Copyright (c) 2010 The Georgia Bulletin http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world Catholic news happening around the world from the The Georgia Bulletin 32090 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/us-1/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Jewish, evangelical and Catholic speakers, some with backgrounds in national security and interfaith relations, called the controversy over plans to build an Islamic community center and mosque a few blocks from ground zero in New York "contrived" and likely to help those who would recruit potential terrorists.... 32091 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/us-2/?s= SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- The California Catholic bishops' conference is alerting parents and guardians of public school children that they have the right to "opt out" of many influences and classes that contradict their family's values -- from instruction in how to perform sexual acts to the ins and outs... 32092 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/us-3/?s= DES MOINES, Iowa (CNS) -- Thieves electronically stole more than $600,000 from a Diocese of Des Moines bank account on two days in August, the diocese and the bank involved said. As of Sept. 2, $202,000 had been recovered by the bank, according to Anne Marie Cox, director of communications... 32093 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/world-1/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- As the first direct peace talks in two years between Israeli and Palestinian leaders were launched in the United States, Pope Benedict XVI and Israeli President Shimon Peres met in a private audience. The two leaders expressed hopes that the renewal of direct talks in... 32094 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/world-2/?s= LAHORE, Pakistan (CNS) -- Church leaders in Pakistan have condemned the triple bombings that killed more than 30 people and injured more than 200 at a Shiite religious ceremony in Lahore. The Asian church news agency UCA News reported that Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore said the bombings, committed as... 32095 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/world-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A small Florida Protestant church's plan to burn copies of the Quran has drawn international condemnation. The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Indonesian religious leaders -- including two Catholic bishops -- and the bishop of St. Augustine, Fla., are among a growing group of... 32096 2 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/02/world-4/?s= CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- South Africa's bishops have called on the government to withdraw a bill on state secrets, which they say violates the spirit of openness and accountability essential for a healthy democracy. The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference "has serious concerns about the wisdom and the... 32060 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/us-1/?s= CALABASAS, Calif. (CNS) -- A memorial Mass was held Sept. 1 for Sister Mary Campbell, who was killed Aug. 25 in a car crash that also severely injured the retired pastor of a Malibu parish and left the driver, Douglas Kmiec, U.S. ambassador to Malta, with serious injuries. Sister Mary,... 32061 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/us-2/?s= CHICAGO (CNS) -- The Catholic Church Extension Society has provided more than $14 million in grants to help Catholic communities recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina five years ago. The grants provided by the Chicago-based organization have been primarily earmarked to support church-related projects and encourage faith in... 32062 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- New stands have been taken on the indecency front, but discouraging signs continue to surface. In what is potentially the most important stand, the Federal Communications Commission filed an appeal Aug. 26, asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its July ruling striking down the FCC's indecency... 32063 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-1/?s= SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) -- Diana Olivares' husband, Daniel Sanderson, had one foot out the door before a gentle nudge from his wife convinced him to stay with the family instead of heading to the mine for work. Later that day, the couple received word that the San Jose mine where... 32064 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-2/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- St. Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century German mystic, used her gifts to build up the church at a time of trouble similar to today, Pope Benedict XVI said. St. Hildegard is relevant today because of "her love for Christ and his church, which was suffering... 32065 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-3/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Lay members of Asia's tiny Catholic minority can be effective witnesses of the Christian faith by being models of married love, defending human life, helping the poor and showing their willingness to forgive those who hurt them, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Asia's Catholics are called to... 32066 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace joined 27 other Christian leaders in welcoming the renewal of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders brokered by the United States. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., and leaders representing Catholic, Protestant,... 32067 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-5/?s= TRIER, Germany (CNS) -- The German Catholic Church will require all employees who work with young people to obtain police checks and undergo psychiatric tests when necessary, under new guidelines published Aug. 31. "The new guidelines now extend to clerics, order members and other employees in the church's service," said... 32068 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-6/?s= SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- A whistle-stop visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to a church in China is not a sign that the secretive communist regime's stance toward religion is softening, South Korean Catholics say. Kim visited a Catholic church in Jilin, in northeastern China, during his... 32069 1 Sep 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/09/01/world-7/?s= SAO PAULO (CNS) -- Ten years ago, workers escaping brutal working conditions in Brazil's Amazon region had only one place they could turn to for help: the Pastoral Land Commission of the Brazilian bishops' conference. "The police and even Labor Ministry officials would send these people over to us," said... 32052 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/us-1/?s= SAN DIEGO (CNS) -- A lineup of high-profile presenters, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, headlined the first Mother of Life Conference. About 1,800 people attended the conference held Aug. 14 at San Diego State University's Viejas Arena and sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the Knights of Columbus.... 32053 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/us-2/?s= DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNS) -- Boosting morale in a diocese deeply wounded because of the abuse of children by some clergy in past decades, Catholics in the Davenport Diocese pledged $22 million in a capital campaign that succeeded despite the worst economic conditions in decades. The campaign was the first in... 32054 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/us-3/?s= PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- A parish in a Portland suburb helps scores of African immigrants as they settle in to life in this country. The Open Arms and Helping Hands ministry based at Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie provides furniture, clothing, referrals and other aid that is especially important... 32055 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The general counsel of the U.S. bishops was one of more than 100 leaders from varying religious organizations asking Congress to turn back legislation that would deny religious charities the right to hire only people of the same faith if those charities receive federal grants. Anthony Picarello... 32056 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/us-5/?s= WATERTOWN, Mass. (CNS) -- New shows focusing on campus ministry and on Catholic traditions in art will premiere on CatholicTV cable outlets and on CatholicTV.com in September. The 13-part series, "Hope on Campus," explores the work of the Brotherhood of Hope, a relatively new religious order that serves at large,... 32057 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/world-1/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI offered his prayers for the 33 men trapped underground in a gold and copper mine in Chile. At the end of his Angelus address Aug. 29, the pope prayed that the miners remain calm as rescue workers begin an excavation process that... 32058 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/world-2/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- People today have a duty to leave the earth in a state in which future generations "can live in dignity and safeguard it further," said Pope Benedict XVI. Expressing his support for the Sept. 1 Day for Safeguarding Creation, the pope told people gathered in... 32059 30 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/30/world-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The controversy surrounding a bishop in a Catholic diocese about 100 miles outside of Beijing illustrates the problems facing Chinese Catholic communities trying to follow Pope Benedict XVI's instructions to unite. Coadjutor Bishop Francis An Shuxin of Baoding, who spent 10 years under house arrest for refusing... 32043 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/us-1/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Five years after the devastating effects of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, rebuilding efforts are still very much a work in progress. Many, but not all, Gulf Coast residents have returned and although many homes and buildings have been rebuilt, more still needs to be done. Amid the... 32044 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/us-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- People who choose to enter the religious life often say God called them to their vocation. But student debt sometimes stops them from answering the call. Religious orders are reluctant to accept candidates who have substantial debt. That means many people are faced with the possibility that... 32045 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A group of 10 interreligious figures who visited Vietnam in late spring said the toxic, corrosive effects of Agent Orange still jeopardize the Vietnamese people 35 years after the war's end. Traveling as the Agent Orange in Vietnam Information Initiative, the group said money is still needed... 32046 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/us-4/?s= NEW YORK (CNS) -- More than 1,000 people dressed in blue and white filled a cordoned traffic lane across from the Empire State Building Aug. 26 to protest the decision of the building's owner to deny a request to illuminate the upper floors in honor of the 100th birthday of... 32047 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The life of an ambassador to the Vatican is filled with meetings, liturgies, conferences, reports and social events. About a dozen members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican seem to be everywhere -- at every papal event, every big conference and even at the... 32048 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/world-2/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate the end of their monthlong Ramadan fast, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran encouraged Catholics and Muslims to work together in overcoming violence among followers of different religions. Cardinal Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said it was... 32049 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/world-3/?s= WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- A national Catholic newspaper has become Poland's top-selling weekly, outstripping its secular competitors. Gosc Niedzielny (Sunday Guest), a 92-page tabloid owned by the Archdiocese of Katowice, was confirmed Aug. 23 as the country's highest-circulation weekly with more than 144,000 copies. Father Tomasz Jaklewicz, deputy editor, told... 32050 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/world-4/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- As France continues its campaign to repatriate foreign-born Gypsies, Pope Benedict XVI called for greater acceptance of cultural differences and urged parents to teach their children tolerance. Speaking in French to pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo Aug. 22,... 32051 27 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/27/people-1/?s= MULTAN, Pakistan (CNS) -- A Pakistani Catholic bishop and his Protestant counterpart led a convoy of food and bottled water to southern Punjab province, where five districts are submerged under floodwaters. The Asian church news agency UCA News reported that Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan and Anglican Bishop Alexander Malik... 32038 26 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/26/us-1/?s= ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNS) -- Alaskans passed a ballot initiative Aug. 24 that requires abortionists to notify a parent before performing an abortion on a minor girl in Alaska. Passage of Proposition 2 was a long-sought and welcome victory, particularly for parents and Catholics around Alaska -- many of whom had... 32039 26 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/26/us-2/?s= HYANNIS, Mass. (CNS) -- It's considered by many baseball gurus as one of the premier amateur baseball leagues in the country. The Cape Cod Baseball League, an entity consisting of 10 teams strewn across the Cape, can trace its roots all the way back to 1885. The league motto is... 32040 26 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/26/world-1/?s= VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is "an exemplary model of Christian virtue" who showed the world that an authentic love for others opens the door to knowing and being with God, Pope Benedict XVI said. Marking the 100th anniversary of her birth, the pope sent a message... 32041 26 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/26/world-2/?s= OXFORD, England (CNS) -- Germany's Catholic bishops have approved new guidelines for handling claims of sex abuse by church personnel to facilitate cooperation with law enforcement bodies. The guidelines, in preparation since February, were approved by the bishops' permanent council at a meeting in Wurzburg. A statement from the German... 32042 26 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/26/world-3/?s= MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Catholics in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas offered prayers for the 72 undocumented migrants from Central and South America whose bodies were discovered Aug. 24 in what was possibly the largest mass slaying since the country began cracking down on drug cartels and organized crime.... 32030 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/us-1/?s= CHICAGO (CNS) -- The sunrise was invisible, but the hundreds of people who showed up at Masses and prayer services on five South Side beaches in the early morning Aug. 21 took it on faith. Between 50 and 100 worshippers came out at each of the sites for back-to-school services... 32031 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/us-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Nearly eight months pregnant and raising her 18-month-old son as a single mom, Dominique Pointer knows that getting a federally subsidized apartment early in August was a blessing. Having lost her job with a medical billing company and homeless, Pointer, 23, along with her son, had been... 32032 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/us-3/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Greg Erlandson decided to write a book on the clergy sex abuse crisis because the secular media kept raising questions about Pope Benedict XVI's handling of cases in their coverage of a new wave of clergy sex abuse in dioceses around the world. For him, there was... 32033 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/us-4/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo praised a federal judge's recent ruling that temporarily stopped federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, but the U.S. Department of Justice said it would appeal the decision. The cardinal, who heads the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and chairs the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life... 32034 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/world-1/?s= HAVANA (CNS) -- A young man knocked on the door of the Catholic parish and asked for soap. "I don't think someone as young and strong as you should be knocking on anyone's door asking for soap," the priest replied. "You should work and buy the soap with your wages."... 32035 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/world-2/?s= CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI made an urgent plea for peace and an end to disrespect for life and law in Somalia. During his general audience Aug. 25, the pope said his thoughts were with the people of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, which continues to be... 32036 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/world-3/?s= NEW DELHI (CNS) -- Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launched the capital's centenary celebrations for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta when she opened a photographic exhibition Aug. 23. "Mother Teresa was somebody extraordinary, a living goddess who taught us we should not look for anything in return if we want to... 32037 25 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/25/people-1/?s= NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Dressed in red priest's vestments, Ben de Boisblanc went through a preflight checklist for the Mass he was about to act out in his living room. "I got the candles, the cross and the bread," shouted Ben, 11, before launching into a verbatim recitation of the... 32024 24 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/24/us-1/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A federal judge ruled Aug. 23 that the Obama administration's guidelines for funding embryonic stem-cell research violate federal law and stopped such funding while a lawsuit against it continues. Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in his 15-page... 32025 24 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/24/us-2/?s= WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A new "social contract" is needed in today's economy, said Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in the U.S. bishops' annual Labor Day statement. "Currently, the rewards and 'security' that employers and society offer workers in return for an honest day's work do not reflect... 32026 24 Aug 2010 http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2010/08/24/us-3/?s= SEATTLE (CNS) -- Arriving with their children in Ciudad Juarez at the beginning of 2007, Maryknoll lay missioners Jim and Karen Halberg Weaver knew the Mexican border city had a history of violence. But a year later, as Juarez's murder rate climbed from 16 a month to 30 to 130...