentment of new life in the womb as to create blindness to the injustice of abortion," he said.

The advertisement promotes the Irish Catholic as a lively and provocative family newspaper for those who "expect more from a family newspaper than a diet of sex and sensationalism." But broadcasting authorities pulled the plug on the commercial before it began its six-week run on local radio stations in Counties Waterford and Donegal.

The survey of 405 Dutch doctors showed that many are ignoring the safeguards established by the Royal Dutch Medical Association. "The reality is that a clear majority of cases of euthanasia, both with and without request, go unreported and unchecked. Dutch claims of effective regulation ring hollow," said Drs. Henk Jochemsen and John Keown. Dutch law allows physician-assisted suicide if certain procedural guidelines are followed.

The study’s authors said that almost two-thirds of all cases of euthanasia and assisted suicide in 1995 were not officially reported as required by law. In 20 percent of cases the patients did not explicitly request death; and in 17 percent of cases other treatments were available.

Under German law, women seeking abortions must first undergo pre-abortion counseling; they must present a certificate showing that they have fulfilled this requirement before they can receive the abortion. The Catholic Church has sponsored pre-abortion counseling for several years, and Church-related agencies have issued the required certificates. But in January 1998 Pope John Paul sent an "urgent request" to the German bishops, asking them to stop the practice of issuing such certificates.

Last year, in response to the Pope’s request, the German bishops pledged to stop issuing the certificates—as soon as an alternative system could be developed. Some critics have subsequently suggested that there is little evidence of progress toward an alternative system. In remarks at the opening of this year’s meeting Bishop Karl Lehmann of Mainz, the president of the German bishops’ conference, responded to those critics by saying too much attention was focused on the certificates, and not enough on the prevention of abortion. Some proponents of the counseling practice have argued that if the Church-run counseling centers stop issuing the certificates, fewer women would seek counseling there, and thus the Church would lose the opportunity to persuade those women to continue their pregnancies. About 20,000 women seek abortion counseling in Catholic-run centers each year, and officials report that at least 5,000 of them decide not to have abortions.

Polish prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Catholic activist who helped organize a protest movement that has placed hundreds of crosses on land near the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp.

Kazimierz Switon was charged with inciting hatred against Jews and with insulting both Jews and Germans —charges that could carry a maximum penalty of three years in jail. Switon called the charges absurd. "I only said the truth and will prove it in the court," he said.

Switon had helped organize a grassroots campaign to prevent authorities from removing a 25-foot cross on grounds near Auschwitz—a cross which commemorates Pope John Paul II’s visit to the site. Jewish groups contend the cross is an affront to the memory of the Jews who died in the camp, but Catholics say the cross memorializes the Catholics who also died there. The campaign resulted in the placement of hundreds of smaller crosses around the larger papal cross.

In a communiqué issued late on February 22—the eve of an American-imposed deadline for the peace talks—the Vatican expressed keen concern for the plight of the people of Kosovo. The statement pointed out that "Pope John Paul II has intervened publicly several times, asking the parties involved to engage in sincere dialogue, and encouraging the leaders of the international community to help find a solution which responds to their legitimate aspirations." (Pope John Paul addressed the Kosovo crisis several times during the first weeks of 1999. He mentioned the conflict during his first Sunday audience of the year, on January 3, and again in his annual address to the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, on January 11.) The Vatican statement also reminded all parties that "recourse to armed force always entails grave risks, and profound suffering for the civilian population."

But Archbishop Franc Perko of Belgrade questioned whether any last-minute agreement could hold up under the political pressures that would inevitably follow. The archbishop told the Italian daily Avvenire that while he hoped to hear news of a peace agreement emanating from the Rambouillet talks, "I have to ask whether an agreement on paper would be confirmed by the facts."

The archbishop, who is also president of the Yugoslavian bishops’ conference, pointed to the "great complexities" caused by the fact that Serbs and ethnic Albanians have taken positions which are "diametrically opposed" regarding the future of Kosovo. The Albanians seek independence from the Belgrade government, while Serbs insist that Kosovo is not only a part of Yugoslavia, but actually a province of "Greater Serbia." The Belgrade archbishop also pointed out that Serbian leaders know that if Kosovo gains independence, it can never again be recaptured by Yugoslavia. And he suggested that the international community would not favor complete independence, because if Kosovo gains such autonomy, there will soon be demands for independence in Macedonia, Montenegro, and elsewhere.

"Anything is possible," Archbishop Perko admitted. But he said that if a peace pact is signed—and even if a NATO peacekeeping force is put in place— "there is a risk that the signatures will have no value."

The Vatican has officially confirmed that Pope John Paul II will visit Romania in May 1999, at the invitation of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist.

That announcement is a particularly significant one, since Romania will be the first predominantly Orthodox country in Eastern Europe to receive a papal visit. Relations between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, which have often been tense, have improved markedly during recent months. The visit by Pope John Paul II is both a product of that improvement and an effort to continue the thaw. The two bodies have been working together to resolve questions about the ownership of church properties seized from the Catholics under the old Stalinist regime.

Pope John Paul has also made it clear that he sees a visit to Romania as an opportunity to help build a sense of European unity which embraces the "two Christian traditions"—those of Western and Eastern Christianity. During his Angelus audience on February 14, the Pontiff invoked Ss. Cyril and Methodius, the evangelizers of Eastern Europe, who along with St. Benedict are patrons of the entire European continent, and asked the saints’ intervention for the success of his pastoral visit.

The Vatican announcement of the impending visit, issued February 13, ended a week of anticipation. The Holy See had previously received invitations from Romanian Catholic officials and from the country’s President Constantinescu. But Vatican officials had indicated that the Pope was waiting for an invitation from the Romanian Orthodox synod, which convened early in February. Even when the Orthodox synod indicated that it would invite the Holy Father to visit Romania, the Vatican press office initially cautioned that no announcement would be made until a formal invitation was received. But when that invitation did arrive, the Vatican promptly accepted it.

No dates have been officially set for the papal trip, but diplomatic sources suggest that it will probably occur on May 7- 9, 1999. Early reports suggested that the Pope would confine his trip to the capital, Bucharest, but the Pontiff apparently showed interest in expanding his itinerary so that he could visit the regions with the largest Catholic populations.

A leading representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church has said that the plans for a May visit to Romania by Pope John Paul II are "courageous but risky." Archpriest Victor Petlyuchenko, who was representing the Romanian Orthodox patriarchate at a conference in Rome during the week when the visit was announced, said that the Pope’s trip could "open a new era, after a long period of misunderstanding and offenses between Catholics and Orthodox" in Romania. That outcome would be undoubtedly positive, he said.

However, the Orthodox spokesman cautioned against thinking that the historic trip would lead to a dramatic breakthrough in ecumenical relations. Specifically, he warned that the trip to Romania would not necessarily pave the way for a papal visit to Moscow. Pope John Paul II has frequently voiced his desire to visit Russia, but Orthodox leaders there have been cool toward the idea. A direct personal meeting between Pope John Paul and the Russian Patriarch Alexei II "should be joyfully anticipated, as a meeting between two brothers," Archpriest Petlyuchenko said. Never the less he pointed out that the Russian Orthodox still express regular concerns about Catholic "proselytism" in their country. Such concerns apparently led the Russian Orthodox synod to scuttle plans for a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch in 1997.

Wadie Abunassar, the executive director of the Catholic General Secretariat for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 in the Holy Land, told reporters that while Roman organizers have suggested that six million Christians will visit the Holy Land, the actual number may fall considerably short of that figure. Abunassar remarked that pilgrims could be deterred from visiting the Holy Land because of the precarious security of the region and the shortage of lodging. At most, he said, there are only three million beds that could be available for travelers. "We believe that the vast majority of the pilgrims will not come unless they are guaranteed a good place to stay in," he added.

Palestinian leaders, meanwhile, suggested that it could be particularly difficult to celebrate the Jubilee in Bethlehem because of the difficulties imposed by Israeli occupation. A group of Palestinian political luminaries issued an open letter to world leaders—including Pope John Paul, US President Bill Clinton, and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan—which the writers characterized as "a cry for help for Bethlehem on the eve of the 2000th anniversary of Jesus Christ’s birth."

Arguing that most Palestinian towns have suffered under Israeli occupation, as a result of restrictions on housing, diversion of water supplies, and demolition of Palestinian homes, the authors of the appeal point out that "the Bethlehem district, whose main source of income is tourism, has faced economic strangulation due to various Israeli actions." In 1999, they add, the Israeli-imposed restrictions have been more onerous, and have included blatant efforts to dissuade Christian tourists from visiting the site of the Nativity.

Archbishop Mouallem, who has headed the Akka archdiocese since October 1998, spoke to reporters while he was in Rome in February to meet with Pope John Paul II. His appointment to that post by the Melkite synod had been initially opposed by the government of Israel, which feared that the new archbishop was overly sympathetic to Palestinian causes.

The Melkite prelate, however, insisted that his Byzantine-rite Catholic Church is frequently misunderstood—by fellow Catholics as well as by Israelis. As he put it, "we are Catholics of the Byzantine-rite, Arabs without being Muslims, Israelis without being Jews." The net result, he lamented, is that "we are misunderstood by all sides at the same time!"

Baptism without a choice?

Sudanese Catholic leaders and officials of the Khartoum government have charged that a relief agency sponsored by Seventh-Day Adventists from the United States has baptized hundreds of students at a Catholic school, without the permission of their parents or school officials. And in a bizarre twist, the school’s administrators apparently co operated, having the children baptized in an Adventist ritual.

The National Association for the Prevention of Starvation (NAPS) visited war-torn southern Sudan during the Christmas season to deliver food and teach Bible stories, but witnesses said the group also baptized about 275 Catholic school children in the village of Panlit without proper permission.

Peter Ring, spokesman for the Diocese of Elobeid, said the entire student body had been baptized in the local river. "It is un-Christian," said Ring. "It was like going to someone’s house as a guest and while he is not looking burning his house down." But a NAPS spokesman said the children were only baptized at the headmaster’s request. Apparently there was some truth to the former explanation; the school’s headmaster and the head religious-education teacher were later arrested and charged with acting in complicity with the Adventist group.

Threats from the president

Church workers and human rights activists in Zimbabwe have expressed concerns for the safety of Michael Auret, the chairman of the country’s Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJ&P), after President Robert Mugabe made a thinly veiled threat against him.

The threat came after Mugabe lashed out at three supreme court judges who had called on him to pledge his commitment to the rule of law, after the detention of two journalists who had criticized his regime. A visibly furious Mugabe appeared on television to accuse the judges of "an outrageous and deliberate act of impudence" and call on them to resign. In the same address, Mugabe said that his critics, "aided by the Aurets and Coltarts of our society, are bent on ruining the national unity and loyalty of our people and their institutions." (David Coltart is a prominent lawyer and human-rights activist.) The president continued: "Let them be warned therefore, that unless their insidious acts of sabotage immediately cease, my government will be compelled to take very stern measures against them and those who have elected to be their puppets," Mugabe said.

Cardinal Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, raised the issue of China during discussions with Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema, who conferred with the Holy See before visiting Beijing. The cardinal’s statement appeared to be an indirect response to a public statement by the Chinese foreign minister, Zhang Qiye, who had said that the Holy See must break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan "if it wishes to improve relations with Beijing."

Cardinal Sodano recalled that the papal nunciature in China was once stationed in Beijing, but moved to Nanking, then to Hong Kong, and finally to Taipei as it was forced out by the Communists who took power in 1949. The delegation now stationed in Taiwan is therefore intended to represent the Holy See to all of China, he concluded, and it would not be necessary to break off relations with Taiwan in order to move the nunciature back to Beijing.

Just days after Cardinal Sodano’s statement, Taiwan’s foreign minister arrived in Rome, perhaps seeking reassurances about Vatican plans. Jason Hu met with Cardinal Sodano and with Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Secretary for Relations with States at the Holy See. Upon his return to Taipei, Hu assured reporters that there would be no quick change in the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Vatican.

"I cannot say our relationship with the Vatican will never change, but my feeling is it will not change right away," he said. The Vatican will not agree to a diplomatic exchange with Beijing until the Communist regime recognizes the legitimate rights of Roman Catholics there, he reasoned, and sources within the Holy See had told him "it would be like a miracle" if the Chinese Communists accepted that condition.

However, in early March a Beijing newspaper reported that the Beijing government may indeed be willing to recognize Vatican authority. The United Daily News said Chinese officials had already indicated a willingness to make such a concession, during secret talks with Vatican officials. According to the report, the Pope would be allowed to choose and ordain new bishops for the Church in China, but the Communist government would still retain final approval. The reported compromise is similar to an arrangement the Vatican has worked out with Vietnam.

Another step in Vietnam

On March 3, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Phan Thuy Thanh told reporters in Singapore that the question of diplomatic ties would be on the agenda for discussion when the Vietnamese government greeted a delegation of Vatican officials, who arrived in the Asian country on March 15 for several days of talks. Such visits have become common in recent years, but in the past the Vietnamese government has always avoided discussions of establishing normal diplomatic relations.

Cardinal Joseph Pham Dinh Tung of Hanoi reacted positively to the government statement, telling the Fides news service: "We are confident that this time it will happen."

The Catholic Church operates under serious restrictions in Vietnam; the government limits the number of students in the nation’s seminaries, and insists on the right to reject appointments of bishops and even pastors. The periodic visits by Vatican officials have usually been aimed at easing these restrictions.

Cardinal Pham, however, indicated that a move toward formal diplomatic ties would be a breakthrough. "This is the news we have been waiting for," he told the Fides news service. He disclosed that the Vietnamese bishops themselves had not received any official notice from the government about the prospect of diplomatic talk—or even an official announcement about the visiting Vatican delegation. However, he said, "the Vietnamese people are all in favor" of diplomatic ties.

The cardinal also suggested that a move toward full diplomatic relations would ease the way for a visit by Pope John Paul II. The Vietnamese bishops have invited the Pope to visit, and asked the government to issue a separate invitation. To date the government has made no response.

The bishops of Laos and Cambodia have been joined in a single episcopal conference since 1971, because of the cultural and historic ties between the two southeast Asian countries. This is their first joint adlimina visit.

The Laotian bishops reported that their situation has improved markedly since 1992, when the country’s new constitution guaranteed freedom of worship for all citizens. Nevertheless, they said, there are strict limitations on religious freedom at the local level. They also said that they face a shortage of priests, especially in view of the large number of people who are expressing an interest in becoming Catholics. There are only 16 priests in Laos today, serving 35,000 Catholic faithful, in a country of five million people.

The Cambodian bishops reported that there are 20,000 Catholics in that country, among an overall population of 10 million. Prior to 1970 there were many ethnic Vietnamese Catholics living in Cambodia, but when those groups were forced out of the country by the Pol Pot regime, the Catholic population declined dramatically. During the years of bloodshed that followed, the bishops told Pope John Paul, "the Christians were dispersed, churches destroyed, and priests decimated." For a period of 15 years, there was no vestige of religious freedom in Cambodia.

"Since 1990 the situation has changed," the bishops said. In Cambodia, too, religious liberty is now in scribed in the constitution, diplomatic relations with the Holy See have been established, and the juridical status of the Catholic Church has been officially recognized by the government.

However, Cambodia also suffers from a shortage of priests—and especially of native priests. Only one of the 30 priests in the country today is a native Cambodian. The top priority of the Cambodian hierarchy, then, is to encourage priestly vocations that could give the Church "a Cambodian face." To ward that end the Church is making special efforts to reach out to young people, and has found a new interest in Catholicism among those young people.

The Pill imported

Despite the heavy lobbying pressure exerted by pharmaceutical manufacturers and international family planning groups, the Japanese government steadfastly refused to approve sales of contraceptive pills, citing the possible side effects. The Health Ministry’s Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council had last considered an application to allow the sale of birth-control pills in 1992; it was declined. (The country does allow doctors to prescribe high- and medium-dose pills for medical disorders, but has not approved low-dosages for contraceptive purposes.)

Former governor Mario Viegas Carrascalao, who once backed the plans to make East Timor a province of Indonesia, said that he had changed his views in light of the clear public preference for autonomy. He added that an independent East Timor could thrive in today’s economy. "I’m going to do everything in my power to prove to the Indonesian government that we can survive as an independent East Timor," he said.

However, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo of Dili warned against rushing forward to independence without first bringing about reconciliation between warring factions. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient observed that disputes between advocates and opponents of independence had provoked a series of violent incidents in early 1999, and no real progress could be made until peace is restored. "There should be some transitional period, mainly for reconciliation among the Timorese groups," the bishop said. He added that East Timor lacks the resources and infrastructure necessary for economic survival.

"I am opening the doors of my office so that the government and the [rebels] can have a venue to talk again," said Cardinal Sin. "I am ready and willing to mediate, if necessary. I am offering the facilities of my office for the resumption of talks." The cardinal has been an influential figure in Philippine politics for years, helping to start the peaceful revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and leading massive protests which dissuaded then-president Fidel Ramos from his plans to change the constitution and run for re-election in 1997.

A spokesman for the archbishop said the Central Bank was responsible for fraud related to the collapse of Banco de Credito Provincial (BCP) in August 1997. In October of that year a judge called upon the now-deceased Arch bishop Antonio Quarracino to ex plain why he had received a $10 million loan from BCP but never paid it back. It was learned that Archbishop Quarracino’s signature had been forged, but in December 1998, seven months after he had died, the Central Bank still raided the archbishop’s office to search his financial records.

"The archbishop wants to clear the name of his office. If [the Central Bank] has the right to investigate the archbishop, the archbishop has the right to ask whose responsibility it is," said the archdiocesan spokesman. "The current archbishop, Jorge Bergoglio, called an international consulting firm, Andersen Consulting, as soon as he took over, to audit the office to see if that money had really come in or not," he said. "That money never came in here. He never saw it."

De la Rua and Carlos Alvarez, who together make up the presidential ticket of the political alliance between the Radical Party and a left-wing party known as FREPASO, visited Archbishop Karlic in his Archdiocese of Parana to discuss the bishops’ concern about key social issues. During the conversation, which focused primarily on the economic situation, Archbishop Karlic asked de la Rua and Alvarez to define their position on pro-life issues, and in particular on abortion. De la Rua would only say, "I, at a personal level, don’t have any intention to change the current laws on any issue that may divide the country." He added that the political alliance which he leads "does not have a common position on the issue."

Later, during a press conference, de la Rua said: "We prefer not to talk about the issue." But he offered another clue about his thinking when he criticized the decision by incumbent President Carlos Menem to establish a "Day of the Unborn Child," which was to be celebrated for the first time on March 25.

On March 4 Menem announced that Argentina’s ambassador to the Vatican had delivered a personal message which the president had addressed to the Holy Father. “The letter,” he said “expresses the deep sorrow of the Argentine people and its president regarding someone who has offended you.”

Menem’s letter was a response to an interview which Bishop Justo Oscar Laguna of Moron granted to the Argentine weekly XXI, in which the bishop suggested that Vatican officials had tricked the Pope into an intervention in the Pinochet case. Bishop Laguna had referred to the Pope as “a poor man, who makes me feel sad.”

“As a Catholic and president of this nation,” Menem wrote to the Pontiff, “I want to publicly express my solidarity with the Holy Father before this cruel attack, which, unfortunately, comes from the mouth of an Argentine citizen.”

Archbishop Claudio Hummes of Sao Paolo has told Brazilian leaders that the Catholic Church does not support a total moratorium on the payment of the country’s foreign debt.

In a message delivered for the beginning of a Fraternity Campaign sponsored by Brazil’s bishops’ conference (CNBB), Archbishop Hummes explained that "the Pope’s call for the partial or total forgiveness of international debt is a request based on a religious motivation." He added, "the Church does not take an official position whether it should take the form of a moratorium or any other formula, be cause that is not her specific field."

Nevertheless, he said: "What is clear is that the Church, especially lay members, have to commit to the transformation of the current global economic system in order to build a culture and an economy of solidarity and justice."

Referring to the Fraternity Campaign, which this year is focused on providing help for the unemployed, Arch bishop Hummes said: "We must be active contributors in the construction of an economy of communion which favors life with dignity for individuals and their families." He added, "This does not mean a centralized economy like in the socialist system."

During the ceremony of installation of the new Apostolic Vicar of San Vicente, Francisco Javier Munera Correa, the mayor of the city, Omar Garcia, requested the intervention of the bishops’ conference in a bid to revive the peace negotiations that President Andres Pastrana had begun with the largest rebel group, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).

During the public ceremony that followed the installation, Garcia took advantage of the presence of many Colombian bishops—as well as the leading representatives of each party to the peace talks, government negotiator Victor Ricardo and the FARC representative "Commander Jairo"—to plead his case for Church mediation.

Bishop Munera replied only indirectly, saying that the Lenten season furnished "a wonderful occasion for personal and social conversion." He added, "In this liturgical time, the Church will strongly promote reconciliation, but in order to have true reconciliation at a social level, all sides involved must start talking to each other again."

When Chavez first unveiled a massive anti-poverty program—named the "Bolivar 2000 Plan" in honor of the Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolivar—the country’s bishops welcomed the plans to improve food production and distribution, health care, and the physical condition of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and electric lines. But the bishops’ enthusiasm evaporated when the government’s director of maternity services, Dr. Carlos Cabrera, announced that the new health-care program would provide sterilization for women living in poverty.

Last year, the pro-homosexual group "Pink Triangle" called off a planned "Gay Festival" after Archbishop Arrieta said, "such a public display of immoral conduct is an offense to the rest of society." The group sued the archbishop, alleging he violated the country’s anti-discrimination law, which stipulates that no person can be rejected for reasons of race, nationality, sex, or disability.

But Judge Cristiana Vargas ruled that the accusation presented by "Pink Triangle" was "unfounded." "The archbishop limited himself to expressing the views of the Church he represents," the judge explained. He added, "Arrieta’s statements do not violate [the anti-discrimination law] since on no occasion did he imply, suggest, or practice any discriminatory measure against anyone on account of their sexual orientation."

Father Orantes was arrested in July 1998, when police investigators charged that he was involved in the killing of Bishop Gerardi in April of that year. Father Orantes, who lived in the same rectory with the slain bishop, was accused of having ordered his dog to attack the bishop. But the investigators never produced adequate evidence to back that charge.

Catholic Church officials had consistently said that they believed Father Orantes is innocent of the charges, and appealed for his immediate release—especially when he became seriously ill during his stay in prison. Church officials have also criticized investigators for failing to pursue other leads in the death of Bishop Gerardi—who was killed just after having released a report which sharply criticized the country’s military leaders for their involvement in human-rights offenses during Guatemala’s civil war.

The release of Father Orantes leaves investigators with no suspects in the Gerardi slaying. Two other suspects, arrested prior to the detention of Father Orantes, were also released because of lack of evidence to tie them to the case.

Two weeks after Father Orantes was released from prison, Bishop Mario Rios Montt charged that government officials had quietly approached Church leaders in November 1998, offering to drop charges against the imprisoned priest if the bishops would drop their own demands for a more aggressive investigation of the case. Bishop Rios Mont, an auxiliary in Guatemala City, said that several people, acting as government agents, and operating under conditions of anonymity, specifically offered to arrange the immediate release of Father Orantes if the bishops renounced their claims that the army was involved in the assassination of Bishop Gerardi.

In a pastoral letter for the Lenten season, Guatemala’s bishops said that a new report on the human rights violations committed during the civil war in Guatemala "should be taken as an occasion for creating conditions for peace and justice in the country."

In the letter, entitled "Repent and Believe in the Gospel," the bishops said that "the grief of the victims, the violations against human dignity, and the loss of moral conscience on the part of the killers, prompt us to find the necessary means of strengthening human rights, promoting a culture of mutual respect, and favoring peace and national reconciliation in Guatemala." They added, "This commitment, for those who claim to be disciples of Jesus, springs from the faith and hope we place in the power of Christ’s resurrection."

The latest report on human rights violations, released by an international "Truth Commission" after almost two years of investigations, claimed that 80 percent of the violations were committed by the Guatemalan army, while the remainder were attributable to the Marxist rebels. The report also claims that the CIA and the Cuban government were both actively involved in the Guatemalan civil war.

Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador announced in February that the country’s bishops firmly reject any attempt to justify the increasing number of killings committed by independent "death squads," and announced that the issue will be included in a forthcoming pastoral letter.

Unlike the "death squads" of the 1970s and 1980s, which were formed to terrorize opposing political groups, the vigilante groups active in El Salvador today have emerged as a response to the growth of organized crime; most of their victims have been known members of criminal gangs. But the bishops dismissed the notion that a criminal’s activities could justify such extra-legal violence. "We energetically condemn and oppose the killings of gang members and alleged criminals, because no one has the right to take justice into his own hands," Archbishop Saenz told a press conference. "The law is an independent force above us all, and even with its defects and limitations, it is the only guarantee of a civilized society."

The archbishop also condemned the decision of several radio broadcasters to carry an anonymous recording, allegedly provided by a death squad, called "The Voice of the People," which contains a threat to kill thieves and members of youth gangs. "Someone who threatens to kill, with no legal mandate, cannot claim to be the voice of the people, be cause our people believe in peace and justice," Archbishop Saenz said. He admitted that the people’s sense of security on the streets is low, and violent crime has become one of the nation’s most pressing social concerns, but said that "it does not justify the existence of death squads."

"The ballot is a privilege, but also an obligation," said a spokesman for the bishops in introducing the statement. He pointed out that the bishops had avoided partisan endorsements "be cause that would be absolutely contrary to the essential nature of the Church, which is by necessity moral and religious." In the past, Salvadoran Church leaders have found it difficult to remain politically neutral—especially during the country’s civil war, when Catholic leaders such as Archbishop Oscar Romero became the targets of right-wing "death squads" linked to former leaders of the ARENA party.

The Evangelical leader, Saturnio Cerrato, told a group of 50 Protestant pastors that they should take an active role in campaigning for the country’s elections in 2000. Catholics have dominated Nicaraguan politics for 500 years, he charged, and "we have seen disasters." So he said, "Why not offer an Evangelical option for the year 2000?"

Cerrato said that Evangelical Protestants may be inhibited against activism because of "a hundred-year history of an apolitical culture." That problem is compounded, he continued, because Evangelical churches do not provide adequate support for their members who run for political office. "The church isolates the Evangelical Christians who win office as councilmen or deputies," he complained, "instead of helping them to follow the church’s norms of sanctity in their daily lives."

"There is a change, a deterioration, a fatigue at this point in my life, and so it is time to leave the diocese in other hands," said Bishop Ruiz during his homily. "When you are tired and old, you look more behind your back rather than ahead, and that means it is time for a change," he explained.

Bishop Ruiz has been a controversial figure in Mexico’s Chiapas region since the Zapatista rebellion began in 1994. Critics charge that he has given aid and support to the rebels as a proponent of "Indian Theology," an offshoot of the earlier trend known as Liberation Theology.

Historic meeting in Havana

At a February meeting in Havana, bishops from North and South America came together to discuss the challenges contained in the apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America. The exhortation, issued by Pope John Paul during his January trip to Mexico, sets out the blueprint for the "new evangelization" of the Western hemisphere in the 21st century.

The Havana meeting, attended by five cardinals and 26 other bishops, began with two liturgical ceremonies. First the prelates visited the shrine of Our Lady of Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, for a ceremony at which Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, presided. Next they traveled to the Havana cathedral, where Cardinal Jaime Ortegay Alamino was the principal celebrant at a Eucharistic liturgy. In his homily, Cardinal Ortega stressed the fundamental duty of evangelization. "That is the mission of the Church in America," he said. "Love is the core of our program for the century and the millennium that lies before us. Love is the spiritual quality that we need as we face new challenges."

Cuban President Fidel Castro met with bishops from across the Americas on February 16, just after they had approved a statement calling for an end to the 36-year-old American embargo on Cuba. US bishops joined in the call; Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark, New Jersey, pointed out: "It has always been the position of the bishops of the United States . . . to seek the lessening and even the ending of the embargo."

At the conclusion of the bishops’ meeting, several prelates promised to provide material and pastoral help for the growing Catholic community in Cuba—with the approval of the Castro regime. After the Mass that formally closed the meeting, Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves announced: "There will be an effort to send Latin American priests and missionaries to strengthen the work of evangelization in Cuba."

"The Catholic Church is following closely, and with great concern, the legal process against four Cubans," said Bishop Rodriguez in a brief meeting with the press. "We also want to express our great concern for the hardening of the laws." In keeping with the Cuban bishops’ consistent policy of avoiding direct confrontation with government authorities, Bishop Rodriguez did not offer detailed remarks, but his statement was an obvious reference to the arrest of four Cuban political dissidents, who were charged with sedition after they organized a petition campaign calling for reforms in the country’s political system.

Orlando Marques, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Havana, said: "The environment within the Catholic Church is one of alarm and great concern, because in recent months there has been a steadily rising hope for an improvement" in terms of political freedom for Cuban citizens.

Excommunication announced

The uproar at Corpus Christi parish began in August 1998, when Father Callan announced to parishioners that he had been "fired" by Bishop Clark because of his approach to parish ministry. That approach entailed some radical departures from Catholic orthodoxy, such as his decision to "bless" same-sex unions, and his hiring of a female pastoral associate who stood beside him at the altar, wearing clerical robes and reciting the Eucharistic prayers.

At first Bishop Clark expressed disappointment that Father Callan would protest his reassignment, and praised the priest for his "wonderful pastoral ministry" at Corpus Christi. But as the protests continued among the parishioners, the bishop announced that "no one ever sought my permission for these radical changes," and insisted that all pastors must heed the bishop’s instructions. He assigned a new pastor for Corpus Christi, only to see many of the parishioners join with Father Callan in services held at non-Catholic churches.

"By starting this new church, a schism has occurred," the diocese announced. "Father Callan has effectively excommunicated himself. Catholics who have joined the new church are not in full communion with the Church and have incurred the same penalty." The diocese also warned that it might ask the Vatican to officially revoke Father Callan’s standing as a priest "to remove any confusion" about his ability to function in the priestly ministry.

Bishops from the Vatican and the Pacific Rim joined with their counterparts from the United States and Canada in a February meeting, held in Menlo Park, California, to discuss some of the more controversial matters of Catholic doctrine.

The four-day meeting included discussion of the role of women in the Church and the immorality of homosexuality. The Vatican delegation was led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Cardinal Ratzinger affirmed the Church’s teaching that homosexual acts are immoral, ruling out the possibility of same-sex marriage. "Homosexual acts . . . cannot contribute to the real human good," he told reporters. In blessing a marital union, the cardinal continued, the Church confirms that the union itself is designed to serve the human good. "So if it is true what we say—that this is not a contribution—then to confer a blessing this way would not be helpful."

Turner, who is now a vice-president of Time-Warner, Inc., was awarded the group’s President’s Award for his support of the United Nations Populations Fund. Last year, the billionaire and his wife, Jane Fonda, gave $1 billion to the UN for population-control programs.

Turner said that while he is the father of five children, he fathered most of them before he was 30, when he didn’t know any better. He added, "Once they were here, I couldn’t shoot them." He said now he believes an ideal world population would be two billion (it is now 5.9 billion). "We could do it in a very humane way if everybody adopted a one-child policy for 100 years," he said.

In other remarks, Turner said the Ten Commandments are outdated and said, "If you’re going to have 10 rules, I don’t know if adultery should be one of them." When asked what he would say to Pope John Paul, he responded with an ethnic joke, and suggested the Holy Father should "get with it—welcome to the 20th century."

A Minnesota jurist who was not widely known outside his native state, Justice Blackmun was appointed to the high court by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Although his appointment was backed by most conservative political leaders, Blackmun eventually emerged as one of the more liberal members of the Supreme Court, before retiring from the court in 1994.