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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1998)
lgg| in JBf The Battalion Vir ORLD Tuesday • January 27 ; 19 ^ue Pope hopeful of expanded freedoms Charity work, education named as key areas in need of growth Main pro-British paramilitary groi^ withdraws from peace negotiate HAVANA (AP) — Pope John Paul II gave Cuba’s church an ambitious mission: to expand its role in Cuban society through Catholic education, greater ac cess to mass media, more priests and more charity work. Church men said Mon day they were optimistic they can fulfill at least some of those goals. The pope flew out of Cuba on Sun day with strong calls for “greater liberty and plu ralism” on the communist is land, but his five-day visit also seemed to establish an unprece dented level of cooperation with Fidel Castro’s government. “I believe the balance was very positive and hope that the word of the pope will help a peaceful transformation of cur rent structures toward forms of John Paul II greater liberty, greater partic ipation,” Cardinal Angelo So- dano, the Vatican secretary of state, told Vatican Radio on re turn to Italy. It was not clear if the pontiff won specific commitments from Cuba; indeed, those were not the main point of his pastoral visit to a country that abandoned official atheism only in 1992. “The visit was never conditioned” on solving specific church com plaints, Cuban church spokesperson Orlando Marquez said. Yet the pontiff laid out a broad series of goals during his visit. Some seem unlikely: Cuban of ficials say they want to keep pub lic education a state monopoly and will probably not honor the papal request to reopen Catholic schools. But they indicated they might even favor expanded church efforts at catechism and moral education. Other goals could see partial success. The pope urged Castro to release political prisoners. The Brotherhood of Christian Aggies B C A Spring Selections 1998 Date Event Time Jan. 29 Informational Meeting @ MSC 226 9-10 p.m. Jan. 31 Recreational Day Olsen Grove Pavillion 1-4 p.m. Feb. 1 Recreational Day Gibbons Creek Reservoir 1:30-3 p.m. Feb. 3 Shirt and Tie Mtg. C.S. Conference Center (Invitation Only) 7:30-10:30 p.m. For more information please contact: Selections Chain Ben Stover 764-0097 President: Davy Barrett 764-0097 world expo riei too Sophomores: Interested in a career in foreign affairs? You may be eligible for a Foreign Affairs Fellowship! The Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program provides undergraduate and graduate fund ing to students preparing academically and professionally to enter the Foreign Service of the US Department of State. We are looking for sophomores who are US citi zens and have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA in an academic program relevant to inter national affairs, strong communications skills, outstanding leadership skills and academic achievement. We are seeking individuals who have financial need and reflect the diversity and excellence of our society. For an application package, please write to: Dr. Richard Hope, Director The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program PO Box 2437 Princeton, NJ 08543-2437 ,^nt 0/ , Applications must be postmarked by March 2, 1998. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply. $ THE MOST INTERESTING WORK... IN THE WORLD OCA ANNOUNCES: THE 1ST MEETING OF THE YEAR!! 601 RUDDER @ 8:30 COME SEE WHAT OCA IS ALL ABOUT!!! government made no comment, but has often released some pris oners following visits by other prominent visitors. Yet other requests will be sub ject to negotiations — and occa sional conflicts — with a govern ment that seems to have opened a more receptive ear to churches. “These things can be discussed,” Culture Minister Abel Prieto, a member of the Communist Party’s elite Political Bureau, said during the trip. The pope urged his bishops to “expand that dialogue,” but in sisted that in demanding greater liberty the church “is not asking for a gift” that depends on “the will of the authorities,” because religious freedom is “an inalien able human right." In meetings Sunday, the pope told Catholic clergy apd laypeople what the church should do with that freedom in order to “occupy her rightful place in the midst of the people” — not merely preach behind closed doors. LONDON (AP) — Choosing to jump before being pushed, North ern Ireland’s major pro-British paramilitary group withdrew from peace talks today because its out lawed wing admitted to killing three Catholics. The Ulster Democratic Party, the lawful representatives of the out lawed Ulster Defense Association, did not wait for a verdict from the British and Irish governments on formal complaints other parties filed earlier today. Their departure from the talks, which began in June 1996 and were supposed to conclude by May, will likely raise widespread fears of even more attacks against the north’s Ro man Catholic minority. Ulster Democrats leader Gary McMichael said he had little choice but to withdraw after the UDA’s ad mission last week it was responsible for at least three of the eight Catholics slain in Northern Ireland since Christmas. That admission directly violated a cardinal requirement for partici pants in the talks — that they “ac tively oppose” and “renounce” the use of violence. “What we are dealing with is a fait accompli," McMichael said. “It is clear that the other parties have a firm view ... that we should be ex cluded from this process.” McMichael said he would not “It is clear that the other parties have a firm view ... that we should be excluded from this process.” Gary McMichael Ulster Democrats leader break his ties to the UDA “We are not going to sit in the plenary this afternoon to have our selves humiliated in such a fash ion,” he said, referring to the nego- n GRADFtf/r Spring 98 When: Where: One stop for all your graduation needs! Tues., January 27 and Wed., January 28 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. First Floor Rudder Tower Graduation Announcements and Souvenirs Cap and Gown Dipoma and Announcement Framing Application for Graduation ► — t-—. Sponsored by MSC Box Office, MSC Craft Center, TAMU Bookstore and TAMU Registrar’s Office tiations, which havemovecl don for three days. Mo Mowlam, the British.; merit's minister for NonK. land, had said that sheie. prlling the Ulster Demoai^lhel weaken their moderatingLj over the UDA's rank-and i f the tant militants. p.i The British and Irish; Tex: ments, which have co-s; t o the peace negotiations tKl 1996, had wanted to concenp*® the most contentious pil how to create a new jointa lawmakers from Northeni! and the Irish Republic. Protestant militants'! Catholics — and the UDL pected acknowledgmen: that it was responsiblefo: three deaths — unk those hopes. » The UDA claimed it an: taliation after an IRA spfc: . the Irish National Libera: 0 * n '' assassinated the comnu.; ia 5! 1 Protestant gang, the Loyal Jr 111 teer Force, on Dec. 27,aii:Wf ’ Belfast 1II )A activiston|a: e!r 8 ai . ill m J “Sh "She's The Members ofL Zeta Tau Alpha e Would Like to Wisl All the Fraternities Good Luck On a Successful Spring Rush! HALLIBURTON The thisl oni;i Tcdoj m’s I a six A^s vks i |trn tl urn iri Til me With ngcdl in ih inst t he g; ath< r tin ties a You are cordially invited to discuss career opportunities with representatives of the Halliburton Company and its’ subsidiaries op February 17th and 18th at the Business Career Fpj T Opportunities available in Accounting, Finance, Tax and Internal Audit. Move forward into the Twenty First Century with a winning team. Brown & Root HALLIBURTON Halliburton Energy Services Landman Landmark Graphics