News Briefs

VATICAN-U.S.S.R. relations re-established after nearly 70 years
by Sari Gilbert (RNS Correspondent)

ROME (RNS) — After nearly seven decades of silence, the Vatican and the Soviet Union March 15 established "permanent official contacts," thus taking the first step toward full, formal diplomatic relations and the likelihood of a papal visit to the Soviet Union.

The exchange of ambassadors for the first time since relations were broken off in 1923 constitutes a major triumph for Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, whose groundbreaking visit here last Dec. 1 was an open bid for papal approval.

But it also represents the culmination so far of two decades of Vatican "Ostpolitik," the Holy See's policy, begun in the late 1960s, of forging contacts with Eastern bloc nations in order to improve conditions for the church in that region.

Full diplomatic relations were established with Poland and Hungary in 1989. Other painstakingly negotiated agreements led the way to appointment of an almost full roster of bishops in Czechoslovakia after decades of vacancy. March 15 there was a further step toward the normalization of church-state relations in that area when the Vatican announced that John Paul had named 12 new bishops of the Latin and Byzantine rites in Romania. The appointments followed the new Romanian government's decision last January to end restrictions on freedom of worship.

The Vatican is particularly anxious to see if, and how, the Soviet Union implements the law on religious freedom that currently is under consideration there. Another problem is that of the Ukraine, where more than 4 million Uniates (Greek-rite Catholics who swear allegiance to the pope) were forcibly absorbed by the Orthodox Church in 1946. Another problem regards the post-World War II borders between Poland and the Soviet Union, which left parts of several Polish dioceses on the Soviet side.

In addition, there have been tensions between the Catholic and Orthodox churches in the Soviet Union. And the Soviets are resentful of the Vatican's refusal to recognize the Lithuanian Soviet Republic.

Nicaragua outlook: good for Catholics, evangelicals worried
by Paul Jeffrey (RNS Correspondent)

Managua, Nicaragua (RNS) — As a Roman Catholic president prepares to take office here late next month, Catholic church officials are confident that relations with new government will be healthy and mutually respectful. Some evangelical Christians here, however, are worried that the new church-state relationship will be too cozy.

After a decade of stormy relations between the Sandinista government and leaders of the Catholic Church here, the election of Violeta Chamorro Feb. 25 signals the beginning of a new era.

Mrs. Chamorro, the candidate of a broad opposition coalition, is a devout Catholic aristocrat. For yeas she has maintained a close friendship with Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, the archbishop of Managua. While President Daniel Ortega, who hands over the reigns of power to Mrs. Chamorro April 25, once claimed that "if Christ had found Obando in the temple, he would have driven him out with a whip," Mrs. Chamorro refers to the prelate as "the great shepherd of the Nicaraguan people." During her campaign she promised to help build him "a dignified cathedral" to replace the Managua structure still in ruins from the 1972 earthquake.

It is expected that conservative Catholic groups will find a welcome here following Mrs. Chamorro's victory. The president-elect has appointed Carlos Mantica as her religious adviser. A millionaire, Mr. Mantica heads Ciudad de Dios (Spanish for "City of God"), the Nicaraguan chapter of Sword of the Spirit, a Catholic charismatic movement based in Ann Arbor, Mich. While Mrs. Chamorro's personal relationship to the Ciudad de Dios is unclear, several family members and business associates are members of the group.

Bernardin on abortion: reaching out to "broad middle" of Americans
by William Bole (RNS Associate Editor)

Washington (RNS) — Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, a leading Roman Catholic spokesman, has called on opponents of abortion to be more responsive to the "broad middle" of Americans who find themselves in neither the pro-life nor pro-choice camps.

"The status quo of permissive abortion does not fit the moral or legal convictions of a large majority of U.S. citizens," said Cardinal Bernardin, who is archbishop of Chicago. He said polls show that 60 percent of Americans fall into the middle category of those who oppose abortion on demand but are wary of sweeping restrictions.

"They may not be where the Catholic bishops are, but neither are they where Roe and Doe left us," he said, referring to the Supreme Court's 1973 rulings, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which removed many restrictions on abortion.

Last fall, Bishop Leo T. Maher of San Diego ordered that state senate candidate Lucy Killea be barred from receiving communion because of her pro-choice stand. She was elected. "I believe that the church can be most effective in the public debate on abortion through moral persuasion, not punitive measures," he said, speaking from a 25-page text to approximately 200 people, including bishops, theologians and other church representatives.

While saying public officials should be held accountable for their positions, the cardinal added, "It is important, however, that we continue to engage them and not cut them off."

Cardinal Bernardin was more pointed during a question-and-answer period when asked about a New York bishop's personal attack on Governor Mario Cuomo. Auxiliary Bishop Austin Vaughn said recently that Mr. Cuomo risked going to hell because of his pro-choice position, and in the ensuing controversy he received support from Cardinal John O'Connor of New York.

In answer to one inquirer, who questioned whether the existence of hell is still part of church teaching, the cardinal responded:

"The last time I looked in on that (matter of hell), there was no evidence that any change in doctrine had taken place. In terms of who goes there," he added, starting up a round of laughter, "it really doesn't fall within my competence to make decisions on the spiritual status of individuals."

Hunthausen cancels deacon class; cites women's concerns

(RNS)  — In an effort to dramatize his concern that women are being overlooked by the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Ramond Hunthausen of Seattle recently dropped plans to form a new class of all-male deacons.

Although the deacons would provide some relief from a growing priest shortage in the archdiocese, a March 6 letter to clergy and lay leaders from the archbishop said he canceled plans to train more men as deacons "until the issue of women's role in the church is more adequately addressed."

William Ryan, a spokesman for the United States Catholic conference, said other diaconate programs had been canceled by bishops but, "I've never heard of anyone canceling it (deacon's program) for the reasons Archbishop Hunthausen gave."

The Archbishop said he changed his mind on an earlier plan to instruct a new class of deacons together with their wives, a practice done in many other dioceses, even though only the men can be ordained. "As I reflected on the whole listening process I realized that the tentative decision was not right."

Archbishop Hunthausen acknowledged canceling the class would "highlight the women's issue and create new tensions in our church." But, he told the Progress, the archdiocesan paper, "I had to base my decision on what I'd heard and what my heart told me to do."

Both Archbishop Hunthausen and assistant Archbishop Thomas Murphy heard women from lay and religious groups in the archdiocese express their concern that women's gifts for service to the church were being unjustly bypassed because of their sex. The women's issue was raised in a local consultative process to gather input to help U.S. bishops write a pastoral letter on "Women in society and the Church," due later this year.

New Vatican directives stress need for chastity in religious life Rome

(RNS)  — A new set of Vatican "directives on formation in religious institutes" forcefully restates the church's prohibition against any sexual activity by those in religious life and says men and women unable to keep the vow of chastity should be dismissed from religious orders. At the same time the document, issued by the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, calls for greater scrutiny of candidates for religious life to determine if they have the psychological maturity to accept vows of chastity. In underlining the prohibition against any sexual activity, the March 13 document states that "reasons must be given and understood to explain why those who do not seem to be able to overcome their homosexual tendencies, or who maintain that it is possible to adopt a third way, 'living in an ambiguous state between celibacy and marriage,' must be dismissed from the religious life."

St. Joseph, Minn.(RNS)  — Three sisters at the Benedictine Order's Convent of St. Benedict here share a distinction not common to many Roman Catholic nuns — they are all grandmothers. In fact, Sister Elva Hoefgen, Sister Arleen Hynes and Sister Lucille Schramel together have a total of 63 grandchildren. All three women entered the convent after the deaths of their husbands.

Showing of 'Last Temptation of Christ' draws protests