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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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ROME, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga has been elected president of Caritas Internationalis.
Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, was elected by the confederation members at the 18th General Assembly being held in Vatican City.
Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga will become the global representative of the 162 members of the Caritas Confederation when he officially takes office at the end of the assembly on Saturday.
Unable to attend the Caritas general assembly because of his attendance at the 5th General Conference of Latin American bishops in Brazil, Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga addressed the assembly by telephone from Tegucigalpa.
"I would like to convey to the General Assembly thanks from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate the trust and the confidence they have shown in me," he said.
The 64-year-old cardinal added: "We in Caritas must work hard for the needs of the poor. If we are to be true disciples and missionaries, we need to enhance the social-pastoral engagement of all of our members.
"Especially in this period, we must share the goods and stand up to overcome social injustice. On the 40th anniversary of 'Populorum Progressio,' we must promote development as the way to alleviate and to overcome poverty."
Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga was born in 1942 in Honduras and ordained by the Salesians in June 1970.
He holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, and a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy from Leopold Franz University, in Innsbruck, Austria.
On Oct. 28, 1978, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Tegucigalpa and then promoted to archbishop of Tegucigalpa on Jan. 8, 1993.
He was elevated to cardinal in February 2001.
ZE07060605 - 2007-06-06
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Congress Debates Cloning and Research Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- U.S. bishops are urging Congress to reject legislation that would promote the destruction of human embryos.Two bills, S.5 on embryonic stem cell research and H.R. 2560 on human cloning, are set for debate and vote.
Regarding the stem cell bill, Cardinal Justin Rigali encouraged representatives "to reject this misguided and unethical legislation, which would force taxpayers for the first time to encourage deliberate attacks on innocent human life in the name of medical progress."
Cardinal Rigali, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, mentioned only a few issues regarding stem cell research.
He said that embryonic stem cell research has been divisive to the society and has thus far had disappointing results such as uncontrollable growth and tumor formations.
Second, Cardinal Rigali said, "[P]ursuit of this destructive research will almost certainly require you to embrace more and more egregious violations of moral norms in the effort to bring its 'promise' to fruition."
And, he added, ethically sound research using non-embryonic stem cells has continued to advance.
More violations
Cardinal Rigali said H.R. 2560, sponsored by Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado, is an example of his second concern -- that approving destructive research only leads to more and more violations.
"While all attempts to mass-produce human embryos by cloning have been marked by failure and outright fraud so far, success in this area is deemed essential by supporters because the currently supply of so-called spare embryos available for research is so limited in number and genetic diversity," he explained.
The 72-year-old prelate also cautioned about the interpretation of the cloning legislation: "H.R. 2560 may be promoted as a ban on human cloning. But it is exactly the opposite.
"This bill […] allows unlimited cloning of human embryos for research -- and then makes it a crime to transfer the embryo to a womb to allow the new human to survive. What it actually prohibits is the act of becoming pregnant -- a kind of law seen chiefly until now in the People's Republic of China, where women can be punished for carrying an unauthorized child.
"For the first time in U.S. law, Congress would define a new class of humans it is a crime not to destroy.
"Yet this is the direction in which the embryonic stem cell agenda is now taking us."
Cardinal Rigali concluded by urging legislators to vote against the bills "on behalf of taxpayers who should not be forced to help destroy innocent life, and on behalf of genuine progress for suffering patients."
ZE07060604 - 2007-06-06
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Congress Debates Cloning and Research Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- U.S. bishops are urging Congress to reject legislation that would promote the destruction of human embryos.
Two bills, S.5 on embryonic stem cell research and H.R. 2560 on human cloning, are set for debate and vote.
Regarding the stem cell bill, Cardinal Justin Rigali encouraged representatives "to reject this misguided and unethical legislation, which would force taxpayers for the first time to encourage deliberate attacks on innocent human life in the name of medical progress."
Cardinal Rigali, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, mentioned only a few issues regarding stem cell research.
He said that embryonic stem cell research has been divisive to the society and has thus far had disappointing results such as uncontrollable growth and tumor formations.
Second, Cardinal Rigali said, "[P]ursuit of this destructive research will almost certainly require you to embrace more and more egregious violations of moral norms in the effort to bring its 'promise' to fruition."
And, he added, ethically sound research using non-embryonic stem cells has continued to advance.
More violations
Cardinal Rigali said H.R. 2560, sponsored by Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado, is an example of his second concern -- that approving destructive research only leads to more and more violations.
"While all attempts to mass-produce human embryos by cloning have been marked by failure and outright fraud so far, success in this area is deemed essential by supporters because the currently supply of so-called spare embryos available for research is so limited in number and genetic diversity," he explained.
The 72-year-old prelate also cautioned about the interpretation of the cloning legislation: "H.R. 2560 may be promoted as a ban on human cloning. But it is exactly the opposite.
"This bill […] allows unlimited cloning of human embryos for research -- and then makes it a crime to transfer the embryo to a womb to allow the new human to survive. What it actually prohibits is the act of becoming pregnant -- a kind of law seen chiefly until now in the People's Republic of China, where women can be punished for carrying an unauthorized child.
"For the first time in U.S. law, Congress would define a new class of humans it is a crime not to destroy.
"Yet this is the direction in which the embryonic stem cell agenda is now taking us."
Cardinal Rigali concluded by urging legislators to vote against the bills "on behalf of taxpayers who should not be forced to help destroy innocent life, and on behalf of genuine progress for suffering patients."
Code: ZE07060615
Date: 2007-06-06
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Benedict XVI Unharmed
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A man leaped over security barricades after the general audience and briefly held on to the popemobile before security guards restrained him. Benedict XVI was not harmed.
The Pope, in fact, did not seem to notice the activity, as everything happened behind his back as he greeted the people.
The Vatican later clarified that the 27-year-old man, of German nationality, suffers from a mental disability and was not trying to harm the Holy Father, but just wanted to attract attention.
The episode lasted only a few seconds, close to the obelisk located in the center of the square.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said that the "young man was blocked by the Vatican police and was arrested to conduct necessary investigations."
An interrogation found that the young man's intention was not to harm the Pope but "to act in such a way that it would call attention to himself," added Father Lombardi.
"Due to evidence of mental disturbances, psychiatrists of the Vatican Hospital intervened and decided that the young man should be hospitalized and undergo mandatory treatment in a specialized and protected center," concluded Father Lombardi. "Therefore, we consider this case closed."
Code: ZE07060601
Date: 2007-06-06
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Says Christian Organizations' Efforts Should be Valued
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI issued an appeal to the leaders participating in the G-8 summit to keep their promises to fight against poverty, particularly through education.
The Pope asked the heads of state gathered in Germany "not to retreat from their promises to make a substantial increase in development aid in favor of the most needy populations, especially those of the African continent."
The Holy Father recalled his letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her response, which assured that the Group of Eight is committed to attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
The Pontiff specifically mentioned the second Millennium Goal: to achieve universal primary education -- to ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015.
He said, "This is an integral part of the attainment of all the other Millennium Goals: It is a guarantee of the consolidation of goals already reached; it is the starting point for autonomous and sustainable processes of development."
Benedict XVI recalled the Church's efforts in the war against poverty and encouraged governments to support private groups' commitments.
"It must not be forgotten," he said, "that the Catholic Church has always been at the forefront in the field of education, reaching places, particularly in the poorest countries, that state structures often fail to reach. Other Christian Churches, religious groups and organizations of civil society share this educational commitment.
"According to the principle of subsidiarity, this reality should be recognized, valued and supported by governments and international organizations, among other things by the allocation of sufficient funding, so that greater efficacy may be guaranteed in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals."
Code: ZE07060604
Date: 2007-06-06
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VATICAN CITY, JUN 6, 2007 (VIS) - St. Cyprian, "the first African bishop to achieve the crown of martyrdom," was the subject of Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 40,000 people.
Cyprian, said the Pope, "was born in Carthage to a rich pagan family" and "converted to Christianity at the age of 35. ... He became a priest and later a bishop. In the brief period of his episcopate, he had to face the first two persecutions authorized by imperial edict, that of Decius (250) and that of Valerian (257-258)," following which many faithful "renounced their faith, or at least failed to comport themselves correctly when under trial. These were the so-called 'lapsi,' that is, the 'lapsed'."
Cyprian was "severe but not inflexible towards the 'lapsi,' giving them the chance of forgiveness after an exemplary penance." The saint also "showed great humanity and was pervaded by the most authentic evangelical spirit in exhorting Christians to offer fraternal help to pagans during the plague." But he was "irremovable in combating the corruption and sins that devastated the moral life, especially that of avarice."
"Cyprian wrote many treatises and letters, all of them associated with his pastoral ministry. Little given to theological speculations, he wrote above all for the edification of the community and to encourage the faithful to good behavior."
In the saint's works, the Holy Father explained, "the Church is by far the topic most dear to him. He distinguishes between the visible hierarchical Church and the invisible mystical Church, at the same time forcefully affirming that the Church is one, founded upon Peter. He never tires of repeating that 'whoever abandons the chair of Peter, upon which the Church is founded, deludes himself if he believes he remains in the Church'."
Hence, "the indispensable characteristic of the Church is unity, as symbolized by the seamless robe of Christ; a unity that finds its foundation in Peter and its perfect realization in the Eucharist," said the Holy Father. He then referred to Cyprian's teaching on prayer "which highlights how in the Our Father Christians are shown the correct way to pray." That prayer refers to "us" and "our" rather than to "me" and "mine," said the Pope, "so that he who prays does not pray only for himself. Ours is a public and community prayer. ... The Christian does not say 'my Father,' but 'our Father,' even when praying in the privacy of a closed room, because he knows that everywhere and in all circumstances, he is a member of the one Body."
"Cyprian, then, lies at the origins of that fruitful theological-spiritual tradition that sees the heart as the privileged place of prayer. ... It is there that God meets and talks to man, ... and man listens to God."
"Let us make our own that 'understanding heart' about which the Bible and the Fathers speak," the Pope concluded. "We have such great need of it."
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