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June 6, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 11Oakland,
CA
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Impending
humanitarian disaster RNS PHOTO/REUTERS/Antony Njuguna |
‘Right to know’ initiative qualifies for vote
SACRAMENTO – The Parents Right-to-Know initiative,
requiring that parents be notified before an abortion is performed on
their minor daughter, has qualified for the next statewide election ballot.
Voters could decide on the initiative as early as this fall if Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger calls a special election. If that doesn’t happen,
the initiative will appear on the primary election ballot in June 2006.
House resolution honors U.S.
nun slain in Brazil
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved
a resolution May 23 honoring the life and work of Notre Dame Sister Dorothy
Stang, an advocate of human rights and land reform, who was murdered in
Brazil in February. The resolution, which goes to the Senate for consideration,
noted Sister Stang’s commitment to “taking a stand with the
poor people, especially women and children, in the most abandoned places,
and commiting her one and only life to work with others to create justice
and peace for all.”
Portland wins extension on sex
abuse claims
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris has given
the Archdiocese of Portland an extension until Nov. 15 to file a plan
to pay the claims of sex-abuse plaintiffs and other creditors.
The archdiocese wanted the extension on its bankruptcy reorganization
plan so it could complete the first round of mediation on the claims,
estimate the extent of future claims, resolve disputes with its insurance
companies over claims coverage, and determine whether parish property
belongs to the archdiocese.
K of C gives $1 million for Catholics
in military
NEW HAVEN, CT (RNS) – Concerned that there are not enough Catholic
chaplains in the armed forces, the Knights of Columbus will spend $1 million
on “do-it-yourself” materials to meet the spiritual needs
of Catholic military men and women.
The “Catholics Seeking Christ” programs are designed to augment
the work of Catholic chaplains by providing “bottom-up” materials,
such as DVDs, CD-ROMs and Web sites.
Pope appeals for more aid to
support Africa’s needs
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to the international
community to increase its support of Africa’s needs, and encouraged
Catholic organizations to continue their “generous attention”
to the continent’s people.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the beloved people of Africa.
I encourage our Catholic institutions to continue giving generous attention
to their needs, and I hope and pray that the international community will
become ever more involved in the problems of the African continent,”
he said May 25, speaking in English.
The pope’s remarks drew cheers from groups of Africans — some
in colorful costumes — gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
After the audience, the pope met with the Burkina Faso President Blaise
Compaore, Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Toure and Prime Minister
Themba Dlamini of Swaziland on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The African leaders were in Rome for meetings of the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization.
Baptists seek to gain 50,000
Hispanics
ATLANTA (RNS) – A Southern Baptist task force has urged leaders
of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to take “unprecedented”
measures to evangelize the growing number of Hispanics in the U.S. Goals
include baptizing more than 50,000 Hispanic converts by 2010 and starting
250 new Hispanic churches each year during that same period.
Pope chides Spain for government
policies
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – Pope Benedict XVI told Spanish bishops that
he prays the traditional family will survive attempts to “degrade
its dignity and attack its freedom” in Spain, once one of Europe’s
most Catholic countries.
In a May 23 letter to the bishops, the pontiff did not refer directly
to the government of Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
but he made clear that he strongly opposes new laws liberalizing divorce
and abortion and legalizing same-sex marriages.
Bush affirms ‘culture of
life’ at prayer breakfast
WASHINGTON (RNS) – More than 1,500 Catholics from across the country
attending the second annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast May 20
heard President Bush ask for their prayers and affirm “a culture
of life.”
During his brief remarks, President Bush referred several times to the
late Pope John Paul II, who died April 2. “The best way to honor
this great champion of human freedom is to continue to build a culture
of life where the strong protect the weak,” he said.
The president also praised Pope John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict
XVI, for his condemnation of the “tyranny of relativism.”
The president was greeted by a protracted standing ovation in the nearly
full ballroom. A group of young men wore red T-shirts emblazoned with
large lettering that read “You can’t be Catholic and Pro-Abortion.”
They cheered and hollered, with one standing on his chair for a better
view.
