Papal Envoy's Lebanon Visit Triggers Several Predictions Vatican Lifts
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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.