International Briefs
From Catholic News Service

Pope urges Filipinos to fight poverty

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II called on the people of the Philippines to "take up the arms of mutual understanding, commitment and hope" to fight poverty and put an end to terrorism. The pope condemned "the unsettling presence of terrorist activity in the Philippines and the abhorrent episodes of violence erupting there." Pope John Paul met Sept. 25 with bishops from the Philippines making their "ad limina" visits to report on church life in their dioceses. Bishops are required to make the visits every five years. Although he skipped his weekly general audience the previous day at the Vatican, the pope met with the bishops as scheduled at his summer residence south of Rome. Pope John Paul called on Filipinos engaged in violence and terrorism "to lay down the weapons of death and destruction, rejecting the despair and hatred which these entail" and prove their desire for peace and justice by using peaceful means to change society.
 

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Speculation that Pope will name new cardinals

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Italian press reports have fueled speculation that Pope John Paul II may name new cardinals soon and induct them in a ceremony in late October. According to a scenario offered by one Italian news agency, the pope was likely to name the cardinals after a Sunday blessing Sept. 28 and hand them their red hats during a consistory at the Vatican Oct. 22. Vatican officials would not confirm or deny the reports Sept. 25, emphasizing that the announcement of new cardinals is strictly a papal prerogative and its timing is considered highly confidential. But sources said such an announcement was certainly possible. Vatican officials have said privately that they expected the pope to name a new batch of cardinals sometime in the coming months, with October or February considered the most likely times. In mid-October, the world's cardinals will already be present for celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the pope's election Oct. 16 and the beatification of Mother Teresa Oct. 19.

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Greek archbishop criticizes plans for mosque

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- The head of Greece's Catholic Church has criticized government backing for a Saudi-funded mosque outside Athens scheduled to be built in time for the 2004 Olympic Games. However, he also defended the rights of Muslims in Athens, the only European Union capital without a permanent Islamic place of worship. "Muslims have the right to a mosque where they can pray," said Archbishop Nikolaos Foscolos of Athens, president of Greece's eight-member Catholic bishops' conference. "But if they're to be given a place of worship, it should be in an inhabited area, not the middle of the countryside. It should also serve spiritual needs, not the prestige of Saudi Arabia," he said. The archbishop spoke as engineers prepared to begin building the mosque at Paeania, on the outskirts of Athens, near the new international airport.

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Pope suffers intestinal disturbance

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II, suffering from an intestinal disturbance, did not return to the Vatican Sept. 24 for his weekly general audience. However, with an audio hookup from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, the pope offered visitors and pilgrims in the Vatican's audience hall his blessing. "Dear brothers and sisters," the pope said, "I send you all my warm greetings. I am sorry for not being able to be with you for this normal weekly encounter. I carry you all in my heart and bless you with affection." The pope's health has been the subject of widespread concern, especially since his Sept. 11-14 trip to Slovakia, where he struggled to read even part of his speeches. However, while the pope's voice was a bit shaky over the audio link, it was not noticeably worse than at the audience the week before. A Vatican official said the pope was not confined to his bed, a fact confirmed by a Vatican television camera, which filmed -- and later broadcast -- the pope giving his blessing from his summer residence.

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Vatican document returned to draft committee

ROME (CNS) -- A proposed Vatican document on liturgical norms was sent back to its drafting committee after cardinals and bishops raised some objections and encouraged some changes. Among other things, the draft presented to consulting prelates in June reportedly discouraged the distribution of Communion under the forms of both bread and wine and said altar girls were permissible only for a good reason. The Rome-based magazine Jesus, a publication of the Pauline Fathers, reported Sept. 22 that it had obtained a copy of the June draft. Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and former prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, said the draft was discussed by members of the doctrinal congregation and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments in June. "Many observations were made, both negative and positive," he told Catholic News Service Sept. 24. "The document which will be released eventually will not be the same document I saw," he said, because it was sent back for revision.

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