Currents News for Thursday, July 18, 2019

On the newscast: New York is preparing for the heatwave. We’ll tell you where you can go to keep cool; And, as part of our special look back at the historic Apollo 11 mission, we talk to the director of the Vatican Observatory; Then, Bishop Nicolas DiMarzio is here to discuss the crisis at the border, in this week’s “Into The Deep”; And he led a simple life, but his impact will be felt for generations. Find out why a carpenter left his life savings to strangers.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Puerto Ricans Demand Governor Step Down Following Misconduct

By Wandy Felicita Ortiz and Emily Drooby

With their fists raised, their flags waving and through chants of “Ricky Renuncia” or “Ricky Resign,” Puerto Ricans took to Union Square Park to speak out against the island’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló on July 18.

Known to the locals as “Ricky,” many hold him responsible for the humanitarian and financial fallout the island has endured since Hurricane Maria made landfall in 2017. Post-Maria, citizens of the U.S. commonwealth feel abandoned by their local and national political leaders. Now, they say he must he step down from his position due to endangering the island.

For protestor Power Malu, the history and pain of Puerto Rico runs in his blood- his parents from the island towns of Santurce and Camuy.

For years Malu has been a member of civil rights groups like Brooklyn’s El Grito de Sunset Park or “The Scream of Sunset Park.”

“Hundreds of schools closed down under the guise of saving money, and we find out that the Secretary of Education was stealing this money. So you see all of this corruption going on, and the crisis that’s happening, it’s partly due to this incompentant Governor of Puerto Rico,” Malu said.

On July 10, the FBI arrested two former agency directors in Rosselló’s administration who between 2017 – 2019 allegedly committed $15.5 million worth of fraud using federal funds.

Later that week on July 13, Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism unearthed 800 pages worth of correspondence written by Rosselló in a private chat.

Within the chat he directed profanities towards the board that oversees the territory’s finances and mocked the 4,645 lives lost following the hurricane. Additionally he defamed fellow Puerto Rican and former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and fantasized about the death of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, his political rival in this year’s gubernatorial elections.

Malu said that the grassroots movement has grown not because the issues the island faces are new, but because the people responsible for them have now been exposed, saying “talking behind closed doors, showing their true colors, on how they feel about us. We’ve been on the streets protesting these things and what do they do? They laugh at us.”

“It’s obvious now to us, in writing, what’s going on,” said Zaira Rivera from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, who has been living in the U.S. for ten years now. She came to the protest with her family back home in mind.

In a statement White House spokesman Judd Deere said, “The unfortunate events of the past week in Puerto Rico prove the President’s concerns about mismanagement, politicization and corruption have been valid.”

Stacey Martinez from the Bronx came to the protest with her son who is preparing to enter college. She hopes that by seeing the Puerto Rican community come together, both her son and politicians at the White House can learn an important lesson.

“Puerto Rico is suffering. We are more than musicians and dancers. We’re scholars. We’re doctors. We are people that have changed this country,” Martinez said through tears.

“We pay taxes. We’re citizens. My father’s a disabled veteran. We fought for this country. I’m here so that my son knows: this is who we are,” she added.

Following the release of his chat comments Rosselló returned to the island early from vacation to denounce his own behavior, and promised to ride out the rest of his time in office despite calls for him to step down.

Though Catholic, he made his first apologies at a Protestant church in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Carlos Rivera who was at the protest in New York, said the governor’s apology in his hometown of Carolina was nothing but a show.

“I think that it was completely a publicity stunt, and that definitely infuriated me. Especially the use of God and religion in order to create sympathy. And I think if you’re a real Christian, Jesus said, ‘do not let the left hand know what the right hand does.’ And he did it in public, and that was incendiary,” he said.

While hundreds protested in Manhattan, over 100,000 marched on Old San Juan late into the night, with sister marches being held around the world as far the Netherlands.

‘Land’-ing on the Moon: Italian Artist Honors Astronaut Neil Armstrong

Currents News Staff

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, an Italian artist is remembering American astronaut Neil Armstrong in a very interesting way: in dirt.

Dario Gambarin, an expert in land art in Verona, Italy chose to honor the first man to walk on the moon by etching Neil Armstrong’s face across a wheat field.

While the commemoration is unexpected, the astronaut probably would have found the sole way to view the entire piece of artwork quite interesting: from above, in the sky.

Dario Gambarin plowed just over an acre of land to create Armstrong’s likeness.

“I went to study the terrain, its size and its shape. I tried to fix the image in my head and with the power of the imagination I created the work,” he said.

Included within the sketch is the date of the moon landing. While in the United States it is remembered as July 20, Italy is six hours ahead, making it the early morning hours of June 21, 1969.

From childhood, Gambarin remembers watching Armstrong’s one small step that changed mankind forever. That’s why he wanted to put his effort into this freelance piece, showing the first man to walk on the moon complete with his spacesuit.

While the canvas and tools for this piece of art are quite rare to find, there’s only one question artist Dario Gambarin wants to know: If it can be seen from the moon.

Bishop DiMarzio Celebrates Mass With International Priests

Currents News Staff

On July 18, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated Mass with nearly 80 international priests who will be serving Brooklyn and Queens this summer.

“Whenever I come over here, I see new things. I copy beautiful things, the organization in the Church, the celebration of the liturgy, the culture, and the interpersonal relationships. I appreciate it so much,” said Father Celestine Chigboh from Nigeria.

He has served the diocese every summer since 2003. This year, he’ll be ministering at St. Benedict Church in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

Visiting priests give other clerics in Brooklyn and Queens the opportunity to go on vacation or retreat during the summer months.

50 Years After First Landing, Vatican Remembers ‘Conquerors of the Moon’

Currents News Staff

On July 20, 1969, the whole world watched as American astronaut Neil Armstrong took his famous ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Now, 50 years later, the Vatican still remembers that awe-filled day.

On the day the first man stepped foot on the moon, like many world leaders, Pope Paul VI watched and cheered on NASA astronauts, but did so from the Vatican’s Observatory. Scientists and philosophers still study there today.

“On the day the first moon landing, Pope Paul VI came to one of the telescopes at the Vatican Observatory at Castro Gandolfo,” explained Paul Mueller of the Vatican Observatory.

“Using the dome of the Space Telescope, he looked at the moon. Then he watched the TV coverage of the landing. Once they knew the astronauts had landed safely, he made a televised address to Italy. Then he actually sent a message to the astronauts, a greeting,” Mueller explained.

Pope Paul VI’s greeting was from Psalm 8, praising God for the “conquerors of the Moon.”

While the pontiff thought of them, the astronauts thought of the Vatican, bringing its flag with them along with the U.S. flag. The evidence is still on display at the Vatican, along with a bit of moon rock they brought back.

“Both science and the Catholic Church, they’re on the same team,” said Mueller.

“They’re in search of truth; just different ways of getting at the truth. So I think ultimately it comes down to that: the Church is on the side of whoever is seeking the truth.”

This mission for finding the truth also led to another Catholic value, universal unity. Despite differences, every world leader was rooting for the astronauts all together in one common global project: to reach the moon.

As President Richard Nixon once said, “For one priceless moment, in the history of man, all the people on this earth are truly one.”

While there is much to still be explored, the memory of unity, hope and amazement from 50 years ago is still present at the Vatican, supporting what Pope Paul VI said in his address to the astronauts and the “wide expanse of boundless space and new destinies.”

Pope Appoints New Vatican Press Office Director

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (Catholic News Service) — Pope Francis appointed Matteo Bruni to serve as director of the Vatican press office, replacing Alessandro Gisotti, who had been serving as interim director since Dec. 31.

The Vatican announced the appointment July 18. Bruni, 42, previously served as assistant to the director since 2013, helping organize and coordinate media presence and pools on papal trips.

Born in Winchester, Great Britain, Bruni began working at the Vatican press office in 2009, coordinating accreditation for journalists. In 2016, during the Year of Mercy, he was appointed as coordinator of media operations for the Jubilee Year events.

According to the Vatican, he also helps church-run projects dealing with “humanitarian cooperation and support programs for the elderly.”

In an interview with Vatican News July 18, Bruni said he was honored by the appointment and saw it as a “sign of esteem not only for me as an individual, but also my history and work alongside my colleagues at the Holy See Press Office.”

“The press office is not a large structure, but a complex one” with many different functions, he said. “I believe that knowing it from the inside can be useful in order to more deeply carry out the reform of the dicastery itself.”

The Vatican also announced that the pope appointed Gisotti and Sergio Centofanti, an Italian journalist at Vatican News, as deputy editorial directors of the Dicastery for Communications. Both Gisotti and Centofanti will work with the dicastery’s editorial director, Andrea Tornielli.

Bruni thanked Gisotti, whom he called “a colleague and a friend” and praised him for his “availability, professionalism and great human sensibility.” He also thanked former press director Greg Burke and vice director, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, for their work leading the press office.

Burke and Garcia stepped down in December and the pope appointed Gisotti — who had been serving as coordinator of social media at the Vatican Dicastery for Communication — to temporarily lead the press office.

In a statement published shortly after the announcement, Gisotti congratulated Bruni on his appointment and offered him “my best wishes for success.”

“I am sure that Matteo Bruni will know how to manage the extraordinary team here at the press office in the best way possible,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for “the privilege he gave me in being his spokesmen” and “for his fatherly support.”

“Even though filled with events, this time permitted a reorganization of the Press Office based on a common commitment with the prefect, Paolo Ruffini, taken up six months ago,” Gisotti said.

In a statement, Ruffini, appointed prefect of the dicastery in July 2017, praised Gisotti for taking over the role of interim director, despite the “limited time available and a busy schedule of important appointments that required the greatest effort of communication.”

Ruffini also said Bruni “knows the machine perfectly” and that his appointment is “another important step forward in defining the structure of the Dicastery for Communication.”

While the management of the press office will be complete once the pope appoints a vice director, Ruffini said he was confident in Bruni whose human and professional skills have been appreciated over the years.”

“I am sure that Matteo Bruni will be able to guide (the press office) with competence and wisdom, far-sightedness and team spirit, contributing to its final structure with the objective of providing the best possible service to accurate information,” he said.

To Fight Summer Heat, Catholic Charities Open Senior Cooling Centers

Currents News Staff

Much of the country faces extreme heat and high humidity over the next few days.

According to the National Weather Service, over half of the continental U.S. is likely to see temperatures of 95 degrees or higher.

Officials say anyone without air conditioning could be at risk, especially the elderly and children.

Senior centers with Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens are extending business hours to serve as cooling centers.

“All of us seniors need to be concerned about drinking enough water, staying hydrated, and not being out in the sun without a hat,” said Urchin Kennedy, one senior who is beating the heat.

The cooling centers provide water and air conditioning, and you do not have to be a member of the senior center to get relief from the heat.

For more information about cooling center locations, you can reach Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens at 718-722-6001.

Catholic Charities St. Charles Jubilee Center Member Turns 100

Currents News Staff

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens St. Charles Jubilee Senior Center celebrated the 100th birthday of Vivian Levy, longtime member and Brooklynite, on July 17th.

Born on July 18, 1919, Vivian Levy grew up in Brooklyn Heights and gave most of her life in service to others. Although she wanted to pursue a career in science, she took time off to care for her three children. And after seeing how happy her two friends were as school teachers, Levy became one too.

“She and her husband were teachers, and they had children, they seemed to enjoy it so much,” said Levy. “I said, ‘You know? That sounds like a nice career.’ I felt it was the kind of career that allowed me to come home and spend time with my children.”

While teaching at P.S 188 in Coney Island, Levy witnessed a guidance counselor take a girl who was constantly disruptive out of her class, and then bring her back into the room after spending an hour with the student.

“When she came back, [the] little girl sat down, with all smiles, good as gold,” said Levy. “And I asked, ‘What is that lady?’ and they said she was a guidance counselor. I said ‘Oh, that’s what I’d like to be.”

She described her 14 years of being a counselor as “interesting” and fondly remembered not only helping children, but their parents too.

Raised to believe that everyone should be treated equally, Levy marched for Civil Rights. There was once one incident where police officers on horses chased her and many other protestors off the streets. An activist at heart, that didn’t deter Levy.

Instilled with the same belief of equality, Levy’s eldest son followed in his mother’s footsteps and displayed his own form of activism as well.

“My oldest, when he was in high school, he organized a sit down in Mort’s because they wouldn’t serve black people,” Levy proudly recalled. “He and his friends picketed. He went on in, sat down [and] organized a boycott of that.”

Believing that it was wrong to send young men to fight a war that America should have had no part in, Levy marched against the Vietnam War and was also an avid supporter for Women’s Rights.

Although she spent a lot of her time being an activist, she didn’t find any trouble finding a balance with motherhood. In fact, she thought it was easy.

“I had three children, I had a baby in a carriage and I collected signatures against the nuclear war,” said Levy. “I remember just pushing the carriage and collecting signatures.”

Wanting to preserve the peaceful world she lived in, she joined Brooklyn Parents for Peace, an organization that allows Brooklyn residents to resolve conflict in a peaceful manner. She believes that people shouldn’t be fighting over unnecessary issues, especially if they can be resolved peacefully.

Even after all the years she spent on fighting for what’s right, Levy never really got tired. Even in her sixties, she collected signatures against nominating Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.

“It’s not that you get tired, but as you get older, there’s very little you can do,” she said.

After her husband’s death and through a suggestion of a friend, Levy became a member of Catholic Charities St. Charles Jubilee Center in 2011.

There is still excitement in her voice when talking about the trips and activities she went on with the friends made along the way.

“This is a wonderful center, we went on so many wonderful trips,” said Levy. “Museum trips, garden trips; I think this is a wonderful thing that seniors can partake in. It opens so many wonderful things for seniors to do.”

She was honored in the center’s cafeteria with a birthday celebration surrounded by family and friends. Many people expressed their appreciation for Levy by giving her gifts and praising her for her thoughtfulness, as well as the positivity and joy that she brings to the center.

Currents News for Wednesday, July 17, 2019

On the newscast: The infamous drug kingpin El Chapo is guilty as charged… getting life in prison at today’s sentencing; Migrants still attempting the dangerous trek to the border, despite tough new rules to deter them; A suspect has been identified in the attempted robbery at a Howard Beach church in Queens. The police need your help to find him; And we’ll go back in time to the Eternal City… re-imagined virtually.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

New Report: How Close Notre Dame was to Collapsing

By Tim Harfmann

What looked like a scene from a movie, was a horrific reality in France.

The Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames April 15 — just days before Easter. Watching the 850-year-old church crumble left Parisians and tourists alike in shock.

“I just can’t believe it. There’s just a whole part that’s just missing,” said one tourist days after the blaze.

Now, three months after the disaster, the New York Times uncovered just how close the cathedral came to collapsing entirely.

According to the report, the employee monitoring the alarm system had been on the job just three days and was working a double shift. He was responsible for watching 160 alarms.

When the emergency alert for the fire first came across, the employee notified a guard — but the guard went to the wrong location.

According to the Times, it’s unclear how much of the special alert the new employee even understood or conveyed to the guard.

By the time the fire department was called, it had been 30 minutes since the first alarm went off.

Officials said the blaze broke out in the attic, where there weren’t any sprinklers or firewalls to preserve the architecture.

Nearly 50 firefighters pushed through the northern tower of the medieval structure, but they were ordered to evacuate, fearing the tower would collapse and take the rest of the cathedral down with it.

Firefighters then climbed the southern tower instead and set up on a platform between them.

But the damage was done, leaving a gaping hole in the roof and a gaping hole in people’s hearts.

“To see it go up like that is pretty devastating,” said another tourist.

According to the report, officials have yet to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but do know it wasn’t criminal. They pledged to rebuild the historic cathedral.