Page 1824 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

VATICAN CITY – They are not pushy or pesky; rather, the pope’s own paparazzi are the epitome of discretion and class. Vatican photographers stand out from other media shutterbugs, not just because they’re always dressed in ironed dark suits and ties, but because, coolly clicking away, they are the ones standing right next to the pope. The papal photographers are also the only ones allowed to shadow the pontiff almost everywhere he goes, even during more private moments – be they special audiences inside the Vatican with heads of state or an intimate luncheon with cardinals or bishops.

Muslim diplomats to attend course on Vatican diplomacy

VATICAN CITY – A group of diplomats from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe will meet with top Vatican officials during an intensive three-week course on the Catholic Church. The aim of the May 7-27 course is to help Muslim governments understand how the Vatican works, especially in diplomacy, and to familiarize participants with the church and its network of social and humanitarian services.

Rectory serves as home for men considering priesthood

HOPELAWN, N.J. – When young men are discerning the vocation of priesthood, it is important that they have a quiet place for prayer and reflection while learning about the life that would come with being a priest. Through the work and support of many individuals, the Metuchen Diocese has created such a setting for those seeking to decipher God’s call. In a building that was once an oversized and underutilized rectory for Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish now stands the St. John Vianney House of Discernment. The house is a place for men considering the priesthood who are serious about the vocation, yet not entirely certain that they are ready to pursue it.

Sulpician guided St. Mary’s through exciting, turbulent times

By his own admission, Father Robert F. Leavitt, S.S., was an unusual choice to lead St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park. When the Connecticut native was named the 14th president and first president-rector in 1980, he was only 37. He didn’t have any administrative experience and had only recently become a member of the Sulpicians – the order of teaching priests who have run America’s first Catholic seminary since its founding in 1791. Father Leavitt’s mother and friends advised against taking the post at his alma mater, fearing the intellectual young man was better suited for the classroom than the boardroom. What made it all the more challenging was that many believed the seminary had reached a nadir in its proud history. Awash in red ink and suffering from declining enrollment, St. Mary’s seemed without direction. Six different leaders within the previous 17 years had found few successes in stabilizing the venerable institution.

Bishops study draft of guide for high school religion curriculum

WASHINGTON – The U.S. bishops are studying a draft curriculum guide for Catholic high school religion courses across the country. Prepared by the Committee on Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the draft sets the framework for six core semesters plus five elective courses from which schools may choose two – preferably in the senior year or one each in the junior and senior years. The curriculum framework, developed at the request of publishers of catechetical materials, is intended as a guide for those publishers and for diocesan offices and Catholic high schools to help them develop their own curriculum guidelines and evaluate religion textbooks for use in their schools.

Eugene Mr. Fisher honored for Catholic-Jewish work

WASHINGTON – The Anti-Defamation League and a variety of Catholic and Jewish leaders honored Eugene J. Fisher as he approached retirement after 30 years as one of the world’s leading advocates of better Catholic-Jewish relations. Since 1977 Mr. Fisher has been associate director for Catholic-Jewish relations at the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In awarding him the ADL’s Dr. Joseph L. Lichten Award in Catholic-Jewish relations April 29, ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman called Mr. Fisher a “central figure” in implementing changed Catholic understandings of and relations with Jews following the Second Vatican Council. “Gene was an important part of Pope John Paul II’s program to revolutionize Catholic-Jewish relations,” Mr. Foxman said.

French church official welcomes court ruling

OXFORD, England – A French church official welcomed a Paris superior court ruling that a gay rights group pay symbolic damages to the church after the group staged a lesbian mock wedding in Notre Dame Cathedral. The “provocative action” had “hurt many people, believers or not, from all denominations both in and outside France,” Michel-Francois Szczepka, spokesman for the cathedral, told Catholic News Service May 2.

Religious leaders must heal Catholic-Muslim wounds

VATICAN CITY – Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said religious leaders have an obligation to God to begin healing the wounds in Catholic-Muslim relations, including those caused by Pope Benedict XVI’s September remarks about Islam. “Meeting the pope cannot heal all these wounds, but at least we are making an effort to begin,” said Khatami, speaking May 4 at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University immediately before meeting Pope Benedict at the Vatican. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope and Khatami spent 30 minutes speaking privately in the papal audience. Khatami also met separately with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state.

Vatican signals support for international meeting on Iraq

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican signaled its support for the international meeting on Iraq that took place in Egypt in early May, and Iraq’s Chaldean bishops asked participating countries to do more to end violence and protect Christians in the country. After former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met Pope Benedict XVI May 4, the Vatican published a statement saying the two leaders reaffirmed “the need for strong initiatives by the international community, like that occurring in these days at the meeting in Sharm el Sheikh,” Egypt, to bring peace to the Middle East.

Vatican Library to be closed to public for three years

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican Library is closing its doors to the public for the next three years for renovation. Starting July 14, the library will be closed until September 2010 in order to carry out “major structural renovation of one wing of the library,” the library’s vice prefect, Ambrogio Piazzoni, told Catholic News Service.

Journey honors Mother Lange

When people walk in the same footsteps as the founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence whose canonization is currently under review, they are not taking a tour but are participating in a pilgrimage. Sister Mary Virginie Fish, O.S.P., insists the Mother Mary Lange Pilgrimage in and around Baltimore be called just that. “It’s not a tour,” Sister Virginie said emphatically. “This journey is a prayerful excursion one takes in a spirit of penance and reflection, which is indeed the true definition of a pilgrimage.” An average of 12 groups request a pilgrimage annually to learn about Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, the Caribbean-born woman who helped establish St. Frances Academy in Baltimore to educate black children, and the Oblate Sisters of Providence – the Catholic Church’s first order for African-American women religious – in 1829.

New Our Daily Bread building to be dedicated May 24