BA02504.1446 May 23, 2007 51 EM-lines (555 words) BANGLADESH    Adults Asked To Help Children Use Media More Discerningly DHAKA (UCAN) -- Church leaders urged parents and teachers to guide children in their use of media during a celebration of World Communications Day at the Dhaka cathedral. "Most of the time, children watch TV or listen to the radio and accept all the information as true, and hence are misguided," retired Bishop Linus Gomes said in his homily during a special Mass on May 20. The Bengali Jesuit prelate, who was born in what is now Bangladesh and now resides in Dhaka, served as bishop of Baruipur diocese in eastern India from 1977 to 1995. He advised parents and teachers to be aware of and sensitive to media content so they can guide their young charges on appropriate viewing of programs. He also urged media content makers to create programs that promote children's personal growth. Monsignor Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal, first secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bangladesh, and Father Kamal Corraya, chairperson of the Bangladesh Catholic Press Association (BCPA), concelebrated the Mass. The BCPA and Episcopal Commission for Social Communication organized the celebration, which also included a discussion program attended by about 100 children and adult parishioners. During the discussion, Monsignor Vayalunkal highlighted Pope Benedict XVI's message Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education, the theme for the 41st World Communications Day. Through it the pope is inviting Catholics "to ponder on the formation of children and formation of the media," he said. "Very often, children are the victims of many of the bad elements in the media," he observed, citing violent movies, game shows, provocative or lewd content and Internet pornography. Many media products even target them, he added, because it is "easy to manipulate the innocence of the children." Holy Cross Father Bokul Rozario, BCPA general secretary, told the gathering, "This is the time to seriously think about children's formation, as media's negative aspects influence them a lot, and they risk growing up without moral and spiritual values." He stressed adults need to "build awareness among the children of the good and bad elements in the media." Some parents who attended the day's activities told UCA News about how they try to guide their children's use of radio and television. Sheuly Costa, a Church worker in Dhaka, said she works long hours and is often unable to monitor the viewing habits of her college-going daughter and younger son. Nevertheless, she advises them not to get addicted to TV programs, and to concentrate on what they want to do in life. Sima Rozario, a housewife, said she is aware of the positive and negative effects of media, and encourages her daughter "to be devoted" to her studies as well as her cultural pursuits. Her daughter, Tory, a second-grade student at Holy Cross Girls' School, added that she watches cable TV programs such as cartoons on the Cartoon Network channel and serials on the Star World channel. She also takes dance lessons and has performed on several TV shows. Father Corraya told UCA News parishes in Bangladesh observed World Communications Day around May 20, following the theme set by the pope. The bishops' commission published a notice in the May 6-12 edition of Pratibeshi (neighbor), the weekly Bengali Church publication, stressing the need for people and organizations, including children, parishioners and parish councils, to observe this special day. Father Corraya is chief editor. END Related UCAN Reports BANGLADESH Priests And Religious Benefit From Workshop On Media Relations (July 25, 2006) BANGLADESH Christian Writers Urged To Participate In National Media (July 27, 2005) BANGLADESH Church Media Promote Forgiveness And Peace For Lent, Easter (April 5, 2004) ET02524.1446 May 23, 2007 50 EM-lines (547 words) EAST TIMOR    New President Stresses Close Ties With Church, Vatican DILI (UCAN) -- Newly elected President Jose Ramos-Horta pledged to work closely with the Catholic Church at his swearing-in ceremony on May 20. Dressed in his customary black suit, rather than the "Jesus" T-shirt he wore during his campaign, Ramos-Horta said: "As we all know, the Catholic Church has been with the people of this country for centuries. It stands for human education and has been a part of our culture." The president stressed that many times during his campaign, he told the people, "I have three leaders -- our pope in Rome and our two bishops." He was referring to Bishops Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau and Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili. Ramos-Horta, 57, was an independent who won 69 percent of the votes in the May 9 race against Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres of the Fretilin party for the position of president, a largely ceremonial post. Parliamentary elections, which will yield the next prime minister, are scheduled on June 30. Fretilin is the political wing of the guerrilla movement that fought the Indonesian occupation before the country won independence in 2002. The president called for peace in this small, predominantly Catholic and violence-plagued country. The latest wave of violence was touched off in April 2006, following a dispute within the army that involved charges of regional discrimination. "I ask youths to leave violence and put down your weapons," the president said. "If you don't do so, when can we live in peace?" he asked. Hours after he took office, a clash of stone-throwing youths in the capital left one man dead and several others wounded, police and hospital officials said. United Nations peacekeepers were deployed to help restore order. Bishops do Nascimento and da Silva, who attended the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament House, congratulated the president and urged all people to work together to restore peace. "The Catholic Church will collaborate with him (Ramos-Horta) to develop this country," said Bishop da Silva told UCA News the same day. He also congratulated the people for their part in the peaceful elections. "You have shown to the world we can live in peace, and I would ask you to continue for the parliamentary election to come on June 30," the bishop said. Bishop do Nascimento told UCA News he is optimistic about Ramos-Horta's leadership. "I believe he can lead this country to a better future. He is a well-known diplomat, so he can solve the crisis in the country. And the Church will collaborate with him to develop peace and calm in the country," the bishop said. Father Jose Filipe of the Justice and Peace Commission of Dili diocese told UCA News the new president will foster good relations between Church and state. According to the 32-year-old priest, relations between the Church and the government were not harmonious in the years under the country's first prime minister, Mari Alkatiri. Media reported that Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is viewed as keen to maintain good ties with neighboring Australia, and he stressed the importance of the Catholic Church in his election campaign. He wore a T-shirt with an image of Jesus Christ on it, used posters of himself and the bishop of Dili, and reportedly promised that he would allocate US$10 million annually to the Church. END Related UCAN Reports VATICAN Pope Urges East Timor's Leaders To Work For Security, Wellbeing Of Their People (May 22, 2007) EAST TIMOR Gusmao Appoints First Ambassador To Vatican, Invites Pope To Visit (April 30, 2007) EAST TIMOR Church Urges Conscientious Voting As Presidential Campaign Begins (March 28, 2007) EAST TIMOR Prime Minister Asks Church To Be Mediator Between Government And Rebels (March 14, 2007) IE02517.1446 May 23, 2007 72 EM-lines (699 words) INDIA    Church Peace Team Seeks Ways To Fight Corruption In Northeast India GUWAHATI, India (UCAN) -- An ecumenical team working for peace in troubled northeastern India has focused attention on the need to end corruption, which it says is intrinsically related to violence in the region. The Joint Peace Team that organized the May 17-19 program has Catholic and Protestant leaders as members. During the past decade it has intervened to end several ethnic clashes in the region. Speakers at the program called for integrity in public life as a way to end socio-religious problems local people face. The meeting in Assam state was held in Joypur, near the regional business hub of Guwahati, 1,900 kilometers east of New Delhi. Insurgency, internecine clashes and poverty have troubled the seven northeastern states. Various tribal groups dominate the region, which differs ethnically, economically and socially from the rest of India. Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, a Joint Peace Team leader, told UCA News the peace team has "successfully intervened" in several interethnic clashes in the past decade. From their experience, the Salesian prelate said, team members have realized that "corruption leads to violence and violence leads to (more) corruption." This has motivated the team to hold in-depth discussions on ethics in public life, responsible citizenship and the Christian commitment to social well-being. The region has a high Christian concentration for India. Its 6.22 million Christians form almost 17 percent of 38.3 million people, while Christians comprise only a little more than 2 percent of the national population. Moreover, tribal Christians are the majority in Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya, where underground groups wage armed struggles for ethnic superiority and self-determination. The other states in the region are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura. Christian Churches are blamed for tolerating or at times aiding what their detractors call "Christian terrorism," but Church workers in the region say people value their ethnicity more than religion. Reverend P.B.M. Basaiawmoit, spokesperson of the Joint Peace Team and a member of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Presbyterian Church of India, told UCA News, "It was clear that soul searching was called for on the part of every citizen and every sector of society." During the meeting, participants said corruption is inherent in almost all the ills of the region such as bribery, exploitation of weaker tribes, uneven distribution of government funds and extortion by armed youth groups. The speakers also saw corruption in poorly maintained roads, false promises by politicians, poll rigging, disappearance of government records, non-existent schools paying salaries, nepotism, exam cheating, tampering of official documents, false news reporting and the penalizing of honest officers. Participants agreed to continue the discussion to draw public attention to corruption and propose responses to particular cases. Public opinion can be formed over time, they said. They also resolved to pressure elected representatives and government officers to be "upright and committed in discharging their responsibilities." Rewarding honest civil servants would encourage colleagues to act honestly too, they added. Church leaders have a special duty to inculcate values among their people and in society, participants agreed, adding that Churches should also educate young people in values. The peace team wants a multi-pronged approach to handle corruption, and has decided to study the problem from Christian, cultural and tribal points of view, aside from national and global perspectives, Reverend Basaiawmoit said. The Christian Churches in the region can take the cue from what their counterparts in other countries have done to promote integrity in various contexts, he added. Archbishop Menamparampil, who began working in the region four decades ago as a seminarian, said the team aimed not to single out anyone in power, but to begin a debate "so that we seek remedies through intelligent and far-sighted self-criticism." Corruption grew in society only through social connivance, said the archbishop, who took the initiative to organize the discussion. He said he wants alertness "on the part of every citizen" and highlighted the corresponding "need for values education." Five Catholic bishops, priests and nuns, as well as leaders from the Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches, and the Church of North India, attended the discussion. Representatives from Christian organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Church Auxiliary for Social Action and World Vision also took part. END Related UCAN Reports INDIA Presbyterian Minister Brokers Peace Between Government And Militants (July 15, 2005) INDIA Fresh Killings Disrupt Church Peace Drive To End Ethnic Violence (March 29, 2004) INDIA UCAN Commentary - Churches Wrongly Blamed For Unrest In Northeast (March 8, 2004) INDIA Christian Churches Jointly Seek Peace In Troubled Northeastern India (October 16, 2003) KO02503.1446 May 23, 2007 47 EM-lines (513 words) KOREA    Forty-Year-Old Encyclical A Beacon For Korean Church SEOUL (UCAN) -- The Church in South Korea now has a large responsibility to help the world's poor, say Catholic leaders at a seminar on Populorum Progressio, a landmark encyclical on fostering people-centered development. According to Polycarp Choe Jae-seon, a presenter at the seminar, the encyclical had directed wealthy countries in Western Europe to help the poor in the spirit of solidarity. "Forty years ago Koreans were poor. Since our country has became rich, the encyclical now tells us to do the same." Around 150 priests, Religious and laypeople joined the May 18 seminar organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea's Committee for Justice and Peace at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. The seminar, entitled Poverty in the World, What Should the Church Do?, commemorated the 40th year of the encyclical Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples), issued by Pope Paul VI on March 26, 1967. Choe, a former secretary of Caritas Corea, the local Church's social-service arm, said the encyclical is the Church's first document to deal with poverty at the global level. He told UCA News on May 17 that the encyclical pointed to flawed economic or social structures that cause poverty and called for changes in these systems. "Such a suggestion was a new insight the Church had never offered before," he said. To implement the encyclical, Father Peter Lee Kang-suh, president of the Catholic Urban Poor Pastoral Committee of Seoul archdiocese, suggested cultivating a spirituality of poverty. "With a frugal way of life, we should form a solidarity with poor people and take part in their economic hardships." On the other hand, Father Michael Lee Chang-jun, director of Caritas Corea who also spoke at the seminar, stressed development aid to poor countries. Father Hugo Park Jung-woo, secretary of the bishops' justice and peace committee told UCA News on May 21 the encyclical stressed that developed countries have a responsibility to eradicate poverty and show solidarity with poor countries. Following the encyclical, many developed countries set up overseas aid organizations to aid poor countries, he said. "Now, it is time for Korea, a recipient from developed countries in the past, to reach out to help other poor countries," he added. Kim Mee-gon, another resource person at the seminar, cited United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization statistics for 2005 showing that one child under 10 years dies of starvation every five seconds. "But a fourth of the world's corn is consumed by cows in wealthy countries," said the director of social security research at the government's Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. "Richer countries have stronger bargaining power than do poorer countries. In a world of unregulated competition, wealth will remain concentrated in the hands of the richer countries," he said. In the encyclical, Pope Paul VI defined development as a measure "for each and all, the transition from less human conditions to those which are more human." He pointed out that "in order to be authentic, it (development) must be complete: integral, that is, it has to promote the good of every person and of the whole person." END Related UCAN Reports KOREA Caritas Corea Head Pleads For More Generosity From Koreans (January 18, 2007) ASIA 'Populorum Progressio Still Relevant,' Say Church Workers In East Asia (November 8, 2006) KOREA Forgiveness, Justice Affirmed As Keys For Promoting Peace, Preventing Terrorism (May 29, 2006) KOREA Church Called To Practice Option For The Poor (July 4, 2005) KO02520.1446 May 23, 2007 60 EM-lines (664 words) KOREA    Priests Go On Hunger Strike To Protest Jeju Naval Base Plan, Church Urges Referendum SEOUL (UCAN) -- After the governor of Jeju agreed to accept a controversial naval base on the island province, local priests went on a hunger strike and their bishop wrote an open letter to South Korea's president urging a referendum on the plan. On May 21, about 40 priests of Cheju diocese organized a Mass for peace on the island off the Korean peninsula's southern coast. Afterward, 18 of them joined four colleagues on the third day of a hunger strike against the base. Cheju is the former spelling of Jeju. During the Mass at Chungang Cathedral in Jeju city, Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju read out his open letter to President Roh Moo-hyon in front of approximately 1,000 Catholics. Governor Kim Tae-hwan of Jeju had announced on May 14 that he accepted the Ministry of National Defense's plan to construct a naval base on the southern part of the island, despite opposition from some local residents, civic activists and the Catholic Church. His decision was publicized together with results of a survey of residents. According to the survey, 54.3 percent of 1,500 respondents supported the plan while 38.2 percent opposed it. The rest were "neutral" or had "no opinion." The planned 400,000-square-meter base would be home to a new fleet of destroyers equipped with Aegis guided-missile systems. They would patrol the East China Sea between China and Japan. Jeju lies 450 kilometers south of Seoul. Father John Ko Byeong-soo, diocesan pastoral director, told UCA News on May 21: "Our hunger strike shows our resolve to oppose the base, which will destroy peace on the island. The governor made a wrong decision that does not correspond with the opinion of Jeju people as a whole." He and three other priests started the hunger strike on May 18, consuming only water, salt and tea. The others joined them after the May 21 Mass. The statement they released in the name of all priests in Cheju diocese labeled the governor's decision unreasonable. They argued that though it was based on a survey, most local people don't have enough information on the naval base plan. In his open letter, Bishop Kang asked Roh to "correct" the decision by holding a regional referendum after enough time has been given for people to get adequate information on the base plan. "Many people are worried about the future of Jeju. They argue that the governor's decision is invalid since the poll lacks objectivity, fairness and reliability," the letter says. It repeatedly mentions the deep scar local people have carried since the April 3 Incident almost 60 years ago as well as the government's designation of Jeju as "Island of Peace." About 30,000 local people in Jeju were massacred by the police and military during an anti-communist operation beginning on April 3, 1948. In 2005 President Roh proclaimed Jeju "Island of Peace." Bishop Kang insisted in his letter that the "arms race is a fatal plague for humans," and that it is the poor who suffer the most. "When we develop the island as a base for peace, not a military base, new prospects will open to build a solid foundation for authentic peace and national security," the bishop asserted. Earlier, on May 5, Bishop Kang issued a message to all Catholics in his diocese. The Church teaches that building up arms cannot bring peace, he reminded them. Koh Yoo-ki, chief secretary of Jeju Solidarity for Participatory Self-government and Environmental Preservation, a civic group that opposes the naval base, supports a regional referendum as the best choice for a decision on the naval base. "Currently, local people are sharply divided and distrust is rising," he told UCA News on May 22. "But the people will obey the referendum if it is made after enough information on the naval base is given to all in Jeju." Even if the government does not agree to the referendum, he said, "no national policy can be more important than the opinion of the people." END (Accompanying photos available with the UCAN Photo Service. Use story code KO02520.1446 or a person's name to search for related photos.) Related UCAN Reports KOREA Bishop Voices Opposition To Planned Naval Base On Southern Island (May 10, 2007) KOREA Protesters Against Naval Base Plan Arrested, Then Released (April 20, 2007) KOREA Church, Jeju Island Group Admit Both Sides At Fault In Century-Old Tragedy (November 18, 2003) KOREA 2,000 Protest Against Proposed Military Airport Construction On Cheju (October 18, 1988) PA02499.1446 May 23, 2007 64 EM-lines (687 words) PAKISTAN    Bishop Requests Prayers For Threatened Christians In Northern Province CHARSADDA, Pakistan (UCAN) -- The bishop of a northern diocese has called on Catholics to pray for Christians threatened with death if they do not convert to Islam or leave town. Bishop Anthony Lobo of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, in a May 18 letter to the country's clergy, Religious and laity, called for the intervention of the Holy Spirit and for prayer in the wake of threats made in an anonymous letter against a small Christian community in Charsadda town, North West Frontier province. The town's Christians are in a state of panic following the threatening letter received on May 7 by Michael John, a Christian union councilor, in his courtyard. The handwritten message in Urdu, the national language, to the local Christian politician states: "May peace be on you. It is stated after salaam (peace) that all Christians are informed, either become Muslims within 10 days and shut down churches, or leave Charsadda. Or else you will be executed and we shall act with a bomb. Do not complain then that you were not informed." On May 17, the deadline, the contents of the letter were written again on a wall in front of the Pentecostal Biblee Church, this time the threat signed by Anjuman-e-Taliban Dhamaka Khez, or Taliban bomb-blast organization. Police officers were sent to guard this and another Protestant church in the area. "Recently rivers of blood have been flowing in Karachi, Peshawar and elsewhere," the bishop said in his pastoral letter. "To heal this at the root requires that feelings of hatred and revenge which lead to violence and terrorism must be transformed with the Light and Love of the Holy Spirit." The pastoral letter was read out on May 20 in churches across the diocese, which includes Charsadda, about 130 kilometers northwest of Islamabad. The area has about 500 Christians. Pastor Prem Samuel of Biblee Church told UCA News local Christians have been sending their women and children to relatives in other provinces. Although "our tension is increasing with each passing day," he said, others are not willing to leave, for fear that their houses would be looted. About 50 people have left so far. Bishop Lobo, in his pastoral letter, also said, "We are making all efforts to assist the others who have no possibility of taking refuge elsewhere and are looking to us to help them." The threat came in the wake of bomb attacks in recent months on music shops and barbershops in North West Frontier province. Unidentified people calling themselves Mujahideen-e-Islam, or Soldiers of Islam, left threatening notes to shopkeepers, with deadlines for closing their "un-Islamic" businesses. The day the Christian councilor received the threat, a group of local Christians went to the police station to call for security. According to Pastor Samuel, Sajjad Ali, deputy superintendent of police, ridiculed the application saying, "this threatening letter is nothing but a joke, therefore you must not bother about it." At a press conference in the Charsadda press club the same day, Christians stressed they are Pakistani citizens. "We can die but will not change our creed or leave the place," one of them said. Officials from several Christian organizations, including All Pakistan Minority Alliance (APMA) and Christian Study Center, have been holding regular meetings with local leaders. APMA also organized a May 16 press conference in Islamabad, where Bishop Lobo told journalists, "It must be remembered that no religion can be propagated by the use of the sword." In his address, APMA chairman Shahbaz Bhatti said minorities were being victimized by the growing "Talibanization" in the country, particularly in North West Frontier province. He also blamed the local government for encouraging extremist elements. Remnants of the deposed Taliban regime in Afghanistan are reported to have regrouped in Pakistan's border tribal territories. Church groups and "moderate" Muslims have expressed concern about the growth of militant Muslim groups. "We are taking this threat seriously because of the recent explosions (triggered) by self-styled Shari'a (Islamic law) imposers," he said, referring to those trying to use coercive means to force non-Muslims to embrace Islam. He insisted that this was against the teachings and spirit of Islam. END Related UCAN Reports PAKISTAN Church, NGOs Join Women's Protest Against Religious Militancy (April 23, 2007) PAKISTAN Christians Attacked, Others Charged With Blasphemy On Palm Sunday (April 11, 2007) PAKISTAN Church Commission Raises Voice Against Eviction Of Christian Peasants (February 19, 2007) PAKISTAN Church, Christian Homes Attacked (August 23, 2006) PL02515.1446 May 23, 2007 63 EM-lines (666 words) PHILIPPINES    Habitat Project For The Poor Draws Help From Near And Far PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- A housing project for poor Filipinos in Palawan province has encouraged volunteerism from local Church, civic and government organizations and from foreign schools. Zion Puerto Princesa Habitat for Humanity (Zion Habitat) has built and awarded 85 housing units to needy families in a village of Puerto Princesa City, 580 kilometers southwest of Manila. Fisherman Juanito dela Cruz, 54, told UCA News that all his life he lived in a makeshift structure with only rotten nipa palm fronds for a roof in Barangay (village) Bahile. He said the village had no potable water or electricity, and roads to the city proper were impassable. That changed when Zion Habitat provided funds and manpower to construct houses for poor families. Vicky De Guzman, Zion Habitat's acting president, told UCA News the organization aims to "help eliminate poverty in the province." Zion Habitat is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity Philippines Foundation, Inc. (HHPFI). At the community level, HHPFI works through independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations such as Zion Habitat. Habitat houses are sold to home partner families at no profit, according to the HHPFI website. The home partners pay off the houses through affordable, zero-interest, inflation-adjusted mortgages. These monthly payments are pooled into a Fund for Humanity used to build other houses. St. Ezequiel Moreno Parish, in nearby Barangay Macarascas, is helping women beneficiaries of the Habitat project in Bahile earn a living through a weaving project, according to Zion Habitat director Evelyn Loor. The women learn to weave fiber from pineapple leaves, then use the fiber to make and sell clothes, table runners, tablecloths and place mats. Father Christian Sabili, the parish priest, told UCA News he had been visiting the Habitat villagers frequently for weekly values-training sessions. "We stay and dine with our parishioners and these things mean so much to them," he added. The priest said that seeing the inspiration local and foreign volunteers brought to the people encouraged him to see how he could serve them better. Zion Habitat and HHPFI have been recruiting volunteer workers, including youth at Catholic international schools, to help with the housing projects. In March, 25 students from Saint Mary's International School in Tokyo spent a week in Bahile helping to build housing units. Marek Strzepek, 16, shared with UCA News that his involvement made him more aware of how other people live. The youth said his stay in the village changed his view of life and he wants to help more people in other parts of the world. Jose Liggayu, a Filipino teacher at Saint Mary's who accompanied the students, said their visit will help them develop Christian values, such as perseverance and kindness. A group from Seoul National University visited in January and worked alongside other volunteers and future homeowners to construct two houses. Won Kim, 25, who led the Korean team, acknowledged that being a volunteer was "not easy." Besides the "tough" screening procedures for volunteers, most of those selected had never done construction work. According to Won, only 20 volunteers were chosen from 500 applicants. The Korean delegates stayed for 10 days with "home partners" in the village. De Guzman said they were "happy" that volunteers come to the province to join in the project. She noted that volunteers pay most of their expenditures. Amelita Lustre, Zion Habitat treasurer, told UCA News the foundation also receives $200 dollars (9,200 pesos) from each of the volunteers as a donation. Along with the construction work and funding, she continued, "the volunteers staying in the village is another way of establishing goodwill." Remedios Valencia, Zion Habitat board secretary, cited assistance from other organizations. She said the local city government provided 13.7 hectares for the Habitat houses, and civic organizations such as the Rotary Club provided funds for construction as well as community development. The Rotary Club of Puerto Princesa arranged potable water. The Land Bank of the Philippines donated one housing unit and provided volunteer workers, and the provincial government helped with electrification. END Related UCAN Reports PHILIPPINES Poor Women Benefit From Parish Livelihood Project (May 3, 2007) PHILIPPINES War Victims Help Others Ravaged By Typhoon (November 16, 2001) PHILIPPINES Love For Homeless, Youth And Elderly Highlighted For Pope's Birthday (May 23, 2000) PHILIPPINES Jimmy Carter Leads Volunteers In Building Houses For The Poor (March 26, 1999) PHILIPPINES UCAN Interview - 'Churches Do Not Do Enough To House The Poor' (March 26, 1999) SR02507.1446 May 23, 2007 60 EM-lines (628 words) SRI LANKA    Priest's Action Underscores Church Stand Against Abductions COLOMBO (UCAN) -- A series of abductions involving white vans has been sending shivers through Sri Lanka's capital. With more than 140 people abducted since the beginning of April and at least 18 of them killed, the Catholic Church found the phenomenon impossible to ignore and issued statements condemning it. One priest went a step further and intervened in an abduction. Father Alfred Alexander saw a group of men, talking in Sinhalese and Tamil, dragging a young man into a white van in broad daylight on April 16 in a Colombo suburb. Father Alexander protested as they forced the 20-year-old youth, who had just walked out of a bank, to the vehicle. The priest then entered the van himself and demanded that the men release the youth. Father Alexander told UCA News he even offered to take the young man's place. With such a commotion, he recounted, bystanders began to crowd around, and the abductors gave up and drove off. "I know these things are happening in Colombo and around the country, but here I came across an incident before my own eyes," Father Alexander said. The 67-year-old priest formerly headed his Blessed Sacrament community in Sri Lanka. He has earned a reputation for standing against injustice and human rights violations in this country, plagued by civil war between Tamil rebels and the Sinhalese-led government. Concerning what are known as the "white van abductions," he said the Church "must take the initiative to act against this evil." The country's Catholic bishops have called attention to what at least one newspaper has called a "growing menace." "The Catholic Bishops' Conference has so far issued a number of statements protesting this situation," Father Leopold Ratnasekera, assistant secretary general of the conference, told UCA News, "As the Church, we strongly condemn these abductions and all other types of human rights violations," the Oblate priest added. The international NGOs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both expressed concern about the abductions. Amnesty published a press release on the April 16 abduction attempt. Government spokespeople blame gangsters and army deserters, and say the police are investigating, but this has done little to stop rampant speculation and questions about who is behind the abductions. Sinhalese are the majority in the capital area, while most abduction targets have been Tamils, according to the non-governmental Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC). Father Alexander has his own explanation. "A set of misguided youth working with the support of the police forces are behind these acts," he said. "They need to think: if a member of their own family is abducted like this, how would they react? Unfortunately we are living in a culture where people seem to be immune to the pain, hurt and suffering they cause." CMC chairman Sirithunga Jayasuriya told UCA News his organization focuses mainly on Colombo, which has high-security zones and which the government claims is safe compared to the violence-wracked north and east. According to CMC statistics, 142 abductions have taken place since April 1. Of those people, 16 were ransomed and released and 18 were murdered. "The rest just vanished into thin air without any clues," said the CMC chairman. "Family members know nothing; neither does anybody else." The Church, meanwhile, also has concerns about disappearances elsewhere. Father Nihal Jim Brown and lay assistant Wenceslaus Vimalathas, both of St. Philip Neri's Church, disappeared on Aug. 20 in the Jaffna area, on the peninsula that forms the island's northernmost extent. The case reportedly was raised when Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone at the Vatican April 20. According to Jayasuriya, no progress has been made on the case, but a body has been found that remains unidentified and could be the priest's. END Related UCAN Reports SRI LANKA 'War And Violence Continue' After President's Talk With The Pope (May 14, 2007) SRI LANKA Church Calls For Return Of Jaffna Priest (August 29, 2006) SRI LANKA Two Caritas Workers Killed In Blast (April 11, 2006) SRI LANKA Three Catholic Bishops Urge LTTE To Safeguard Cease-fire Agreement (August 5, 2005) SRI LANKA Priest Stabbed To Death In Catholic Town Of Negombo (May 11, 2001) SRI LANKA Blessed Joseph Vaz Canonization Cause Gaining Momentum (April 24, 1996) SRI LANKA Martyred Priest Commemorated On Fifth Anniversary Of Death (December 14, 1992)