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The Southern Cross, Page 2 Catholic high school shooting CALLED SHOCKING Williamsport, PA (CNS) A Scranton diocesan spokeswoman called the March 7 student shooting at Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport a “sad and shocking” reminder that violence can occur anywhere. An eighth-grade girl suffered a bullet wound in the upper arm. The alleged shooter, who was in police custody, was also an eighth-grade girl. Maria Or- zel, diocesan communications director, told Catho lic News Service that Bishop James C. Timlin of Scranton, who is a pilot, left Scranton immediately to fly out to Williamsport, about 75 miles west. Bishop Neumann, one of nine Catholic high schools in the Scranton Diocese, has about 230 stu dents in grades 7-12. Greek Orthodox bishops approve INVITATION TO POPE FOR VISIT Athens, Greece (CNS) T he Greek Orthodox Church formally approved a government invitation to Pope John Paul II, clearing the way for a possible papal visit. The decision came March 7 in a unanimous vote of the 79 bishops of the church’s Holy Synod, or central governing body, reported ANSA, an Italian news agency. Archbishop Paul Fouad Tabet, the pope’s diplomatic representative to Greece, welcomed the decision as “a great historic moment” and said it represented “a choice in favor of ecumenism and Christian unity.” He said it was too early to specify a date for a papal trip. Ohio group helps Salvadoran sis ter PARISH IN QUAKE RECOVERY Columbus, OH City (CNS) A delegation of Catholics from a Columbus parish who traveled to El Salvador to help with earthquake recovery found the experience “very gratifying and rewarding,” said a priest who made the trip. Father Justin Reis, pastor of Saint Bernadette Parish in Lancaster, and seven others from his church visited the Diocese of Sonsonate, which was badly hit by a January 13 earthquake, the first of three powerful temblors that left about 1,300 dead and more than 1 million people home less. The Columbus group, led by parishioner Dr. Fernando Valdez, went to help a sister parish, San Juan Bautista in the city of Nahuizalco, which is about 60 miles south of San Salvador and has a population of 40,000. Father Reis noted that Saint Bernadette Parish has already sent $ 19,000 to San Juan and plans to send another $11,000. IKteadlto© Hopscotch Most U.S. dioceses now observe Ascension on Sunday Washington (CNS) L ess than two years after they got approval to decide province by province, most U.S. dioce ses and archdioceses have switched to observing the feast of the Ascension on Sunday. Dioceses in most East Coast states, including Georgia, and Nebraska continue to observe the feast on Thurs day, however. Catholic News Service checked on current practice around the country after the bish ops of the Saint Louis province, covering the state of Missouri, announced that Ascension will be observed on Sunday from now on in all their churches. Archbishop Justin F. Rigali of Saint Louis said it is a “sad fact” that when the feast is observed on its traditional date “many Catholics are unable to participate in the Mass of the Ascension.” In L.A. VOCATIONS MARATHON, they ALL RUN THE GOOD RACE Los Angeles (CNS) T he annual Run for Vocations, part of the 16th Los Angeles Marathon March 4, aims to pro mote religious life. Participants raise awareness for vocations through a prayer drive. Whereas runners usually ask for pledges—to finance a charity, for example—those who signed up for the Run for Vocations asked for prayers instead. This year the run, which was started 14 years ago, drew 77 priests, nuns, brothers, seminarians and parishio ners as participants. Frank Ebiner, a 41-year-old member of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Bald win Park, was the first of the 77 to cross the finish line. He made it in 3:13:39. Ebiner and the rest fol lowed the 26.2-mile marathon trail that took them through the heart of downtown Los Angeles, up to Hollywood, and back. Southern African bishops decry ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK CHEAP AIDS DRUGS Cape Town (CNS) T he Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Confe rence criticized a bid by pharmaceutical com panies to stop the South African government from making cheaper generic drugs available to people with the AIDS virus. It is “indefensible to prevent the provision of cheap or free anti-retroviral treat ment and treatment for opportunistic diseases relat ed to AIDS by insisting on patent rights,” Cardinal Wilfrid F. Napier of Durban, president of the con ference, said in a statement. South Africa’s medi- Thursday, March 15, 2001 cines legislation came under the spotlight in the Pretoria High Court March 6 as about 40 pharma ceutical companies challenged the court to uphold drug patents and ban the use of cheaper alterna tives by the government. Pope beatifies Spanish martyrs, URGES END TO BASQUE TERRORISM Vatican City (CNS) P ope John Paul II beatified 233 martyrs of reli gious persecution in 1930s Spain, entrusting to their intercession an end to the country’s modern- day scourge of Basque terrorism. As 30,000 mostly Spanish pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Square interrupt ed him with sustained applause March 11, the pope said terrorism is “the enemy of humanity” and an inherently losing tactic. “Terrorism is bom of hate and in turn feeds it; it is radically unjust and in creases the situations of injustice; and it seriously offends against God and the dignity and rights of persons,” he said. Basque terrorists in northern Spain have killed some 800 people in their three- decade campaign for a separate homeland. Regis Philbin donates $2.75 million to Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN (CNS) T elevision personality Regis Philbin, a 1953 University of Notre Dame graduate, has given his alma mater $2.75 million for the creation of a 100-seat studio theater in the Marie P. DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts. The Regis Philbin Studio Theater will be home for lab and perform ance art productions in Notre Dame’s department of film, television and theater. Philbin and his wife, Joy, have two daughters—Jennifer, a 1996 graduate of the university, and Joanna, a second-year student in the Notre Dame Law School. The University of Notre Dame also received the Corporation for National Service’s Higher Education Award for Leadership in National Service for its Alliance for Catholic Education, a master’s in education pro gram that trains young college graduates as teach ers while also providing assistance to understaffed Catholic elementary and secondary schools nation wide. On Ave Maria pRJerry Brehm^ Sings Cfiurcfi and CeCtic 14 of the most beautiful songs ever written. * CD - $15.00 (tax included) • Cassette - $9.75 (tax included) Please Include $2.00 Handling Maka chocks bavabto and mail to: "Jerry Breftm Music" • 41 BloomJngdafa Ave. • E. Greenbush, NY 12061 ' 518-477-4532 ♦ebbgigOaol.com 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 ®SSh|hem‘ Name Address Phone (_ Parish The Southern Cross (USPS 505 680) Publisher: Most Rev. J. Kevin Boland, D.D. Director of Communications: Mrs. Barbara D. King Editor '*ess ** Rev. Douglas K. Clark, S.T.L. Editorial and Business Office: Catholic Pastoral Center 601 E. 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