Pope Condemns Arson Attacks Around Europe

VATICAN CITY – God gave people the duty to take care of the earth, but they “often abuse creation and do not exercise” their responsibility to be stewards of nature, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Citing the teaching of St. Gregory of Nyssa at a recent general audience, the pope condemned as criminal the suspected arson attacks that have hit parts of Europe.

Highlighting his concern for the recent “serious calamities” of flooding in Asia and “disastrous fires in Greece, Italy and other European nations,” the pope said it was impossible “to not be troubled by the irresponsible behavior of those who put people’s safety at risk and destroy the environmental heritage – a precious asset for all of humanity.”

“I join those who rightly stigmatize such acts (as) criminal and invite everyone to pray for the victims of these tragedies,” he said.

Greece was the hardest hit by wildfires that began Aug. 24 and killed at least 64 people.

Chinese Priest Released After 11 Months Detention

HONG KONG – Father Paul Jiang Surang, diocesan chancellor of the clandestine, or underground Catholic community in Wenzhou, China, was released Aug. 24 after being detained by Chinese authorities for 11 months.

The 38-year-old priest had been kept in a small solitary cell in the Putaopeng Detention Center in Wenzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province.

Father Jiang and the diocese’s vicar general, Father Peter Shao Zhumin, 46, were arrested together in Shenzhen, China, Sept. 25, 2006, shortly after they returned from a pilgrimage to Europe.

Their belongings, including notes and photographs taken when Pope Benedict XVI received them at the Vatican, were confiscated.

In March, both priests were charged with “illegal exit.” Father Jiang was sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment. Father Shao was sentenced to nine months, but was released on parole in May because of severe hearing and gallstone problems.

Recently, he underwent an operation on his right ear, sources said.

Zimbabwe Bishops Deplore Attacks on Archbishop

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s bishops called attacks on Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo “outrageous and utterly deplorable” and an attempt to divert attention from the catastrophe that Zimbabwe has become.

“The recent attacks by some politicians and the state media on the person” of Archbishop Ncube, who is being sued for adultery, “constitute an assault on the Catholic Church, to which we take strong exception,” the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference said.

“The Catholic Church has never been and is not an enemy of Zimbabwe,” the bishops said, noting that the Church’s service to Zimbabweans includes running 60 hospitals, 174 schools and many orphanages.

“Our record during the years of the liberation struggle speaks for itself,” they said.
Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980 after a guerrilla war.

The bishops noted that the archbishop’s case was before the High Court of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and should not be discussed in public until a verdict has been delivered.

In July, Onesimus Sibanda claimed damages from the archbishop for an alleged affair with his wife, Rosemary Sibanda.

Bishop Pelotte Released to Recuperate in Florida

GALLUP, N.M. – Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup has been released from a Houston hospital that specializes in traumatic brain injuries and is continuing his recuperation in Florida, said a diocesan official.

Deacon Timoteo Lujan, chancellor of the Gallup Diocese, said the bishop was discharged from Memorial Hermann - The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research in Houston during the weekend of Aug. 25-26 but would not disclose where he is recuperating in Florida.

He cited the need for the bishop to be able to recover in private from the wounds he sustained in a fall at his residence during the weekend of July 21-22.

As for his future as bishop of Gallup, Deacon Lujan said it is still too early in the complex process to decide when, or if, the bishop will return.

According to an Aug. 27 news release, the diocesan college of consultors met Aug. 23 to discuss the care of the bishop and the needs of the diocese in his absence.

Bishop Pelotte, 62, has been hospitalized since July 23 with extensive injuries including head trauma and severe bruises to a shoulder and his arms, legs, hands and knuckles.

The bishop told Deacon Lujan he had fallen down the stairs.

Indian Archdiocese Closes Schools as Violence Erupts

AGRA, India – The Agra Archdiocese temporarily closed all its schools and colleges after violence erupted in the city that is home to the Taj Mahal, the famous marble mausoleum.

Police imposed a curfew Aug. 29 after one person was killed and several were injured in demonstrations reacting to the deaths of four Muslim youths.

Television footage showed a deserted city and smoke billowing from vehicles in some areas.

“The Christian community is safe,” said Father Ignatius Miranda, archdiocesan chancellor.

“The situation is calm now.” The archdiocese closed its schools and colleges in the area as a precaution, Father Miranda said, and planned to reopen them Sept. 1.
Violence broke out in the early morning of Aug. 29, after a speeding truck mowed down and killed four Muslim youths who were returning home after a religious procession.

The previous night was observed as a night for forgiveness or atonement, a time when Muslims pray for the dead.

Archbishop Offers Hope Two Years After Katrina

NEW ORLEANS – With an intense thunderstorm providing eerie sound effects, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans told hundreds gathered at St. Louis Cathedral Aug. 29 in commemoration of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to persevere in their faith despite the pitfalls of a painfully slow recovery.

Explaining that “hurricane” is a West Indies word for “divine wind” and Katrina means “cleansing,” Archbishop Hughes told the congregation, which included Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, that believers have a responsibility to remain hopeful that God will deliver them from the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

“On the second anniversary of Katrina, can we pray that the divine wind of the Holy Spirit may cleanse us of what was not right in the old New Orleans, that we might know new life in a new New Orleans,” Archbishop Hughes said.

The thunder and lightning from the storm grew so intense toward the end of the Mass that Archbishop Hughes said he was glad that “on this Aug. 29 God sent us a thunderstorm rather than a hurricane.”

Peruvian Earthquake Destroyed Churches

LIMA, Peru – Three churches on Peru’s list of cultural heritage sites were declared a total loss and more were badly damaged after the huge earthquake that struck the country’s southern coast, said the director of the National Institute of Culture.

Eight others were seriously damaged, eight suffered moderate damage and one was slightly harmed in the magnitude 8 quake that struck Peru Aug. 15, said Cecilia Bakula Budge, the director.

In Pisco, the city nearest the epicenter, San Clemente Church, on the main plaza, and the colonial Jesuit church were virtually leveled by the quake, as was an adobe chapel on the Panamerican Highway where a Franciscan friar, Father Jose Ramon Rojas, is said to have brought fresh water forth from the desert.

In all, more than 25 churches in the Ica Diocese were seriously damaged, Bishop Guido Lopez Brena of Ica told Catholic News Service.

The diocese has been arranging for engineers and architects to evaluate the buildings in the towns of Pisco, Ica and Chincha.

Philippine Catholics Worried Over Arrest of Communist

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine church leaders have expressed concern that the recent arrest of a communist leader could hamper efforts to revive peace negotiations between the government and communists.

The Aug. 27 arrest of Jose Maria Sison on murder charges by Dutch police in his home in Utrecht, Netherlands, could affect peace talks, said Bishop Deogracias Iniguez of Kalookan.

Bishop Iniguez, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ public affairs committee, added that there is dissent among leftists and a clamor to “look into the validity of the arrest.”

Last year, widows Gloria Kintanar and Veronica Tabara filed murder charges against Sison with the Philippine Department of Justice and in the Netherlands.

They accused Sison of masterminding the killing of their husbands.