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November
20, 2006 • VOL. 44, NO. 20 • Oakland, CA
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Renovation CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC |
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Unusual CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO |
British army, police collusion
in Irish deaths
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- An international panel of human rights lawyers
found evidence of British army and police collusion in the deaths of 74
Catholics in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland between 1972
and 1977. The panel was headed by Douglas Cassel, a law professor at the
University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He said the families of the victims
want to know “why were members of their family targeted, and by
whom and at what level was it approved?” he said. The families also
are asking the British government to publicly acknowledge the collusion
and apologize.
Churches
urge nations to remedy emissions debt
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- A coalition of African Catholic and Protestant
churches attending a U.N. conference on climate change urged industrialized
nations to compensate poor nations for carbon emissions. Describing industrialized
countries as “environmental debtors” to the poorer countries,
the churches said that, to restore balance, urgent action is needed on
the part of industrialized countries.
The churches said industrialized countries must stabilize global carbon
emissions by significantly reducing those emissions to bring the climate
budget under control. Individual companies and governments must share
in this responsibility, they added.
Group
wants eBay to prohibit sale of relics
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A California group is advocating a boycott of eBay
unless the online auction house enforces its own rules against selling
body parts to prohibit the sale of saints’ relics. “They’ve
had opportunities to stop the sales, and they don’t even enforce
their own regulations,” said Tom Serafin, founder and president
of the International Crusade for Holy Relics. According to Serafin, even
a “cursory search” of the popular site will turn up dozens
of relics “often purporting to be the bones of saints” for
sale.
Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman, said Nov. 6 that the auction site
is aware of the organized boycott and that officials from eBay have had
conversations with representatives from the International Crusade for
Holy Relics in the past, but not recently and so were surprised at the
boycott call. England said eBay does enforce its policies against selling
certain human body parts such as bones and organs, but that other items
that are legal to buy and sell in the United States are allowed to be
sold on the site.
Congress
urged to act on bill to aid Haiti
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. religious leaders are urging members of Congress
to pass a bill to aid Haitian trade access when they reconvene after the
midterm elections. A coalition of churches wrote to members of Congress
urging them to pass the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership
Encouragement Act of 2006, known as the HOPE Act, which would give Haiti
preferential trade access. It is “a critical step that will attract
investment in Haiti, create jobs and help tackle Haiti’s crippling
poverty and instability,” said the letter.
Caritas
Korea gets OK from North Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- With the agreement of the North Korean government,
Caritas Korea is leading Caritas Internationalis’ aid program to
the communist country. Caritas Korea has the responsibility to help approximately
5 million poor North Koreans. Caritas Korea staffers will meet with their
North Korean counterparts on behalf of Caritas Internationalis, plan and
implement aid programs, receive donations from local and overseas sources
and cooperate with other Caritas Internationalis members and supporters.
Pope
buys first bond for children’s immunizations
LONDON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI was the official first buyer of a multi-government
bond supporting a campaign to immunize 500 million children in the world’s
poorest countries. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, picked up the pope’s $1,000 bond
during a Nov. 7 ceremony in London.
Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, British Chief Rabbi
Jonathan Sacks, U2 singer Bono, and leaders of Britain’s Muslim,
Hindu and Sikh communities also participated in the ceremony and purchased
bonds from the International Finance Facility for Immunization.
Patriarch
says U.S. could guarantee Israel’s survival
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- As violence increased in the Holy Land, the top Catholic
official in Jerusalem said the survival of Israel could be guaranteed
if the U.S. government were to change its policy toward the region. “The
main question for the U.S. administration and for Israel is survival,”
said Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem . “But if the U.S.
wants Israel to survive, to be recognized, then it should take measures
to surround Israel with friends. But current U.S. policy is surrounding
Israel with enemies. That’s not the way to protect your friend.”
Israeli forces moved into the Gaza Strip Nov. 1 in an effort to halt rocket
assaults on southern Israel. Five days of Israeli air raids and gunfire
left nearly 50 people dead. Patriarch Sabbah said the United States and
Israel were provoking conflict and that the Palestinians were reacting
to Israeli oppression.
Vatican
official against Hussein death penalty
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The head of the Vatican’s justice and peace
office said it would be wrong to carry out the death penalty against Saddam
Hussein. The former Iraqi president was sentenced to death by hanging
Nov. 5 in a case involving the deaths of 148 Iraqis in 1982.
Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace, said, “For me, to punish a crime with another crime,
such as killing out of vengeance, means that we are still at the stage
of ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’”
The cardinal said both Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical, “Evangelium
Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”), and the Catechism of
the Catholic Church teach that modern societies have the means to protect
citizens from the threat of a murderer without resorting to execution.
Bishops’
president joins in condemning torture
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Declaring that “the soul of our nation”
is at stake, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other
religious leaders have called for an end to the use of torture and inhumane
treatment of prisoners. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash.,
was among leaders joining in a statement coordinated by the National Religious
Campaign Against Torture. Signers of the statement included Jewish, Muslim,
Orthodox and other Christian leaders.
Carmelites
settle abuse suits for $10 million
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Carmelites and the Los Angeles Archdiocese have
reached a $10 million settlement with seven people who say that when they
were minors they were sexually molested by members of the order in California.
Two accused priests still living, Fathers Dominic Savino and John Knoernschild,
have been removed from all public ministry and two other U.S. Carmelites
accused in the cases are dead.
Nicaragua
outlaws all abortions
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (CNS) -- The Nicaraguan legislature has amended the
country’s penal code to prohibit abortion even in cases where the
mother’s life is in danger. The measure, passed Oct. 26, makes Nicaraguan
legislation on abortion among the strictest in Latin America. Before the
new law, abortion was permitted in the case of rape or incest or to save
the life of the mother.
