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Angola's Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento is the shining light in a land torn by the darkness of war and insurrection.       Our thirty-fourth red hat we feature, in alphabetical order is 74 year-old Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento, the Archbishop of Luanda and Angola's first Cardinal in its history. He has experienced the lows of being held hostage for a month by Angolan rebels and the highs of the cardinalate during the Consistory of February 2, 1983. For more on Cardinal do Nascimento, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

TODAY'S HEADLINES: China's Zemin zaps any chance of a meeting with the Pope while in Rome! Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister upbeat over Vietnam's resolve to smooth the path with the Church Cardinal Ratzinger's "Images of Hope" latest book released by Vatican Violence erupts in aftermath of funeral for Catholic human rights lawyer in Northern Ireland These headlines and more are featured in today's NEWS & VIEWS below.

Message to the Americas:
No matter the ethnic diversity, Jesus can be seen in every face from the Artic to Antartica
      Following up a year after the Bishops of North, Central and South America, along with the Caribbean contingent, met for the month-long Synod of the Americas in Rome at the end of 1997, Pope John Paul II officially closed the Synod with his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City in January. Because of its significance for all Americans, we bring you this important document in several installments over the next few months. For those wanting to read the entire encyclical or check footnotes, go to Ecclesia in America For the fourth installment on Places of encounter with Christ , click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

There's an insidious war being waged against our youth and the battle fronts are the schools and courts
      In his column today, Pat Ludwa exposes the underbelly of the insidious plot to deprive the innocent youth of Jesus and to demean the principles of Christianity in a clever way where the young will never know what hit them. The essence of womanhood is being undermined by feminists who seek to instruct the children that the female has the right to do anything with her body, including kill her baby through abortion which they condone as their God-given right. Sorry, that's NOT RIGHT for God did not give them that right! He gave them and all His children the right to follow His commands. If they don't, they face His wrath. They may be winning the battles in recruiting the young innocents, but the war they will never win. For Pat's column titled War on the innocent: a battle for hearts and minds , click on VIEW FROM THE PEW

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God allows the bad for the sake of the good
     They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"There would be much less anxiety in the world if people would see that trials are often permitted by an allowing Providence to purify us from sin, to detach us from what is harmful. "

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Events in Church History     On this date in 1591 Pope Gregory XIV pronounced "All bets off" when he outlawed wagering on pontifical elections, lengths of a papacy and odds on who would be promoted to the cardinalate. This gambling frenzy had spiraled out of control among the curia and the Holy Father, three months after his election as the 229th successor of Peter, sought to put an end to the madness. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

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" I will be the Victor, and My Mother - the Woman clothed with the Sun - shall be the light which I send before Me to prepare My way."
      Those words from Our Lord imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in Message #443 on the Feast of the Holy Innocents in late December 1993 assures all of God's plan and the reasons why He has sent His Blessed Mother to make ready the way of the Lord. He reiterates the need for all to return to Him in order to drink from the Font of Divine Mercy. Our Lady follows this up in the first Message for 1994 on her Solemnity by reinforcing her Divine Son's ever-giving Mercy. For Messages #443 and #444 from Our Lady, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

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WORLDWIDE
NEWS & VIEWSwith a Catholic slant provided by
Catholic World News Service
and
Noticias Eclesiales Church News

HEADLINES:
China rejects opportunity for Zemin to meet with Pope while in Rome
   One has to wonder at China's resolve to establish diplomatic relations with Rome after it was confirmed that Jiang Zemin has no intentions to meet with the Pope even though he will be in Rome for five days this week. The Holy See, however is not willing to submit to the communist government's unrealistic demands that the Vatican accept that the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Church which is governed by Beijing has no loyalty to Rome. They cannot be Catholic if they don't. Right now it does not look good for any progress. For more, click on chinks in the China plan.

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Future looking brighter for Vatican-Vietnam relations after five-day talks in Hanoi
      While things were turning sour between the Holy See and China, things are looking up for a Vatican-Vietnam bond that could pave the way for the Holy Father to make a visit there. That is the summation of Vatican representative Monsignor Celestino Migliore on returning from Hanoi where at the end of a five-day meeting period with government officials the Monsignor reported that their hearts were more favorable to the Church. This encouraged Vietnamese bishops who also expressed surprise at how open the Vietnam government was at the end of the talks. For more, click on Validating Vatican-Vietnam talks.

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Cardinal Ratzinger releases meditative book Images of Hope for the Jubilee
      In preparation for the Jubilee 2000 festivities, especially in Rome itself, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has published a special book of prayers and meditation called "Images of Hope. A walk around the times and places of the Jubilee" which is a spiritual journey for those pilgrims while visiting Rome. For more, click on Images of Hope.

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Chances for peace in Northern Ireland fading following outbursts of violence against Catholics after funeral Mass for human rights lawyer
     Those opposing peace in Northern Ireland threw another monkey wrench into efforts to achieve it late last week when they disrupted the funeral procession of Catholic human rights attorney Rosemary Nelson killed in a car-bomb attack last Monday. Because of her defense of many IRA members in various trials, some suspect the police collaborated or at least knew the attack was planned and did nothing about it. For more, click on More violence in Northern Ireland

For more headlines and articles, we suggest Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales Both CWN and NE are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

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Daily Dose of curious contents of the Church:
Deposition       Last week Pat Ludwa wrote about a priest who had been deposed in the Diocese of Rochester, New York. One is deposed for a very serious offense and the Vatican does not take it lightly. Deposition is the vindictive procedure under Canon Law 1335 and 1336 in which the Church suspends a cleric (priest) from the office he holds and he is deprived of all offices, dignities, and privileges of his position. He is forbidden to practice many particulars and benefices of his office yet he is not reduced to the lay state and therefore must continue to practice celibacy and recite the Breviary as dictated by the statutes of the priesthood. Most often he is not allowed to celebrate Mass and must abide by the restrictions placed upon him. There is a big difference between "Deposition" and what the Church refers to as the anniversary of the burial of a saint which is called "Day of Deposition." It also has nothing to do with a deposition in civil law. For more we refer you to The Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent Catholic Supersite. (source: Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson Publishers).

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