CH02492.1445 May 18, 2007 64 EM-lines (693 words) CHINA    Catholics Bid Farewell To First 'Self-Elect, Self-Ordain' Bishop HONG KONG (UCAN) -- About 1,000 Catholics attended the funeral of Bishop Bernardine Dong Guangqing of Wuhan (formerly Hankou diocese), one of China's first two "self-elect and self-ordain" bishops. Bishop John Huo Cheng of Fenyang, from northern China's Shanxi province, presided at requiem Masses at the Hankou cathedral on May 17 and at the Wuchang Funeral Home on May 18. Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, is 1,060 kilometers south of Beijing. The Yangtze and a tributary meet in Wuhan and cut the city into three parts -- Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang. Three dioceses based in these "three towns of Wuhan," one named after each, were amalgamated to form Wuhan diocese in the government-approved "open" Church in 2000. Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin of Kunming, Auxiliary Bishop Paul He Zeqing of Wanzhou (Wanxian) and dozens of priests from Wuhan and other dioceses concelebrated at the Masses. Seminarians of the Central and Southern Theological and Philosophical Seminary in Wuchang attended to pay tribute. After the funeral liturgy on May 18, Bishop Dong's body was cremated at noon. The ashes were buried at Baiquan Catholic cemetery, in a Wuhan suburb. Bishop Dong died of lung cancer and complications on May 12. He was 90. Born on April 1, 1917, Bishop Dong entered the Franciscan order in 1934. He suspended his seminary studies temporarily in 1938 due to lung disease, and was told he would live for only another three months. "Then I lived 'many more three months' thereafter," Bishop Dong told UCA News in 1998 in Wuhan. After he was ordained a priest in 1942, he preached in various parishes. He taught in a Catholic high school 1946-1953 and was then assigned to the cathedral. On April 13, 1958, he and Father Yuan Wenhua became the first two "self-elect and self-ordain" bishops, of Hankou and Wuchang, respectively. Before the ordination, several telegrams were sent to the Vatican asking for approval. But the Holy See replied by citing canon law, which says that any bishop ordained without papal mandate, or who ordains such a bishop, incurs automatic excommunication, "reserved to the Apostolic See." Later, in 1984, Pope John Paul II recognized Bishop Dong as the bishop of Hankou. On April 30, 2006, Bishop Dong presided at the episcopal ordination of Bishop Ma in Kunming, which was held without papal approval. Bishop He was among the eight other prelates who assisted Bishop Dong in the "illicit" ordination. Anthony Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, told UCA News on May 14 that Bishop Dong had promoted the development of the China Church. He mentioned in particular that the seminary the bishop established in Wuchang trained young clerics for Hubei and five other provinces in central and southern China. Bishop Dong became a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top advisory body, in 1988. In recent years, however, he seldom attended meetings because of his ill health, sources told UCA News. The State Administration for Religious Affairs announced the bishop's death on its website. The May 13 notice describes him as an outstanding representative who loved the country and the Church, and also "a close friend of the Communist Party of China." Anthony Lam Sui-ki, senior researcher of Hong Kong diocese's Holy Spirit Study Centre, told UCA News on May 14 that Bishop Dong's death marked the end of an era when certain bishops were forced by the political environment to accept "self-election and self-ordination." Lam added that the late bishop was a witness to the China Church's contemporary history. Even though he cooperated with the government, he still faced political persecution during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), Lam pointed out. In 1998 Bishop Dong told UCA News that during the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to work in reform-through-labor farms for more than 10 years. The death of Bishop Dong came three weeks after Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan of Beijing, the first "self-elect and self-ordain" bishop after the Cultural Revolution ended. Bishop Fu died of lung cancer on April 20. Among the 51 "self-elect and self-ordain" bishops ordained between 1958 and 1963, only Bishops Thomas Qian Yurong and Anthony Tu Shihua are still alive. END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code CH02492.1445 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports CHINA Bishop Dong, First 'Self-Elect, Self-Ordain' Mainland Bishop, Dies Of Lung Cancer (May 14, 2007) CHINA Nine Bishops Take Part In Episcopal Ordination Lacking Papal Mandate (May 1, 2006) CHINA Underground Bishop In Hubei Dies (October 14, 2005) IB02496.1445 May 18, 2007 34 EM-lines (361 words) INDIA    Church Leaders Condemn Mosque Explosion In Southern India HYDERABAD, India (UCAN) -- Church people have condemned a bomb explosion that killed at least five people and wounded 25 more at a mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad. The bomb exploded at the end of Friday prayers on May 18 in Mecca Masjid (mosque), the oldest mosque in the Andhra Pradesh state capital, 1,500 kilometers south of New Delhi. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India expressed its "strong disapproval of the bomb blast," said conference spokesperson Father Babu Joseph. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people gather for weekly Friday prayers at the mosque, nestled in the old city area. Billed as the largest mosque in southern India, it can accommodate up to 10,000 people at one time for prayers. The bomb was placed near where people do their absolutions before prayers. Reports say the casualty toll would have been greater if it had exploded during prayers. Police reportedly defused two live bombs near the mosque and cordoned off the area. They have yet to confirm the nature of the explosives used or the motives of the culprits. Media reports and commentators say those who masterminded the explosion may have hoped to create sectarian violence in the communally sensitive city, which is also a leading information technology center in the country. Police officials told media "the situation is under control." They closed area shops and blocked all surrounding roads to prevent mass gatherings there. Father Joseph told UCA News, "Violence is no answer to any social problem, and the attempt of some misguided elements to vitiate the social atmosphere should not be allowed to take root." The bishops, he said, "appeal to all concerned to exercise restraint and maintain peace and harmony." Father Anthoniraj Thumma, general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches, said explosions and killings are "against the tenets of every religion and we condemn it." Such inhuman acts "bring a bad name to our nation, which is known for its religiosity," said the leader of the ecumenical Christian forum. James Sylvester, general secretary of the Hyderabad Catholic Association, told UCA News, "It is our duty to see that there is no panic among our Muslim brethren." END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Christians In Southern State See Communal Angle In Killings Of Preachers (June 7, 2005) INDIA State Governments Repair Churches Damaged In Bomb Blasts (November 23, 2000) INDIA Minister's Comments On Bomb Blast At Protestant Meeting Upset Pastors (May 29, 2000) ID02489.1445 May 18, 2007 53 EM-lines (597 words) INDIA    Church Leaders Want New Laws To Help Curb Attacks Against Christians MUMBAI, India (UCAN) -- A Christian delegation has urged a western Indian state government to enact new laws to check violence against Christians. The Catholic and Protestant leaders who formed the delegation met Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of Maharashtra state, on May 14, and handed him a memorandum in which they asked for legislation to make bail more difficult but speed up trials for people who are arrested. After Auxiliary Bishop Agnelo R. Gracias of Bombay attended the meeting, he told UCA News the delegation explained to Deshmukh that existing laws have failed to deter people from attacking Christians. John Dayal, a Catholic lay leader also in the delegation, told UCA News the group pressed for a "special law" to assure security of life and freedom of faith for Christians. The meeting was arranged after suspected Hindu fanatics attacked two Christian pastors on May 7. The attackers even arranged to film the attack for nationwide telecast, and the footage shows them kicking, punching and beating the pastors, Ramesh Kopargol and Ajit Belavi. Both pastors, natives of neighboring Karnataka state, later were dragged to the police station, where police charged them with "unlawful religious conversions." "The pre-meditated brutal attack," Bishop Gracias said, has shaken up Christians. "This madness ... with television cameramen in tow to record the incident and beam it across India," he asserted, was intended "to unleash terror, fear and insecurity among Christians." The prelate's archdiocese is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra's capital, 1,400 kilometers southwest of New Delhi. The city, India's business capital and a Catholic stronghold, used to be called Bombay. According to the memorandum, Hindu groups not only threaten Christians in the state, but also challenge "the rule of law and mocked the state itself." One delegate, Abraham Mathai, vice chairperson of the state minority commission, told UCA News that only "faith in Christ" sustains Christians. "Otherwise, we would have been in panic at such open threat," he said. Mathai, a Protestant, told UCA News that police arrested 11 people after the attack but released them all the same day. However, Mathai added, the police detained the pastors until May 12 on charges of "illegal conversions." Such actions, he said, show the police are "hand in glove with the attackers." The memorandum asks for a new law comparable to the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act, which the state enacted in 1999. That law offers speedy trial through special courts and provides a minimum three-year jail sentence as well as fines ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 rupees (US$2,450-12,250). It also makes the posting of bail difficult. The memorandum also says Christians "see no difference" between organized crime and "the terror unleashed" by Hindu groups against religious minorities. The Christians warned that sectarian terror is "a threat to national unity and integrity," and urged the government to provide "monetary compensation" to the pastors, just as it provides compensation to victims of sectarian violence. Praveen Darade, the collector, or highest government official, in Kolhapur district where the pastors were attacked, told UCA News that the pastors were preparing for a conversion ceremony when the attack occurred. He said "enraged activists of the Hindu organization went there and attacked them," and police arrested the pastors on a complaint of conversion under coercion. Anand Shankar Pandya, local leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), told UCA News that Hindu activists do not attack people without sufficient provocation. "We do not interfere with the Christian religion," he insisted. "Why do these missioners indulge in conversion of Hindus and upset our people? They should learn to respect our religion." END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Police In Western India Detain Attacked Pastors, Release Attackers (May 11, 2007) INDIA Televised Attack On Christian Pastor Evokes Widespread Condemnation (May 1, 2007) INDIA Christians In Maharashtra State Report Attack By Hindu Fanatics (January 6, 2004) INDIA Suspected Hindu Zealots Attack Pentecostals (August 17, 2001) IJ02463.1445 May 18, 2007 60 EM-lines (726 words) INDONESIA    Cured Leprosy Patients Stay At Leprosarium, Unable To Return Home SINGKAWANG, Indonesia (UCAN) -- In a sleeveless vest and shorts, Alexius Runjan sits on a wooden chair looking through his glasses at a nicely arranged flower garden in front of the Catholic leprosarium, his home for 40 years. Both of his palms as well as his right leg and the sole of his left foot were surgically removed, and the 78-year-old cured leprosy patient has no thought of leaving. "Ever since I was hospitalized here in 1967, my children and grandchildren have visited me just twice," he told UCA News in early May. Talk about his family rejecting him remains a sensitive matter for the elderly Catholic. "When I wanted to visit my family," he said, "those whom I love most rejected my wish. They said no one can care for me in the village." Runjan has two daughters and a son, "but I cannot imagine the condition of my children and grandchildren," he said. He was 38 when a doctor diagnosed his condition at Catholic Alverno Leprosy Hospital in Singkawang, 800 kilometers north of Jakarta. It is the only leprosarium in West Kalimantan province on the western side of Borneo Island. The Catholic Church opened the facility for all patients, regardless of background, on Nov. 17, 1925. Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception run it and now care for 24 current and former leprosy patients, seven of them women. Most patients have been totally cured, but they have opted to stay at the hospital because their family members are against their returning home. Sister Angelita Theresia Teknawati, the only one of her Religious community still at the leprosarium, told UCA News on May 18, "All patients here have now become our brothers and sisters, because they no longer have a family." "We do not know who their relatives are," the nun added, because most patients were left at the hospital gate by family members. "For Chinese, leprosy is a disease of cursed people," she also said, so the leprosarium has never considered approaching family members of cured Chinese patients. Like Runjan, all cured patients are at first reluctant to face new people, but they gradually relaxed enough to talk with UCA News. Two of them, Sonya and Alberto, spoke of how they decided to stay, got married at the hospital and now have two children. The couple is responsible for cultivating the flower garden of the hospital compound. The buildings and components of the leprosarium occupy one of the compound's two hectares. The property sits at the foot of a hill covered by a natural forest, which serves as a natural water reservoir source for the leprosarium. Capuchin Archbishop Hieronymus Bumbun of Pontianak told UCA News in early May that every leprosy patient -- cured or not -- needs special treatment to restore self-esteem and self-confidence. He also said he is grateful to the government for employing Ade Hermeni, a psychologist, to direct the hospital. "The Muslim civil servant really helps the patients' recovery process, because she knows well her patients' psychological condition," Archbishop Bumbun said. In his view, the patients are at risk of becoming psychologically handicapped until they die because their families have rejected them. On Oct. 27, 1954, the Ministry for Health Affairs designated the Catholic Alverno Leprosy Hospital as a reference leprosarium in West Kalimantan. Since then, the government has paid its operating costs, including electricity, telephone, clean water and the living expenses of the patients. Oscar Primadi, who heads the provincial health ministry office, told UCA News he appreciates the Church's social work. The government really needs a leprosarium in the province, he pointed out, because almost every year there is a leprosy patient who needs special treatment. However, Primadi added, there is no need for another leprosarium. According to government data, he said, the number of people suffering from leprosy in the country dropped from 126,221 in 1985 to just 21,092 in 2005. Even so, he acknowledged that, "knowing the diocese runs a leprosarium, the government has the obligation to help with its operating costs." Under a drizzle, Runjan moves around the compound on his prosthetic leg and specially designed shoes. He listens to water rushing from a creek and birds twittering in the trees. He regards the forest with delight for the water it provides. He could be happy here, but in his heart he really is not. END Related UCAN Reports INDONESIA Nuns Help Leprosy Patients Heal Psychologically As Well As Physically (January 17, 2006) INDONESIA UCAN Interview - 'The Door Is Closed For Cured Leprosy Patients To Re-enter Society' (April 18, 2005) INDONESIA UCAN Feature - Church Assists Rejected Former Hansenites (April 28, 2000) INDONESIA Catholic Hospital Returned After 40 Years As Public Facility (July 23, 1996) INDONESIA Readers Inspire Catholic-Owned Daily To Aid Two Flores Leprosariums (January 10, 1996) IS02475.1445 May 18, 2007 60 EM-lines (648 words) INDONESIA    Catholics Pray Rosary For Peaceful Mayoral Election During Marian Month KUPANG, Indonesia (UCAN) - Throughout the Marian month of May, Catholics in Kupang, a predominantly Protestant municipality on Timor island, are praying the rosary with a special intention for a clean and peaceful mayoral election. "We need to pray especially for Kupang mayoral election, that it will not be the cause of riots," Abraham Manuk, head of Stella Duce Basic Ecclesiastical Community (BEC) of St. Joseph Church of Naikoten, Kupang, told UCA News May 8. Kupang is the capital of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT, Indonesia acronym) province. The mayoral election, with five Protestant candidates running for mayor and four Catholics and one Protestant for vice-mayor, will be held May 21. According to data from the General Election Commission, there are 197,800 voters: 120,000 Protestants, 65,000 Catholics, 12,000 Muslims, 500 Hindus and 300 Buddhists. As Manuk explained, Kupang residents are wary of possible confrontations between candidates' supporters, even though there have been no incidents so far. He explained that many people still remember the Nov. 30, 1998 riots, which were triggered during a rally organized by local Christian youths to mourn victims of anti-Church riots Nov. 22 in Jakarta. In the Nov. 30 riots, at least nine mosques were damaged or burned, and two dozen Muslim homes and shops ransacked or set ablaze. "That is why, Stella Duce BEC offers the special prayer together with the rosary, which the community prays going from house to house," he said, adding that the BEC would continue its prayer campaign until May 31. Catholics of other BECs in Kupang also offered the prayer for the election. Maximus Manehat, head of St. Peter the Rock BEC of the same parish, told UCA News that his BEC also performs the special prayer during May, "but aside from praying for a peaceful election, this prayer asks the Holy Spirit to enlighten Catholics in their voting." In other BECs of the parish, however, UCA News found that Catholics also pray for certain candidates. St. Mary the Queen of Peace BEC is praying for vice-mayor candidate Daniel Hurek, a member of that BEC. St. Michael BEC of St. Familia Church of Sikumana prays for vice-mayoral candidate Antonius Bele, while St. Agnes BEC of the same parish offers its prayers for vice-mayoral candidate Yohanes Dae. Meanwhile, at the foundation laying ceremony of the Protestant Carmel Community Church in Fatululi of Kupang, May 4, NTT governor Piet Alexander Tallo, a Protestant, asked that the church not get involved in ethnic or congregational factionalism. In his address, read by the provincial assistant secretary, the governor said that if each church backed a different candidate the Christian community would become separate groups, and disharmony would follow. According to the governor, the Christian community must serve "to unite, not divide, the congregation." At the same time, Reverend Jack Karmani, secretary of the synod of the Evangelical Church in Timor (GMIT, Indonesian acronym), asked his people not to use the GMIT for political plots. "As a place of worship, the church must encourage the congregation to improve faith and solidarity," he said, urging his people to vote according to their conscience. Karmani confirmed that GMIT is not supporting any candidate, because all the mayoral candidates and one vice-mayoral candidate are Protestant. The four Catholic vice-mayoral candidates UCA News met separately from May 8-10 had different ideas and proposals for improving Kupang city, but they all promised to fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism. Bele told UCA News May 8, "If Kupang residents entrust me and Djidon De Haan (a mayoral candidate) to lead the government of Kupang for the next five years, we will not commit corrupt practices." According to Andreas Agas, another Catholic vice-mayor candidate, "Kupang residents always complain about corruption in the city, but no one has been imprisoned for it." Because of that, the former ombudsman of NTT and West Nusa Tenggara provinces promises to prioritize the elimination of corruption. END Related UCAN Reports INDONESIA Religious Figures Ask Presidential Candidates To Uphold Political Ethics (August 19, 2004) INDONESIA Church Leaders Ask Election Winners To Carry Out People's Will (September 22, 2004) INDONESIA Archbishops Reiterate Catholic Church Neutrality In Coming Election (June 25, 2004) INDONESIA Catholics Invite Mary To Lead Them Amid Problems And Conflicts (June 10, 2004) INDONESIA Bishops Urge Vote For Presidential Candidates Who Can Carry Out Social Contract (May 18, 2004) INDONESIA Catholics Start Marian Month With Devotion To 'Lady Of All Nations' (May 14, 2003) INDONESIA Bishops Launch Program To Introduce Rosary's 'Mysteries of Light' (January 2, 2003) INDONESIA Christian Leaders Condemn Anti-Church Riots (November 26, 1998) INDONESIA Timorese Catholics Prayed For The Nation During Marian Month (June 19, 1998) KO02469.1445 May 18, 2007 57 EM-lines (628 words) KOREA    Catholics Active In Parishes But Shy About Introducing Catholicism SEOUL (UCAN) -- Survey results indicate that Catholics in a South Korean archdiocese actively take part in parish activities but are not keen on preaching Catholicism to others. The Kwangju archdiocesan survey revealed that 357 of 604 respondents belonged to at least one Church group, such as the Legion of Mary or the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Half of the Catholics who answered a question about their participation said they joined groups on their own initiative. About 40 percent said they were encouraged by Catholic neighbors to do so. The rest said priests or nuns were instrumental in their joining such groups. The survey also revealed that while parishioners are proud of being Catholic, half of them do not recommend Catholicism to others. Only 18.1 percent of the respondents said they "actively" encourage others to become Catholics, while 49.1 percent said they do not preach or ask others to join their religion. The rest said they do so sometimes. Asked how they feel about being Catholic, 67.3 percent of respondents said they take pride in this, 23.5 percent described their sentiments as lukewarm and only 9.2 percent said they are not proud of being Catholic. Kwangju archdiocese is based in Gwangju (the new spelling of Kwangju), 295 kilometers south of Seoul. The laity poll is the last of three surveys it has conducted since 2005 to mark its 70th anniversary, which the archdiocese will formally celebrate on May 27. The other two surveys, on priests and Religious, were done in 2005. The laity survey was conducted between September and November 2006, and the results were published in archdiocesan weekly bulletins over four Sundays between early March and May 13. Copies of the 67-page survey report were distributed to clergy, Religious and archdiocesan lay leaders. Findings show laypeople's understanding of mission correlates with their parish participation and stance on preaching Catholicism to others. Only 14.3 percent of respondents think their mission is to help or recommend that people convert to Catholicism. Another 20.6 percent described their mission as helping people know God whether or not those people become Catholics. The majority, 65.1 percent, said their mission is to bear witness through example by leading a good faith life. Meanwhile, 35.6 percent of respondents said Mass homilies do not inspire a mission spirit in them, 25.9 percent cited a lack of education on mission and 19.3 decried the lack of Bible studies or catechism useful for mission. Regarding the laity's role in the Church, nearly 60 percent said they strive to improve society, close to 30 percent said laypeople should do their best in church activities, and a little more than 10 percent said their role is to attain personal salvation. Paul Lee Jung-kyu, professor of social welfare at Honam University in Gwangju, supervised all three surveys. He told UCA News on May 11 that active lay participation in parish activities shows lay leadership has matured. "Nowadays, ministries can be developed further by lay leadership," he said, citing the survey on priests, three-quarters of whom described laypeople as their partners or assistants in mission. Father John Chrysostomus Kim Kye-hong, who heads the Kwangju anniversary celebration committee, told UCA News on May 14 that results from all three surveys will be analyzed by an archdiocesan pastoral council that will be set up to formulate future pastoral policies. Kwangju archdiocese was erected as an apostolic prefecture on April 13, 1937, and became an apostolic vicariate in 1957 before being elevated to an archdiocese in 1962. At the end of 2005, it had 310,372 Catholics, about 10 percent of the local population, according to the Korean bishops' conference. The same statistics show the archdiocese as having 597 Religious sisters, 254 priests and 81 Religious brothers, with 107 parishes and 76 mission stations. END Related UCAN Reports KOREA Catholics' Optimism About Church's Future Diminishing, Survey Shows (April 18, 2007) KOREA Women Religious Acknowledge Identity Linked To Parish Ministry (June 16, 2006) KOREA Priests Satisfied With Vocation But Find Relating With Fellow Priests A Challenge (April 3, 2006) PA02460.1445 May 18, 2007 59 EM-lines (640 words) PAKISTAN    Interfaith Radio Program Reaches Out To Punjab 'Grassroots' LAHORE, Pakistan (UCAN) -- The only radio program in Pakistan dedicated to interreligious harmony has reached the one-year mark with strong support from Christians and Muslims, after getting off to a tentative start. About 140 people gathered May 10 at the Holiday Inn in Lahore, 270 kilometers southeast of Islamabad, to celebrate the first anniversary of Waqt ki Awaz (voice of the age), which had just completed its 52nd weekly broadcast. Columban Father Colm Murphy began the broadcasts in May 2006. The main attraction of the 30-minute program, aired every Friday at 3:30 p.m. across Punjab Province, is a talk segment in which religious leaders, students and intellectuals discuss everyday issues such as social harmony, education and traffic congestion. Professional actors and media people host the program that also includes drama and songs. Father Murphy told the anniversary audience he had to be careful about the sensitive nature of the program when it began. He produced 13 pilot installments with a Muslim friend, who was then program manager for Radio Pakistan Lahore but has since died. "The response from government officials was, 'It's wonderful, but be careful what you do,'" the Irish missioner recalled. But he said listeners' positive feedback through letters and phone calls encouraged him. Further support came when Ashfaq Gondal, director general of Pakistan Broadcast Association, offered Pakistan Radio Lahore's facilities for production of the program. Gondal was chief guest at the anniversary event. Initially, program installments were recorded at the Catholic Church's WAVE (Workshop on Audio-Visual Education) studio in Lahore. But some artists and speakers complained of difficulty finding the studio, tucked away in the back streets of the city. The anniversary function began with readings from the Qur'an and the Bible. Later, several Muslim scholars and actors cited passages from the two holy books as they commended the interfaith radio program for highlighting the key message of humanity they find in both. Bishop Samuel Azariah of the Church of Pakistan's Raiwind diocese, based 25 kilometers north of Lahore, was another guest speaker at the event. The bishop expressed his concern about people going back to "traditional religion," referring to attempts to impose a strict form of Islam on Pakistan. Established formally as the Dominion of Pakistan in 1947, the country was renamed the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1956. According to Bishop Azariah, 55, young people today experiences much fear and mistrust, making initiatives such as Waqt ki Awaz all the more crucial. He blamed the uneasy situation on irresponsible clerics who "have defaced religion and are not willing to cross the boundaries of caste and creed." Father Murphy, 76, chose radio as the most promising medium for breaking down barriers and reaching out to people. But he wanted the project to be acceptable to people of all religions, not just Catholics. So he began it in tandem with the Organization of Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan. He launched this, also in May 2006, with Cecil Chaudhry, principal of St. Anthony's High School and a human-rights activist. The priest identified his target audience as people living in interior villages of Punjab province. "While television has its limitations, radio certainly has its intimacy due to easy portability. Travelers can listen to the program while on road, while villagers can tune in to it while working in fields," he explained. At one point the program was able "to touch upon the problems of a church attacked last year," he pointed out, saying the message of love and harmony needs to be told at the grassroots level, where most communal troubles arise. Father Liam O'Callaghan, one of four other Columban missionary priests and three Philippine Columban lay missioners at the anniversary event, remarked that "this brainchild of Father Murphy's can help build bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims, especially the youth, who are most attracted by the media." END Related UCAN Reports PAKISTAN Church, NGOs Join Women's Protest Against Religious Militancy (April 23, 2007) PAKISTAN Christian Community Concerned About Passage Of Islamic Bill (November 27, 2006) PAKISTAN Radio Veritas Asia Urdu Service Makes A Difference For Listeners (August 24, 2006) PAKISTAN Church Celebrates Benefits Of Media Center's 25 Years (November 27, 2002) PA02483.1445 May 18, 2007 65 EM-lines (687 words) PAKISTAN    Elderly Christian Charged With Blasphemy, Struggle Against Blasphemy Laws Continues LAHORE, Pakistan (UCAN) -- Christian leaders in Pakistan's Punjab province have charged that a blasphemy case against an 84-year-old Protestant is an attempt to grab his land. Police arrested Walter Fazal Khan on May 9, after a Muslim relative registered a complaint against him at the Samanabad police station in Lahore, 270 kilometers southeast of Islamabad. In the complaint Raja Riaz claims he saw Khan burn pages of the Qur'an, an offense punishable by life imprisonment under Section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code. Following the allegation, Muslim clerics made announcements at local mosques, after which Muslims gathered outside Khan's house shouting for his arrest. Khan was remanded to police custody for two weeks, and his wife, Mala, 82, converted to Islam the next day. Local pastor Imtiaz Ullah, of the Church of Pakistan, commented that her conversion was the only way to calm inflamed passions. "Barely able to walk without a stick, and having no children to rely on, the elderly lady had no other option," he told UCA News. According to the pastor, local Muslim property dealers fabricated the blasphemy case against Khan because "they wanted to buy his land, worth 12.4 million rupees (US$204,000), for 8 million rupees -- a deal which Khan had declined." The Church of Pakistan, the Catholic Church and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a leading rights NGO, have denounced Khan's arrest and demanded an impartial inquiry into the case. Protestant Bishop Alexander John Malik of Lahore, highest official of the Church of Pakistan, described the allegation as false. In his May 10 statement in the Daily Times, he also urged the government to repeal the blasphemy laws. The Catholic bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) issued a press release on May 10 saying the blasphemy case against Khan was lodged "with the intention of grabbing his pricey property." In the press release, Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha of Lahore and Peter Jacob, NCJP chairperson and executive secretary, respectively, also criticized the government for refusing to discuss amendments to the blasphemy laws in parliament. Both the government and opposition on May 8 rejected introduction of a bill presented by M.P. Bhandara, a parliamentarian from the Parsee religious minority, to curtail abuses of the blasphemy laws. The bill also proposes making blasphemy against any religion's Scripture punishable with life imprisonment. Besides the law protecting the Qur'an, Section 295-A of the penal code mandates up to 10 years imprisonment for insulting the religious feelings of any group, and Section 295-C punishes any remark or action deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad with death or life imprisonment. The NCJP press release urged the government to pay reasonable compensation to the hundreds of people accused of blasphemy who were later declared innocent by the courts. It said most Muslim-majority countries have no codified blasphemy law. According to NCJP records, 10 Christians, six Muslims and one person whose religion is unknown have been implicated in blasphemy cases this year. A few days before Khan was arrested, a memorial Mass was held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Faisalabad, about 120 kilometers west of Lahore, on May 6, the ninth anniversary of the death of Bishop John Joseph. The late Catholic bishop of Faisalabad shot himself in front of a courthouse after a Christian was sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws. Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad led the Mass. About 80 ninth- and 10th-grade students of Church-run schools and 20 other Catholics including a few priests and nuns attended the Mass and later showered rose petals on the late bishop's grave. Local people see Bishop Joseph's action as self-sacrifice, and view him as a shaheed, or martyr. Bishop Coutts told UCA News the students, who are passionate about "their hero," were invited this year because they will soon move on to the next stage in their life after graduating high school, which ends with 10th grade. The NCJP also organized a seminar, A Powerful Voice in the Wilderness of Silence, in which speakers reflected on the struggle of the late bishop for equal rights, a peaceful society and repeal of the blasphemy laws. END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code PA02483.1445 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports PAKISTAN Catholic Man Arrested Twice On His Wedding Day For Alleged Blasphemy (April 27, 2007) PAKISTAN Anniversary Tribute To Late Bishop Highlights Continuing Campaign Against Blasphemy Laws (May 11, 2006) PL02490.1445 May 18, 2007 55 EM-lines (553 words) PHILIPPINES    Church Group Takes Up Ecology Coalition's Call For 'Green Fiestas' QUEZON CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- Plastic flags might no longer be seen along city, town and village streets during religious feasts if a Church group's appeal for communities to "green" their celebrations takes root. There is an "urgent need to green" fiestas amid the "heart-rending state of our environment," says a May 11 statement from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPICC) of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines. The commission cites "the clear-cut global alert against catastrophic climate change." The statement signed by Charito Pinalas, JPICC executive secretary, was released in time for the monthlong Flores de Mayo (flowers of May), a festival in honor of the Blessed Mother. This culminates in an elaborate pageant called Santacruzan (holy cross), based on a traditional drama in which Saint Helena discovers Christ's cross. Young women play Queen Helena, mother of Constantine I, the first Christian emperor of Rome, and various other "queens" depicting biblical and legendary characters as well as moral values. The Philippine Tourism Department website lists Flores de Mayo among the 30 "biggest and most elaborate" religious fiestas. Traditionally, Filipinos celebrate the feast of their town or village patron saint with colorful parades, evening processions, buffets and fireworks displays. Pinalas said Filipinos are "duty-bound" to "preserve, ... protect ... and conserve" the "life-giving biodiversity" of Mother Nature when they celebrate such fiestas. The JPICC appeal supported a call by Ecological Waste Coalition of the Philippines, Inc. (EcoWaste), a network of NGOs and public interest groups promoting "zero-waste goals." JPICC works closely with the coalition. A May 7 EcoWaste statement says that "unknown to many," countless religious fiestas have been carried out with "spending sprees and typical wastefulness." Water, electricity, disposable plastic utensils and styrofoam containers are used in excess during fiestas, according to the statement, titled Prevent Trash and Climate Change: Guidelines for Zero-Waste Fiestas. As alternatives to traditional fiesta decorations, EcoWaste recommends that organizers use canvas, "coco cloth" made from coconut fiber and taffeta for banners instead of vinyl-coated tarpaulin, which "releases highly toxic chemicals, such as dioxins," when burned. In place of plastic buntings on plastic strings, EcoWaste endorses reusable "colored cloth banners hanging or drooping from bamboo poles." It also recommends pesticide-free "home-grown plants and flowers," without "unnecessary plastic ribbons," for church decorations and Mass offerings. The coalition cautions against burning too many candles in poorly ventilated settings, warning it can be "bad for the lungs and trigger respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema." Instead of candles, make lamps from used cooking oil, the group recommends. Its statement warns that fireworks displays release assorted chemicals and fine particulates that cause throat and chest congestion as well as other health problems. The group also invites organizers to put up recycling stations during the celebrations. Pinalas told UCA News on May 18 that JPICC sent their statement, together with EcoWaste's guidelines, to more than 300 Religious congregations and Church organizations. "Hopefully they can share (the JPICC statement and EcoWaste guidelines) among parishes, schools and organizations," she said. Increased average temperatures of the earth's oceans and near-surface air in recent decades is attributed largely to global greenhouse gas emissions, which increased 70 percent between 1970 and 2004, according to the report of the 2004 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations Environment Programme. END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code PL02490.1445 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports PHILIPPINES Nun Answers Threat Of Global Warming With Prayer (March 21, 2007) PHILIPPINES Manila Cardinal And Environment Network Aim for 'Clean' Elections (February 22, 2007) PHILIPPINE Guidelines Issued For Simple, Clean Holidays (December 8, 2006) PHILIPPINES Diocese Revives Holy Cross Procession Organized by Youth (June 9, 2006) PHILIPPINES UCAN Commentary - Systematic Ministry Needed For Filipinos in Holy Land (July 3, 2002) SR02479.1445 May 18, 2007 60 EM-lines (691 words) SRI LANKA    Ethnic, Religious Split Defies Easy Solutions, Says Bishops' Conference President COLOMBO (UCAN) -- Lack of a shared sense of nationality is a crucial factor to consider in understanding Sri Lanka's suffering, according to the leader of the local Church. "We have not yet evolved a Sri Lankan identity. This is the root cause of the war," Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy told UCA News on May 9, after the Vatican meeting in April between the Sri Lankan president and the pope. Speaking in his office, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka observed that people tend to identify themselves by their language or religion -- Sinhalese or Tamil, Hindu, Buddhist or Catholic -- rather than as Sri Lankan. He blamed this on various misguided actions by "certain political organizations." "It is in this context that the political, religious and educational leaders in this country should seek to create an environment where a true Sri Lankan identity is created, so that every citizen of this country feels that they belong to this one country, Sri Lanka," Bishop Fernando said. The bishop was airing his concerns related to the civil war that began in 1983, which pits Tamil rebels against the Sinhalese-led government. Close to 74 percent of the island's 19 million people are Sinhalese and about 18 percent are Tamils, who predominate in the north and parts of the east. Correspondingly, close to 70 percent of the people are Buddhists and 15 percent Hindus. The 7 percent who are Christians come from both ethnic groups, while the slightly larger Muslim community is considered a separate group. With ethnic and religious identity so closely intertwined, Bishop Fernando said that finding a solution to the civil war is all the more challenging. "The Church plays a neutral and diffusing role in the conflict, but I know sometimes people criticize the Church," the bishop said. As the only community to straddle the country's ethnic divide, the Church has a unique position. But even so, speaking up for suffering members of both groups brings criticism, he explained, because "Sinhalese say the Church supports the Tamils, and the Tamils say the Church supports the Sinhalese." During two decades of warfare, "many churches were bombed, and laypeople and priests were killed or are missing," he said. "But the Church goes forward for peace despite these wounds." In the face of criticism and difficulty, "we are mediators among people," the bishop continued, citing an example from his central diocese. "We had to call off a peace program in my diocese," he recounted, referring to an interreligious meeting organized in 2006 by the diocesan Justice and Peace Secretariat in collaboration with other religious leaders. While the meeting was going on, "some (political) party members turned up at the venue and shouted for us to stop the program." They even threatened the four Buddhist monks who were there, he said. "We walked up to them and said, 'We are in a democratic country. We have the right to discuss our different views,'" he recalled, noting that this type of disturbance occurs in other parts of the country too. From seminars, workshops, and individual discussions with Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims, Bishop Fernando has concluded that leaders must work together to build mutual understanding and trust. He noted that the Church has met with government leaders about the "tragic situation" in the northern peninsula and in the east, and the suffering of the Sinhalese and Tamils displaced by the renewed fighting. "In this process I am ready to go again for talks with (rebel) leaders with my delegation," he said. "Throughout these two-decades of war, Church leaders have met the (rebel) leaders and shared the views of the Catholic people. Even now, the Church comes forward to deal with both sides." In April, Bishop Fernando reported, the Church submitted a proposal to a parliamentary committee appointed by the government to find a basis for devolution of power to Tamils. The bishops met with Tissa Vitharana, chairman of the committee, and explained the Church's position. "I made an appeal to the state to spell out their 'southern' consensus and for the (rebels) to bring their alternative proposals," the bishop said. END Related UCAN Reports SRI LANKA 'War And Violence Continue' After President's Talk With The Pope (May 14, 2007) SRI LANKA Religious Leaders Mark Fifth Year Of Cease-fire With Hope And Determination Despite Concerns (March 13, 2007) SRI LANKA Divided Jaffna Diocese Struggles To Run Church Affairs (February 6, 2007) SRI LANKA Church Calls For Return Of Jaffna Priest (August 29, 2006) VT02484.1445 May 18, 2007 66 EM-lines (704 words) VIETNAM    Church Raises Awareness Of Abortion Among College Students HUE, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Young Catholic studying here have pledged to avoid premarital sex, now that they are aware of the barbarity of abortion. "Catholic students have to bear witness to the Church's pro-life stance by not being involved in abortion or premarital sex," Teresa Nguyen Thi Thao Hien told about 550 other students during a May 6 meeting in Hue, 660 kilometers south of Ha Noi. "Non-Catholics can have abortions, or couples can live together outside marriage, because they think they are not guilty of any wrongdoing," said Hien, 24, who attends a college in the nearby city of Da Nang. The Hue College Students Group organized the meeting, which focused on pro-life issues. The group, an informal Hue archdiocesan umbrella organization for parish-based student groups in the city, organizes regular meetings. For this month's meeting, it invited five leaders of Catholic student groups in Da Nang who want to study its activities. Hien, one of the five leaders, said while in Hue they joined up with a Church group that persuades pregnant women not to have abortions and gives discarded fetuses a proper burial. "I discovered the savageness of abortions during the meeting, something that I never imagined before," Hien added. Vincent Pham Van Phuong, a third-year philosophy student in Hue, told UCA News that the gathering "helped me know that human life -- including soul and body -- is created by God." Magdalene Nguyen Thanh Tien, a sophomore, was "frightened" watching an abortion procedure on video during the meeting. She recounted how a bloody hand used medical instruments to remove a small baby's arm from a woman's uterus. "Abortion is a barbarous crime," she stated. She told UCA News that although she is a medical college student, this was the first time she came to know about abortion and the procedure's ill effects on mothers. Teresa Nguyen Lan Hai, a Catholic doctor who conducted the pro-life presentation, also answered numerous questions put forward by students. Questions were mostly on sexual intercourse, the physical and psychological ill effects of abortion on mothers, and care during pregnancy. Hai, a sexologist from Ho Chi Minh City, urged students to remember that life starts at the very instant of fertilization, at which moment the gender of the embryo is formed. Marie Dinh Thi Ai Thuy, 18, noted that young people make mistakes. She talked about her sister whose boyfriend abandoned her after making her pregnant. The education major told UCA News her sister decided to have an abortion, because she did not want her extended family and neighbors to scorn her. But her immediate family encouraged her not to have an abortion since they are Catholics, and she stayed with Lovers of the Holy Cross nuns until she had her baby. Paul Hoang Thanh Dat, 22, head of the Hue student group, said members learned about abortion and pro-life activities for the first time during the meeting. "When we discover human beings are God's creatures, we must respect and protect life instead of having abortions," he said. Father Joseph Nguyen Hong Phuoc from Ho Chi Minh City, told participants that a local group set up by Redemptorists in 2005 has collected and buried thousands of aborted fetuses, and advised 400 pregnant women visiting health-care centers not to have abortions. Those who have abortions include college students, migrant workers and women who already have many children, added Redemptorist Father Phuoc, who also conducts pro-life lectures in parishes throughout the country. The priest said that during his stay in Hue, he visited a lake resort three kilometers from the city and saw plastic bags containing aborted fetuses scattered on the pine hills. Father Antoine Nguyen Van Tuyen, who is in charge of Catholic college students in Hue, told UCA News the monthly meetings are aimed at encouraging students to protect human life in a society where many people engage in drug and alcohol abuse, abortion and premarital sex. He described the gatherings as "opportunities for students who live away from their family and parishes to study catechism and moral values toward living a happy life." According to Church records, approximately 500 Catholics were among the 50,000 students attending 11 universities and colleges in Hue in October 2006. END Related UCAN Reports VIETNAM Catholic Social Workers Come Together To Share, Find Strength In Each Other's Work (September 1, 2006) VIETNAM College Students Reflect On Living The Word Of God (February 6, 2006) VIETNAM Teachers Urged To Promote 'Culture Of Life' Through Patience, Understanding (September 30, 2005) VIETNAM Lay Catholics Set Up Cemetery For Aborted Fetuses (July 25, 2005) VT02497.1445 May 18, 2007 49 EM-lines (529 words) VIETNAM    Priest Urges Catholics To Vote For Him, Two Other Clerics In Election HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (UCAN) -- One of three Vietnamese Catholic priests running in the May 20 national election has urged Catholics to vote for them in order to be heard in the government. The three priests are among 876 candidates standing for election to 500 national assembly seats. Canon law forbids clerics to assume public offices that entail participation in the exercise of civil power, but canon 287 allows ecclesiastical superiors to approve political involvement in cases where "the protection of the rights of the Church or the promotion of the common good requires it." At least one of the three priests has permission from his bishop to join in the election. Dominican Father Thomas Thien Tran Minh Cam, a candidate from Ho Chi Minh City, urged Catholics "to support and vote for us so that we can carry out what you expect from us." In a letter to Catholics, he said that the three priests would "reflect the Catholic view and protect religious freedom and other rights." His letter was published in the May 11-17 issue of Cong Giao va Dan Toc (Catholicism and Nation), a government-approved weekly based in Ho Chi Minh City. The other two priest candidates are Father Joseph Tran Manh Cuong from the central highland province of Dak Lak and Father Joseph Le Ngoc Hoan from the northern province of Nam Dinh. Although the three clerics do not represent the local Catholic Church officially, "we priests feel a sense of responsibility toward the Catholic community in the country," Father Cam wrote. If elected, he said, they will represent 7 million Catholics in the country. He called this a real sign of "living the Gospel among the nation for people's happiness," citing the Vietnamese bishops' first pastoral letter, issued in 1980, five years after Vietnam was unified under communist rule. In an interview in the April 24-May 3 issue of the Catholic weekly, Father Cam promised that if he won, he would reconcile communists with anti-communists and contribute to building a society of justice, charity and democracy. The priest also promised to make national assembly representatives aware that they "should really represent people, not the government." He expressed the hope that representatives in the next assembly would enact laws that they themselves propose, for the good of the people, and not just pass laws proposed by the government. Father Cam, 74, was nominated for the national assembly election by the national Catholic Committee for Solidarity, a government organization. During campaigning, he met with people from his constituency in Ho Chi Minh City's Go Vap, Thu Duc and Ninth districts. A member of the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Catholic Committee for Solidarity told UCA News on May 17 that since the three districts do not have many resident Catholics, Father Cam had asked for another constituency but the government refused to allow this. He predicted that the priest "will fail to win the election." According to media information, candidates in the election include 291 women, 169 ethnic minority people and 154 people who are not members of the Communist Party. Thirty other candidates are running without being nominated by government bodies. END Related UCAN Reports PHILIPPINES Catholic Groups Declare Support For Candidates (May 11, 2007) KOREA Protestants Likely To Favor Own Candidates For President (February 26, 2007) HONG KONG Christian Electors Meet Candidates For Chief Executive Post (February 16, 2007)