World and National News Briefs

Submitted on February 12, 2002

Send to friend Catholic University calls effort success WASHINGTON (CNS) - The Catholic University of America in Washington plans to continue its nationwide parish scholarship program that was begun last year and has benefited students from 38 states. "Response to the program exceeded our every expectation, and I hope that we can award more scholarships in the second year as the program becomes better known," said Vincentian Father David M. O'Connell, university president. Last year, the university offered an annually renewable $3,000 scholarship to every parish-nominated high school senior accepted for admission for the fall 2001 semester. More than 800 students from parishes in 43 states were nominated for the program. Of that number, 555 students were admitted to the school and 256 high school seniors from 38 states enrolled. Forty percent of the incoming freshman class received parish scholarships. Muslims to attend Jan. 24 Assisi event VATICAN CITY (CNS) - More than 50 religious leaders, including about two dozen Muslims, will join Pope John Paul II in a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 24, to pray for peace and condemn violence committed in the name of religion. At the same time, in dioceses throughout the world, Catholics will be hosting ecumenical prayer services to ask God for the gift of peace and interreligious meetings to make commitments to use faith to foster peace. The Pope is expected to be joined by Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the worldwide spiritual leader of the Orthodox, in leading the pilgrimage of religious representatives to Assisi. The pilgrimage, a two-hour train journey from the Vatican, also will include other Christian leaders, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and followers of traditional African religions, as well as the Muslims. Pro-lifers to send baby rattles to senators WASHINGTON (CNS) - A group of pro-life organizations has launched a nationwide campaign to mail baby rattles to members of the Senate and to begin rallying for Supreme Court nominees who will oppose abortion. At a Washington press conference Jan. 14, representatives of a variety of organizations voiced their support for the "Shake the Nation Back to Life" campaign, which includes television commercials featuring what it calls "former heroes" of groups supporting legal abortion. Speaking in one of the commercials are Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League who now says the movement was based on lies; Norma McCorvey, whose lawsuit became the Roe vs. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide; and Sandra Cano, whose divorce and child custody lawsuit became the Doe vs. Bolton case that served as a legal companion to Roe.