Aide downplays pope's health
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope
John Paul II's closest aide downplayed concerns about the pope's
health, but an Austrian cardinal said the pope is approaching "the
last days and months of his life." The Vatican, meanwhile, added new
events to the pontiff's already heavy October schedule. Austrian
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn told the Austrian state radio ORF Oct. 2
that "the entire world is experiencing a pope who is sick, who is
disabled, and who is dying -- I don't know how near death he is -- who
is approaching the last days and months of his life." The cardinal's
spokesman later said his remarks were intended "philosophically." At
the Vatican the same day, Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the
pope's longtime personal secretary, told reporters jokingly that many
journalists who have predicted the pope's demise "are already in
heaven." His remarks came after a new round of dire media speculation
on the pope's condition.
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Cardinal-designate promotes faith protecting art
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal-designate Francesco Marchisano has a
record number of Vatican job titles, all connected to the art and
architecture meant to honor the saints and transmit their faith to
future generations. When Pope John Paul II named him to the College of
Cardinals Sept. 28, the 74-year-old Italian's jobs included serving as
archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, president of the office charged
with its upkeep, and papal vicar for Vatican City State -- basically
the bishop overseeing the pastoral care of those who live within the
Vatican walls. The cardinal-designate also is president of the
Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Goods of the Church and the
Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology. In a 2002 interview with
Catholic News Service, he said all of his jobs are focused on
communicating the Gospel, usually not through words but through the
witness of what human minds and hands were inspired to make in
celebration of the faith.
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Rally against occupation of Iraq
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- A protest against the military
occupation of Iraq drew tens of thousands of marchers to London's
Trafalgar Square. British members of the international Catholic peace
organization Pax Christi were among the faith groups, trade unions and
environmental organizations that took part in the Sept. 27 rally. "We
support this demonstration because, as those who would be called
children of God, we must be peacemakers," said Stewart Hemsley,
British chairman of Pax Christi. The rally was organized by the Stop
the War coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim
Association of Britain. Police said about 20,000 people took part in
the protest, while organizers said 100,000 participated. Hemsley
called on rally participants to continue working for peace and to
ignore those who say "we have no alternative" to war.
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Diocese helps overweight, stressed priests
HONG KONG (CNS) -- Hong Kong diocesan officials have initiated
measures to help local priests who are overweight, stressed or suffer
from heart disease. Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, diocesan vicar
general, said Catholic doctors and nurses who have been doing health
checks on priests and nuns voluntarily since March confirmed that many
priests are overweight and suffer from heart disease because of lack
of exercise, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in
Thailand. Given that diagnosis, a diocesan task group has organized a
series of health study programs for priests. At the first one, held in
late September, two Catholic dietitians pointed out to the 50
participants -- priests, nuns and their cooks -- how they can maintain
a balanced diet and avoid consuming too much cholesterol. After the
participants were weighed, they were served two kinds of healthy
Chinese soup that could be part of their diets.
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Vatican to send bulletins over hand-held device
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Months ago the director of the Vatican press
office joined the legion of corporate leaders traveling the world with
a BlackBerry in hand, always ready to take a phone call or send an
e-mail. Now the Vatican press office is offering its instant news
alerts, the daily press bulletin and the articles of the Vatican
Information Service to accredited journalists who sign up with TIM,
the Italian mobile telephone company, for BlackBerry service. The
handheld device functions as a mobile phone, but also as an "always
connected" terminal for sending and receiving e-mail and surfing the
Internet. Officials from TIM, the only Italian company offering
BlackBerry service, unveiled the new service at a Sept. 30 Vatican
press conference with Joaquin Navarro-Valls, papal spokesman and
director of the Vatican press office.
Copyright
(c) 2003
Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast,
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