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THURSDAY March 2, 2000 vol. 11, no. 44 SECTION TWOSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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At the Holy Father's request, an International Theological Commission has been studying and preparing the document "Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and Errors of the Past." This long-awaited document released yesterday in Paris, states clearly that the inherent faith and morals of the Catholic faith as given by Christ and sustained through the power of the Holy Spiritand the Apostolic line remains pure. It further states that the Church on earth is composed of fallible beings, each one quite capable of personal sin. Yet the sins of individuals do not impact the perfection of the heart of the Church - the Incarnate Word of God - nor does the modern Church today need to be held responsible for the sins of the past. Yet the document reaches across all boundaries and all times in seeking reconciliation with all peoples for the sake of the Gospel Message.continued inside
PARIS, MAR 1 (ZENIT).- The long anticipated document of the
International Theological Commission, entitled "Memory and
Reconciliation: The Church and Errors of the Past," was published in
Paris today. The document gives guidelines of a theological and pastoral
nature to discern those cases in which the Church asks for forgiveness
for errors committed in the past by her children.
The text will be presented in the Vatican on March 7 by Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, on the eve of the "Day of Forgiveness," which will be held on
March 12. Translations into other languages will be published on the
same day the Vatican presents the document officially.
During the presentation, Dominican Fr. Jean-Louis Brugues, who is a
member of the International Theological Commission, explained that there
are three types of petition for forgiveness: for responsibility (the
traditional one), for solidarity, and for exemplarity. Brugues
distinguished between the forgiveness asked of God and the person
offended by the one committing an error, and the forgiveness requested
from descendents of the offended persons. It is important to make it
very clear that the one asking for forgiveness in solidarity cannot be
burdened with the responsibilities of the past that belong to others.
What it seeks is to demonstrate clearly the person's feeling of
solidarity. Moreover, by vocation the Church is called to be an example.
This is what the third dimension is about, exemplarity.
The document, which was prepared by a team of the International
Theological Commission and approved later by the members of the
Commission, has some 90 pages, divided into 6 chapters.
The document refers to some cases, such as the division of Christians,
where the request for forgiveness has been reciprocal; the recourse to
violence in service of truth; the treatment suffered by Jews; the
Church's responsibilities for the evils in contemporary society.
Following the introduction, the first chapter of the document refers to
the difficulty of the objective. Fr. Jean-Louis Burgues illustrated this
with pressing questions: "Can today's conscience bear the weight of a
fault linked to unique historical phenomena like the Crusades or the
Inquisition? Is it not too easy to judge the protagonists of the past
with today's conscience, as if moral conscience is not integrated over
time? And, moreover, can we deny that we are exercising ethical judgment
by the simple fact that the truth of God and its moral exigencies
continue to be valid forever?"
Because of this, he answered, "the priority problem consists in
clarifying to what degree the petitions for forgiveness for past faults,
especially when they are directed to present human groups, form part of
the biblical and theological horizon of reconciliation with God and with
one's neighbor."
The second chapter evokes passages from the Bible in order to discover
the foundations of forgiveness. In the third, of a theological
character, there is a distinction between the holiness of the Church and
the weakness of its leaders, and he adds: "To the holiness of the Church
there must correspond the holiness in the Church." From here stems the
necessity for purification.
According to Fr. Brugues, the key chapter is the fourth: it addresses
historical and theological responsibility.
The fifth chapter refers to those cases in which the Church has already
asked for forgiveness in the past, and the sixth offers a pastoral and
missionary perspective to the "purification of the memory."
Finally, the conclusions quote John Paul II, and state that the Church
"cannot cross the threshold of the new millennium without encouraging
her children to purify themselves in repentance of errors, infidelities,
incoherence and slowness."
The organizers of the press conference explained that the first
presentation in Paris rather than in Rome is totally accidental. At one
time it was thought the document would be presented in the Vatican Press
Office at the end of January.
ZE00030110
In a surprising move that bodes well for Judeo-Christian relations, the Holy Father's visit to the Holy Land later this month and exonerates the cause for beatification of Pope Pius XII, the Israeli government released yesterday the diary of Adolph Echmann which has guarded for almost 40 years. While graphic in content regarding Hitler's elimination of the Jews, the diary also speaks of the help the Jews received from the Vatican and Pius XII. It sheds much validity on the stance the Holy See has taken in defense of the beleaguered Pontiff and shows how the government of Mussolini forced the Germans to take Italian Jews living in Rome to their death, despite resistance by Pius XII.continued inside.
JERUSALEM, MAR 1 (ZENIT).- After guarding Adolf Eichmann's diaries for
almost 40 years, yesterday the Israeli government made them public.
Eichmann, a Nazi SS lieutenant colonel, was executed in 1962 in Israel
for "crimes against the Jewish people and against humanity."
Eichmann wrote these diaries during the months following his death
sentence. They are especially chilling in their description of the way
the Nazi regime came to the "Final Solution" against the Jews, and the
way the extermination was implemented.
The pages are also very interesting in studying the Vatican's position
on the persecution of Jews. Some people accuse the Church of having done
nothing in October, 1943, when the Nazis began to deport Jews from their
"ghetto" in Rome. However, Eichmann wrote that the Vatican "vigorously
protested the arrest of Jews, requesting the interruption of such
action; to the contrary, the Pope would denounce it publicly."
This is a confirmation of the thesis of those historians who have
collected documents on the action undertaking by the Vatican to defend
Jews during those dark years. It must be kept in mind that Rome was
occupied, and that the Church was the only institution that had the
courage to denounce the Nazi action.
In a chapter dedicated to Italy, Eichmann explains that "on October 6,
1943, ambassador Moelhausen sent a telegraphic message to Foreign
Minister Ribbentrop in which he said that general Keppler, SS commander
in Rome, had received a special order from Berlin: he had to arrest
8,000 Jews who were living in Rome to deport them to northern Italy,
where they would be exterminated. General Stahel, commander of the
German forces in Rome, explained to ambassador Moelhausen that, from his
point of view, it would be better to use the Jews for fortification
works. On October 9, however, Ribbentrop answered that the 8,000 Jews of
Rome had to be deported to the Mathausen concentration camp. He
emphasized that, in giving evidence under oath in the military prison of
Gaeta on June 27, 1961, Kappler said that it was with that order that
for the first time he heard the term 'Final Solution.' "
"At that time, my office received the copy of a letter, that I
immediately gave to my direct superiors, sent by the Catholic Church in
Rome, in the person of Bishop Hudal, to the commander of the German
forces in Rome, general Stahel. The Church was vigorously protesting the
arrest of Jews of Italian citizenship, requesting that such actions be
interrupted immediately throughout Rome and its surroundings. To the
contrary, the Pope would denounce it publicly. The Curia was especially
angry because these incidents were taking place practically under
Vatican windows. But, precisely at that time, without paying any
attention to the Church's position, the Italian fascist government
passed a law ordering the deportation of all Italian Jews to
concentration camps," Eichamnn wrote in his diary.
"The objections given and the excessive delay in the steps necessary to
complete the implementation of the operation, resulted in a great part
of Italian Jews being able to hide and escape capture," Eichmann wrote.
A good number of them hid in convents or were helped by men and women of
the Church.
ZE00030107
The backlash is evident after Senator John McCain's attacks on Governor George W. Bush, accusing him of anti-Catholic bias. A new poll taken among New York Catholics shows McCain is losing support from many Catholics within the Archdiocese of New York City. Bush, who seems to be the only pro-life candidate with a reasonable chance for the presidency, has closed the gap after a sincere apology to Cardinal John J. O'Connor and a public apology in Ohio early this week. In fact, the poll currently shows 45% of New York Catholic Republicans leaning toward Bush over the more liberal McCain who has resorted to what many call "dirty politics." continued inside.
NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - Republican presidential candidate
John McCain is losing support among New York Catholics
despite attempts to link his opponent, Texas Gov. George W.
Bush, with anti-Catholic bias.
On Monday, the Arizona senator attacked Christian
conservatives Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of
intolerance," and in recent weeks slammed Bush for speaking
at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, whose founders
espoused anti-Catholic views. But a new poll by
independent, national pollster John Zogby showed McCain
losing support among Catholics in New York, who make up
about 45 percent of voters in the state's Republican
primary.
The poll said Bush had closed a 16-point gap with McCain
among Catholic voters in recent days. On Tuesday, Bush
handily defeated McCain in primaries in Virginia,
Washington state, and North Dakota. "We actually have Bush
pulling ahead among Catholics by a few points -- enough to
make it a trend -- still a statistical dead heat, but a
tremendous turnaround among Catholics," Zogby said.
Zogby said his findings suggest Catholic voters disapprove
of McCain's efforts to portray Bush as anti-Catholic.
As the presidential campaign heats up on both sides of the political spectrum, Congressional Democrats are seeking for Congress to officially condemn Bob Jones University, whose own founder has called the Roman Catholic Church a satanic cult and the Holy Father the antichrist. However, regardless of this bitter bigotry, wiser heads in both parties recognize this as a political ploy to win over confused Catholics to Al Gore and it is expected the measure will fass on deaf ears as Congress strives to distance itself from the presidential campaign in name, if not in words. continued inside.
WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - Congressional Democrats took
advantage of Republican squabbling over a presidential
candidates appearance at a South Carolina university last
month, calling on Tuesday for official condemnation of the
Christian school's views.
Republican congressional leaders said the proposal was an
attempt to further embarrass Texas Gov. George W. Bush who
has been criticized by opponent Arizona Sen. John McCain
for speaking on February 2 at Bob Jones University, whose
founders called the Catholic Church a satanic cult. "We're
not going to vote on that. We're not going to get into this
process of playing games with each other in what's going on
in the (presidential) primaries," Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, told reporters.
Bush apologized to Catholics this week in a letter to New
York's Cardinal John O'Connor for failing to more clearly
speak out against anti-Catholic bias, but said he refused
any attempt at "guilt by association."
House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, called the
resolution "sheer partisan demagoguery, and I don't
entertain myself with that."
Some Christian leaders claim the attacks on BJU are
motivated by animosity toward traditional Christian
teachings and threaten First Amendment rights to freedom of
religion. Two decades ago, the US government revoked the
university's tax-exempt status in an attempt to force the
school to change its policies, but the school instead
decided to go without the exemption.
"One need not agree with BJU on its view of Roman
Catholicism and interracial dating to agree that the feds
are tyrants, and BJU is the object of discrimination by a
politically correct regime," said P. Andrew Sandlin of the
Chalcedon Foundation, in a commentary for WorldNetDaily.com.
In troubled Nigeria, as we have been reporting over the last several days, Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja expressed both gratitude and outrage. Grief and anger over the massacre in the Nigerian City of Aba, where mostly Christian Ibo tribesman killed hundreds of mostly Muslim Hausas. But in the same report by the prelate, he praised Nigeria's President Obasanjo's for his successful attempt to broker a deal by which the Sharia Islamic law will not be implemented as planned and hopes rise that calmer heads will prevail and the Spirit of God will guide all lives and laws.continued inside.
ABUJA, Nigeria (CWNews.com/Fides) - Archbishop John
Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja on Tuesday decried a massacre
in the Nigerian city of Aba, where mostly Christian Ibo
tribesmen killed hundreds of mostly Muslim Hausas in
revenge for attacks on Christians in northern Kaduna state
last week.
The archbishop also praised President Olusegun Obasanjo's
brokering of a deal to revoke the enforcement of Islamic
sharia law in the states of Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto.
"This is a victory is not only for Christians, but for all
Nigerians," he said. Moreover, the governors of Kano, Yobe,
and Kaduna, where sharia was about to be introduced, have
repealed the measure.
The decision was reached on Tuesday during an emergency
meeting to which Obasanjo called all 36 of Nigeria's state
governors. On Monday, the president visited Kaduna where
clashes between Christians and Muslims last week left at
least 300 people dead. The fighting then spread to other
regions of the country and hundreds more were killed.
On Monday, Archbishop Onaiyekan sent a letter to Obasanjo
asking him to take decisive action -- a request made
several times already by the Catholic hierarchy -- against
the unconstitutional introduction of the sharia, seen to be
the cause of the clashes.
The archbishop said he believed the agreement will end the
fighting. "Now the cause of disorder, the enforcement of
Muslim law, has been removed, we must work for
reconciliation," he said. "This is a victory, not only for
Christians but for all Nigerians. Christians should not be
happier at the decision than the rest of the people. They
rejoice like all the rest, including the millions of
moderate Muslims who do not want the sharia to be law."
Archbishop Onaiyekan added that Christians in Aba had
committed "a very serious sin" by attacking Muslims in
their city. "That many Ibo Christians took up arms to fight
Muslim Hausas in revenge does not belong to Christianity,"
he said. "Those who attacked and killed innocent Hausa
Muslims out of revenge for the death of innocent Christians
in Kaduna, committed a serious sin, blinded by rage."
In keeping with the Pope's call for reconciliation, Indonesia's President Abdurraham laid a wreath at the cemetery in the town of Santa Cruz in East Timor during a special visit to this ravaged area and publicly apologized to the people of this area, particularly Catholics who comprise the majority of East Timor, for the abuses they suffered for over two decades. This includes the mass murders of hundreds of thousands by the Indonesian army and Muslim militia factions. The apologies come at a time when the world is watching and waiting for the Indonesian government to bring to trial the guilty parties responsible for this systematic slaughter. continued inside.
DILI, East Timor (CWNews.com) - The president of Indonesia
on Tuesday apologized for more than two decades of human
rights abuses during his country's occupation of East Timor.
President Abdurraham Wahid was in East Timor to promote
reconciliation now that the former Portuguese colony has
broken from Indonesia. Indonesia, the most populous Muslim
nation in the world, invaded mainly Catholic East Timor in
1975 and annexed it the following year in a move not
recognized by the United Nations. Last August, the region
held a Jakarta-proposed referendum to allow Timorese to
choose either autonomy within Indonesia or full
independence. After the pro-independence results were
revealed, pro-Indonesia militias, armed and backed by
Indonesia's military, went on a rampage, killing hundreds
and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
Wahid laid a wreath at cemetery in the town of Santa Cruz
during his visit to recognize about 200 people killed by
Indonesian soldiers in 1991. He then visited a burial plot
for Indonesian soldiers nearby.
"I would like to apologize for the sins that have happened
in the past, to the victims or the families of Santa Cruz
and those friends who are buried in the military cemetery,"
he said. "These are the victims of circumstances that we
didn't want."
The visit came as prosecutors prepared to indict soldiers
and militias members blamed for the massacres. Wahid, who
became president in October after a UN-sanctioned
multinational force replaced Indonesian soldiers and
restored order in East Timor, has maintained close ties
with East Timorese leaders over the years.
Although the Vatican has released the John Paul II's schedule for the third leg of his "Jubilee Journey" that will take him to Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Because of the political unrest in the mideast, the Holy See has wisely disclosed few details for they are greatly concerned with security and the Pope's welfare while in the Holy Land. The itinerary shows the Holy Father will say Mass as hoped in Nazareth at the Basilica of the Annunciation of the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th before returning to Jerusalem and then Tel Aviv and back to Rome on the 26th. continued inside.
VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican has released the schedule for Pope
John Paul's trip to the Holy Land later in March. However, because of the
complexity of the plans for the trip (and perhaps because of security
concerns as well), the public schedule provides few details.
The Holy Father will travel first to Jordan, arriving in Amman on March 20.
On the following day he will move on to Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital, and
from there take a helicopter to Jerusalem. On March 22 he will make the
short trip to Bethlehem; during the following day he will remain in
Jerusalem. On March 24 he will travel-- again by helicopter-- to Capernaum,
and on March 25 he will celebrate the feast of the Annunciation in Nazareth.
On March 26, the Pope will retrace his steps from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv,
where he will board his return flight to Rome.
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