Indian Bishop Requests Tree Saplings as Gift

A newly installed archbishop in a central Indian state made an unusual demand of those wanting to congratulate him on his appointment. He said he welcomed gifts, but they had to be tree saplings. Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, that he wanted to highlight the churchs concern for the environment amid rising pollution levels and increased news of environmental destruction around the globe. He said the more than 10,000 saplings he received would be planted in Christian institutions and other public places, where he feels sure they will be nurtured. Several officials of Madhya Pradesh State said Archbishop Cornelios decision had a powerful symbolic meaning and environmental impact, as love for trees is part of Indian culture and mythology. The archbishops message was purely an inspiration to live for others, said Kunwar Vijay Shah, state minister for forest and tribal welfare, who attended a congratulatory function for the archbishop after his Sept. 16 installation ceremony.

Israeli Authorities Deny Priest Re-entry Into Israel

A Jordanian Catholic priest who works at a West Bank parish was denied entry into Israel en route from Jordan to the Palestinian territories. The Rev. Faris Khaleifat of Annunciation Church, a Melkite Catholic parish in Ramallah, was returning to his parish on Sept. 14 when Israeli authorities at the Al Sheik Hussein Bridge crossing canceled his multiple-entry visa without explanation. According to a statement released to the press Sept. 19 by the Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a week earlier Father Khaleifat, who holds Jordanian and Vatican passports, had traveled to Jordan for several days and had returned without incident. For the past six years, I have been traveling regularly between the West Bank and Jordan on church affairs without any problems whatsoever, Father Khaleifat said in the statement, which explained that the priest was one among thousands of foreign passport-holders who have been denied entry by Israeli authorities over the past several years.

Fordham Panel: U.S. Has Moral Obligation to Iraqis

The United States has a moral obligation to the people of Iraq that must be met regardless of when U.S. troops ultimately withdraw from that country. That was the conclusion of the panelists at a forum titled Exit or No Exit? Morality and Withdrawal from Iraq, held in New York Sept. 18 on the Lincoln Center campus of Jesuit-run This article appears in October 8 2007.