ET02491.1446 May 22, 2007 58 EM-lines (655 words) EAST TIMOR    Pope Awards Monsignor Title To Two Foreign Missioners DILI (UCAN) -- Two long-serving foreign Catholic missioners who witnessed the conversion of East Timorese to Catholicism during Portuguese and Indonesian rule were awarded the honorary title "monsignor" by the pope. Diocesan priests Fathers Jose Nolasco Santimano Meneses e Monteiro, 84, who is Indian, and Jose Antonio da Costa, 73, who is Portuguese, were awarded the title by Pope Benedict XVI in April. "Monsignor" is an ecclesiastical honorific title for a priest of the Catholic Church. These honors are bestowed upon a priest directly by the pope, most often in consultation with the local bishop. A monsignor is also referred to as a "Chaplain of His Holiness." During the celebration Mass in Dili on May 3, Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili said the award is an honor for the East Timor Catholic Church, in addition to being special for the two priests. Father Apolinario Aparicio Guterres, vicar general of the diocese, told Massgoers the award was a sign of the pope's attention to East Timor. After the Mass, Monsignor Jose Antonio da Costa told media he was grateful to receive the title. "It is a grace of God and also the symbol of attention and tribute of the pope to the East Timor Church," he said. A layperson at the Mass, Jose Viegas, hoped the awards will motivate local Catholics to develop their Church. Monsignors Monteiro and da Costa came separately to East Timor in 1954, then under Portuguese rule, when there were 40 foreign missioners but no local priests. Father Monteiro recalled that only 450 people were baptized out of a total population of 50,000, most of who were animists. Today over 90 percent of the country's 1 million people are Catholics. He said this growth was part of the "successful mission" of Catholic missioners. However, Monsignor Monteiro made clear the award was not only for him but also for all the missioners in East Timor. According to 2006 diocesan statistics, there are 113 Timorese priests in East Timor and 150 foreign missioners. Father Monteiro now chairs the economic department of Dili diocese, which analyzes the diocese's economic situation. He works with national and international Catholic aid organizations on projects to help the poor. Over the last 50 years Monsignor Monteiro told UCA News he spent many years teaching in the major seminary in Dili, and spent time as a parish priest in several parishes in the diocese. Monsignor da Costa, who preferred not to be interviewed, is now the superior at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Dili. He was described by Monsignor Monteiro as "a hard-working priest" who spent time in rural areas evangelizing and baptizing people. East Timor was a Portuguese colony for centuries before Lisbon withdrew in 1975. Indonesian troops invaded shortly thereafter, annexing the territory in 1976. Large numbers of people died under a repressive Indonesian occupation. During Indonesian rule, everyone was obliged to belong to one of these five religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. That is why most of the people who were animists were forced to convert to one of these religions, according to Romana Alves, a 54-year-old catechist from Sacred Heart Jesus Parish, in Dili. She told UCA News May 18 the Catholic belief was widely chosen by the indigenous people and this had a big impact on the conversions to Catholicism, since the majority converted to it. There were some who converted to Protestantism or Islam, which were brought in by the Indonesians. She said that under Portuguese rule, conversions were different than under Indonesian rule. Under the Portuguese, the people did not feel the pressure of a colonial power to convert. Free from this, they learned that there is a creator of the universe "so people got to know that there is God," Alves said. East Timor is divided into two dioceses, Baucau and Dili. The Church plans to establish one more diocese to cover the southern part of the country. END Related UCAN Reports EAST TIMOR Gusmao Appoints First Ambassador To Vatican, Invites Pope To Visit (April 30, 2007) EAST TIMOR Vietnamese Missioners Live Rough To Bring Education To Villagers (April 26, 2007) EAST TIMOR People Concerned Over Change To Portuguese As Medium Of Instruction (February 28, 2007) IA02498.1446 May 22, 2007 64 EM-lines (671 words) INDIA    Church People Stress Campaign To Bring Food, Benefits To Hungry Millions BANGALORE, India (UCAN) -- People involved in Church social-action programs have urged promotion of an ongoing "right to food" campaign in India, where hundreds of millions go to sleep hungry every day. The campaign addresses an urgent issue, says Jesuit Father James Mascarenhas, who works among socially disadvantaged and poor people in the western state of Maharashtra. The priest was among 40 Church workers at a May 10-15 workshop on campaigning and lobbying held in Bangalore, the Karnataka state capital, 2,060 kilometers south of New Delhi. The Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India organized the workshop. Franciscan Father Nithiya Sagayam, commission secretary, told the gathering the Church must network with NGOs in the field and campaign among the grassroots to educate people about the right to food. An informal network of organizations and individuals in India began the "right to food" campaign in 2001. It started after public-interest litigation in the Supreme Court focused on the right to food as part of the Indian Constitution's fundamental "right to life." The Supreme Court directed the government to "devise a scheme where no person goes hungry" when the granaries are full and much grain is being wasted because of non-availability of storage space in the distribution areas. One-third of the estimated 840 million people in the world who do not get one full meal a day live in India. At the same time, some 65 million tons of food grains reportedly rot in India because of poor storage and delivery systems. Campaign volunteers say that even six years after the court directive, millions remain hungry. Father Mascarenhas cited several parts of the country where he said more than 25 percent of people do not get even one meal a day. The "right to food" campaign also is in line with a 2004 United Nations resolution that stressed national action to ensure food security. It noted that "every seven seconds a child under the age of 10 dies, directly or indirectly, of hunger somewhere in the world." Calling the participants' attention to the U.N. resolution, Sister Mariola D'Souza from Mangalore, also in Karnataka, suggested that slogans such as "food is our birthright" might draw the attention of poor people and government officials. Father Sagayam said the government has "a number of welfare schemes" and Church workers should motivate people to avail of these benefits as one way to tackle hunger. He added that Church social activists must lobby the government to ensure benefits reach the poor. Father Mascarenhas, a practicing lawyer, noted that the Supreme Court has identified nine schemes for getting food to vulnerable groups. These include midday meals in schools, a public distribution system and the Integrated Child Development Scheme. The latter scheme addresses the health and nutrition needs of children under the age of 6 in poor families. Since such children's needs cannot be addressed in isolation from their mothers' needs, the program also addresses health issues that concern adolescent girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Father Mascarenhas said the court wants to ensure the schemes benefit the poorest people. The court has nominated the priest to monitor the schemes' implementation in two Maharashtra districts. The public distribution system supplies grain at subsidized prices to poor families. The government also has schemes for providing grain free to destitute people and maternity assistance to poor mothers. Most poor people are unaware of such schemes and "we need to make" them aware, said Gnana Prakasam, a seminar participant. Father Valentine Rai from Darjeeling, in West Bengal state, wants diocesan authorities to collaborate with NGOs to promote the "right to food" campaign. Chitra Armugam, head of Karnataka state's commission for socially disadvantaged groups and tribal people, told the Church gathering that government officials want "to work with you, as you are genuine." Clergy and Religious heading various social-service organizations in India have good rapport with people at the grassroots, commented the official. He has worked 10 years as a district magistrate in the eastern state of Orissa. END Related UCAN Reports ASIA UCAN Feature - Right To Food Is A Fundamental Right, Expert Says (January 9, 1998) INDIA Priest Seeks Support To Have Food Recognized As A Fundamental Right (January 9, 1992) IA02506.1446 May 22, 2007 48 EM-lines (479 words) INDIA    Supreme Court Ruling On Hazing Will Benefit Suffering Students, Church People Say NEW DELHI (UCAN) -- Church educators in India have welcomed a Supreme Court ruling on hazing. The May 16 ruling came after the country's apex court heard recommendations of a government committee that studied hazing in Indian institutions of higher learning. The court wants the Indian Penal Code amended to make hazing punishable under the law. The court ruling "will benefit many students," especially freshmen who suffer from seniors' "ragging sessions," says Father K.J. Antony, secretary of the education commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Hazing, commonly called "ragging" in India, sometimes leads to tension and violence, the Salesian priest told UCA News on May 21. Mani Jacob, who heads the ecumenical All India Association for Christian Higher Education, noted that the practice has caused deaths in several colleges and hostels. "Ragging," he told UCA News, has "become a law-and-order problem" that many Indian institutions have trouble tackling. Welcoming the ruling "both as an educationist and as a parent," Jacob said that even student political organizations resort to hazing to induct freshmen into their associations. Jacob wants "a new kind of socialization" to help freshmen interact with seniors. He wants school administrations to organize sports and cultural programs to help students in different classes mingle. Authorities should also publicize the court ruling in their institutions, he added. Now hazing "could be controlled," he remarked, adding that Christian institutions would "be happy to follow" the Supreme Court directive. The court wants a "comprehensive definition" for hazing to include abetment to hazing, criminal conspiracy, causing injury, wrongful confinement, use of force and assault. It also favors "exemplary (and) justifiably harsh" punishment. The court also wants hazing cases tried on a fast-track basis to avoid delays. For this, it called for an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code. The Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education, a volunteer organization, recorded 61 cases in colleges and three more reported in Indian media during 2005-2006. Of the 51 colleges whose students were involved, 19 are architecture colleges, 18 engineering institutions, nine medical schools and five polytechnic colleges. The court took a cue from the government committee's call for tough measures to address the problem. It wants the onus of proving innocence to be on the accused. The court also wants local police to register official complaints from victims or from parents dissatisfied with institutional action on hazing cases. The stipulation on the onus, Father Antony says, will make seniors "more careful to avoid ragging juniors." The priest also welcomed the court asking educational institutions to file criminal cases against those responsible for hazing, even if the victims or their relatives refuse to complain. There is the possibility of juniors taking advantage of the court ruling, Father Antony cautioned, referring to the possibility of false accusations against seniors, who would then have to prove their innocence. But the new law will benefit many, he added. END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Student Campaign Against Hazing Draws Elders' Support In Southern India (November 3, 2005) INDIA Hazing A Social Problem, Say Church People, Sociologists (September 11, 2001) INDIA South Indian Colleges Taking Steps To Halt 'Ragging' Of 'Freshers' (September 2, 1992) IC02509.1446 May 22, 2007 55 EM-lines (577 words) INDIA    Christians Pray As Factional Fight Among Sikhs Trouble Punjab By Dini Philip NEW DELHI (UCAN) -- Christians in Punjab are praying for peace as clashes between two Sikh factions disturb peace in the northwestern Indian state. One person was killed and several wounded as some Sikhs wielding swords clashed with followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, a Sikh sect based in neighboring Haryana state. "Christians in Punjab are safe," as the attacks are not directed at them, said Father Mathew Kokandam, chancellor of Jalandhar diocese, which covers all of Punjab. The priest told UCA News over the phone on May 21 that "continuous prayers are being held" in the diocese "so that everything can return to normal." Violence first hit Punjab and Haryana on May 13, after an advertisement showed the sect's leader dressed as Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the 10th and last guru of Sikhism. Mainline Sikhs considered it "blasphemous," with the Punjab-based Sikh leadership council demanding closure of all the sect's institutions in Punjab as well as a public apology from the sect's chief, Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim. Meanwhile, in several Punjab and Haryana towns, violent mobs blocked roads, attacked shops, torched vehicles, burned effigies and clashed with opponents. The federal government sent military, paramilitary and riot police to the two states to contain the violence. Father Kokandam hopes peace will return soon to Punjab, where the tension forced Church schools to postpone exams. Clarist Sister Eugenia, also based in Jalandhar, similarly told UCA News that Christians "are safe and not facing any threat." She also confirmed that they are holding "special prayers" for peace in the state. The Sikh religion began in the Punjab region with Guru Nanak (1469-1539). The religious community, famous for the turbans and beards Sikh men wear, accounts for 2 percent of India's 1 billion people. But Sikhs comprise more than 60 percent of Punjab's 24.3 million people, and a Sikh-based political party, Akali Dal, runs that state's government. Dera Sacha Sauda, which began in 1948, preaches the oneness of humanity as children of one God. It claims 12.5 million followers across the world, but is numerically weak in Punjab. The sect's spokesperson, Aditya Arora, told media his people are disappointed that a discussion between the sect and Sikh leaders did not resolve the controversy. He accused Sikh leaders of not making an effort "to understand the other side." On May 21, a news channel claimed the sect's chief had apologized, saying he meant no disrespect. "This is a misunderstanding that is causing a lot of needless harm, and it should be cleared," the report said, quoting from a tape the sect released. On the same day, the Sikh leadership council reportedly issued a three-day ultimatum to the sect to close all its centers in Punjab. It also called for a general strike on May 22 in the state. An e-mail message UCA News received from the sect said the Sikh leaders are adamant, and have offered gold and silver equal to the weight of anyone who can kill the sect's chief. "They are not ready for any compromise," the message said, adding that many of the sect's people were wounded and several of its facilities destroyed. Media reports see political overtones in the violence. Whereas Akali Dal (party of the eternal) rules Punjab, the sect's chief reportedly supports the opposition Congress party, which rules Haryana. The Punjab government accuses the Congress, which also heads the federal coalition, of instigating violence for political gains. Local Congress leaders accuse the Punjab government of inefficiency. END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Sikhs Mark 400 Years Of Scripture Tradition, Church Scholars Point To Bible Parallels (September 2, 2004) INDIA Sikh Ban On Killing Of Female Infants And Fetuses Welcomed (April 25, 2001) INDIA UCAN Feature - Sikh Guru Promotes Spirituality Based On Prayer And Work (May 24, 1994) UZ02474.1446 May 22, 2007 53 EM-lines (552 words) UZBEKISTAN    Catholics Follow Up On Asian Mission Congress At Annual Meeting TASHKENT (UCAN) -- This year's meeting of Catholics from across Uzbekistan focused on living up to their faith in this predominantly Muslim country. About 100 Catholics attended the seventh annual meeting, held May 11-13 at Sacred Heart Church in Tashkent. The theme, Witnessing to Jesus in Asia, echoed the first Asian Mission Congress, held last October in Thailand. Conventual Franciscan Father Wojciech Kordas, who works in Bukhara, represented Uzbekistan at the congress in Thailand and was the main speaker at the meeting in Tashkent. Father Kordas, a Polish missioner, told participants the Church should live its mission in the local context. "The Church should consider the local mentality, psychology and culture while witnessing to Jesus in Asia," he said. Pursuing "inculturation," he said, the Church should speak to people "in their language." Regular churchgoing Catholics number about 500 in Uzbekistan, where Muslims make up 88 percent of 27 million people. Catholics are Uzbek nationals but mostly of ethnic Polish or Russian descent. The clergy in Uzbekistan are all Polish members of the Conventual Franciscans' Krakow (Poland) province. Many people in Tashkent call Sacred Heart the "Polish church." The annual meeting included group discussions in which Catholics from Angren, Bukhara, Ferghana, Navoi, Samarkand, Tashkent and Urgench talked about interreligious dialogue, social communications, prayer experiences and witnessing to Jesus in an Asian context. Participants agreed that witnessing should be about their personal meeting with Jesus rather than an attempt to convince people to become Catholics. Uzbekistan law bans public missionary activity, so Catholics must exemplify Gospel values to others in their daily life, they pointed out. "I always try not to preach while telling about my experience of encountering Jesus," Eduard Chudov shared. "I just tell people about my life, and it is their business how they receive it." Another participant, Anton, who like Chudov is a Sacred Heart parishioner, said a lot of people thirst for spirituality, which he thinks could help Catholics witness to Jesus among local people. Aziz Usmanov, a teacher and architect, told UCA News that Uzbeks' respect for people who follow a religion could open opportunities to tell them about the Gospel. Usmanov, born in a mixed Uzbek-Russian family, was baptized at Easter 2006. He helped Father Kordas build a church and interreligious center in Bukhara, and later joined the Church. Father Kordas told UCA News afterward that witnessing to Jesus means "living up to one's faith," as well as "dialoguing with people of other faiths." In Bukhara, he said, the Church maintains good relations with others, observing Christian and Muslim holidays, and working with Muslim neighbors to settle common problems. Father Kordas said he also makes it a point to regularly visit local mosques in that ancient Silk Road trading city, 600 kilometers southwest of Tashkent. The missioner recalled that at the congress in Thailand, he shared his concern about reaching out to ethnic Uzbeks, who make up only a "tiny" proportion of the Church, with so many people of European descent leaving the country. This exodus to Russia and elsewhere in Europe began following Uzbek independence in 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up. "I am well aware of this problem," Father Kordas said. Priests and nuns "need to expand our mission," he added, if they are "not to be left alone in the church building." END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code UZ02474.1446 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports UZBEKISTAN Sunday School Helps Orthodox Young People Resist 'Bad Influences' (April 27, 2007) UZBEKISTAN Catholics Attend Mass In Other Parishes Until Their Own Is Registered (April 20, 2007) UZBEKISTAN Russian Orthodox Hold To Old Style Calendar, Unwilling To Change (April 18, 2007) ZY02511.1446 May 22, 2007 66 EM-lines (698 words) VATICAN    Pope Urges East Timor's Leaders To Work For Security, Wellbeing Of Their People By Gerard O'Connell, Special Correspondent in Rome VATICAN CITY (UCAN) -- Pope Benedict XVI has made a passionate appeal to the authorities in Timor Leste "to do everything possible to restore public order effectively, using legal means, and to ensure security for citizens." He made his appeal on May 21, when welcoming Ambassador Justino Maria Aparicio Gutteres, 61, the first ambassador from the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste (East Timor) to the Holy See. The pope commented positively on the "enormous turnout" in the May 11 election that brought President Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to office. He said this "demonstrated the great civic maturity of the Timorese people, and the hope they have in the process of constructing a democratic state." He prayed that the new "representatives and servants" of the Timorese people -- both the president and lawmakers to be elected in June -- "would commit themselves to the progressive democratization of society, seeking to increase the participation of all the groups in public life." Recalling recent violence, which he called a "grave crisis created by the desperation of the one side and the impatience of the other," he said these dynamics caused upheaval "and made reappear in the collective soul the ghosts of the past, in the forms of fear, suspicion and division." He hoped that the government and the opposition would embrace dialogue and collaboration, "avoiding the temptation to abandon themselves to confrontation with the political adversary." Any such confrontation, he continued, besides being morally unacceptable, would "be prejudicial to the consolidation of a correct democratic dialectic and the integral development of all the citizens of the country." About 96 percent of the people in the former Portuguese colony, which was under Indonesian rule 1975-1999, are Catholics. Timor Leste officially established diplomatic relations with the Holy See on May 20, 2002, the day it became an independent nation. Pope Benedict delivered his address welcoming Gutteres in Portuguese. The pope acknowledged that besides the divisions that have troubled Timor Leste, its "resources are insufficient to answer the many needs of health, education and employment." He assured the government, through the ambassador, that the people's 400-year-old history of Christian faith, together with their Church's pastoral guidance, will encourage them "to collaborate in favor of progress and the common good," without neglecting "the poorest and least privileged." The 80-year-old pope added approvingly that the Timor Leste bishops have not ceased to tell their people that "the high road to a future of peace and prosperity lies in the rejection of violence and resentment, and the offering of pardon and reconciliation." He said that on Easter, May 8, he had joined his voice to theirs in asking the Risen Christ to help this country which needs "peace and reconciliation." Pope Benedict went on to appeal to Timor Leste authorities "to do everything possible to restore public order effectively, using legal means, and to ensure security for the citizens in their daily lives." Noting that the state is called to be "the primary guarantor of the freedoms and rights of the human person," he told the Timorese authorities that they would instill confidence among their citizens by "paying attention to human rights" and ensuring that these are protected. The theologian-pope explained that the Church works for human development primarily "by enlightening the moral conscience of political, economic and financial leaders," and by highlighting "the principle of solidarity as the basis for a true economy of communion and distribution of wealth." This solidarity is shown "by means of technical assistance and appropriate training," he added. "It is vital to help those countries that are coming out of difficult periods to support democratic institutions, and to use their wealth for the good of all the inhabitants." He appealed to the United Nations as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations "not to abandon" Timor Leste's people. Pope Benedict assured the government that the Church in Timor Leste -- bishops, clergy, Religious and laypeople -- "will tirelessly continue their mission of evangelization, assistance and charity," including educational services "to those who are most in need." The ambassador, in his address, invited Pope Benedict to visit East Timor, which he said "would be an immeasurable joy for our people." END Related UCAN Reports EAST TIMOR Gusmao Appoints First Ambassador To Vatican, Invites Pope To Visit (April 30, 2007)