Monday thru Friday on the CATHOLIC-INTERNET NETWORK at http://www.catholic-internet.org See why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!" e-mail: DailyCatholic@catholic-internet.org

Winds wind up Papal Audience before Pope can finish treatment on Hope and the Holy Spirit

      The Holy Spirit is often associated with the simile of wind, but when the Holy Father began speaking about the Sanctifier in his regular Wednesday Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square we don't think that was what he had in mind when a sudden wind and rain storm forced the faithful to scatter for cover and cut short the Pope's address before he himself would be soaked from his balcony. Possibly the Vatican may reconsider staging these Wednesday Audiences back in Paul VI Hall where they had previously been held. Before the freak storm interrupted his address, His Holiness was emphasizing how the Holy Spirit provides the message of hope for all Christ taught as a light in the darkness. For more, click on Papal Audience.

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- A storm interrupted Pope John Paul II today during his regular weekly public audience. Before wind-swept rain cleared St. Peter's Square, the Pope has been speaking on the theological virtue of hope.

      In the 24th talk of his series on the Holy Spirit, the Pope said that hope is an antidote to pessimism. He told the crowd of pilgrims that the Holy Spirit gives believers access to "perfect hope." And that virtue is particularly valuable today, in a world where "so many dangers menace the future of humanity, and so many uncertainties cloud our personal futures"--where "the crisis of a sense of existence and the enigma of death and suffering keep knocking on the port of the contemporary heart." Through the work of the Spirit, he continued, the "message of hope which comes through Jesus Christ brightens the dark horizon of uncertainty and pessimism."

      As the Pope spoke, rains began to sweep through the Square, and tourists began seeking shelter under the colonnades. Although the platform from which the Pope speaks is protected from sun and rain by a canopy, the wind drove the rain at an angle under that canopy, and the Pope was forced to cut his appearance short.

Vatican representative asserts importance of Palestinian rights key to security for Israel and peace in Mid-East

     Despite the Wye Plantation Treaty signed a few weeks ago in the US, Vatican representative Archbishop Renato Martino asserted that peace can only be achieved by the UN assuring the Palestinians are afforded their rights of religion, education, medical care and employment. He also emphasized that this will go farther in assuring the security of Israelis than anything written on paper which has been tenuously tainted by recent terrorism outbursts along the Gaza Strip. He also reiterated the Vatican's strong concern for Jerusalem being declared an "Open City" by the year 2000 to assure all have the freedom of religion both residents and tourists who will flock there for the Jubilee. For more, click on Peace in the Holy Land.

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- In an address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, Archbishop Renato Martino, the Vatican's permanent representative to the international body, has said that the security of Israel depends in large part on recognition of the rights of Palestinians.

      Speaking during a discussion of aid shipments for Palestinian refugees, Archbishop Martino emphasized the need to secure "the rights of Palestinians to freedom of religion, and their access to education, medical care, and employment."

      While expressing some concerns about the Wye Plantation accord between Israel and Palestine, and noticing the threats to that accord from terrorist acts, Archbishop Martino nevertheless called for rapid implementation of the peace terms. "At the same time," he continued, "my delegation is convinced that the security of the Israeli people will only be guaranteed when the rights of Palestinians are assured."

      The archbishop also reiterated Vatican concerns regarding the status of Jerusalem, and insisted that the Holy City should be under international guarantees, protecting its special character. He refused to distinguish between the specific holy sites in the city-- the shrines of the great monotheistic religions-- and the city as a whole, saying that Jerusalem itself has a special role in the world's cultural heritage.

France and Cuba lead way in responding to Holy Father's request to forgive debts

      Putting their actions where their hearts are, the countries of France and Cuba, two Catholic countries with volatile governments, sought the humanitarian course and, heeding the Pope's plea to forgive debts in 2000, got a head start on the rest of the world by announcing they were forgiving debts accrued by Honduras and Nicaragua, the two Central American nations most ravaged by Hurricane Mitch last week as a result of devastating floods that have left thousands upon thousands dead and many, many more homeless and without relief. For more, click on Forgiveness .

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Vatican Radio has praised the government of France for writing off debts owed by Nicaragua and Honduras in the wake of the devastating hurricane that swept through both Central American nations. The radio broadcast also acknowledged the gesture of Cuba, which has forgiven debts owed by Nicaragua.

      The Vatican Radio broadcast recalled that Pope John Paul II has called frequently for efforts to relieve the debts owed by impoverished nations, suggesting in particular that a moratorium on debt payment would be an appropriate way to observe the Jubilee Year.

Protestant Council of churches throw obstacle at Catholic Church over school vouchers campaign

     Why all of a sudden is the National Council of Churches objecting so vociferously to school vouchers after the Supreme Court gave the green light for them in Milwaukee? Could it be that this organization, composed of mainstream Protestant churches, is scared that many will turn to the Catholic parochial schools with their vouchers and they'll miss out because the Protestants have so few parochial schools. In a word it sounds like jealousy to us. They are trying to convey the false impression that conservative Christian schools do not want vouchers which is as far from the truth as possible evidenced by the fact that many Catholic bishops have spoken out strongly in favor of school vouchers, chief among them Cardinal Francis George, OMI, head of the vast Archdiocese of Chicago, who is spearheading a campaign to pass the same school voucher bill in Illinois. For more, click on Protestant envy .

      CHICAGO (CWNews.com) - The National Council of Churches will make a strong case against school voucher programs at its annual general assembly on Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

      The council will propose a new policy that opposes vouchers for private schools in favor of public schools, the newspaper reported on Wednesday. The group will also argue that conservative Christians have created the impression that most religious groups want school vouchers. The statement comes two days after the US Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a Wisconsin law that provide vouchers for poor families to send their children to private schools, including religious ones.

      The newspaper also reported that Cardinal Francis George on Tuesday announced the Catholic Conference of Illinois will renew their efforts to have the state government approve a system of school vouchers or tax credits for families.

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

Click here to return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

November 12, 1998 volume 9, no. 222   DAILY CATHOLIC