Copyright (c) 2009 The Georgia Bulletin http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world Catholic news happening around the world from the The Georgia Bulletin 28728 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/us-1/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic bishops in the Group of Eight industrialized countries have urged their nations' leaders to remember the poor and address the issue of global climate change during the upcoming G-8 summit. Leaders from eight of the globe's wealthiest countries, including President Barack Obama of the United States,... 28729 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/us-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Seattle judge's order overturning a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy on visas for foreign-born religious workers will give those workers "the peace of mind to continue providing important services in their communities and parishes," said the head of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Mark Franken,... 28730 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The "ambiguities" in a 7-year-old document from Catholic and Jewish dialogue partners are continuing to cause confusion, two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a June 18 note. The USCCB committees on Doctrine and on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs said the Catholic section... 28731 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/us-4/?s= BURLINGTON, Mass. (CNS) -- Priests today must be inspired by the ministry of St. John Vianney, their patron saint, which was characterized by love and prayer, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley said. He urged priests to forge a renewed fraternal unity that celebrates their shared missions of serving Christ and... 28732 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/us-5/?s= ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- As the June 29 close of the year of St. Paul drew near, the Cathedral of St. Paul announced its new designation as the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul. The cathedral is among about 100 U.S. Catholic churches that have been honored with the... 28733 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Priests can preach the Gospel effectively only if they give their lives totally to Christ, Pope Benedict XVI said. At his weekly general audience June 24, the pope said the fact that the new Year for Priests overlapped for 10 days with the concluding year of... 28734 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/world-2/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Marking the 150th anniversary of what became the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for the release of all people held by kidnappers in conflict zones and especially for the release of an Italian Red Cross worker in the Philippines. The... 28735 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/world-3/?s= TORONTO (CNS) -- The Mexican partners of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace were imprudent when they signed a statement on human rights sent to the United Nations, but Canada's bishops have found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the aid agency or its partners, said... 28736 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/world-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Spain's Catholic bishops have criticized legislation that would liberalize the country's abortion laws, calling the bill "a very serious danger for the common good." In a document posted on the bishops' conference Web site in mid-June, the bishops' Permanent Commission said it felt a religious duty to... 28737 24 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/24/people-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has named a 49-year-old Indian member of the Society of the Divine Word to be the new archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Bulawayo has been without an archbishop since September 2007 when Archbishop Pius Ncube, an outspoken opponent of Zimbabwe's political leadership, resigned in... 28716 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-1/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- One day after the deadliest accident in the history of Washington's Metro subway system, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl gathered with Metro employees to pray for those who died or were injured in the incident. "Confident that God always remembers the good we have done and God is... 28717 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-2/?s= ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) -- Even after it was amended to include all public institutions, a bill that would have extended the statute of limitations for lawsuits related to the sexual abuse of a minor was "inherently bad public policy," said the executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference.... 28718 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After more than two years of consultations, leaders from Catholic health care, the labor movement and the U.S. bishops' conference have agreed on a set of principles designed to ensure a fair process as health care workers decide whether to join a union. A 12-page document laying... 28719 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Specialty license plates offer motorists a chance to express pride in sports teams, the military and a variety of organizations, and for the past 10 years a different kind of plate has promoted adoption as an alternative to abortion. The "Choose Life" tag celebrated its 10th anniversary... 28720 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-5/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Parish closings are nothing new in the history of the U.S. Catholic Church, but the pace of closures and mergers has accelerated over the past 20 years, as several factors have converged. One factor has been the shrinking population base of many parishes. Catholic families in the... 28721 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/us-6/?s= MABEL, Minn. (CNS) -- In small-town and rural America, residents are used to going great distances to get the things they need: cars, farm implements, groceries, household goods -- even church services. A bishop of a rural diocese might point out that Catholic churches are frequently located about eight miles... 28722 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The sign of an archbishop's authority is not a scepter, but a circular stole made of lamb's wool to evoke the idea that he is, first of all, a shepherd. The stole, called a pallium, goes around the archbishop's neck and is worn over his chasuble... 28723 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/world-2/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Political leaders are unlikely to come up with effective responses to climate change because "the solutions are going to hurt" and be too unpopular with voters, said the head of Caritas Internationalis. But aid organizations, like Caritas, can make a difference by promoting the ethical and... 28724 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/world-3/?s= VENICE, Italy (CNS) -- In the increasing global mixture of peoples, balancing the religious traditions of minorities and those of the dominant culture has proven to be a crucial and delicate task, said participants at an international conference in Italy. The issue has been pushed to the forefront in many... 28725 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/world-4/?s= ABOUD, West Bank (CNS) -- Reema Yakoub and Sausan Nabil Massad sat, commiserating together, sipping Arabic coffee in the parish women's social hall after Sunday Mass. Between them, they have five adult children who are all still single and living at home. "It is very important for our children to... 28726 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/world-5/?s= VENICE, Italy (CNS) -- Two weeks after President Barack Obama's groundbreaking speech in Cairo, several Christian leaders gave the president positive marks and expressed hope that it would open a new chapter of dialogue. "I think it had a very positive effect. It opened new horizons for cooperation between Christians... 28727 23 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/23/people-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI will welcome U.S. President Barack Obama to the Vatican July 10 for an audience scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Obama will visit Italy July 8-10 to participate in the Group of Eight summit, a meeting of leaders of the world's wealthiest nations.... 28705 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/us-1/?s= ROCHESTER, N.Y. (CNS) -- An official of the New York State Catholic Conference has criticized as "grossly unethical, dangerous and exploitative" a plan that allows state funds to be paid to women who donate their eggs for research purposes. The move was approved June 11 by the Empire State Stem... 28706 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/us-2/?s= SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) -- Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto and a group of Loretto High School donors in Sacramento are suing the religious order that closed the all-girls school in June. The bishop and seven other donors contend in the lawsuit, filed June 10 in Sacramento Superior Court against Loretto High... 28707 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/us-3/?s= FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (CNS) -- Catholic schools and other private institutions fare well in some areas of education research; in other areas, they do about as well as public schools. That's perhaps not surprising, but the research is coming from a public institution: the University of Arkansas' Department of Education Reform,... 28708 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A new, multipronged initiative by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability is aimed at helping parishes meet the social, emotional and spiritual needs of people with severe mental illness. The project, designed by the organization's Council on Mental Illness, includes one-day awareness workshops around the country; the... 28709 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Alleviating the "acute suffering of the poor" in North Korea must take priority over military action if the current crisis on the Korean peninsula is to be resolved, the umbrella group representing Catholic charities worldwide said. Members of Caritas Internationalis from Asia, Europe and North America... 28710 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/world-2/?s= ROME (CNS) -- Criminals thinking about trafficking women and children for prostitution at the world's largest sporting events in 2010 will have to face the combined force of hundreds of women's religious orders. The 252 orders currently involved in combating human trafficking in 36 countries formed a new international network... 28711 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/world-3/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said he prays every day for peace in the Middle East and especially for Christians in Iraq. "I pray constantly for peace in the Middle East, in particular for Christians who live in the beloved Iraqi nation; I present their sufferings to the... 28712 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/world-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 42 million people worldwide have been forcibly uprooted from their country and forced to live in refugee camps indefinitely. These camps do not provide the most basic essentials to which the average person is accustomed. Hygiene, safety and education are dire issues. Yet, many refugees... 28713 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/people-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Formally opening the Year for Priests, Pope Benedict urged all priests to strive for holiness and said the ordained ministry was indispensable for the church and the world. "The church needs priests who are holy, ministers who help the faithful experience the merciful love of the... 28714 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/people-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Priesthood is such an enormous gift and we need to rejoice in it every day and renew it every day," said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick June 19. "There is no sacrament, I think, more filled with love as the sacrament we took when we became priests," the... 28715 19 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/19/people-3/?s= PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- One of the thousands of mourners for Father Gerard Jean-Juste died June 18 following the Haitian priest's funeral in Port-au-Prince. Father Jean-Juste, a Port-au-Prince archdiocesan priest, died in a Miami hospital May 27 at age 62. A passionate advocate for the impoverished in Haiti and for... 28679 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/us-1/?s= SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops will have to poll members missing from their spring meeting in San Antonio before it's known whether they have approved liturgical prayers, special Masses and key sections of an English translation of the Order of the Mass. Five texts being prepared for use... 28680 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/us-2/?s= SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago urged President Barack Obama and Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform before the end of 2009. Cardinal George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for the action June 18 on behalf of all the bishops at their... 28681 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/us-3/?s= SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- In one of a series of status reports on ongoing projects of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops June 18, bishops attending their spring meeting in San Antonio were told the rapid pace of legal changes on the status of marriage in the United States has... 28682 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In the wake of the University of Notre Dame controversy involving President Barack Obama delivering its 2009 commencement address, some U.S. bishops and Catholic university presidents are preparing for dialogue aimed at reaching a consensus about speakers on their campuses. During the early June conference of the... 28683 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/us-5/?s= SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Nearly 10 years after Cardinal John O'Connor of New York suggested it, the U.S. bishops approved a Mass in Thanksgiving for the Gift of Human Life June 18 during their spring meeting in San Antonio. The Mass was approved 183-2, with three abstentions. A second vote... 28684 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church must acknowledge that some priests have done great harm to others, but it also must thank God for the gifts the majority of priests have given to the church and the world, Pope Benedict XVI said. In the face of scandal, "what is... 28685 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/world-2/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) --The Vatican's synod council has completed a text summarizing the discussion and proposals of the 2008 world Synod of Bishops on the Bible. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, and 13 members of the council met at the Vatican June 3-4 to finalize a... 28686 18 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/18/world-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Thailand, Gaza and South Africa were ranked as some of the "worst places for refugees" in the 2009 World Refugee Survey for attacks and abuse by militaries and xenophobic civilian mobs. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants released its annual report June 17 at a press... 28662 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-1/?s= SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Nearly 10 years after Cardinal John O'Connor of New York suggested it, the U.S. bishops were likely to approve a Mass in Thanksgiving for the Gift of Human Life during their June 17-18 spring meeting in San Antonio. The Mass requested by Cardinal O'Connor, who died... 28663 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The board of directors of Public Broadcasting Service voted June 16 to stop its member stations from airing new religious programming, though existing programs on PBS affiliate stations will continue to be broadcast. "Interpretive" religious programming, such as concerts and journalistic programs, also will be permitted to... 28664 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The superior general overseeing the apostolic visitation of U.S. orders of women religious is hoping to gather up to 150 names of people who will soon begin visiting a cross section of congregations. Mother Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of... 28665 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Palliative care that focuses on pain management and attention to the psychological, social and spiritual needs of suffering and dying patients must be part of the nation's health care reform, the new chairwoman of the Catholic Health Association's board of trustees said at a Capitol Hill briefing.... 28666 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-5/?s= NEW YORK (CNS) -- In the shadow of the United Nations, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a coalition of faith communities known as Religions for Peace has worked quietly since 1970 to build peace. The coalition is composed of faith communities from the world's major religious traditions, including Christian, Buddhist,... 28667 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/us-6/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Before her death in October 2008, Alyce Christopher was a familiar face at St. Mary Nativity Parish in Joliet, Ill. Father Chris Groh, the pastor, said she was always around to lend a helping hand at women's club bake sales or senior citizens' events. In her younger... 28668 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Gospel message cannot be fully part of people's lives unless it has been faithfully translated into their language and is reflected in their culture, Pope Benedict XVI said. Talking about the life and mission of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, ninth-century brothers and missionaries, the pope... 28669 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/world-2/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The discussions and policy proposals of the leaders of the world's richest nations must promote the common good of all people and respect basic moral values, Pope Benedict XVI said. At the end of his weekly general audience June 17, Pope Benedict greeted 129 religious leaders... 28670 17 Jun 2009 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2009/06/17/world-3/?s= MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- A nun who works on migration issues for Mexico's bishops said she was not surprised by a report from Mexico's National Human Rights Commission that nearly 10,000 undocumented migrants traveling through Mexico on their way to the United States were kidnapped over a six-month period. "Organized...