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	June 2004 47th Year No. 6 Internet Edition Page 5 Click below for Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Home

CARIBBEAN - NEWS

by Robert Harvey

CURACAO WILLEMSTAD

ANTILLES BISHOPS DISCUSS SPIRITUALITY OF PRIESTS.

The Spirituality of priests and the crisis of vocations in the Caribbean were just two of several issues discussed by bishop of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) at their April 25-30 plenary meeting on the Dutch Island of Curacao.

Devoting one full day of the week to priests and priesthood denotes the measure of concern of the bishop for their priests and for a continued supply of these ministers of God, so necessary for survival of the Church, said Fr. Gerard Farfan AEC secretary, in a press release about the meeting.

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig addressed the Caribbean bishops on the spirituality of priests which was also discussed with the priest representative of the Provincial Association of diocesan Priests.

Reports were also taken from bishops heading the various commissions dealing with youths, Liturgy, ecumenism and relations with CELAM- the Conference of Bishops of Latin America.

The Bishops meeting coincided with the 175th anniversary of the Church in Curacao. The local bishop Luis Antonio Seco received from the governor of the central bank-in the presence of Curacao's Governor Fritz Geodgedrag and his wife - portraits of all the bishops and vicars apostolic who have served the Church there since the diocese's inception. Local artist Sir Ronald Schotborgh was commissioned to do the portraits.

BARBADOS - BRIDGETOWN

JUSTICE AND PEACE COMMISSION RECOMMENDS
ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY

A recent Mercy Commission decision to commute the sentences of five death row prisoners to life imprisonment has raised hopes that the government of Barbados may take steps towards abolishing the death penalty.

The Commission for Justice and Peace (CJP) of the diocese of Bridgetown has since issued a statement urging the Barbados government to make the necessary changes to the constitution which would outlaw the use of the death sentence.

This “notwithstanding the governments recent appearance before the Priory Council in London to argue the constitutionality of the death sentence for murder” the statement continued.

Chairperson of the CJP, Lloyd Cummins, said that under Barbados law as long as a person is convicted of murder, judges have no other alternatives than to impose a sentence of death. But Barbados have nothing to gain by the death sentence, he said and should in fact be able to set the tone for other countries in the English speaking Caribbean toward abolishing death sentence.

The CJP's position he said was strongly supportive of that of the Holy Father and the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC),as stated in the AEC's Jubilee year pastoral letter on capital punishment.

The Conference stated in that letter that the cases in which the executions of an offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically non-existent, and we urge all to heed the appeal of our Holy Father Pope John Paul II for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.

DOMINICA - ROSEAU

DOMINICA CATHOLIC TEACHERS ON RETREAT

The Dominica Association of Catholic Teachers (DACT) recently concluded a three day retreat at the Holy Redeemer Retreat House in Eggelston. The retreat included prayers and talks from Bishop Gabriel Malzaire .

Bishop Malzaire in addressing the teachers, told them that teaching is not a job but rather a vocation. He added that teachers are called to evangelise and to have a deep spiritual awareness.

Teachers were advised to always motivate the students in the classroom, include more spirituality in every subject taught and encourage the students to take prayer more seriously.

GUYANA - GEORGETOWN.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY CONDEMNS GAY MARRIAGE

Guyana's religious community has condemned the gay wedding which took place in Georgetown on March 28 and declared that, it would collectively resist any attempt at institutionalising of same sex marriage in Guyana

The comment comes on the heels of a wedding of gays that created a stir in the botanical gardens when the couple turned up to take pictures.

President of the Guyana council of churches, Bishop Juan Edgehill has insisted that he was not aware that a gay wedding had taken place. First of all, there has been no gay wedding in Guyana, he told the "Guyana Chronicle”. We do not know under any law or statute were the Guyana Registrar's office can issue a license for a gay wedding

The Guyana Council of Churches, the entire Christian community, the inter religious organisation and the entire religious community condemn and stand ready to resist any attempt at the institutionalising of same sex marriage in Guyana the bishop declared .

“We recognize marriage as union between a man and a woman no publicity stunt will force the leaders of faith into ... accepting what is obviously an abomination,” Bishop Edgehill added.

Having said that, we stand ready to help individuals in society who are battling with their sexuality in counselling and help, the bishop said.

BAHAMAS - NASSAU.

NEW CATHEDRAL DEDICATED

Realization of the hopes and dream of many Bahamian Catholics became concrete on Wednesday, March 31 when the solemn dedication of the new St. Francis Xavier Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Nassau took place. Hundreds of proud Catholics gathered for this historic event. Archbishop Lawrence A. Burke S.J assisted by the then Archbishop elect, Patrick C. Pinder S.T.D. along with priests, deacons of the archdiocese of Nassau and visiting priests, concelebrated the Mass of dedication.

The ceremony began in the old Cathedral which dates back to 1885, from which the relic of its Patron saint Francis Xavier was removed from the main alter and brought in procession to its place in the alter of the new Cathedral.

Among the visiting clergy were bishop Paul Boyle, Mandeville, Jamaica, Rev. Kolyvas of the Greek Orthodox Church, Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the Bahamas and his Suffragan bishop, Rt. Rev. Gilbert Thompson.

At the entrance to the new edifice Archbishop Burke received the keys from architect Bruce La Fleur. Music was provided by Messrs. Francis Richardson and Carl Johnson playing the Rodgers New Trillium organ while the archdiocesan combined choirs led the congregational singing under the direction of Mr. Andrew Curry.

DOMINICA - ROSEAU

RETURN OF THE DOMINICA CATHOLIC

Sunday April, 11 2004 was indeed Resurrection Sunday for Roman Catholics of Dominica in more ways than one since it marked the re-appearance of their diocesan news paper, The Dominica Republic

The newspaper, first produced as a quarterly diocesan newspaper under the administration of Archbishop Edward Gilbert, had suspended publication for the past two years following the transfer of the Archbishop to the diocese of Port of Spain.

The new “Dominica Catholic” is an attractive and colourful twelve page edition which shows considerable improvement over the original publication. Bishop Gabriel Malzaire in his first editorial writes of having had much deliberation on the reinstating of the newspaper since becoming Bishop of Roseau in October 2002. He recognizes the educative value of the newspaper as regards the Catholic faith and the facility it provides in support of the Church's evangelising mission.

We recognize the tremendous thirst that exists in our people for the world of God. At a time the amount of religious literature is growing, many of which have negative repercussions on the faith of our Catholic population, it is becoming more urgent for us to communicate the Catholic faith in ways that are balanced wholesome and attractive.The Catholic Chronicle welcomes the re-appearance of the Dominica Catholic and extends heartiest congratulations to Bishop Malzaire and his collaborators wishing them years of long and fruitful publication.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - PORT-OF- SPAIN.

NEW HOME FOR GIRLS AT RISK.

Teenage girls at risk in Port-of -Spain and its envious now have a place of refuge at Sophia house managed and operated by the Credo community. On Tuesday April 20 Archbishop Edward Gilbert blessed the new $1.5 million center while Senator Christine Kangaloo Minister responsible for social services delivery in the Prime Ministers Office ,cut the ribbon to officially open Sophia House .

Offering some remarks at the opening, Credo director , Holy Faith Sister Roberta O'Flaherty explained the necessity for Sophia house.

The problem of displaced girls was and is a much more insidious one than that of boys , as the girls are often picked up by older men who offer them shelter in return for service and are also frequently hidden away in prostitution She told those gathered that it was only since 2001 that Credo has been able to concentrate on girls after years of dealing with young boys on the streets.

Sr. Roberta said Sophia House will offer the girls a place of safety, developmental programmes, remedial academic work when needed and training in income generating skills. Contributing to the project were the British and Canadian High Commissions, British Gas, RBII Bank and Republic Bank ,World Mercy Fund and a number of overseas supporters.

Sr. Roberta also thanked the Trinidad and Tobago government for substantial grants towards the construction of the center.

World Church

by Bro.DeLellis O'Sullivan

VATICAN CITY
JOHN PAUL 11 MARKS HIS BIRTHDAY WITH A DAY OF WORK.

John Paul II observed his 84th. birthday on Tuesday May 18th. with a full day of work, though he did make time for a luncheon with his closest aides.
The highlight of this birthday was the publication in Spanish, Italian, Polish, German and French of his new book “Arise! Let Us Go!” about his experiences as archbishop of Krakow, Poland. The book will soon be published in English and Portuguese.
“It has been an ordinary day of work, although not totally ordinary, because it was a very intense day, full of appointments,” said the Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro- Valls. “The Pope does not have the habit of celebrating his birthday, but rather his saint’s day November 4, the feast of St. Charles Borromeo,” said the director of the Vatican press office.
The Vatican spokesman told Vatican Radio: “One sees greater recollection in the Holy Father and a sense of thanksgiving to God for the gift of life. No public celebration was established in the whole of the Vatican. Perhaps, the sole particularity is that the Holy Father invited his closest collaborators of the Curia to dine with him.”
Navarro- VaIls revealed that the Vatican was inundated by messages of congratulations sent to the Pope, including from non-Catholics.
“They are heads of state, of government, personalities of politics, art, above all persons who want to express their affection and gratitude to the Pope,” the spokesman said. “Sometimes they send a message written as a letter or sometimes they go to the Bronze Door to leave a message of congratulations for the Holy Father,” he concluded.
The first to sing “Happy Birthday” were the Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, Patriarch Jose Policarpo of Lisbon, and Portuguese government ministers, bishops and jounalists, who were in Rome for the signing of the new Church- state concordat.
In the afternoon, the Holy Father received Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, accompanied by his wife.

YOU1H AND THEIR KIN URGED TO BE OPEN TO A VOCATION

Pope John Paul II appealed to young people -and their families -to be open if God calls the youths to the priesthood or consecrated life. “Know that the Lord does not let himself be outdone in generosity and that every call of his is a great blessing, including for the family of the one who has been called,” the Pope said.
The Holy Father made his appeal on May 20 when he received the general assembly of the Italian bishops’ conference, which has expressed its concern over the shortage of consecrated vocations.
“I wish to address, also in your name,

a warm invitation to the young men and women of Italy so that they will take into account with attention and serenity, and eventually accept, not with fear but with joy, the call the Lord addresses to them, “ the Pope said.
“It is an extraordinary gift that opens new horizons of life to those who are called. As well as to many brothers and sisters,” he added.
“I address the same invitation to availability and confidence to the families of the persons called, concerned on many occasions about the future of their children, “ he said. “I say to them, do not linger over earthly considerations,”

POPE EMPATHIZES WITH THOSE AT RISK FOR lRAO

Pope John Paul 11 expressed his closeness to those who risk their lives for the reconstruction of Iraq, in particular those who are being held captive.
“Terrorism, acts of war, violations of human rights which make the international situation so difficult and dangerous, weigh very heavily on our hearts,” the Pope said when , receiving the general assembly of the Italian episcopal conference in the Vatican.
“I continue to unite myself to your prayer, in particular, for those who are kidnapped in Iraq, for those who risk their lives, and for those who lose it in carrying out their duty,” the Holy Father added.
Italy continues in the dark in regard to the fate of three private security agents, employees of U.S. firms, who were kidnapped in April. A fourth, Fabrizio Quattrocchi, was slain by his captors.
In the opening address of the episcopate’s plenary assembly, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the bishops’ conference, deplored “the horrible tortures and humiliations to which many of the iraqi prisoners were subjected,” and described as “horrific the decapitation on television of the American civilian.”
“What is imperative, therefore, is a clear and obvious change so that the situation will not get out of hand and that a solution might be progressively workrd out that will allow for Iraq;s reconstruction and independence,” the Cardinal said.

NEW DELHI - INDIA
INDIAN EPISCOPATE PLEASED WITH SINGH AS PRIME MINISTER

An official with the Catholic bishops’ conference in India expressed satisfaction over the nomination ofManmohan Singh as prime minister of the world’s largest democracy.
“With Manmahon Singh serving as prime minister we will have a great intellectual heading our government for the first time,” Bishop Percival Fernandez, secretary-general of the episcopal conference, told the news agents.
“He most likely excels all other prime ministers worldwide in terms of his overall preparation and competence,” the bishop said.
The Congress party headed by Sonia Gandhi, and the leftist parties close to it, now control the Indian Legislature, following the national elections that handed a defeat to the nationalist Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party.
Bishop Femandez said he much appreciated Sonia Gandhi’s gesture of turning down the opportunity to head the new Indian government, calling it “an act of humility”, just like other Catholic leaders had done in the past.
“Once again, Sonia Gandhi has shown her political opponents that she’s not interested in power, but in the country and its inhabitants progressing,” he said.
Singh, an Oxford-educated economist, was nominated as prime minister by 145 Congress party representatives. He now has the task of forming the new government.
Singh, who had a Sikh religious upbringing, had to overcome the distrust his name raised among Congress Party backers who were disappointed by Gandhi’s decision not to take the top spot.
Gandhi’ s decision to drop out of the political spotlight has been viewed by many as a choice consistent with the Indian population’s belief system: Turning down something valuable is regarded as a high moral value in Indian culture, a virtue practiced by major historical figures such as Rama, Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi.

WARSAW - POLAND
7 EU NATIONS ASK FOR MENTION OF CHRISTIANITY IN CONSTITUTION

Seven countries of the European Union are asking that the Constitution Treaty make
reference to the continent’s Christian roots, a spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry said.
The seven countries -Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -sent their request

in a letter to the rotating EU presidency, now held by Ireland.
The signatories state in the text that the list is not final and hope that “other countries will adhere to this initiative”.
The letter adds that “the governments of those countries consider as a priority the recognition of the Christian tradition in the preamble”, and request that the issue be addresses in the next meeting of the intergovernmental conference.

STAMFORD - CONNECTICUT
CHINA ARRESTS 2 PRIESTS OF THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH

Chinese authorities arrested two priests of the underground Catholic Church just before the pair were to launch classes on natural family planning and on moral theology, a U.S.- based group reported.
The Connecticut-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said that Chinese government security police arrested Father Lu Genjun, 42, and Father Cheng Xiaoli, 40, on Friday, May 14, in the northern province of Hebei.
Father Lu belongs to the underground Catholic Diocese of Baoding. He was previously arrested on Palm Sunday in 1998 for a short period and was arrested again shortly before Easter in 2001 and detained for three years in the Gao Yang County labor camp in Hebei. He was just recently released from the labor camp and arrested again. He is now detained in the police detention centre of Dingzhou, Hebei.
Father Cheng belongs to the underground Diocese of An Guo, Hebei. This diocese has been without a bishop since the death of Bishop Liu Difeng, in the prison in Cheng De, in 1992. The whereabouts of the priest are unknown at present.
Joseph Kung, president of the watchdog Cardinal Kung Foundation, said the arrest of the two priests “is yet another in a litany of examples of the ongoing religious persecution in China, and it proves that religious persecution is not something of the past”.

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