World news Pittsburgh Catholic, Friday, April 4. 1986 — Page 7 Papal envoy’s Lebanon visit triggers several predictions du Ltban, a member of the Islamic Conference, a BEIRUT, Lebanon (NC) — A papal envoy's re­ and Christian militias divided the Christians, Forces, said that Archbishop Sllvestrini’s visit Sunni group, told papal nuncio Archbishop Lu­ cent visit to Lebanon has left a wake of predic­ with the PhalangiBt forces of Lebanese president would do little more than encourage “ a similar ciano Angelonl that “ the true position of the Sun­ tions that the Vatican Is preparing to take leader­ Amin Gemayel. a Maronlte Catholic, opposing move” by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini. ni community could not be sufficiently expound­ ship of the strife-torn Lebanese Christian com­ the accord. “ The Vatican could offer no guarantees to the ed during the visit of Silvestrini to Dar-El- munity, the Information arm of the Lebanese The resulting inter-Christian warfare drove the Maronites, and they have indeed felt abandoned Fatwa.” Catholic bishops' conference said. leader of the Lebanese Forces, which has sup­ by (Archbishop) Silvestrini." Hobeika said. “ It is Among the predictions by “ commentators" Is ported the Syrian accord, out of the country. impossible to find (a) solution to the Lebanese Archbishop Silvestrini met with leaders of the; that the Vatican will exercise Its leading role On Jan. 25 a group of Maronlte Christians, In­ crisis except through tripartite agreement.” Sunni, Shiite and Druze communities in Dar-El- through the Maronlte patriarch after reorganiza­ cluding Archbishop Ibrahim Helou, apostolic ad­ Iran supports the Shiite militias in Lebanon's Fatwa. a section of Beirut, to discuss the creation tion of the patriarchate following the election of ministrator of the Maronlte patriarchate, endors­ 10-year civil war. of a Moslem-Christian committee to prepare the new bishops. The patriarch now Is Cardinal An­ ed the accord. groundwork for an inter-Lebanese dialogue. The The papal mission "expressed good inten­ toine Pierre Khoralche. who has been 111. Pope John Paul II interrupted his Lenten Moslem leaders rejected the proposal. Reactions from Christians and Moslems to the retreat Feb. 19 for an unscheduled 25-mlnute tions,” said Sheikh Mohammad Mahdi Shamsed- March 8-13 trip of Archbishop Achille Silvestrini n o tin g with President Gemayel. The Vatican dtn, religious leader of the Lebanese Shiite com­ Lebanese political commentators say that both were mixed, with Lebanon's Moslem prime did not say what was discussed at that meeting. munity, but did not present any new solutions. the Vatican and Moscow oppose the Syrian minister Rasheed Karameh calling the trip a Political commentators In Lebanon have con­ The Shiite leader criticized any attempts by the tripartite agreement and the partition of failure because of "Inter‘Christian divergences,” cluded that the Vatican is “ against the Syrian- Vatican to “ internationalize” the Lebanese Lebanon and both support community coex­ the Catholic Center for Information In Beirut brokered tripartite agreement,” the bishops' In­ crisis. istence and an independent, sovereign Lebanon, Druze Moslem leader Waleed Jumblatt also reported March 27. formation agency reported. the information center reported. The center, an agency of the Lebanese bishops, The Vatican Is said to be likely to support Inter- criticized the Vatican intervention, claiming it More than 100,000 people have died since the said that the election of new Maronlte bishops Lebanese dialogue to achieve coexistence and would hinder Syrian efforts to arrange a peace. Moslem-Christlan war began in 1975. Many and a new patriarch could take place before this the re-establishment of relations between the But the leader of another Moslem group, Sunni Christians oppose any efforts to grant Moslems summer. Syrians and the Christian community, the center Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled, said he was A Syrian effort last December to broker a peace added. “ very satisfied” with the papal mission. greater political power at the expense of the accord between Islamic Druze and Shiite militias Elle Hobeika. the ousted leader of the Lebanese According to a report in the magazine Revue Christians. News in brief Vatican lifts Number of poor increases silencing of WASHINGTON (NC) — The number of poor Americans has Brazilian grown faster than the general population In the last 10 years, ac­ cording to a new church publication on poverty and its causes. VATICAN CITY (NC) — The Poverty now affects almost one of every six Americans, the Vatican's silencing of Franciscan report said. Father Leonardo Boff, a con­ At the Vatican The report, a 50-page booklet titled "Poverty Profile USA: In the troversial Brazilian liberation 80s," was published In Washington by the Campaign for Human theologian, has been lifted, said a Development, the U.S. bishops’ anti-poverty program. Franciscan official in Rome April Today 33.7 million Americans are poor, compared with 24.3 1. million in 1975, according to the Introduction. The disciplinary action had pro­ Contributing to the increase has been what the booklet calls the hibited Father Boff from lecturing U.S. government's "conservative pursuit” of social welfare and writing on theology. policies as well as chronic unemployment and changes in The official. Father Angelo economic structures in the United States and the world that have Stelline, spoke to National altered the flow of capital and shape of Industrial employment.” Catholic News Service after press The booklet discusses characteristics that correlate with pover­ reports from Brazil quoted Father Use Easter to fight death, says pope ty, such as race, age, sex and location, and Includes charts, Boff as saying his Franciscan graphs and an appendix of technical information. superiors had removed the VATICAN CITY (NC) — Easter is the time to way and the life of Christ is reaffirmed," he It also examines: penalties March 29. added. • Existence of work, participation in ownership and control of Join “ God's great uprising” against death in the “ I can confirm Father BofTs At the end of the Easter message, the pope ex­ Investment as “ focal points of any discussion on poverty.” form of abortion, torture, terrorism, war and statement," said Father Stelline, human rights violations, Pope John Paul II said tended season's greetings in 49 languages, in­ • Trends in the U.S. Job structure and the new poor. acting head of Franciscan head­ March 30 in his annual Easter message. cluding Albanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Arabic, • Impact of unemployment on family health and the quarters in the absence of the “ Man not only resigns himself to death, but he Hebrew, Swahili, Tamil, Chinese, Vietnamese feminization of poverty. order's superior general. U.S. and the Philippine language of Tagalog. • Inequality of educational opportunities, especially for has often made death the method of his existence Father John Vaughn, who was The Polish-born pope also added a short blacks and Hispanics. on earth,“ the pope said, reading his message to visiting the United States. message in Polish, saying that God offers special • Structural causes of poverty and how the poor subsidize the about 200,000 people in St. Peter's Square. The lifting of the disciplinary “ Men continually inflict death upon others, comfort to the "afflicted and oppressed.” rich. action also was confirmed April 1 people who are often unknown, innocent people, Human suffering forms part of Christ's suffer­ Copies of the booklet are available at $2.50 each from the Cam­ by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, people not yet born," he said. ing on the cross “ and carries with it the seed of paign for Human Development. 1312 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Vatican press spokesman, who love and of ultimate victory,” the pope said. Washington, D.C. 20005. The pope asked for an end to violence "in the said the Franciscans had been regions bloodied by guerrilla warfare and con­ The pope began his public Easter weekend ac­ given permission by the Vatican flicts, where there arise temptations to use ter­ tivities Good Friday, March 28, around noon Nicaraguan nuncio transferred Congregation for the Doctrine of rorism and reprisals, in nations where the digni­ when he heard confessions for about 90 minutes the Faith and the Vatican Con­ ty of the person, his rights and his freedoms are in St. Peter's Basilica. VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope John Paul II has transferred the gregation for Religious and trampled upon.” Eleven people from Italy. Poland, Spain and church’s chief diplomatic representative In Nicaragua and Hon­ Secular Institutes to remove the The message capped a busy Easter weekend Ecuador made their confessions to the pope. duras to a similar post in Uruguay, the Vatican announced April penalties. for the pope, which included a March 29 meeting Since 1979, Pope John Paul has made it a year­ I. In a joint letter sent April 26, with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz. The ly practice of hearing confessions on Good The one-line announcement made no mention of a replacement 1985, the congregations Imposed Vatican announced the 40-minute meeting but Friday. for Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza dl Monte^pmolo, a 60-year- the penalties and told the Fran­ did not say what was discussed. Also on Good Friday, the pope presided at an old Italian. He has been the Vatican’s nuncio in the two Central ciscans to communicate the The meeting came several days after the afternoon celebration of the Passion of Our Lord American countries since 1980. penalties to Father Boff. United States and Libya engaged in two days of in St. Peter’s Basilica and in an evening Way of In Nicaragua. It was a period of worsening relations between The disciplinary action came fighting in a portion of the Gulf of Sidra, which the Cross at the Roman Colosseum. the Sandlnista government and the church hierarchy. about two months after the doc­ Libya considers part of its territorial waters and A common theme of the pope's weekend talks Nicaragua's bishops initially supported the Sandlnlstas, a coali­ trinal congregation criticized which the United States and other nations con­ was the need to recognize that sin is still an im­ tion of Socialists. Christian Democrats and Marxists. Father BofTs book, “ Church: sider international waters. portant factor in today's world, and it can be However, tension has steadily Increased over government Charism and Power,” as The pope had called for a peaceful solution to overcome through participation in Christ’s restrictions on the press, religious broadcasting and other church dangerous to the faith because of the conflict on March 26. salvation. activities. In 1984, the government expelled 10 foreign priests. its views on the church’s hierar­ On March 27. the United States announced A major problem of contemporary society is Last December, the pope asked for an end to harassment of the chical structure, dogma, exercise that its fleet had left the contested area after sink­ the loss of the sense of sin, the pope said in a brief church in Nicaragua, echoing similar statements by Nicaraguan of power and prophetic role. ing Libyan ships and -bombing an air-defense homily after the Way of the Cross. bishops. The penalties included “ a missile base. "Man commits sin without calling by name Archbishop Cordero was the Vatican’s nuncio In Papua New period of respectful silence, per­ The pope read his Easter message, called "Urbi what he does, but this is not the way of libera­ Guinea and the Solomon Islands until 1980. Previously, he had mitting serious reflection for et Orbi,” Latin for "To the City and to the tion," he said. been secretary of the Vatican’s Justice and Peace Commission. Father Boff and abstention from World," after celebrating an outdoor morning “ It is only the way of falsifying the truth. The his responsibilities in editing the Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square. way of liberation reaches its goal only by way of ‘REB’ and from other activities as "This is the day of God’s great uprising: his the truth,” he added. Leaders ask end to N-testing lecturer and writer,” said a uprising against death." the pope said. “ And however much humanity wants to reject Vatican press release issued at "Is not the method of death found in the this truth, however much it tries to blot out the WASHINGTON (NC) — More than 160 Catholic. Protestant and the time. method of violence, the method of the bloody sense of sin from consciences and customs — the Jewish leaders urged President Reagan March 26 to "choose life" The Vatican press release did conquest of power, the method of the selfish ac­ cross will always bear witness to this truth," the and end testing of nuclear weapons In response to a Soviet not say how long the silencing cumulation of wealth, the method of the struggle pope said. moratorium on such tests. would last, but Vatican and Fran­ against poverty that thrives on hatred and the At a March 29 Holy Saturday Easter vigil Religious leaders made the appeal "as people of faith to a man ciscan officials said at the time it longing for revenge, the method of intimidation ceremony, the pope baptized 39 converts rang­ of faith” in a letter following a March 22 underground test In would be about a year. and the abuse of power, the method of torture ing in age from 8 to 54. They came from 14 coun­ Nevada. The test took place despite a petition against it from The doctrinal congregation and terror?" he asked. tries, including 15 from South Korea. more than 60 members of Congress. criticism of Father Boff and the The pope called on Catholics to meet “ the "The primary cause of death is sin," the pope Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had announced the Soviets disciplinary action were con­ great challenge of peace. To choose peace means said during the homily. would not resume testing if the United States did not set off an troversial in Brazil, where Father to choose life.” Earlier on March 29, the pope met a group of explosion. Boff is a leading liberation He reiterated his call to world religious leaders Italian highway patrolmen and their families. Catholic bishops who signed the letter included Archbishop theologian. The Franciscan's to Join him later this year in the Italian city of He told the policemen not to become Raymond G. Hunthausen of Seattle; Bishops Walter F. Sullivan of writings are popular with Assisi for a day of prayer for world peace. pessimists because of the "distressing Richmond, Va., Arthur N. Tafoya of Pueblo, Colo., Maurice J. Brazilian Catholic social activists. No date has been announced for the Assisi phenomena of delinquency and violence” they Dlngman of Des Moines, Iowa, Leroy T. Matthiesen of Amarillo, He was defended by such event. witness in their work. Texas, and Francis A. Quinn of Sacramento, Calif.; and Auxiliary Brazilian church leaders as Car­ “ Christ rose at a particular moment of history, "The victory of Christ over sin and death gives Bishops Thomas J. Gumbleton of Detroit and P. Francis Murphy dinals Paulo Evaristo Ams of Sao but he is still waiting to rise in the history of in­ you a motive for hope against despair and of Baltimore. Paulo and Aloislo Lorschelder of numerable men and women, in the history of in­ authorizes you to hold to the belief that good will Fortaleza, both Franciscans. Car­ dividuals and the history of peoples,” the pope triumph over evil,” the pope said. Priest to give up Senate seat dinal Lorschelder criticized the said. On the evnlng of March 30, the pope traveled to Vatican for not consulting with “ Wherever in active commitment for Justice a the papal villa of Castelgandolfo, about 15 miles south of Rome, for several days of rest. PUEBLO, Colo. (NC) — A priest of the Diocese of Pueblo who the doctrinal commission of the true desire for peace emerges, there death gives has been a state senator since 1978 has announced that he will Brazilian bishops' conference not run for a third four-year term in the Colorado legislature. prior to taking its actions. The priest. Father John Beno, said he will obey the new Code of Other Brazilians took the Vatican reaffirms sainthood of Maria Goretti Canon Law, which prohibits priests from holding public office if it Vatican action as justification of their criticisms that Father BofTs involves sharing in civil power. VATICAN CITY (NC) — A year-long Vatican book doesn't understand saintliness and the He made the comments in an interview in the Catholic works were too heavily Influenced study has reaffirmed the sainthood of Maria methodology used in the canonization process. Crosswinds, Pueblo diocesan newspaper. by Marxist concepts. Gorettl. a 12-year-old Italian girl stabbed to death "The realities and facts tied to the martyrdom "I think it’s all right to be in politics and I feel bad I had to make The doctrinal congregation criticism, however, did not men in 1902 by a youth who wanted to have sex with are many.” said the study. It criticized “ the the decision, a decision that was made after excruciating, agoniz­ falseness of the presumed consent of Marla ing soul-searching,” he said. tion liberation theology or Father her. BofTs use of Marxist concepts in She was canonized in 1950 as a martyr of puri­ Goretti to the offers" of her killer. Father Beno. 54, who was ordained in 1959, was first granted The saint, a member of a poor, fatherless permission to run for a legislative seat in 1978 by Bishop Charles analyzing church structures and ty. The Vatican announced formation of a study commission by the Vatican Congregation for “ migrant family living in a farm area about 30 A. Buswell, who retired in 1979. modes of operation. The lifting of the penalties came Saints' Causes in February 1985 after a book was miles south of Rome, died after being stabbed In 1983, when the new Code of Canon Law was issued. Bishop several times. Alessandro Serenelli, 19. confess­ Arthur N. Tafoya gave Father Beno a second sabbatical to allow two weeks after a March 13-15 published in Italy questioning her purity. ed to the crime, saying he killed her because she him to finish his second term, which ends after elections this fall Vatican meeting of key Brazilian The book, “ Poor Saint, Poor Assassin: the True bishops. Pope John Paul II and Story of Maria Goretti" by Italian author Gior­ refused his sexual advances. Bishop Tafoya said he expected to welcome Father Beno back The Goretti family depended on the Serenelli by July 1, when annual diocesan assignments will be made. high-ranking Vatican officials dano Bruno Guerri, quoted the killer as having The church officials discussed a once said the girl had given in to his sexual ad­ family for their livelihood. Father Beno said he gave himself "one week to feel sorry for Serenelli served 27 years of a 30-year sentence myself. That week is over and now I'm ready to do whatever the variety of Brazilian church Issues vances several times to save her life. The Vatican study, released March 25, said the and later became a Capuchin monk. bishop wants me to do.” including liberation theology and the Father Boff case.