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News & Herald Volume 4 Number 3 • September
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
16,
1994
Pope Preaches
SCWOOl. VI5IT
Bold Steps For Peace In Balkans ZAGREB,
Croatia
(CNS)
— Pope
John Paul II walked with a limp during his Balkan visit, but he talked about bold strides for peace as he preached in the former Yugoslavia. During a Sept. 101 1 trip to Zagreb, the pope advocated forgiveness and tolerance among the region's warring ethnic factions. The pope said he came as "the pilgrim of reconciliation" to emphasize the common ties of language and Slavic origins that should unite Serbian Orthodox, Croatian Catholics and Bosnian Muslims. It
was the pope's
first trip to
the ex-
Yugoslavia, and he told Croatian Catholics to
take the lead in peace efforts.
The visit lasted slightly more than 24 hours, and the 74-year-old pope showed fatigue throughout, a sign that he has not fully recuperated after a fall last April
resulted in reconstructive surgery to repair a broken right thigh bone.
While his voice was firm, his steps were small and shuffling. The pope continued walking with the limp and black
kn cane thalhavc become common his public appearances. His traditional kneeling on the airport tarmac to kiss the
ground upon arrival was replaced by two young people holding up a bowl of
pope to kiss. was the pope's first trip outside Italy in a year and a much shorter version of what the pope wanted. He had hoped to make a sym-
Croatian
BishoD Willidm
G
McGuinness High School in Winston-Salem. Curlin is flanked by students during a recent visit to Bishop Photo by JOANN KEANE
soil for the
The overnight
bolically unifying trip to Croatia, BosniaHerzegovina and Serbia. Security risks
Family Ties
Russian Orphans Find Homes, Families
made the pope give up his Sept.
The smiling girl wearing a hand-medown denim jumper hopes that the glimmer in her eyes will capture someone's This
is
no ordinary photo.
It's
an
invitation.
On
Sept. 23,
Marina celebrates her
seventh birthday. If she's lucky, she'll get a dress, something she adores. If she
blows out candles and makes a wish, it is likely she will wish for a family. However, like all of her previous birthdays, Marina's day to shine will merely mark another year of living in the only home she' s ever known, the orphan-
The pope showed frustration that the
in
Moscow have
ethnic and religious hatreds sparking the
coming home;
to the
United
this diocese,
North Carolina and in love with the families of their dreams. Eight months ago, The Catholic News & Herald reported the story of Devon, a Russian wisp of a boy, adopted
sian children
several families are in the early stages of
preparing for a homecoming. Like 7-year-old Marina, the children available for adoption are generally be-
the stories all too well. less families
knows
"There are count-
who'd love to adopt," says
Thurbee. Equally, there are as
many
Without a
ance,
war "smolders under the ashes of
fragile treaties,"
he
said.
See Balkans, Page 13
—
night dreaming of a family and a life
tor of Catholic Social Services,
the existing tensions."
spirit of reciprocal forgiveness and toler-
ter in
across the former Soviet Block nod off at
surrounded by love. Elizabeth Thurbee, diocesan direc-
come
viduals to the Catholic Conference Cen-
have come to call Stephen and Paul Two more will home. Carolina North arrive within the next few months, and
her dream.
"To stop the bloody fratricidal war I every means, I have knocked at every door," he added. "The Holy See is continuing to adopt every means to over-
tried
Thurbee' s phone went berserk.
She's not alone in her twilight thoughts. Literally hundreds of orphans
is
I
plary collaboration," he said.
Families desperate to, adopt wanted to know more about the program. An information sharing session brought 40 indi-
—
"the martyred city that
tomed to reciprocal tolerance and exem-
'
lication,
is
has been raging in a land where the inhabitants for centuries were accus-
with the assistance of Catholic Social Services. Within days of the story s pub-
come for her. That
adoptive family will
Sarajevo
ardently wanted to visit," he said in his airport arrival speech. "For too long war
joined
Nicholas, Danielle,
Petersburg, Russia. All her
peace.
States, to
she's been told that someday, an
St.
conflict in the former Yugoslavia obstructed his desire to be a catalyst for
bridged an international gap, matching Russian children with American families. Thanks to this program, children are
Hickory to learn more. In the months since then, four Rus-
age in life,
and Child's Rights
Belgrade, the Serbian
CSS
Collaborative efforts between
Marina' s eyes are deep blue, her hair the color of wheat, and she flashes an impish grin for the camera.
visit to
capital.
Russian orphans hoping for a family.
Associate Editor
8 trip to
the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, and Serbian Orthodox Church objections
blocked a
By JOANN KEANE
heart.
visit
tween the ages of 5 and 8 and have lived most or all of their lives in orphanages. See Marina, Page 2
Catechetical
Sunday
Sunday, Sept. 18, is Catechetical Sunday. On Pages 2, 3 and 6 of this issue of The Catholic News & Herald are several articles on the subject.
pay Marina
is
one
available for
of
many Russian children
adoption by Americans.
tribute to the dedicated
They
men and
women who conduct the programs our parishes.
in