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The Southern Cross, Page 2 Miami nun says she’s “heartbroken, devastat ed” by Elian seizure West Palm Beach (CNS) T he Miami nun who broke her neu trality on the Elian Gonzalez case earlier this year by advocating the 6- year-old be permitted to stay in the United States said she was “heartbro ken and devastated” over his seizure by federal agents. “I was shocked that a peaceful transfer, which according to all reports appeared so close, failed to materialize,” Dominican Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, president of Barry Uni versity, said in statement about the April 22 seizure. “It’s a real travesty of justice that this had to come to such a needless and violent transition.” At Jubilee for Workers, pope urges globaliza tion OF SOLIDARITY . Rome (CNS) C elebrating one of the biggest events of Holy Year 2000, Pope John Paul II appealed for a globaliza tion that extends beyond the econo my to encompass worldwide solidari ty. At the Jubilee for Workers, held May 1 on the Tor Vergata University campus on the outskirts of Rome and attended by about 200,000 people, the pope called for a resolution to labor inequality and injustice throughout the world. Despite tech nological progress, he said, “realities such as unemployment, exploitation of minors and low wages persist.” He warned that “the organization of labor does not always respect the dig nity of the human person, and the universal destination of resources is not always given due consideration.” Heads of ICEL bishops’ BODIES MEET OVER constitution, mission Washington (CNS) H eads of the major English-speak ing bishops’ conferences that comprise the International Commis sion on English in the Liturgy met April 25 in Washington to discuss the To Subscribe Send this in to your parish, together with your check for $15, made out to the parish. For more information call The Southern Cross (912)238-2320 Hopss©ttelh revised ICEL constitution required by the Vatican, as well as the commis sion’s broader purpose. According to a joint statement authorized by the participants and released by the U.S. Catholic Conference, “the meeting involved an exchange of information, and it was not the purpose of the par ticipants to take any formal action on behalf of their conferences.” “New martyrs” CEREMONY TO FEATURE ECUMENICAL PARTICIPATION Vatican City (CNS) C hristian representatives from all over the world are expected to join Pope John Paul II in a May 7 prayer service to commemorate “new martyrs” of the 20th century, but without naming them. The highlight of the ecumenical celebration at Rome’s ancient Colosseum will be the reading of testimonials for eight categories of Christian witnesses who died for the faith. Many of them were victims of communist regimes or Marxist groups. A list of more than 12,000 new martyrs based on names sent in by Christian communities around the globe will eventually be presented to the pope, but will not be published, Vatican officials said at a jjress conference April 8. Vatican official faults CONTINUED RELIANCE ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS Vatican City (CNS) T he Vatican’s foreign minister said April 27 that nations which rely on nuclear weapons showed that “the rule of law, confidence in others and the will to dialogue are not yet priori ties.” Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, whose formal title is secretary for relations with states, called nuclear deterrence “a distressing solution for a world overwhelmed with wea pons.” Instead, he said, expectations of the world’s citizens at the begin ning of a new millennium should lead nations toward “progressive and effective disarmament.” Court weighs gay RIGHTS, ABILITY OF SCOUTS TO CHOOSE MEMBERS Washington (CNS) I n oral arguments April 26 about the dismissal of a gay Boy Scout leader, the Supreme Court justices considered the Scouts’ right to ex clude some members based on the group’s morality standards. The high court’s last case of this term raised questions about whether the doctrines and membership standards of private organizations would be subject to court interpretation if the justices were to uphold the lower court’s rul ing. Boy Scouts of America vs. Dale stems from a New Jersey Supreme Court finding that the Scouts were a place of public accommodation and therefore had to accept James Dale as a member and assistant leader under anti-discrimination laws. New Zealand bishops SUPPORT SAME-SEX COUPLES’ rights Wellington, New Zealand (CNS) N ew' Zealand’s bishops said they support a system of registration which would give same-sex couples rights in law without the right to marry. The 10 members of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Confe rence made their submission to the Ministry of Justice in response to a ministry discussion paper, reported the newspaper, the New Zealand Catholic, in late April. The bishops said marriage is defined by sexual differentiation, and any law change should not redefine it. Instead, a sys- » tern of registration could give same- sex couples access to certain legal rights and benefits available to mar ried couples, they said, adding that the conditions of registration should relate to proprietorial and civic rights only. “Registration should not, for example, involve an exchange of vows,” the bishops said. They said registered relationships should be included in law wherever marriage confers rights or obligations in Thursday, May 4, 2000 respect to income support, tax credit entitlement, legal aid or the division of property if the relationship breaks down. Nonregistered relationships should be included in legislation “wherever similar rights and obliga tions are given to opposite-sex de facto relationships,” the bishops said. Same-sex couples should not have the right to adopt children, they said. And even when one person in such a relationship is a biological parent, the bishops are against the couple having joint legal parent status. Jewish scholar finds MEETING ON INCARNATION A LEARNING EXPERIENCE New York (CNS) A Jewish professor of religion at Barnard College in New York and a specialist in Judaism of the New Testament era said a recent interreli gious conference on the Incarnation was “a learning experience for me.” The professor, Alan Segal, said he had come to see the concept of “the angel of the Lord,” phenomena such as the burning bush of Moses and other aspects of his tradition as precedents for the Christian idea of “the motion of God downward to meet humanity.” “Of course, Christianity goes further than Judaism ever did,” he said. Slow rise in Catholic SCHOOL ENROLLMENT CONTINUES, NCEA SAYS Baltimore, MD (CNS) C atholic school enrollment contin ued its “slow and steady growth” in the 1999-2000 school year, increa sing by 4,600 students over the previ ous year, officials of the National Ca tholic Educational Association an nounced April 25. The increase to 2,653,038 students came despite a net loss of 36 schools, with the closing or consolidation of 73 schools and the opening of 37 new schools. En rollment has increased by some 86,000 students in the past seven years, said Leonard DeFiore, NCEA president. Name. Address Phone (_ Parish i he S • (USPS 505 680) Deadline: All material for publication on Publisher: Thursday must be received at the latest by noon Most Rev. J. Kevin Boland, D.D. on the previous Friday. Director of Communications: POSTMASTER: Mrs. Barbara D. King Send Change of Address to circulation office: l(cpa)i Chalker Publishing Editor: Southern Cross Subscription Department * fss ** Rev. 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