Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 2
Cardinal Mahony
CRITICIZES VAGUE USE OF
“choice” for abortion
Los Angeles (CNS)
T he Catholic archbishop of Los
Angeles has criticized politi
cians’ use of the phrase “a woman’s
right to choose” when what they
mean is “a woman’s right to choose
to terminate her pregnancy, that is, to
get an abortion.” “If political leaders
are proud of the fact that they support
the termination of a pregnancy, the
taking of the life of an unborn baby,
then why can’t they simply say so?”
asked Cardinal Roger M. Mahony.
“What’s with all the wishy-washy
‘choice’ language?” He suggested
that political leaders and abortion
advocates don’t tell the truth
“because they are trying to hide the
reality of the inherent evil in abor
tion.”
Cardinal Ratzinger says
third Fatima secret
“not essential”
Rome (CNS)
T he Vatican’s top doctrinal offi
cial, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
said the third secret of Fatima con
tains no dogma of faith and, as other
private revelations, is “not essential”
for Christians. While praising Pope
John Paul II’s courage in announcing
the secret May 13 and ordering its
publication, Cardinal Ratzinger said
Fatima needs to be kept in perspec
tive to avoid “sensationalism.” The
cardinal commented in an interview
in the May 19 Rome newspaper La
Repubblica. He said his doctrinal
congregation was working on a com
mentary on the Fatima messages and
expected to publish it and the full
text of the third secret by mid-June.
Church leaders pay
TRIBUTE TO FORMER ARCH
BISHOP of Canterbury
Manchester, England (CNS)
A nglican and Catholic leaders
paid tribute to a late former head
of the worldwide Anglican Commu
nion for his sensitive church leader
ship and ecumenical work. Arch
bishop Donald Coggan, a noted bibli
cal scholar, was archbishop of
Canterbury from 1974 to 1980. He
died May 17 at age 90. Pope John
Paul II, in a telegram to the current
Anglican leader, Archbishop George
Carey, offered his condolences to the
Anglican community and praised the
late archbishop’s efforts in Anglican-
Catholic relations. “Remembering
Archbishop Coggan’s presence at the
ceremony inaugurating my own pon
tificate, I thank God for his signifi
cant contribution to Anglican-Catho
lic relations. May the memory of the
late archbishop inspire us to trust that
‘he who began a good work in us
will bring it to completion at the day
of Jesus Christ’,” he said.
Freeze in U.S. aid to
Haiti suspends funds for
CRS, OTHER AGENCIES
Washington (CNS)
uspension of millions of dollars
in U.S. government aid to Haiti
has frozen funding for some Catholic
Relief Services work in schools and
has forced other U.S. aid agencies to
close down projects, said the CRS
country representative to Haiti. The
money frozen is “part of about $4.75
million frozen for education,” said
Chris Hennemeyer, country represen
tative for CRS, in a May 15 inter
view in Washington. In mid-March,
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, ordered more than $30
million in U.S. aid to Haiti suspended
after the Haitian government fined
the U.S.-owned Rice Corp. of Haiti
$1.4 million for allegedly evading
customs duties and smuggling rice
into the country.
Anglican, Catholic
BISHOPS MEET IN CANADA
TO REVIEW DIALOGUE
Mississauga, Ontario (CNS)
housands of miles from London
or Rome, 35 bishops from the
Roman Catholic and Anglican
churches met May 15-19 to discuss
how to get past a 466-year-old split
Hopseottdh
started by a king of England who
could not get an annulment. Anglican
Archbishop George Carey of Can
terbury, England, head of the world
wide Anglican Communion, and
Cardinal Edward Cassidy, head of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, led the meeting,
which included bishops from around
the English-speaking world. The
bishops were to review 30 years of
dialogue. Close observers said they
were unlikely to focus on areas of
contention such as women’s ordina
tion. Instead, they would explore how
to get their previously released docu
ments down to the grass roots of
parish life.
Guatemalan judge
COMMITS THREE ARMY
OFFICERS TO TRIAL
Guatemala City (CNS)
Guatemalan judge has ordered
to trial three Army officers
accused of the killing of Auxiliary
Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera. First
Penal Court Judge Flor de Maria
Garcia said May 18 she found suffi
cient evidence against retired Col.
Byron Disrael Lima Estrada; his son,
Capt. Bryon Lima Oliva; and the for
mer presidential bodyguard, Obdulio
Villanueva. They face charges of
“extrajudicial killing” of the 72-year-
old bishop, bludgeoned to death on
the doorstep of his parish home April
26, 1998.
Bishops to vote on
DEACON FORMATION, LIFE,
MINISTRY NORMS
Washington (CNS)
he U.S. Catholic bishops in June
will be asked to approve a “Nati
onal Directory for the Formation,
Ministry and Life of Permanent Dea
cons in the United States.” The pro
posed directory, a 220-page docu
ment, would establish comprehensive
U.S. norms for the formation, life
and ministry of deacons for the first
time. It is to replace current national
guidelines, approved in 1984, which
did not have the force of norms. The
directory must receive approval by
Thursday, May 25, 2000
two-thirds of all active U.S. bishops
and confirmation by the Holy See
before it takes effect.
U.S. DELEGATES NAMED TO
NEXT BISHOPS’ SYNOD IN
Rome
Washington (CNS)
T wo cardinals and the two top
officers of the National Con
ference of Catholic Bishops are the
elected U.S. delegates to the next
world Synod of Bishops, to be held
in Rome in October 2001. The four
are: Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of
Galveston-Houston, NCCB president;
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belle
ville, Illinois, NCCB vice president;
Cardinal William H. Keeler of Balti
more; Cardinal Francis E. George of
Chicago.
Pope canonizes 27
Mexican saints,
INCLUDING FIRST MEXICAN
WOMAN
Vatican City (CNS)
I n a ceremony that alternated
between solemnity and soccer-sta
dium enthusiasm, Pope John Paul II
canonized 27 Mexicans, including
the first Mexican woman saint. “With
pleasure I proclaim today the sanctity
of various witnesses of the Gospel in
the 20th century, all belonging to the
beloved and noble nation of Mexi
co,” the pope said at the beginning of
the Mass May 21. “They are the
saints of the Great Jubilee of the Year
2000,” he said, as more than 50,000
pilgrims cheered and waved som
breros and green, white and red '
Mexican flags in an overcast Saint
Peter’s Square.
Johnnie Ganems
Package Shop
Complete Line of
Imported and Domestic
Wine & Beer
Gaston and Habersham
912-233-3032
Savannah
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
"I
Name
Address
I Phone ( ) i
■ Parish
I J
(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:
Mrs. Barbara D. King
Editor:
Rev. Douglas K. Clark, S.T.L.
Editorial and Business Office:
Catholic Pastoral Center
601 E. Liberty Street
Savannah, GA 31401-5196
(912) 238-2320 FAX: (912) 238-2339
E-mail: DCiark5735@aoi.com
or Southerncross@;x.netcom com
Internet Home Page:
http://www.dioceseofsavannah.org
POSTMASTER:
Send Change of Address to circulation office:
Chalker Publishing
Southern Cross Subscription Department
R O. Box 948
Waynesboro, GA 30830
Subscription Price: $15 per year
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Waynesboro, GA 30830
Published weekly except the second and last
weeks in June, July and August and the last week
in December.
At 601 E.' 6 th Street
Waynesboro, GA 30830