Wilkes-Barre man sentenced to state prison on firearm offense

web1_TTL092415barneybdy.jpg

Happy birthday to Michaela Barney!

<p>DALLAS &#8212; Sister Barbara Craig sat quietly at the back of the room at Misericordia University, her hands folded in front of her, as she watched Pope Francis talk on Capitol Hill about &#8220;the Golden Rule&#8221; and treating each other with respect and compassion.</p><p>&#8220;We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome,&#8221; Pope Francis said Thursday. &#8220;Let us remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.&#8221;</p><p>While addressing a joint meeting of Congress, the pope encouraged lawmakers to work together to help ordinary Americans and to show compassion for people worldwide who are suffering from war and hunger. His message touched on some of the large issues looming &#8212; the death penalty, abortion, the arms trade, poverty and religious extremism.</p><p>Sister Barbara, who belongs to the Religious Sisters of Mercy, said the pope&#8217;s words &#8220;thrilled me.&#8221;</p><p>Sister Constance Kozel, RSM, said Pope Francis spoke the truth.</p><p>&#8220;And he spoke it with love,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He was all-inclusive. He spoke about the state of the world, not just the state of the union. He didn&#8217;t mince any words.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Inspirational words</strong></p><p>Most of the reaction to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church&#8217;s address was one of general inspiration and hope for a better world through the lessons learned from the past.</p><p>At Misericordia University the reaction of students, faculty and staff was similar, with no one taking issue with the Holy Father&#8217;s message.</p><p>George Stock, 21 of Horsham, is a junior business major at Misericordia, liked the overall them of people helping people.</p><p>&#8220;It seems to me that we are losing that willingness to help people,&#8221; Stock said. &#8220;But going forward, I think the pope is right by telling us to help one another and treat each other with compassion.&#8221;</p><p>Adrienne Protto, 21, a senor nursing student from Northumberland, enjoyed watching the audience&#8217;s enthusiasm, often cheering when Pope Francis made a strong point.</p><p>&#8220;I found him to be an inspiration,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He&#8217;s so welcoming. I just hoped they listened and incorporate religion into their thought process.&#8221;</p><p>Sister Jean Messaros, RSM, vice president for mission integration at Misericordia, said the pope&#8217;s speech was what she expected.</p><p>&#8220;Yes, he was inspiration and he was challenging,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He addressed several issues facing the country and the world, like family stability, social justice, and immigration. He talked about dignity and human rights and how the wealth in the U.S. never trickles down to those in need.&#8221;</p><p>Charles Brody, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs at Misericordia, noted that the pope&#8217;s visit comes during Mercy Week at the university.</p><p>He said as a mercy institution, Misericordia shares many of the same critical concerns that pope Francis has raised during his papacy. He cited climate change, immigration as well as world peace, along with the need to lift society&#8217;s most vulnerable.</p><p>&#8220;The students, faculty and staff here in attendance are reflective of the pope&#8217;s global popularity,&#8221; Brody said. &#8220;They are curious about the message he is delivering to our nation&#8217;s leaders and at the same time, hopeful about the impact it will have, not only in America, but also on our partners abroad.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Highlights speech:</strong></p><p>&#8226; &#8220;I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day&#8217;s work, to bring home the daily bread, to save money and &#8212; one step at a time &#8212; to build a better life for their families.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; He singled out out four Americans as exemplars of the spirit of the country: President Abraham Lincoln; Martin Luther King Jr.; Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and Thomas Merton, the American Cistercian monk, pacifist and author.</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; On King&#8217;s dream of equality: &#8220;That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of dreams.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; On immigration: &#8220;We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; &#8220;If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; On ending war: &#8220;Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sister Barbara Craig watches Pope Francis address Congress during a live stream at Misericordia University Thursday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sister Barbara Craig watches Pope Francis address Congress during a live stream at Misericordia University Thursday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Judy Ellis, center, wipes a tear as she and her colleagues listen to Pope Francis as he addresses a joint session of Congress Thursday morning on Capitol Hil. Ellis and her colleagues were watching a live stream at Misericordia University. Show left to right are: Michele Zabriski, Amy Caruso, Judy Ellis, Sue Helwig and Jeanne VanDuzer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Judy Ellis, center, wipes a tear as she and her colleagues listen to Pope Francis as he addresses a joint session of Congress Thursday morning on Capitol Hil. Ellis and her colleagues were watching a live stream at Misericordia University. Show left to right are: Michele Zabriski, Amy Caruso, Judy Ellis, Sue Helwig and Jeanne VanDuzer. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Live feed of Pope Francis addressing Congress as shown at Misericordia University Thursday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092515PopeCongress3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Live feed of Pope Francis addressing Congress as shown at Misericordia University Thursday morning. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Misericordia University audience moved by Pope Francis talking to Congress