Faith perspective essential to dialogue on issues, says archbishop
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Catholic institutions of higher learning could play a key role in offering a faith perspective on "challenging issues of our day," Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said Oct. 23 in a talk at The Catholic University of America. In his talk on "The Role of Religion in a Pluralistic Society: Religious Faith and Public Policy," he said that kind of dialogue is especially needed in a time when societal attitudes and court decisions have sought to erode the contribution of faith to the country's common good. "Our Catholic institutions of higher learning would be prepared out of their own Catholic identity," Archbishop Wuerl said, "to speak to the challenging issues of our day, once again out of our legacy, heritage and tradition, just as Catholic health care institutions speak to issues of public debate today out of a Catholic understanding of the dignity and worth of each person and the sacred trust of exercising health care." Archbishop Wuerl noted the fundamental place that religion occupied in most of the past four centuries in America. "Until very recently in public civil life, he added "mention of God was taken for granted and prayer inspired by belief in God was a routine part of public, government sponsored programs and activities."

Author of book behind 'Golden Compass' criticized as anti-Christian
SAN DIEGO (CNS) --- To all of those Christian critics who have denounced the "Harry Potter" series as a subversive effort to lure unsuspecting children into the occult, Baylor University professor Perry Glanzer warns: Quit crying wolf. In a commentary appearing in early August in the Austin American-Statesman daily newspaper, Glanzer noted that while social critics have blasted J.K. Rowling's tales of Harry Potter and his seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they have uttered nary a word about British writer Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials," which Glanzer and others say is an overtly anti-Christian trilogy of fantasy novels for young adults. The trilogy includes "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass." "I think that as long as people are agitated about whether Harry Potter makes you into a satanist, they're not going to be very bothered with me," Pullman said in an interview with Amazon.com. "So, I'm happy to (take) shelter under the great umbrella of Harry Potter." A film adaptation of "The Golden Compass," starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is set to debut in theaters Dec. 7. The Aug. 24 issue of Entertainment Weekly reported that the film will make no direct references to the Catholic Church. The article also quoted Kidman, who recently reconnected with her Catholic faith, as saying, "The Catholic Church is part of my essence. I wouldn't be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic."

Catholics, Muslims call for reconciliation, peace in Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) --- Lebanon's Catholic and Muslim leaders met at the compound of a prominent Marian shrine and called for unity amid the tumultuous political situation in their country. "The unity toward which we aspire as believers and that we aim to live as citizens is a unity that comes to us from God, the one, who created us as one soul. It is accepting others as being part of our personal identity, our spiritual itinerary and our national life," the religious leaders said at their Oct. 27 meeting. They called for prayers for reconciliation, brotherhood and spiritual solidarity and condemned all violence that threatens unity and peace, particularly in Lebanon. "We aim that our national life be the sincere expression of this commitment carried out in conformity with our social culture and patriotic message based on unity and peace," they said. "For unity does not mean melting or fusing, nor does it aim at eliminating specificity of persons or communities; it is not the victory of an opinion or group and the defeat of the other or its marginalization," the statement said.

Vatican official warns ecological damage has biggest impact on poor
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- A Vatican official warned that ecological damage has the greatest impact on the world's poor, who are caught in a "vicious circle of poverty and environmental degradation." Addressing the United Nations Oct. 29, Archbishop Celestino Migliore emphasized what he called the "moral imperative" to protect the environment even while promoting economic growth. The duty to protect the environment "must not be sacrificed on the altar of economic development," said the archbishop, the Vatican's U.N. representative. "My delegation believes that, at its core, the environmental crisis is a moral challenge. It calls us to examine how we use and share the goods of the earth and what we pass on to future generations," Archbishop Migliore said. A copy of his text was released at the Vatican. The issue of ecology should not be seen in isolation from other social and justice questions, such as poverty, he said. "We must consider how, in most countries today, it is the poor and the powerless who most directly bear the brunt of environmental degradation," he said.

Atlanta archbishop to undergo prostate cancer surgery Nov. 5
ATLANTA (CNS) --- Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory was scheduled to have surgery for prostate cancer Nov. 5 at Emory University Hospital. Writing in his weekly column for his archdiocesan newspaper, The Georgia Bulletin, the archbishop said the cancer is at an early stage and was diagnosed after a biopsy he had in September. "I have sought additional medical advice, and I have decided to have this surgery as the best response to my condition," he said. The column, released Oct. 30, was to be published in the Nov. 1 issue. "This means that I will be out of commission for the next several weeks. I must cancel all of my scheduled appointments at least through November and then begin again with a limited calendar in December," he said. He apologized for having to bow out of events he had already been scheduled to attend, but said any planned meetings "can take place without my presence. The church should continue to advance, even in my absence."

Portland parishes, schools will become separate legal entities
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) --- The Archdiocese of Portland has begun work on restructuring itself under civil law. After a consultation process, parishes and archdiocesan high schools will be organized into separate legal entities, though they will clearly still be part of the archdiocesan family. The restructuring is part of the financial reorganization plan church leaders submitted in U.S. bankruptcy court. In April a federal judge approved the plan and a $75 million settlement of clergy sexual abuse claims. In a letter sent to parishioners in September, Archbishop John G. Vlazny said the step aims to organize parishes and schools under civil law in a way that "best mirrors the governance model of church law" and to clarify that assets of parishes are separate from those of the archdiocese. The court-approved plan may include abandonment of the corporation-sole model, a legal entity consisting of a single incorporated office. Many religious groups have used that section of old English law to allow legal powers to pass smoothly from one holder of high office to the next; in the archdiocese's case it was the office of archbishop. But, as Archbishop Vlazny told parishioners, the structure caused confusion that prolonged the bankruptcy and "diminished our financial resources significantly."

During wildfires, parish houses developmentally disabled evacuees
LEMON GROVE, Calif. (CNS) --- Fifty-eight residents of a Catholic care facility for developmentally disabled adults were among the hundreds of thousands of San Diego County residents displaced by the region's wildfires. The residents of Noah Homes in Spring Valley were temporarily moved to the parish hall of St. John of the Cross Parish in the neighboring city of Lemon Grove. Noah Homes houses 65 men and women with developmental disabilities including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Some of the residents are also seeing- and hearing-impaired, and some have Alzheimer's disease. Msgr. Edward Brockhaus, pastor at St. John, said he was glad to offer his parish hall as a temporary shelter. "My philosophy has always been that all the facilities are for the community, not just the parishioners," Msgr. Brockhaus told The Southern Cross, newspaper of the San Diego Diocese. "We're part of the community, and we've got to give back to the community." The evacuees stayed in the parish hall until Oct. 26, when it was safe to return to Noah Homes. Although the care facility had been close to one of the wildfires, it was not damaged.

New Moscow archbishop pledges to improve cooperation with Orthodox
MOSCOW (CNS) --- Russia's new Catholic archbishop has pledged to improve cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church, while rejecting proselytism and helping resolve the country's "pressing problems." "It is notable that the Catholic and Orthodox churches have cooperated in efforts to address the issues of nurturing Christian values on European and global levels," said Italian-born Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow. "This work is in full keeping with the will and intentions expressed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. First of all, I mean a friendly, valid and substantial dialogue with the Orthodox tradition, which is represented here mainly by the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and is deeply rooted in the Russian society," said the archbishop. "We also need to give close attention to the pressing problems of the modern Russian society," he added. In an Oct. 28 interview with Russia's Interfax news agency, marking his installation as head of the Moscow-based Archdiocese of the Mother of God, Archbishop Pezzi said his work would mark "the continuation, not the beginning" of efforts to improve pastoral care for Catholics and make better use of priests and religious.

Pope calls Beethoven's 'Ninth' masterful expression of optimism
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- After listening to a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony," Pope Benedict XVI called the work a masterful expression of optimism in the face of suffering. The pope listened to the performance by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the Vatican Oct. 28. Afterward, he gave a talk that reflected his interest in music and his familiarity with Beethoven's work. Beethoven's "Ninth" is one of the best-known compositions of Western music and was written when the composer was almost completely deaf. Its finale, "Ode to Joy," uses soloists, chorus and orchestra. The pope said he was increasingly amazed at the work, which was Beethoven's last complete symphony, written after years of self-isolation. "Beethoven had to fight internal and external problems that brought him depression and deep bitterness and threatened to suffocate his artistic creativity," the pope said. Then, in 1824, Beethoven surprised the public with "a composition that broke the traditional form of the symphony" and elevated it to an expression of joy and optimism, he said.