Xavier Celebrates Fides et Ratio

XAVIER UNIVERSITY, Oct. 17—Xavier's philosophy, theology and honors departments hosted a symposium Oct. 16 on Pope John Paul II's encyclical Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason) to mark the 21st anniversary of his election as Pope.

Jesuit David V. Meconi, who organized the conference, said: “As philosophers and theologians, we found it quite telling that the last encyclical of this millennium has to do with the promotion and defense of human reason and the intelligence and sanity of the faith. The Holy Father argues that philosophy and theology ultimately depend on one another for mutual insight and guidance.”

‘Morning-After Pill’ Prescribed at Fairfield

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY, Oct. 27—In addition to recently inviting abortion advocates Gloria Steinem and lawyer Morris Dees to the Jesuit campus, Fairfield is permitting the prescription of abortifacient pills to its students.

The student newspaper, The Mirror, reported that the campus gynecologist, Dr. Joanna Wynne, complained that Fairfield prevented her from widely distributing the “morning-after pill,” which is used to kill a newly created life. Wynne noted however, that she is permitted to prescribe the pill to students. She also said that incoming freshmen are given information on abortion and contraception.

Fairfield is also allowing SAYSO, a homosexual group on campus, to sponsor a drag queen dance on campus and a “Gay Jeans Day.”

Scholar Calls Attacks On Pius XII Unjust

STUEBENVILLE UNIVERSITY, Oct. 28—Sister Margherita Marchione defended Pope Pius XII's role during the Holocaust and encouraged Catholic social scientists to “fight the good fight” for truth about the Church's history.

Sister Marchione said accusations made in a new book, Hitler's Pope, were an “injustice” not only to the papacy, but to the entire Catholic Church. She said the attacks also insult the Jews saved by the Vatican who are speaking out in the Pope's defense, testimonies that Sister Marchione catalogued in her book on Pius XII, Yours Is a Precious Witness.

Pope Pius XII is credited by Isreali scholars with having saved the lives of 860,000 Jews. Sister Marchione also cited several instances where Pius XII spoke out against anti-Semitism. Pius XII continued to speak out against Hitler using telegrams, encyclicals and Vatican radio despite threats and a plan by the Nazi dictator to kidnap the Pope.

Sister Marchione, speaking to members of the Society for Catholic Social Scientists, noted that during World War II, The New York Times praised the efforts of the Vatican, and specifically Pope Pius XII, on its editorial pages.

Today the intellectual trend has turned on its head, she said. “The present indictment is an injustice,” said Sister Marchione, who called on the bishops to issue a statement of truth to be proclaimed to the world. “We have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be afraid of.”

Cardinal Arinze to Visit Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Oct. 26—Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, will give a lecture on “The Message of the Gospel to a Religiously Pluralistic World at the Threshold of the Third Millennium” on Nov. 2.

Cardinal Arinze, a Nigerian, directs the Vatican's efforts to promote mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between the Catholic Church and other religious bodies.

His African roots are increasingly significant in light of estimates that by the millennium, 75% of the world's 1 billion Catholics will live in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and his experience of the uneasy relations between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria is increasingly significant in his ecumenical commitment.

“Religious plurality is a fact,” he told the 1999 graduates of Wake Forest University in a commencement address earlier this year. “Many problems and challenges do not respect religious frontiers. There is no Catholic hurricane or Baptist drought. There is no Jewish inflation or Muslim unemployment. There is no Buddhist drug addiction or Hindu AIDS.”

Religions need to “join hands,” he said, “to defend the family and its positive values, to promote a society where the individual is appreciated, respected and cared for.”