Safford, Ariz. - An eight-page Vatican statement supports a
seven-telescope observatory atop Emerald Peak on Mount Graham.
Although the San Carlos Apaches consider Mount Graham a holy
site, the Vatican paper indicates the Native Americans did not
prove that Mount Graham is sacred, and that there are no shrines.
The authorities at the Vatican also question why the Apaches did
not object earlier when the federal property was used for logging
and ranching.
Too, the Rev. George Coyne, Vatican observatory director, says
"outsiders" are encouraging the Apaches to stop the project.
Patricia Cummings, an attorney who represents the Apaches, says
that Europeans do not "understand Native American religion." In the
Vatican paper, Ms. Cummings says, "They're using the Catholic
Church's interpretation" as to what is a holy site.
The Vatican, Germany's Max Plank Institute and Italy's Arcetri
Observatory are partners of the University of Arizona in
constructing the $200 million project on U.S. Forest Service land
in southeastern Arizona.
The Apache Survival Coalition, with the support of the San
Carlos Tribal Council, asked the federal court on Feb. 10 to stop
the telescope work because the law allowing the construction is
unconstitutional, and the project is on a sacred peak. U.S. District
Judge William Copple is scheduled to hear arguments on April 24.
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Michele Lord * Walk in Peace with
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com * our Mother Earth
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