Archbishop suppresses 18 New Orleans parishes; more closings to come
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) --- Confirming decisions he had announced in April in a post-Katrina realignment plan for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes signed letters July 3 closing 18 parishes and either merging them with others or changing their status to mission churches. Those closings will take effect in the near future upon the reassignment of pastors, said Father Michael Jacques, chairman of the archdiocesan pastoral plan steering committee. The closing parishes will have the opportunity to celebrate a final Mass or prayer service sometime in August. Archbishop Hughes signed the letters of suppression following a facilitation process in which parishioners were invited to town hall meetings to express their feelings and concerns about the closures and mergers. Each parish selected a leadership team that made recommendations to Archbishop Hughes. The decisions, announced at parishes July 11-12, involve 11 clusters of parishes. Archbishop Hughes also said four pairs of parishes would each share a pastor. "We expect the archbishop will be able to make the assignment of these priests in the affected parishes by the end of July," Father Jacques said. "Then a date for the final Mass or prayer service at each church will be given." Archbishop Hughes said in announcing the pastoral plan April 9 that his decisions were necessitated by post-Katrina realities such as the diminishing number of diocesan priests, population shifts and financial strains.
Former Colombian hostage makes pilgrimage to Lourdes sanctuaries
LOURDES, France (CNS) --- Accompanied by her mother, sister and children, former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt made a pilgrimage to the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Lourdes less than two weeks after she was freed from years in captivity. French TV showed the 46-year-old walking July 12 to the Marian grotto at the shrine in the French Pyrenees. Surrounded by police and pilgrims, she was greeted by Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes. The Catholic politician prayed before a crowd of thousands in thanksgiving for her life and freedom. Betancourt was abducted in 2002 by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, while she was running for president. On July 2, the Colombian army staged a bloodless military operation and liberated Betancourt and 14 others. "Take care of those who are left behind me," Betancourt said, referring to the estimated 700 hostages still held in Colombia. "They need your strength, your hope and your life." Speaking earlier to journalists in Paris, the politician said she had "tried to maintain dignity" by meditating and praying, despite being bound and beaten by her captors. She added that she hoped to travel to Rome in August to meet Pope Benedict XVI, who had made several appeals for her release. "I know I talk with God and God replies --- people prefer to speak about the force of circumstances, rather than miracles, but I think miracles happen to everyone all the time," said the ex-hostage, who also holds French citizenship.
In interview, Lennon called himself 'one of Christ's biggest fans'
LONDON (CNS) --- British radio has broadcast an interview with John Lennon in which the late singer-composer claimed the Beatles were a Christian band that wanted to bring people closer to God. In the interview, aired for the first time in the U.K., Lennon described himself as "one of Christ's biggest fans." He claimed he was misunderstood when he said in 1966 that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," and he expressed disappointment that he could not marry his second wife, Yoko Ono, in a church. The interview was conducted in Montreal by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in 1969 when Lennon, who was raised an Anglican, was at a peace protest. Three years ago, National Museums Liverpool bought the interview, which was broadcast on British Broadcasting Corp. Radio Four's Sunday program July 13. The Liverpool-born musician was asked to clarify infamous remarks to the London Evening Standard newspaper in which he said that Christianity will "vanish and shrink" and might not outlast rock and roll. Lennon said: "It's just an expression meaning the Beatles seem to me to have more influence over youth than Christ. Now I wasn't saying that was a good idea because I'm one of Christ's biggest fans," he said. "And if I can turn the focus of the Beatles on to Christ's message, then that's what we're here to do." |