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Thursday, January 13, 2000
POPE ORDAINS 12 BISHOPS
FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES
Vatican City (CNS)
ope John Paul II ordained 12
bishops from seven different
countries—including the United
States—and said their diversity rein
forced the universality of the church.
“You come from different nations
and represent the universality of the
church that adores the Word made
flesh for our salvation,” the pope told
them during a January 6 Mass in St.
Peter’s Basilica. “Around you are
gathered the faithful from various
parts of the world, to whom you are
sent as successors of the apostles,” he
said.
Pope, at first audience
OF 2000, STRESSES
MOTHERHOOD OF MARY
Vatican City (CNS)
ope John Paul II, at his first gen
eral audience of 2000, urged the
faithful to reflect on Mary, the moth
er of Jesus, who is also mother of all
Christians. “All through his child
hood, Jesus called Mary his mother.
When he later addressed her as
‘woman,’ he was emphasizing that
she is not just his biological mother
but also the mother of the people of
the new covenant,” the pope told a
crowd of 7,000 people gathered in
the Paul VI audience hall January 5.
Following three years of jubilee
preparation, the last of which, 1999,
focused on the Father, the pope urged
those present to reflect on Mary at
the beginning of 2000.
Orthodox patriarch
SEES LITTLE HOPE FOR
Christian unity soon
Warsaw (CNS)
he leader of the world’s 200 mil
lion Orthodox Christians said
hopes that Christians will achieve
unity soon are “groundless.” He
added that Pope John Paul II had
taken “larger steps” toward Christian
unity than previous popes, but
warned that his exercise of papal pri
macy was still unacceptable to
Orthodox churches. “For me, funda
mentally, the papacy expresses a spir
it far removed from the spirit of the
Orthodox Church,” said Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constan
tinople, spiritual leader of the world’s
Orthodox Christians.
Up to 20 more U.S.
BISHOPS COULD RETIRE
THIS YEAR
Washington (CNS)
ven after two retirements January
4, as many as 20 more U.S. bish
ops—including three cardinals—
could also retire in 2000 because they
are at or beyond the retirement age of
75. Six currently active bishops are
celebrating their 75th birthdays this
year. And sixteen active bishops were
already 75 when the new year start
ed. With the two January 4 retire
ments, 14 are still active. Church law
says at age 75 a bishop “is requested
to present his resignation” to the
pope.
Mother Teresa tops
LIST OF CENTURY’S MOST
ADMIRED
Washington (CNS)
other Teresa of Calcutta came
out as the most admired person
of the 20th century in a year-end
Gallup Poll of more than 500
Americans. Of those surveyed, 49
percent called her one of the people
they admire most in the century.
Other Catholics in the top 10 were
President John F. Kennedy, who was
third, and Pope John Paul II, who
ranked eighth. Most admired after
Mother Teresa was the slain U.S.
civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. The Gallup / CNN /
USA Today poll of 511 adults was
conducted by telephone December
20-21 and has a statistical margin of
error of plus or minus 5 percent.
Sacramento Diocese
FORGIVES DEBTS
Sacramento (CNS)
ishop William K. Weigand has
announced that the Diocese of
Sacramento will forgive $1.5 million
in debt owed by 10 parishes, schools
and agencies. The move is in keeping
with recommendations from Pope
John Paul II for the Holy Year 2000
and the Jubilee Committee of the
diocese, the bishop said. The
Diocesan Finance Council developed
a plan for debt relief to parishes rec
ognized “financially challenged,” in
that they have accumulated debts
beyond their ability to manage,
despite the very diligent efforts of
parish leadership, Bishop Weigand
said in a letter to pastors and admin
istrators of the entities affected.
Dallas Diocese adopts
STRICTER GUIDELINES ON
Medjugorje events
Dallas (CNS)
he Diocese of Dallas has adopted
guidelines on Medjugorje-related
activities that clearly define as “pri
vate” any devotion to the reported
Marian apparitions in the former
Yugoslavian republic of Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Bishop Charles V.
Grahmann issued the guidelines Dec.
22 for pastors “to clarify the situation
on the church’s position.” The guide
lines were drawn up following efforts
to organize a large gathering for
Medjugorje visionary Ivan
Dragicevic, who lives in the United
States. He frequently tours U.S. cities
and claims to have Marian visions
wherever he is.
Court orders debt
protesters not to break
LAW AGAIN
Washington (CNS)
uperior Court Judge Stephen G.
Milliken January 4 released four
Catholic protesters seeking debt relief
for poor countries, on condition they
not break the law over the next seven
months. The four, members of the
Religious Working Group on the
World Bank and IMF (International
Monetary Fund), were arrested
September 23 in the U.S. Capitol
Rotunda when they staged a peaceful
demonstration urging Congress to
“do its share” in funding debt relief
for the world’s poorest countries.
Harry Potter author:
‘I believe in God, not
magic’
Washington (CNS)
4 6T believe in God, not magic,”
Xsaid J. K. Rowling, author of
the popular Harry Potter series of
children’s books. During a U.S. book
tour stop in Washington, Rowling
discussed the nature of evil, censor
ship and faith. The three Harry Potter
books, about a young wizard’s
adventures, have caused a sensation
in the publishing world. They have
held top spots on The New York
Times' best-seller list as well as on
Amazon.com, the online bookseller.
Some parents have wondered
whether the setting of the books and
their dealing with witchcraft makes
for wholesome reading.
Bishop Untener calls
on Catholics to bring
• DIVORCED HOME
Saginaw (CNS)
ishop Kenneth E. Untener of
Saginaw is calling on Catholics
in the pews to serve as church
ambassadors of reconciliation to
divorced and separated Catholics. In
a taped message that was played at
the end of each Mass in all 109
parishes of the diocese during a
December weekend, the bishop
referred to brochures available in
every parish that describe steps the
diocese has taken to simplify the
painstaking procedure to obtain a
decree of nullity and explain how the
people can initiate the process. “I
want you to put these in the hands of
people who need to hear these words
of welcome,” Bishop Untener said in
the taped message. “This is a golden
opportunity to do a world of mercy,
and the year 2000 is a fine time to do
it.”
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