tores uld come out man,” Brook- icmy toevery- ds for. ; hostage and .1 Time maga- ing his picture heir intention : feel it can be pple.” the editors of etion hut had J hurches acmg iivision United Press International As Christians prepare to mark the mual Week of Prayer for Christian nity, efforts to heal the divisions tat have separated Christians for nturies face an uncertain future. Events in the past year have given e to both hope and hesitation long ecumenists as they seek to ake concrete the unity of the lurch for which nearly all Christ as profess to pray and seek. This year’s observance, which be- Friday, Jan. 18, is centered on theme “Your Kingdom Come,” ilected jointly by the Roman Catho- 'isease msed on 'y dogs United Press International ATLANTA — There may be as my as 80 million dogs in the Lin ed States, half of them family pets, 1 therein lies a potential health iblem says a parasitic disease ex it at the National Center for Dis- ise Control. The problem is described in one urd — toxocariasis — according to Peter Schantz of the parasitic lases division of the CDC. Toxocariasis is caused by the com- roundworm of dogs. It readily fects people who ingest the infec- eeg^s. The eggs hatch in the small itestine and spread to the liver, rom there they enter the blood earn and are transported to other rts of the body. ^“This early phase of migration is ^ flen accompanied by abdominal ain, diarrhea and vomiting,” said diantz. [The larvae sometimes infect the |'c, brain and the heart muscle and ] severe cases can cause blindness I death. In people, the disease ikes two forms, visceral larvae mig- as and ocular larvae rnigrans. | Physicians once raised the ques- nofwhether roundworm infection sasignificant cause of neurologic |in children, such as epilepsy, ntz said that although this has tbecn proved, “it is apparent that [.caniscan and does enter the cen- ilhervous system of some children lowing ingestion of infective eggs, 1 that the consequences can be BUS.” lie Graymoor Ecumenical Institute and the Commission on Faith and Order of the National Council of Churches. “To pray for the coming of God’s kingdom is to pray for Christian uni ty,” said Dr. Robet Huston, ecume nical staff officer for the United Methodist Church. “When all persons live in love with one another and regard God’s will as supreme, could Christians still be separated by attitudes, behavior and self-serving structural barriers?” Huston asked. Begun in 1908 by Father Paul Wattson, founder of the Atonement Friars and the Graymoor Institute, the week of prayer is widely marked around the world and has in the past been used as a time to announce sig nificant ecumenical events. This year, hopes generated by the prayers for unity will be focused on Cincinnati, Ohio, and the specially reconvened plenary session of the Consultation on Church Union Jan. 22-24. COCU is a 20-year-old effort by 10 Protestant denominations to achieve organic union. At the Cincinnati meeting, the de legates will be asked to approve a document describing the roles and functions of the ordained clergy in the proposed new church body — a major obstacle in past unity discus sions. If the document is approved — as expected — it will be sent to the 10-member communions for their consideration and approval and could well end one of the major log jams in Protestant unity efforts. At the same time, however, both Roman Catholic and Protestant ecu menists are casting a wary eye at Rome and the recent actions of the Vatican in cracking down on theolo gical dissent within Catholicism. In particular, the Vatican’s action in stripping the Rev. Hans Kung of his official status as a Roman Catholic theologian has ecumenists con cerned. Kung was stripped of his official status for views on papal infallibility — a key issue that is at the heart of ecumenical discussions between Ro man Catholics and both Protestant and Orthodox communions. The Kung action raises the ques tion of just how committed to ecume nical endeavors the Vatican will be under Pope John Paul II. But the Rev. Charles LaFontaine, co-director of the Graymoor Ecume nical Institute, says he believes the Roman Catholic church in the Un ited States “will remain firmly com mitted to ecumenism and the ecumenical movement.” LaFontaine says that ecumenism is indeed a papal priority and “not just one more policy out of many.” “How the pope understands ecu menism and its practice is a different matter, of course, but that Roman Catholics must be involved ecume nically at every level of the church is absolutely clear,” he said. December jobless up United Press International WASHINGTON — The nation’s unemployment rate rose slightly in December to 5.9 percent of the American workforce to finish 1979 at exactly the same level as a year ear lier, the Labor Department reported Friday. The new jobless statistics sup ported administration forecasts that the economy showed unexpected strength during 1979’s final quarter, Would this face give you roundworms? Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Schantz says toxocariasis is gener- a benign, self-limiting disease, [obsiding within weeks if rc- tion is prevented. Of continuing concern, however, fenafterall other systemic manifes ts have subsided, is the possibil- oflarval invasion of the eye with Sequent visual impairment. ” Schantz said texopariasis in man is new disease, simply one about Rich the public and the medical fession are becoming more c. This new awareness of an infection spread to humans through contact with infective eggs of the parasitic nematode in dog feces has led to pas sage of dog wastes “scoop” laws in a number of major cities, including New York. Schantz, who has written exten sively in professional publications about the dangers of texocariasis, said it is not too surprising that the disease may be highly prevalent in humans “when we consider how commonly dogs and human beings share the same environment. “There may be more than 41 mil lion dogs distributed in from one- third to one-half of all American household,” he said. “Estimates which include unown ed as well as owned dogs, reach 60- 80 million.” ■ontinued as an seventies. hoto by Beck)’ Leak ^ He * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | INSPECTION WELCOME vt/* *>1^ stt*