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MONDAY January 24, 2000 vol. 11, no. 16 SECTION FOURSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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WORLD WIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant continued:
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In an event that could begin the fallout of Christian television as we know it in the USA, a Christian broadcasting company did not renew their license because of unfair new restrictions placed on religious programming that declares it "uneducational" which would include Catholic devotional programming such as the Mass. continued inside.
PITTSBURGH, JAN 21 (ZENIT).- In reaction to an FCC ruling limiting
religious program, Christian broadcaster Cornerstone Television
announced Wednesday that it will decline a noncommercial educational
license in Pittsburgh, PA.
The FCC guidelines require broadcasters with noncommercial educational
(NCE) licenses to devote at least half of their programming hours to
topics that serve the "educational, instructional, or cultural needs of
the community." The FCC further clarifies that such programming cannot
be "primarily devoted to religious exhortation, proselytizing, or
statements of personally-held religious views and beliefs."
A broadcast of the Mass for shut-ins, for instance, is automatically
considered to have no "cultural" value because it involves religion,
while a poetry-reading program would presumably be acceptable.
Cornerstone President Oleen Eagle stated that the FCC guidelines
"clearly violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
by singling out religious programming for special scrutiny, regulating
the content of religious speech, and suppressing religious expression by
prior restraint."
Four House members co-signed a letter demanding a reversal of the FCC
ruling, and Rep. Mike Oxley plans to introduce legislation to change the
guidelines. Two dissenting members of the FCC committee criticized the
majority for carrying out the proceedings without a public hearing. Some
95 religious stations are affected by the new rules, as the rest have
normal commercial licenses, which are not covered by the ruling.
FCC Chairman William E. Kennard responded to the Congressmen in a
letter. According to Kennard, the FCC went against opponents of the
transaction, who said religious programming was not educational. "The
FCC stated that certain programming dealing with religious matters can
also be deemed educational and thus satisfy the eligibility requirements
for NCE channels."
In the original ruling, examples of such programming were given: it
could explore religion in relation to science, technology, or culture;
apply religious principles to real-life ethical dilemmas; probe the
psychological effects of prayer; and even discuss religious texts from a
historical viewpoint -- so long as the purpose is not to convince
listeners that religious teachings are true.
In practice, however, it can be difficult to apply these criteria,
according to Justin Torres, the reporter for CNSNews.com who broke the
story. In an article in "The Weekly Standard," he writes, "It's hard to
imagine, for example, how one might apply biblical principles to ethical
dilemmas without tipping one's hand as to whether one subscribes to the
Ten Commandments. Moreover, members of the board issued a flurry of
separate dissents and concurrences that further cloud the regulations.
Commissioner Susan Ness, in a concurring opinion marked by handwringing
about 'tread[ing] carefully to preserve... cherished objectives,'
wonders, for example, whether a 'performance of Handel's Messiah [would]
be primarily educational if it were performed at the Kennedy Center, but
not primarily educational if it were performed in a church.' "
According to Kennard, the new rules are only a clarification of existing
policies, which have always had the "50% educational" clause. The new
rules only clarify that most religious programming serves no
"educational, instructional, or cultural purpose in the station's
community of license."
Representative Oxley was not convinced by Kennard's reply. He introduced
a bill on January 11 that would reverse the FCC order and force future
new rulings to be open to a period of public comment. Several other
Republican representatives are co-sponsoring, including majority leader
Dick Armey, along with one Democrat, Ralph Hall of Texas.
ZE00012122
Confirming what Catholics perceived as a terrible depiction of the French Saint Joan of Arc in the movie "The Messenger", a rival director took his potshots at director Luc Besson and vowed to make his own movie on the French saint that will do her justice. continued inside.
NEW YORK, JAN 21 (ZENIT).- Luc Besson's recent film on Joan of Arc, "The
Messenger," is a "silly, heartless, mean-spirited, small minded, and
completely phony film," according to Ron Maxwell, director of
"Gettysburg."
"Director Luc Besson attempts to prove what even the best prosecuting
clerics of her day could not: that Joan was a demented, misled,
hysterical, confused, and guilt ridden phony; but, even with the power
and money of Sony and Gaumont behind him, Besson is no more convincing
than the inquisitors of Rouen," wrote Maxwell in his review (
http://www.ronmaxwell.com/ ).
Maxwell points out that the historical record is mostly ignored
throughout the movie. Ss. Michael and Catherine are never mentioned,
even though the real Joan insisted that they were the ones who spoke to
her. The movie even invents "historical" events, like the murder and
rape of Joan's sister, for which there is no evidence.
Maxwell sums up his review saying that "In 'The Messenger,' a true story
of love and sacrifice, of dedication and faith, is cinematically morphed
to a false story of hatred, bitterness, fury, and revenge."
Maxwell is also preparing a movie about St. Joan of Arc based on his own
screenplay. His film, "Joan of Arc: The Virgin Warrior" will be shot on
location in France. The film's cast includes Albert Finney, Derek
Jacobi, Carey Elwes, Steven Lang, and Kevin Conway, but the actress who
will play the Maid of Orleans has not yet been named.
ZE00012121
Cardinal Norberto Rivera pleaded with the Mexican people to not be ignorant of their Faith or they could easily be mislead by materialism and the culture of death that makes the alternative look so enticing only to realize too late their dire mistake. He called on the intercession of Our Lady for protection and for all to be obedient to the Church. continued inside.
MEXICO CITY, 22 (NE) Within the framework of the First Centenary
of the Pontifical Crowning of Our Lady of Health, Cardinal
Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City, denounced the great
illness that is spreading among society, that is, the culture of
death, through murders, abortions, perverse addictions, among
other evils.
The Mexican Cardinal recalled those who are ill in the body, but
also warned against greater illnesses, such as ambition and
materialism. He also warned against the religious ignorance of
Catholic people. "Sects need only to throw their nets. They
easily catch Catholics that ignore their religion." In addition,
there is the problem of idols that search to "displace faith and
foreign life models that pretend the destruction of the Catholic
tradition of the Mexican people," he stated.
Before this reality, and considering our own "mistakes,
insecurities, mistaken apathies, condescension, and also
disobediences and aggressions," the Cardinal raised a prayer and
urged all the present to be coherent in their Christian life, in
order to transmit the health that through the intercession of
Our Lady of Health we obtain from the Lord.
The Holy See has announced that Duluth's Bishop Roger Schwietz, OMI has been tabbed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska making him the successor of Archbishop Francis Hurley in Anchorage, Alaska when the latter retires in a year or so. While this episcopal appointment was made, no word yet on the successor for Cardinal John O'Connor. continued inside.
ANCHORAGE (DC) - The Holy See has announced that Duluth's Bishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI has been tabbed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska making him the successor of Archbishop Francis T. Hurley in Anchorage, Alaska when the latter retires in a year or so. While this episcopal appointment was made, no word yet on the successor for Cardinal John O'Connor.
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Anchorage jumped the gun by making the announcement a day before it was supposed to be officially co-announced by the United States Bishops Conference in Washington, D.C. Archbishop Hurley turned 73 last week on January 12th and it came as somewhat as a surprise that, with seemingly two years at least still left that a coadjutor would be announced this soon. Archbishop Hurley, ordained a priest on June 16, 1951 in San Francisco, has been the shepherd of the See of Anchorage since July 8, 1976. Prior to that he was Bishop of Juneau from September 8, 1971 until being promoted to Archbishop of Anchorage, a see that covers three times the territory overseen by Bishop Schwietz in Duluth.
Bishop Schwietz is no stranger to the cold of Anchorage having grown up in Minnesota. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 3, 1940 and was recruited by this ministry's Spiritual Director Father Al Svobodny, OMI to the minor seminary of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Carthage, Missouri at Our Lady of the Ozarks for the Order's Central Province where in 1960 he was student prefect to the DailyCATHOLIC editor's junior class. After Novitiate in Alton, Illinois in 1961 he continued his major scholasticate at Our Lady of the Snows Scholasticate in Pass Christian, Mississippi and then the University of Ottawa before finishing up his studies at the Gregorian University in Rome before being ordained in Rome on December 20, 1967. He wwas appointed the seventh bishop of the Duluth Diocese on December 12, 1989 replacing Bishop Robert Brom who was transferred to the Diocese of San Diego. Bishop Schwietz was ordained and installed on February 2, 1990.
No successor has yet been named to replace Bishop Schwietz who will resign his post as shepherd of Duluth immediately to take up residency in Anchorage. While Anchorage has much more territory to cover 139,000 square miles to 22,354 square miles, there are far fewer Catholics in the see - 29,307 compared to 81,878 in the Diocese of Duluth which incorporates the entire northeast sector of Minnesota. Being a Missionary Oblate, Bishop Schwietz should feel quite at home in the northern tundra which reaches all the way through the Aleutian Islands to Russia, with even a portion of the extreme eastern tip of Russia as part of the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Anchorage.
