Atlanta Archbishop's bravery ahead of cancer fight
Atlanta, U.S.A, Oct.31,2007 (CINS/totalcatholic) - The archbishop of the Diocese of Atlanta in the United States is set to undergo surgery for prostrate cancer.
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said his cancer was diagnosed after a biopsy he had last month.
He will undergo the treatment on November 5.
“I have sought additional medical advice, and I have decided to have this surgery as the best response to my condition,” he said.
“This means that I will be out of commission for the next several weeks. I must cancel all of my scheduled appointments at least through November and then begin again with a limited calendar in December,” he said.
He apologised for having to bow out of events he had already been scheduled to attend, but said any planned meetings “can take place without my presence. The church should continue to advance, even in my absence”.
Archbishop Gregory said he would rely on retired Atlanta Archbishop John F. Donoghue and his vicars general “for handling even more meetings and responsibilities”.
“I know that you will support them as they guide the work of the archdiocese for the next several weeks.”
Archbishop Gregory said he was “very much at peace with this situation” because he had received “expert medical advice” and would have “the best of medical care”.
Congo Bishop survives gunfire
Goma, Congo,Oct. 31, 2007 (CINS/CWN) - Gunmen opened fire on Bishop Faustin Ngabu of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday evening, the MISNA news agency reports. The bishop's brother-in-law, who was with him at the time of the assault, was seriously wounded and hospitalized. Bishop Ngabu himself was unharmed.
The gunmen responsible for the attack have not been identified, nor have local authorities established a motive for the ambush. It is not clear whether the bishop himself was the target of the gunmen.
Goma is located in the Kivu province, which has been troubled by fighting between government troops and rebels allegedly backed by Rwanda. Thousands of people have fled from the region because of the fighting, crossing the border into neighboring Uganda for protection.
Mass for the faithful departed of the Chinese Church, appeal for bishops release
Hong Kong, Oct.29,2007 (CINS/AsiaNews) – A mass in suffrage of Msgr. John Han Dingxiang, bishop of Yongnian who died “in mysterious circumstances” and cremated immediately afterwards, but also an appeal for the release of all Catholics “unjustly” detained in China. This is the objective set out by Hong Kong’s Justice and peace Commission who have organised a mass for November 2nd next to which all of the faithful across the territory have been invited.
The ceremony will be presided over by Fr. Jacob Kwok in a church in Kowloon. According to Fr. Gianni Criveller, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, and expert on the Church in China, “this initiative is laudable, because it underlines the closeness of Catholics in China and the universality of the Church. Moreover it is the first time that a mass of this nature will be celebrated here, in which a deceased member of the Chinese Church will be remembered”.
The initiative was launched by the Commission, which published an article in the diocesan weekly Kung Kao Po. In the article Fr. Criveller goes on to explain, “The seriousness of Msgr. Han’s death is underlined (to find out more, click here) and the many interrogatives regarding the situation of the Church, which Beijing has still to answer. What’s more, the members of the Commission recall that the Olympics should be and occasion for greater openness in China, which has yet to concede full religious freedom”.
The death of the Yongnian bishop provoked widespread disdain among figures across the Catholic world. Even the Vatican daily, Osservatore Romano, expressed it’s “sorrow at the death of the prelate and the circumstance surrounding his burial, which forbid the participation of priests and Catholic faithful”.
The Kung Kao Po article, goes on to recall that “religious freedom is a fundamental human right, and this is why it must be conceded to every individual. We are particularly concerned for the welfare of elderly and ill bishops, who should be able to receive the necessary medical care”. Among these are underlined the “unjust living conditions” of Msgr. Giulio Jia Zhiguo, bishop of Zhengding; Msgr. James Su Zhimin, bishop of Baoding and missing since 1997 and Msgr. Cosma Shi Enxiang of Yixian, arrested in 2001.
Every year, concludes Fr. Criveller, “The Commission celebrates a mass for the deceased of Tiananmen, therefore these initiatives held to remember the sensitive situations in China are not unknown. This mass represents another step forward, a considerable gesture that must be supported”.
New Bishop in Moscow is reassuring about Church’s “mission” in Russia
Moscow, Russia, Oct.29,2007 (CINS/AsiaNews) – The entrance ceremony of Mgr Paolo Pezzi as archbishop and head of Moscow’s Mother of God Archdiocese was held in the presence of 1,500 worshippers, 200 priests as well as members of the Orthodox clergy, the diplomatic corps and journalists. With the mass performed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow on Saturday Mgr Pezzi took over from Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the former head of the archdiocese in the Russian capital, who moved to Minsk, in Belarus.
During the ceremony Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, read out a message from the Patriarch of Moscow Alexy II. In it the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church voiced his hopes that the tenure of the new head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow would be a time of “good relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches and of an early resolution of the problems between us.”
The message ends saying that it all depends on “how effectively we testify to the world about Christian values,” a clear reference to charges made by the Patriarchate against the Catholic Church in Russia and the Vatican over alleged Catholic proselytising, a major obstacle preventing a meeting between Alexy II and the Pope.
Both Mgrs Kondrusiewicz and Pezzi referred to the issue in the days before the ordination of the new archbishop and metropolitan.
The former bishop of Moscow expressed his regrets that in his 16-year tenure he failed “to establish better relations with the Russian Orthodox Church.”
“I have never promoted any proselytising activities, which are contrary to how I see things as well as to Church teachings,” he stressed. “Never the less, the dialogue was not disrupted, and I wish that the new archbishop may do more in this area.”
For his part Mgr Pezzi, from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo, explained his point of view on “mission.”
In a long interview with the Russian news agency Interfax-Religion he said that “mission is a testimony of evangelical values [. . . whereas] proselytism starts at the point where the real mission ends. Therefore, if all of us—both Catholics and Orthodox—practice ‘mission,’ we can develop good understanding and pursue unity, as there will be no place left for conflicts ”
In the interview the new archbishop also mentioned some of the goals he has set for himself in his new pastoral role, which he views as a continuation of what Mgr Kondrusiewicz started. In addition to ecumenism, he wants greater care for clergy training, greater support for young priests as well as men and women religious and renewed commitment to face the great problems that affect Russian society.
Currently some 600,000 Catholics live in Russia, although some experts say Russian Catholics might account for 1 per cent of the population, or 1.5 million people.
Currently there are 230 Catholic parishes registered in Russia, plus some 30 other organisations. But some 30 per cent of the parishes still do not have their own churches, which were nationalised in Soviet times, something that is still a serious problem.
Some 300 clergymen from many countries around the world carry out pastoral services.
Catholic Bishops condemn Pakistan bomb
Karachi, Pakistan, Oct.24,2007 (CINS/totalcatholic)- The Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference has condemned the bomb blasts that killed and injured hundreds of people marking the return of a former prime minister from self-imposed exile.
"We consider the killings at Karachi an act of extreme cowardice and terrorism, and demand that the government should ensure the safety of the lives of citizens," said a statement issued
Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore, the president of the bishops' conference and chairman of the bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace.
Two blasts, including one by a suicide bomber, rocked the rally in Karachi on October 18.
The blasts killed more than 130 and injured approximately 290 people who were celebrating the homecoming of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party.
The statement said the bishops expressed "solidarity and condolences with the families of the deceased" and condemned the carnage.
Demanding "fair and prompt inquiry of the tragic incident and strict action against the culprits," the Church has urged "citizens irrespective of religion, cast and creed to work for peace and harmony in the country," it said.
Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the Pakistani bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace said "the massacre has come at a time when the nation was looking forward to more open political action and revival of democracy".
Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan comes ahead of the general election in January.
"This is a wake-up call for all political parties to stand firm and united," said Mr Jacob.
Islamist groups had threatened to target the former prime minister for declaring that she would not hesitate to allow United States forces to enter Pakistan in pursuit of Taliban and al-Qaida militants.
More than 97 per cent of Pakistan's nearly 165 million people are Muslim. Christians, Hindus and others make up just three per cent.
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