Social-Cultural-Articles

SAINTS AND
THE MAFIA

Corleone, Sicily and the Mafia have been so closely associated that the little town's name alone conjures up images of brutal �capo di tutti� like Salvatore �The Beast� Riina and Bernardo �The Tractor� Provenzano or yet the fictional Vito Corleone of the Godfather series - and so the world was a little surprised in June of last year when Pope John Paul II spoke of Corleone at the canonization of Saint Bernardo.

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....For generations the people of Corleone have been unable to shed this unsavory reputation. It took a 400 year old Capuchin monk with a hint of Cyrano de Bergerac about him to restore pride to its people.
Catholic Register 1/03

SURVIVING THE ELEMENTS; The Syriac Christians of Eastern Turkey.

�We lived in terror,� is how one Syriac Christian villager of Tur Abdin in South- East Turkey described their past 16 years caught in the middle of a vicious guerrilla war between Kurdish separatist and Turkish troops. One by one families packed up their goods and headed to the security of Western Europe threatening to leave their heartland a Christian ghost town much like the Greek and Armenian communities of Turkey had before them. What was once a vibrant population of as much as 80,000 is today a mere handful.

....Christianity in the region dates back to the early first century and to this day the Syriac Christians still speak an ancient Aramaic language called Turoyo - the language spoken by Jesus Christ and the apostles.

-CNEWA Magazine
-Catholic Register Newspaper 12/02

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BLACK ROMANIANS

.....What few people are aware of, and that sometimes includes Romanians themselves, is that in this historically �white� country a young black community is beginning to stand up and be recognized.....

There is an estimated 1000 black Romanians spread across the country, particularly the capital Bucharest where they can be infrequently spotted on the bus or in the streets turning heads as they pass.

The stares are so common that black Romanian Dana Lukusa no longer takes offense, but remarks smiling, �it�s if they don�t look that I wonder why.�

Today these young adults live generally isolated lives deeply stigmatized by their distinguishing features...�When I was in the city Satu Mare,� says Andrea Nica. �you know how they looked at me? - Like an alien.�
                                                                  Black World Today / Long Beach Times   2002

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BACK TO THE STREETS........

East European Romania possesses some of Europe�s most pristine landscapes by its coastal Black Sea beaches, provocative Carpathian mountains, twisting Danube river and rich Delta. The nation�s rich history dates back to the Legions of Rome. It�s Balkan culture blends a fascinating mix of Latin, Slavic, Germanic - and vivacious Gypsy! All this and yet the world�s view of this nation remains fixed on the ugly images of street dogs, overcrowded orphanages, and glue sniffing street children.

After years on the street two former Bucharest street children have risen up out of the gutter and with the help of Catholic Charities programs they have turned their bleak future into something worth sharing. This is their story ................

We arranged to meet at the Bucharest train located inside a valley of high rise buildings. It is here where exist the greatest concentration of Bucharest�s 1000 - 2000 street children. It is a combustible area of the city that swirls with the noise and dust kicked up by hustling pedestrians, cab drivers and trucks