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Gastrointestinal Sciences
Systems Biology and Bioinformatics in Gastroenterology and Hepatology View all 20 Articles
Stephen J. Pandol
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, United States
How Systems Medicine Improves Our Understanding of Complex Gastroenterological Diseases
Editorial: Systems Biology and Bioinformatics in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Peter L. M. Jansen1, Kai Breuhahn2, Andreas Teufel3 and Steven Dooley4*
1Emeritus Professor of Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
3Division of Hepatology, Division of Clinical Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine II, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
4Division of Molecular Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Editorial on the Research Topic
Systems Biology and Bioinformatics in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Traditional medical research gained tremendous improvements in detection and treatment of acute and chronic metabolic and inflammatory diseases as well as cancer. Especially the field of hepatology and gastroenterology has significantly benefitted from these advances. Indeed, the discovery of basic molecular and cellular disease mechanisms in the last 60 years led to the development of reliable diagnostic tests and effective therapies. For instance, the discovery of the hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV) led to powerful diagnostic tools, antiviral drugs, and an HBV vaccine (Szmuness et al., 1980, 1981; André, 1990; Lau and Wright, 1993). Indeed, mass vaccination in Taiwan led to a significant reduction of HBV prevalence and hepatocellular carcinoma incidence (Chang et al., 1997, 2016). Furthermore, the development of direct-acting antiviral drugs allows the eradication of HCV (Das and Pandya, 2018). These achievements occurred in a relatively short period of time. For example, HCV was discovered in 1989 and the first effective antiviral therapy for one genotype was developed only 20 years later (Boettler et al., 2019; Viganò et al., 2019; Zajac et al., 2019). Equally, for many monogenetic liver diseases reliable diagnostic tests exist (Lammert, 2016; Weber and Lammert, 2017). Although effective pharmacotherapy for some of these diseases exists (Wilson's disease), comparable treatments are not available for others (e.g., progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, PFIC). In this context, translation of gene knock-out mouse models emerged as powerful tool to understand the underlying disease processes (Liu, 2013) and may eventually lead to successful gene therapy.
In contrast to mono-factorial diseases caused by viruses or individual gene alterations, the situation is quite different in more complex multi-factorial diseases. For example non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was first described by the pathologist Jurgen Ludwig in 1980 (Ludwig et al., 1980) but no effective therapy is currently available, 40 years later (Altinbas et al., 2015; Gottlieb et al., 2019). Despite all recent success in the development of treatments of HBV and HCV, targeting multi-factorial metabolic liver disease like NAFLD or the more serious non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is still difficult. It remains unclear if targeting liver disease alone will pave the way to success or if broader approaches will ultimately lead to a decrease in patient's mortality and morbidity. Importantly, a plethora of reasons significantly complicates the systematic analysis of complex diseases:
1) Not single genes, but the identification of gene signatures would probably improve our understanding of NAFLD/NASH development and progression. This complex molecular behavior is usually affected by cellular processes, as well as paracellular communication networks (Gottlieb et al., 2019).
2) The dynamic and/or spatial organization of molecular and biochemical processes is controlled by overarching superior mechanisms (e.g., circadian rhythm) or by gender differences (Hashimoto and Tokushige, 2011; Pan and Fallon, 2014).
3) Cellular signaling pathways form dense interacting networks and it is difficult to predict how changes in one parameter/pathway affect other parameters/pathways under distinct conditions (Teufel et al., 2016; Bessone et al., 2019; Pierantonelli and Svegliati-Baroni, 2019).
4) Complex diseases such as NAFLD/NASH are multi-organ diseases affected by the brain, gut, the gut micro-flora, pancreas, subcutaneous, and abdominal fat (Konturek et al., 2011; Borrelli et al., 2018; Kolodziejczyk et al., 2019; Milosevic et al., 2019).
The multi-scale and multi-stage complexity of NAFLD and NASH, and the necessity to perform one or more liver biopsies to stage and monitor the disease, form a considerable obstacle in the development and application of targeted precision medicine. For instance, the anti-oxidant vitamin E is a recommended therapy in non-diabetic patients with biopsy-proven NASH (Sanyal et al., 2010; Chalasani et al., 2018). In real life only a minority of patients receives this drug (Ratziu et al., 2012). The FXR-agonist obeticholic acid also showed positive results in biopsy-proven non-cirrhotic patients with NASH (Neuschwander-Tetri et al., 2015). The mechanism of action of this drug in NAFLD is unclear and long-term effects and safety need to be assessed. Treatment of cirrhotic patients with this drug cannot be recommended. For successful wide-scale pharmacotherapy programs, non-invasive disease biomarkers are clearly needed.
NAFLD represents a multi-scale disease, in which the entire metabolic program of liver hepatocytes (incl. structures at the molecular level and subcellular organelles), non-parenchymal cells (incl. cholangiocytes, endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatic stellate cells), and the blood stream (incl. the presence of immune cells and sub-cellular blood components) are critically involved in disease development and progression. In addition, there is dysfunctional temporal communication between organs such as liver, gut, brain, pancreas and fatty tissues. Indeed, NAFLD develops in 20–30 years, starting from "simple" steatosis and progresses to pronounced liver cirrhosis. These dynamic spatial and temporal changes significantly increase the level of complexity and further complicate biomarker and drug development. For instance, pharmacotherapy targeting steatosis may be more effective in early disease stages while drugs that act on inflammation and fibrosis are more suitable at later stages. Once advanced cirrhosis with profound architectural changes of the liver and portal hypertension is established, effective pharmacotherapy becomes even more difficult.
Are computational approaches and systems medicine the solution for complex diseases? Dynamic processes can be described mathematically with a set of differential equations. With a number of these equations, scientists can generate computational models, which can describe the time-resolved behavior of molecular reactions and cellular processes (Schliess et al., 2014; Meyer et al., 2017; Berndt et al., 2018; Hoehme et al., 2018; Lucarelli et al., 2018; Poloznikov et al., 2018; Kockerling et al., 2019). In this process, experimentalists provide quantitative and semi-quantitative data derived from in vitro and in vivo models to feed these mathematical constructs. Once a reliable and robust computational model is established, the model can be used for in silico research, an approach that has the potential to save laboratory animals and to protect people and patients before a drug is used or tested in a clinical setup.
This model-based gain of knowledge leads to a process of iteration and re-iteration between theoretical and experimental scientists until the mathematical model is a reliable proxy of the in vivo situation. Sometimes predictions cannot perfectly reflect the processes observed in living cells or organisms; however, these complications can also lead to new scientific knowledge. One example within one of the biggest systems biology consortia (LiSyM, see below) was the finding that ammonia detoxification was less affected by damaging the centri-zonal glutamine synthase-containing hepatocytes than predicted. These unexpected findings led to the discovery of a novel ammonia detoxification pathway (Schliess et al., 2014).
Since 15 years the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) fosters systems biology and systems medicine by supporting the collaboration of multidisciplinary research groups, including biologists, clinical researchers, and mathematicians, working on liver physiology and liver diseases, including NAFLD. The research network HepatoSys was launched in 2004 to study the processes in liver cells with a systems biology approach. It was Europe's first funding measure in this field. The follow-up project the "Virtual Liver Network (VLN)" took the systems biology liver research to the next biological level. Drawing on the findings at cellular level, the network examined the processes for the whole organ. The initiative was the first systems biology network that focused on an entire organ. The current funding activity "Research Network Systems Medicine of the Liver—LiSyM" builds again on the results produced by HepatoSys and VLN. LiSyM aims to transfer the computational models into clinical application for use as diagnostic tools to assist doctors in choosing the most appropriate therapy. LiSyM and the proceeding initiatives have been successful over the years in developing computational models that help theoreticians and experimentalists to discover new aspects of signaling pathways and mechanisms to test the therapeutic potential of new molecules or biological agents in vivo as in silico (www.lisym.org).
However, opportunities to discuss the diverse facets of systems biology from data generation, utilization of mathematical models, and data integration among experts in the field remain rare. In this regard, we were happy that Frontiers in Physiology provided a platform for such urgently needed discussions and visibility beyond the German networks. The collection of articles in this special issue of Frontiers in Physiology provides examples of the current status of research in gastrointestinal diseases, including NAFLD, alcoholic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and liver cancer, applying systems biology at the level of cells, zones, tissues, networks, and with regard to systemic consequences.
The issue comprises 20 articles from more than 170 authors. From June 2017, where the first article was accepted, until July 30 2019, the manuscripts of the issue have nearly 46,000 views. In more detail, 1 review and 19 original articles are included with nearly half of it (9 in total) from participants of the BMBF-funded networks VLN and LiSyM.
Twelve contributions are related to liver, 3 to colon and gastrointestinal tract and 1 to pancreas, again highlighting the predominant role of the German network in this new scientific field. Experimental data of the contributions include gene expression arrays (4), metabolomics data (6), proteomics data (3), imaging (2), and signal transduction pathways (6). The modeling type of the manuscripts include high throughput data and bioinformatics in 10 cases and mathematical modeling in 9 contributions. We believe that this initiative successfully provided a platform for researchers and clinicians who are interested in systems medicine with focus on gastroenterology and hepatology.
All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.
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Keywords: gastroenterology, hepatology, systems biology, systems medicine, mathematical modeling
Citation: Jansen PLM, Breuhahn K, Teufel A and Dooley S (2019) Editorial: Systems Biology and Bioinformatics in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Front. Physiol. 10:1438. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01438
Received: 04 October 2019; Accepted: 07 November 2019;
Edited and reviewed by: Stephen J. Pandol, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, United States
Copyright © 2019 Jansen, Breuhahn, Teufel and Dooley. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Steven Dooley, steven.dooley@medma.uni-heidelberg.de


The Uganda Police Force has finally confirmed the death of its senior officer Commissioner of Police (CP) Christine Alalo in the Sunday morning crash of a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines.
The aircraft which was leaving Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa headed to Nairobi Kenya reportedly crashed, six minutes after leaving Bole International Airport.
A total of 149 passengers and 8 flight crew members all perished in the accident.
After the crash, reports started circulating on Social Media that CP Alalo has died but Police's Chief Political Commissar, AIGP Asan Kasingye was quick to dismiss the claims.
"This officer is safe. She wasn't on the plane. She flew Turkish. This is information I am getting from our officers in Mogadishu. She had travelled to Italy with Turkish Airlines," said Kasingye on Sunday.
Police would however come out on Monday afternoon and confirm CP Alalo's death.
The officer, who was working with AMISOM police in Somalia, was return to Mogadishu a course in Italy.
"The police are mourning the tragic outcome of yesterday's plane crash upon learning that it claimed the life of Commissioner of Police, Christine Alalo who was working with AMISOM as the acting Police Commissioner," an official statement from Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga read in part.
Enanga said CP Alalo was set end her tour of duty in Somalia in June 2019.
He described the deceased as "a highly respected member of the force who loved her job and died while on duty,".
"She ably carried the image of the force and the country to greater heights and will be sadly missed," he added.
"We shall progressively update the public on funeral arrangements," Enanga said.
CP Christine Alalo joined the Uganda Police Force as a cadet in 2001.
Before joining AMISOM, she worked with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as a Police Advisor in Juba Sector from 2007-2009.
She previously headed the Police Department of Child & Family Protection Unit, responsible for handling cases of child abuse and Gender Based Violence (GBV).


Despite geopolitical conflicts, the United States and the Russian Federation are still working together on space exploration, as this news item indicates.
The station would be serviced by craft such as the Orion space vessel.
The US and Russia on Wednesday [Sept. 27] announced plans to cooperatively build the first lunar space station.
Roscosmos and NASA, Russia and America's space agencies, said they had signed a cooperation agreement at an astronautical congress in Adelaide.
The agreement brings Russia onboard to the Deep Space Gateway project announced by NASA earlier this year, which aims to send humans to Mars via a lunar station.
The proposed station would serve as a base for lunar exploration for humans and robots, and as a stopover for spacecraft.
Roscosmos and NASA have already agreed on standards for a docking unit of the future station," the Russian space agency said.
The International Space Station is a joint project of the USA and Russia, and many of the spacecraft visits to the ISS are launched from the Russian-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
I hope this new project bears fruit. It shows that the United States and the Russian Federation have more to gain through cooperation than ramping up a new Cold War.
The following is a NASA press release.
This means that significant segments of Earth's population are consuming groundwater quickly without knowing when it might run out, the researchers conclude. The findings are published … in Water Resources Research.
Hat tip to Bill Elwell.
This video from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio is a simulation of the development of a typhoon off the coast of China during seven days in 2005.
I could do without the corny musical score and sound effects, but I do agree with the video makers that the Earth, with its ecology of topsoil, waters, atmosphere and web of living organisms, is more like a living thing itself than it is like anything else.
The Gaia hypothesis is a metaphor, not a fact, but it is a good metaphor. The Earth is more like a living thing than it is like an economic system subject to cost-benefit analysis, or a cybernetic feedback system that can be reprogrammed, or any of the other metaphors that blind us to our world's inter-connectedness.
The video shows three years of time lapse photos of the Sun, taken at the rate of two a day by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, at a time in the solar flare cycle when flare activity is at its height.
In this video, the Sun looks like it is alive. But the apparent pulsation is due to variations in the position of the SDO as it orbits the Earth while the Earth orbits the Sun. Each of the flickers is a solar flare discharging orders of magnitude more energy than all the atomic bomb explosions in history.
Click on NASA – Three Years of SDO Images for background.
Night before last NASA's Curiosity rover made a successful landing on Mars. It was a great achievement, one that makes me feel proud to be an American, and proud to be a human being. Here's USA Today's account of what was involved in making the landing a success.
Curiosity, a roving laboratory the size of a compact car, landed right on target late Sunday after an eight-month, 352-million-mile journey. It parked its six wheels about four miles from its ultimate science destination — Mount Sharp, rising from the floor of Gale Crater near the equator.
Extraordinary efforts were needed for the landing because the rover weighs one ton, and the thin Martian atmosphere offers little friction to slow down a spacecraft. Curiosity had to go from 13,000 mph to zero in seven minutes, unfurling a parachute, then firing rockets to brake. In a Hollywood-style finish, cables delicately lowered it to the ground at 2 mph.
I can't help but reflect that everybody involved did their jobs without the need for bonuses or other financial incentives. I wish that all American institutions reflected this level of dedication and competence.
Click on Space and NASA News: Universe and Deep Space Information and NASA Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover for more.
Hat tip to Ken MacLeod's The Early Days of a Better Nation for the video and graphic.
Knowledge of the past is an antidote for discouragement with the present. When I stop and reflect, I realize that, on a day-to-day basis, the world was as threatening a place during the periods of history we consider great as they are now.
We remember Periclean Athens not for imperialism and slavery, but for Sophocles and Socrates. We remember Elizabethan England not for its cruel executions and religious persecutions, but for Shakespeare.
What about our own society will be remembered when Goldman Sachs and the "war on terror" are forgotten?
Click on Contrary Brin for David Brin's web log.


Back in the 1970s, the New York Music scene was at a turning point. Pop and disco was beginning to be overtaken by rock, early new wave and a new genre from over the pond called heavy metal, and venues like CBGB, The Loft and Club 82 were seeing a much wider variety of acts that were embracing cultural changes that swept across music. One of the bands that rode that wave and became world famous off the back of it was Kiss.
Two young guys from New York who were struggling to pin down work, find girlfriends and fulfil their true passions as musicians began life in the music world as members of the band Wicked Lester, playing rowdy rock tracks and experimenting with makeup, over-the-top outfits and glam rock hairstyles that was totally unique at the time. The pair were joined by Peter Criss in 1972, and Ace Frehley in 1973, before the name Wicked Lester was changed to Kiss.
After a solid decade of playing sold out stadiums and becoming one of the most successful rock groups in history, Kiss had cemented themselves as music legends, with their brand of feel-good rock, wild outfits and of course the makeup that made them famous helping them to worldwide success and a legacy that inspired hundreds of other bands and musicians. The group have survived drug and alcohol addiction, near-misses and moments that verged on break-up, but have weathered the storm, selling 21 million albums in the process.
One of the big differences between Kiss and other bands is that a lot of their commercial success hasn't just come from touring and album sales. The enigmatic bassist Gene Simmons saw an opportunity in the early days of kiss, and has been the driving force behind a band which is just as much about branding as it is about music.
Ever the level-headed band member, Simmon's vices were limited to women as the Starchild, Spaceman and Cat (amongst others) spent their time off-stage living the hedonistic life. Simmons on the other hand was striking deals, developing products, and creating a legacy that focused on making money out of the unique style and look that Kiss has developed in the 1970s and 80s.
Every band will sell t-shirts at their gigs, but Kiss took things to the next level with their very own mail order service that allowed fans to grab a shirt without having to see a gig. This was pretty radical at a time when it was only really retailers that offered mail order, but was just one easy revenue stream that began at the foundations of the Kiss franchise. Naturally, the mail order service is still available to this day, but the Kiss dedicated online store is now the main port of call for Kiss fans who want to get their hands on merchandise.
It wasn't just clothing that became a focus for the Kiss brand. Toys, books, figurines, lunchboxes and even masks were soon added to the catalogue, and before long there were literally hundreds of pieces of official Kiss merchandise available to fans. This was the first time that a band had created the same level of merchandise expected from a movie, and now there are over 3,000 licensed Kiss products that have existed at some time or another.
A run of TV appearances and the willingness to act as sponsors cemented the money-making capabilities off Kiss off stage, and in 1977 a big break came from Marvel comics, who created a special edition Kiss comic that featured the adventures of the band as they saved the world. This further inspired an animated series which aired in the 1980s, and a new image that painted Kiss as child-friendly, and therefore more profitable.
Some of the more weird and wacky pieces of merchandise just go to show how innovative the band have been, especially with the business-minded Simmons at the helm. Kiss Kondoms hit the market in 2002, the Kiss VISA credit card is available to FirstUSA Bank customers, and (literally) die-hard fans can even be buried in the Kiss Kasket, a fully themed coffin emblazoned with images of the band and the now famous logo. Kiss even have their own online slot, complete with logo, images of band members and of course music clips from some of their biggest hits. Generating income from slots and games is nothing new when it comes to the music industry. All of the biggest names have been down the same route and the add-ons can amount to a tidy sum.
All of this money from add-ons however haven't exactly been spread around the band members equally. Simmons, who is largely responsible for taking Kiss to the next level from a revenue perspective, is worth more than $300 million, and is always looking at new ways to make money.
One of his biggest earners is the Kiss Kruise, a full cruise liner schedule that sees fans enjoy 2 weeks of cruising, including themed bedrooms, a Kiss bar playing non-stop Kiss hits, and even an appearance from the band themselves, as well as live music from cover bands and new names every night on deck. This innovative idea just goes to show where Simmons is ready to take the band's brand, and doesn't seem too bothered about just how commercial Kiss have actually become.
The future for Kiss seems like it'll continue to focus on revenue from merchandise, tie-ins and re-launches of older music. The band have officially retired from writing new music, and it looks like a farewell tour isn't far off, with Simmons hinting at one final blowout before the gang finally hang up their leather pants and throw out the mascara. None of them will feel too sad about however, with millions of dollars of royalties and image right rolling in each year, and a long-standing awkwardness between Simmons and other band members potentially being put to bed when the music finally stops.


Corporate Values are the basic principles that have guided our Company in the process of operation and that consolidate our Company into a single unit, making it different from others.
1) Patients and Doctors are our main clients whose needs we are constantly reviewing, analyzing, and we always try to meet the best, surpassing their expectations for the quality and affordability of our solutions.
2) Partners and Suppliers are our colleagues and adherents, who help us to create trusting relationship and build reliable mutually beneficial cooperation to the implementation of our corporate missions for the common development and our joint prosperity.
3) Team and Motivation is the foundation of our Company, which consists of talented people, their enthusiasm, ambitions, optimism, mutual support, team spirit and loyalty to the cause. The team and its motivation is the guarantee of successful development, expansion and high competitiveness of our Company in the dynamically developing world markets.
Our Mission, Vision and Values are the basis for management decisions and strategic development of the Company.


The personality of Sydney's dining scene is as distinctive as the city itself, reflecting its multicultural diversity and willingness to embrace new things. Find a fresh approach to flavour combinations at numerous gourmet restaurants, many of which are on the harbour and enjoy outstanding views. While high-end dining experiences are plentiful, cafe society thrives in Sydney's inner precincts and beaches. Paddington and Balmain have flourishing pub-dining scenes and quality food is also on offer at historic pubs in The Rocks.
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Remember the Survivors
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests - Tennessee
The cover-up of clergy sexual abuse continues . . . how much longer?
Crisis Center Info
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Scandal's fallout still settling in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Fla.
In Palm Beach, Fla., the first Sunday in February was the kind of warm, sunny day that snowbirds fly south for. On the grounds of Holy Name of Jesus Church in West Palm Beach, Boy Scout Troop 197 was holding a pancake breakfast to raise money for the troop. Inside the church, parishioners got what was for many of them a first look at their new bishop. Replacing the homily, a video giving parishioners the pitch for the Diocesan Services Appeal opened with Bishop Sean O'Malley speaking to the importance of the appeal, previously known as the Annual Bishop's Appeal.
The new name, like the new bishop, reflects a tumultuous year in the Palm Beach diocese. On March 8, 2002, Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell resigned following publication of an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that reported O'Connell had engaged in sexual improprieties with a seminarian more than 25 years earlier. O'Connell's swift resignation was the second of a bishop in Palm Beach. His predecessor, Bishop Keith Symons, left the Palm Beach diocese in 1998 when it was revealed that he had sexually abused five young men earlier in his career.
Here in Palm Beach, the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church has been hard to miss, impossible to ignore. With not one but two bishops removed for sexual abuse, local Catholics have come face to face with the scandal in ways that Catholics in some other dioceses have not. The fallout is still settling; the taking of stock ongoing.
According to some, the response to the scandal has been more sadness than anger. "There's an underlying depression, I think. You want to hope for the best. People move on, but it was a real blow," said Fr. Brian Flanagan, a priest at St. Ann Church in downtown West Palm Beach.
Danlis Leyva, a parishioner at Holy Name of Jesus Church, compared the effect of the scandal to the breakup of the space shuttle Columbia and the loss of the seven astronauts on board. "Everybody feels sad."
Local Catholics said the shock of O'Connell's resignation came as a double-whammy. "When you feel people were healing from the wounds of the first [resignation], to have that happen again … it was just very hard and very devastating," said Susan Cutaia, a eucharistic minister at St. Joan of Arc Church in East Boca Raton, a chair for legislation advocacy for the Council of Catholic Women, and a businesswoman.
Despite having what she considered a strong faith, Cutaia said she, like many other Catholics, was shaken by the revelations concerning O'Connell. Her predominant feeling is disappointment, she said.
"I better understand what it means now to say we are one body, and when one of us sins, we all feel that. It doesn't mean that the sins of the priest were any greater or lesser than our own. It means we held [priests] in higher regard," Cutaia said.
The shock, sadness, anger and sense of betrayal many Catholics in Palm Beach describe on hearing that O'Connell had resigned because of charges of sex misconduct were all the stronger for O'Connell being a popular and loved figure who was, by many accounts, an outstanding bishop.
Cutaia recalls O'Connell visiting a religion class she taught at St. Joan of Arc even before he was appointed bishop. "Bishop O'Connell -- we all had the highest regard for. He was the most wonderful person with the kids."
O'Connell was equally popular with the priests in his diocese. Fr. Pierre-Louis Dumarsais, a Haitian priest at St. Ann Church, spoke regretfully of the loss of O'Connell and the feeling of frustration and even desperation the resignation had evoked because of the caliber of the man. "He was a people person, a great man really," Dumarsais said.
"He was charming. He was unsparing of himself. He was a workaholic. He gave himself very much to everybody, to all kinds of people. He was very generous of his time, and he gave it 100 percent. That makes it all the more tragic," said Fr. James Murtagh, who was appointed apostolic administrator for the diocese following O'Connell's resignation and is currently vicar-general. Murtagh, who will go on sabbatical this month, declined to give O'Connell's whereabouts but said he is not in ministry.
Murtagh, who came from Ireland in the 1960s, is widely credited with bringing the diocese through a difficult and turbulent period. The diocese arranged listening sessions for parishioners to vent their feelings as well as workshops with psychologists who met with parishioners to discuss the psychological findings about pedophilia and other forms of sex abuse. Counselors also met with sex abuse victims who wanted counseling and with priests, many of whom were reeling from the resignation.
Murtagh said he found the listening sessions held throughout the diocese "instructive."
"One of my surprises was that it was primarily the retired people who were coming to the listening sessions, not the young. I came to the conclusion that the older generation was more affected than the younger and more inclined to put priests on a pedestal. The older generation felt more pain, maybe because they invest more," Murtagh said.
Notwithstanding charges by local attorney Edward Ricci that the diocese has been insufficiently attentive to financial and sexual scandal, Murtagh said most people have been very supportive.
"I've been astounded by the maturity of the faith of the people," Murtaugh said.
The Palm Beach diocese is a young diocese, established in 1984. Even before its first bishop, Thomas Daily, departed to become bishop in Brooklyn, a sex abuse policy existed. After O'Connell's resignation, an ecumenical lay board reviewed the policies of the diocese and any old cases that may have existed. But unlike some other dioceses in the United States, there were no known cases at that point of priests sexually abusing minors in the Palm Beach diocese's 18-year-old history nor any settlements involving sexual abuse of minors. What sexual scandal surfaced involved priests in relationships with women rather than with minors. A priest who caught the attention of the newspapers, Fr. Frank Flynn, was accused of preying on women who came to him as a priest. The diocese was already screening candidates before O'Connell's resignation; now it has widened its background checks on priests, teachers, employees and volunteers with access to children.
All of this is standard operating procedure in dioceses these days, but Murtagh says there was nothing standard about the sex abuse scandal as it affected the Palm Beach diocese.
"In so many ways, our situation is different from other places around the country," he said, pointing out that although the diocese lost two bishops, the sex abuse they were charged with occurred outside the diocese and took place in both bishops' past.
"It's really a one-man story here," agreed Tom Blackburn, a Catholic who is an editorial writer at The Palm Beach Post. "Our problem has been with our bishops, not with our priests."
Tom Tracy, a free-lance writer in Palm Beach and former editor of the diocesan newspaper The Florida Catholic, said O'Connell was a casualty of the larger sex abuse scandal affecting the Catholic church in the United States.
Hurt, anger and confusion
"I believe O'Connell's resignation was a direct result of the situation in Boston. It was a ripple effect," Tracy said. Had circumstances been different, Tracy said it is possible O'Connell might have weathered the revelation that the diocese of Jefferson City had paid Christopher Dixon, a former priest who had studied at St. Aquinas Seminary when O'Connell was rector there, $125,000 to drop charges against O'Connell and two other priests in the diocese. The diocese did not admit to Dixon's allegations in making the 1996 settlement.
Six years later, troubled by stories of clerical sex abuse in Boston, Dixon came forward to say O'Connell had invited him to bed under the guise of counseling when he was attending St. Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal, Mo., during the 1970s. An Irish immigrant who was ordained in the diocese of Jefferson City, Mo., O'Connell had worked at the seminary for 25 years as a teacher, principal and rector before being made bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., in 1998. After Dixon left the seminary, a friendship between him and O'Connell continued. O'Connell was one of the guests Dixon invited to his ordination to the priesthood in 1990.
At a news conference announcing his resignation, O'Connell apologized for the hurt, anger and confusion that his actions had caused.
O'Connell was flanked at the news conference in Palm Beach by a dozen diocesan priests, giving the impression to some members of the public that they supported him 100 percent and triggering criticism. Approximately a hundred priests in the diocese signed a petition asking O'Connell to remain as bishop.
"This is the second time around, so we tried to improve the situation," Murtagh said of the news conference. "I'm not sure we did. The first time, Symons just disappeared. The second time O'Connell met with the priests and there wasn't a dry eye. The response of the priests was, 'Can't we save this bishop?' The priests were shocked. The charges seemed so out of character. He'd never given you an indication that he was into power. Never. Never. He lived for people."
Since his resignation, three other former seminarians at St. Aquinas have come forward to accuse O'Connell of sex abuse.
Murtagh said different segments of the Catholic population in Palm Beach responded to the scandal in different ways. The Haitian community was largely unaffected, he said, while the Hispanic community was more inclined to make allowances for erring priests than the Anglo community.
"It's like your own father going through a public disgrace," said Murtagh. "Everybody will respond differently depending on your relationship with that father, but there's no way you can avoid it."
At the pancake breakfast at Holy Name of Jesus Church, a foursome of retirees talked about the sex abuse scandal in their diocese and in the larger church over pancakes and coffee.
"It shouldn't have been covered up like that," said Catherine Castaldo. A few minutes later, Castaldo said, "We're all human."
"But you expect more," argued Vincent Valenti, a retired school bus driver from New Jersey.
Valenti said he felt betrayed by the actions of the clergy in Palm Beach and elsewhere. Priests who sexually abuse young people should not be allowed in ministry and should go to prison for their crime. Still, he said, the scandal hasn't affected his faith in God or his faith in the Catholic church.
Theresa Bourque, the mother of two Scouts, one of them an altar boy, said the public focus on abusive priests hasn't affected her faith. If anything, it has made it stronger. "We are the church," she said. "These people are just human beings. They're figureheads. They're figureheads that we look at and want to respect, but they're all human beings."
Because of the scandal, Bourque, 45, said she was prompted to speak to her sons earlier and more explicitly about what is and what is not appropriate behavior. But her attitude toward priests is the same as her attitude toward teachers, coaches and Scout leaders. "Keep your eyes open. Don't be blind."
Staying faithful
Interviews with Catholics at other churches in the Palm Beach area surfaced similar responses of dismay over the scandal yet continuing support for the church.
Leaving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens, Greg and Cathy Hammill, Long Island-ers who spend three months each winter in Florida, said they were disappointed the institutional church had handled the scandal so poorly. "I do believe it's going to bring a great cleansing," Cathy Hammill said, adding she believed a great role for the laity in the church lay ahead.
At St. Edward's Church on Palm Beach Island, Ann Szilagy said she prays more for priests these days. "I think many people will fall away -- the borderline Catholics, people looking for a reason not to attend," Szilagy said.
Some Catholics voiced bewilderment that O'Connell had accepted the post of bishop, given his past. Still, despite parishioners' disappointment and anger, Murtagh reported that last year's Annual Bishop's Appeal, which kicked off one month after the scandal, was down just 1 percent. Donations in some parishes are down some, but Murtagh said it's hard to know whether that is attributable to the scandal or to a lagging economy.
"People are always shaken by the scandal. But at the same time, Catholics judge their church by their parish priest," said Fr. Brian King, a priest at St. Juliana Church in West Palm Beach.
St. Juliana is a predominantly Hispanic parish. King said the response to the scandal at St. Juliana is not typical of the wider church. Many parishioners have tended to view the sex abuse crisis as an Anglo problem and an attack from the outside. "They were very proud of their church, and they weren't going to let this shake their pride," King said.
Located downtown, just minutes away from Palm Beach Island, St. Ann Church serves an economically and racially diverse population, including a large Haitian community. Some parishioners leaving the two-hour Sunday evening service celebrated in Haitian Creole had little to say about the scandal, but 16-year-old Georgeline Louis said she believed the scandal was taking a toll. "You think you can trust people in church but now you don't know whom you can trust."
Alix Monde, 42, had a measured response. "I don't agree with what the two bishops did and what some priests are doing. But all of us are human. They received the punishment they deserved because they were rid of their power. As a church we should not be surprised," said Monde, a customer service representative for Florida Power and Light.
"The Catholic church will regroup, as it has, as it always has meant to do," he said.
Fr. Pierre-Louis Dumarsais, a Haitian priest at St. Ann, said, "The Anglos they were upset and showed it. For the Haitians, it's not a topic they would approach you with because sex is not a topic people talk about openly in Haiti. They also wouldn't bring it up with you out of a sense of respect for you."
Dumarsais said the effects of the scandal in the church will not be completely negative. "We will become a better church. I think the focus will be more on Jesus and less on his messengers," he said.
Is the sex abuse crisis in the diocese of Palm Beach over?
"No. Nor do we want it to be," Murtagh said promptly. He called for full transparency across the board, financial and otherwise in the church. "There should be no premature closing of the accounts on this issue. We should be making a commitment to people to do everything in our power to see that children are protected," Murtagh said.
Margot Patterson is NCR senior writer. Her e-mail address is mpatterson@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, March 14, 2003
Wayland Y. Brown - pedophile priest
notsoperfect2.mp4
Victims must confront obstacles
Nothing Sacred
© 2004-2020 Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests (Tennessee chapter) www.rememberthesurvivors.com

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Ahead of his proposed address to 18 US cities via satellite, scheduled for May 12, Association for India's Development (AID), a US and Canada-based NGO, has asked Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to have a closer look at how vulnerable sections of society are suffering in his own state. In a letter to Modi and state revenue minister Anandiben Patel, 54 AID volunteers, who support civil society efforts in India have asked him, in a signed letter, to urgently look into the plight of the salt pan workers in the Little Rann of Kutch. "You must already be aware of the recent untimely and heavy rainfall in the Little Rann of Kutch and surrounding areas", the letter reminds the CM.
"Over five inches of heavy rain had turned the desert into a large water body, trapping over 3,200 families, including families in the middle of the Rann", the letter says, adding, "The worst affected from this heavy downpour are the salt-pan workers, i.e. the agariya community, who live and work in the desert for 8-9 months of the year. The makeshift shelters that agariya families had been living in have been destroyed. Up to 80% (~500 tonnes) of their annual salt harvest, some of which was ready to be transported, has been irrecoverably lost. This has resulted in them enduring heavy economic losses".
It underlines, "Historically, unseasonal rains have always affected only small patches of land, and the damage borne by the Agariyas has been minimal. However, recently, the biggest losses arose from the irregular release of fresh water from Narmada into the Rann which has affected close to 1,000 families annually in the past. The damages were not only financial but seemingly environmental too as the fresh water might have been affecting the bird nesting sites and the migration routes of other animals in the desert."
It points out, "Now, due to the recent unseasonal rains, around 3,200 agariya families in Kharagoda and Santalpur, accounting for roughly one third of the population of these traditional salt pan workers in Gujarat, have been affected. The agariyas start every season by signing binding contracts with agents for capital in exchange for prefixed rates for purchase of salt produced at the end of the season. The amount involved ranges from Rs. 1-1.5 lakh. Although the agariyas produce more than 25 per cent of India's salt, their bargaining power is limited, and they often earn as little as 12-15 paise per kilogram of salt. With their harvest washed away and the lack of any sort of insurance, the Agariyas will plunge into deeper debts this year."
Reminding the CM that "the Gujarat government has already taken cognizance of the struggles faced by the community through the establishment of an Empowered Committee for the welfare of the agariyas", the letter informs him that "AID has been involved with the agariya through maternal health, education and empowerment projects", hence, in light of the recent tragedy, it "requests" following urgent actions be taken: * Families who have lost their possessions and income in the rains should be provided with access to zero-interest credit in order to rebuild their lives. Government-issued identification cards can and should be used to make sure that this assistance reaches those who most need it.
* Salt production should be insured (as crops are) in order to mitigate such crises in the future.
In the long term, the government should facilitate a slow transition from a single crop to multi-crop pattern of salt in close collaboration with premier research institutes such as the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar. This would minimize losses by reducing the volume of crops to be recovered at the end of the season."
* Release of fresh water from Narmada should be done in consultation with the agariya community to ensure that the best scheduling and local geographical wisdom be utilized to benefit everyone.


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2020 Team Recaps
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MLB DFS October 27: World Series Game 6
As the Los Angeles Dodgers play for their first championship since 1988, the Tampa Bay Rays will be battling to stay alive for a winner-take-all Game 7. This may be the last day of 2020 to win some money with MLB DFS so let's get to it.
It is going to be tough to match the excitement of last night's game. Now that the World Series boils down to a three-game series, let's take a look at how we can make some cash with MLB DFS for October 25.
The Los Angeles Dodgers head into tonight's game up 2-1 over the Tampa Bay Rays. After tonight the Dodgers will either be one game away from their first World Series championship in 32 years or the series will turn into a best-of-three.
With the World Series now tied 1-1, tonight's Game 3 will be a big one. The pitching matchup is a good one, with Walker Buehler taking the ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Charlie Morton toeing the slab for the Tampa Bay Rays.
MLB DFS Diamond Picks: World Series Game 2
Here we are, we have made it to the World Series. The playoff bubble environment has worked flawlessly, and now we are set up for a fun and thrilling set. Who is in line for a good game tonight?
The abbreviated season is finally culminating in what 115 seasons previously have come to…the World Series. Today, we want to win some cash. Let's see how we can bulk up that bankroll with MLB DFS for October 20.
MLB DFS October 18: NLCS Game 7 Showdown
For the first time since 2004, both Championship Series have the decisive Game 7. After the Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the World Series last night, they await the winner of tonight's Los Angeles Dodgers-Atlanta Braves matchup. The Dodgers have won the last two games, 7-3 and 3-1, to force this Game 7.
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New study into bladder regeneration heralds organ replacement treatment
Researchers in the United States have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient's own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for paediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.
The research, led by Dr Arun Sharma and Earl Cheng from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Children's Memorial Research Center, focused on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) taken from the patient. Previously studies into the regenerative capacity of cells in bladders have focused on animal models, but these have translated poorly in clinical settings.
"Advances in the use of bone marrow stem cells taken from the patient opens up new opportunities for exploring organ replacement therapies, especially for bladder regeneration", said senior author Sharma. "Several findings from our study have demonstrated the plasticity of stem cells derived from bone marrow which make them ideal for this type of work."
The team discovered that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have phenotypic and physiological similarities with bladder smooth muscle cells (bSMCs) implying that MSCs can serve as an alternative cell source for potentially damaged bSMCs.
"For our research we developed a primate-based model, using the baboon bladder in conjunction with bone marrow MSCs to attempt partial bladder regeneration," said Sharma. "We found that the mesenchymal stem cells utilized throughout the study retained the ability to populate a surgically grafted area while remaining active 10 weeks after surgery."
The transplanted bone marrow cells also retained the ability to express key smooth muscle cell markers, attributes that are required for the continual expansion and contractile cycles of a functional bladder.
Currently information about the cellular and molecular interactions that govern bladder regeneration is scarce, however the team's research demonstrates the feasibility of MSCs in partial bladder regeneration and their use of a primate-based mode provides valuable insight into these processes as they may apply to humans."
"This newly described bladder augmentation model represents a unique insight into the bladder regeneration process and provides strong evidence that MSCs can be exploited for tissue engineering purposes," concluded Sharma. "The non-human primate bladder augmentation model established in this study will also further provide key pre-clinical data that may eventually be translated in a clinical setting."
"Bioengineering the repair of the bladder is not a simple matter. The combination of the clinical SIS material and patient supplied MSCs provides a good combination for further testing," said Mark Pittenger, Associate Editor of STEM CELLS. "Dr. Sharma and his colleagues are advancing the pioneering work of Dr. Anthony Atala. The progress in this field in the last few years is quite promising and more clinical studies are needed."
This paper is published in STEM CELLS. Media Wishing to request a copy should contact Lifesciencenews@wiley.com or phone +44 (0)1243 770 375
Full Citation: Sharma A, Bury M, Marks A, Fuller N, Meisner J, Tapaskar N, Hall L, Matoka D, Cheng E, "A Non-Human Primate Model for Urinary Bladder Regeneration Utilizing Autologous Sources of Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells", STEM CELLS, Wiley-Blackwell, November 2010: DOI
About the Research: This work was performed in conjunction with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Children's Memorial Hospital Division of Pediatric Urology, and the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM) and through a generous gift from Sara C. Star
About STEM CELLS: STEM CELLS, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research.
For more information, please visit: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1549-4918
STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley-Blackwell.
About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC and Craigavon, United Kingdom publishes two internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS®, now in its 27th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist® (www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, is in its 14th year and is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. Both journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines. AlphaMed Press publishes the Stem Cells Portal online (www.StemCellsPortal.com), as well as freestanding monographs and books, and is renowned for its excellence and speed in the publication of the peer-reviewed proceedings of major international symposia. For more information on AlphaMed Press, please visit www.alphamedpress.org.
About Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
Children's Memorial Research Center is the research arm of Children's Memorial Hospital, the pediatric teaching hospital for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The research center is also one of 29 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes of the Feinberg School.
For more information contact Peggy Murphy, Children's Memorial Research Center at 773.755.6341 or pmjones@childrensmemorial.org.
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SUTD researchers 3D printed a micro-scaled physical device to demonstrate a new level of control in the directed differentiation of stem cells, enhancing the production of cardiomyocytes.
More selective elimination of leukemia stem cells and blood stem cells
Hematopoietic stem cells from a healthy donor can help patients suffering from acute leukemia.
Computer simulations visualize how DNA is recognized to convert cells into stem cells
Researchers of the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW - The Netherlands) and the Max Planck Institute in Münster (Germany) have revealed how an essential protein helps to activate genomic DNA during the conversion of regular adult human cells into stem cells.
First events in stem cells becoming specialized cells needed for organ development
Cell biologists at the University of Toronto shed light on the very first step stem cells go through to turn into the specialized cells that make up organs.
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Stem cells are true Jacks-of-all-trades of our bodies, as they can turn into the many different cell types of all organs.
Healthy blood stem cells have as many DNA mutations as leukemic cells
Researchers from the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology have shown that the number of mutations in healthy and leukemic blood stem cells does not differ.
New method grows brain cells from stem cells quickly and efficiently
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a faster method to generate functional brain cells, called astrocytes, from embryonic stem cells.
NUS researchers confine mature cells to turn them into stem cells
Recent research led by Professor G.V. Shivashankar of the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore and the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Italy, has revealed that mature cells can be reprogrammed into re-deployable stem cells without direct genetic modification -- by confining them to a defined geometric space for an extended period of time.
Researchers develop a new method for turning skin cells into pluripotent stem cells
Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, have for the first time succeeded in converting human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells by activating the cell's own genes.
Read More: Stem Cells News and Stem Cells Current Events


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Mark Tan Peng Liat, 29, was charged in court in February with causing the death of his father.
A businessman accused originally of murdering his father now faces an amended charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Mark Tan Peng Liat, 29, was charged in court in February this year with causing the death of his 67-year-old father, Mr Tan Kok Keng, at a semi-detached house in West Coast Rise at 5.26pm on Feb 10.
The amended charge states that he caused his father's death by applying a headlock and a chokehold over his neck region, which were acts done with the knowledge that they were likely to cause injuries that could lead to death.
The senior Mr Tan reportedly fell unconscious and was taken to the National University Hospital. He had a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead about an hour later.
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The maximum penalty for the other charge is a $5,000 fine and three years' jail. The case has been adjourned to Nov 16.


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The Community Players of Hobbs: Happy New Year from the Community Players of Hobbs!!
Happy New Year from the Community Players of Hobbs!!
We've got a great season coming in 2012, starting with "Fiddler on the Roof" in February! We then have the comedy "Faith County", the musical comedy "Urinetown", our summer youth production of Disney's "Aladdin", the melodrama "Oil's Well That Ends Well", our annual haunted house, and the one-act show "Line".
And keep watching us online and on Facebook and Twitter, we have more exciting changes in store for you in 2012!
Again, have a happy and safe New Year, and we'll see you in 2012!


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Politics & SocietyDispatches
An interview with the Zimbabwean Jesuit who mediated Mugabe's fall from power
Russell Pollitt, S.J. December 14, 2017
Fidelis Mukonori, S.J. Photo by Russell Pollitt, S.J.
It intrigued the world when a Catholic cleric appeared as a key player when Zimbabwe's future hung in the balance last month. But Father Fidelis Mukonori is probably Southern Africa's best-known Jesuit and is certainly the most influential Jesuit in Zimbabwe.
In November, Father Mukonori played an intricate role in the fall of Africa's oldest president, 93-year-old Robert Mugabe. He was the key negotiator between the generals who lead Zimbabwe's military and President Mugabe. He says that to him the outcome was obvious and that he told Mr. Mugabe that it was "time to rest."
Just two hours after army tanks rolled out onto the streets of Harare in November, Father Mukonori got a call asking him to go to the army barracks to meet with the generals. He explains: "They told me that what was happening within ZANU-PF [the ruling party] was not acceptable. The issue of corruption, the purging of war vets, the mudslinging against soldiers, especially generals, was not acceptable."
He was asked to go and tell the president what he had heard. Father Mukonori quickly became a mediator between the president and the generals over the next days as Zimbabwe began an unexpected but peaceful transition from Mugabe's rule. Father Mukonori spent 16-hour days mediating between different parties before driving back to the mission where he lives each night—some 40 minutes outside of the country's capital.
Just two hours after army tanks rolled out onto the streets of Harare in November, Father Mukonori got a call asking him to go to the army barracks to meet with the generals.
It was a role he had become known for in Zimbabwe. "Whether opposition or ruling party, they all come to me," Father Mukonori says. "I don't look for popularity in the media or amongst Zimbabweans; I look for what I believe is just for individuals and the nation of Zimbabwe. I deal with things below the ladder, not for publicity."
The Jesuit also facilitated talks between Mr. Mugabe and incoming President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mr. Mugabe had fired Mr. Mnangagwa as his vice president on Nov. 6, causing the latter to flee to Mozambique and then South Africa. Father Mukonori explains that he got Mr. Mnangagwa on the phone while he was with Mr. Mugabe. He says that Mr. Mugabe asked Mr. Mnangagwa where he was, if he was O.K. and repeatedly told him to come back to Zimbabwe.
Mr. Mugabe and Father Mukonori spoke about the issues of the moment during his intervention but also about "deep issues." Father Mukonori says that in the midst of the political crisis they "started breaking into anthropology...and sociology." He says over the years he has discussed life, land, joy, sorrow, good governance, bad governance, evil, sin, hell and heaven with Mr. Mugabe.
Father Mukonori is saddened by what happened. He blames the factional battles within Mr. Mugabe's party for the events that unfolded after Mr. Mugabe dismissed his vice president. He uses strong language to describe what he sees as the problem: "Political debauchery… political division… slicing each other's character... trying to position each other for power."
These factional battles led to the firing of Mr. Mnangagwa so that Mr. Mugabe's current wife, Grace, could succeed him, but, Father Mukonori says, that dismissal "broke the camel's back."
One cannot but help feel that Father Mukonori attributes Grace Mugabe's greed for power as a serious contributing factor to her husband's political demise. He speaks fondly about Mr. Mugabe's first wife, Sally, but his demeanor changes when he speaks about Grace. When asked about her future after her husband dies, he says calmly, "I'm sure that people would do justice to her."
After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, Father Mukonori continued to play a role in national politics.
Father Mukonori is the superior of the Jesuit Community in Chishawasha as well as the parish priest and director of the schools at Chishawasha mission. He is also the executive director of the Center for Peace Initiatives in Africa, which is part of the Africa desk of the United Nations.
He has a long history with Mr. Mugabe. The former president really got to know the Jesuit priest in 1973 and '74, when Father Mukonori was working with Zimbabwean youth in exile preparing to fight for independence against the colonialist Rhodesian Army. He had been keeping them in touch with their families and informed about what the leaders in exile were saying. According to Father Mukonori, Mr. Mugabe and other former political prisoners heard of his work with the guerrillas and reached out to him.
The former president is a Catholic, and he attended Catholic schools; much of his childhood formation was done in the church. When his father abandoned the family, a priest took the young Mr. Mugabe under his wing.
He attended Mass regularly at Harare's Sacred Heart Cathedral. More recently, Mr. Mugabe has been going to the Redemptorist parish closest to his luxurious house in Borrowdale, Harare. He raised eyebrows when he attended the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II in April 2005.
"He is a serious Catholic, more serious than what most people think," Father Mukonori insists. "He says his rosary every day; even during the war. He would travel with his rosary in his pocket, which was given to him by his mother."
He explains that when Mr. Mugabe was sent by the liberation party to Mozambique as an exile, his mother told him that all she could give him for protection was God, so she gave him her rosary, which he used for the entire period that he was away.
Father Mukonori often visited Mr. Mugabe's family; he was especially close to Mr. Mugabe's mother, Bona, when the young Robert was in exile. He explains how angry and upset Mr. Mugabe's mother got when in 1977-79 the then Rhodesian Herald (today the Zimbabwe Herald) published pieces saying that anyone who killed Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, leader of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, would receive $50,000 each as a reward.
Mugabe "is a serious Catholic, more serious than what most people think," Father Mukonori insists.
"'Why do they want to kill my son?' she would ask me when I saw her," Father Mukonori says.
The Zimbabwe War of Independence (1964-1979) was being fought during the tenure of the 28th General of the Society of Jesus, Father Pedro Arrupe (1965-1983). Father Arrupe had a profound commitment to justice that, he insisted, should permeate Jesuit ministry.
Father Arrupe's vision contributed much to Decree 4 of the Society of Jesus' 32nd General Congregation—titled "Our Mission Today: The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice." This was an important document for the Society of Jesus and gave new focus to the work of Jesuits globally. It emphasized that the service of faith was primary to the whole apostolate of the society and stressed that justice was an absolute requirement of that service.
Father Mukonori played a key role in the country's liberation war because he believed that justice needed to be done for the African people who had been colonized and degraded by Europeans on their own land. He has worked for many years with the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission in Zimbabwe.
"Brother Fidelis," as he was known (Father Mukonori entered the Society in 1971, initially to be a brother, and was only ordained later on in 1991), managed to go to places where others could not go. Perhaps Father Mukonori was ahead of his time.
During the 35th General Congregation of the Jesuits (2008), Pope Benedict XVI told members gathered in Rome that "the church needs you… particularly to reach those physical and spiritual places which others do not reach or have difficulty in reaching."
In the same address, the pope said, "strive to build bridges of understanding and dialogue." He also urged Jesuits to go to the frontiers.
Father Mukonori was attempting to do this when he worked at the Jesuit Social Justice and Development Centre in Harare. Later on, Silveira House—the Jesuit Social Justice and Development Centre in Zimbabwe—became an important place for political discussions which would lay foundations for the country's post-colonial era. Father Mukonori says that it was the only safe place where nationalists could gather freely to discuss the future of Zimbabwe.
Mr. Mugabe's sister, Sabena, also worked at Silveira House in the youth department, promoting nutrition, hygiene and child care. She too is a friend of the Jesuit.
Father Mukonori says that as soon as he met Mr. Mugabe he knew that he was a leader. "He is a person who never smiled," Father Mukonori says wryly. "But, when we got to know each other…when I went to Zambia and Mozambique [when Mr. Mugabe was in exile] to meet the patriotic front with the Justice and Peace Commission and [Archbishop Patrick Fani Chakaipa, archbishop of Harare from 1976-2003] we wanted to understand their aims and objectives…
Father Mukonori says that as soon as he met Mr. Mugabe he knew that he was a leader.
"He got more interested in me because I traveled across the whole country and I would give them the facts," Father Mukonori remembers. "We told him what the Rhodesians did...their success and failure regarding the war. I also told them what the freedom fighters did in fighting the war, the success side and failure side, the date and time as well as the commanders." He says that he also told them when crimes were committed by members of the patriotic front.
Father Mukonori explains that the exiled leadership were leading the war from the rear. "We were on the frontier and so we went to give them the facts of what was happening on the ground." Father Mukonori explains that although there was a war raging, they told the exiles that there had to be a negotiated settlement; it was the only way out of the conflict.
They managed to get the Patriotic Front (the coalition fighting white minority rule in Rhodesia) to agree to attend an all-parties conference. In 1979 Mr. Mugabe agreed to such a meeting. He stipulated one condition: "Britain must take and play its full role as the colonizer, no one else."
Father Mukonori advised Mr. Mugabe during the Lancaster House Conference in 1979, and on Dec. 21, 1979, the Lancaster House Agreement was signed. It led to the creation and recognition of the Republic of Zimbabwe, replacing the unrecognized state of Rhodesia that had been created by Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965.
After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, Father Mukonori continued to play a role in national politics. He was close to and worked with Mr. Mugabe's first wife, Sally. They ran a project to rehabilitate female guerrilla fighters and help them develop leadership skills when they re-entered society after the war.
He recalls fondly how he accompanied Sally Mugabe. who, he says, was angry with God and did not practice her faith after the death of the Mugabes' only son in Ghana, Mrs. Mugabe's native land. Mr. Mugabe, then in detention in Rhodesia, was not allowed to attend the funeral.
He says that Sally was traumatized by what she saw during the war and struggled spiritually. Father Mukonori says that he told her, tongue in cheek, that he hoped she would have a conversion experience like Saul. Later, she did return to the church. "She died a good Catholic, receiving communion three to four times a week," he says.
He recalls too how he tried to bring white farmers and the government together, for example, to deal with the question of land. Father Mukonori has worked on the land reform and redistribution for a long time; he sees it as an important part of his ministry.
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He says that he and Mr. Mugabe have discussed this issue "endlessly" over the years. He had hoped that Mr. Mugabe would not leave office until the issue was properly addressed. He says that it was an issue important to the former president too, and he wished that he had been able to deal with it effectively.
Father Mukonori says that he was, initially, approached by white farmers to help with the land issue, but later talks broke down because white landowners did not live up to their part of the deal. "My business is to get people together and to get them talking…. I engage government, I engage parties and I engage individuals—the president included."
In the post-Mugabe era Father Mukonori will likely still have influence. He has been meeting with Morgan Tsvangirai, a former prime minister who had led the opposition to Mr. Mugabe through the Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe.
Father Mukonori says that Mr. Tsvangirai wants to discuss a way forward for the country with the new president. But on the day of their second meeting, the newly inaugurated president announced his cabinet. Mr. Tsvangirai's wish "would have been that they discussed the issue before the new president announced his new government," he says.
Although Father Mukonori has the support of his provincial, not everyone is comfortable with his role. He has been criticized inside and outside of the church. It cannot be denied, however, that over the years he has helped many people and facilitated many meetings and encounters between unlikely rivals. He helped many who were arrested unjustly get released.
It is easy to point fingers and disagree with him. Father Mukonori, however, understands how the politics of his country works and has dared to minister in a complex and tricky political reality. Listening to him carefully reveals that he is, at heart, trying to be a pastor.
Correction (12/15/17; 1:46 p.m. ET): Father Mulonori was misidentified as the superior of the Jesuit Community in Zimbabwe; he is the superior of the Jesuit Community in Chishawasha.
Amazing, I never knew how intertwined Mugabe was with the Catholic Church and the Jesuits. They were all in it together. Hope the change of government goes well.
I was in a corner of Zimbabwe a few years ago and was able to visit a local school just outside of Victoria Falls. While there I became sick (from something I contacted the day before in Botswana) and was attended to by a young doctor who made three visits to my hotel. Total cost for this care was less than $100 including medicines.
When I offered to make a donation to the nearby clinic that the doctor came from, I was told no. Some will think it a bribe they told me.
Apparently Zimbabwe has some nice game preserves as well as Victoria Falls and they recently been promoting them for tourists. Tourism has been a vital infusion to Southern Africa. It is a beautiful and interesting part of the world.
More: Africa / War & Peace
Russell Pollitt, S.J., is one of America's Johannesburg correspondents.
@Rpollittsj
Donald Trump has abused the presidential pardon—but it still has an important place in a humane society
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Miroslav VolfJanuary 19, 2021
What Joe Biden (and all American Catholics) owe Jesuit John Courtney Murray
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