8A -The Michigan Daily -Thursday, October 16, 2003

NATION/WORLD


On 25th anniversary of his rein,
cardinals discuss pope's future

For he's a jolly good fellow

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Cardinals have1
come to Rome united to celebrate Pope John1
Paul II's 25th anniversary as pontiff, but some1
issues may divide them when it comes time to
choose his successor, such as celibacy for<
priests and age limits for the pope.c
While none would acknowledge they aret
pursuing an agenda at the moment, some haveI
been unusually frank as concern grows over<
the health of the 83-year-old John Paul.
In an interview yesterday with The Associ-1
ated Press, Los Angeles Cardinal Rogerc
Mahony said it's only natural extreme viewst
are being voiced "at a time when people feel1
there is some kind of change."c
"You're always going to find those (times)c
as opportunities for those to raise their views,
to try to influence the next chapter in the 1
book," he said.c
Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, men- t
tioned as a possible candidate for pope, said I
he was coming to celebrate, "but at a party
people can also discuss other things."c
Danneels and other prelates made clear t
they didn't expect meetings in Rome wouldr
be turned into lobbying sessions to prepare ac
new papacy, but they also acknowledged
some simmering issues.C
Even before the princes of the church d
began arriving this week, Scotland's newly b
appointed cardinal, Archbishop Keith s
O'Brien, caused a stir with remarks on celiba-
cy, contraception and homosexuality.
The Roman Catholic Church's insistence p
ENTREE PLUS
Continued from Page 1A
at the stadium and we were concerned about
the quality of service. In the transition
between one MSA administration and the next,
we didn't get the word out," Harper added.
"When students didn't have the service this
year, they were really disappointed. We
worked with the Athletic Department and the
Housing Office, which helped with the
machines, and figured out a way to have
Entree Plus at the Big House for the rest of the
home season,"
MSA, the Division of Student Affairs and
the Athletic and Housing departments are
assembling a committee to work toward ensur-
ing the program's future.
"We want not only to improve the service
but also to see that it stays," Harper said. "We
will try to work out the bugs and be responsive
to students' concerns. Something we need, for
example, is additional machines."
While students commonly use Entree Plus in
the Michigan Union and Michigan League, the
system is limited.
"Michigan banking laws keep Entree Plus
from off-campus locations, like Jimmy John's

that priests be celibate has been blamed for
the drop in the number of priests and also
by some for the clergy sex abuse scandals
in the United States, Ireland, the Philippines
and other countries. Church opposition to
contraception has similarly alienated some
Catholics, while sparking criticism that its
ban on condoms was harmful in the fight
against AIDS.
O'Brien was quoted as saying, shortly after
being named a cardinal Sept. 29, that the
celibacy rule and ban on contraception should
be debated, and that he was not opposed to
homosexual priests. "If they are leading a
celibate life, God bless the men," he was quot-
ed as saying.
He later rolled back, saying his remarks had
been misinterpreted, and took the unusual step
of making a public pledge to defend church
teaching on those issues. A spokesman denied
he had acted under Vatican pressure.
Recently, some 160 priests in the archdio-
cese of Milwaukee, Wis., called publicly for
the Vatican to allow married men into the
priesthood, but American church leaders
defended the celibacy requirement.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop
of Washington, D.C., said there are "always
different currents of thought in the church"
but they are "basically melded within the real
strong doctrine of the church."
While noting that celibacy was a discipline
he nevertheless said it has its place in today's
priesthood.
on Packard, for example; there are only cei
places where it can be offered," Galardi
"We try to have the convenience whereve
can, though. If we are going to have the
tem, we might as well take advantage of it.
I am going to do whatever I can do to ha
at the stadium next year," Galardi said.
like to see it offered at Yost (Ice Arena)
year, too."
In addition to helping to revive Entr6e
at the stadium, the Housing Department
extended the deadline for students to creat
add to Entrse Plus accounts. Anyone who
isters by tomorrow can use it Saturday at
game against Illinois.
"Usually, after the first month of schoc
student who adds money to her entr6el
account will not have access to those funds
at least a month," Galardi said. "But now,
dents who initiate, or add money to, an En
Plus account in the next two weeks will 1
the money immediately."
Entr6e Plus offices are located in the Stu
Activities Building and Pierpont Commons.
"I will definitely use Entr6e Plus at the
dium now," LSA junior Cora Jones said. "
always more convenient to use a card tha
go to the ATM and get cash."

"It is a discipline that is based on a long-
term appreciation of the value of celibacy, the
beauty of celibacy and the importance of
celibacy in the Western church, as it allows us
to serve more easily God's people," McCar-
rick said.
Catholic priests must take a vow of celiba-
cy, although the pope in 1980 allowed married
Episcopal clergy to join the Catholic Church.
Married priests are the norm among Eastern
Rite Catholics in their homelands in eastern
Europe and the Middle East.
In an interview in the Flemish-language
magazine Knack published last week, Dan-
neels touched on the problem of a sick,
aging pope in view of the lack of provi-
sions in church law to remove an incapaci-
tated pope.
While he said he was against a fixed term
limit, he said future popes will abdicate and
"that will happen automatically."
"One cannot continue to bear the respon-
sibility if you turn 90 or 100, no matter
how well you're cared for. But the choice
of the right moment must be the preroga-
tive of the pope and that's how it will
work," Danneels said.
New York Cardinal Edward Egan said yes-
terday there was a need to draft provisions to
deal with a sick pope, particularly now that
modern medicine can prolong life. Egan
helped draft the 1983 update of church law
which said specific laws would be created to
deal with the situation.

AP PHOTO
Rescuers carry first Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei, center, after landing on the
Inner Mongolian grasslands of northern China yesterday.

Baby food jar lids draw concern
over poss1bility of causing canCer

LONDON (AP) - Europe's food safety
agency recommended yesterday that baby
food manufacturers change the lids on their
jars as soon as possible because of cancer
concerns over a chemical found in some food
packed in bottles and jars.
The European Food Safety Authority said
there was no need for parents to stop using
infant food because any cancer risk was
extremely low and the jars have an excellent
safety record for germs and other contaminants.
The chemical, semicarbazide, has been
found in very small quantities in certain foods
packaged in jars with metal lids incorporating
plastic vacuum seals, a type of packaging
used worldwide for more than 20 years.
Semicarbazide, or SEM, belongs to a fami-
ly of chemicals known to cause cancer in ani-
mals. One study has shown it can cause
tumors in mice. No human studies have been

conducted. The European Food Safety
Authority is the first organization to have
taken a close look at the risks posed by the
chemical.
Although the amount in food is uncertain and
its human health effects unknown, scientists
investigating on behalf of the European food
agency concluded the danger is very slight.
A baby's estimated daily intake of semicar-
bazide, based on the concentrations found in
infant food, was at least 40,000 times less than
the dose given to the mice in the tumor study.
"The risk to consumers resulting from the
possible presence of semicarbazide in foods,
if any, is judged to be very small, not only for
adults but also for infants," said Sue Barlow,
chair of the European Food Safety Authority
expert panel.
"Nevertheless," the agency said in a state-
ment, "experts believe it would be prudent to

reduce the presence of semicarbazide in baby
foods as swiftly as technological progress
allows."
The agency also recommended the industry
change the lids for other products, after baby
foods have been tackled.
Besides baby food, bottled foods found to
have traces of semicarbazide included fruit
juices, jams, sterilized vegetables, pickles,
mayonnaise, mustard, sauces and ketchup.
However, baby food had by far the strongest
concentrations, probably because the contact
between the food and the seal is more signifi-
cant - the jars are small, but the cap still has
to be big enough to fit a spoon in.
The Food and Drink Federation, a London-
based European industry organization, said
that an industry task force is now working
with the authorities to eliminate semicar-
bazide from the metal twist caps.


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