San Diego bishop says sex abuse cases may lead to bankruptcy filing
SAN DIEGO (CNS) --- If more than 140 pending lawsuits alleging clergy sex abuse in the San Diego Diocese cannot be settled, "the diocese may be forced to file a Chapter 11 reorganization in bankruptcy court," according to Bishop Robert H. Brom. The statement was part of a "pastoral statement on sexual abuse cases" dated Feb. 21 and read at all Masses in the San Diego Diocese Feb. 17-18. If the diocese were to file for bankruptcy, it would become the fifth U.S. church jurisdiction to do so since the middle of 2004. The first was the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., followed by the dioceses of Tucson, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; and Davenport, Iowa. Bishop Brom said that while sex abuse cases involving 43 people have been resolved, with 18 of them receiving counseling and 30 getting financial compensation, negotiations with 143 other people "have, unfortunately, been unsuccessful."

Nashville bishop supports mayor's veto of 'English-first' legislation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) --- Saying that "we don't need a law to tell us what language we are already speaking," Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a bill that would have required city agencies and officials to communicate in English "except when required by federal law or when necessary to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare." Bishop David R. Choby of Nashville, who stood with Purcell as he made the veto announcement Feb. 12, said the city is "noted for its friendliness and its willingness to welcome those who are new to the area." The bishop said, "The characteristics of kindness, for which this city has developed a national recognition, can also be called Christian charity." "This ordinance does not reflect who we are," Purcell said, noting the long tradition of immigration in middle Tennessee. A primary reason for the veto, he said, was that exceptions to the ordinance would be so broad that unnecessary lawsuits would surely arise, potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cardinal Stafford urges building reconciliation networks in church
BOSTON (CNS) --- Catholics should build networks of reconciliation to nurture and support one another, U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Vatican's Apostolic Penitentiary, said during a visit to Boston. The cardinal spoke about penance and reconciliation at St. John's Seminary, addressing lay people Feb. 3 and priests Feb. 5. The Apostolic Penitentiary is a Vatican court that deals with indulgences, matters of conscience and the lifting of certain excommunications and other censures that are reserved to the Holy See. In his remarks to the laity, Cardinal Stafford said they must step up to form a nurturing society within the church that takes the spirit of reconciliation beyond the physical rite. Because of his position in the church, Cardinal Stafford said it was important for him to come to Boston in the wake of the scandal of sexual abuse by priests. He said he was struck by a homily he heard the previous day in which a priest told his parishioners, regarding life after the scandal: "If forgiveness is not part of the process, I don't want anything to do with it." The priest was right, he said. There has to be forgiveness, but first there must be tears.

Church condemns bomb blasts on Indian train bound for Pakistan
NEW DELHI (CNS) --- Catholic Church officials in India condemned the bomb blasts that killed 68 people on a train from India bound for Pakistan. "We strongly condemn the incident, which aims to derail the peace process between the two nations," Father Babu Joseph, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said in a statement. The violence should not deter the two countries from going ahead with peace talks in the region, Father Joseph told UCA News, an Asian church news agency. The church hopes the respective leaders will continue to create "more confidence" among their people about the importance of bringing India and Pakistan together, he said. Two cars of the Samjhauta Express, a rail service between the two countries, caught fire in the Feb. 19 incident. Two suitcases filled with explosives were found at the blast site.

Archdiocese criticizes new Mexican law against abuse of women
MEXICO CITY (CNS) --- The Mexico City Archdiocese criticized a new law designed to curb violence against women, saying it is unclear and promotes confrontation between the sexes. An editorial column published Feb. 18 in the archdiocese's weekly bulletin lauded efforts to reduce abuse, but said the law, which went into effect Feb. 1, contains "omissions and exaggerations." The law, approved by Mexico's Senate in December, classifies different types of violence against women --- ranging from physical to economic and emotional. It also requires Mexican states to prosecute these offenses and provide support, such as shelters, for victims. "A law that seeks to eradicate violence against women is a good initiative ... but we should not fall into the game of feminism, which tries to pit genders against each other rather than find equality in human relations," the column said. It also questioned the law's inclusion of certain terms --- such as "coldness," "indifference" and "negligence" --- that are used to define "psychological violence." The column asked, "How should a judge interpret these terms?"

South Korean Catholic farmers discuss working with farmers in North
SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) --- South Korean Catholic farmers visited North Korea and discussed the possibility of a cross-border farming project. Members of the Korean Catholic Farmers' Movement met on North Korea's Mount Kumgang for the group's annual general assembly. More than 140 members from 15 South Korean dioceses attended the early February meeting. Pius Cheong Jae-don, president of the farmers' movement, said North Korean officials managing Mount Kumgang's special tourism zone had suggested a project in which the North provides farmland and workers while the farmers' movement provides technology, equipment and seeds. Cheong told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, that the members visited a site the North suggested for the project as well as several other state-run farms around the mountain.

Al-Azhar's grand sheik agrees to meet for talks with pope in Rome
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- One of Sunni Islam's leading clerics has accepted Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to meet for talks in Rome, the Vatican said. Grand Sheik Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi of Cairo's al-Azhar University, a world-renowned center of Islamic scholarship, agreed to the encounter "with satisfaction," the Vatican said Feb. 20. No date was announced for the meeting. It would be the pope's highest-profile encounter with an Islamic leader since his September speech in Regensburg, Germany, that sparked controversy and criticism throughout the Muslim world. Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Vatican agency that coordinates interreligious dialogue, met Sheik Tantawi Feb. 20 in Cairo in what the Vatican described as "a climate of great cordiality" and conveyed the pope's greetings to the cleric. Cardinal Poupard also planned to meet with Egypt's religious affairs minister, Hamdi Zaqzuq.

Father Joseph Hacala, former CCHD and Jesuit university head, dies
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Jesuit Father Joseph R. Hacala, former head of the (Catholic) Campaign for Human Development and of Wheeling (W.Va.) Jesuit University, died Feb. 19 of complications from amyloidosis, a rare protein disease that attacks the organs. He would have turned 62 the following week. He died at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minn., where since September he had been receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic. His funeral was to be held Feb. 24 at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church in downtown Washington, where he assisted in pastoral ministry during the 15 years he held national posts in Washington. "As his illness progressed, Father Hacala accepted his condition with great faith, always being more concerned about the well-being of others, with little focus on his own grave condition," said James F. Birge, Wheeling Jesuit University's interim president. "He had an extraordinary concern and commitment for the well-being of the people of his beloved and native state of West Virginia."

Don't 'leave God at the door,' Fargo bishop tells Catholic lawmakers
FARGO, N.D. (CNS) --- Catholic politicians must not "leave God at the door" when they walk into the Legislature, but rather must ensure that every decision they make and every bill they pass protect human life and dignity, Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo said in a column for the diocesan newspaper. The same obligation not to "abandon God" applies to every Catholic, whatever his or her line of work, the bishop added in the edition of New Earth newspaper that went to press Feb. 15. The column was an edited version of a homily the bishop delivered Jan. 18 at the Catholic Legislative Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck. Bishop Aquila said the recent movie "Blood Diamond," about diamond smuggling in Africa, shows the violence that results when "the lust for power, the lust for money, the lust for control overtakes and guides the human heart." But he said hardness of heart is not a problem isolated in Africa, but also arises in relation to the immigration debate in this country.

Cardinal, bishop decry New York City giveaway of millions of condoms
NEW YORK (CNS) --- With their decision to distribute 18 million free condoms to the public, New York City officials are failing "to protect the moral tone of our community," two Catholic leaders charged. Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., said that city officials "encourage inappropriate sexual activity by blanketing our neighborhoods with condoms." In a joint statement Feb. 15, the two bishops said, "Although in their statements they give nod to the truth that only abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage are fail-safe, by their actions they ignore that truth and degrade societal standards." On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, more than 150,000 condoms were handed out in the city's five boroughs. The new condoms were branded with the logo "NYC CONDOM," with the letters imitating the signs for the New York subway system. The Free Condom Initiative of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene distributes about 1.5 million condoms a month, mostly bulk orders received via the Internet from nightspots and retail outlets.