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SIMPLY SHEEN: The greatest fear is fear itself

      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".

"The simplest way but the worst way to remove fear from the conscious mind is to repress it - that is, to relegate it into unconsciousness...The effects of suppressing fear are manifold. First, on the physical side, they may be palpitation, migraine, cramps, convulsions, etc. On the mental side, the repressed fear comes out as anger, depression and surliness."

Holy Father calls on Europe to seek a solution in Kosovo in continuing to push for peace

      While US and NATO forces continue to strafe key military compounds and plants in Kosovo and Serbia, the Holy Father met with members of the European Parliament yesterday and strongly reiterated he won't take "no" for an answer in determining some way to bring about a peaceful solution there. The day before at Palm Sunday festivities after the Angelus, the Pope called for brotherhood of love to conquer hate and violence, but the Secretary of State for the Holy SeeCardinal Angelo Sodano insisted peace talks could not begin until the bombing ceased. For more, click on Pope persistent for peace

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- At a March 29 audience with members of the European Parliament, Pope John Paul II renewed his call for an end to the violence in Kosovo.

      Speaking of "a conflict which is unfolding at our doorsteps," and which "wounds the whole of Europe," the Pope asked "that everything possible be done to find peace in the region, so that the civilian populations can live in brotherhood" in the Balkan region.

      "In responding to violence, another act of violence is never the path to solving the crisis," the Pope insists. Instead, he said, negotiations must be undertaken to ease the conflicts that trouble the Balkan region, and find means of living together "respectful of the different peoples and their diverse cultures." Such a negotiated solution, he said, could be a new factor in promoting European unity.

      Meanwhile the Vatican Secretary of State said that peace talks could not begin while the NATO air strikes continue. Cardinal Angelo Sodano told the Italian daily La Repubblica, "The bombing of Yugoslavia must be stopped immediately." He explained: "It is impossible to speak of peace and negotiations during the nightmare of bombing and massacres."

      "It is never too late to sit down and negotiate," said Pope John Paul II on Sunday, as he repeated his frequent plea for a peaceful settlement of the Kosovo conflict.

      Speaking after the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope alluded to the palms themselves as symbols of "the peace which is as ardently desired by the people of the Balkans." He prayed "that brotherhood and understanding would be more powerful than the forces of hatred in that part of Europe."

      "The Pope is with the people who are suffering," the Holy Father said. "He appeals to everyone: it is always the time for peace!"

      In Belgrade, Archbishop Santos Abril y Castello, the papal nuncio, said he was "doing everything to re-start the dialogue" that had collapsed before NATO air strikes began. He told the Italian daily Il Giornale that he was carefully pursuing contacts with the Belgrade government. Other Vatican sources disclosed diplomatic contacts between the Holy See and the government of Russia.

Pope also calls on Europe to unite against the death penalty and promote life

      Pope John Paul II continued his crusade against capital punishment by making that the cornerstone of his talk with European lawmakers meeting with him at the Vatican yesterday. He called on them to be united in upholding life in all its stages from outlawing abortion to euthanasia and the death penalty. He also urged them to pass laws that would guarantee the rights of married couples and their offspring which would ultimately produce a better society today and in the future. For more, click on Defending life and families.

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Speaking to European lawmakers on Monday, March 29, Pope John Paul II called for the abolition of the death penalty, and the pursuit of "serious" efforts to protect the family.

      The Holy Father said that he "joins my voice" to those of the European politicians who have asked for an end to capital punishment on the continent. He added that his opposition to the death penalty is based on the need to protect human life at every stage, and to promote the freedom of all people to live "under just and dignified" conditions.

      The Pope also said that the European Council should guard family unity, but "guaranteeing the rights of married couples and children." Such policies would pay off, he said, by advancing "social stability." He reminded the parliamentarians that the family is the basic building-block of any human society, and the best means of preparing young people to face the world.

Franciscan friars missing, fear spreads that monasteries are being commandeered by Serbian troops

      While the majority of the population are either Muslim or Orthodox, there is a Catholic contingent in Kosovo and that became even more apparent to all today when it was announced that three Franciscan priests are missing and that it is suspected the eight Franciscan monasteries in the NATO air-strike zone could easily be occupied by Serb troops to evade the air artillery of NATO strafing and bombing. For more, click on Frightened Friars.

      ROME (CWNews.com/Fides) - Three Franciscan Friars from Djakovica Monastery in Kosovo near the Albanian border have gone missing and are unaccounted for after the Yugoslav army occupied the monastery as NATO air raids pounded nearby military buildings.

      One of the four friars managed to reach Albania and join his confreres in Skutari, but nothing has been heard of the other three, all of Albanian origin. According to the latest reports on Saturday, the friars had been taken in by local Christian families.

      Eight Franciscan monasteries are in war zones, either in areas subject to NATO bombing or areas in danger of being occupied by Serb troops if their barracks are destroyed -- as with Djakovica Monastery.

      The eight monasteries belong to three different Order of Friars Minor (OFM) provinces. The province of Zagreb, named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, has four communities in the NATO air strike zone: Belgrade-Zemun (6 friars), Novi Sad (2 friars), Subotica (6 friars) and Bac (1 friar). The monasteries in Belgrade and Novi Sad are in danger since they are not far from military quarters. As of Saturday, there were no reports of damage to religious buildings, although the friars reported that many homes had been damaged.

      The Franciscan Holy Cross province of Sarajevo in Bosnia has two communities, one in Belgrade (4 friars) and one in Djakovica in Kosovo (4 friars). The St. Jerome province has two communities in Montenegro, at Tuzi (4 friars) and at Kotor (1 friar).

Michigan Catholic Conference hails conviction of "Dr. Death"

      Exclaiming that "No one man is above the law and this has been demonstrated today," the Michigan Catholic Conference hailed the verdict of acknowledged assisted suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian last week in which a jury convicted the notorious "Dr. Death" of second-degree murder which clearly shocked the brazen doctor who has flaunted his practice of assisting suicides in challenging the law. The fact he has challenged it and lost should give hope to Catholics and pro-lifers worldwide. Prayer does indeed work. For more, click on A just judgment.

      PONTIAC, Michigan (CWNews.com) - Pro-life groups declared victory on Friday as a Michigan jury convicted assisted suicide activist Jack Kevorkian of second-degree murder for his role in the death of a Lou Gehrig's disease patient last year.

      The jury deliberated for a day and a half following the two day trial in which prosecutors sought a conviction of first-degree murder in the lethal injection death of Thomas Youk. Kevorkian had claimed the slaying was a mercy killing, and had given the videotape to the CBS news show "60 Minutes" which later broadcast portions. The jury also convicted Kevorkian on a lesser charge of illegal delivery of a controlled substance.

      In an interview with the Oakland Press newspaper on Saturday, Kevorkian called the jury cruel. "Manslaughter, I could understand how they would arrive at that," Kevorkian said. "But murder? This? They must have been an astonishingly cruel jury." The Michigan Catholic Conference hailed the outcome of the trial. "We applaud the decision of the jury in the Kevorkian trial who, by their action, have made it very clear that in a civil society the rule of law is preeminent," the group said in a statement. "No one man is above the law and this has been demonstrated today."

      Kevorkian has acknowledged assisting in 130 suicides since 1990 and had been acquitted on assisted suicide charges in previous four trials.

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. 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.

    Today, with the Franciscans in the news regarding their plight in Kosovo, we present the FRANCISCAN WEB PAGE the official web site of the Order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi.

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

March 30, 1999 volume 10, no. 62   DAILY CATHOLIC