A Polish Priest Accused of Spying

 
I wouldn't be surprised if the following allegations are true:

WARSAW — A Polish priest at the Vatican was accused Wednesday of collaborating with the communist-era secret police during the 1980s as Pope John Paul II was inspiring his countrymen to resist the Soviet-backed government.

Father Konrad Stanislaw Hejmo acknowledged that he had shared reports he wrote for Polish church officials with an acquaintance, a Pole who lived in Germany, but said he had not suspected that the man might be a spy.

I have never been a secret collaborator," Hejmo said in Rome. "I can blame myself for being naive. This man came, we helped…. I partly feel a victim."

...

Information on Polish-born John Paul, elected pope in 1978, would have been of great interest to the secret police because of his role in inspiring the Solidarity trade union-led opposition to the communist government, which collapsed in 1989.

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I'm sure there were people who spied on Pope John Paul II during the first years of his papacy. It could be this priest or someone else. We need to wait for more details.
 

Beautiful Story of Dreams

 
I received the following story in an e-mail four years ago:

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday, I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems and be decorated with intricate carvings. Everyone would see my beauty."

The second tree said, "Someday, I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of other world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally, the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time, and people will always remember me"

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. One came to the first tree and said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a Carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree, one of the other woodsmen said, "This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy, because he knew he was on his way to becoming mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened, because it knew that, if it was cut down, its dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenter's house, he was made into a feed box for animals, placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth, and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose, and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace", and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had
carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets, and the crowd mocked the man who was carrying it. Finally, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because
Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that; when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
 

Mother Mary's Latest Apparition

Whether it's a miracle or just a salt stain, this piece of news is worth reporting:

CHICAGO — A steady stream of the faithful and the curious, many carrying flowers and candles, have flocked to an expressway underpass for a view of a yellow-and-white stain on a concrete wall that some believe is an image of the Virgin Mary.

Police have patrolled the emergency turnoff area under the Kennedy Expressway since Monday as hundreds of people have walked down to see the image and the growing memorial of flowers and candles surrounding it. Beside the image is an artist's rendering of the Virgin Mary embracing Pope John Paul II in a pose that some see echoed in the stain.

"We believe it's a miracle," said Elbia Tello, 42. "We have faith, and we can see her face."

...

The stain is likely the result of salt runoff, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. But the department does not plan to scrub it off the wall.

"We're treating this just like we treat any type of roadside memorial," said department spokesman Mike Claffey. "We have no plans to clean this site."

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There's no denial the stain resembles the photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
 

The Pope's New E-mail Address

 
Pope Benedict XVI can now be reached via e-mail:

VATICAN CITY - Two days after taking over as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI became reachable by the click of a mouse Thursday.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's new e-mail address is benedictxvi@vatican.va in English or benedettoxvi@vatican.va for Italian users, Vatican officials said.

There's no word from Rome on what kind of traffic the addresses attracted in the first few hours after their activation.

Visitors to the Vatican's official website are now able to click on an icon to speed-send a prayer, opinion or problem to Benedict.

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Do you need a prayer? Send him an e-mail.
 

Pope Benedict XVI First Remarks

 
As a Catholic I was curious to read the Pope's first remarks. They were what I wished to hear:

VATICAN CITY -- In his first extensive remarks as pope, Benedict XVI sought to calm fears today that his papacy would further divide the Roman Catholic Church and pledged to reach out to other faiths.

Benedict, who as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, asserted the primacy of Catholicism and branded as "deficient" other religions including Protestant denominations, said he hoped to unify Christians and further the cause of ecumenism.

...

"Confounding all my expectations, divine providence through the votes of the venerable father cardinals has called me to succeed this great pope," Ratzinger said, ignoring for the moment that he had been considered the far-and-ahead front-runner within days of John Paul's death.

"I have a sense of inadequacy and human turmoil at the responsibility entrusted to me yesterday," he said.

...

Rigali, the cardinal from Philadelphia, said Ratzinger explained his choice of the name Benedict, after two earlier Benedicts: the World War I-era pontiff who attempted unsuccessfully to make peace, and St. Benedict, the monk and patron saint of Europe.

"So obviously the pope has launched the idea that coming as he does from Western Europe that he wants to do what he can to promote the well-being of Europe," Rigali said. "And the cardinal made specific mention of this, that St. Benedict instructs people to prefer nothing [more] than the love of Christ."

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May the Holy Spirit guides Pope Benedict XVI everyday.
 

Farewell To The Pope In Iraq

 
Patriarch Emmanuel Delly, the head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, held a mass in Baghdad in memory of Pope John Paul II. The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

Under a late afternoon sun on Thursday, the worshippers passed through a protective cordon of red-bereted soldiers from the newly trained, mostly Muslim, Iraqi army. Inside, amid air smoky with incense, a tearful congregation recalled the Polish man who had given help and hope to Iraq's dwindling Christian population.

"The Pope won the hearts of everybody because he worked for the good of all," said Patriarch Emmanuel Delly, the head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church. John Paul's death "was a loss not only for Iraqi Catholics and Christians but indeed it was a loss for the whole world".

...

In a show of solidarity, five Shiites, including a cleric from Iran, also attended.

"It is a big honour to come here and join our friends and brothers at this service," said the Iranian, Ali Akbar Hakim.

"John Paul II has been very close to Iraqis," Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad's Roman Catholic, or Latin, community said in an interview this week. "Christians need a protector, or father, someone who protects them, and I think the Pope is one who protected them."

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Christian Iraq has published photos from the mass in Baghdad.
 

Leah Residence For Homeless Women

 
The Union Tribune published an article about one nun's dream that came true:

March 31, 2005

Sister RayMonda DuVall's 25-year goal to provide a range of housing for homeless women – an arc beginning with overnight emergency shelter and ending with a permanent residence – is being realized in downtown San Diego.

Today, the executive director of Catholic Charities will attend a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting and blessing of the Leah Residence, a $6.6 million apartment building that is scheduled to open in April.

The four-story complex will offer 23 apartments for formerly homeless women being treated for mental illness or alcohol or drug abuse.

"Twenty-five years ago, I envisioned giving homeless women a full continuum of services – day center, night center, night shelter, transitional housing and permanent housing," DuVall said. "We had to do it incrementally as funds became available."

After cobbling together more than $6.6 million in federal, state local and private grants and loans, Catholic Charities was finally able to build the Leah Residence on land it owns at Ninth Avenue and F Street.

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To contribute to the furnishing of the Leah Residence or to the operation of a night center at the apartment complex, send checks to:

Catholic Charities
349 Cedar St.
San Diego, CA 92101.

Indicate the purpose of the contribution on the check.

For more information, call (619) 231-2828, extension 234.
 

Pray For The Holy Father

 
The Pope is in a grave condition as reported by the Vatican:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II remained in grave condition after suffering septic shock and heart failure, but was able to concelebrate Mass and pray with top aides, the Vatican said.

The pope's condition was "stationary" but "of considerable seriousness," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said at a midday briefing April 1. Although the pope was still conscious, his blood pressure was unstable and his other vital signs were impaired, the spokesman said.

...

Navarro-Valls said the pope woke early April 1 and concelebrated Mass from his bed. During the morning, the pope asked aides to read him the 14 Stations of the Cross, a devotion he has followed every Friday, and the Liturgy of the Hours and passages of Scripture.

...

Navarro-Valls said he visited the papal apartment the morning of April 1 and saw the pope. The spokesman, holding back tears, later told reporters: "Certainly, it was an image I have never seen in these 26 years. He was lucid and serene, but obviously having trouble breathing." The papal spokesman said the Vatican press office would remain open all day and all night.

The Vatican said that on March 31 Pope John Paul received "holy viaticum," a formal reference to the Eucharist when it is given to someone approaching death. The spokesman did not say whether the pope also received the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick, which usually are part of the last rites.

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Please, remember the Pope in your prayers.