In Brief

Holy Father's Intentions

Pope John Paul II has announced the following general and missionary intentions for September and October 2001:

September

That the adolescents and young people of the third millennium may discover a profound ideal to give meaning and value to their lives.

That the population of Indonesia, composed of many ethnic groups, languages, cultures, and religions, may increasingly try to build a more democratic and just future in mutual respect and harmony.

October

That we may know how to recognize and respect the cultural and spiritual riches of the different ethnic groups and religious minorities present in every country.

That at the dawn of the third Christian millennium the missionary impetus of the first Pentecost may be renewed.

An Enduring Symbol of Love

Lay Witness (October '98) published the heroics of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, France, who in 1940 rescued 30,000 refugees-including 10,000 Jews-from the Nazis. Michael Hull revisits the life of Sousa Mendes in the following report.

Almost half a century after his death, the forgotten first "Righteous Gentile" of World War II is still working for humanity. Aristides de Sousa Mendes is gaining long overdue recognition in his homeland, across Europe, and in the United Nations community.

The name of this extraordinary lay witness is finally becoming established as a symbol of charity toward one's fellow man. He was a devout Catholic who stood alone with God against tyranny and his own government during the grim summer of 1940 when fascism's thunder clouds darkened continental Europe. He sacrificed his career, good name, and health in the process.

His efforts opened an escape route through neutral Portugal, by which an estimated one million refugees fled to safety from the Nazis during the war. Aristides de Sousa Mendes was the first of the Righteous Gentiles to defy Adolf Hitler's jackbooted hordes-before Raoul Wallenberg, before Oskar Schindler, before Chiune Sugihara.

Later officially ostracized and shunned in dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar's Portugal, Sousa Mendes' name was virtually unknown in the English-speaking world until Lay Witness revealed his exploits in an article by Maria Julia Cirurgiao and myself in October 1998. Recognition was a long time coming for this humanitarian who gave up everything for his fellow man and who died in poverty and obscurity, sustained only by his faith.

After a long struggle spearheaded by his youngest son, John Paul Abranches of Pleasanton, California, and other family members, the Portuguese government got around to restoring the name of Aristides de Sousa Mendes. Efforts are underway to repair the crumbling family home at Cabanas de Viriato and turn it into a museum and archival center.
Sousa Mendes was honored on April 3, 2000, the 46th anniversary of his death, when the United Nations in New York opened its "Visas for Life" exhibition saluting all the Righteous Gentiles of World War II-many of them diplomats and consuls like Sousa Mendes-who issued lifesaving documents of transit to refugees in World War II. Gratitude was officially expressed to Abranches and his family in the form of a certificate from Jewish leaders. Many American and foreign Jewish and political leaders attended the event.

Sousa Mendes's achievements were again given recognition at a United Nations ceremony on September 7, 2000, an unprecedented gathering of Catholic and Jewish leaders, when his name was linked with that of a better-known Righteous Gentile, Pope John XXIII. In the Vatican's Permanent Mission at the U.N., four days after the late pontiff's beatification, the Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation and the Jewish National Fund presented a certificate of gratitude to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state. The certificate attested to the planting of memorial trees for John XXIII in Jerusalem's Garden of the Righteous. Sousa Mendes also is honored with a tree in the garden and a memorial forest elsewhere in Israel.

Newman House Press

Fr. Peter Stravinskas has recently founded Newman House Press. Fr. Stravinskas is known for his published works, including The Catholic Answer and The Catholic Response. He was the editor of The Catholic Encyclopedia and The Catholic Dictionary, has contributed to many Catholic periodicals including Lay Witness, and is on CUF's advisory council. Newman House Press is now offering three books: The Bible and the Mass, which takes readers through each part of the Mass and provides them with scriptural references for what Catholics say and do during the Mass; Advent Meditations, which provides daily meditations for the Season of Advent; and Lauds and Vespers, which contains Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours in Ordinary Time. This book contains both the Latin and English translation side-by-side.

For information, call (570) 839-2185; or fax: (570) 839-0405; or email fstravinskas@hotmail.com (putting 'NHP Bookorder' in subject line).

U.S. Bishops Weigh in on Global Warming

The United States Catholic bishops recently issued a statement titled, "Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good." Approved in Atlanta on June 15, the document states that the United States has a "special responsibility to protect God's creation and to shape responses that serve the entire human family."
The bishops were responding to the warming of the earth's atmosphere, in which Third World nations are most vulnerable to its negative effects because of their predominantly agricultural economy and their reliance on harvesting timber. Within Catholic social teaching is the call for global solidarity, along with the preferential option for the poor. The bishops do not advocate a position on the science of climate change, but they encourage world leaders, especially the rich nations, to enter dialog mindful of the moral implications involved: "Affluent nations such as our own have to acknowledge the impact of their voracious consumerism instead of simply calling for population and emissions controls in poorer nations."

For the full text, visit:

www.nccbuscc.org/sdwp/international/globalclimate.htm.

U.S. Bishops Issue Q & A on Real Presence

"The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers" was released by the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and was approved by the full body of bishops at their June 2001 General Meeting. In a brief 15 question/answer format, the bishops' document explains what it means to say that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine. Acknowledging the great mystery before them, which "the Church can never fully explain in words," the bishops don't hesitate to remind us "that the triune God is the Creator of all that exists and has the power to do more than we can possibly imagine." Calling to mind their duty as successors of the apostles and teachers of the Church, the bishops "hand on what God has revealed" and encourage all Catholics "to deepen their understanding of the mystery and gift of the Eucharist."

This document answers 15 questions that commonly arise with regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, such as: Why does Jesus give himself to us as food and drink? Why is the Eucharist not only a meal but also a sacrifice? When the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, why do they still look and taste like bread and wine? Are the consecrated bread and wine "merely symbols"? What are appropriate signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ? If a believer who is conscious of having committed a mortal sin eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

To read the full text, visit www.nccbuscc.org/dpplrealpresence.htm.

It's Showtime

Catholic League President William Donohue has asked 75 Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, and Buddhist organizations to join in boycotting Showtime. Donohue says that VIACOM CEO Sumner Redstone refuses, after repeated requests, to condemn the Catholic bashing associated with the Showtime film, "Sister Mary Explains It All."

Catholic League and other organizations have had success in the past with Disney, and were responsible for getting "Nothing Sacred" removed from ABC-TV. Donohue says, "While no one denies Showtime the right to insult Catholics, it's also true that the Catholic League will not be denied the right to exercise its First Amendment right in calling for a boycott. They asked for this fight, now let's see if they can take the heat."

CUF President Leon Suprenant endorsed the boycott as a constructive means to put pressure on those who continue to extol tolerance and respect for everyone and everything except for Catholics and their faith.
For more information, write: Catholic League, 450 Seventh Ave., New York, 10123; or call Patrick Scully (212) 371-3191; or visit www.catholicleague.org.

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