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Pope says Philippine church must fight corruption
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church in the Philippines, while
not getting directly involved in political battles, must help the
country fight corruption by educating people in moral values, Pope
John Paul II said. "To eliminate corruption calls for the committed
support of all citizens, the resolute determination of the authorities
and a firm moral conscience," the pope said in an Oct. 30 message to a
group of Filipino bishops. Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao,
speaking on behalf of the bishops, told the pope, "Graft and
corruption in different levels of society continue to be our problem."
The bishops, who were making their "ad limina" visits to report on the
status of their dioceses, told the pope they have asked all Filipino
Catholics to make a novena to the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of
every month beginning in November as a prayer for an end to corruption
in their society.
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CRS helps Ethiopian farmers fight hunger
ADIGRAT, Ethiopia (CNS) -- Last winter, 60-year-old farmer Haili
Gebre Mariam was praying, "God, give us help." Now, he is praying,
"Thank you, God." The Ethiopian Orthodox father and grandfather said
he is grateful to God and to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Adigrat
diocesan development office in this mountainous region of northeastern
Ethiopia teamed up with Catholic Relief Services to help Mariam and
hundreds of other farmers obtain seeds. After a good rainy season that
followed four years of drought, the seeds have sprouted into a golden
wheat field fronting his small stone house. He will use the wheat to
feed the six people in his household and said he hopes some of the
grain can be stored in case of another drought next year. The seed
program and other development projects are part of a new strategy in
Ethiopia for CRS, the U.S. bishops' international relief and
development agency. In addition to offering emergency food supplies
when needed, aid workers hope to help farmers develop ways to survive
drought.
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Irish bishops discuss bioethical issues with P.M.
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- Irish bishops met with Prime Minister
Bertie Ahern to discuss bioethical issues, including cloning,
euthanasia and European proposals on embryonic stem-cell research. The
Oct. 29 meeting was a first between Ahern and a delegation of Catholic
bishops. The delegation included Cardinal Desmond Connell of Dublin,
Bishops Joseph Duffy of Clogher and Patrick Walsh of Down and Connor
and several priests. Afterward, Father Martin Clarke, director of the
Catholic Communications Office, said Ahern, like the bishops, opposed
cloning and euthanasia. He said Ahern also was "broadly sympathetic"
toward calls for a reference to God in the European Union's new
constitution. The priest said much of the meeting was spent discussing
a European Union proposal to provide several hundred thousand euros to
fund research on stem cells taken from human embryos created in test
tubes before 2002. The European Union Council of Ministers is due to
vote on the proposal in November.
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Church official in Nepal seeks U.N. mediation
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A church official in Nepal appealed for
outside mediation to help end political strife in the Himalayan
country. The appeal came after Maoist rebels killed nine people,
including six policemen, in an attack on a police post Oct. 28. It was
the third such attack in recent days. "The situation is precipitating.
It calls for a third party to mediate. We ask for an intervention by
the United Nations. Only this will restore dialogue," Jesuit Father
Pius Perumana, pro-prefect of the apostolic prefecture in Nepal, told
the Vatican missionary news agency, Fides. The rebels are seeking to
overthrow Nepal's monarchy with a republic. Some 8,000 people
reportedly have died in the fighting over the last eight years. Father
Perumana said the "tension is tangible" and fear is spreading in the
country.
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Pope asks Catholics to pray rosary for peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II encouraged Catholics to
pray the rosary, asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to help them be
peacemakers in their families and to reduce tensions around the world.
"The disturbing attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and that which has happened
afterward have increased tensions on a planetary level," he wrote in
the text prepared for his Oct. 29 general audience. The pope read most
of his prepared audience talk, but skipped some parts. The tensions,
the pope wrote, "can be stopped through the prayer of the rosary
invoked for peace." Because of rain, the audience was moved from St.
Peter's Square into the Vatican audience hall, but the hall was too
small to accommodate the estimated 16,000 people who came to see the
pope.
Copyright
(c) 2003
Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means
as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or
in part without the prior written authority of
Catholic News Service.
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