VATICAN-POPES SAINTHOOD
Vatican investigators cite two popes’ saintly qualities
VATICAN CITY (AP) β The priests who investigated the lives of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII say they found abundant evidence for the pontiffs’ canonization as saints in a Vatican ceremony this coming Sunday.
Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the postulator for John Paul’s sainthood case, told reporters Tuesday that when the future pontiff was a university student in Poland, his fellow students recognized his devotion to God, referring to him as a “future saint.”
Oder said John Paul believed that a true Christian’s life should be “an expression of God’s glory.”
The sainthood postulator for Pope John XXIII, Father Giovangiuseppe Califano, said the pope who convened the Second Vatican Council more than 50 years ago described his life as one of “obedience and peace.”
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335-a-07-(Translator for Monsignor Slawomir Oder, postulator for Pope John Paul II’s sainthood, at Vatican briefing)-“of God’s glory”-Through a translator, Monsignor Slawomir Oder says Pope John Paul II taught that true Christians should seek to reflect the God they serve. (22 Apr 2014)
< 337-a-06-(Translator for Father Giovangiuseppe Califano, postulator for Pope John XXIII’s sainthood, at Vatican briefing)-“of his holiness”-Through a translator, Father Giovangiuseppe Califano says Pope John XXIII defined his life as one of obedience and peace. (22 Apr 2014) < 336-a-11-(Translator for Father Giovangiuseppe Califano, postulator for Pope John XXIII’s sainthood, at Vatican briefing)-“was a self-definition”-Through a translator, Father Giovangiuseppe Califano says Pope John XXIII described how he tried to live. (22 Apr 2014) < 334-a-05-(Translator for Monsignor Slawomir Oder, postulator for Pope John Paul II’s sainthood, at Vatican briefing)-“the future saint”-Through a translator, Monsignor Slawomir Oder says that when the future Pope John Paul II was a university student, his fellow students recognized his devotion to God. (22 Apr 2014) < VATICAN-ABUSE LEGACY John Paul saint-maker: Pope not involved in Legion VATICAN CITY (AP) β The Polish priest who has spearheaded the case to make Pope John Paul II a saint says there is no documentation that he had any “personal involvement” in the scandal of the Legion of Christ religious order. John Paul and his closest advisers had held up the Legion and its late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, as a model for the faithful, even though the Vatican for decades had documentation with credible allegations that Maciel was a pedophile and drug addict with a questionable spiritual life. Monsignor Slawomir Oder said Tuesday that the sainthood investigation had found “no sign of personal involvement of the Holy Father in this case.” Oder didn’t mention John Paul’s closest advisers, who were among Maciel’s staunchest supporters. John Paul II and Pope John XXIII are to be canonized as Roman Catholic saints this coming Sunday at the Vatican. CHURCH ABUSE-MINNESOTA Archbishop deposition on abuse made public ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) β Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt (NYN’-steht) said in a recent sworn deposition that he hasn’t reprimanded or disciplined anyone for the way church officials handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse, and he doesn’t think he should have. That’s according to a recording of the deposition that was made public Tuesday. During the interview, the head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said he does not believe any priests or church leaders mishandled allegations of abuse. He also said his staff told him there was nobody in ministry who had credible accusations of child abuse made against them, and that he believed another church official was responsible for notifying parish officials about problem priests. Attorneys for victims of alleged sexual abuse by priests said the deposition, recorded April 2, shows an ongoing practice of denial and deflecting responsibility. The archdiocese says Nienstedt answered every question and continually reiterated that child safety is the highest priority. EASTER SERVICE-RUNDOWN Woman charged with trying to run down husband CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β A Fort Campbell woman is charged with trying to run down her husband after an Easter church service in what police describe as a dispute over the woman’s driving skills. The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reports that 36-year-old Sarai Longhenry accelerated toward her husband Sunday as they left the First Baptist Church of St. Bethlehem in Clarksville, Tenn., and he jumped back into some trees when the car hit a curb in front of him. Police say the couple had been arguing on the way to church about Longhenry’s driving. After the incident, Longhenry went home to Fort Campbell and later met officers at a nearby gas station. She is charged with aggravated assault. GIRL’S DEATH-NEGLECT Tenn. high court to hear faith-healing case NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by a woman who tried to heal her teenage daughter’s cancer through prayer. Jacqueline Crank was convicted of misdemeanor child neglect in 2012 and was given a sentence of just under a year, suspended to unsupervised probation. The conviction came 10 years after the death of her then-15-year-old daughter from Ewing’s Sarcoma. According to court records, the cancer caused a grapefruit-sized tumor on the girl’s shoulder that appeared to give her severe pain. Crank has argued in court that a Tennessee law protecting some faith healers but not others is unconstitutional. The law says that a child’s faith healing must be performed “in accordance with the tenets or practices of a recognized church or religious denomination” and “by a duly accredited practitioner” of that religious group. FUNERAL-SHOOTING Police: 3 wounded at shooting victim’s funeral TRENTON, N.J. (AP) β Police say three people were shot and wounded when gunfire erupted outside a church in Trenton, N.J., where a funeral was being held for a 19-year-old shooting victim. Trenton police say two men were hospitalized with undisclosed wounds, while a woman was being treated for a graze wound. The injuries were not considered life-threatening. One man was reportedly arrested in connection with the shooting. The arrest came during a traffic stop, and published reports say police found some guns in the car. The funeral was for Cagney Roberts, a Trenton resident who was killed in an April 10 shooting in the city that also wounded two other men. More than 100 mourners attended the services. No arrests have been made in Roberts’ slaying. NIGERIA-KIDNAPPED GIRLS 230 girls abducted in Nigeria still missing CHIBOK, Nigeria (AP) β Nigerian parents say more than 200 girls and young women abducted from a school by Islamic militants remain missing a week later, despite a “hot pursuit” by security forces and an independent search by desperate parents who went into a dangerous forest. Dozens of the kidnapped girls managed to escape by jumping from the back of an open truck or hiding in dense forest. Although the military has mounted a hunt, parents who spent days searching the forest say they did not see any soldiers. The Defense Ministry said Tuesday it is deploying more troops to searches for the students. The failure of Nigeria’s military to rescue the schoolgirls is a major embarrassment to the armed forces, which have said they are containing the Islamic insurgency. ISRAEL-RECRUITING CHRISTIANS Israeli army “invites” Arab Christians to enlist JERUSALEM (AP) β The Israeli military says it is inviting young Arab-Israeli Christians to enlist. The minority historically views itself as part of the Palestinian people and considers service in the Israeli army as taboo. But a recent push by a Greek Orthodox priest to persuade more Christians to enlist has set off an emotional debate. Father Gabriel Nadaf said Christians must serve in the army if they want to integrate into Israeli society and win access to jobs. The officer in charge of the army’s campaign, Col. Gal Ben-Shaul, says the army will now send out invitations to Arab Christians interested in joining. Military service is mandatory for Jews. Israeli Arabs make up just over one-fifth of Israel’s 8 million people. Of those about 128,000, or less than 10 percent, are Christians.
