News/International
Wikipedia head Jimmy Wales joins Vatican meeting, talks about abortion controversy
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - The co-founder of Wikipedia told a Vatican audience that his online encyclopedia could contribute to peace by promoting "a more thoughtful world," even as the site was under fire for how it referred to those who oppose and support legalized abortion.
Jimmy Wales, who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001, was invited to address the annual assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. The meeting at the Vatican April 27-May 1 focused on Blessed John XXIII's 1963 encyclical "Pacem in Terris" and continuing challenges to promoting peace and justice in the world.
Pope's trip to Cuba led to "profound reawakening" according to bishops
By Catholic News ServiceCAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The March visit to Cuba by Pope Benedict XVI has helped reawaken people's interest in the Catholic Church, according to two Cuban bishops visiting the United States.
But it also has stirred criticism of the church's efforts to work with the government more and may be connected to a fire of suspicious origin that gutted a travel agency that organizes charter flights from Florida to Cuba.
Remarks at an April 24 forum at Harvard University by Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino about the church's role in Cuba riled some of the outspoken critics of the Castro government in both Havana and Florida.
Cross in desert park to be restored after land swap arranged
By Catholic News ServiceLOS ANGELES - A cross will be restored to a war memorial in a remote part of a national park in the California desert, according to a settlement agreement approved April 16 and announced April 24.
District Court Judge Robert Timlin signed off on an agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union to swap the half hectare parcel at Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve for land of equal value elsewhere in the preserve that was donated for the trade. The memorial site will be owned by the Veterans Home of California-Barstow, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 385E.
Church leaders criticize Portugal's plans to end two religious holidays
By Jonathan Luxmoore, Catholic News ServiceOXFORD, England - Portuguese Catholic officials criticized government plans to suppress two religious public holidays as part of an austerity drive and urged postponing the plans until next year.
Fr. Manuel Morujao, spokesman for the Portuguese bishops' conference, told Catholic News Service that Church officials understand that government leaders are trying to solve the nation's economic crisis by improving economic competitiveness. In addition to removing two religious holidays, the government plans to eliminate Portugal's Oct. 5 Republic Day and Dec. 1 Independence Restoration Day.
The religious holidays will be negotiated between the Foreign Ministry in Lisbon and Vatican officials, under the terms of Portugal's 2004 concordat with the Vatican.
Pope names retired cardinals to investigate source of leaks to media
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI named the members of a papal commission he established in March to investigate a series of leaks of letters exchanged among Vatican officials and between the officials and the Pope himself.
Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz, 82, a former president of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, will lead the commission. The two other members are 88-year-old retired Slovakian Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; and the retired archbishop of Palermo, Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, 81.
Three workers for Catholic aid agency arrested in Darfur
By Catholic News ServiceJUBA, South Sudan - Three staff members of a Catholic aid agency working in southern Darfur were arrested by security forces in Nyala as they were making preparations to return to South Sudan.
The Sudan Catholic Radio Network reported security forces also closed the Nyala office of Sudan Aid, an affiliate of Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic church's aid and development organization.
Bishop's Hitler, Stalin references in homily stir controversy
By Catholic News ServicePEORIA, Ill. - An Illinois bishop's mention of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin in an April 14 homily calling Catholics to "heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism" in the face of current threats to religious liberty in the United States has stirred widespread controversy.
After listing several governments throughout history that "have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches," Peoria Bishop Daniel R. Jenky said President Barack Obama "now seems intent on following a similar path."
Sex tourism, organ trafficking must be stopped, Pope says
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - The scourge of sex tourism and the trafficking of human beings for harvesting organs must be urgently addressed, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Such crimes are "evils that must be dealt with urgently since they trample on the rights of millions of men and women, especially among the poor, minors and handicapped," he said.
Pope asks donors to pray for religious freedom
By Chaz Muth, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting a group of major U.S. donors to Catholic charitable works, Pope Benedict XVI asked them to pray "for the freedom of Christians to proclaim the Gospel and bring its light to the urgent moral issues of our time."
The Pope met April 21 with about 80 members of the Papal Foundation, who presented him with an $8.5-million donation that will be used to fund scholarships and 105 Catholic projects in close to 50 countries.
New Chinese bishop hopes to strengthen formation, evangelize
By Catholic News ServiceNANCHONG, China - Bishop Joseph Chen Gong'ao was ordained April 19 as the bishop of Nanchong and made a pledge to strengthen formation and promote new evangelization.
The 47-year-old prelate, the first Chinese bishop to be ordained this year, was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and is recognized by the Chinese government, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.
He told UCA News that his priority is to enhance the quality of priests, seminarians and nuns so that "the diocese's evangelistic work would be developed in a more systematic manner."
Irish parliament rejects bill that would have legalized abortion
By Catholic News ServiceDUBLIN - Ireland's parliament rejected legislation that would have allowed a controversial 1992 Supreme Court ruling permitting abortion in limited circumstances to take effect.
The Socialist Party motion was defeated 111-20 April 19.