 |
WEDNESDAY April 26, 2000 vol. 11, no. 82 SECTION THREESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
e-mail: webmaster@dailycatholic.org |
|
| ||||
"For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world" will ring loud and clear from the Vatican this Sunday - Divine Mercy Sunday. And it will be more special this year because the Holy Father will canonize fellow Pole Sister Faustina Kowalska and, because of the importance and expected influx of pilgrims for this special event, Vatican officials are preparing for the onslaught of crowds. Among the thousands who will crowd St. Peter's Square for the canonization ceremonies will be five women representing the new contemplative Institute of Divine Mercy which is a fulfillment of all Jesus asked of Faustina during her life and which is now fulfilled through her intercession in Heaven. continued inside
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The city of Rome is bracing for a huge influx of
pilgrims who are expected to arrive-- particularly from Poland-- for the
April 30 canonization of Blessed Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun who
popularized the Divine Mercy devotion.
Blessed Faustina, who died in Krakow in 1938, was beatified by Pope John
Paul II on April 18, 1993. She became famous first in Poland, then around
the world, for receiving a request from Jesus that the first Sunday after
Easter should be observed as Divine Mercy Sunday. Her canonization will
take place on that feast this year.
Born on August 25, 1905, as the third of six children born into a poor family
in Glogowiec, Faustina Kowalska entered religious life at the age of 20. As a
member of the congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, she worked in several
different convents as a cook, gardener, or porter. On February 22, 1931,
while she was stationed at a convent in Plock, she received a vision in which
Jesus Christ appeared to her, asking for the celebration of Divine Mercy
Sunday. The picture of Christ as Blessed Faustina saw him-- clothed in white,
with one hand raised in blessing and the other touching his heart-- has also
become famous throughout the world.
In subsequent revelations, Blessed Faustina reported that Jesus had called
for the recitation of the Divine Mercy rosary, including prayers for those
guilty of grave sins, and other prayers that are specific to the feast. At 3 in
the afternoon, observers are asked to prayer for sinners, contemplating the
death of Jesus, which occurred at that time of the day.
Blessed Faustina died on October 5, 1938, several months after receiving a
final revelation regarding the Divine Mercy observance. Her body remains at
the Krakow convent where she died, along with the picture of Jesus as she
saw him, as objects of veneration.
The United States Supreme Court, which in truth has no clue that there is a higher SUPREME COURT, is hearing arguments in the first major case involving abortion since its infamous Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. The case involves Nebraska's ban on partial-birth abortions. The outcome, either way, will drastically alter the laws in other states. We can only pray that the Infinite Supreme Judge above will enlighten the minds of the nine finite judges...perhaps asking that the nine choirs of angels surround them in their decision, a decision that will affect the lives of millions of unborn children. continued inside.
WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - The US Supreme Court on
Tuesday began hearing oral arguments in the first major
case involving abortion since a landmark decision in 1992.
The current case involves a Nebraska law banning
partial-birth abortions and could affect laws in 30 states
as well as bans pending in state legislatures and the US
Congress.
Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg told the court the
law is intended to draw "a bright line between abortion and
infanticide." But lawyers representing the Nebraska
abortionist challenging the law said it is "so broadly
written it could prohibit most second-trimester abortions"
and could lead to making all abortions "more dangerous for
women."
Justices David Souter and John Paul Stevens, who upheld the
constitutionality of abortion in the 1992 Planned Parenthood
vs. Casey decision, also doubted the constitutionality of
the Nebraska ban, as did Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen
Breyer who joined the court after 1992. Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and
Clarence Thomas seemed to lean toward upholding the ban,
mirroring their dissent from the majority opinion in 1992.
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy
appeared to be the swing votes, although they also voiced
concerns about the breadth of the Nebraska law. The court's
decision is expected by late June.
While the Supreme Court is poring over the partial-birth abortion decision, there is consternation in Ohio after a Federal Appeals Court declared the motto "With God, all things are possible" unconstitutional. You've got to be kidding?!! It's true, after decades the Buckeye motto is no longer applicable in the politically correct godless society! The ACLU brought it to the attention of a few and a liberal Presbyterian minister signed on with satan to challenge the motto despite protests from countless Christians. What would our founding fathers or those who first established the state of Ohio think? For that matter, what does God think about the fact that He is no longer applicable? One thing we do know for sure, "With God all things are possible!"continued inside.
CINCINNATI (CWNews.com) - A federal appeals court on
Tuesday ruled Ohio's state motto, "With God, all things are
possible," is an unconstitutional government endorsement of
religion.
A panel of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that
the words had no secular purpose and was an endorsement of
Christianity, since the words were taken from the Gospel of
Matthew. The phrase has been Ohio's motto since 1959.
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the motto and
a 1998 decision by a federal judge in Columbus that allowed
the motto to be displayed as long as it does not state it
comes from the Bible. The state argued that the motto does
not compel people to believe anything and that to some
people it would not have a religious connotation.
The ACLU represented the plaintiff, the Rev. Matthew
Peterson, a Presbyterian minister in Cleveland, who
objected to the use of the motto. It appears on the
secretary of state's stationery, state reports, and state
tax returns, as well as a bronze plaque in a plaza at the
entrance of the Statehouse in Columbus.
As Our Lady and the Holy Father appeal for peace throughout the world, Father Ruel Gallardo, a Claretian missionary being held hostage by Muslim terrorists in southern part of the Philippines on the island of Basilan, is also pleading for peace beginning with the Filipino military's withdrawal from around the compound in the mountainside encampment where the rebels hold 27 Catholics hostage. Fr. Gallardo made his plea via radio, stating that if the soldiers do not retreat all the hostages, including 22 children, are liable to be either killed by beheadings or the artillery from military bombing for the terrorists are using them as human shields. He has asked that both sides negotiate in good faith in order to resolve this sensitive and volatile crisis. continued inside.
ZAMBOANGO, Philippines (CWNews.com) - A priest being held
hostage by an extremist Muslim rebel group on Tuesday
appealed for the Philippine government to end a military
attack on the rebels' camp.
Claretian Father Ruel Gallardo told a local radio station
the captives, including 22 children, were in danger of
being killed in the artillery bombardment. "We are all
scared, we will die from the bombings," he said. "If you
want us to be released, let us do it peacefully through
negotiations, not through bombings. It is not only bullets
that will kill us but also terror."
He also appealed for the government to give in to the
rebels' demands, including the release of three Islamic
terrorists in jail in the United States. The US has refused
to release the three, including the cleric Ramzi Yousef who
was convicted of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing in New York. "Whatever the group's demands are,
give it to them," Father Gallardo said. "Withdrawal of the
military is the number one need right now if you want to
save our lives." It was unclear whether the priest was
expressing his own opinions or was to forced to read from a
rebel script.
Last month, the Abu Sayyaf rebel group kidnapped more than
70 children and teachers from two Catholic schools in the
southern Philippines, releasing most within several days.
However, 29 of the hostages were still being held until
last week when the rebels beheaded two adult male teachers
as a "birthday present" for President Joseph Estrada. The
army began an attack on the rebels' mountain stronghold on
Monday in an effort to free the captives.
A military spokesman said the rebels appeared to be using
the hostages as human shields, hiding in underground
shelters while forcing the captives to stay in a hut above
ground. Abu Sayyaf is one of several Muslim groups fighting
to establish a separate Islamic homeland in southern area of
the mainly Catholic Philippines.
Meanwhile in Africa, the Bishops of Zimbabwe have offered an appeal for peace in that warring region, which has not known peace for decades. The call to reconciliation is one of the major themes for this Jubilee Year and is a call for all of us to join in making reconciliation in our own lives. All are asked to so that our prayers may be more powerful in bringing peace to nations where peace does not exist. The twentieth century has already seen its record number of martyrs. continued inside.
ROME, APR 24 (ZENIT.org).- In a country torn by war and political
vengeance, the Bishops of Zimbabwe made a unanimous appeal for
reconciliation among warring parties in celebration of Easter. Only a
common endeavor will permit a solution to the disagreements and problems
"that cannot be resolved by violence."
Farmers need more land, the city's poor need better housing, and
unemployed youth need opportunities for work. But this is not all:
national laws must protect the population from every form of abuse;
courts must be respected; electors and candidates must not be the object
of violence or intimidation and, in addition, international agencies in
Zimbabwe must fulfill their duty "without fear and, above all, without
favoritism," the Bishops stressed.
The Bishops conclude that there is a need for reconciliation, which
posits a more equitable distribution of land as the first imperative.
Land is the national economy's first resource; "it is limited, cannot be
produced or multiplied. It can only be subdivided in such a way that all
citizens benefit adequately," stressed the Bishops.
ZE00042403
While persecutions continue throughout the world from the Philippines to China, from Zimbabwe to the Sudan, another kind of persecution is continuing unabated in London where the annual pilgrimage to Tyburn honoring over 100 martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries will soon come to an end due to the almighty dollar, or, in this case, the British pound. This traditional pilgrimage is being stifled by street merchants and shop owners along Oxford Street, the main route of the pilgrimage. Those who take part in the pilgrimage are very aware that a pound of flesh isn't worth anything compared to the immortal soul and its eternal home. They learned that from the 100 Catholic martyrs for the Faith whom they honor. continued inside.
LONDON (CWNews.com) - The annual pilgrimage to Tyburn in
central London where more than 100 martyrs were hanged,
drawn, and quartered in the 16th and 17th centuries is to
be axed following complaints that it disrupts shopping in
Oxford Street.
For the last century, hundreds of pilgrims have followed
the two-mile route from the Old Bailey to Marble Arch along
which the martyrs were dragged on hurdles or taken by cart
to a gruesome death at the gallows. But this year's walk,
next Sunday, will be the last.
Organizers are under pressure from police to reroute the
procession away from Oxford Street, which has become
increasingly busy on weekends. And they feel that if they
can no longer walk in the footsteps of the martyrs, the
event loses much of its significance.
Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood, who is one of the
leaders of this year's Great Jubilee walk, said it had
become a "casualty of our age."
"It is very regrettable," he told The Daily Telegraph. "It
is a sign of the growing secularism and commercialism of
our age, exemplified by such things as Sunday opening. Life
today is full of so many things, but it is good to have time
to pause and remember. We all respect the tremendous
integrity of the martyrs and, of course, many Protestants
as well as Catholics died during those times. In many parts
of the world, there is more martyrdom now than ever before."
Mother John Baptist, a 77-year-old nun at Tyburn convent
near the site of the executions, at Marble Arch, said the
news had come as "a great blow" to her cloistered community.
"In the past people used to stream to Tyburn to see the
executions," she said. "Now people stream here from all
over the world to visit the shrine of the martyrs. People
are being attacked in different ways today. You don't have
to risk your life, but you can be jeered at for honoring
the martyrs."
Turkey's Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II has invited the Holy Father to visit the Turkish people next year in a statement made on Easter Sunday. While Muslims are the majority religious sect within Turkey, there are many Armenian Catholics and the area is privileged to be the keeper of such holy sites as Ep;hesus. The Holy See has not yet announced a response but they were entertaining a large contingent of Armenians including the former Armenian Catholic Patriarch during the Armenian Jubilee on Monday. continued inside.
ISTANBUL (CWNews.com) - Turkey's Armenian patriarch invited
Pope John Paul II to visit his country in the next year as
he delivered his Easter message Sunday.
Patriarch Mesrob II, spiritual leader of Turkey's Armenian
community of around 50,000, said: "We hope the Pope will
come to Turkey, as he went to Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and
Israel, to experience the hospitality of the Turkish people
for himself," the patriarchate said in a statement received
by Reuters on Monday.
Most of the 65 million Turks are Muslim with Armenian
Christians making up the second largest religious group.
Turkey is the site of several key biblical sites, including
Ephesus, to whose Christians St. Paul wrote his epistle,
where St. John the Evangelist was bishop, and where the
Virgin Mary lived for some years with John after the
resurrection, according to tradition.
The day after the invitation, the former Armenian Catholic Patriarch of
Cilicia, Jean-Pierre XVIII Kasparian, led the Jubilee celebration of the
Armenian Catholic Church at the Vatican on April 24.
The date chosen for that celebration coincided with the day on which
Armenians all around the world commemorate the genocidal massacres of
1915 and thereafter, which wiped out a substantial portion of their people.
(Over 1 million Armenians were killed in concentration camps or died of
hunger and disease between 1915 and 1918, as the "Young Turks" of the
Ottoman Empire forcibly moved the entire Armenian population from their
original homeland on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to a new land on
the other side of modern-day Turkey, just south of Georgia and east of
Azerbaijan.)
About 300 members of Rome's small Armenian Catholic community
participated in the Easter Monday ceremonies at the Vatican, with a
procession through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, and a celebration of
the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian rite, in the smaller church of St. Anne.
The Armenian Catholic Church traces her origins back to the Crusades, when
the Christian armies made their way through Armenia on their way to the
Holy Land. There are about 345,000 Armenian Catholics in the world today;
the Armenian Apostolic Church, which broke from Rome at the time of the
Council of Chalcedon in 451, is much larger, with about 6 million faithful.
The Armenian Catholic Church is headed by a patriarch, whose base is now
in Beirut. Patriarch Jean-Pierre XVIII Kasparian held that post from 1982
until his retirement last year. In October 1999 the Armenian Synod elected
his successor, Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX.
For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and the Dossiers, features and Daily Dispatches from ZENIT International News Agency CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC, but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.
