Feb 27, 1998

Page 1

The Catholic

& Herald

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33

Volume? Number 25

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

«

February 27, 1998

Reached; Church Urge Against Force

U.N.-lraq Accord Officials

WASHINGTON (CNS) Church officials and others voiced opposition to the use of force and called for an end to the U.N. embargo against Iraq days before the U.N. secretary-general and Iraqi officials reached an accord. The Vatican hailed a written agreement on the Iraqi crisis and expressed hope that the accord would open the way to lifting the embargo against the Persian Gulf country. The Vatican comment came Feb. 23 after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan worked out a deal with Iraqi officials to resume U.N. weapons inspections, thus seemingly averting a U.S.

Archbishop Renato R. Martino, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, was, "It seems that your personal visit will be of great help toward the

bombardment of

for his prayers, the nuncio reported.

were

still

solution of the present crisis."

The nuncio said Annan attended a World Day Mass celebrated by Cardinal John J. O'Connor Feb. 15 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. In the homily. Cardinal O'Connor also encouraged Annan to visit Iraq in an effort to preof Peace

Annan responded by saying he was "touched" by the expression of papal interest and asked Archbishop Martino to convey thanks to the pope

Iraqi targets. U.S. officials

cautious about the accord, which

was

Speaking in an interview with the Italian magazine II Regno in mid-February, the Vatican nuncio to Iraq, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, criticized the embargo of Iraq, the U.N. weapons inspection efforts there and what he said were U.S. economic interests behind the threat of military

signed in Baghdad, Iraq, after three days of negotiations.

"The Holy See expresses

its

satisfaction

with the agreement, which should eliminate the threat of military action," said Vatican spokes-

man

Joaquin Navarro- Vails. He said he hoped would be ratified by the U.N. Secu-

action.

Archbishop Lazzarotto said it was time that world opinion recognize that the tactics adopted against Iraq "are against human nghts and, in re~

the accord

rity_Cpuncil.

Backed by

United States has

Britain, the

threatened to attack Iraq

President

if

Saddam

ality,

urged Annan to

were exoil prices had decreased companies were losing mil-

said the U.S. policy decisions

plained by the fact that to the point that oil

lions of dollars a day.

Iraqi Chaldean-rite Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid said he thought the current crisis in Iraq could be solved quickly if the West would lift the "humiliating" trade embargo against his country.

weapons inspectors unlimited access to eight presidential sites. The sites had earlier been declared off-limits by Saddam. Annan met with Saddam for three hours Feb. 22 before the agreement was reached. In a message delivered Feb. 15, Pope John

n

hide enormous economic interests."

He

Hussein does not open all sites capable of producing weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, to U.N. inspection. Details of the Iraqi agreement were not immediately announced, but reports said it gave

Paul

In an interview with

CNS

Feb. 18, the patri-

soon as

why Americans and others believe Saddam is amassing new weapons or making plans to use them. He character-

verbally by

See U.N.-lraq Accord, page 2

visit Iraq "as

arch said he did not understand

possible.".

Prison

"But the chaplain

Staff Writer

is

jail,

she

is

cau-

here because of the things

I

own free will," she says, glanc-

jump suit, the standard garb for inmates. "And because of the things I did, I felt couldn't go to

thing because

I

God to

overcome

As

facility

chaplain, he says reaching

out to society's incarcer-

ated has given

him

a true,

alive meaning of church. "I believe I'm here to provide hope for the hopeless," Matevie says, as inmates shuffle

en route to their cell pods. To his right, a laminated piece of paper conveys the message of one of the inmates. "You gotta stay prayed up," it reads.

Searching For Hope

ask for any-

wasn't living right."

trust.

single-file outside his office

ing at the sleeve of her jail-issued orange

I

who

of her fears through Scrip-

keeping and

tiously hopeful for better things ahead.

that

me with

Matevie,

ture reading, prayer, journal

doubt, depression and guilt each day. Her boyfriend was murdered and threats have been made against her children. She is unsure about what her future holds, yet thanJcs to the

in

helping

is Bill

trying to help Sandra

many

ated, she battles self-

"I'm

receiving a National Geographic medal and a subscription to National Geographic Magazine. A written examination was submitted to National Geographic which may enable Ben to go on to state competition. Sixth-grader Drew Thorp placed second. Shown in the photo are Ben (center) and

kindergarten friends (clockwise): Caitlyn Reid, Daniel Bradley, William Fleming, Jeffrey Warren, Katie Finegan and Cicely

In addition to his duties as chaplain

of

Jail

spiritual, practical

and compassionate

contexts, Matevie has served as coordi-

That chaplain

a 23-year-old inmate in

prison chaplaincy at the

is

all that."

— Sandra

Mecklenburg County Jail North. While incarcer-

did of my

won the competition,

Brings Church To The Incarcerated

l\/linistry

JIMMY ROSTAR

CHARLOTTE is

Asheville Catholic School participated in the National Geographic Geography Bee on Jan. 1 4, 1 998. Classroom finalists from grades 5-8 met during a special assembly. Ben Schroeder, eighth grade,

Upham.

The pope's message, delivered

By

4

mi

vent war. Archbishop Martino reported.

North, which include numerous

nator of prison ministry in the Diocese

of Charlotte since 1991.

That means being available to anyone associated with the 45 prisons across western North Carolina, including volunteers, personnel and inmates' families. Their needs vary widely, from phone calls to arranging for the Eucharist to be brought to a cell, and Matevie does his best to grant those requests.

On any given day in the jail, he may encounter murderers, rapists, drug pushers, spouse abusers. Many inmates arrive bitter and filled with hate. And eventually, he says, some begin looking for God. At

Matevie becomes lay and advisor. change comes when they use the term T am sick and tired of that point

minister, counselor

"The time

being sick and tired,'" Matevie says. Lives dominated by drugs, violence and lack of concern for self and others cause much internal and external pain, he adds, but every person deserves to know that a loving, forgiving God does exist. Even in jail.

"You

show them a purpose to he says. an excellent example of someone who did far more serious crimes than anybody in any prison in this country has ever done, and yet ... he was redeemed." Matevie realizes that the percentage of the inmates he reaches with messages of God's love is not always high. Still, the changes he sees in some provide all the evidence he needs. try to

their life, that life is not over,"

"St.

Paul

He

is

takes exception to the belief in

for

See Prison

Ministry,

page 2


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