Archbishop Niederauer named to Vatican communications council
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco to be a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; he joins Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles as U.S. members of the council. The Vatican announced five-year appointments to the council Nov. 25 and formally confirmed a list of new consultants, some of whom had been announced earlier. U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, a Philadelphia native, is president of the council, which explains Catholic teaching regarding the use of all forms of media and offers guidance to Catholics in the fields of cinema, television, radio and the press. Archbishop Niederauer will take over the membership position previously held by Bishop Joseph A. Galante of Camden, N.J.

Maronite League of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon hosts annual boutique
LOS ANGELES --- Among the many seasonal-themed events taking place in December, the Maronite League of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Church will host its annual Christmas boutique Dec. 2 and 3 at the Cathedral Hall, 333 S. San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles. The hours both days are 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with a catered luncheon ($15) taking place Dec. 2, 11 a.m-2 p.m. For information, contact the church, (310) 275-6634, or Theresa Alexander, (818) 762-8511 (luncheon).

Wedding at residence for people with HIV/AIDS viewed as sign of hope
TULSA, Okla. (CNS) --- The tiny chapel was packed, and nearly 50 people were wall-to-wall in the living room next door watching on live video as two residents of St. Joseph Residence celebrated the sacrament of marriage at the home operated by Catholic Charities for people with HIV/AIDS. Karla Tejada became the wife of Wayman Chadwick Nov. 17, an occasion that celebrant Father David Medina said brought great joy to him and all the people present. "I am excited because finally this day has arrived, after all the planning and exciting moments," he said. "This is an honor for me to be here witnessing the love you will exchange from now on." The couple moved into an apartment of their own that night. Tejada had lived at St. Joseph for the past four years, and she met her future husband when Chadwick moved in a year ago.

Pope, Anglican leader pledge friendship while recognizing differences
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- The "journey of friendship" between Roman Catholics and Anglicans will continue even though the path toward full unity seems to be blocked, said Pope Benedict XVI and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury. The two leaders spent 25 minutes speaking privately Nov. 23 at the Vatican before giving speeches that candidly recognized the divisions within the Anglican Communion and between Roman Catholics and Anglicans over the ordination of women and over homosexuality. After their private meeting, the pope and the Anglican leader processed side by side into the Vatican's Redemptoris Mater Chapel for midday prayer before eating lunch together. Archbishop Williams' visit marked the 40th anniversary of the visit made by a predecessor, Archbishop Michael Ramsey, to Pope Paul VI. The 1966 meeting marked the launch of the official Anglican-Roman Catholic theological dialogue.

Archbishop: Thousands of Zimbabweans starve, die weekly from disease
LONDON (CNS) --- More people are dying from starvation and disease in Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe than are killed in the war in Iraq or the conflict in Darfur, said an African archbishop. Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, said about 3,500 people are dying each week in his country from a "unique convergence of malnutrition, poverty and AIDS." He said the world has forgotten about the plight of Zimbabweans although "hunger, illness and desperation stalk our land." "Cemeteries are filling up throughout the country, but no blood is being spilt," he told a private meeting of politicians and church leaders in London Nov. 22. "People are just fading away, dying quietly and being buried quietly with no fanfare, and so there is little media attention." As many people die prematurely in Zimbabwe in one week as in one month in Iraq when the violence is at its worst, he said. In October, 3,700 people died in Iraq.

Pope cites importance of diocesan newspapers
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Diocesan newspapers are important because they strengthen local communities and give them a voice they will not find in national publications, Pope Benedict XVI said. Meeting Nov. 25 with the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies, the pope said the papers underline "facts and realities where the Gospel is lived, where good and truth triumph" and where individuals commit their time and creativity to building real communities. The primary task of a diocesan newspaper, he said, is to "serve the truth with courage, helping the public see, understand and live reality with the eyes of God." The challenges of modern life and the diversity of people within a diocese also must find a reflection in the diocesan paper, he said.

Sixteen arrested in annual Fort Benning protest
FORT BENNING, Ga. (CNS) --- At least 15,000 people demonstrated and 16 were arrested trespassing at the 17th annual School of the Americas protest Nov. 17-19 outside the U.S. Army's Fort Benning. Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois, who started the protests in 1990, promised participants a celebratory demonstration next year if the new Democratic majority in Congress ends funding of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning. The institute was formed in 2001 to replace the School of the Americas as a training ground for military, law enforcement and civilian officials from Latin America and the Caribbean. The yearly demonstrations, sponsored by SOA Watch, are held on a weekend in mid-November to commemorate the Nov. 16, 1989, murder of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter by Salvadoran soldiers. In 1990 a congressional task force found that five of the nine soldiers arrested for the killings had received training at the School of the Americas. When it opened it 2001, the institute was mandated by Congress to include at least eight hours of human rights training in all its courses. Lee A. Rials, the institute's public affairs officer, said that training covers due process, the rule of law, international human rights conventions, the role of the military in society and civilian control of the military. He said the eight-hour minimum applies to two-week courses, but it may rise to as much as 40 hours in yearlong courses. Rials has called it "a ludicrous accusation" that the institute teaches torture methods.

Priest says murder of Catholic leader aimed to kill Lebanese' hopes
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) --- The assassination of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was "an operation trying to kill the hope of the people," said Father Joseph Abu Ghazale, parish priest at the Maronite Catholic Church of St Anthony's, about 50 yards from where Gemayel was gunned down. "Pierre was here in this church six months ago, and he heard me talk about martyrs and how they live on after death. He believed and was ready to sacrifice himself," said the priest. "He represented the ambitions of all the young people in Lebanon, and that enthusiasm will only increase now." Gemayel, 34, and his bodyguard were killed Nov. 21 while driving through Beirut's Christian neighborhood of Jdeideh. His car was rammed by another vehicle. Then, witnesses said, at least three gunmen leaped out of the vehicle and sprayed his car with 20 bullets from automatic weapons equipped with silencers. They fired at near point-blank range through the driver's window at Gemayel, who was at the wheel, and at his bodyguard seated in the passenger seat. At least 10 bullet holes could be seen around the driver's window, and the front seats were covered in blood.

Panelists say '98 religious freedom law having an affect on diplomacy
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Though it has plenty of weaknesses and flaws, the system put in place by a 1998 law to monitor and protect religious freedom internationally has begun to change how the United States and other countries approach religious rights, said panelists at a Washington forum. Among the problems of trying to protect religious rights abroad, according to speakers at the Nov. 20 forum, are too little emphasis on advocacy as opposed to sanctions in the current diplomacy system, and a risk of other countries misunderstanding the goals of the U.S. policy. The law that created the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also set a formal approach for evaluating how various countries treat religious rights and established an office within the State Department to oversee how diplomats deal with the issue. The State Department now prepares an annual report on the state of religious freedom in each country, while the commission issues its own reports focusing on select countries about which its members are particularly concerned.

'Picturing Mary' documentary ready for debut on public television
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Rosemary Plum can catch her breath and give her well-thumbed-through passport a rest for the time being. Plum recently returned to her London home from Mexico City, the last of 22 cities in 13 countries where she and her crew shot footage for the new documentary "Picturing Mary," funded in part by the U.S. bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign. Plum and her crew were editing footage even as they were shooting the 60-minute documentary. "We've been editing whilst we've been filming, doubling up so we can save as much money as possible to get as much as possible up on the screen," she said. After the documentary has been viewed on public television in December, a 90-minute DVD version will be made available for sale and will include even more images of Mary, according to Plum. Copies of "Picturing Mary" on DVD will be available for purchase at $19.95 from USCCB Publishing online at: www.usccbpublishing.org, or by phone at: (800) 235-8722.