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Disaster in Pakistan
A man wades through receding flood waters in
Nowshera, Pakistan, Aug. 2, after floods caused by a week of heavy
rain in northwestern Pakistan left more than 1,200 people dead. Catholic
Relief Services and other Church aid workers were trying to reach
hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the floods.
CNS PHOTO/FAISAL MAHMOOD/REUTERS |
The pilgrims’ walk
Two pilgrims walk the Way of St. James in Villafranca
Montes de Oca, near the town of Burgos, Spain, as thousands of pilgrims
make their way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, where the
remains of St. James the Greater are believed to be entombed. Pilgrims
make this ancient trek especially around his July 25 feast.
CNS PHOTO/FELIX ORDONEZ/REUTERS
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Vatican upholds bishops’
right to close any parish
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Canon law — the legal rules that guide
Church operations and decision-making — allows a local bishop to
close any parish as long as his decision is made with the best interests
of the entire diocese in mind. The responsibilities of a bishop regarding
the opening or closing of a parish are covered in Canon 515, which was
cited in a recent series of decrees issued by a panel of the Supreme Court
of the Apostolic Signature, the church’s highest court, in deciding
the appeals of 10 closed parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston.
 San Mateo pastor named S.F. auxiliary bishop
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. Robert W. McElroy
(right), pastor of St. Gregory Parish in San Mateo, as an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Bishop-designate McElroy, 56, formerly
served as vicar for administration of the San Francisco Archdiocese and
has been at St. Gregory’s since 1996. Archbishop Niederauer is scheduled
to ordain him a bishop Sept. 7 in San Francisco’s Cathedral of St.
Mary of the Assumption.
Vatican euro coins put into public circulation
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For the first time since the Vatican adopted
the euro currency in 2002, the Vatican has begun to put some of its coins
into public circulation. However, the likelihood that Rome visitors will
find coins depicting Pope Benedict XVI is still slim since storekeepers
only within the walls of Vatican City are distributing them.
Two million 50-cent coins minted in 2010 were earmarked for public circulation
after representatives of the Vatican and the European Union signed an
agreement in Brussels in December. The accord allowed the Vatican to more
than double the monetary value of the coins it issues, but also required
the Vatican to put a large chunk of its coins into circulation. For years,
the vast majority of Vatican euro coins were sold as sets to collectors
for 30 euros ($38) each, although some Vatican employees had an opportunity
to buy rolls of the coins at face value.
In mid-July, Vatican City stores and businesses — such as the gas
station, post office, pharmacy and grocery store — began distributing
50-cent coins with their change, with a limit of two coins per customer.
Only the 50-cent coin will be put into public circulation, said media
reports.
Catholic professor back at University of Illinois
WASHINGTON (CNS) — A Catholic professor barred from teaching courses
on Catholicism after he defended in class the Church’s teaching
on homosexual behavior has been reinstated by the University of Illinois.
Kenneth Howell, an adjunct professor in the university’s religious
studies department, learned of the decision July 29.
Howell was dismissed in May following the spring term after a student
described as “hate speech” his explanation of the Church’s
teaching that homosexual acts are morally wrong.
Priest, 80, murdered in Oaxaca, Mexico
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (CNS) — An 80-year-old priest was murdered July
28 in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, where Church officials say
attacks on prelates have become distressingly common. Father Carlos Salvador
Wotto, pastor of the Our Lady of the Snows Parish in the central part
of the state capital, Oaxaca, was found bound and gagged in his living
quarters beside the church.
The Oaxaca state attorney general told reporters that Father Wotto died
of asphyxiation and that robbery was the probable motive. The newspaper
El Universal quoted parishioners saying that Father Wotto had been stabbed.
Officials were not certain if organized crime was to blame for Father
Wotto’s death. Political observers say priests in the poor, but
culturally rich state with a large indigenous population are often at
odds with municipal governments, which are dominated by local strongmen
known as caciques.
Argentina legalizes same-sex marriage
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNS) — Despite opposition from the Catholic
Church and family groups, Argentina became the first Latin American country
to legalize same-sex marriage. By a 33-27 vote with three abstentions,
the Senate passed a bill that had already been approved by the lower house.
Although the bill was supported by the government of President Cristina
Fernandez, voting did not follow party lines.
Outside the national congress, thousands of people demonstrated —
for and against the bill. Catholics — from elderly nuns to schoolchildren
— protested on the street in sub-zero temperatures and caused traffic
chaos in downtown Buenos Aires.
Vatican budgets remain in the red
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Major renovations, infrastructure upgrades
and a sluggish global economy left the Vatican City State budget in the
red; however, donations to the pope were up from recent years. The 2009
fiscal period marked the third year in a row that Vatican expenses outpaced
revenues.
The budget of Vatican City State, which includes the Vatican Museums and
post office, ended 2009 with a deficit of $9.8 million, the Vatican said
in notes on the budgets released July 10. The separate budget of the Holy
See, which includes the offices of the Roman Curia, finished 2009 with
a registered deficit of more than $5.15 million.
Chinese bishop released after 15 months detention
HONG KONG (CNS) — Chinese Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding
was released July 7 after 15 months in detention. The bishop celebrated
an evening Mass for his flock immediately on his return to Christ the
King Cathedral in Wuqiu village, near Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei
province.
He also made a point of stating that he had not accepted the Chinese Catholic
Patriotic Association, nor the authority of the Bishops’ Conference
of the Catholic Church in China, which are government-approved church
bodies. In a press release issued by the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation,
Bishop Jia emphasized that “he was and always would be firmly adhered
to the leadership of the Holy Father.”
Two other Hebei prelates — Bishops James Su Zhemin of Baoding and
Cosmas Shi Enxiang of Yixian — have been held in detention since
1997 and 2001, respectively. Their whereabouts have been unknown for years.
Hawaii gov. vetoes bill for same-sex civil unions
HONOLULU (CNS) — Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle announced she would veto
a bill that would have established civil unions in Hawaii, stating that
she believed the legislation was “essentially (same-sex) marriage
by another name.” Soon after the announcement, the Hawaii Catholic
Conference and the Hawaii Family Forum issued a joint statement praising
the governor’s decision. Earlier, Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva had
urged Hawaii Catholics to pray for a veto.
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