Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

The Southern Cross, Page 2 Bishops Speyrer, Snyder resign; OTHER BISHOPS NAMED Washington (CNS) P ope John Paul II has accepted the resignations of Bishops Jude Speyrer of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and John J. Snyder of Saint Augustine, Florida. Auxiliary Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Saint Louis, one of 12 active black Catholic bish ops in the United States, was named to succeed Bishop Speyrer in Lake Charles. No successor was immediately named for Saint Augustine. Pope John Paul also appointed Monsignor William F. Malooly, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as auxiliary bishop for Baltimore. The appointments were announced in Washington December 12 by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop McHugh, pro-life leader, DIES OF CANCER AT 68 Rockville Centre, NY (CNS) B ishop James T. McHugh, who had headed the Diocese of Rockville Centre since early January, died of cancer December 10. He was 68. A leader in the U.S. bishops’ pro-life efforts, Bishop McHugh also had represented the Vatican at international meetings and at the United Nations on population and pro-life matters. His funeral Mass was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. December 15 at Saint Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, with Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston as the chief celebrant and homilist. Diagnosed with cancer in August 1999, he died peacefully at his residence, “surrounded by friends and family,” said Joanne C. Novarro, director of public information for the Rockville Centre Diocese. Labor priest receives Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award Davenport, Iowa (CNS) A t 84, Monsignor George Higgins is no longer the robust young cleric who came out of Chicago 60 years ago to begin a ministry as America’s “labor priest.” Though he is frail and stooped, with hearing and sight problems, he still has the strong, confident voice and keen mind that he focused faithfully on the condition and needs of ordinary working people in this country and around the world. On December 3, Monsignor Higgins received the 2000 Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award given by the Diocese of Davenport and a consortium of area institutions to people prominent in the work for justice and peace. Davenport Bishop William E. Franklin pre sented the award during an afternoon ceremony at To Subscribe Send this in to your parish, together with your check for $15, made out to the parish. Hestdlim© Hopscotch Saint Ambrose University, with about 100 people in attendance. Mixed reaction greets call for REPEAL OF ‘ANTI-CATHOLIC’ ACT Manchester, England (CNS) C atholics have given a mixed reaction to calls from The Guardian newspaper for changes to Britain’s 1701 Act of Settlement, which enshrines anti-Catholic sentiment into British law. The law requires that all future monarchs must be in com munion with the Church of England—and forbids them from marrying “papists.” Launching its cam paign December 6, the newspaper said the act was outdated and could be in breach of Britain’s obli gations under European human rights law. But the paper’s call was not universally welcomed by Catholics. A spokesman for Archbishop Cormac Murphy-0’Connor of Westminster told the paper: “Changing the Act of Settlement would raise wider constitutional issues that would need careful thought and wide consultation.” John Wilkins, edi tor of The Tablet, a London-based Catholic weekly magazine, said in an interview with The Guardian published December 7: “There is a clear infringe ment of religious liberty. I think the act is a real anachronism and frankly insulting.” Catechists must be in harmony WITH CHURCH TEACHING, POPE SAYS Vatican City (CNS) T o fulfill their mission in the Catholic Church, catechists must live their faith and must pres ent the faith to others in complete harmony with official church teaching, Pope John Paul II said. “It is not enough to have an intellectual knowledge of Christ and his Gospel,” the pope said December 10 during a Mass concluding the two-day Jubilee for Catechists and Religion Teachers. “To believe in him means to follow him,” the pope told the 7,500 jubilee participants and thousands of others gath ered for the Mass in Saint Peter’s Square. Pope recognizes election of new Melkite patriarch Vatican City (CNS) P ope John Paul II formally recognized the elec tion of Melkite Archbishop Loutfi Laham of Jerusalem as the new Melkite patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and All the East. The new patriarch, elected November 29 by the Melkite synod, has taken the name Gregoire III. Upon his election, Patriarch Gregoire sent a formal request to Pope John Paul asking for “ecclesiastical com munion,” a recognition of his election as head of an Eastern Church in union with Rome. Pope John Thursday, December 14, 2000 Paul accepted the patriarch’s request in a December 5 letter, offering his prayers for Pat riarch Gregoire’s new ministry, the Vatican said December 9. Vatican official meets Patriarch Alexei II in Moscow, says agency Vatican City (CNS) A head of Pope John Paul II’s 2001 trip to Ukraine, a senior Vatican official met with the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, said the Russian news agency Itar-Tass. It reported that Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Vatican’s jubilee committee, and Patriarch Alexei II held talks in Moscow December 8 at the cardinal’s request. While neither party commented on the meeting, the agency surmised that Catholic-Ortho dox relations were on the agenda. On December 11, Cardinal Etchegaray and the Vatican press office also declined to comment, or to confirm the meeting. Clinton delays federal execu tion of Garza for six months Washington (CNS) I n a case watched closely by Catholic and other death penalty opponents, President Clinton post poned for six months what would have been the first federal execution in 37 years. His decision December 7 came just five days before Juan Raul Garza, 44, was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Clinton said although he believes the death penalty is appropriate for some crimes, he thinks the Justice Department needs more time to analyze information about racial and geographic disparities in the Federal death penalty system. Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic LEADERS MEET ON EPISCOPAL AUTHORITY Arlington, VA (CNS) E piscopal authority is a gift received through God’s grace and should not be confused with power, agreed the six bishops who took part in the December 1-2 Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic conference in Arlington. “The all-too-commonly accepted concept of authority as power is inade quate,” said Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb of Mobile, Alabama, in one of his keynote addresses to the gathering, known as LARC. “It is important to see authority in a bishop, at least ideally, as a gift coming from God through Christ leading an individual to follow Christ more securely so that in the end he or she is brought back to the Father completely,” he said. For more information call The Southern Cross (912)238-2320 Name Address Phone L Parish (USPS 505 680) Publisher Most Rev. J. Kevin Boland, D.D. Director of Communications: Mrs. Barbara D. King l(cpaj| Editor r '*ess 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@aol.com or Southerncross@ix.netcom.com Internet Home Page: http://www.diosav.org Deadline: All material for publication on Thursday must be received at the latest by noon on the previous Friday. POSTMASTER: Send Change of Address to circulation office: Chalker Publishing Southern Cross Subscription Department P. 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 O' J