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THURSDAY March 23, 2000 vol. 11, no. 59 SECTION FOURSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant: continued:
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The Vicar of Christ made a quiet, untelevised stop at a spot near Jericho that is traditionally believed to be the site of Our Lord's baptism by Saint John the Baptist. The day before he had visited a site in Jordan at Wadi-al-Khammer that claims to also be the site. The Holy Father's quiet celebration and meditation at both denied the possibility of either side making a political issue out of the pilgrimage to the various sites in the Holy Land. continued inside.
JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) -- Before reaching Bethlehem on March
22 to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Nativity, Pope John Paul II
made a short, quiet trip to the place near Jericho that is traditionally
believed to be the site of Christ's baptism.
The Pope's visit-- which was deliberately downplayed, because of
the intense emotions surrounding the ancient town of Jericho--
allowed just enough time for the Holy Father to comment on the
significance of Baptism. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic
nuncio in the Holy Land and one of the few people to accompany the
Pontiff on his visit, described a "very simple, but powerfully moving"
ceremony, which was an important part of the Pope's personal
pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
In his prayers and remarks at the Jordan River site, the Pope also
spoke of Jericho, referring to the ancient city as "a flourishing oasis in
the desert." He prayed that "that city, so rich in memories, will also
be rich in promise for the future."
One day earlier, the Pontiff had visited another site, on the Jordanian side of the river, which is also claimed to be the spot where Jesus was baptized. The Pope declined to become involved in the argument over which site has a stronger claim.
Archbishop Cormac Murphy O'Connor was officially installed yesterday as the tenth successor of Westminster in England. In a simple ceremony, O'Connor received his crozier from Bishop Vincent Nichols who had been locum tenens for the See since Cardinal George Basil Hume, OSB's death last year. continued inside.
LONDON (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Cormac Murphy O'Connor was
installed as the tenth Archbishop of Westminster at 11 am
this morning in an historic ceremony.
The actual moment of installation was movingly simple. He
was shown to the throne which has stood in the Westminster
Cathedral for just over 100 years and he was handed his
crozier by Bishop Vincent Nichols who has administered the
diocese since Cardinal Hume's death and will next week be
installed as Archbishop of Birmingham.
Attending the two-hour Mass were priests and people from
the archbishop's old and new dioceses and well as the Prime
Minister's wife, Cherie Booth, and the Duchess of Kent, a
convert to Catholicism.
In his inaugural homily, Archbishop Cormac -- as he is
already popularly known -- said: "I have no time for
prophets of gloom. I do not believe these are gloomy times
for the Catholic Church in our country. When the skies are
dark the light shines more brightly. For those who follow
Jesus Christ there is the assurance that in Him, God has
visited his people."
Welcoming the many representatives of other Christian
denominations, the archbishop said that while there were
"obstacles and the difficulties," the path to Christian
unity "is like a road with no exit, a pilgrimage of grace
we make together. More and more it seems to me that all of
us who profess Jesus Christ must speak with one voice to
give witness to him in this strange and wonderful new world
in which we live."
As he left the cathedral, Archbishop Cormac spent a few
moments speaking to Mrs. Blair before setting off on an
impromptu walk-about, shaking hands with members of the
crowd and being congratulated by passers-by.
Last night, the new archbishop was welcomed by the priests
and people of his new diocese. At both occasions he spoke
informally and created ripples of laughter. He thanked the
congregation for welcoming him "to your archdiocese -- I
mean, our archdiocese. I mustn't make that mistake again."
He also began today's homily by pointing out that the
bookmakers had only given him odds of 25-1 of being named
archbishop.
After the shocking news of the mass suicide in Uganda, retired Bishop John Baptist Kakube of Mbarara said he had earlier excommunicated the former priest who was the leader of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments who committed mass suicide similar to the Jim Jones tradgedy in Guyana several decades ago. There were two other priests who followed leader Joseph Kibwetere but they had not been excommunicated. A deep grief hangs over the people of Uganda and that sadness is magnified in knowing that the Church, by law, cannot hold Masses for the diseased members who took their own lives. continued inside.
KAMPALA, Uganda (CWNews.com) - A retired Ugandan bishop
said on Tuesday he had excommunicated the former priest who
apparently led more than 500 people in a mass murder-suicide
last weekend.
Retired Bishop John Baptist Kakubi of Mbarara said he
excommunicated Joseph Kibwetere, founder of the Movement
for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments, after the
former priest claimed to be able to talk to God and refused
to submit to the bishop's authority. Kibwetere is presumed
to have died with his followers after they barricaded
themselves in a church and set it afire after their
doomsday prophecy's did not come true.
Kakubi said he never suspended the two priests, Fathers
Dominic Kataribabo and Joseph Kasapuraru, who were
Kibwetere's colleagues in the cult. He said he only
suspended them for being disobedient to him when he was
bishop. "I did not excommunicate the two priests but only
suspended them because they were disobedient and refused to
recognize me as the bishop of their diocese," he said.
"I was grossly disappointed to hear that Dominic
Kataribabo, a man with a Doctorate in Theology, had decided
to follow Kibwetere's teachings," he said.
Meanwhile, the current bishop of Mbarara said the victims
of the fire should not receive funeral Masses. "No Mass
will be celebrated in the affected families and churches
until further communication," a three-line statement signed
by Father Sebastian Tumusiime, the archbishop's personal
secretary, said.
Bishop Bakyenga also endorsed a March 18 statement by
Bishop Robert Gay of Kabale to all priests in the diocese
that routine prayers may be said for the departed. "The
normal burial should take place and where possible, a
priest or a catechist should attend prayers for the
departed and for his family and friends," Bishop Gay said.
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.
