USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Around the Corner

Around the Corner – May Media Alert

Vatican Representative Featured at Ecumenical Workshop

The May 20 National Workshop on Christian Unity in Cleveland will bring together 500 Christians for a variety of churches to talk to one another, review the past year's developments between the churches in the US and around the world. Cardinal Walter Kasper, newly appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from the Vatican will be the keynote speaker. "This is the first time that this range of ecumenists will have a chance to hear Cardinal Kasper's vision and hopes for Christian Unity, since he assumed his appointment in Rome," Says Brother Jeff Gros, FSC, Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, USCCB.

Brother Jeffrey Gros is available at 202-541-3021.

Refugee Admissions the Goal for May 21 Celebration

May 21 marks exactly six months since President Bush signed the Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002, authorizing the admission of 70,000 refugees the United States. As part of the ongoing national campaign to increase refugee admissions and build up the refugee resettlement program, the Refugee Council USA, including USCCB Migration and Refugee Services, is planning advocacy activities for May 21. This will include a press conference in Washington, DC on May 21, which will focus on the theme "Refugee Rescue at Risk," and highlight the hardships and testimony of refugees affected by the repurcussions of the September 11 attacks. More information is available on their website (http://www.usccb.org/mrs/refcamp.htm). "Local advocacy is an essential part of the campaign to increase refugee admissions," says J. Kevin Appleby, Director of Migration and Refugee Policy, USCCB MRS. "We must not abandon the American tradition of refugee assistance by providing insufficient funds for resettlement programs at a time when it they are needed most."

J. Kevin Appleby is available at 202/541-3260.

Media Campaign to Launch May 18

The Renewing the Mind of the Media Pledge Campaign, designed to encourage those in the media to act responsibly, is set for the weekend of May 18-19 in Catholic parishes in 150 dioceses nationwide. The effort in 2002 marks the third of a five-year pledge campaign approved by the nation's Bishops in 2000. The national target date for the pledge is set for the third Sunday in May to coincide with the U.S. celebration of World Communications Day, although some dioceses have chosen to promote the pledge at other times during the year. In 2001, more than 68,000 Catholics supported the pledge, signing it in their parishes and on the Renewing the Mind of the Media Web page – www.renewingmedia.org. "Today 89 percent of American children live in homes with more than one television set, and the average home has sixty-two cable channels," says David Early, USCCB Department of Communications . "The 2002 pledge includes eight steps Catholics can take to use the media responsibly and to hold it accountable to its users." Kits mailed in April include materials for educators, liturgists, parish leaders, and families.

David Early is available at 202/541-3200.