The Catholic News & Herald 1
March 17, 2000
March 17, 2000 Volume 9 t Number 28
Inside Embracing Stewardship
Regional workshop highlights giving of time, talent, treasure
...Page 3
St. Patrick scholar sees more than a saint for party Living the Faith
Philadelphia prepares to honor a saint of its own
...Page 16
Local News Getting to the bottom of Teen Summit 2000 ...Page 4
Bringing biblical women to life ...Page 5
S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
With ‘mea culpa,’ pope culminates church’s examination of conscience By John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II made an unprecedented apology for the sins of Christians through the ages, the culmination of the church’s “examination of conscience” for the jubilee year. The pope’s long-awaited “mea culpa” March 12 was echoed by local churches in the United States and elsewhere and generally welcomed by non-Catholics around the world. The pope’s idea of a day of atonement, which met some resistance even inside the Vatican, was designed to acknowledge shortcomings in the church’s past, in order to give Catholics a sense of reconciliation and make future evangelization more credible. “We forgive and we ask forgiveness!” the pope said during a historic Lenten liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica. He and seven top Vatican officials pronounced a “request for pardon” for sins against Christian unity, the use of violence in serving the truth, hostility toward Jews and other religions, the marginalization of women, and wrongs — like abortion — against society’s weakest members. The pope said the church has had many saints, but some of its members have shown disobedience to God and inconsistency with the faith — in the past and present. “For the part that each of us, with his behavior, has had in these evils that have disfigured the face of the church, we humbly ask forgiveness,” he said. Pronouncing the apology for Christian intolerance in the past was
CNS photo from Reuters
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger lights a lamp symbolizing one of the seven petitions for forgiveness at the jubilee “request for pardon” service in St. Peter’s Basilica March 12. Pope John Paul II solemnly asked for pardon for the past and present sins of Christians during the service. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was created more than 450 years ago under a different name to run the Inquisition. “Even men of the church, in the name of faith and morals, have sometimes used methods not in keeping with the Gospel in the solemn duty of defending the truth,” the cardinal said. Other Vatican officials expressed regret for actions by Christians that have aggravated ecumenical divisions, increased discrimination against minority and ethnic groups, “humiliated and marginalized” women, and shown contempt for local cultures and reli-
gious traditions. The pope called for “genuine brotherhood” between Christians and Jews, telling Jewish people that “we are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer.” At the conclusion of the apology liturgy, the pope embraced and kissed the crucifix and, in a final blessing, declared that “never again” should such sins be committed. Thousands of people attended the service, packing the basilica and watching on giant-screen TV in the square outside.
See “MEA CULPA,” page 8
E v e r y W e e k Network helps Greensboro families find their way home Entertainment ...Pages 10-11
Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13
The Season of Lent “Living Lent is a matter of attitude” A column by Father Terrance Hyland, O.S.A.
ule with the host churches using their facilities for five weeks during the year. The network was created through the efforts of Bruce Bergen, now, the president of the GIHN Board of Trustees, and a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greensboro. He attended a meeting with members who wanted to start a local network, and because of his prior ecumenical work, he and others went to churches to pitch the idea. “The churches are not shelters but are safe places. We aren’t just feeding them; we are having dinner with them and trying to bring some hope to their lives,” said Bergen. “For the people of the churches, this puts a gentler face on homelessness because of the many
By Alesha M. Price Staff Writer GREENSBORO — In the early’80s, Karen Olson felt compelled to give a sandwich to a homeless woman in a subway station in New York. After she talked to the woman and learned about her life, she and her two sons began delivering sandwiches in and around New York and New Jersey. When area churches became aware of Olson’s efforts, that is how the first Interfaith Hospitality Network came to be formed in October 1986 in New Jersey. The National Interfaith Hospitality Network (NIHN) was later organized, which oversees the approximately 73 local networks throughout
the country. One of those 73 networks includes a group of Greensboro churches — the Greensboro Interfaith Hospitality Network (GIHN) — all trying to help homeless families in that area to find their own shelter from the storm. “This is a grass roots organization in which churches pair together to provide housing for families and provide transportation for them and their belongings to and from the host church,” explained Jeanie Roberts-Wyatt, the GIHN director. The GIHN began in October 1999 to accommodate up to 14 people, or about five families, in a rotating sched-
See INTERFAITH, page 14