A daily news service

MAY 31

Holy See stresses importance of ethics in communications

Vatican City, 31 (NE) "Ethics in Communications" is the title of the document presented yesterday at the Holy See Press Office, made public by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. During the press conference, Archbishop John Foley, President of the council, said that the document "is an invitation and stimulus for individual and group reflection about the challenge that we must face: the use, not only effectively, but also moral and responsible, of the powerful communications media, which God has made us discover and develop".

The Archbishop stressed that "communications should be used by persons for the integral development of persons" and that "the good of persons cannot be realized apart from the common good of the communities to which they belong". "Decisions about media content and policy should not be left only to the market and to economic factors - profits - since these cannot be counted on to safeguard either the public interest as a whole or, especially, the legitimate interests of minorities", the Archbishop further said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Pastore, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, indicated that, in preparing the document, it had been considered important "not to forget that the question of truth calls for everyone to participate in the search for that truth." "We must insist -he said- on the fact that ethics are the heart of information and that all information without ethics can be immoral."

Archbishop of Denver urges personal evangelizing effort

Denver, 31 (NE) "'Evangelization' is a big word for a simple but vital task: preaching Jesus Christ and teaching the Catholic faith to the world," affirmed Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, calling faithful in Denver to participate in the Jubilee celebration of Pentecost that will take place in the John Paul II Center of the archdiocese.

"For more than 20 years as Pope, John Paul II has urged Catholics around the world to recover their missionary zeal," stated the Prelate. "Gospel is a seed," he added, "It has to bear fruit or it dies. And also Christian faith isn't just for the head. It's for the heart and the hands as well… In other words, we have to share it."

Archbishop Chaput recalled the teachings of the II Vatican Council on the missionary nature and vocation of the Church, which, he said, "is not just some disembodied corporate ideal: it means us, you and I, right now." No community is "safe from the practical atheism which is at the heart of our age," stated the Archbishop of Denver. He urged all Catholics to "live, model and personally spread their Catholic faith."

International gathering for family pastoral calls to defend life

Asuncion, 31 (NE) In concluding the four-day international encounter in Paraguay, delegates from Family Pastoral Commissions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay emphasized the need to promote Christian values and family unity, as well as defense and promotion of the right to life in all its development stages and situations.

In a statement, they expressed their support to persons and institutions that work in favor of life and family, also expressing their concern for the grave threats against life in its beginning and in its end. The also warned in their message that even though inviolable rights of the person are proclaimed, in practice there are degraded programmatically and systematically, based on a erroneous concept of liberty.

The Family Pastoral Commissions noted that nothing justifies the anti life policies founded on an economy that should promote just distribution of wealth, authentic development and a culture of solidarity. In concluding the message, the delegates urged Christians to join the initiative of constructing a society marked by the culture of life and love.

China: Persecutions continue and priest is arrested

Rome, 31 (NE) In the past decades, Chinese Catholics faithful to the Pope have suffered numerous trials and persecutions by Communist authorities. Even though in the past years there have been important moments of joy, such as the recent consecration of a Bishop in explicit communion with the Successor of Peter, there are still many manifestations of violence and persecution against the so called "clandestine" Church, whose members have remained faithful to the Bishop of Rome.

In the past week, informed the Fides Agency, a priest from southeastern China was condemned to 6 years of prision for printing Bibles and other religious material. Arrested on May 25, he was considered a "common delinquent," guilty of "illegal production and distribution of unauthorized printed material." Some months ago, the same priest was arrested for the first time, with other six priests in Zhejiang, where there is a growing Catholic community persecuted since some years ago.

Fides agency informed that since September 1999 the government has fostered a new campaign to force those Catholics faithful to Rome to join the "patriotic association", the church approved by the state. In the past months, since February this year, the police has destroyed 7 churches and has arrested numerous faithful and priests. Even Bishop Lin Xili, 81 years old, has been kidnapped. During the Easter celebrations in Zhejiang, the police destroyed some buildings and spread the faithful by force to impede the celebration of Mass and the "illegal" prayer of the Rosary.

MAY 30

Pope recalls "witness of the Gospel" given by late Lithuanian Cardinal

Vatican City, 30 (NE) Pope John Paul II recalled yesterday the "authentic witness of the Gospel" given by Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevicius, Archbishop emeritus of Kaunas (Lithuania) , who died Sunday night at the age of 79. "He was a priest of great faith and fervent piety and, although prevented for many years from practicing his episcopal ministry and placed under confinement, he never allowed himself to be intimidated, always giving a shining example of indomitable faith in Divine Providence and faithful loyalty to the See of Peter", wrote the Holy Father, in a telegram sent to Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius, of Kaunas.

"I give thanks to God for this heroic priest and bishop that He gave to His Church and raise fervent prayers that He may accept him into eternal joy," the Pope said, recalling the Lithuanian Cardinal born in August 1920 and named by Pope Pius XII Auxiliary Bishop of Kaisiadorys in 1957. He was not able to reach this see, as communist authorities deported him from the archdiocese. Pope John Paul II would name him Apostolic Administrator of Kaisiadorys, and created him Cardinal in 1988, before naming him Archbishop of Kaunas. The funeral ceremony will take place June 1.

American historian denounces false information in book against Pope Pius XII

Chicago, 30 (NE) Martin Doorhy, historian specialized in World War II, expressed his opinions on the publicized book of John Cornwell, "Hitler's Pope", in an interview for the Chicago "Catholic New World" weekly magazine. In his declarations, he underlined that it was impossible for Cornwell to work exhaustively in the Archives of the Secretariat of the Vatican State "for months", as he stated.

"We know," said Doorhy, "his research began May 12 and concluded June 2, 1997 -22 days- including weekends he was never there. The longest time he spent in a single day was seven hours. Other days he spent only one to two hours… We know from the logs there were just two areas he accessed," and it is impossible that he investigated the archives after 1922 due to the 75-year closure rule on Vatican Secretariat of State archives. Cornwell "has drawn most of his conclusions from secondary sources unfriendly to the Church," he added.

Asked about Pope Pius XII's work with European Jews, Doorthy stated that "the 80 % survival rate in Italy is far and away the highest rate in any of (the other occupied) countries." He also stated that the 'Encyclopedia of the Holocaust', published in 1990 in Tel Aviv, written mostly by Jewish scholars -a very unbiased source-, credits Pope Pius XII with saving no fewer than half the Jews of Rome during the Nazi occupation. "Pius XII," he added, "during World War II saved more Jews than all the other church groups and rescue agencies combined."

Among other aspects, Doorhy emphasized the existence of a series of not so well known facts such as the policy of the American army not to intervene in what they called "rescue operations" to assist refugees, because this could present a serious diversion of men and supplies from "legitimate military objectives," and also the "silence" of the different meetings of great ally leaders regarding the killing of Jews in Europe.

Cardinal ordains new deacons in Dominican Archdiocese

Santo Domingo, 30 (NE) Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, Metropolitan Archbishop of Santo Domingo, ordained six new deacons for the Dominican Archdiocese on Saturday, during a solemn liturgy celebrated in the Cathedral Our Lady of Incarnation. The six new deacons come from the Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary "Redemptoris Mater," an international seminary founded by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992, during his visit to this country on occasion of the celebration of the V Centenary of Evangelization.

Presently the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo is accomplishing a solid vocational pastoral in different parishes that has led many young people to "let themselves be conquered by Christ." This pastoral has as fundamental objective to let the young people clearly discover the vocation God gives them within the Church.

On the other hand, a solemn national sacerdotal ordination was announced to take place next Saturday, June 24. Priests from different dioceses of Dominican Republic will be ordained, in a celebration marked by the joy of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Representatives from America, Europe, Africa and Asia will come to witness this unprecedented event in Dominican Republic.

"Nobody can authorize the death of a innocent human being", recalls Archbishop Arrieta

San Jose, 30 (NE) "Nothing and nobody can authorize the death of a innocent human being, be it a fetus, an embryo, a child, an adult, an elderly person, an ill person, incurable or agonizing," recalled Archbishop Roman Arrieta of San Jose (Costa Rica) this week, in a message to the faithful in this Archdiocese denouncing the practice of euthanasia. Explaining the Declaration on Euthanasia issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith some years ago, the Prelate emphasized that it is "an action or an omission that by its nature, or intention, causes death, with the aim to eliminate pain."

Nobody, he stated, "can request this homicide action, neither for himself nor for others at his responsibility. Nobody can accept this explicit or implicitly… No authority can legitimately impose or permit it. This is, in fact, a violation of a divine law, an offense to the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, an attempt against humanity," added the Prelate.

Archbishop Arrieta also expressed his wish that the faithful know the different teachings of the Church "on how to act at the time of illnesses. This counts for doctors, the ill person and his relatives." "We trust that the knowledge of these norms, inspired in a sincere desire to serve man according to the loving designs of the Creator, will be truly useful for all," he added.

MAY 29

Pope celebrates Jubilee with Romans

Rome, 29 (NE) Tens of thousands of religious and lay people, belonging to all the parishes and eclesial associations and movements in Rome, gathered yesterday at St. Peter's Square to celebrate with Pope John Paul II the Jubilee of Rome. During the Eucharist celebration, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, greeted the Pope in the name of Roman faithful. Roman children, youth and families "feel strengthened and accompanied by your heartfelt defense of beauty and holiness in families, the elder see in you a father and a brother who helps them see themselves never alone. They all say today, in one voice, 'Thank you' to His Holiness."

After the Cardinal's address, the Pope said during his homily that "today's meeting of Rome's eclesial community, in the heart of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, recalls in everyone the memory of its apostolic origin, the memory of Peter, the first Shepherd of the City". Over his tomb, the Pope continued, "gather around many pilgrims during these months, from all the places of the Earth, to celebrate the Jubilee of the Incarnation of the Lord and profess the same faith of Peter in Christ".

The Holy Father also said that with the visits of pilgrims, "once again it is evidenced the particular vocation the divine Providence has reserved to Rome: being the point of reference for communion and unity of all the Church". Afterwards, the Pope stressed that the Church in Rome has the "specific duty of 'presiding in Charity' over the Christian 'oikoumene'".

Preparations for central event of Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 progress

Rome, 29 (NE) The Holy Year must be "an intensely Eucharistic year." Within the framework of the celebrations of the Jubilee, the International Eucharistic Congress should be the "heart of the Jubilee," recalled Msgr. Cesare Nosiglia, as he presented some aspects of the congress that will take place in Rome from June 18 to 25 this year. It will be "a fruitful course of spiritual exercises on the Eucharist for the people," he affirmed. The event will be not limited to reflection on theological and spiritual subjects. It will also bring different concrete signs to the everyday life of the faithful.

The program established includes four encounters with Pope John Paul II. The first one will take place on Sunday, June 18, with the celebration of vespers at the Basilica of Saint Peter's. On Wednesday 21 the second one will occur during the general audience. That day the weekly catechesis will be dedicated to the sacrament of Eucharist. The following day, the traditional Corpus Domini procession will take place, from the Basilica of Saint John Lateran to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Finally, on Sunday 25 the "Statio Orbis" will take place. This celebration will also be presided over by the Pope.

During these days there will be four public catechesis. These will be given by Cardinals Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, Jean Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, Christoph Schoenborn, Archbishop of Vienna, and Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico.

Spain: national homage to St. John of Avila to take place this week

Madrid, 29 (NE) Around 1000 priests and some 30 Bishops from all over Spain will gather this week in Montilla (Cordoba) to participate in an Encounter-homage to Saint John of Avila. The encounter, which the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Manuel Monteiro will also attend, will take place on May 30 and 31. It is organized by the Episcopal Commission "Pro Doctorate of Saint John of Avila" of the Spanish Bishop's Conference (CEE). This is one of the initiatives that are taking place this year on occasion of the V Centenary of the birth of Saint John of Avila, patron saint of the Spanish secular clergy. The Church in Spain has been celebrating since January 6, 1999, and will continue celebrating until the same date in 2001.

The Encounter-homage to Saint John of Avila will begin on May 30 with a prayer vigil, in the Cathedral of Cordoba, during which texts of this patron of the Spanish secular clergy will be read. Central events of the Encounter will take place on May 31 in Montilla, the city where his relics are kept. They will be transported for this occasion from the Sanctuary where they are kept to the Apostle James parish, the place of the ceremonies. A mass presided over by the president of the CEE, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco, Archbishop of Madrid, will take place at noon. The Nuncio of His Holiness in Spain, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro, will read the message that Pope John Paul II has sent for the participants of this encounter.

Other main events during this year in commemoration of the Spanish saint are the celebration of the International Congress "The Master of Avila" in Madrid, from November 27 to 30. This encounter is structured on seven lectures and thirteen messages on the person and work of St. John of Avila. It was announced that each day would be dedicated to one characteristic of his life or work.

St. Louis: Contemplative nuns receive prayer requests through the Internet

Saint Louis, 29 (NE) More than 13,000 prayer requests from around the world were received on the Internet by different contemplative religious women in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, informed the weekly "Our Sunday Visitor" magazine in its last edition. "Contemplative Nuns at Prayer," is the name given to a project that resulted from Pope John Paul II' last visit to this archdiocese in January 1999. All prayer requests are received through the Archdiocese's website. Sister Eva Maria Ackerman, one of the inspirers of the project, stated, regarding the enormous response of faithful, that the sisters' prayer ministry is "building up the Church, and I think it's touching a lot of lives."

According to the report of Our Sunday Visitor, petitions are placed in different prayer chapels, where sisters read them, sometimes in community, sometimes privately. "When we are not engaged in formal prayer, we live within an atmosphere in which everything becomes a prayer," stated Sister Mary Gemma Robinson, superior of the Sisters of the Adoration of the Holy Spirit. Each day, around 170 nuns of different orders pray for these intentions in eight monasteries in St. Louis.

MAY 27

Pope stresses importance of art and cultural patrimony

Vatican City, 27 (NE) "Cultural patrimony has the function to open man to the meaning of the mystery and the revelation of the absolute", said Pope John Paul II yesterday, as he addressed members of the International Union of the Institutes of Archeology, History and Art History in Rome. During the meeting, the Pope stated that the Church "knows the irreplaceable role of cultural patrimony for the promotion of an authentic humanism and lasting peace among nations." "The spread of artistic and historic culture throughout all levels of society gives the men and women of our time the means to rediscover their roots and to draw from them the cultural and spiritual elements needed to build their personal and community life," the Pope further said. The Holy Father specially invited the members of the association to serve "history and art by developing the numerous witnesses that Rome possesses of western civilization, of Christian culture and of the life of the Church." "Art", the Pope stressed, "invites us to cultivate the beauty of existence, in fully living its moral exigencies, and in tirelessly searching for the truth."

Exhibition on Apostles Peter and Paul to begin June 30

Vatican City, 27 (NE) The exhibition "Peter and Paul, History, Worship, Memory in the First Centuries" was presented yesterday in the Holy See Press Office. The exhibition, as it was announced, will be held in Rome's chancellory building from June 30 to December 10. The event has been promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity for the occasion of World Youth Day, and the Pontifical Monuments, Museums and Galleries.

The exposition holds several works of art and archeological pieces. The first section contains lamps, plaques, stained glass and sarcophagi from the Jewish catacombs in Rome, while the second section houses a number of historic sarcophagi. The following two sections develop, respectively, the themes of the history and iconography of the Princes of the Apostles, also giving consideration to episodes handed down in the apocryphal gospels, such as the miracle of the fountain and the arrest of Peter The final section deals with the theme of worship "and contains material found near the tomb of Peter.

Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that the exhibition "lies in the context of the series of exhibitions on Christian art, on archeology and on Church history, promoted by our dicastery over the last few years on the occasion of World Youth Days." Furthermore, he added, "the common denominator in these exhibitions is the figure of Peter and his ministry in the Church. These two elements always shine forth in all their splendor whenever young people gather around the Pope."

MAY 26

Faith does not fear reason, says Pope to scientists

Vatican City, 26 (NE) Gathering yesterday with scientists from all over the world celebrating the Holy Year, Pope John Paul II encouraged the world of science to "participate with all your energy in the construction of a culture and a scientific project which evidences the presence and the providential intervention of God". The audience with the Holy Father closed the activities began last May 23, as part of the Jubilee of Scientists. Previous to the audience, participants had attended a Mass presided by Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

"Faith does not fear reason" the Holy Father stressed during his address. "If in the past the separation between faith and reason represented a drama for man who experienced the risk of losing his interior unity under the threat of ever more fragmented knowledge, your mission today consists in continuing to carry out research in the conviction that 'for the intelligent man all things are harmonized and reconciled'".

"Faith, for its part," he continued, "is able to integrate and assimilate every research, for all research, through a deeper understanding of created reality in all its specificity, gives man the possibility of discovering the Creator, source and goal of all things."

"The rich panorama of today's culture, at the dawn of the third millennium, opens unprecedented and promising perspectives in the dialogue between faith and science, as well as between philosophy and theology," the Pope further said. Before this reality, the Holy Father called scientists to assume their "great responsibility", having in mind that "any scientific approach needs and ethical support and a wise opening to a culture respectful of the demands of the individual".

Addressing the Pope, Cardinal Paul Poupard recalled the aim of the Jubilee of scientists, "which does not seek to revise the main duties that scientists and theologians must face before the world's needs". The aim is, the Cardinal stressed, "to celebrate Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, Redeemer of the world, who defined Himself as Way, Truth and Life. He is the Lord of the Cosmos and of History, the center of our Jubilee".

Harmony between faith and science is urgent, recalls Cardinal Poupard

Madrid, 26 (NE) The Jubilee of the Scientists celebrated in Rome since May 23 concluded yesterday with an audience with Pope John Paul II. This is a "landmark in the history of relations between science and faith," stated Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who recently underlined the need for greater harmony between faith and science as we face the third millennium. "To see many scientists from different countries and from all the disciplines gathered in Rome, next to the tomb of Saint Peter, is the best witness that between science and faith there is no incompatibility," he emphasized.

Regarding the celebration, in an interview published in the last edition of the Spanish weekly magazine "Alfa y Omega", the Cardinal stated that the aim of "this Jubilee of the world of investigation and science is not different from that which the Church proposes for the entire Holy Year: the glorification of the Trinity and the confirmation of today's Christians in the faith in the God revealed by Christ." Faith must be confirmed," he added, "not at the cost of faith and science, but in harmony with them; maintaining hope and avoiding the temptations of scientific reductionism, which pretends that science alone can solve all the problems of man, and substitutes transcendent hope."

Cardinal Poupard specially emphasized the "dimension of charity and service to man that scientific activity must have, particularly in the disciplines that more directly deal with men, such as medicine." "Science," he continued, "is not and cannot be a threat for faith… Christian revelation, stating that at the beginning there was the Logos, stands for creation's rationality, for its intelligibility and the capability that man has to understand it, even though in a limited way… Now, faith goes further and reaches what reason alone cannot reach. But this doesn't meant that it annuls reason."

"Science, ultimately, is the search for truth, and truth cannot be opposed to truth, says a principle continually repeated in Catholic tradition. The threat comes from the way it is used." "Today more than ever," concluded Cardinal Poupard, "it is necessary to announce the Gospel, the Good News that frees man from his fears and sustains him in his search for truth. The world needs to listen to this Good News, as do above all the scientists. And we have to announce it ceaselessly."

Costa Rica supports anti abortion position of the Holy See at the UN

San Jose, 26 (NE) The Costa Rican government ratified its position contrary to abortion this week, supporting a proposal of the Holy See at the United Nations (UN) regarding this issue. The local press informed that the Minister for the Condition of Woman, Gloria Valerin, ratified Costa Rica's support for the Vatican's proposal at the UN regarding abortion in order to correct aspects such as the interpretation of the concept of "Sexual Rights" and "formation of family", with which different international organisms pretend to legitimate abortion and other anti life positions. "The Vatican made an amendment due to the confusion in one of the paragraphs of a document that gathered positions regarding abortion," stated the Costa Rican Minister. Archbishop Roman Arrieta of San Jose expressed his satisfaction for the attitude of the Costa Rican government in supporting the initiative of the Holy See on the defense of life. "This ratifies the government's position against abortion. Citizens and different social sectors can therefore be at peace regarding this," added the Prelate.

Brazil: V Conference on Catholic Marketing

Sao Paulo, 26 (NE) The "V Conference on Catholic Marketing" finish yesterday in the city of Santos, Brazil. The event, organized by the Brazilian Institute of Catholic Marketing (IBMC), started on Monday and was attended by different authorities such as the Secretary of Publicity of the Presidency of the Republic, and well-known figures of marketing in Brazil and other countries. Archbishop Don Claudio Hummes of Sao Paulo and Bishop Don Fernando Figueiredo of Santo Amaro, current President of the IBMC, were also present. The "Conferences on Catholic Marketing" began four years ago, aiming to promote and teach modern marketing and communications techniques among Catholic institutions in order that they be applied in different areas. These include the apostolic work, the capacitating of their agents, and also the obtaining of resources.

MAY 25

Pope recalls presence of the Trinity in the Ascension

Vatican City, 25 (NE) Pope John Paul II continued yesterday his reflections about the mystery of the Trinity, speaking during the general audience about "the glory of the Trinity in the Ascension". Gathered at St. Peter's Square with thousands of pilgrims from different countries, the Holy Father recalled that "Christ after having travelled the road of history and after having entered the shadows of death, ...returns to the glory which from all eternity He has shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and He brings redeemed humanity with Him".

"Before the glorious Christ of the Ascension, we pause to contemplate the presence of the entire Trinity." In the Risen Christ's farewell to the Apostles, the Pontiff further said, "there appears, above all, the Father's plan of salvation, Who, in the Scriptures, had announced the death and resurrection of the Son, source of forgiveness and liberation." "However, in those same words of the Risen Christ, the Holy Spirit may also be discerned, whose presence will be a source of strength and apostolic witness. ... Consequently, the entire Trinity is present at the moment the Church comes into being."

"The Ascension is, then," the Holy Father concluded, "a Trinitarian epiphany that indicates the goal towards which individual and universal history travel. Although our mortal body dissolves in the dust of the earth, all our redeemed self reaches out towards heaven, towards God, following Christ as a guide."

US House approves Gold Medal for Pope John Paul II

Washington, 25 (NE) The US House of Representatives voted this week to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Pope John Paul II, in recognition of his contributions to peace and religious understanding. The legislation was passed with 416 votes in favor and one against, and the medal will be awarded to the Pope for encouraging "the freedom and dignity of every individual human being" and "using his moral authority to hasten the fall of godless totalitarian regimes." "Today we honor Pope John Paul II, who in his 20 years as leader of the Catholic Church has become pastor to the world, boldly proclaiming the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus Christ - and its message of love, hope, and reconciliation.", said Congressman Chris Smith, supporting the legislation awarding Pope John Paul II the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill directs President Clinton to determine the provisions by which the medal will be awarded. As it was announced, an inscription will be placed on the medal, and bronze duplicates will be also made, to be sold afterwards. Early this year, the Gold Medal was awarded to the late Cardinal John O'Connor, former Archbishop of New York.

Cardinal Carles: "That which harms the person is not progress"

Barcelona, 24 (NE) "There are many inhuman things that are currently accepted as normal. Here we will always disagree, even if they call us retrogrades," recently stated Cardinal Ricard Maria Carles, Archbishop of Barcelona, in an interview to Madrid's ABC newspaper. Noting the Church's teachings on moral matters, the Cardinal stated that "we have to distinguish between what is old and what is perennial. Defense of life and man's rationality, for example, are perennial… That which worsens the person, which makes the person vile, is not progress, it is a step backward," he added.

Asked about his opinion on the Catalan parliament's proposal to accept euthanasia, he answered that "some want to say that it means being pioneers, being advanced. No, this is a return to the cultures of thousand years ago." "The fact that we have more apt techniques," remarked the Cardinal, "doesn't mean progress. In fact, ill and elderly people come to our country because in their nations, where they have progressive laws, they don't know what is going to happen to them."

He also spoke about the misinformation that Spanish youth receive in sexual education. The Archbishop of Barcelona asked, "Have these specific educators and legislators got so little hope that young people will know how to behave respectfully to each other? Do they believe that they look for such an easy morality?" He then denounced that "the motivation to make children more responsible is never mentioned. Instead, ways to facilitate more irresponsible relationships are taught, and that is not to educate."

Mexico: Reconciliation on many levels is needed, states Cardinal Rivera

Mexico City, 25 (NE) Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico, in reference to previous declarations, noted the country's need for living an authentic reconciliation. "The reconciliation I have referred to must occur in the area of religion in the first place, but also in the areas of family, work, society, and not only in politics," he stated. "We have to see beyond these two months," he continued, "for we need reconciliation on many levels, and not only the political one." The Cardinal, commenting on the new Mexican saints, emphasized that they were witnesses of reconciliation, for "they forgave their executioners and urged reconciliation among Mexicans. I believe that we need this example of knowing how to forgive, knowing how to reconcile ourselves, now more than ever. Only in this way we will truly build a brotherhood among Mexicans."

Spain: Dialogue on Catholic teaching in Schools to restart

Madrid, 25 (NE) The secretary of the Spanish Bishop's Conference, Bishop Juan José Asenjo, announced that the dialogue with the government on religion classes in Spanish schools would begin again. The spokesman of the Bishop's Conference stated that "contact to begin the dialogue will begin with the different ministries this week" on the pending matters in Church-State relations, among them the classes of religion.

Bishop Asenjo, as on other occasions, expressed his hope that "a definitive, and hopefully satisfactory, solution to the matter of religion classes" will be reached. Following the Constitution and the Church-State agreements of 1979, the Spanish episcopate has been encouraging the acknowledgement that Catholic religious teaching deserves, a subject that hasn't been evaluated since some years ago. Tax allocations is another subject that will be discussed. But, as Bishop Asenjo stated, "even though the economic matter is important, for us much more is to reach a education in values for children."

Regarding the subject of religion in schools, Cardinal Ricard Maria Carles, Archbishop of Barcelona, recently stated that this subject is of "basic importance… Teaching human values is fundamental; this is something even non-believers understand. People talk about the right of parents to educate their children, but more important is the duty of parents to form their children adequately." We cannot have "youth that think that freedom is to do whatever you please. Freedom is to do what you have to do, for love, for conscience. But this is not what young people are told today. They have a chance to receive a good formation," he added.

MAY 24

Pope asks Italian Bishops to encourage New Evangelization

Rome, 24 (NE) New Evangelization must be a priority for the Church in Italy during the next years, said Pope John Paull II, in a message to Bishops in this country holding this week their general assembly in Collevalenza. New evangelization, the Pope wrote, "is certainly the pastoral priority for Italy, as for many other nations with a great and ancient Christian tradition that are under attack from the currents of secularization and de-Christianization."

Recalling that the Church in Italy is committed to a cultural project in order to take the Gospel to the different environments of society, the Pontiff stressed that an important tool of evangelization are the social communications media. "I trust these will become further consolidated as they give Italian Catholics the possibility to be daily present in the exchange of opinions and in the proposal of models of behavior, indispensable in today's society of 'global communication'", he emphasized.

Pope John Paul II also highlighted the commitment in favor of family, "based on marriage, which is the true pillar of social life in Italy", as an important theme for the new evangelization. "In the face of the grave and persistent drop in births that threatens the future of this nation", the Holy Father wrote, "it is especially important that the ecclesial community's formative work unite with political and legislative choices in order to promote the endorsement of human life and the respect of its inalienable dignity."

Colombia: Archbishop calls not to forget God during peace process

Cali, 24 (NE) Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali, Colombia, renewed his call to peace in Colombia, calling people in this country to unite through "works of justice and solidarity". Writing at the local daily "El Pais", the Prelate expressed the need for all Colombians to work together to transform "the tenebrous horizon into a dawn full of hope and peace". Nevertheless, the Archbishop warned, "we will not achieve this without God, without a serioius effort to cease violence and evil, and start a new life". Recalling the parable of the vine and the branches, the Archbishop of Cali urged faithful in Colombia to pray to God, so that "the union with Him may be the base for the union among the sons of these land" and our work "may bear many fruits of justice, holiness and peace".

Italy: Bishops begin general assembly

Rome, 24 (NE) Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar general of Pope John Paul II for the diocese of Rome and President of the Italian Bishop's Conference, inaugurated the general assembly of this country's episcopate on Monday, urging the Church in Italy to a greater evangelizing presence in society. Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Prelates from several countries of Europe and other continents were present at the openning ceremony.

In his inaugural speech, the Cardinal especially recalled the different initiatives and activities on occasion of the Holy Year that have taken place "centered in the person of Jesus Christ, in his presence in our time as well as in the mystery of his relationship with God the Father." Cardinal Ruini also talked about the main theme of the assembly, which will discuss the pastoral orientations of the Church in Italy for the next decade.

Affirming the need for an evangelizing presence in Italian society, the Cardinal also recalled the importance of pastoral work within the People of God in this country. Among different aspects to be stressed during the next years, the President of the Bishop's Conference named pastoral in schools, families, and the defense of every human being's dignity and life.

Mexico continues celebration for canonization of 27 saints

Mexico City, 24 (NE) The canonization of 27 new Mexican saints on Sunday has caused great joy throughout the country. This was specially felt in the villages in which these heroes of faith were born, where celebrations began during the weekend. The Archdiocese of Guadalajara, from where most of the canonized saints proceed, has programmed a series of celebrations for the coming days to express the joy and thankfulness of its people to the Lord.

The program will begin this Thursday afternoon with a solemn Mass presided over by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara. After this there will be peregrinations and other popular manifestations of faith through the city streets, which have been adorned with red and white banners, symbolizing martyrdom and holiness. In other towns in the country there will also be celebrations.

In Totatiche, where Saint Cristobal Magallanes was parish priest, there will be a novena and also the dawn Rosary at 5 a.m. Teúl de González Ortega, Matatlán, Zapotlanejo, Tototlán, San Juan de los Lagos, Yahualica, Nochistlán, Mechoacanejo, Tecolotlán y Cocula, will also celebrate the Church's acknowledgement of their children's holiness.

Elected Archbishop ordained five priests in New York's Cathedral

New York, 24 (NE) "Make of your life sacrifice and service, and I promise you all the fulfillment and happiness one can have this side of heaven." With these words, Archbishop elect Edward Egan of New York, exhorted the new five presbyters to fidelity during a celebration held last Saturday.

The Mass took place at St. Patrick's Cathedral, marking the first Mass the Prelate celebrates in this temple after being named Archbishop of New York. During the celebration, Archbishop Egan expressed his joy for the consecration of these new presbyters, saying that "there could be no Mass that I would more joyfully celebrate here at the cathedral." Archbishop Egan will take possession as Archbishop of New York on June 19.

In an article published this week, the "New York Times" emphasized the work of Archbishop Egan promoting vocations to the priesthood in Bridgeport, where he was Bishop before being named to New York. There, Bishop Egan ordained a higher proportion of priests than any other diocese in the Northeast, according to the New York Times. His strategy for this "vigorous recruitment" of priests, noted the Times, has not been the softening of requirements, but the proposal of a revalorization of the liturgy and the orthodox doctrine of the Church.

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