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VIENNA, Austria – Before an audience of Austrian political leaders and international diplomats, Pope Benedict XVI urged Europe to not to jettison its Christian values – especially when it comes to the rights of the unborn and the dying. The pope made the remarks Sept. 7 in an ornate reception hall of Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, which was packed with government officials, legislators, ambassadors and representatives to U.N. and other agencies.

BLUEFIELDS, Nicaragua – Thousands of people living in Nicaragua’s remote northeast lost everything to the winds of Hurricane Felix, but a bishop in the affected area said the church would accompany them as they rebuild. “The winds and flooding have destroyed a lot. People will have to start with nothing. And since flooding has destroyed the rice harvest, they won’t have anything to eat as they begin to rebuild,” said Bishop Pablo Schmitz Simon of Bluefields. “We’ll respond to Hurricane Felix as we did in 1988 when Hurricane Joan devastated Bluefields. This one hit Puerto Cabezas, destroying 80 percent of the town, and the church will respond by helping the people rebuild their lives again,” Bishop Schmitz told Catholic News Service.

Following a special Mass at St. Gregory the Great, Baltimore, in honor of her 100th birthday, Ella Byrd told well-wishers she may have lived through a century of history, but looks forward to events in the future that one day will be deemed historic. “As I look back, I see that we’ve made a lot of progress in making things fair and equal,” said the sprightly Sandtown-Winchester resident, who turned 100 Aug. 24. “But more needs to be done. I told my friends I’m starting my next 100 years now and can’t wait to see where we go from here.” When Ms. Byrd was born in the summer of 1907, women in the United States didn’t have the right to vote and the civil rights movement wouldn’t take place for the next 50 years.

A funeral Mass for Father Richard Timothy Sadlier, S.S.J., was celebrated Sept. 8 in Rhode Island and a memorial Mass was celebrated Sept. 6 at St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore.

Essie Allen recognized the poignancy of Cardinal William H. Keeler’s homily for a Sept. 5 Mass at St. Wenceslaus celebrating the feast of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. With the knowledge that the cardinal urged the Missionaries of Charity to open an AIDS hospice in the St. Wenceslaus convent in 1992 and welcomed Mother Teresa during her Baltimore visit that year, the East Baltimore parishioner said it was a fitting tribute that Cardinal Keeler would celebrate the Mass on the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death. “It was very touching to see him up there,” she said. “His connection to Mother Teresa is so strong.”

CALCUTTA, India – It was still dark, almost an hour before sunrise Sept. 5, but the freshly decorated white marble tomb of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta gleamed as the feast day of the nun began. Activities began early in the morning with the arrival of more than 150 women, men and children from slum areas where Mother Teresa had begun her mission among the poorest of the poor. They moved, each with a lighted candle, praying the rosary in the local Bengali language and singing Bengali and Hindi songs praising God and Mother Teresa, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Some played percussion instruments, some swayed to the music, while others clapped as they walked past the tomb that sits inside the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity congregation where the Nobel Peace Prize laureate once lived.

VATICAN CITY – The world’s wealth and resources do not belong to a select few, they also belong to the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said as he urged people to aid the needy and protect the environment. “Christ is present even in the poor so they must never be insulted,” abused or deemed worthless, the pope said, citing the teachings of St. Gregory of Nyssa at his Sept. 5 weekly general audience. Christ has made himself present in the poor so that even the “hard-hearted” may be moved to compassion and lend them a hand, he said on Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s feast day and the 10th anniversary of her death.

SEOUL, South Korea – As 19 South Korean hostages returned safely to their country, Catholic and Protestant church leaders said it was time to reflect on overseas missions and service. “I welcome the release of all hostages and thank all who made great effort(s) to save their lives in and outside Korea. But I cannot restrain my grief toward the two men killed there,” said the Rev. Kwon Oh-sung, secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea. He spoke to UCA News, an Asian church news agency.

LORETO, Italy – Pope Benedict XVI urged a megagathering of Italian young people to embrace Christ and “go against the current” of a culture marked by violence, arrogance and selfishness. The pope also struck a strong ecological theme, saying young people need to press for courageous changes to save the planet “before it’s too late.” An estimated 500,000 youths applauded the pope’s words at a prayer vigil Sept. 1 and at a Mass the following day, on a hillside next to the Marian shrine of Loreto. The weekend assembly also featured music and skits, but the highlight was clearly the pope’s presence.