Quake shakes residents but doesn't damage parishes or schools
LOS ANGELES --- No damages or losses were reported in parishes or Catholic schools in the southern portion of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from May 17 evening earthquakes that shook Southern California.

"I just found a few pictures crooked this morning in my office, but no other damages in our facilities," Rosemary Libbon, principal of Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, told The Tidings.

"Faculty discussed the event with students because many of them live in Hawthorne or nearby, but none of them reported damages," Libbon added.

A 4.7 magnitude temblor hit at 8:39 p.m. one mile east-southeast from Lennox, a mile north of Hawthorne and a mile south of Inglewood, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A second 3.1 quake followed six minutes later.

"No one has reported any damages and nothing happened to the church, either," said a spokesperson at Hawthorne's St. Joseph Church.

The earthquake was felt for about 10 to 15 seconds in the counties of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and as far as San Diego County. At least 10 aftershocks followed early Monday.

The Associated Press, quoting USGS geophysicist Ken Hudnut, reported the earth tremor "originated 8.4 miles below the surface and appeared consistent with movement on the Newport-Inglewood fault," the same one responsible for the 1933 Long Beach earthquake which registered a 6.4 magnitude.

---Doris Benavides

Bishop Wang, auxiliary in San Francisco, retires at age 75
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius C. Wang of San Francisco, who turned 75 in February. The papal decision was announced May 16 in Washington by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Named a bishop in 2002, he was believed to be the first Chinese-born member of the U.S. hierarchy. Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco announced the pope's acceptance of Bishop Wang's resignation at a May 16 afternoon Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco. The Mass had been planned by the Office of Ethnic Ministries and the Chinese Catholic community to celebrate Bishop Wang's golden jubilee of priesthood and his episcopal retirement. In a May 18 statement, Archbishop Niederauer praised Bishop Wang as "a hardworking and generous servant of the church." Born Feb. 27, 1934, in Beijing, Bishop Wang (pronounced Wong) was the fifth of eight children in a Catholic Chinese family that was descended from a Manchurian emperor, the rulers of the last Chinese dynasty.

U.S. rabbis praise Pope Benedict for remarks on Holocaust during trip
NEW YORK (CNS) --- A group of prominent U.S. rabbis involved in interfaith relations praised Pope Benedict XVI May 12 for his remarks at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem that drew criticism from several Israeli politicians and journalists. At the memorial May 11 the pope called the Holocaust an atrocity that disgraced mankind and said the church is committed to working tirelessly "to ensure that hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again." He met with six Holocaust survivors, who later expressed their appreciation for the pope's gesture. But critics said they were disappointed the German pope made no mention in his talk of the Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust. "I really think it is purposeless to parse every word of the pope, and to read into (his remarks) nuances that were not intended," said Rabbi Gilbert Rosenthal, executive director of the National Council of Synagogues. Rabbi Rosenthal made the comments at a press conference in Manhattan with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York following the spring meeting of the consultation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues.

Help given to immigrants affected by Iowa raid called faith in action
POSTVILLE, Iowa (CNS) --- After the first anniversary observance of the immigration raid in Postville May 12, Archbishop Jerome Hanus of Dubuque said he hoped the event would show the world that faith in Christ ended in action. "We're hoping to show that we take the words of our Scriptures very seriously," he said, "to treat the alien in your midst like your brother or sister, and that when you receive the alien, the foreigner, you are welcoming Christ." A year to the day federal agents descended on Agriprocessors, the town's largest employer and biggest industry, and arrested 389 undocumented immigrant workers, people of all faiths and walks of life gathered in solidarity to show support for those most affected by the raid. More than 650 people attended a day of remembrance at St. Bridget Church. The day's observance began at 10 a.m., the time the raid began. Bells around the town tolled once for each arrested worker. Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religious leaders joined Archbishop Hanus at St. Bridget for a 4 p.m. interfaith prayer vigil and solidarity walk to the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant.

Pope pleads for protection, assistance for Sri Lankan refugees
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- As the government of Sri Lanka declared victory over Tamil separatists engaged in a 26-year battle for independence, Pope Benedict XVI appealed to both sides to protect civilians and asked the international community to provide aid to tens of thousands of refugees. In northern Sri Lanka, there are "thousands of children, women and elderly from whom the war has taken years of life and of hope," the pope said May 17. Speaking during his midday "Regina Coeli" address at the Vatican, the pope asked government and rebel troops to facilitate the evacuation of civilians, guaranteeing their safety. "I also ask humanitarian institutions, including Catholic ones, not to leave anything untried in meeting the urgent need of the refugees for food and medicine," the pope said. The Associated Press May 18 quoted Sri Lankan military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara as saying civilians who had been trapped in the war zone --- 63,000 in all --- had fled to safety during the previous 72 hours. But rebel official Selvarasa Pathmanathan told the AP that the bodies of thousands of wounded and slain civilians lay strewn across the war zone.

Indian Christians pleased with secular alliance victory
NEW DELHI (CNS) --- Christian groups in India said the return of a secular alliance in general elections was a repudiation of sectarianism, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. The Catholic Church is pleased that the Indian voters have made "the right choice" to elect the United Progressive Alliance to lead the country, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India said in a press statement soon after the results were announced May 16. The bishops said they were confident the new government would keep its promise to safeguard the country from sectarian and divisive forces and restore confidence among all people, especially religious minority groups. The bishops said Christians in India have always supported political parties that worked for the welfare of the poor and the oppressed. Prior to the elections they had appealed to people to elect a government that would protect the country's secular principles. The Indian National Congress party led the United Progressive Alliance to victory in the election in what is being seen as a triumph for the president of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi.

Parish visits, prolonged prayer are part of bishop's duty, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Visiting even the most remote parishes, carefully planning homilies and devoting serious time to prayer are all necessary parts of a bishop's ministry, Pope Benedict XVI said. Meeting May 18 with bishops from Peru making their "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses, the pope urged them "to live courageously as disciples and missionaries of the Lord." The pope told the bishops, "Regular pastoral visits to church communities --- including the most remote and humble --- prolonged prayer, careful preparation for preaching and paternal care of priests, families, youths, catechists and other pastoral workers" are all part of being messengers of the good news of salvation. He also told them they must open their own hearts and the hearts of those around them to the needs of the sick, the poor and the suffering, especially those who are unemployed, those who lack adequate health and education and the victims of drug abuse and violence.

Senators urged to keep voucher program that helps low-income families
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- The District of Columbia's public schools "didn't get bad overnight, and they are not going to get better overnight," a student from a Washington Catholic high school said May 13, urging Congress to continue funding a program that helps low-income families send their children to local private schools. Ronald Holassie, a sophomore at Archbishop Carroll High School, was one of two students who testified at a Senate hearing about the importance of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, now in jeopardy since Congress voted to cut funding in March. On May 6, President Barack Obama proposed more funding for students who are already in the scholarship program, but not for new students. The program gives annual scholarships of up to $7,500 to low-income families that allows them to choose a private school for their children. Until the district's public schools improve, students need Opportunity Scholarships, said Holassie, himself a scholarship recipient and the district's deputy youth mayor for legislative affairs.

Religious convictions crucial to U.S. public debate, archbishop says
NEW YORK (CNS) --- Religious convictions must play a role in public debate if America is to remain true to its founding principles, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver told a New York audience May 7. "American public life cannot work as its founders and framers intended if we stick religion in the closet like a dangerously eccentric in-law," the archbishop said in his acceptance speech for the Canterbury Medal, presented annually by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. "America doesn't need to be a 'Christian' country," he added. "But it can't survive without being a nation predisposed and welcoming to religious faith." Archbishop Chaput expressed concern about remarks President Barack Obama made in his inauguration speech about restoring "science to its rightful place" during his administration. He said Obama and his supporters have "stressed his religious credentials many times," and said the president's faith is "one of the factors that made him attractive to voters last fall." The archbishop said, "But from a believer's point of view, that makes the president's confusion about the 'rightful place' of science --- not just in his inaugural remarks, but in many of his words and actions since then --- even more curious."

Church, government have long history of collaboration serving public
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- In a letter responding to the concerns of Ursuline Sister Marie Therese Farjon about whether the government would interfere with the work her nuns had been doing among the poor in New Orleans, the U.S. president assured her the order could count on "all the protection which my office can give it." "The principles of the Constitution and the government of the United States are a sure guarantee ... that your institution will be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules, without interference from the civil authority," he wrote in a May 15 letter. The year was 1804; the president, Thomas Jefferson. That early affirmation that the U.S. government would not interfere in the way a religious institution operates takes on a new meaning these days. While the Obama administration revamps the program of outreach to faith-based and neighborhood organizations, societal changes including the increased acceptance of same-sex marriage are leading church-based agencies to push for conscience clauses that protect faith-based institutions and their employees from requirements that conflict with religious teachings. At a May 6 meeting of diocesan directors of Catholic Charities agencies outside Washington, several directors voiced worries about potential conflicts as more states legalize same-sex marriage, for instance. "That could affect our role in providing adoptions and foster care," said one diocesan director.

On plane to Rome, pope says he found desire for peace in Holy Land
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME (CNS) --- Flying back to Rome after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI offered an instant analysis of his eight-day trip. He told reporters aboard his El Al chartered jet May 15 that the visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories took him to the roots of Christianity and left him with three major impressions. The first, he said, was that he found among Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders a strong desire for cooperation and dialogue --- not as something motivated by political circumstances but seen as a demand of the common faith in God. "To believe in the one God who created all of us ... and to believe that God is love and wants love to be the dominant force in the world implies this necessity of dialogue and collaboration," he said. The pope said he also found a very encouraging ecumenical climate on his stops in the Holy Land, where a multitude of Christian communities live. The third impression, he said, was a yearning for peace.

Prayers offered for assaulted priest and alleged assailant
SINTON, Texas (CNS) --- In an example of the church's prayerful response to violence within its own community, the people of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Sinton gathered in prayer with Corpus Christi Bishop Edmond Carmody May 10 for their parish priest and his alleged assailant. Father Shaji Varghese, administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was stabbed nine times, beaten and kicked allegedly by David Rodriguez after morning Mass at the church May 8. As of May 15, Father Varghese, 42, was reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital and was expected to make a full recovery. Rodriguez, 36, was arrested shortly after the attack and remained in custody. Father Varghese, a native of India, has served at the parish for a year and a half. A diocesan press release stated Rodriguez is "mentally disturbed" and a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In his homily during the Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, which also was rededicated because of the violent act that took place there, Bishop Carmody offered his sympathy, prayers and love to the people because of the traumatic experience they had suffered. He asked them to pray for Father Varghese and Rodriguez "that they both may be healed. We will bear no animosity toward anyone as it would separate us from the Lord."