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NEWS BRIEFS Mar-9-2010

By Catholic News Service

U.S.

Arizona bishops criticize bills increasing immigration enforcement

PHOENIX (CNS) -- The Catholic bishops of Arizona have expressed concern that new legislative proposals requiring greater enforcement of immigration laws by local police could harm public safety and separate families. "Arizona would become the first state in the nation to codify its own 'illegal immigration' law by requiring persons who are here unlawfully in terms of federal law to be charged with trespassing under Arizona law," said the three bishops who make up the Arizona Catholic Conference in a March 8 statement. The three are Bishops Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson and James S. Wall of Gallup, N.M., whose diocese includes parts of Arizona. The bishops said S.B. 1070 and H.B. 2632 -- identical bills currently before the Arizona Legislature -- do not "clearly state that undocumented people who become victims of crimes can come forward without fear of deportation." But they said it is "in all of our best interests" that no one be afraid to report a crime. "Anything that may deter crimes from being reported or prosecuted will only keep dangerous criminals on the streets, making our communities less safe," the conference statement said. The bishops said that although supporters of the bills say they are designed to allow local police to hold undocumented immigrants who are suspected of crimes, the proposals do not "limit enforcement to persons suspected of criminal activity, thus leaving the possibility of criminalizing the presence of even children and young persons brought into our country by their parents." "If enacted, these bills could lead to separation of family members that would not take place under current federal law," they added. "We believe it would be far better to withdraw these bills than to risk costly and unfairly punitive enforcement."

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Austin's bishop pledges to do his best to follow the Good Shepherd

AUSTIN, Texas (CNS) -- Bishop Joe S. Vasquez said he seeks to model the ways of Jesus Christ the good shepherd as the new head of the Austin Diocese. "Scripture is rich with the images of Christ as the good shepherd," he said to the more than 2,200 bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity present as he was installed as the fifth bishop of Austin. "As the new shepherd of this church, I will do my best to follow the good shepherd. He was he was "humbled and honored" that Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to head the diocese. His installation Mass was celebrated March 8 at St. William Church in Round Rock, just north of Austin. Speaking in both English and Spanish, Bishop Vasquez, the first Hispanic to lead the Austin Diocese, explained why he chose the phrase "Sigueme" or "Follow me" as his episcopal motto. This phrase comes from Jesus' words to Peter after the resurrection in the Gospel of John. "Follow me. These are two simple words, but very difficult to live out sometimes. As bishop, my love for Jesus Christ must be first, only then can I be free to serve and care for his sheep," he said. "It is important to know that the sheep are not mine, they belong to Christ. He has entrusted his sheep and lambs to the care of me, their shepherd." Bishop Vasquez also reflected on words found in "Lumen Gentium," the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which presented the church as a mystery and as a communion of baptized believers.

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There's an 'app' for that: iPhone applications devised for Catholics

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a world that boasts continual technological change, the iPhone by Apple has gained near-iconic status. Even Apple boasts there are more than 140 million applications -- or "apps," in Apple-speak -- that users can obtain for their phones. It only follows that there would be some clever Catholics who have devised apps to bolster people's faith. Dave Brown of Bend, Ore., invented a virtual rosary-beads app as a sign of thanksgiving after doctors found a successful bone-marrow match for his kindergarten-age daughter in 2008, curing her of her leukemia. Brown and his wife, Jackie, prayed the rosary frequently through their daughter's treatment, even though one parent was in Bend keeping the home fires burning while the other stayed with the desperately ill girl in Portland, Ore. How? With iPhones that Dave Brown bought so they could talk and send photos and video. An information technology manager at a window and door company, Dave Brown used his know-how to design an iPhone app that allows the user to pray the rosary. The small screen has animated beads that can be moved with a touch. Corresponding prayers pop up on the screen, along with devotional images. Brown told the Catholic Sentinel, Portland's archdiocesan newspaper, that within a year of its introduction, more than 20,000 sales of the app had been recorded. The Browns decided to keep the price low -- 99 cents -- to get as many people as possible praying. A similar rosary app, known as the Prayer Beads App, was designed by Premier Christian media in England in advance of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Great Britain later this year and made available in March through Apple's online store. In California, the Riverside Press-Enterprise daily newspaper reported that a San Bernardino priest will use an iPhone app to deliver daily inspirational video messages. Divine Word Father Michael Manning, who hosts a show on cable television's Trinity Broadcasting Network, will make his iPhone debut in April.

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WORLD

Church responding decisively to new sex abuse reports, official says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The religious orders and bishops' conferences dealing with cases of clerical sexual abuse of children in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands are acting quickly, decisively and with transparency to uncover the truth and assist the victims, said the Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said March 9 that the religious orders and bishops' conferences not only "have proven their commitment to transparency, in a certain sense they have accelerated the uncovering of the problem by asking victims to come forward even when it involved cases from many years ago." The correct way to proceed, he said, is to recognize what happened and concretely demonstrate concern for the victims and the consequences the abuse has had on them. The new revelations of abuse, mainly at Catholic schools, in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands as well as the recent report on abuse in Ireland "mobilize the church to elaborate appropriate responses and should be inserted in the context of a problem that is wider and involves the safeguarding of children and youths from sexual abuse in society," Father Lombardi said. Sexual abuse at the hands of a priest or other church worker is "particularly reprehensible," he said, but those who have the good of children at heart must recognize that the problem is present in many other sectors of society and "to concentrate the accusations only against the church leads to falsifying one's perspective."

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100 traditionalist Anglican parishes seek to join Catholic Church

ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- About 100 traditionalist Anglican parishes in the United States have decided to join the Catholic Church as a group. Meeting in Orlando, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America voted to seek entry into the Catholic Church under the guidelines established in Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" ("Groups of Anglicans"), said a March 3 statement. The Anglican Church in America is part of the Traditional Anglican Communion, a group of churches which separated from the worldwide Anglican Communion in 1991. The Traditional Anglican Communion claims 400,000 members worldwide. The request means the 100 Anglican Church in America parishes will ask for group reception into the Catholic Church in a "personal ordinariate," a structure similar to dioceses for former Anglicans who become Catholic. Churches under the personal ordinariate can retain their Anglican character and much of their liturgy and practices -- including married priests -- while being in communion with the Catholic Church. Archbishop John Hepworth of Australia, primate of the Traditional Anglican. The Anglican Church in America is the third group of Anglican churches to respond positively to the Vatican's invitation.

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Irish church works with government to close schools in 10 urban areas

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- Plans are underway to close Catholic primary schools in 10 urban areas in a joint effort involving the church and the Irish government. With Catholic schools making up 90 percent of the primary schools in the country, the goal is to reduce the number to 50 to 60 percent of the total, Batt O'Keefe, Ireland's minister of education and science, told the annual meeting of the Catholic Primary School Managers Association March 5. O'Keefe said the proposal that the church close a large portion of its schools was first raised by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. The process is driven by shrinking enrollment because of changing demographics in Irish cities, O'Keefe said. Ireland also has seen a marked increase in Eastern European and non-Catholic immigrants during the last 20 years. Taking low-wage jobs, the newcomers are unable to afford the cost of a private education. Work began on identifying the communities where schools needed to close after a November meeting between government officials and representatives of the Irish bishops and religious orders. O'Keefe said closings would begin in urban areas on a trial basis.

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PEOPLE

Book by Vatican Radio editor looks at Obama and religion

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To understand President Barack Obama, one must be aware of his personal experience of faith and the continuing importance of religion in U.S. political life, according to a new book written by a Vatican Radio editor. "God and Obama: Faith and Politics at the White House" by Alessandro Gisotti takes a detailed look at the president's faith history and his efforts -- not always successful -- to construct a "common ground" with the Catholic Church. While the book steers clear of political judgments, it portrays Obama as a complex figure who understands the weight of religion in forming political alliances. "In the book, I note the merit of Obama in having brought faith back to the center of the agenda of the Democratic Party and having invested a lot of energy in dialogue with religious voters," Gisotti said in an interview with Catholic News Service in early March. "But on abortion and the 'nonnegotiable values,' Obama does not seem to have differentiated himself from the policies of Democrats of the past, even though he has tried to seek a 'common ground' with the religious electorate," he said.

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Salesian official says Europe, US vital to rebuilding Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- Haiti urgently needs a Marshall Plan-style project with U.S. and European backing if the poverty-ridden country is to ever recover from the massive Jan. 12 earthquake, said the vicar general of the Salesians. "The greatest poverty of the people is absence of government and a humane system," said Salesian Father Adriano Bregolin during a visit to Port-au-Prince in early March to observe how the order's extensive network of ministries was faring since the earthquake. His visit included stops at schools and training centers, as well as in Cite Soleil, a neighborhood in the Haitian capital notorious for its gangs and violence. The Rome-based priest also visited the badly damaged towns of Leogane and Jacmel, southwest of Port-au-Prince. Father Bregolin told Catholic News Service that on an earlier trip to Haiti he found its considerable violence and poverty troublesome. During his most recent visit, he said he was awestruck at the apparent lack of a comprehensive government plan to rebuild the devastated region where about a third of all Haitians live. "There are a few men here from other countries working on rebuilding but you don't see enough machines removing materials," Father Bregolin said, adding that a stronger Haitian military might have been helpful in the recovery. The Salesian priest said he hopes Germany and France will join the U.S. in implementing a massive aid project, rather than leave other nations to fill the void. He expressed particular concern that socialist countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, which already have business and health projects in Haiti, would gain a stronger foothold. At the same time, Father Bregolin left Haiti impressed by the spirit of the Haitian people.

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