Lebanon’s religious leaders call for ‘dignified’ return of refugees
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Christian and Muslim religious leaders, meeting with the president of Switzerland, appealed to the international community to work toward peace in the region and to ensure the “dignified” return of refugees to their homelands. Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics, hosted Swiss President Alain Berset at Diman, the patriarchal summer residence in northern Lebanon Aug. 28. “This presence of high Muslim and Christian dignitaries clearly reflects the uniqueness of Lebanon as a country of convergence and interfaith dialogue,” Cardinal Rai said in welcoming Berset. “In these difficult times, the countries of the Middle East are well aware of the fact that such cooperation and coexistence between Christians and Muslims is a beacon of hope for the peoples of this tormented region,” the cardinal said. Those attending included Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi; Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan; Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II; Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X — all of whom were born in Syria — Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia for the Armenian Orthodox Church; Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, papal nuncio to Lebanon; Mohammad Sammak, secretary general of Lebanon’s Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue; Muslim and Druze representatives, as well as Swiss diplomats.
Catholic nuns in the forefront of relief work for flooded Kerala
KOCHI, India — More than 6,700 Catholic women religious are among those helping more than 1 million people taking shelter in relief camps after unprecedented floods ravaged Kerala state in southwest India. “This is the biggest rescue and relief operation the Catholic Church in Kerala has undertaken in its history,” said Father George Vettikattil, who heads the Church’s relief operations in the state. The Church deployed its personnel and opened its institutions across Kerala to help people after rains and massive floods devastated 13 of Kerala’s 14 districts from Aug. 15 through Aug. 20. The rain has stopped in many places and water has begun receding. The floods initially displaced nearly 1.3 million people. About 869,000 people were still sheltered in 2,787 relief centers in the state, a government official told the media in late August. All 32 Catholic dioceses in Kerala have joined relief works, Father Vettikattil told Global Sisters Report. As many as 69,821 young people and 99,705 other lay volunteers helped 6,737 nuns, 2,891 priests and 354 seminarians to rescue stranded people with the help of government agencies. Another 2,178 religious priests and 447 brothers in the state joined the relief effort too.
Church urges fairer conditions as Bosnia-Herzegovina elections near
WARSAW, Poland — The Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina has urged the country to improve human rights and political representation after upcoming elections, 23 years after the country was divided by a bloody war. “In a country like this, still suffering the wounds of conflict, it’s essential to bring people together, and for every individual and group to feel they enjoy full rights,” said Msgr. Ivo Tomasevic, secretary general of the country’s bishops’ conference. “Until now though, we’ve been ruled by a peace agreement rather than having a normal state, and the lack of organization has been exploited by the politicians,” he told Catholic News Service Aug. 30. “We now need to elect people who’ll take the country in a good direction and create hope for better things to come.” His comments came as campaigning began for the Oct. 7 elections. Voters were set to elect a new central tripartite presidency, as well as separate presidents and legislatures for Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serbian and Muslim-Croat entities. Msgr. Tomasevic said older citizens remained deeply affected by the 1992-1995 war, which left more than 100,000 dead, while many younger people, born after the fighting, had left for other countries in search of work.
Iowa guest house helps women get back on their feet after prison
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The director of Clare Guest House puts a different spin on the “What Would Jesus Do” slogan. “I think what we provide is ‘What Jesus Would Do,'” said Franciscan Sister Gwen Hennessey of the transitional home for women who have been released from prison. Clare Guest House began as an initiative of the Sioux City Multicultural Neighborhood Project, a ministry authorized by the Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1998. Its mission: respond to the needs of poor women and children, collaborate in the development of neighborhood communities and serve as an outreach to Spanish-speaking immigrant groups. “When we no longer had any Spanish-speaking sisters for the project, it evolved into this project of providing a safe, supportive environment for women coming out of prison,” explained Sister Grace Ann Witte, who resides at the house with Sister Gwen. In 2005, a team of Franciscan sisters began planning for the halfway house. They developed a philosophy for the house, identified the type of women it would serve, drafted rules and staffing plans and presented its findings, Sister Grace Ann explained. “A small group of women agreed to continue to meet as an advisory group, colloquially described as the ‘wise women,’ to further finalize plans,” she said. “It was at that time the name Clare Guest House developed, in honor of St. Clare of Assisi, who lived an active life among the poor, serving lepers, before being forced into an enclosed contemplative life.”
Italian Church helps migrants kept aboard coast guard ship for 11 days
ROME — One hundred migrants, most from Eritrea, arrived at a Catholic-run center near Rome late Aug. 28 after officials from the Italian bishops’ conference negotiated their release from an Italian coast guard ship. They had been on the ship, the Diciotti, for 11 days. The Italian coast guard rescued some 180 migrants from an overcrowded boat at sea Aug. 15, but Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, refused to allow them to enter Italy. Eventually 13 were taken to Lampedusa for medical treatment. The boat docked in Catania, Italy, Aug. 20 and Salvini still refused to allow the migrants off the boat, insisting that other countries in the European Union had an obligation to share the burden of caring for them. Under intense international pressure, he allowed the 27 unaccompanied minors aboard to disembark Aug. 22. Then late Aug. 25, Salvini tweeted, “After so much hard work, insults, threats and inquiries, we finally have the solution for the ship Diciotti.”
Philippine immigration officials reaffirm move to deport missionary nun
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration reaffirmed its intention to deport an Australian missionary nun after earlier ordering her to leave the country. The bureau Aug. 30 dismissed a motion for reconsideration filed by Sister Patricia Fox’s lawyers, saying it failed to raise new matters that could warrant the reversal of the expulsion order, ucanews.com reported. Bureau spokeswoman Dana Krizia Sandoval said Sister Fox has 30 days on receipt of the order before it can be considered final and executory. In a statement, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, however, said the nun may not be immediately deported because the deportation order still can be subject to appeal. He said the issue also could reach the courts should Sister Fox opt to file a petition after all administrative remedies before the executive branch are exhausted. “Any adverse ruling from the (Justice Department or the Office of the President) may be reviewed by the courts,” Guevarra said