ET02386.1443 May 2, 2007 59 EM-lines (631 words) EAST TIMOR    Youths Called To Be 'Agents Of Peace' LAUTEM, East Timor (UCAN) -- East Timorese youths were urged not to be mere "spectators" but to take active parts in national reconciliation and development. About 1,500 young Catholics from both eastern and western parts of the country heard this message at a seminar on Political Ethics for East Timor Youths, part of a nationwide, belated Easter celebration. Baucau diocese arranged the April 21 event, held in the St. Paul and Peter parochial hall in Lautem, about 150 kilometers northeast of Dili. The seminar was held the day before young people carried the World Youth Day Cross in procession around all seven parishes in the capital. The seminar and procession comprised an Easter program to unite young Catholics in all 13 districts of East Timor (Timor Leste). Speaking at the seminar, Father Franz Magnis-Suseno, a lecturer from neighboring Indonesia, told the young people not just to be spectators in their own country, but to take action to build a better life for the nation. The German-born Jesuit priest, a professor at Jesuit-run Driyarkara School of Philosophy in Jakarta, said although the Church does not intervene in the country's national politics, it makes known its positions on ethical issues. Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau had invited Father Magnis-Suseno, an Indonesian citizen, to speak to the East Timorese youth. Stressing the importance of solidarity, social justice and peace, the priest said it is important to defend all groups in the country. He was referring to the rift between "easterners" and "westerners" that exploded into violence in April 2006, following the dismissal of more than a third of the country's army. The dismissed soldiers, westerners, protested alleged discrimination by easterners in the military. The tensions degenerated into clashes, in which at least 20 people were killed and 100,000 displaced. Father Magnis-Suseno urged the young people to forgive each other and end all resentment. "Reconciliation does not mean everyone has to agree on everything," he added. Some young Catholics, including priests at the seminar, commented to UCA News on the timeliness of the message. Father David Alves da Conceicao of Mother Mary Assumption of Same Church of Dili diocese observed that unity is missing today in Timor Leste. The 35-year-old priest said the program will help young people reconcile and work for peace. Father Joao Aparicio, 34, of Baucau diocese, now sees the young people becoming agents for peace and mediators for conflicting groups. Carlito de Jesus, 29, from Viqueque, about 85 kilometers southwest of Lautem, said he too realizes how peace and reconciliation have been missing in his country, and hopes "young Catholics will seriously become agents of peace and justice." For Jo?o Florindo, 31, getting young people together from the country's two diocese -- Baucau and Dili -- is itself of great value, bringing new hope for "peace, justice, reconciliation and respect for the human rights and dignity." Domingas Fernandes de Almeida, 27, from the western part of the country, said he realizes that peace and reconciliation can only be achieved with "prayer, love and patience." The next day after the seminar, the Easter celebration continued with a five-hour "peace procession" from St. Paul Church in Lospalos town to St. John Bosco Parish in Fuiloro town. More than 2,500 young people joined in carrying the cross. A Mass led by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, apostolic nuncio to both Timor Leste and Indonesia, closed the celebration. Timor Leste, where Catholics officially form 96 percent of the population of about 1 million, has faced decades of violence. It was a Portuguese colony for centuries before Lisbon withdrew in 1975, affording a brief taste of freedom. Indonesian troops invaded shortly thereafter, however, and Jakarta annexed East Timor in 1976. Large numbers of people died under a repressive Indonesian occupation. The territory gained its independence in 2002. END Related UCAN Reports EAST TIMOR World Youth Day Cross Receives Emotional Welcome (May 1, 2007) EAST TIMOR Forgiveness, Unity Among Youths Stressed At National Easter Celebration (April 27, 2007) EAST TIMOR Bishop Urges Forgiveness During World Youth Day Mass (April 9, 2007) IB02390.1443 May 2, 2007 60 EM-lines (652 words) INDIA    Police File Criminal Charges Against Asia's Largest Charismatic Center, Some See Conspiracy MURINGOOR, India (UCAN) -- Police have filed criminal charges against 10 top officials of a popular Catholic retreat center in southern India. The accused include two priests and a nun. The charges against the Divine Retreat Center were filed on April 30 at the direction of Kerala state's High Court, which ordered a probe of the center more than a year ago. Billed as Asia's largest Catholic charismatic renewal center, the complex managed by Vincentian priests is located in Muringoor, a village in Trissur (formerly Trichur) district, 2,565 kilometers south of New Delhi. It draws 10,000 people for its weekly retreats, conducted in seven languages. On March 10, 2006, the High Court, reportedly acting on an anonymous letter and two compact discs it received, took up the case suo motu (on its own initiative) and appointed a senior police official, Vincent M. Paul, to head the probe. His team investigated allegations of sexual harassment, mysterious deaths, foreign exchange violations and management of a hospital without a license, said a police official who did not want to be identified. Those now charged in the case are the center's director, Father George Panackal, and administrator, Father Mathew Thadathil, a nun and seven others. The charges come under Indian Penal Code sections dealing with criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing harm with dangerous weapons, poisoning and tampering with evidence, the unnamed official said. According to the probe report, 974 unnatural deaths occurred at the center between 1996 and 2006, and the bodies were disposed of without informing local police. The report further alleged that the center forged documents to make the deaths appear natural. The center began operating three decades ago. It manages several subsidiary units on the site that house and serve poor, sick and destitute people. One such facility is Shantipuram (city of peace), which houses 450 mentally ill patients. The center also runs a de-addiction center for 150 substance abusers, and a home for 100 destitute women. Yet another facility caters to 150 widows and abandoned wives, and 300 children. The report accused the center of running a mental hospital without a license and administering drugs without prescriptions from qualified medical professionals. The charges are "grave and serious," says lawyer Jaya Shanker, who handles cases in the High Court. "The accused may get 10 years" hard labor, he told UCA News. Some offenses are non-bailable and the accused must appear before the investigation officer and the court, he added. Father Panackal, in a public statement, alleged a police vendetta against the center after it challenged the High Court-ordered investigation and filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. "Our move irritated the investigation team," which resulted in the charges, he said. "We will deal with it legally," the priest added in his statement. He asked supporters to pray for the center. Thomas Devaprasad, a journalist-turned-charismatic leader, said he was "anguished" by the "most unfortunate" turn of events. The center is caught in "controversy and conspiracy," he added. Without elaborating, he said "time will reveal the conspiracy and expose the guilty." Father Paul Thelakat, spokesperson for the Syro-Malabar Church, one of two Oriental Catholic Churches based in Kerala, told UCA News the Church has "faith in the judicial system and will wait for the law to take its course." The Vincentian congregation that manages the center belongs to the Syro-Malabar Church, one of two Oriental Catholic Churches based in Kerala. They and the Latin-rite Church make up the Indian Catholic Church. The police have only leveled charges against the center's officials, Father Thelakat noted, and the legal process now requires they prove the charges. He added that no one can be judged guilty before the process is completed. Nonetheless, the Church is "sad ... as one of our prime institutions is under attack," the priest-spokesperson said. "It was a center of hope for thousands of poor people who were shunted aside by society." END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Retreat Center Asks Kerala State To Stop Police Harassment (October 11, 2006) INDIA Police, Health Officials Search Asia's Largest Catholic Retreat Center (October 2, 2006) INDIA Catholic Retreat Center Unfazed Amid Suicide And Controversies (June 23, 2006) INDIA People Rally Around Catholic Retreat Center As Hindu Radicals Press For Its Closure (April 19, 2006) INDIA Court Orders Probe Of Largest Catholic Retreat Center (March 13, 2006) ID02388.1443 May 2, 2007 49 EM-lines (513 words) INDIA    Abolish Contract Labor, Goa Prelate Asks In May Day Call PANAJI, India (UCAN) -- The archbishop of Goa has appealed to political parties and Catholics to help end contract labor in the western Indian state. In his May Day message, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa and Daman pointed to burgeoning globalization as causing an increase in contract labor in Goa. With voters in the state scheduled to elect its 40 legislative assembly members on June 2, the prelate urged workers to demand that candidates make a commitment to help end contract labor. Hotels, beach shacks, factories, industrial estates and other businesses in this tourist state now increasingly employ people on contract rather than on a full-time basis, which deprives them of security in jobs and wages, the Church leader explained. He also expressed concern about child laborers in India. "Parents disregard the fundamental rights of the child, and employers who look for cheap labor conspire to rob children of their childhood," he wrote. He regretted that laws meant to protect children have become ineffective. Archbishop Ferrao also lamented that women workers are denied due respect in the workplace, despite the existence of several protective institutions. Assaults on their dignity continue, he added. The Church, the prelate said, celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 to show solidarity with workers across the globe. He cited Jesus' earthly father as a model for workers' rights and duties. Archbishop Ferrao wants the Church to set an example by providing its employees with "humane conditions of work" and opportunities for promotion. He urged "our priests, Religious, parish councils and other Church organizations" to pay "particular attention" to their employees while drawing up yearly plans. The archbishop also called on parishes to hold talks and discussions on labor issues. The Navhind Times, a prominent state newspaper, commended the archbishop's message as "quite significant" in the context of globalization creating large numbers of unorganized workers. The newspaper's April 30 editorial described the prelate as concerned about educated youth not getting suitable jobs, and angry with people for denying children their childhood. It expressed hope that the Church's "proactive role" would lead to strategic "macro level" changes that combat poverty. According to Father Maverick Fernandes, director of the archdiocesan Council for Social Justice and Peace, the Church educates unorganized workers on their rights through regular seminars. It also conducts sessions on personality development, relationships, harassment and job standards for outsiders working in Goa as domestic help, and celebrates regular Friday Masses for them in their native languages. Father Fernandes told UCA News his office also organizes regular sessions to educate workers on how to face issues as a group. Trade union leader Suhas Naik estimates that about 80 percent of workers in Goa are on contract. Speaking to UCA News, he identified transnational firms as the main culprits in worker exploitation. Pharmaceutical firms share a secret understanding, Naik alleged. They hire people on contract to work at one industrial unit, then shift them to other, similar units. By not regularizing the job, he explained, they avoid having to pay for provident funds and other benefits. END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Bishops' May Day Message Asks Catholics To Study Labor Policies, Suggest Changes (April 20, 2001) INDIA Bishops' Labor Commission May Day Message Voices Concern For Migrants (April 29, 1996) INDIA Indian Bishops' May Day Message Focuses Concern On Labor (April 23, 1990) IE02381.1443 May 2, 2007 65 EM-lines (657 words) INDIA    Church Groups Elated As Government Cancels Plan To Take Over Church Land GUWAHATI, India (UCAN) -- Local Church groups breathed a sigh of relief after the northeastern Indian state of Assam scrapped plans for a parking lot on a 162-year-old Baptist property. Christian denominations in the region rallied together in early March, when the state government served the Baptists with an order for the takeover of their 2.6-hectare complex. The government canceled the order on April 23. "We are all much relieved," Reverend J.M. Ngul Khan Pau, general secretary of the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI), told UCA News two days later. Catholic Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati not only welcomed the cancellation but described the joint Church action that prompted it as "a beautiful example of ecumenical effort." "We must continue this collaboration," the Salesian prelate told UCA News on April 30. He said the Christian groups convinced the government that it has "no right to take a Church property at their whim." American Baptist missioners established the targeted complex in 1845. Lying on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, the sylvan land is now a major landmark in Guwahati, the state's commercial capital, 1,960 kilometers east of New Delhi. The controversial seizure order cited an "acute shortage of parking places" in the city of 1.6 million people due to the increase in motor vehicles. In light of this, the authorities identified "some vacant locations" for parking facilities including a multi-storied car park. "You are, therefore, requested to arrange the handing over of the land to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority so that multi-storied car parking can be constructed at the earliest," the order directed. Church people say their "vacant" area has more than 20 Church buildings and serves as CBCNEI headquarters. With approximately 2 million members, the council represents the largest Baptist group in South Asia. The church in the complex serves many regional ethnic groups. Assamese, Garo, Hmar, Karbi, Kuki, and Naga Christians regularly worship there, or in the auditorium of nearby Lewis Memorial Hostel. Church records show the American Baptist missioners published the first journal in the Assamese language in 1855 from the mission. "We consider this sacred ground," Archbishop Menamparampil asserted. Given its "historical, religious and cultural significance," he said, the government showed "total insensitivity" to Christians. "We took a very strong stand." The compound also houses a Christian literature center, one of the region's oldest bookshops, a conference center, guesthouse, boys' hostel, canteen, shops and Christian NGOs' offices. Snehalaya (abode of love), a shelter that Salesian priests manage for street children, is located there too. After receiving the government notification on March 6, Baptist leaders mobilized other Christian leaders, and on March 14 they met and submitted a memorandum to state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, asking him to revoke the order. Reverend Pau said Gogoi's "ambiguous" and "non-committal" response increased Church leaders' fears that the government was determined to evict the Baptists and claim prime real estate worth millions of rupees. Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians and members of the Church of North India and other Christian denominations united. They raised the issue in different forums, including the federal parliament. Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, which now heads the federal government, asked the Assam government to find an alternate site. Members of parliament noted that the CBCNEI manages and links more than 5,800 churches, 500 educational institutions and 125 hospitals in the region. They also pointed out that Indian law stipulates that buildings more than 50 years old should be regarded as national heritage. The new government order canceling the takeover says the Baptist land is not required for the parking space. The official who signed both orders, S. Thadou, is a Baptist. "I can't show my face in the Church compound after this," the secretary to the Assam government's Revenue and Disaster Management Department told UCA News. Christians are not seen as politically significant in Assam, where they comprise 6 percent of 26.6 million people. END Related UCAN Reports INDIA UCAN Commentary - Churches Wrongly Blamed For Unrest In Northeast (March 8, 2004) INDIA Church Accused Of Backing Militancy, Leaders Deny Allegations (April 28, 2000) INDIA UCAN Feature - Church Helps Conserve Environment In India's Northeast Region (May 31, 1999) IJ02380.1443 May 2, 2007 56 EM-lines (602 words) INDONESIA    Church Workers Join 'Live-in' Program On Organic Farming PURWOREJO, Indonesia (UCAN) -- Nine nuns, two priests and a seminarian joined organic farmers and spent the night in some of their houses for a program on improving the farmers' welfare. Paguyuban Terobosan Baru (PTB, new breakthrough society), a group of Purwokerto diocese nuns and priests working for the poor, organized the April 20-21 program in Ringgit village of Ngombol, Purworejo district, 390 kilometers southeast of Jakarta. Nine organic farmers from outside the village also took part. The program began with sharing by members of the Dewi Sri Organic Farmers group in Ringgit. Daughters of Mary and Joseph Sister Alfonsa Triatmi has advised the group since 1998. After the day's discussions, the Church workers and farmers from outside Ringgit stayed overnight in villagers' homes. On the second day, participants discussed ways to improve organic farmers' income and welfare. The animated film Pipo and Embro, about two men trying to find an easier way to bring water to their village from a nearby mountain, was used to stimulate the discussion, held at the Ringgit mission station hall. Father Ignatius Dwidjokosuswanto, who promotes organic farming in Palembang diocese on Sumatra Island, west of Java, took part in the event along with Sister Triatmi and Father Blasius Slamet Lasmunadi, a PTB coordinator. Yohanes Martono, 58, an organic farmer from Brondong Rejo, a mission station of St. Stephanus Church in Purwosari, told UCA News the program strengthened him as an organic farmer. Having used organic methods for 10 years, he said he saves money "because I no longer buy seeds in the market, but put aside some of the good rice grains I harvest as seeds for the future." Dominicus Sutirkam, 33, an organic farmer since 2004, also found encouragement in the program. "After joining the live-in program, I promised to continue organic farming. If I stop, I will be more backward than the others, because the government also has launched a program called Go Organic 2010," the St. Philipus parishioner from Kapencar, Wonosobo, told UCA News. Go Organic 2010 is a 10-year government program aimed at making Indonesia one of the world's top exporters of organic produce by 2010. Organic farming in Ringgit is going well, according to Charity of the Precious Blood Sister Chrislinda Rusiana. Even pensioners retired from civil service help support their family by growing and selling organic produce, she told UCA News. The 47-year-old nun has been an organic farmer since 2004. Sister Margareta Marganing, 49, assisted Sister Triatmi, her congregation mate, during the program. She told UCA News that some participants were Muslims including Slamet Supriadi, the 42-year-old head of Dewi Sri. "I appreciate him. He understands Go Organic 2010, realizes the program's worth and has a dream to be self-reliant in marketing his products," she said. The other nuns came from the Mother of the Sacred Heart and Notre Dame congregations. Concerns about marketing organic farm products came up during discussions. Supriadi shared that his group is facing difficulties in finding organic fertilizer and pesticides, as well as in product marketing. "I knew nothing about marketing," he told fellow participants. "I give thanks to Sister Alfonsa Triatmi. She helped us understand some strategies." Father Dwidjokosuswanto suggested farmers "set up credit unions as business institutions for both financing and marketing their products." Martono and Sutirkam, who come from other villages, agreed that credit unions would help. "We organic farmers in Purwosari parish are starting a credit union," Martono added. He reported that he can sell 200 kilograms of organic rice each month in Purworejo. According to Sutirkam, a credit union "could become a bridge between organic farmers and the market." END Related UCAN Reports INDONESIA Religious Leaders Explore Role Of Religion In Promoting Organic Farming (March 21, 2007) INDONESIA Sustainable Farming Program Produces Hundreds Of Graduates (April 18, 2006) INDONESIA Priest Suggests Early Education In Agriculture To Spur Environmental Awareness (November 26, 2004) INDONESIA Priest Urges Farmers To Improve Their Own Lot (October 25, 2004) INDONESIA UCAN Feature - Organic Farming Furthers Interreligious Dialogue (November 18, 2003) INDONESIA Farmers And Consumers Of Organic Food Called To Support Rural Autonomy (April 3, 2002) INDONESIA Catholic-Run Farmer-Fisher Body Sets Up Market For Organic Products (April 11, 2000) INDONESIA Organic Farmers Pledge To Continue Eco-Friendly Farming (November 3, 1999) INDONESIA Catholic Farmers Look To Organic Fertilizer To restore Fertility (June 27, 1994) KO02352.1443 May 2, 2007 60 EM-lines (658 words) KOREA    Program Helps Missioners Returning Home Adapt To New Situations SEOUL (UCAN) -- Korean missioners who return from service abroad say they often face misunderstanding as they readjust to realities at home. "Returning to Korea after 10 years, people remember me as I was before, so they don't know or understand my present reality," Sister Cypriana Lyu Seon-ja said on April 20 during a new "re-entry" program for missioners. She belongs to the Caritas Sisters of Miyazaki, whose community in Korea has sent members to work in foreign missions for the past 20 years. Sister Lyu, who served in Papua New Guinea, described how congregation members here are unable to fathom problems she and senior missioners have had to deal with while serving abroad. Problems range from the weather and language difficulties to tensions between local novices and Korean formators. Moreover, missioners' experiences in situations far from everyday reality in South Korea have left them with changed outlooks on life that members at home sometimes cannot appreciate, Sister Lyu added. To address those issues, the Korean Catholic Foreign Missionary Education Association organized the re-entry program held April 16-20 in Seoul. Seven nuns from several congregations and five Columban lay missioners attended. The returning missioners were divided into three groups: a group of five missioners who will stay in South Korea, a group of three planning to continue foreign mission work and a group of four who had not yet decided what they would do. "This kind of program should have been prepared for overseas missioners much earlier. It could have healed wounds sooner," Sister Lyu said during the closing Mass. Catherine Son Seon-young, a Columban lay missioner who worked in the Philippines for six years, said she has decided to go back again. "This program encouraged me very much," she told UCA News. The program, the first of its kind for nuns, was run in conjunction with the Columban society, which has a similar program for its lay missioners. Participants had from three to 21 years of mission service in France, Italy, Japan, Mauritius, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines and Singapore. Sister Balbina Lee Jong-hee returned to South Korea in September after six years in Singapore. She told UCA News her Franciscan Missionaries of Mary congregation allows each returning missioner a few months for personal reflection but has no formal program. The April program focused on group sharing with an emphasis on feelings, plans and ways to adapt to a South Korea different from the one they had left. Other program activities included talks, daily Mass and art therapy. Speakers highlighted shifting social trends that missioners may find difficult to cope with or understand after being away for several years. Isidorus Han Sang-bong, a presenter, told UCA News on April 25 that Korean society in the past decade has changed dramatically, especially in the areas of family relations and the waning influence of religion. Han, a researcher at Woori Theology Institute, said South Korean families used to be father-centered, but now tend to be mother-centered. Children attach more importance to their mothers, who now have a greater say in the family decision-making process. Meanwhile, the increasing number of divorces has given rise to single-parent families. "The old idea of family is no longer valid," Han continued, "and individualism has made its impact on family members, who stay together in a house but live separately." Columban Father Daniel O'Keeffe, head of the missionary education association, said in his homily during the closing Mass that mission is a witness to God and a way of life, regardless of whether the missioners are in South Korea or overseas. "We spent five days together to learn how to adapt to our new environment, but it is really a long-term process, he said "This program just opens the gate." The association was founded in 1998 as a federation of 11 men's and women's Religious institutes. Since 1999, it has held an annual month-long course to help Catholics prepare for mission work abroad. END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code KO02352.1443 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports KOREA New Map Lets Catholics 'See' Their Missioners Around The World (January 13, 2006) KOREA Prospective Missioners Complete Training, Ready To Go Abroad (February 11, 2005) KOREA Local Church Personnel Serve Koreans Around The World (April 27, 2004) KO02382.1443 May 2, 2007 62 EM-lines (648 words) KOREA    Vocation Fair Helps Catholic Children Put Religious Life And Fun Together SEOUL (UCAN) -- Twelve-year-old Angela Cho Hee-jeong found the songs and antics of Religious entertaining, but Mark Lee Won-gi, her senior by four years, was inspired enough by them to want to become a priest. Both were attending the Religious vocation fair at the Jesuit-run Sogang University in Seoul April 29, the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Cho told UCA News that she was "much entertained by Religious Sisters and Brothers" who sang songs, painted children's faces and offered them the opportunity to try out Religious habits. "It was like an excursion, a break from school," said the sixth-grader, whose Mangu-dong Church parish in Seoul organized her trip for teenagers. For Lee, a young parishioner from Yukkok Church in Incheon diocese, the experience was different, as he was attracted to the different work and lifestyles of various Religious. "I got to learn that Religious priests work for overseas missions that seem very hard," he told UCA News. That inspired him greatly, he added, and he is determined to become a diocesan priest in the future. The Korean Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life organized the event called "Festival of Galilee." About 1,000 young Catholics, including catechists and priests, attended the fair. Most participants were students from schools in Seoul archdiocese parishes, but some came from neighboring Incheon, Suwon and Uijeongbu dioceses. Twenty-five Religious congregations, including six women's congregations, set up stalls to present their missions, apostolates and charisms, while supplying vocation-promoting literature. At each stall, Religious explained their history and activities in Korea and overseas. In the university's gymnasium, participants tried out men's and women's Religious habits. Francesca Kim Joon-young from Songnam-dong Church in Incheon told UCA News that "it was a little strange" to see men Religious wearing habits similar to those of nuns, referring to the long, flowing robes of Dominican and Franciscan priests. In spite of the habits, she got to be very friendly with them, Kim added. Religious Sisters and Brothers also performed dances and songs to entertain participants. The annual fair, which started in 1997, attracts an average of 1,500 to 2,000 youngsters yearly, Franciscan Father Luke Lee Byung-woo said. The member of the Order of Friars Minor told UCA News that the fair focused primarily on informing young Catholics about Religious life because "many local Catholics do not know much about Religious life or even about the existence of Religious congregations." Father Borromeus Lee Bong-chun of Seoul's Mangu-dong Church, who led some 40 young parishioners to the fair, told UCA News that the "local Church lacks an understanding of Religious, especially men Religious." Therefore his church decided to attend the Religious fair, "rather than the diocesan event held only for young Catholics who want to become diocesan priests," he said. The country's seven diocesan seminaries each held their own vocation fair on the same day, as did dioceses not having their own seminaries. South Korea has 15 dioceses and a military ordinariate. However, some Religious at the vocation fair told UCA News that more would be needed to promote Religious vocations than a one-day event. Father John Lee Chae-uk, vocation director of the Society of Jesus, said, "it is better that each Religious congregation makes its own effort to increase vocations because each congregation has a different charism." Nevertheless, Irish Father Edward Dowley, superior of the local Capuchin community, said this kind of fair "is surely a great opportunity to talk with children, the hope of the Church, about Religious life." According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea there was a slight annual increase in the number of men and women Religious in South Korea from 2000 to 2005. Men Religious increased from 1,249 in 2000 to 1,407 in 2005 while women Religious increased from 8,752 to 9,676. As of 2005, there were 46 men and 103 women Religious institutes, it added. END Related UCAN Reports KOREA Newly Arriving Religious Congregations Find Few Koreans Willing To Join (December 15, 2005) ASIA Problems Of Priestly Vocations In Asia Discussed At Conference For Seoul Seminary Jubilee (May 30, 2005) KOREA Religious See Declining Vocations As Call To Sharpen Identity (May 21, 2004) PM02387.1443 May 2, 2007 66 EM-lines (670 words) PHILIPPINES    Southern Church Leader Exhorts Filipino Voters To Hope And Act For Clean, Peaceful Polls DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- As the May 14 national election nears, Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao has called on Filipinos to remain optimistic about the country's electoral process. The prelate, based in Davao City, 965 kilometers southeast of Manila, issued his appeal on April 27 in a "friendly letter." He encouraged the public to "intensify positive thought-energies" aimed at achieving a clean election. "Whoever and wherever you are, you can make the present election campaign period and the election itself and beyond very clean," Archbishop Capalla wrote. He stressed that having "positive thoughts" would help change the atmosphere of the election period, which has been marred with "violence", "name-calling," and "vote-buying and -selling." The death toll from pre-election violence stands at 31, according to an April 30 press statement from the office of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. That figure includes the killing of a mayor during a fiesta on April 28 in the northern province of Pangasinan. On April 30, Arroyo also ordered the military to stop election violence "once and for all" by helping the police ensure peaceful and orderly elections, under the supervision of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Archbishop Capalla urged Filipinos: "Begin to ask yourselves what's happening, why it's happening, what can you do together." He suggested that people "intensify positive thought-energies" by focusing on "love, respect, justice, honesty, truthfulness and other moral values." The prelate's statement came amid voters' apprehension over electioneering by Church leaders and massive cheating among political candidates. Candle vendor Genoviva Soliano, 71, told UCA News she worries the polls might be "tainted" with fraud, but prefers that Church leaders stick to conducting voter education and leading prayers. The Catholic Church should address people's "spiritual needs" during the election period, since there is "no other way" for it to counter the various forms of electoral fraud other than to "pray," she said. Echoing Soliano's view was 65-year-old Alfredo Selga, a Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) member in Aplaya, a village in Davao City. He too said Church leaders should "leave politics to politicians" and "not dip their fingers into this dirty game." In the 1998 presidential election, cases of voter-list fraud included the registration of voters under names of dead people and the inclusion of thousands of non-existent voters, according to the Church-based National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections. In 2004, Arroyo was accused of vote-rigging as the incumbent candidate for president. Another Davao voter, Pedro Castor, told UCA News the Church should "stay neutral so that it will not destroy its name." The 52-year-old widower stressed that Church leaders should "stay away" from "corrupt and traditional politicians." University student Marvin Limbago, 22, fears Davao priests might be "vulnerable" to political candidates who donate bags of cement, construction materials or other things to the Church during the campaign period. However, Auxiliary Bishop George Rimando of Davao reassured that Church involvement is limited to seminars and other ways of educating voters on responsible voting, which he said would "empower" them. The bishop told UCA News the archdiocese has been holding public discussions on responsible voting organized by designated parish leaders, who in turn tap BEC leaders to lead the talks. According to Sister Rosita Duhaylungsod, Davao's 32 parishes are expected to implement voter-education programs and priests are to report on this. The Teresian Daughters of Mary nun is administrative officer of the archdiocese's Social Action Center. On April 26, a day before Archbishop Capalla's statement, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo of Jaro appealed to BECs and parishes nationwide for their "humble and trusting prayers" to "safeguard the sanctity of the ballot and of the entire electoral processes." Archbishop Lagdameo is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. About 43.5 million registered voters across the country are eligible to cast votes on May 14 for 12 seats in the Senate and 212 in the House of Representatives, according to COMELEC. Provincial governors and vice governors, provincial board members, town and city mayors, and vice mayors and local council members also will be elected. END Related UCAN Reports PHILIPPINES Parishes Set Special Mass Collections For Church Voters' Movement (March 23, 2007) PHILIPPINES Bishops Firm On Endorsing Values, Not Candidates (March 16, 2007) PHILIPPINES Poll Watchdog Launches New Manual For Election Monitors (February 23, 2007) PHILIPPINES Manila Archbishop Asks Filipinos To Pray As 2004 Elections Near (December 31, 2003) PHILIPPINES Parish Movement Educates Voters For 2004 Philippine Vote (November 5, 2003) PHILIPPINES Church Involvement In Election In Full Swing As May 8 Nears (May 3, 1995) VT02368.1443 May 2, 2007 62 EM-lines (673 words) VIETNAM    Newly Baptized Attribute Conversion To Catholic Witness HUE, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Newly baptized Catholics in central Vietnam say witness by other Catholics helped them embrace their new religion. Six years ago when Agnes Nguyen Thi Thuong left her home in Nghe An province to study in Hue, she did not imagine herself becoming a Catholic. The sixth-year medical student told UCA News that a simple thing, like having meals at a small restaurant near her hostel, led her to become a Catholic. The hospitality and service the Catholic restaurant owner provided clients edified her, Thuong said. "I visited her house and learned catechism from her. I chose her as my godparent when I received Baptism and Confirmation on April 7," she related. Thuong, 25, was baptized that evening, along with 18 others at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Hue, 660 kilometers south of Ha Noi. After completing the parish's Bible and catechism course, they were baptized by Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The of Hue. "My parents are happy I am a Catholic" even though they are not, she said, adding that her parents are heartened by their Catholic neighbors, who live in harmony and protect and help each another in times of distress. Thuong was among 32 people who were baptized during Easter Vigil Masses in different churches in Hue. The next day, the new Catholics were among 3,000 attending the Easter Sunday Mass at Phu Cam Cathedral led by Archbishop The, with his auxiliary Bishop Francis Xavier Le Van Hong and 30 priests as concelebrants. After the Mass at the cathedral, some people told UCA News about their faith journeys and motivations. "I am quite right in my decision to convert to Catholicism despite opposition from my family and friends," said Michael Nguyen Cong Chinh. Chinh, 27, a communist party member who works for the local city administration, said colleagues advised him against becoming a Catholic. All government staff are communist party members and are discouraged from embracing organized religions. Moreover, his parents did not want him to become Catholic because they mistakenly thought Catholics did not venerate their ancestors, but have changed their mind since, he said. Vietnamese culture requires the eldest son to venerate ancestors. Chinh said he inquired about the Catholic faith for several years and studied catechism for six months at St. Francis Church prior to his baptism. He said he will marry his Catholic girlfriend in the Church this coming August. "I am proud that I have become a child of God," he said, pointing out that his experience with Catholics shows they do not envy others but live in harmony. Anna Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, 32, who also works for the city administration, told UCA News that becoming a Catholic may cost her job. "I foresee that I may lose my job because of my conversion but God blesses and saves me," she said. Phuong recounted that although she married a Catholic on April 21, she has been interested in Catholicism since she was 20, as her Catholic neighbors led a peaceful and honest life. She also appreciated the Church marriage-preparation course she attended, which educated her about natural family-planning methods and ways to raise her children, she said. Isave Tran Thi Ni Na, 22, who was baptized along with Thuong at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, said her parents, who are not Catholics, encouraged her to become a Catholic. Her father, Tran Can, told UCA News that local Catholic couples are faithful and men do not have second wives. The 54-year-old father said he will encourage his daughter to marry a Catholic. During the Easter Sunday Mass, Archbishop The told the newly baptized Catholics that following Jesus Christ means "you will face many difficulties, challenges and sufferings that our Lord experienced," but that despite such trials Jesus rose again from the dead. "May the Easter light go with all of you so that you are faithful to the Lord in your life," he prayed. During the Easter Vigil last year, 33 people were baptized in four churches in Hue. END Related UCAN Reports VIETNAM Easter Masses In Remote North Raise Hopes For Renewal Of Church Life (April 27, 2006) TAJIKISTAN Catholic Community Welcomes New Members At Easter Vigil (April 20, 2006) CAMBODIA Catechumens Prepare For Easter Baptism (February 16, 2005)