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Issue of January 2, 2005
UPDATE Racial Justice Week Jan. 17-23 Catholics across the archdiocese will mark Racial Justice Week Jan. 17-23. The event is a follow up to Cardinal George's pastoral letter, "Dwell in My Love" in which he has invited Catholics to pray for world peace and work to build welcoming and inclusive communities. Catholic schools have been encouraged to hold multi-cultural school liturgies and assemblies celebrating cultural gifts and contributions of various student backgrounds. Racial Justice Week concludes Jan. 23 with Dwell in My Love Sunday. Parishes interested in inviting a speaker to their event should contact Gloria Mathis of the Office for Racial Justice at (312) 751-8336 or email [email protected]. Related events include a Racial Reconciliation Prayer Service April 3, and a Unity Rally Oct. 1. For additional information, visit the Office for Racial Justice's Web site: www.archchicago.org/departments/racial_justice/racial_justice.shtm
Free trade pact brings concern El Salvador's ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement has again thrown the spotlight on economic integration efforts in Latin America and raised concerns about the possible impact of free trade pacts on poor people in the region. On Dec. 17, the Salvadoran legislature became the first Central American country to ratify the agreement. The agreement, known as CAFTA, is one of several being negotiated between the United States and Latin American countries. While supporters claim they will boost development, many of the region's bishops warn that the wide disparity between the $10 trillion U.S. economy and the smaller Latin American economies makes such agreements inherently unequal.
NEWS No peace on earth Local Catholics prepare for January life events Nearly 100 Chicago area youths are planning to spend a weekend in Washington D.C. with Cardinal George for the annual March for Life Jan. 24. The group, sponsored by the archdiocesan Respect Life Office, will leave by chartered bus following a send-off Mass Jan. 21 at Queen of All Saints Basilica celebrated by Bishop Thomas Paprocki.
Marian shrine a morgue after Asian tsunami hits Father P. Xavier used to care for thousands of pilgrims who flocked to India's most famous Marian shrine during the Christmas season. But this year, the priest was busy recovering dead bodies from under the debris of inns and shops that once ringed the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Vailankanni, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Most of these buildings collapsed Dec. 26 after a tsunami-a series of waves generated by an undersea seismic disturbance-struck southern coastal areas.
Remembering their pain Sex-abuse plaintiffs ask Augustinians to build memorial to survivors as part of settlement A memorial shrine for the survivors of clerical sexual abuse to be built by the Augustinians is the first that attorney Jeffrey Anderson has seen included in a sex abuse settlement, but the Minnesota-based attorney does not expect it to be the last. "I think we'll see more of them," said Anderson, who worked with Chicago attorney Marc Pearlman in representing 13 plaintiffs who accused former Augustinian priest John D. Murphy of molesting them when they were boys and Murphy was assigned to St. Rita Parish on the South Side.
'Don't quit' Indiana father finds faith despite family's struggles Don't quit. That's the message Kevin Bailey looks at every time things start to seem too overwhelming. "It's on a prayer card that Kathy gave me when I was in the hospital," said Bailey, who survived testicular cancer and has been in remission for a year. "I gave the original back to her when she was in the hospital, and she has it still. But I got another one, and I keep it in my Bible." Don't quit.
2004: Clergy sex abuse fallout and debate on Catholics in politics For the third straight year fallout from the Catholic clergy sexual abuse of minors was one of the biggest ongoing religious news stories in the United States, followed closely in Catholic circles by a wide debate over the relationship between church teachings and the political responsibilities of Catholics. Results of the first nationwide diocesan sex abuse and child protection compliance audits were published in January. In February two major reports on the abuse scandal-one on its nature and scope and the other on its causes and context-made headlines.
Migration Week highlights church aid to migrants The contributions of immigrants to the United States and the work being done to assist them at all levels of the church will be highlighted in a weeklong observance in January. In Houston, for example, an outreach program aims to help refugees and immigrants work through some of the more subtle changes in their new lives in the United States. Moral issue: Tobacco tax 'profit' raises Jesuit ire Smoking is a serious moral issue for those who damage their own health and the health of others, and for the state when it reaps revenues from taxes on tobacco products, an influential Jesuit journal said. The journal, La Civilta Cattolica, said in its Dec. 4 issue that the fight against tobacco addiction must go beyond "No smoking" signs and cigarette package warnings. The article was written by Jesuit Father Giuseppe De Rosa, a historian and frequent commentator on moral issues. Prior to publication, the magazine's articles are read and approved by the Vatican's Secretariat of State.
William Donohue-one angry Catholic Catholic League's Donohue is a tough talker for the faith In November, when Planned Parenthood protested the federal government's decision to allow its employees in 27 Illinois counties to choose a Catholic health plan run by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, William Donohue made his voice heard. Donohue heads up the New York-based Catholic League, a self-proclaimed watchdog organization with the goal of protecting Catholic religious and civil rights. It is active nationwide.
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