c. 2005 Religion News Service
Cardinal Says Ailing Pope Should Not Be `Counted Out’ Just Yet
(RNS) A leading American cardinal says Pope John Paul II should not be “counted out” despite his visibly declining health that forced him to miss Easter services for the first time in his 26-year papacy.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., said the pope has a strong will that will serve him well as he battles Parkinson’s disease and ongoing breathing problems that led doctors to insert a tube in his throat last month.
“I think, you know, how many times we’ve crossed the Holy Father off, how many times we’ve counted him out and he’s come back,” McCarrick told ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday (March 27). “He’s come back strong, he’s come back powerfully. His mind is an extraordinary mind. He’s a brilliant, brilliant man.”
John Paul, 84, was unable to preside at any Holy Week activities, but appeared for about 12 minutes at his apartment window on Easter Sunday to bless the crowds below. When he tried to speak, his voice was barely a whisper and he instead made the sign of the cross with his hands.
The Easter Mass was celebrated for 50,000 pilgrims instead by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state.
On Monday, the pope did not appear at his window as previously planned, despite chants and applause from the crowds in St. Peter’s Square. It was the first time the pope had missed the holiday that marks the end of Holy Week since he was elected pope in 1978.
McCarrick, 74, is one of 11 American prelates in the College of Cardinals who will have a vote in the election of the next pope after John Paul’s death. He refused to say what characteristics the next pope should have.
“There are 118 people in the world who cannot speculate on these things and you’re talking to one of them,” McCarrick told Stephanopoulos, referring to the College of Cardinals.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Falwell Readmitted to Hospital With Pneumonia
(RNS) The Rev. Jerry Falwell was readmitted to a Virginia hospital Tuesday (March 29) with a recurrence of pneumonia, but his staff spokesman said rumors of a heart attack were “totally false and unfounded.”
Falwell, 71, had difficulty breathing Tuesday morning and checked himself into Lynchburg General Hospital in Lynchburg, Va., said Ron Godwin, president of Jerry Falwell Ministries.
“It’s more an act of prudence and caution than anything else,” Godwin said. “But he is in the hospital and he is resting comfortably and communicating with his family.”
Falwell is on a respirator and his condition is stable, Godwin said. Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority and chancellor of Liberty University, was released March 5 after spending two weeks in the hospital with the same condition.
Falwell preached Easter Sunday at Thomas Road Baptist Church, but had been on the road following Liberty’s women’s basketball team in the NCAA tournament. The Lady Flames lost 90-48 to Louisiana State University in the “Sweet Sixteen” matchup Saturday.
“Maybe he just pushed it a little too hard too early,” Godwin said.
Godwin dismissed rumors that Falwell suffered a heart attack, calling the theory “totally false and unfounded.” Godwin did not know how long Falwell would remain hospitalized and said statements would made as needed.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
California Bishop Apologizes for Denying Funeral to Gay Man
(RNS) Gay rights groups thanked the Roman Catholic bishop of San Diego for his apology to the family of a gay man who was barred from having a Catholic funeral because he owned two gay nightclubs.
Bishop Robert Brom said he made the wrong decision in denying a church funeral for John McCusker, 31, and offered to preside at a Mass in his memory, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“I deeply regret that denying a Catholic funeral for John McCusker … has resulted in his unjust condemnation, and I apologize to the family for the anguish this has caused them,” Brom said in a statement, according to the family.
Brom had said the church would not provide burial rites for McCusker because of his “business activities” which were “contrary to sacred Scripture and the moral teaching of the church.”
McCusker’s standing-room-only funeral March 18 was held at an Episcopal church instead.
Francis DeBernardo, director of the Maryland-based New Ways Ministries, a gay Catholic group, applauded Brom’s change of heart. “I hope that this decision will be a sign for all lesbian/gay Catholics to keep steadfast, faithful and prophetic, even in the darkest moments,” he said.
Winnie Stachelberg, vice president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a Washington-based gay rights group, also praised Brom for “admitting mistakes.”
“It is encouraging that the bishop recognizes the importance of faith in people’s lives,” she said. “We hope the McCusker family now will find the solace they need in the arms of their church.”
Brom said, out of respect for the family, he would have no further comment on the issue.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Rick Warren Keeping in Touch With Former Hostage Who Read His Book
(RNS) Best-selling author Rick Warren says he’s keeping in touch with the Atlanta-area woman who recently used his “Purpose Driven Life” book to help free herself when she was held hostage.
“As soon as I heard about this, we were in touch by e-mail, and now we are in regular pastoral conversation,” Warren told USA Today in an interview published Wednesday (March 23). “We talk every day about verses of the Bible and pray together, and I encourage her.”
Warren, who recently returned from a trip to Africa, also was a guest on CNN’s “Larry King Live” on Tuesday. He told King that Ashley Smith’s time with alleged courtroom murderer Brian Nichols demonstrates “that God can use anybody.”
“Ashley will tell you, she’s just an ordinary person,” Warren said. “She wasn’t some saint. She wasn’t some preacher or some theologian. God uses normal ordinary people in daily life. And if God only used perfect people, nothing would get done.”
Warren’s book soared in Web site sales after the media reported how Smith read from it to Nichols. USA Today said it would top its best-seller list Thursday.
In both interviews, the Southern Baptist pastor deflected attention to his book’s success to God and the Bible, on which it was based, and away from him.
“There’s not a single new thought in `Purpose Driven Life’ that hasn’t been said in historic Christianity or Judaism,” he told the newspaper. “I’m just a communicator for the 21st century.”
In both interviews, Warren weighed in on the situation facing Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman in Florida.
“She’s alive and breathing, so God wants her to live for a purpose, even if that purpose is lived out through other people,” he told USA Today.
Warren, who is marking his 25th anniversary as pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., told King he intends next year to kick off his plan to “mobilize hundreds of thousands of small groups” that have studied the principles in his book to work on creating new churches, helping the poor and caring for the sick.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Gospel Singer Amy Grant Heads to Reality TV
(RNS) Gospel music veteran Amy Grant plans to enter the realm of reality television by starring in a new NBC show called “Three Wishes.”
Grant, a five-time Grammy winner, will host the show that aims to make dreams come true for people ranging from an unsung hero to a family facing a life-threatening medical crisis, NBC said in a March 17 announcement. It will air as a special but also is considered a “backdoor pilot,” the network said.
“When I heard about this show, I was extremely moved by NBC and the production company’s concept to provide incredibly positive changes in the lives of different people,” Grant said in a statement.
“I’m so glad my name was thrown into the pot and I look forward to working with NBC Universal Television Studio and executive producer Andrew Glassman.”
Glassman is known for his production work on the first four seasons of NBC’s “Average Joe.”
“There’s an incredible diversity to the people we are going to meet and the heartwarming stories we are going to tell along the way,” Glassman said in a statement. “While our team is there to help, ultimately this show will be about people helping people make their wishes and dreams come true.”
Grant, who is scheduled to release her 20th album May 3, has been inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s hall of fame in Nashville, Tenn. She was the first contemporary Christian artist to have a gold album, a recording with sales of more than 500,000. Later albums had sales that far exceeded those numbers, with her “Heart in Motion” reaching quintuple platinum status, or more than 5 million sales.
_ Adelle M. Banks
`Passion’ Images, Ringtones Available for Cell Phones
(RNS) The next time your cell phone rings, it could be Mel Gibson _ or at least the soundtrack from his “The Passion of the Christ” _ calling.
Los Angeles-based AG Interactive is making three snippets of the movie’s soundtrack available to download as ringtones for cell phones, as well as 12 “premium images” from the film.
The images include several of Jim Caviezel playing Jesus and Maia Morgenstern playing Mary. One scene features Jesus carrying his cross, but none of them shows the brutal flogging or crucifixion scenes.
On March 11, Gibson released a “recut” version of his controversial film about Jesus’ last hours that cut six minutes from the most violent scenes. Gibson said he wants to re-release it every year for Lent and Easter.
Bryan Biniak, senior vice president of AG Interactive, predicted a strong demand, noting that images of the Virgin Mary are among the top five most popular images available through Univision Mobile, a partner company that targets the Hispanic market.
Biniak said his firm worked closely with Gibson’s Icon Productions to select images from the film that would be the “most appropriate.”
“If somebody’s going to be looking at something every time they’re picking up their phone, what kinds of images are they going to want to see?” he said. “Images of pain of suffering, or images that evoke the spirit of the movie? We weighed more heavily on the spiritual side.”
The ringtones _ alongside the company’s other offerings of everything from “7th Ave. Carjack” to the “SpongeBob SquarePants” theme song _ are drawn from the score composed by John Debney.
The downloads are available for 13 cellular service providers, including Cingular Wireless/AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Each download costs $1.95. They are available at http://www.midiringtones.com.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
`Catholics for Kerry’ Is Reborn as `Catholics for Faithful Citizenship’
WASHINGTON (RNS) A grass-roots Catholic group that supported former presidential candidate John Kerry says it now seeks to hold both Democrats and Republicans accountable to the Catholic Church’s social policy teaching.
Catholics for Faithful Citizenship emerged during last year’s presidential campaign as Catholics for Kerry ’04. Its president, Eric McFadden, said the group now counts 5,000 members nationwide.
McFadden said he hopes to apply pressure on both parties, but signaled in a recent letter to supporters that he aims to keep a special focus on President Bush and the GOP, whom he accused of pandering to Catholic voters.
“We are committed to spreading the word of the bishops’ public policy positions to clarify for Catholics how the Bush administration is betraying not only our faith, but those Catholics who supported him in the last election,” he said in an e-mail sent March 19.
Among McFadden’s top issues are health care, environmental protection, care for the poor, opposition to the death penalty and aid to Catholic schools. Like Kerry, he disagrees with the bishops’ opposition to abortion rights.
Bush won the Catholic vote, 52 percent to 47 percent, against Kerry, the first Catholic nominee in 44 years. Kerry clashed with several bishops throughout the campaign over his support for abortion rights.
McFadden accused Bush and conservatives of highlighting abortion as paramount while ignoring other church teaching against the death penalty and the Iraq war. He said neither the church nor politicians should focus on abortion while neglecting other issues.
“It’s a tough issue for Catholics,” McFadden, 42, said in an interview. “There’s a lot of Catholics who are pro-choice, there’s a lot who are pro-life. But to be pro-life is a seamless garment. To be pro-life is to not simply be against abortion.”
Ultimately, McFadden said he hopes to recruit members in every Catholic parish and establish a Catholic caucus in state Democratic parties. The Columbus, Ohio-based group has not yet incorporated as a tax-exempt nonprofit.
Ono Ekeh, a former employee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who was fired for his work on a Catholics-for-Kerry Web site last year, is “loosely affiliated” with his group, McFadden said.
Recently, McFadden endorsed Bob Casey Jr., an anti-abortion Democrat, in his likely bid against Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a staunch conservative Catholic. McFadden said Santorum, like Bush, highlights abortion but ignores other aspects of church teaching.
“That was a no-brainer,” McFadden said. “You look at everything else (Casey) stands for and he’s about the most perfect Catholic candidate you can get.”
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Religious Leaders Protest Gay Pride Parade Planned for Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (RNS) A group of Jewish and Christian leaders from Israel and the United States has launched a petition campaign to prevent a gay pride parade from taking place in Jerusalem this summer.
The International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Parade is held every five years. The parade is slated to take place in downtown Jerusalem on Aug. 28. It was held in Rome in 2000.
The petition, which aims to gather 1 million signatures, is the brainchild of the Rev. Leo Giovinetti, senior pastor of Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego. The cause has also been taken up by the Rabbinical Alliance of America, which has 700 member rabbis, and several Orthodox Jewish Israeli parliamentarians.
During a March 16 Jerusalem press conference, Giovinetti asserted that “I have not come here because I have a hate for homosexuals.” He did, however, categorize homosexuality as “something historically believed to be a sin.”
Giovinetti said that the parade’s organizers have chosen Jerusalem as its host city “simply to make a point. It’s provocative. I’ve come because I’m being asked to forsake my religious views in the holiest of cities.”
Israeli Knesset member Benny Elon, who is Orthodox, said holding the parade here would be “a big mistake” because it would offend people of all faiths.
“This is the holy of holies,” Elon said of Jerusalem, which is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. “I think we have to remember Jerusalem’s uniqueness as a holy city and not be ashamed of it. The Bible gave us the moral justification for being here.”
Rabbi Yehuda Levin, director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, also did not mince words.
“This parade constitutes a 10-day homosexual pornographic festival,” Levin said while photos of scantily dressed participants in the Rome parade were circulated to the assembled journalists.
Parade organizers said the religious protests won’t stop them.
“No one has a monopoly on the interpretation of the word of God _ and Jerusalem is the essential place to make a global statement for peace, democracy, pluralism and pride,” Hagai El-Ad, executive director of the Jerusalem Open House, told the newspaper Ha’aretz. “The first World Pride in 2000 was strongly opposed by the Vatican, and yet it not only took place in Rome, but also made an even stronger statement about God’s love for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.”
_ Michele Chabin
Quote of the Week: Columbine school shooting survivor Holly Chieko Pardue
(RNS) “(I) felt God telling me to come. I believe the experience I had back in 1999 was a bad experience that God is now using as good.”
_ Holly Chieko Pardue, a survivor of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on why she went to the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota to comfort students and their families after the fatal shootings at Red Lake High School on Monday (March 21). She was quoted by USA Today.
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