Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010

World News in Brief

Abandoning aborted alive fetus 'barbaric'

The death of a fetus who survived an abortion but was wrapped in a sheet and left to die should shake people's consciences, said Italian Archbishop Santo Marciano of Rossano, Italy.

The abortion was carried out April 24 at a hospital in Cosenza in the Archdiocese of Rossano. About four hours later, the hospital chaplain went into the operating room to pray for the fetus and saw the sheet move.

The chaplain, Father Antonio Martello, called for help and the baby was transferred to a nearby hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit. The baby died April 26.

Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation to determine whether medical personnel violated Italian law, which requires medical care and treatment of babies who survive an abortion.

The mother, who was 22 weeks pregnant, asked for an abortion because the fetus was malformed.

Marciano told Vatican Radio April 29, "We need to begin to reflect on how the practice of abortion is favouring a superficial and unjust approach to the intangible value of human life.

"This episode must truly shake people's consciences. It is not possible that a fetus aborted at the 22nd week, still alive, is left to die.

"This is something truly abhorrent. I would define this as barbaric."

Vatican confirms new version of missal

The Vatican has given its recognitio, or confirmation, of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, but the exact date for its implementation in parishes remains to be determined. The approval came in a letter dated March 25 from Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect for the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, although the missal is still undergoing final editing by Vatican officials.

Congo's wealth must be used to help all: pope

Pope Benedict

To bring lasting peace to Congo, earnings from the country's rich mineral deposits must be shared with the entire population, particularly through state funding of education and health care, Pope Benedict told Congo's new ambassador to the Vatican. "If the earnings were shared justly, the important natural riches that God has given to your land - and which, unfortunately, have become sources of greed and disproportionate profits for many inside and outside your country - would go a long way toward helping the population out of poverty," the pope said April 29. The pope said lasting peace and prosperity would remain only a dream for most Congolese unless the government increased its subsidies to the nation's schools, since most parents cannot afford tuition.

Micro-financing can reduce poverty, pope says

Micro financing, small-scale development and better education can help pull communities out of poverty, Pope Benedict said. The fight against poverty, however, must always respect human dignity and encourage people "to be the protagonists of their own integral development," he told a group of bishops from Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone April 29. He encouraged them to promote "small-scale community engagements and microeconomic initiatives at the service of families," because these kinds of programs can do "much good" in the fight against poverty.

Market needs morality, regulation, Benedict says

The ongoing global economic crisis has demonstrated that the free market is not capable of regulating itself in a way that promotes the common good, Pope Benedict said. The assumption that the economy can go along happily without government intervention and moral standards "is based on an impoverished notion of economic life as a sort of self-calibrating mechanism," the pope told members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences April 30. "The worldwide financial breakdown has, as we know, demonstrated the fragility of the present economic system and the institutions linked to it," the pope said. "It has also shown the error of the assumption that the market is capable of regulating itself apart from public intervention and the support of internalized moral standards." The pope addressed academy members during their plenary session.

Saint's relic could increase awareness of sin : bishop

Bishop Philip Boyce of Raphoe, Ireland, told priests the relic of the heart of St. John Vianney could make them "more keenly aware of the horror of sin." The life of St. John Vianney, known as the Cure of Ars, can "inspire us priests to give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, who called us to be faithful to our duties in the confessional, at the altar and with the sick and afflicted; in a word, to the work of saving souls," the bishop said April 28 at the Marian shrine in Knock. "May the Cure of Ars, your patron, inspire you with new energy. The waves of stormy criticism may lash against us, but the Lord of history is with his church, as he was in Peter's boat," he said, referring to Ireland's clergy sex abuse crisis. "We need not be afraid or lose heart."

Cardinal Mayer

Cardinal Paul Mayer, liturgist, dies at 98

Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer, the oldest member of the College of Cardinals, died April 30, less than a month before his 99th birthday. The tall, thin cardinal was a Benedictine liturgist who worked at the Vatican from 1971 until his retirement in 1991. Pope Benedict said Mayer was hardworking, meek, a dedicated Benedictine monk and "a pastor full of zeal for the Gospel." The pope praised the late cardinal's work as a liturgist, a professor and his service to the Holy See. Mayer served on the preparatory commission for Vatican II.

Dutch movie gets top prize at Signis festival

A Dutch movie about German farmers who sheltered Jews during the Second World War won the Signis Award from Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication, at Filmfest D.C. 2010, which concluded April 25. Saviours in the Night, directed by Ludi Boeken, "celebrates the extraordinary courage of ordinary people who respond to their best selves in the worst of times," said a statement from the Signis jury that judged the film entries. The Signis jury also gave commendations to two other movies. They were Mao's Last Dancer, directed by Bruce Beresford, and the Czech film El Paso, directed by Zdenek Tyc.

Vatican supports adult stem-cell project

The Vatican is strongly supporting a new international project for adult stem-cell research but is not directly involved and has made no financial contribution to the initiative, a Vatican spokesman said. The project, led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, established a consortium of researchers from several Italian health institutes, including the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome. The Church opposes embryonic stem-cell research because it involves the destruction of embryos. It supports adult stem-cell research, which uses undifferentiated cells obtained from adult organs and tissues.

Church respects freedom of expression, pope says

The Catholic Church respects everyone's right to expression but it, too, has a right to make its message known to society, Pope Benedict said. The Church respects people's freedom to have opinions that are different from the Church's, but the Church "would like that its right to expression also be respected," he said in a speech April 24 welcoming Belgium's new ambassador to the Vatican. As with all individuals and institutions, the Church has the right to express itself publicly on issues of social interest, he said. "The Church, having the common good as its aim, asks nothing more than to have the freedom to be able to propose this message, without imposing it on anyone, in respect for the freedom of conscience," said the pope.

Pilgrims pray at Marian shrine of Sheshan Pilgrims pray at the Marian shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai, China, in 2008. The popular shrine is preparing to handle a large influx of visitors as the month of Mary coincides with the start of the six-month Shanghai World Expo.

CNS photo | UCAN

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