NSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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RELIGION
Argentinians look forward to new era of papacy
SOLI SALGADO
ssalgado@kansan.com
Father Agustin Fernandez watched the white smoke on his bedroom television in Buenos Aires' National Basilica of Luján. When "Habemus Papam"—"We have a pope"—was announced and followed by the name "Bergoglio", he leapt from his seat to scream the news out of his window. He knew that name and had met that man: the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the first from the Americas, Jorge Bergoglio.
"It is a great joy and pride to have a pope that was first our particular pastor, being a cardinal from Argentina," Fernandez said in an interview via email. "It is like an injection of hope and a breath of faith. We are seven priests in the Sanctuary, and they say that it is like a new dawn of the church in their lives because they know the life of HH Francis."
Agustin Fernandez, a Roman Catholic priest from Argentina, with fellow Argentinian Jorge Bergoglio, who was named the 266th pope of the Catholic Church. Fernandez said the selection of Pope Francis is "like an injection of hope and a breath of faith."
The 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, 76-year-old Jorge Bergolgio, named Pope Francis, succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, who was the first pope to resign in the past 600 years. Both Fernandez and Fede Levermann, a sixth-year seminarian in the province of Buenos Aires, met Francis on pilgrimages when he was still a cardinal in Buenos Aires. They said they found him reserved and humble, often refusing special treatment. He ate wherever a seat was available, cleared his own plate, got his own coffee and spent up to six hours hearing confessions.
ences, the reaction throughout Francis' home country was universal. Levermann said people of no faith were still moved to tears, that churches everywhere were packed for his inaugural celebration, and that even the smallest convenience stores brimmed with papal memorabilia.
This was the man putting Argentina on the world stage, a country that's roughly 90 percent Roman Catholic, but with a mere 25 percent practicing. Regardless of the people's religious prefer-
"We were filled with pride that the Holy Father is one of us, and for many, because they have met him personally," Levermann said. "We felt joy knowing that his way of thinking is that of an Argentine; his concerns are that of an Argentine. Our country, as well as America as a whole, can rest assured that both our voices and way of living our faith will be known and taken into account in a special way in the Vatican."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Up until Francis' papal election, Argentina's international recognition was limited to its two World Cup victories and creating the tango. Yet this developing country has a particular arrogance behind its patriotism, an inexplicable insistence that their country is always "number one." This national competitive spirit is now fueled with what they proudly feel is proof of their superiority, and Francis only encourages the popular joke, "God is Argentine."
"Humility" has indeed already
"The pope can be considered a typical Argentine in several aspects: his simple way of speaking, not too mindful of formalities, his taste for national traditions, especially soccer," Levermann said. "But on the other hand, we can see that the Holy Father is free from many defects very common in the Argentine people, and that is seen in his great sense of responsibility and humility."
become the buzzword to describe Francis, as his name refers to Francis of Assissi, who embraced a life of poverty. This was the earliest and most visible sign showing the world where his priorities lay. According to La Nacion, a Buenos Aires newspaper, his fight against poverty most closely defined his leadership, such as his involvement against drug and sex trafficking as well as specific consideration and outreach toward young catholics. With poverty as his primary interest, his relationship with Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has always been tense. Kirchner portrays herself as a champion of the poor, so she and Néstor Kirchner, her husband and predecessor, often took Francis' public concern for the country's impoverished conditions as a personal attack on the presidency. Despite the stress his agenda caused the government in his home country, Francis continues to make the poor a priority.
he's to make hope that has been in the streets, who understands the problems of the simple individuals of God's people," Fernandez said. "He will know how to apply the catholic doctrine to the daily concrete actions that the common man can do."
Although Christian regions are quickly adopting more liberal lifestyles, including a recent fight for gay marriage. Pope Francis' progressive tendencies are restricted to his socioeconomic concerns.
"This pope from the new world will change his pastoral approach, but as far as doctrine, there is nothing to change, and he knows that," Fernandez said. "As far as interpretations and practice, [the Catholic Church] having had European
popes that looked more into the intellectual, this pope cares more about gestures and is more concrete through his works."
Both Pernandez and Levermann are confident that the pope's visible examples and deeds will be what most enhance the Catholic Church's image, and that there is no need to consider the widespread criticism that suggests a need for reformed social doctrine. "With few words, the pope is abundantly teaching us about our faith," Levermann said. "And non-believers are evangelized by being shown a church that suggests a different way of life, witnessed to the whole world beginning with the pope."
Argentina is more than aware of the sudden spotlight, and more importantly, of its potential. La Nacion observed that when Pope John Paul II from Poland was elected there was an international shift in attitude regarding socialism; now, a South American country so consumed in poverty is hopeful that, through Francis' papacy, they too can achieve a global empathy that could lead to prominent influence.
The same way the European culture greatly enriched the American culture, now the American culture can share its riches with Europe, especially its relationship with God way of living the faith," Levermann
said.
When the world sees Pope Francis, it's with the image of him waving to millions of hopeful Catholics, those excited but mainly curious about this new-world man. But when Argentina sees that man, he is Jorge Bergoglio: a man who refuses to fly first class, who has lived among the poor, who is still a fan of his barrio's soccer team, and who walked out at that balcony as an Argentine ready to lead the Catholic Church and ready to show his country one more way how they could, after all, be the best.
STATE
Edited by Brian Sisk
Men charged with distributing misbranded drugs worldwide
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Demand for a synthetic marijuana concoction whipped up in an eastern Kansas warehouse became so high that suppliers had a hard time filling orders, federal prosecutors said in a 64-page indictment charging three men with distributing misbranded drugs to customers around the globe.
The indictment filed last week against Bradley Miller, 55, of Wichita; his brother, Clark Sloan, 54, of Tonganoxie; and Sloan's son, Jonathan Sloan, 32, of Lawrence, details a cat-and-mouse game between owners of a Lawrence herbal shop and state and federal authorities trying to keep up with a rapidly evolving synthetic drug boom.
"Cases like this are important because these are chemists making synthetic drugs and trying to stay ahead of state and federal laws," U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Thursday. "You have a scenario in which a drug is in question, legislation is advanced to prohibit the drug, and chemists around the country are smart enough to stay
ahead of the curve."
Miller introduced K2 as a product that could be sold at a Lawrence herb shop he co-owned, Persophone's Journey, in early 2009 after coming back from a trip to China, prosecutors said. K2 was
billed as a safe, legal alternative to marijuana and immediately became wildly popular because of its euphoric characteristics, relatively cheap cost and lack of banned substances that could be detected in drug tests.
The defendants also marketed a Chinese-made drug called queu She, which had
juana, Grissom said. But mislabeling drugs is a federal crime, and that spawned other charges against the men, including conspiracy, mail fraud, smuggling, distributing misbranded drugs and conspiracy to commit money laundering, he
been banned in the U.S., prosecutors said. The drug sometimes was labeled as a "health product" or "Garlic PE." when shipped to the U.S., they said, and advertised as "a revolution in weight loss" by Bouncing Bears Botanicals, a mail-order business owned by Clark Sloan and Miller.
The compound used to make K2 was not illegal when the men first started selling the fake mari
"These are chemists making synthetic drugs and trying to stay ahead of state and federal laws."
BARRY GRISSOM U.S. Attorney
said.
Tom Bath,
an Overland
Park, Kan,
attorney who
represents
Jonathan
Sloan, noted
state charges
against his client over products sold at
his Lawrence shop had been
dismissed in the past.
"We are in the process of going through the indictment and will be pleading not guilty in court and challenging the allegations," Bath said.
Miller's attorney said he couldn't comment, and Grissom's office did not know Thursday if Clark Sloan had obtained an attorney. None of the men have been taken into custody.
Prosecutors said Miller initially manufactured K2 in his garage before expanding to a warehouse in Oskaloosa, where he could produce 5 to 10 kilograms per night but still not come close to meeting worldwide demand. At one point, the men were bringing in $150,000 a week from K2 sales, prosecutors said, and made about $3.3 million overall from the sale of K2 and Que She.
In August 2009, while promoting K2 at a trade show in Las Vegas, Miller and Jonathan Sloan handed out single-gram samples under a banner that read, "Smoke it, feel it, share it," prosecutors said. But after other participants at the show warned that marketing K2 as a smokable product was illegal, Jonathan Sloan had the banner taken down and afterward marketed K2 as "incense," according to the indictment.
The indictment includes email exchanges among the three men that suggest they knew their lucrative business venture probably wasn't going to last long.
In one such exchange, Clark Sloan sent an email to his son on Dec. 31, 2009, warning him that
efforts to ban K2 were heating up and they need to be careful, prosecutors said.
"I read just yesterday that law/ bill (whatever it is), that makes everything illegal if it is trying to simulate the illegal drug," the senior Sloan wrote. "If it wasn't for that, I'd say milk K2 for a few more months. $150,000 a week isn't too bad. And it keeps goofy up. So, get a couple million over the next few months. Then sell it at an 'enew higher price. But... Too scary. Not worth 20 years in San Quentin."
Instead of rushing to stop K2 sales, Jonathan Sloan testified Jan. 18, 2010, before the Kansas Legislature against a proposal to designate the chemical compounds used in making K2 as a Schedule I drug. During his testimony, Sloan said K2 had those compounds and insisted they had health benefits that include being useful for pain and insomnia.
Clark sent the men another email Jan. 27, 2010, telling them he had decided that selling fake marijuana went against the mission of Bouncing Bear Botanicals, which was to provide natural herbs to its customers.
"BBB is now just a huge drug dealer," he wrote. "When pointing out that the feds are breathing down BBB's neck, it is just 'we got a new synthetic we'll use, and just invent another fake drug.' ... I know that money looks good, but, I think it is walking a shaky line. Playing one step ahead of the feds is whacked out. They know who you are. They are watching you."
STATE
County jail starts a program to end graffiti
Undersheriff Danny Bardezbain said graffiti has been a problem for years, and that now nearly all of the cells at the 1,122-bed facility have been tagged. The walls of one cell feature a sweeping mural dotted with stars and swirling clouds, The Wichita Eagle reported. Other cells at the jail have been defaced with profanity, gang signs and references to the Ku Klux Klan.
WICHITA — The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office has taken a tougher approach to graffiti at the jail by starting a cleanup program and threatening charges against inmates who mark up their cells.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"There's about 1,100 cells that we have to clean up," he said.
Jail officials also have assigned an inmate the task of cleaning the walls and painting over the graffiti. The inmate spends minutes to hours scrubbing down each cell to remove as many pencil marks as possible. Each cell also takes up to another three hours to paint.
Jail officials hope that will change under new guidelines that include charging inmates with vandalism when they deface cell walls. Jail officials have also replaced inmates' pencils with a softer, flexible version that makes defacing jail property more difficult.
Recently that inmate finished a pod of cells, where fresh, gleaming off-white walls have been restored to every cell.
"This is the way I want all of the cells to look," Bardezbain said.
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