President of the U.S. Bishops Says holocaust denial 'deeply offensive and utterly false'
WASHINGTON—The President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called remarks denying the Holocaust by Bishop Richard Williamson of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, “deeply offensive and utterly false.”
The assessment came in a February 3 statement by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, USCCB President.
The Holocaust denial by Bishop Williamson was widely publicized after Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication upon the bishops of the St. Pius X Society.
Cardinal George’s statement follows:
Statement of Cardinal Francis George, President USCCB
Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the personal penalty of excommunication incurred by four schismatic bishops belonging to the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. This gesture on the part of the Holy Father was an act of mercy and personal concern for the ordained and lay members of this Society and was meant to coincide with the fiftieth commemoration of the convening of the Second Vatican Council.
The Holy Father’s lifting of the excommunications is but a first step toward receiving these four bishops, and the priests who serve under them, back into full communion with the Catholic Church. If these bishops are to exercise their ministry as true teachers and pastors of the Catholic Church, they, like all Catholic bishops, will have to give their assent to all that the Church professes, including the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
As is now widely known, one of the four bishops, Richard Williamson, has recently made some deeply offensive and utterly false statements about the Holocaust of the Second World War. Bishop Williamson has denied historical facts about the Shoah, in which six million Jews were cruelly annihilated, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hatred. These comments have evoked understandable outrage from within the Jewish community and also from among our own Catholic people. No Catholic, whether lay person, priest or bishop can ever negate the memory of the Shoah, just as no Catholic should ever tolerate expressions of anti-Semitism and religious bigotry.
I make my own the words of the Holy Father spoken at the General Audience on January 28, 2009: “[May] the Shoah show both old and new generations that only the arduous path of listening and dialogue, of love and forgiveness, can lead peoples, cultures and religions of the world to the longed-for goal of fraternity and peace, in truth. May violence never again humiliate man's dignity.” We Catholic bishops in the United States are as committed as ever to building bonds of trust and mutual understanding with our elder brothers and sisters, the Jewish people, so that together with them we may be a blessing to the world.
– Francis Cardinal George

Catholic campaign for human development ends all funding to ACORN

Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the national anti-poverty program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has ended all funding to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Catholic Campaign for Human Development, announced in a Nov. 11, 2008, report at the USCCB Fall General Assembly.
CCHD cut off funding to all ACORN groups when we learned about a major case of embezzlement eight years ago, which raised serious concerns about national ACORN’s financial accountability, transparency, governance and organizational integrity. Even though CCHD was only funding local ACORN organizations, and not these national structures, we felt it was necessary to cut off CCHD funding and review support of all ACORN groups.
More recently, the subcommittee also became concerned about widespread reports of ACORN involvement in alleged voter registration fraud and political partisanship. As a result of the cut-off earlier this year, no CCHD funds were involved in any of these activities,” Mortin wrote in a letter.

Iraqi prelate urges Obama to help minorities

WArchbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad told the charity group Aid to the Church in Need it is important for the United States and President-elect Barack Obama to “help protect minority rights in Iraq. Pressure needs to be put on the government in Iraq to respect the needs not only of Christians, but of all minorities.”
The prelate’s comments came in the wake of more allegations that there was political involvement in the mass exodus of Christians from Mosul in November. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Parliament announced Nov. 3, 2008 that only six seats would be allocated for minority groups in the provincial elections scheduled for January. Three of those seats – out of a total of more than 400 – are for Christians.
“I hope that the United States will encourage Iraq to improve and become a country where the rule of law is upheld, where there is equality and where human rights are at the heart of the Constitution,” Archbishop Sleiman said. The prelate stated Christians need more protection, noting some 1,500 of the 15,000 who fled Mosul have returned, despite fears of ongoing threats and intimidation.
“The political parties here are not concerned about the rights of minorities,” he affirmed. “They think more about their own tactics and strategies.” His comments coincide with a statement last month from Iraqi bishops who said the “tragic events in Mosul” were “part of a political plan” aimed at the “division and fragmentation of the country.”

Japan’s martyrs beatified

The church in Japan mobilized 2,500 volunteers to assist at events surrounding the beatification of 188 of the country’s martyrs on Nov. 24, 2008
The beatification ceremony for the 17th-century martyrs was presided over by Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, retired archbishop of Tokyo. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, retired prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, was Pope Benedict XVI’s special envoy for the event.
Ceremony coordinator Friar Isao Hashimoto explained that it has been necessary to mobilize the whole diocese, given that attendance “has surpassed the initial estimates.”

1. Becket fund for religious liberty honors Archbishop Chaput
   Archbishop Charles Chaput’s defense of the faith and action on behalf of religion in the public sector will be recognized with the
   Canterbury Medal.

2. Cyprus hosts international meeting of prayer for peace
   This year’s International Meeting of Prayer for Peace was co-sponsored by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. These annual international meetings are the heritage of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened in Assisi by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 27, 1986.

3. Poll shows overwhelming support among Catholics for immigration reform
   A recent Zogby poll of Catholics nationwide showed overwhelming support for reform of our nation’s immigration laws, with Catholics supporting a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented persons in the country.

4. Pope names Msgr. Barry Knestout auxiliary bishop of Washington
   Pope Benedict XVI named Msgr. Barry C. Knestout as auxiliary bishop of Washington. Bishop-elect Knestout has been moderator of the curia and vicar for administration for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2007.

5. Bishops approve blessing for child in the womb
   The U.S. bishops approved a liturgical service in English and Spanish for blessing a child in the womb for use in the dioceses of the United States at the November General Assembly in Baltimore.

6. Catholic University national collection raises $6 million
   The Catholic University of America’s annual national collection for the university raised almost $6 million – the largest collection in the school’s history.

7. Bishops choose the Revised Grail Psalter for liturgical use
   The U.S. bishops chose the Revised Grail Psalter produced by the monks of Conception Abbey in Missouri over the Revised New American Bible translation of the Book of Psalms for liturgical use in the U.S.

8. Two Iraqi Christian women murdered in their Mosul home
   Two Christian women were shot and killed in their home in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where recent anti-Christian violence has left more than 15 dead and forced approximately 15,000 to flee.

9. Obama phones pope to thank him for congratulatory message
   U.S. President-elect Barack Obama telephoned Pope Benedict XVI to thank the pope for his message of congratulations on his election victory.

10. Zambian police arrest priest-manager of Catholic radio station
    Police in Zambia have arrested the Catholic Church’s Radio Icengelo station manager, Father Frank Bwalya, over a post-election phone-in program aired by the community radio station.