WORLD - current events

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 23, 2001 by Gill Donovan

Catholic dissidents sponsor `anti-Jubilee'

A coalition of Catholic dissidents and atheist/agnostic groups in Italy sponsored a weeklong "anti-Jubilee" in Rome in mid-February, protesting what they see as the undue influence of the Catholic church on the political and cultural life of the country.

The Catholic church celebrated its official Jubilee Year from Dec. 24, 1999, to Jan. 6, 2001 (NCR, Jan. 12).

Above all, the coalition pressed for repeal of the "concordat," or treaty, between Italy and the Vatican city-state that gives the Catholic church certain privileges. They include the right to religious instruction in public schools, the authority to dissolve civil marriages in church tribunals and a stream of public funds amounting to some $700 million annually.

Events during the "anti-Jubilee" included a rally calling for the removal of crucifixes from government offices and other public places on Feb. 12; a conference on "crimes of the church" on Feb. 14; another on "shadows on the inquisition" Feb. 16; and a public lunch the same day with strozzapreti as the main course. Strozzapreti is a type of pasta whose name literally means "priest-choker."

Several of the events took place in Rome's Campo de Fiori, where a monument of the Dominican theologian Giordano Bruno stands in the spot where he was burned by order of the inquisition on Feb. 17, 1600. The Bruno monument has become a popular gathering place in Rome for anti-clerical manifestations.

Sponsors of the anti-Jubilee included the Union of Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists of Italy and the Community of Saint Paul, a Rome-based progressive Catholic group.

Iran's Supreme Court rejects appeal by Jews

The Supreme Court in Iran has rejected appeals from 10 Iranian Jews found guilty of releasing classified information to Israel. According to a statement from the office of the government prosecutor, three judges of the court decided there was no legal reason to grant the men a heating, the Washington Post reported, quoting Iranian news media reports Feb. 7.

Last July, a closed court in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz found the 10 men guilty of passing confidential information to Israel and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to 13 years.

In September, an appeals court reduced the sentences of the two men who received the longest prison terms to nine and seven years. Others were also given shorter terms that included time already served.

The appeals court also decided the men were innocent of belonging to an illegal spy ring and recruiting spies for the group, but ruled the men had cooperated with Israel.

Their trial sparked an international outcry from political leaders and human fights groups who expressed concern about whether the closed court judicial proceedings would be fair. Both Israel and the United States support overturning the convictions.

Bill advances allowing priests political office

A bill to allow Roman Catholic priests and ministers of other churches to become members of Parliament in England was given a second reading by the House of Commons Feb. 6. Although no vote was taken on the bill, it is likely to become law before the general election, expected to take place in May.

The bill was introduced because the Labor Party candidate for the safe seat of Greenock and Inverclyde in Scotland is a former Roman Catholic priest, David Cairns.

The bill now has to go through its committee stage in the Commons and be given a third reading before going to the House of Lords for its approval.

Although the bill would make it possible for a Roman Catholic priest to sit in the Commons, any' active priest would be barred by church law from doing so.

Legislation dating back to 1801 and 1829 disqualifies from membership in the House of Commons those ordained as priests or deacons, ministers of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, and "persons in holy orders in the Church of Rome."

Vandals burn controversial Vatican Christmas tree

Vandals burned a controversial Christmas tree given to Pope John Paul II by a right-wing Austrian politician and later replanted in southern Italy, police said. Only the top branches of the 89-foot-tall fir tree remained after the arsonists struck Feb. 12 near the city of Acerra. The tree had been replanted two days earlier at the site, where a dispute has raged over plans to build a large treatment plant for garbage.

Police did not say who was suspected in the fire, which was set with a flammable liquid poured against the base of the tree. Firefighters arrived to put out the blaze.

The tree was the object of protests in December at the Vatican, where it was erected in St. Peter's Square (NCR, Jan 5). It was presented by a delegation led by the governor of Austria's Carinthia province, Jorg Haider, who is known for his anti-immigrant views and past statements of sympathy for some Nazi policies.

The Vatican sought to downplay the event, noting that the gift had been arranged long before Haider was elected. But during the dedication ceremony, dozens of demonstrators were tear-gassed and more than 50 injured during a clash with police a few hundred yards from the square.