Dutch church urges tolerance

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — A Dutch church spokesman has urged citizens to "learn the meaning of tolerance" after a Muslim militant was jailed for life July 26 for brutally killing film director Theo van Gogh. "There’s a sense of urgency now about the need for more intense dialogue," said Peter Kohnen, spokesman for the Utrecht-based Dutch bishops’ conference. "Religious people know it’s wise to look for areas of cooperation, but I don’t see any such openness as yet by the wider Dutch society," he added. In a July 27 phone interview with Catholic News Service, Kohnen said van Gogh’s murder highlighted the need to understand Islamic principles. He noted that there are a million Muslims in the Netherlands as well as 700,000 foreigners with a Christian background. Catholics make up nearly one-third of the approximately 16 million residents of the Netherlands. Mohammed Bouyeri, a 27-year-old Muslim of Moroccan descent who was born in Amsterdam, was convicted and sentenced for the Nov. 2 killing of van Gogh, whose film, "Submission," criticized the treatment of women in Islamic societies.

IRA announcement ‘wonderful’

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI said the Irish Republican Army’s announcement that it had ended its armed campaign was "wonderful news" that must be followed by efforts to promote trust and reconciliation. "To the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Patrick and all the saints of Ireland we entrust our common prayer for this intention," he said July 31 after reciting the Angelus at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. "This is wonderful news, which contrasts with the painful events we are witnessing daily in many parts of the world." The IRA decision, announced July 28, "rightly has given rise to satisfaction and hope on the island and to the entire international community."

Additional troops to Iraq opposed

GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) — A Salvadoran archbishop said he opposed sending additional troops to Iraq and that he wished all troops from El Salvador would return home. "I would prefer that there were no Salvadoran soldiers in Iraq," Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador said Aug. 2 in a telephone interview. Nevertheless, the troops that have gone have done so voluntarily, he said. Archbishop Saenz said he opposed all wars, but said that both the soldiers and private citizens working in Iraq were there of their own will. El Salvador’s legislative body voted in late July to send a fifth contingent of troops to support the U.S.-led war in Iraq. El Salvador is the only Latin American U.S. ally in Iraq.

The Church and mining disputes

LIMA, Peru (CNS) — After the head of a national industry association sharply criticized several Catholic Church leaders, the president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference defended the bishops’ role as intermediaries in a dispute between mining companies and local communities in northern Peru. The bishop’s statement was sparked by demonstrations in the department of Piura, where clashes between police and local residents protesting exploratory work by the Majaz Mining Co. left at least one person dead.

Thousands honor Brazilian

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) — Some 10,000 people paid their respects to Brazilian electrician Jean-Charles de Menezes, killed on a London subway because police thought he was a terrorist. Bishop Werner Siebenbrock of Governador Valadares celebrated the funeral Mass July 29 in the town of Gonzaga, population 6,000. Loudspeakers were placed in the plaza outside the church so people could participate. Police shot Menezes eight times July 22 after police suspected him of being a suicide bomber involved in the July 7 terrorist attacks in London. The British government has cleared Menezes of charges, apologized for its mistake and is negotiating with the family for compensation.

Basilica construction halted

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — A Polish church official said work on a massive new basilica in Warsaw, built in thanksgiving for the collapse of communism and the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, would be halted by the end of the year because of lack of funding. "Legal uncertainties and changing interpretations of the regulations have ensured few firms decided to give support," Father Bogdan Leszczewicz, project director for the Church of Divine Providence, told Poland’s Catholic Information Agency, KAI, July 27. "Unfortunately, although there’ve been many private funders, their joint donations often aren’t enough to cover even a single invoice."

Anniversary of liberation

AGANA, Guam (CNS) — Guam Catholics marked the 61st anniversary of their island’s liberation from the Japanese by U.S. troops by remembering the faith that sustained Guam’s people during World War II and the role faith plays in their lives today. "It’s important to remember where we came from ... a time of great pain, suffering and evil," said Father David C. Quitugua, vicar general of the Agana Archdiocese. He asked people to remember the pain of the war and to reflect on the many gifts God has given them. "Rejoice that we’ve been blessed with these 61 years of peace," Father Quitugua said. "Pray also for healing — healing of the memories, healing of hatred — and hopefully to follow the example of Christ through the grace of forgiveness he gives us on the cross." On July 21, 1944, U.S. military forces stormed Guam’s beaches and recaptured the island from Japanese forces. The Japanese invaded Guam Dec. 8, 1941, and the soldiers imprisoned and tortured many of Guam’s people. Many of the people were massacred.

Pope supports lay movements

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Lay movements that enjoyed the strong support of Pope John Paul II believe they have an even stronger ally in Pope Benedict XVI. In fact, one of the first meetings Pope Benedict has convoked on his own initiative — rather than confirming a gathering originally planned under his predecessor — is a Pentecost 2006 encounter with lay-movement representatives. Leaders of 29 movements and communities, including the Focolare movement, Communion and Liberation, the Community of Sant’Egidio, L’Arche and the charismatic renewal, met in late June with officials of the Pontifical Council for the Laity to begin planning the encounter.