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ATHOLIC
News & Herald Volume 5 Number
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
7«
November 3, 1995
Truce Leaves Warring Leaders In Power BONO
By AGOSTINO
FLORENCE, major problem
William G. Curlin of
and
Charlotte,
Joseph Gossman
of
Raleigh join retired Charlotte Bishop Michael J. Begley following Mass during the recent regional provincial
held
in
assembly
Charlotte.
Photo by Joann Keane
A
ex-Yugoslavia
that the current truce leaves in
Bishops Kevin Boland of Savannah,
—
(CNS)
Italy
in the
is
power
the people responsible for the fighting,
said a Catholic priest and a Serbian
Orthodox bishop. Both also agreed
best to be influences for peace, but that the conflict
dressed in confessional clothing.
state than to the church,"
The conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina is
"a war for ethnic territories within a
multiethnic and multireligious Bosnia," said Msgr.
Mato Zovkic,
vicar general
of the Sarajevo Archdiocese.
He
Valjevo.
Gather By ELIZABETH
In
Charlotte
MAYBACH
Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE
More
than 50
and three bishops from the Caroand Georgia gathered in Charlotte
the Diocese of Charlotte.
delighted that Abbot Kline used a
all
linas
summary of what was given to us philo-
week
for the Atlanta Provincial
sophically and related it to the scripture.
Assembly of Bishops and Priests. The Oct. 23-25 assembly was hosted
He
by the Diocese Charlotte and provided
lot
put the theology into our laps, and
said,
men with hectic sched-
ules to interact with each other,
compar-
ing ideas and impressions, said provincial
coordinator of Charleston, Father
Tom Evatt. 'This
is
the only opportunity for
and bishops to gather together on a provincial level and interact," Fapriests
ther Evatt said. "This
is
about continu-
ing education, but the interaction
is
important, as well."
The conference was
Many Images
titled
"The
of God," and conference
speaker Father Michael Scanlon traced images of God from the Hebrews, Greeks
and Romans and concluded that the real
God was seen in Jesus Christ. Abbot Francis Kline then took up where Father Scanlon had ended, giving workshop participants several idea
face of
about applying the topic to everyday
Using parables from the Gospel of Luke, Abbot Kline helped bring the life.
theological discussion
down
to a
more
operable level.
"The response on the part of the was excellent," said Msgr. Felix
priests
Kelleher,
who coordinated the event for
it
from
there.'
not
signs of their religious identity as a
moral inspiration to defend their ethnic territory and their families," he said.
is
attributed the conflict to
was derived from
the
theme of the Na-
Roman
Catholic Clergy an annual meeting held each February for directors of continu-
(NOCERCC), ing education.
Profile In Faith:
still
commuatheists."
know of many Croatian Catholic who carry the rosary around necks and who keep saying blas-
"I
soldiers their
phemous words about the Blessed Virgin Mary and sacred values of Catholic he added. Bishop Lavrentije said irreligious attitudes are rampant in members of all
faith,"
three religions.
See Truce, page
"We usually try to relate
our theme to that of the national meeting so that more people will understand," said Msgr. Kelleher. "It seems to be an effective way to spread the message." According to Father Evatt, attendance this year was higher than ever before. "We had between 50 and 60 priests and three bishops," he said. "That's a good attendance, but we're always hoping as many as possible will attend."
Those who were unable to attend year can still hear the message of the conference on a videotape that will be available by the end of November. The 1996 provincial assembly is scheduled to meet in the metropolitan see. As Father Evatt said, the Olympics this
to
Rome
MAYBACH
Staff Writer
BELMONT
— April 1941.
It
was
European country of Slovenia. In Maribor, one of the country s largest cities, 2 1 -year-old Anthony Kovacic was two months away from graduation when Hitler invaded. Troops came through Kovacic' hometown on Good Friday. "We heard the German planes overhead and we knew that something bad was happening," Kovacic said. "Three soldiers came to our house about the time for our big dinner and they asked for five chickens. My mother said, 'There are chickens out in the yard.' She was very displeased and was hoping that they wouldn't chase them. But they did. They took sticks and went chasing chickens through the yard until my mother cried, 'Enough They caught many more than five and took all of them." For Kovacic, this was the beginlate spring in the eastern
'
!
'
ning of a long series of encounters with
German
troops,
and more importantly,
he wanted to be a priest. His pastor encouraged him to attend pre-seminary classes in his hometown and after graduation, Kovacic wanted to continue his education
at
a seminary. Hitler,
how-
ever, had other plans for aspiring priests.
"Within the first ten days of the occupation ninety percent of the priests
and seminary students were arrested and put into concentration camps," Kovacic said. "Then all of the schools were closed and I went home." Kovacic didn't forget his friends in the camps. Over the next few weeks, he traveled around the city and surrounding rural areas collecting food and clothing for the prisoners. He took the goods to the concentration camp, which was a Trappist monastery before the occupation. "I didn't see any of them, but I was promised by the guard that the religious
would get
By
the food," he said.
this time,
Kovacic was becom-
ing concerned about completing his education. His school had been closed
before he could graduate, and he
the beginning of his pursuit of his voca-
wanted
aren't the only thing going to Atlanta
tion.
asked
next
Born Jan. 11, 1920, Kovacic had known from his first years in school that
See Kovacic,
fall.
1
Monsignor Anthony Kovacic
The Road
the 1995 assembly
tional Organization for Continuing Edu-
cation of the
"who are probably
By ELIZABETH
The theme of
under
Msgr. Zovkic said that "the armed conflict stopped, but the persons who produced the conflict still keep their military and political positions." Both men spoke Oct. 24 during a four-day conference in Florence of political and religious leaders to discuss peace issues. The meeting was spon-
That made a
of sense."
not only a series of educational lectures,
but also allowed
'Take
But when the conflict started "the on all sides took up the external
"They were
priests
last
their religious leaders."
was Serbian Or-
that the fighting
political leaders raised nist rule
"People are more obedient to the he added. Msgr. Zovkic said that "those who started the war did not ask the opinion of
fighters
thodox Bishop Lavrentije of Sabac-
Priests
and military leaders are not
political
listening.
Agreeing
And
and the Community of San Egidio, a Rome-based Catholic lay organization. The Serbian bishop said that Orthodox and Catholic leaders are doing their
was not a religious war, but one in which ethnic ambitions have been
religiously motivated
Regional Bishops
sored by the Archdiocese of Florence
to
be a
me why
priest.
I
was
"When
still
still
people
intending to
next page