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TUESDAY April 25, 2000 vol. 11, no. 81 SECTION TWOSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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For the first time in the history of the papacy both the Solemn Easter Vigil Mass and Easter Sunday Mass were held outdoors in St. Peter's Square. During the Holy Saturday evening liturgy he received eight new converts into the Church, one being only five years old, baptizing and confirming them before distributing first Holy Communion to the new communicants. The spirit of the ceremony was a joyous occasion not only for those newly baptized Catholics, but a renewal for tens of thousands who joined together for the celebration. On Sunday nearly 200,000 spilled out onto adjoining streets trying to participate in the solemn ceremonies and hear the Pope's Easter Homily and annual Easter Urbi et Orbi message. For the next few days the Holy Father is resting up in Castel Gondolfo after a grueling but grace-filled Holy Week that truly took its toll physically on His Holiness. continued inside
VATICAN CITY, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- Eight catechumens were baptized and
confirmed by John Paul II, during the luminous Jubilee Easter Vigil in
St. Peter's Square. They ranged in age from 5 to 40, and came from
Japan, China, Cameroon, Albania and Italy. At the end of the ceremony,
they received their First Communion from the Pontiff's hands. Given the
extraordinary number of pilgrims, this was the first time a Pope has
celebrated this all important Christian feast outside the Basilica.
The Holy Father encouraged the new Catholics, who would become "intimate
sharers in the mystery of the love of God, Father and Son and Holy
Spirit," to make of their life "a song of praise to the Most Holy
Trinity, and a witness of love that knows no bounds."
The Vigil began with the blessing of the Paschal fire at the foot of the
obelisk in St. Peter's Square, witness of St. Peter's martyrdom in
Nero's circus. The Paschal candle was moved forward, in the silence of
the night, until it arrived in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica,
shedding its light along with that of thousands of candles being carried
by pilgrims.
"At the Easter Vigil, 'the mother of all vigils,' everyone can likewise
acknowledge their own personal history of salvation, which has its basic
moment in our rebirth in Christ through Baptism," the Holy Father said,
explaining the reason he administered Baptism to the new Christians,
among whom was a darling 5-year old Japanese girl. She was baptized
along with her parents. Several times during the ceremony, she made the
Holy Father smile. In the last 4 days, John Paul II has presided over
close to 20 hours of celebrations.
At the end of the Vigil, when the catechumens went to greet the Pope, he
kissed the little radiant Japanese girl twice, in the presence of her
overwhelmed young parents. The other baptized included a 30-year-old man
from Cameroon, a 38-year-old Italian, and a 30-year-old Albanian.
Particularly significant was the baptism of two Chinese, Peter Cong
Shen, 28, and Elena Hong Ye, 38, not only because of the difficult
situation of the Church in China and the Holy Father's hope to visit
that country, but also because of the stressful circumstances faced by
Chinese immigrants in Italy, who must often deal with a type of mafia,
which controls some communities of the diaspora. Some underground
workshops oblige them to work in inhuman conditions.
The open-air celebration in the dead of night implicitly underlined the
cosmic character of Jesus' Resurrection. "Yes, Christ is truly risen and
we are witnesses of this," the Pope exclaimed. "We proclaim this witness
to the world, so that the joy, which is ours, will reach countless other
hearts, kindling in them the light of the hope that does not
disappoint."
In giving his traditional Easter
message, at the end of the Mass on Resurrection Sunday, John Paul II
wished a "just and lasting peace" for humanity in the third millennium.
The crowds in St. Peter's Square beat all records. There were at least
150,000 pilgrims, but some reporters think the figure was more like
200,000.
The space embraced by Bernini's colonnade was not large enough to
accommodate all those who came to receive the "urbi et orbi" papal
blessing; the river of humanity spilled over into adjacent streets,
particularly the Via della Conciliazione. There were 58 television
channels transmitting the ceremony throughout the world.
The Holy Father himself beat a personal record: in celebration of Jesus'
Resurrection, he greeted Catholics worldwide in 60 languages. The scene
was nothing short of spectacular: the atrium of the Vatican Basilica was
transformed into a veritable "Garden of Resurrection," thanks to 50,000
bushes, plants, and flowers donated by the Netherlands.
On Resurrection Day of the Great Jubilee Year, which the Holy Father has
been preparing for since the day he was elected Pope, John Paul II
addressed the world, speaking about the evils and wars causing
bloodshed, announcing the message of universal love, and new life and
hope on Easter Sunday. "Yes, life and death were locked in combat, and
Life was victorious for ever. All is once again oriented to life, to
Eternal Life!," the Pope exclaimed. "The Risen Christ signals the paths
of hope along which we can advance together towards a more just and
mutually supportive world, in which the blind egoism of the few will not
prevail over the cries of pain of the many, reducing entire peoples to
conditions of degrading misery."
As the Pope pronounced these words, the sun broke through a gray and
misty Roman morning. "May the message of life, proclaimed by the angel
near the stone rolled back from the tomb, overturn the hardness of our
hearts; may it lead to removing unjustified barriers and promote a
fruitful exchange between peoples and cultures. May the image of the new
man, shining on the face of Christ, cause everyone to acknowledge the
inalienable value of human life," he added.
In his Easter message, the Pontiff implored that Christ "grant the human
family of the third millennium a just and lasting peace" and "bring to a
happy outcome the talks undertaken by people of good will who, despite
so many doubts and difficulties, are trying to bring an end to the
troubling conflicts in Africa, the armed clashes in some countries of
Latin America, the persistent tensions affecting the Middle East, vast
areas of Asia, and some parts of Europe."
Christ's Resurrection is not something of the past but is forever. In
the name of this same Jesus, John Paul II called mankind "to overcome
old and new rivalries, by rejecting attitudes of racism and xenophobia."
There was a special liturgical touch to this Jubilee Easter Sunday. The
Resurrection was proclaimed by a deacon before the icon of the Most Holy
Savior, known as the "Acheropita," which means, "not executed by the
human hand," which is kept in the Chapel of the "Sancta Sanctorum" of
the Scala Santa in Rome. This was a Medieval tradition, which
disappeared when the See of the Bishop of Rome was moved to Avignon in
1309, but which the Holy Father decided to restore on this occasion.
With the blessing, John Paul II, who will be 80 in May, concluded the
marathon of celebrations and liturgical events he has presided this Holy
Week. At the end of the ceremony, he climbed into a jeep with his golden
priestly ornaments so that the pilgrims could see him close up. By this
time, 1 p.m., the sun was strong, but John Paul II smiled at the crowds,
despite the past week's punishing schedule.
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While the secular media may blow the story totally out of proportion, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, stated in a French magazine this weekend that the Holy Father's physical health may be worsening each day and this has to be tough for someone who was so athletic all his life. But he is quick to point out that the Pope's spiritual and mental health are exceptional for a man who will turn 80 on May 18th. Though his physical athletic prowess has greatly diminished, his spiritual agility is priceless. continued inside.
PARIS (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II is suffering from a
progressive paralysis, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of
Paris told Le Journal Du Dimanche magazine this week.
In an interview, Cardinal Lustiger said: "We know that his
illness is causing progressive paralysis of the body but
his mind remains intact. This man, who was an athlete, is
becoming more and more a prisoner in his body."
The archbishop said the Pope "retains a spiritual strength,
an intellectual capacity and a memory, which are
extraordinary for someone who will be 80 next month."
The Holy Father has had a variety of apparent medical
problems during his pontificate, beginning with an
assassination attempt in 1981, hip surgery after a fall six
years ago, and hand and head tremors associated with
Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder.
Easter celebrations in Jerusalem atttracted thousands of pilgrims this Jubilee year from around the world, beginning at the empty tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the Holy Father prayed a month ago. Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah told those gathered that as Christians, united in the spirit of Christ, together with their fellow Jews, Muslims and Druses, all evil could be overcome in the name of Christ, the Savior of the world. continued inside.
JERUSALEM, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- The profession of faith raised in the
very place that verified the event that marked human history forever
just under 2000 years ago, was an electrifying "Jesus is risen" in this
Jubilee Easter in the Holy Land.
The climax of Holy Week in Jerusalem was the Mass celebrated before the
empty tomb, including a triple candle-lit procession around it. In this
holy place the liturgy was characterized by the proclamation of all four
Gospel narratives of Jesus' Resurrection from four different parts of
the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, which was overflowing with pilgrims.
Following the Catholic celebration of Easter, Orthodox faithful, many of
whom had come from Cyprus and the Aegean, commemorated Palm Sunday,
since they celebrate Holy Week 7 days later. Consequently, in just one
day, there were several extraordinary processions: solemn ornaments,
standards, and beautiful singing, especially by the Armenians.
In his Easter homily, when recalling John Paul II's messages during his
recent pilgrimage to these lands, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah said,
"Adoring the mystery of Christ together with the inhabitants of this
Holy Land, with all believing Jews, Muslims and Druses we, Christians,
say that we can conquer the spirit of evil. Here, in this land of the
Resurrection, we are called to give testimony of justice and peace."
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While the western world celebrated Easter, feasting on overabundance of foods of all types, Caritas has made a dramatic appeal to the world, to raise the conscience to the growing famine in the Horn of Africa, and Ethiopia in particular. It is a reminder for all to be mindful of the bounty of Christ and His command to all to "feed" the poor, "to clothe them" and to bring to them out of His Own love the necessites of life. continued inside.
ADDIS ABABA, APR 18 (ZENIT.org).- The poor farmers of Giset, a remote
and dust-ridden mountain village in Ethiopia, have done everything
possible to survive in spite of 2 years of no rains. If humanitarian aid
does not arrive soon, the inhabitants of Giset could pass from famine to
starvation. Like them, 7.7 million Ethiopians are in danger of
starvation, akin to the situation in the 80s. The World Food Program
estimates that an additional 8 million are in danger in 9 more countries
of the Horn of Africa (the other most affected countries are Somalia,
Eritrea, northern Kenya, and southern Sudan) and they run the risk of
being forgotten.
Caritas-Italy has made an appeal to respond to the troubling situation
of this African region. "The situation cannot continue with the few
crumbs of the rich to take away the hunger of the poor: there must be a
change in the distribution of places at the table, so that Lazarus can
become one of the guests."
"Every day this continent suffers because of hunger, natural calamities,
and wars, and we cannot just remember it when we see skeletons and
cadavers on our television screens," the Caritas statement continues.
In Ethiopia, for example, among its 60 million inhabitants, infant
mortality reaches 10%, the foreign debt per capita equals $173 and
dependence on food from abroad is higher than 20%. This is a dramatic
record. Over the last 20 years, there have been one million deaths for
lack of food and a million inhabitants have fled their homes to seek
refuge in other safer places because of the war.
Catherine Bertini, special U.N. envoy in the zone, visited Giset last
Sunday, which is 90 miles northeast of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.
She denounced the lack of response to the petition made by World Food
Program for this month, for a total of $7.9 million to feed 212,000
Eritreans. Bertini, who is also a director of the World Food Program, is
visiting Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya. "These people have been
able to resist up until now, but their own reserves are almost
exhausted," she said.
"There have been no rains this year," one village inhabitant, named
Fatima, said. "There is nothing. I am waiting for help; my husband
cannot work because he is sick." The family's livestock died last year.
They had planted sorghum but it did not rain and the seeds never
germinated. Stories like this are repeated all over Giset, a village of
scarcely 1,000 inhabitants.
The only help the villagers receive is 33 pounds of grain every month
from a government aid agency. Fatima said that even if the rains come,
it will not be much help, because the family has not prepared the field,
which is full of stones and parched by the Eritrean sun. The price for
grain has gone up by 30%, and cutbacks affect commerce, explained Kofi
Owusu, coordinator of the World Food Program in Eritrea. Meanwhile, the
wars of the region are affecting the aid operations in many countries
with serious cutbacks in foodstuffs, including Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Somalia, Sudan, and Burundi.
The World Food Program estimates that some 850,000 persons, a quarter of
Eritrea's population, needs help, having been displaced by the border
war that Eritrea has been engaged in for 23 months against Ethiopia,
according to Worku Tesfamichael, the commissioner of government aid.
"The war does not help Ethiopians and Eritreans who need food and
development," he said. "War is only destruction, there is nothing to be
gained."
In cooperation with the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, the Caritas
international network launched an emergency program in 1999, and at
present is organizing a massive transport of cereals, to be distributed
in the Korem and Alamata centers, which are in the south of Tigrai. Over
the next few weeks, $1 million in food will be sent.
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Heaven just gained two more marytrs with the news that Abu Sayyaf rebels, who were holding 29 hostages on the southern Filipino island of Basilan, cruelly beheaded two male teachers being held hostages as they had threatened to do if their demands were not met by the government. The government has steadfastly refused to deal with the Muslim terrorists and, because of that, Church leaders are fearful more will be executed although government troops have launched a counterattack in an effort to free the remaining 27 before it is too late. The rebels have vowed to behead five more if the soldiers do not retreat from their armed position around the camp in the highly forested mountains of Basilian. continued inside.
MANILA (CWNews.com) - The Philippine army attacked
extremist Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines on
Monday, fighting to free 27 hostages taken from Catholic
schools in the area last month.
The government forces were less than a quarter mile from
three outlying camps of the Abu Sayyaf separatist rebels
that were targeted by artillery attacks, said Maj. Gen.
Diomedio Villanueva, chief of the military's Southern
Command. The hostages are believed to be kept at the main
compound further up the steep, forested mountain where they
have been held.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels kidnapped more than 70 children,
teachers, and a Claretian missionary priest last month as
part of their efforts to establish a separate Muslim
homeland in the mainly Catholic country. Most of the
hostages were released in the first few days, but the
rebels beheaded two male teachers last Wednesday as a
"birthday present" for President Joseph Estrada.
The rebels have warned they will behead their five
remaining adult male hostages -- including the priest -- if
the military does not halt its assault. "This is a hostage
situation and we're considering the safety of the hostages
to give them the best chance to survive," Villanueva said.
Good Friday took on even more significance this year in the area of suffering for the Vermont House and Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that condones homosexual unions, giving them same the status and rights of heterosexual married couples. This comes at a time when, throughout America, many are fighting against such laws that undermine the very integrity of family, and the laws of God regarding the sacred union of man and woman. Have we not crucified Jesus again by allowing things to come to pass that fly in the face of morality? Now sin is justified by man-made laws and it promises to get worse. continued inside.
MONTPELIER (CWNews.com) - The Vermont Senate on Wednesday
approved a bill that would set up a system of legalized
same-sex unions that would essentially create gay marriage.
The Senate voted 19-11 to approve the civil unions bill
after defeating two proposed constitutional amendments that
would have banned same-sex marriage 0n Tuesday. Gov. Howard
Dean, a Democrat, has said he will sign the bill after it
returns to the House of Representatives for reconciling
with a similar bill that body passed last month.
The law was mandated by the state Supreme Court last year
when it ruled that denying homosexual couples the same
right to legal unions as heterosexuals was
unconstitutional. The new law would allow couples to
receive a "certification ceremony" from a judge or member
of the clergy. They would then receive all the same legal
benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.
"It's a tragic day for the state of Vermont, for the Senate
has ignored the will of the people. But it's an even sadder
day for the state of marriage," said Janet Parshall of the
Family Research Council. "The Vermont Senate's vote today
to allow homosexual partners to form 'civil unions' is
nothing short of an endorsement of 'same-sex marriage'."
In all 50 straw polls conducted on the topic in March
during Vermont town hall meetings, "same-sex marriage" was
overwhelmingly rejected. In addition, "domestic
partnerships" -- such as the "civil unions" envisioned by
the law -- were rejected by all but four of the 30 towns
that included such proposals on the ballot.
For more NEWS & VIEWS, see SECTION THREE
