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FRI-SAT-SUN January 28-30, 2000 vol. 11, no. 20 SECTION THREESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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(Disney)
Because of recurring, gory boxing violence, fairly graphic sexual
encounters and references, brief nudity, negative references to religion and constant rough
language and profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is O -- morally offensive.
The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. "Play it to the Bone" is a
tawdry drama in which best friends who are professional boxing rivals (played by Woody
Harrelson and Antonio Banderas) battle it out in Las Vegas for big prize money and a chance
at the middleweight championship title. Brutal boxers, artificially voluptuous women and crude
dialogue make a poor substitute for plot and character development.
(Paramount)
Because of intense depiction of domestic crises, numerous sexual
situations and references, alcoholic excess, recurring rough language and some profanity,
the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion
Picture Association of America rating is R –- restricted. "Angela's Ashes" is a faithful though
emotionally bleak dramatization of Frank McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning account of growing
up in 1930s-1940s Limerick where he lives in desperate poverty with his long-suffering
mother (played by Emily Watson), alcoholic father (Robert Carlyle) and younger siblings until stealing his fare to America at age 19. Although a realistic depiction of an impoverished
youth’s struggles through puberty and growing alienation from his family and Catholic
upbringing, the sober, disciplined movie lacks both the poetic flair and humorous punctuation
of the book.
A miracle attributed to the intercession of Philadelphia's Blessed Catherine Drexel has cleared the way for her to be declared a saint, possibly this year, along with several others approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and decreed by the Holy Father. Unfortunately, it looks like Blessed Sister Faustina did not make the final cut this year but there could be more later. continued inside
VATICAN CITY, JAN 27 (ZENIT).- Very soon the United States will have a
singular model of sanctity. This morning, the Vatican Congregation for
the Causes of Saints recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession
of Blessed Catherine Marie Drexel, opening the doors directly to her
canonization, which will take place during the Jubilee year 2000.
Drexel was born in Philadelphia in 1858. Her father was a Catholic, and
her mother Protestant. She founded the Congregation of the Sisters of
the Blessed Sacrament, dedicated to the defense and promotion of Native
and African Americans in the United States. She established Xavier
University to offer ethnic minorities the possibility of development
through Catholic education, and she became a real pioneer in the
advancement of human rights. Catherine Marie died on March 3, 1955 in
Conwells Heights.
In addition to John XXIII, the decrees promulgated this morning by the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints prepare the way for the
beatification of 3 martyrs representing the Asian missionary Church, and
who were killed out of hatred for the faith at different periods,
between the 17th century and the first half of the 20th. They are
diocesan priest Fr. Nikola Bunkerd Kitbamrung, who was martyred in
Bangkok, Thailand in 1944, and two lay catechists: Andrea (no surname),
who was killed in Vietnam in 1644, and Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino who
gave his life for the faith several decades later on the Island of Guam.
This morning's decrees also open the path to beatification by approving
miracles attributed to Irish Benedictine Columba Marmion (1858-1923);
Fr. Georges Preca (1880-1962), a Maltese priest and founder of the
Society of Christian Doctrine; Indian Sister Maria Teresa Chiramel
Mankidiyan (1876-1926), founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family;
Swedish Sister Marie Elizabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957), founder of the
Order of the Most Holy Savior and St. Bridget. Finally, the decree
officially proclaimed the heroic virtues of German priest Fr. Franciscus
Saverius Seelos (1819-1867), who dedicated himself to helping immigrant
compatriots in the United States.
The path to official recognition as a saint in the Catholic Church
begins with a diocesan investigation. Afterwards, if all goes well, the
cause moves to the Vatican, where a proclamation of the "heroic virtues"
of the Servant of God must be made. At this point, the future saint
carries the title "Venerable." If he or she died for the faith, a
declaration of martyrdom on the part of the Vatican suffices to allow
beatification, giving the title "Blessed." Those who did not die for the
faith require documented evidence of a miracle to be beatified. Finally,
for canonization, which brings the title of "Saint," all candidates must
have documented evidence of a miracle brought about by their
intercession after their beatification.
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Present at the reading finalizing Pope John XXIII's clearance for beatification sometime this year was the nun whose miracle through the intercession of the former Cardinal Roncalli paved the way for the Church's elevating him to the ranks of blessed. continued inside.
VATICAN CITY, JAN 27 (ZENIT).- John XXIII will soon be beatified, as
established today by a decree of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes
of Saints, which recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of
the "Good Pope." John Paul II was present for the promulgation, which
took place in the Vatican Consistory Hall.
John XXIII led the Church for 5 years -- from 1958 to 1963. His name was
one of several on the list of causes: one for canonization and six for
beatification, as well as three declarations of martyrdom and one
acknowledgment of heroic virtues.
Archbishop Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints, highlighted the "ecumenical context" of these
promulgations, which were declared shortly after the end of the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity. In particular, he mentioned that on June 5,
1960, Pope John XXIII established the Secretariat for Christian Unity,
which in 1988 became a Pontifical Council. He also spoke about Pope
Roncalli's work in promoting relations with other Christian Churches.
"The pastoral contact he had with so many brothers and sisters who were
not in full communion with the Catholic Church during his mission to
Bulgaria and Turkey created in him a kind of categorical imperative that
led him to seek the recovery of the unity lost over the centuries, for
which Jesus prayed ardently to the Father before dying."
Sister Caterina Capitani was present at the moment the decree was
promulgated. She is a religious of the Daughters of Charity who
benefited from a miracle now recognized by the Holy See, opening the
doors for John XXIII's beatification. Sister Caterina works in the St.
John of God Hospital in Agrigento, in southern Italy. "I felt great joy
and was very moved, but could one feel otherwise?" she said after the
ceremony.
During the promulgation ceremony, John Paul II blessed Sister Caterina
Capitani "he did the sign of the cross over me and patted my cheek,"
stated the nun, who was cured of a gastric perforation. Very moved,
Sister Caterina said she regarded Pope John XXIII as "a great innovator
of the Church with his gifts of openness to the world, his goodness,
simplicity and poverty. These were values we were able to touch with our
hand during his life; how different our world would be if they were more
widespread."
Sister Caterina hopes to be present for the beatification ceremony,
which should be held this year in Rome. For the time being, no date has
been set, however.
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Six different faiths gathered at the site of the former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland to offer prayers in memory of the millions of Jews who died there in addition to Catholic victims and victims of other faiths including Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim and Buddhists during the worst holocaust in history until Roe vs. Wade made abortion even more abominable. continued inside.
WARSAW (CWNews.com) - Representatives of six faiths
gathered on Thursday at the former Nazi death camp at
Auschwitz to pray for the 1.5 million people killed there
during World War II on the 55th anniversary of the camp's
liberation.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski told the assembly
the world should seek to free itself of hatred upon the
advent of a new millennium. "This inconceivable crime must
change the world's history. But with alarm we observe new
mounting threats to peace and security. Wars continue and
people kill one another," he said to 1,000 survivors of the
camp who had come from all over the world to commemorate
their liberation in 1945 by the Soviet Red Army.
Prayers for the victims, 90 percent of whom were Jewish,
were recited by Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox,
Muslim, and Buddhist representatives. "This soil is soaked
with blood. These signs, here in this camp, must be a
warning against racism and anti-Semitism," said Kazimierz
Albin, one of Auschwitz's first prisoners, weeping as he
remembered his escape from the camp in 1943.
Long considered a Catholic state, Massachusetts is sadly only a shell of what it once was for there has been little outcry and outrage over the recent ruling of permitting buffer zones around abortion mills even though the US Supreme Court is studying the appeals in other states. Possibly the only hope for the state will be prayer and a changing of the guard in eliminating Ted Kennedy and voting in such stalwart moralists as Catholic World News editor Phil Lawler who has announced his candidacy to unseat Kennedy and help return the state to where God wants it to be. continued inside.
BOSTON (CWNews.com) - The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court said on Thursday that a 25-foot buffer zone around
abortion clinics would be constitutional if a law is passed
by the state legislature.
The state Senate had requested an opinion from the court on
a proposed bill to establish the zones. Pro-abortion leaders
said the zones are necessary to prevent pro-lifers from
attacking clinics, workers, or people entering the
building, but pro-life groups rejected the characterization
that they are violent.
Dwight Duncan of Massachusetts Citizens for Life said the
bill will violate the constitutional freedom of speech and
assembly and his group will challenge any such law in
federal court. The zone law would be the first such law
enacted by a state. Other zones around the country have
been set up by judges.
Under the law, people would be banned from a 25-foot zone
around building entrances and driveways unless they were
going in or out of the building, worked in the building, or
were police, firefighters or other types of public
officials, regardless of whether they were protesting or
not.
The US Supreme Court is currently considering the
constitutionality of a Colorado law setting up "floating"
buffer zones around people entering abortion clinics, and
is expected to be rule by July.
As we complete Respect Life 2000 Week the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad is reminding all that this doesn't only apply to the preborn, but men, women and children who are dying of starvation and disease in Iraq due to the embargo. He claims 8,000 children died last month due to lack of food and medicine to nourish and heal the people. The Church has called for an end to the embargo for just these reasons for the embargo is not hurting Saddam Hussein but the innocent people of Iraq. continued inside.
BAGHDAD, JAN 27 (ZENIT).- The nine-year U.N. embargo of Iraq and the
constant U.S./British bombing attacks are taking their toll on the
weakest citizens of this nation. "This is a killing of innocents -- a
tragedy that affects the whole world," stated the Catholic Patriarch of
Babylon of the Chaldeans.
Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid, whose Episcopal See is based in Baghdad,
was commenting to "Fides" on data recently disclosed by Iraq's Ministry
of Health, comparing infant mortality in December 1989 (just eight
months before the imposition of the embargo) with that of December 1999.
According to the report, 8,000 children died last month in Iraq. Lack of
medicines and food is taking an enormous toll not only among children,
but also among the elderly.
The increase in the rate of mortality over the last decade is startling.
In 1989, 101 children younger than 5 died of dysentery. Ten years later,
the figure rose to 1,576. Children younger than 5 dying from lack of
food numbered 81 in 1989, as compared to 3,060 in 1999. Deaths among
children from pneumonia and other respiratory infections increased from
117 in 1989 to 3,372 in 1999.
In a December 16 speech, Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, a
practicing Catholic, presented much the same data. He cited a first-hand
report last year in the "New York Times." "The reporter
led readers through a day with the chief resident at the central
teaching hospital for pediatrics in Baghdad. Iraq, the doctor told his
visitor, was once the most advanced country in the Arab world for
science and medicine. Now, Iraq's doctors cannot even read medical
journals; because medical journals are embargoed."
Buchanan noted that childhood leukemia is almost always fatal in today's
Iraq, while it has a 70% cure rate in the U.S. Even the most basic
supplies are withheld in the name of the embargo. "Disposable syringes
must be used over and over again. Their importation has been blocked out
of fear that medical syringes will be used to create anthrax spores.
Ancient X-ray machines leak radiation. Chlorine, a vital water
disinfectant, all the more necessary because Iraq's sewage treatment
plants were bombed in Desert Storm, is embargoed, lest it be diverted
into chlorine gas. Even the plastic bags needed for blood transfusions
are restricted."
Before he left the country in protest, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator
Denis Halliday estimated the death rate of Iraqi children at 60,000 per
year, with a total of 500,000 since the start of the embargo. Buchanan
noted that "if his figures are correct, more Iraqi children have been
lost in nine years to U.S. sanctions than all the American soldiers
killed in combat in all the wars of the 20th century."
The Vatican Ambassador to the Holy See today released a report revealing
the current death toll: "Since the imposition of sanctions in August
1990, 1,215,787 people, mostly children and old people, had died of
sanctions-related causes."
In 1989 adults older than 50 who died of hypertension numbered 91, but
in December of 1999 this figure jumped to 594. Deaths from diabetes
increased from 82 to 831, and from cancer, from 347 to 1,913.
Patriarch Bidawid said the "data of the Ministry of Health was
substantially confirmed by the investigation of United Nations'
commissioners who visit our hospitals. These deaths are the clearest
proof that should move the world to do something against the embargo."
Patriarch Bidawid also commented on the Holy Father's much desired
pilgrimage to Ur of the Chaldeans, Abraham's birthplace. "I continue to
hope. The visit has been postponed until further notice, but I think
that the prayers of the whole world and the Holy Father's desire cannot
remain frustrated."
ZE00012702
Just in time for Jubilee 2000 the impressive towering statue of Jesus, arms outspread overlooking Rio de Janiero in Brazil, is being restored with a new protective coating against the salt air and lighting that will allow people to see it from many miles away. continued inside.
RIO DE JANEIRO, JAN 27 (ZENIT).- Restoration work began yesterday on the
1931 statue of Christ the Redeemer that overlooks Rio de Janeiro. The
statue has been deteriorating over the years because of climatic
effects. The statue is a towering 125 feet tall.
The project is the initiative of the Municipality and the Archdiocese of
Rio. It is known as "Christ the Redeemer of the Open Arms." The project
is being funded by the Brazilian Environmental Institute, the newspaper
"O Globo," and Banco Real.
This is not the first time the statue has undergone restoration. But
this time, the most advanced techniques will be used. A titanium mesh
will be placed in its interior to conduct electric current, preventing
salt from damaging Christ's robe.
In 4 months time, tourists in Rio will be able to admire the statue with
recovered splendor and new electrical lighting.
ZE00012709
To offset negatives being spread by the former disgruntled abbot of Guadalupe, those working for Blessed Juan Diego's canonization have uncovered a rare work of art that gives proof to the Guadalupe tradition from the time of Diego. continued inside.
MEXICO CITY, 27 (NE) A high relief witnessing the apparition of
the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico, which dates back to the XVI
century, has been sent to Rome as further evidence for the cause
of canonization of Blessed Juan Diego. The high relief was
sculpted by a group of stone sculptors of Xochimilco, four
months after the Virgin's apparition to Blessed Juan Diego on
December 12, 1531. The work of art was donated as a gift for the
Chapel of the Assumption, so it could be appreciated and would
help evangelization, for this place was a necessary stop in the
way to Acapulco. In the XIX century, the colonial temple of
Assumption, built between 1529 and 1552, became the Cathedral of
Cuernavaca.
The artwork shows God the Father crowning Blessed Mary, as a
native girl. The "Guadalupana" -the Virgin's image as it
appeared to Blessed Juan Diego- stands upon a half moon
supported by four couples of angels. Two more angels are at each
side, playing the trumpets, as a manifestation of joy.
Specialists explain that the work is of European inspiration,
but of Indian craftsmanship. Therefore it has the artistic
traits of that age, and also a traditional Franciscan's seal:
the rose.
Members of the Commission for the Cause of Canonization of
Blessed Juan Diego have emphasized the value of this work. "The
relief depicts the Virgin of Guadalupe. Each of the elements
verifies that there is a tradition of Guadalupe, even by the
type of rock with which it was elaborated. The style is well
defined, eloquent and beautiful," they stated. After the
historicity of the work was proved, the image was taken to Rome
for further studies and as further evidence for the apparitions
of the Virgin to Blessed Juan Diego.
NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit.
"Dear children! I call you, little children, to pray without ceasing. If you pray, you
are closer to God and He will lead you on the way of peace and salvation. That is why I call you today to give
peace to others. Only in God is there true peace. Open your hearts and become those who give a gift of peace
and others will discover peace in you and through you and in this way you will witness God's peace and love
which He gives you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
