Friday, April 12, 1996 • VoL XXVII No. 122 - THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S Priest cites Catechism in support of gay rights 'Jwould like respectfully to ask [O'IIaral to explain publicly her By JAMIE HEISLER "Are homosexuals an op­ His letter came in response to Associate News Editor pressed group?" Garrick asked. rationale for the prohibition.' Father David Garrick Vice President of Student Affairs "And if they are, what are the Patricia O'Hara's denial of offi­ Challenging the prevalent be­ practical ways to help this mi­ cial recognition for a homo­ lief that homosexua.lity and nority?" sexual student group whieh was Catholicism are incompatible Garrick noted that several made on the basis of Catholic and citing Catholic doctrine as tenets of The Catechism of the teachings. lie explains in the support, Father David Garrick, Catholic Chureh (1994) provide letter, "In light of the Church a professor in communieations an answer. In a letter to The teaching ... ! would like respect­ and theater, claimed that it is Observer on April 4, he said fully to ask her to explain pub­ the obligation of a Catholic uni­ that certain points of The Cate­ licly what her authority or ra­ versity to recognize a homo­ chism provide support for his tionale is for the prohibition." sexual student group. claims. Garrick chose to step forward To facilitate this step, Garrick In the letter he said, "The at this time because he believed believes that a University wide Catechism offers teachings that that it was his duty, both as a dialogue must take place which should be construed as support priest and as a man of homo­ concentrates on Catholic teach­ for the recognition of groups of sexual orientation, to question ing and the moral status of gay gay people, governed by gay the stated belief that homosex­ and lesbian students. Saying people, for gay people - so long ual groups are inconsistent with that Notre Dame is the ideal set­ as these groups do not in any Catholic doctrine. It was a diffi­ ting to discuss these issues, way encourage their members cult step, said Garrick, who had Garrick stated that some fun­ to break the institution's rule not previously stated his sexual damental questions must be that prohibits sexual inter­ addressed. course outside of marriage." see GARRICK/ page 6 • SMC HALL ELECTIONS Holy Cross, Regina head to polls for run-off vote By LAURA SMITH Assistant Saint Mary's Editor SMC HALL COUNCIL Penalties and abstentions have forced Saint Mary's stu­ ELECTIONS dents to return to the polls. Election runoffs will be held on Le Mans Monday for the 1996-1997 Corbitt 52% () Regina and Holy Cross Hall Pilcavage 40% Councils. Abstain 8% 47%of The Patty Corbitt, Jody Jen­ residents voted nings, and Lori Gundler tickets Annunciata won their respective races for Jennings 96% LeMans, Annunciata, and Mc­ Abstain 4% Candless Hall Councils in yes­ Discovering terday's elections. 46% voted According to Residence Hall Association Vice President McCandless Dante Elect and Hall Council Gundler72% Commissioner Christine Abstain 20% Hiesenberger, both the Erin ~ Vast exhibit, program make Battison ticket and the 20% voted Gundler ticket were penalized The Observer/David Murphy Regina renowned works accessible This illustration, part of Notre Dame's Dante 10 percent of their total votes Nolan 51% exhibit "Ways Into the City of Woes," depicts a for turning in late receipts. Both tickets were running Wejman 46% () By GWENDOLYN NORGLE scene from Dante's "Divine Comedy" in which a A"o<iatc New.< Editor fortune teller has been turned inside-out following unopposed. Abstain 2% 59% voted his death. The Battison ticket was un­ The exhibition illustrating the work of the "The exhibit offers a complete overview of able to clinch the Holy Cross Holy Cross Flonmtine p!wt Dante Alighinri and the estab­ Dante," said Christian Dupont, graduate student llall Council election due to Battison 48% lishrnPnt of the Study Program at Notre Dame in the department of theology who, with the numerous abstentions. Forty­ Abstain 48% honoring him are mom than art. They are more assistanee of Simone Spanu, graduate student in three percent of future Holy (too than literature. And they are more than theology, the department of Romance languages and liter­ Cross residents voted in yes- '-------------~ philosophy or history. They arn all of these. ature, assembled the exhibit. terday's election; 48 percent of short of 50 percent plus one J·:neornpassing numerous passions and fields There is a comphiteness present in the illustra­ the voters abstained. After the vote, the ticket faees a runolT. of study, "Ways Into tlw City of Woes" is an exhi­ tions and in the collection of books, Dupont said, ten percent deduction, Hegina Hall also faces a Hall bition of illustrations of Dante's "Inferno", which beeause they show the various traditions of the Battison amassed 48 percent is eo-sponsored by the William and Kath!wine cantos, the segments into which Dante divided of the votes. Since this falls see ELECTION/ page 4 Devers Program in Dantn Studi(lS and the his work. Especially interesting, according to Department of Special Collections at the Dupont, is Canto I, in whieh Dante is confronted llesburgh Library where the exhibit is being by the three beasts. All Together Now! shown. "In offering both art-historical perspectives The Danw Studies Program was established in and print perspectives, the exhibit reveals the in­ l'JIJ5 after a $1 million donation by William and fluences that the printing press and other devel­ Katlwrine Dnvers was offered to the University to opments in print technology had on inter­ promote a wide range of scholarly activities pretations of 'The Divine Comedy,"' Dupont said. relating to the study of Dantn, according to one "Illustrations were another kind of interpreta­ of tlw exhibition's displays in the library corri­ tion," he explained. "They offered insights dif­ dor. ferent from those in written commentaries." The nxhibition includes illustrated editions of Notre Dame Professor of English Edward Dante's "Divine Comedy", which was printed in Vasta, an expert in English literature who stud­ Flownr.e in 1481 and illustrated by the artist ied Dante at the University of Florence in Italy, Midwlangelo. It furthers the vision of the said that Dante is seen as the greatest philosoph­ University's own Father John Zahm, who, as ical poet that ever lived. Proeurator General in Home and later as "Dante is highly regarded as a Christian mind," Provincial of the Congregation of Holy Cross, as­ Vasta said. "lie is unmatehed and unparalleled snmblml for Notre Dame one of the finest Dante in his work." eolleetions in North Ameriea before his death in The work of Dante, who lived in the late 13th 1921, aeeording to the display. At the time of its and early 14th centuries, is studied as much assembly, Zahm 's eolleetion was one of the three today as it ever was, added Vasta, who, along The Observer/David Murphy largest collections of Dante's works in the United Many students participated in karaoke yesterday at the Fieldhouse Statlls. Mall. The event was sponsored by Cavanaugh Hall. see DANTE I page 4 page 2 The Observer • INSIDE Friday, April 12, 1996 • WmilD AT A GLANCE An Sixteen people die in German airport fire DUESSELDORF, Germany body out!' Then a dark cloud shot 20 miles Fire broke out in a flower shop at the along the ceiling," he s&id. highway- c:::s Panic broke out as the fire spread Duesseldorf airport on Thursday, 20km ignored killing at least 16 people and injuring through the arrivals hall, and officials 100, police said. Dortmund evacuated the terminal and closed the Most of the dead were found in a Duisburg • airport to incoming and outgoing minority waiting lounge for Air France, but oth­ • • Essen flights. It was not expected to reopen ers were discovered in an elevator and until midday Friday. Every now and then a restroom, said Franz-Josef Kniola, ZDF television showed pictures of a something sparks a bit of state interior minister for North Rhine­ deserted, smoky terminal and a body controversy throughout the Westphalia. covered with a white sheet on a otherwise peaceful Notre The dead included a 24-year-old stretcher on the street outside. Dame and Saint Mary's A spokesman for the airport said police officer assigned to the terminal, eCologne campuses. Whether it's but officials said few of the other vic­ many injured were treated at the deciding to allow females tims had been identified. _ _______::-+ scene before being transported to hos­ into Notre Dame nearly 25 Most of the deaths were caused by pitals. years ago, deliberating inhaling poisonous fumes. eBonn Uninjured travelers were taken to whether or not to light up Joey Crawford The fire appeared to have started in hotels or to the Konrad Adenauer the number one after the Accent Editor the terminal's first-floor ceiling, and AP Airport that serves Cologne and Bonn, girl's soccer team won the police said they had not ruled out where planes that had been scheduled national championship, or handling the un• repair work at the ground-floor flower shop as a cause. to arrive at Duesseldorf, 35 miles to the north, were abashed outbursts of esteemed (uh-hum) cam­ Seventy-one-year-old Guenther Marocke of Kleve said being directed. pus commentators as Fred Kelly or Cristiane he saw flames burst through the ceiling at about 4 p.m., Airport director Bernd Rieddorf said fire officials had Likely, the campuses have handled it in stride.