Nominated as ambassador
Miguel Diaz, a Catholic theologian and professor of theology at the
College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, both in Collegeville,
Minn., has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become ambassador
to the Vatican. The Cuban-born Diaz, 45, is a board member of the
Catholic Theological Society of America and former president of the
Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States.
CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF ST.
JOHN’S SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY-SEMINARY |
Pro-life leaders condemn murder
of abortion doctor
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pro-life advocates universally condemned the
May 31 murder of a Kansas abortion doctor, with officials from several
U.S. right-to-life groups saying such extreme acts only hurt the pro-life
cause.
Dr. George Tiller, 67, of Wichita, Kan., was fatally shot while serving
as an usher at the city’s Formation Lutheran Church during morning
services. A suspect in the shooting, identified as Scott Roeder, 51, was
being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts
of aggravated assault. Tiller’s clinic is one of just a few in the
nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy.
Speaking on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal
Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the bishops’ Committee
on Pro-Life Activities, expressed profound regret upon learning of Tiller’s
shooting death. “Our bishops’ conference and all its members
have repeatedly and publicly denounced all forms of violence in our society,
including abortion as well as the misguided resort to violence by anyone
opposed to abortion,” Cardinal Rigali said in a June 1 statement.
Pope John Paul II’s beatification delayed
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The beatification of Pope John Paul II may
be delayed as the Vatican seeks more documentation regarding his almost
27 years as pope, Italian newspapers reported in late May.
According to the newspaper La Stampa, the chief holdup regards hundreds
of letters he wrote before and after his election to Wanda Poltawska,
a longtime friend and adviser to the pope.
Meanwhile, the newspaper Il Giornale, reported that a commission of theologians
meeting in mid-May decided the information contained in the official “positio,”
or position paper, was not complete enough. In particular, the newspaper
cited the fact that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state under Pope
John Paul, and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, his deputy at the time, had not
given testimony in the case.
La Stampa published an interview with Poltawska June 1 in which she said
she met Father Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, in 1950 when she was looking
for a confessor and spiritual director to guide her in the long process
of recovering from her internment as a political prisoner in the Nazis’
Ravensbruck concentration camp, where medical experiments were performed
on prisoners.
Stem-cell campaign runs beyond comment period
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Although the 30-day period for public comment
on the National Institutes of Health’s draft guidelines for funding
of embryonic stem-cell research has ended, the U.S. bishops are continuing
their campaign urging members of Congress not to permit such funding.
Through its website, the bishops’ conference and its affiliated
organization, the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment, directed
9,436 comments to NIH about the draft guidelines before the May 26 close
of the public comment period. An NIH official said more than 48,000 comments
were received in all on the draft guidelines during the comment period.
The draft guidelines would allow the use of federal funds for embryonic
stem-cell research only on embryos created for reproductive purposes at
in vitro fertilization clinics and no longer needed for that purpose.
Catholic schools closed after suicide bombing
LAHORE, Pakistan (CNS) — Several Catholic-run schools have been
closed indefinitely after a suicide bomb attack near Sacred Heart Cathedral,
May 27. The blast killed 35 people, injured around 250 others, and damaged
buildings in the nearby cathedral compound. No students were injured.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing,
saying in messages on Turkish Web sites that the attack was in retaliation
against Pakistani forces fighting Taliban militants in the Swat Valley.
The claim could not be verified.
Court orders release of sealed abuse documents
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CNS) — Bridgeport diocesan officials said they
were reviewing their options after a May 22 ruling by the Connecticut
Supreme Court to make public sealed documents from settled sexual abuse
lawsuits filed against priests in the Bridgeport Diocese. The 4-1 ruling
involves the release of documents from 23 lawsuits against six priests
settled in 2001.
In 2006, a Superior Court ruled that the files should be released but
the diocese appealed the decision. The Supreme Court’s decision
to release the files would not take effect until it was published in the
Connecticut Law Journal June 2.
Irish religious orders talk about abuse victim support
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — Representatives of the 18 religious orders
implicated in the physical and sexual abuse of children in their care
were scheduled to meet Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen June 3 to discuss
ways to provide additional support and assistance to abuse survivors.
The same day, Cowen also will meet with groups representing victims who
attended the government residential institutions between 1940 and the
late 1970s.
The meetings follow recent public statements that the orders would not
renegotiate a controversial 2002 deal in which they received indemnity
from being sued by victims who attended the church-run institutions in
exchange for contributing to a victims compensation fund.
Already, several of the religious orders have said that they plan to devote
additional resources to compensating abuse victims. But none has expressed
willingness to revisit the 2002 agreement under which the orders promised
to donate 128 million euros ($179 million) to a 1.18 billion euro government
compensation fund for survivors.
On May 27 the Dail, the lower house of the Irish Parliament, unanimously
passed a motion calling on the 18 religious congregations to make additional
financial contributions to abuse victims.
Vatican condemns North Korean nuke test
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has condemned the latest round
of nuclear testing and missile launching by North Korea, warning that
these acts of aggression threaten “the very survival” of the
country’s own people by exacerbating its isolation.
North Korea drew swift and angry international condemnation after announcing
May 25 that it had successfully performed a nuclear experiment. Seismic
equipment registered a small blast in the eastern portion of the country.
Three short-range missiles were then launched into the Sea of Japan. The
following day, May 26, two more missiles were launched off the country’s
eastern coast.
Vatican Radio begins to accept advertising
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For the first time in its nearly 80-year history,
Vatican Radio is opening up to advertising in the hopes of easing the
strain on its budget. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of Vatican
Radio, said the use of satellites and the Internet will allow the radio
to overcome obstacles that had previously made advertising impossible.
Now many smaller, local Catholic-oriented stations are able to pick up
and re-transmit Vatican Radio programs, making advertising more feasible
and attractive to potential advertisers.
Kidnapping, extortion plague migrants in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (CNS) — A report released by the Mexican Diocese of
Saltillo says that abuses such as kidnapping and extortion by organized
crime groups have become the most serious problem for undocumented Central
Americans traveling through the country. The report also says that government
organizations, police officers and guards working for private security
companies continue violating the human rights of migrants and continue
ignoring complaints that highlight allegations of improper and possibly
illegal conduct.
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