c. 1997 Religion News Service
Vatican to begin beatification process for pro-Solidarity priest
(RNS) The Vatican has decided to begin the beatification process for a young pro-Solidarity priest who was killed 12 years ago by secret police.
The Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko is being considered for beatification, the first step toward possible sainthood, the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday (Feb. 8), Cardinal Jozef Glemp of Warsaw, Poland, will appoint a tribunal to start gathering evidence that the priest performed a miracle, a requirement for sainthood, the Rev. Zdzislaw Krol said Thursday.
Popieluszko was a friend and spiritual leader of strikers who founded the Solidarity trade union in the early 1980s. His sermons drew large crowds during the difficult days of the communist crackdown on the opposition. At that time people could only talk freely in the church.
On Oct. 19, 1984, Popieluszko and his driver were kidnapped by the secret police. The priest was beaten, gagged, bound and stuffed in the trunk of a car and then drowned in a river. His driver escaped.
The priest’s funeral, used to demonstrate to the regime the strength of the Solidarity movement, was attended by nearly 1 million people,
Three communist-era secret police officers and their superiors were convicted of murdering the priest. They were sentenced to from 11 to 25 years in prison, but their terms have been reduced through amnesties.
Hawaii’s Senate passes conflicting bills concerning same-sex couples
(RNS) The state Senate of Hawaii passed two conflicting bills Thursday (Feb. 6) dealing with the continuing controversy over same-sex marriages.
The senate called for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex unions but also approved a new law that would give gay and lesbian couples many of the benefits enjoyed by married homosexuals.
The two pieces of legislation differ markedly from measures approved by the state House two weeks ago. House Speaker Joseph Souki predicted there would be difficult negotiations before the controversy is resolved.
The first bill would put before state voters in 1998 a constitutional amendment giving Hawaii the power to approve only marriages of people of the opposite sex, as long as the marriage laws do not discriminate on the basis of gender.
Supporters of the proposed amendment say it will preserve traditional marriages and will not sacrifice anyone’s rights. But critics say the proposal was ill-conceived and hasty. They argue it could backfire and eventually legalize same-sex marriages.
Sen. Matt Matsunaga, who supports the amendment, said the anti-discrimination qualification would be satisfied by the second bill which spells out marriage-like benefits for which same-sex couples would be eligible.
But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Terrance Tom said the Senate measure would make permitting only opposite-sex marriages unconstitutional if the courts find any gender discrimination in any marriage-related law.
Legislators have wrangled over the issue since the 1993 state Supreme Court ruling that it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples without a compelling public interest.
United Methodist Communications suspends”Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast” (RNS) United Methodist Communications has suspended production and distribution of its series,”The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast,”following allegations of sexual misconduct by its host.
Jeff Smith, the popular TV chef and ordained United Methodist minister, is being sued by George Heitman of Tacoma, Wash. Heitman, 36, alleges that Smith, 58, sexually assaulted him when he was 15.
United Methodist Communications, known as UMCom, produces the show for the Odyssey cable television network, reported United Methodist News Service. The program, featuring Smith discussing foods from the Bible and the Holy Land, has been one of the network’s most popular shows.
The suit against Smith, filed Jan. 23, alleges that he”pursued a pattern and practice of grooming high school-age boy employees for sexual intercourse”while running a restaurant in Tacoma, Wash.
Smith, who has denied Heitman’s charges, also is the host of the”Frugal Gourmet,”the Public Broadcasting Show that is the highest-rated cooking program in history.”We are saddened by the necessity to suspend the show,”said Wil Bane, head of UMCom’s public media department.”We do not want to be seen as having made a decision about the case but neither can UMCom act as though nothing has happened.” Bane added that Odyssey’s policy has been to remove programs from its television lineup when someone involved in one of its shows has been charged with wrongdoing.
Although Smith is ordained, he has not led a United Methodist congregation since 1973.
Update: Pope conquers flu, plans public appearance Sunday
(RNS) Pope John Paul, who suffered from the flu earlier this week and was forced to cancel some audiences, is feeling better and is scheduled to make his next public appearance on Sunday (Feb. 9), the Vatican said Friday.”The pope’s next public appointment will be Sunday’s Angelus,”said spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, referring to the pontiff’s weekly address from his window that overlooks St. Peter’s Square.”Therefore, that means that he is well.” The 76-year-old pope, leader of the world’s 960 million Roman Catholics, was forced to cancel his general audience on Wednesday because he had a sore throat and influenza.
“Souper Bowl”campaign raises more than $1.4 million for hungry, poor
(RNS) Officials of the”Souper Bowl,”an anti-hunger and anti-poverty campaign, have received reports that more than $1.4 million has been collected in their annual drive.
More than 5,000 churches from all 50 states and representing more than 40 denominations have donated directly to charities that help the poor, reported Presbyterian News Service.
The Souper Bowl program was conceived in 1988, inspired by a Super Bowl Sunday prayer uttered by Rev. Brad Smith, associate pastor of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C. Since then, an increasing number of young people in churches nationwide have invited worshipers to drop one dollar into large soup cauldrons as they leave worship on the day of the National Football League’s championship game.
Churches participating in the program phone in their total donations to Souper Bowl headquarters and then send the funds directly to the charity of their choice.
Participation in the program has grown from 22 churches in 1990 to 4,600 in 1996. Last year, donations totaled more than $1.3 million.
Quote of the Day: Dr. Janice Itson Holyfield
(RNS) In the February 1997 issue of Ebony magazine, Dr. Janice Itson Holyfield, the new wife of heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, reveals that she danced with the champ to the gospel song”Mighty Man of War”to ease his nervousness before he stepped into the ring with Mike Tyson last October:”I reminded him that David danced to the word of God before he faced Goliath. I told him to listen closely to the song’s words. They are basically saying that men of God who were great warriors were also great worshipers.”
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