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ATHOLIC

News & Herald Volume 5 Number

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

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


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