Oslo's Muslims - and 'heathens'- win right to broadcast their beliefs
Copenhagen: For the first time ever Muslim calls for prayer can now be heard from a minaret in central Oslo, the capital of Norway. The city council in Gamle, central Oslo, where there is a mosque serving the city's Muslim community, has decided to give permission for the call to prayer to be made once a week. It will last 2 or 3 minutes at noon each Friday, according to an application submitted to the council by the Norwegian branch of the World Islamic Mission. [559 words, ENI-00-0127]

30 March 2000
Poland urged to tighten laws on religious groups
Warsaw: A Polish government official has called for his country's freedom of conscience law to be tightened so that rights can be withdrawn from churches and religious organisations which engage in "doubtful activities". [935 words, ENI-00-0124]

Society donates a million pounds to give thanks for 200 years of mission
London: A missionary society is helping to produce a new version of the Bible for the Dinka people in southern Sudan almost 100 years after it brought Christianity to the tribe with translations of 12 favourite hymns. The Bible translation is one of a range of projects announced by the London-based Church Mission Society (CMS), which is giving away one million pounds (US$1.6 million) as an act of thanksgiving to mark its 200th anniversary. [738 words, ENI-00-0125]

29 March 2000
No stamp of approval from Canada Post for church anniversary
Vancouver: Canada's biggest Protestant church is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary, a major event in the life of the church - but the Canadian post office has turned down the church's request for a commemorative stamp to be issued to honour the event. The 3-million member United Church of Canada was established in 1925 by a merger of Canada's Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations. Peter Wyatt, a UCC pastor and staff person assisting the church's 75th anniversary committee, told ENI that he was shocked and disappointed that such a significant event in the history of ecumenism was being ignored by Canada's post office. [790 words, ENI-00-0121]

Bishop accuses Canadian government of pushing church to bankruptcy
Vancouver: The highest-ranking Anglican bishop in British Columbia has claimed that action by Canadian government lawyers could force the Anglican Church of Canada's general synod into bankruptcy. The bishop's claims relate to legal action against churches and the federal government by thousands of indigenous Canadians who allegedly suffered cultural, physical and sexual abuse in residential schools run by the Anglican and other churches on behalf of the government until the 1960s. [1548 words, ENI-00-0122]

Christians lead people's rally for peace in war-ravaged Jaffna
Colombo: About 10 000 people, led by Christian leaders, have taken part in a peace rally in Jaffna, on Sri Lanka's northern peninsula, demanding an immediate end to the country's 17 years of ethnic conflict. The rally on 25 March, described as the "largest" in recent history, was addressed by prominent Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim religious leaders, as well as the Roman Catholic bishop of Jaffna, Thomas Savundaranayagam. According to a statement addressed to Sri Lanka's president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, which was read out at the end of the rally, "the 17-year-old ravaging of our land has now reached monstrous proportions". The ethnic conflict had led to "uncivilised acts of shame: rape, torture, arbitrary arrest, disappearance and extra-judicial killing to a scale too much for a small nation," the statement said. [662 words, ENI-00-0123]

28 March 2000
Christians come from around the world to remember martyr for justice
San Salvador: In what amounted to an unofficial holy week, thousands paid homage to Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero on the 20th anniversary of his murder. Romero, the famous Catholic archbishop assassinated on 24 March 1980 by death squads linked to the Salvadoran military, backed by the US, was honoured by Salvadorans and visitors from the US, Europe, Asia and elsewhere in Latin America during a week of public ceremonies, conferences, vigils and marches. [974 words, ENI-00-0118]

Romero commemorations bring sense of hope to activists
San Salvador: According to El Salvador's ecumenists and activists, the week of commemorations honouring Oscar Romero gave them a much-needed sense of renewal and hope. Archbishop Romero cooperated strongly with El Salvador's Protestant community during the years of repression of the churches. That cooperation was recalled during the week as Protestant churches honoured members of their communities who had perished during the 12-year civil war that killed more than 75 000 people. [501 words, ENI-00-0119]

Despite bitter arguments Prague has a new Orthodox archbishop
Warsaw: A new Orthodox archbishop has been installed in the Czech capital, Prague, after a three-month dispute following the death last year of Metropolitan Dorotej. On 25 March, 46-year-old Archbishop Krystof (Pulec) was enthroned in Prague's Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. A church spokeswoman said uncertainties continued over the church leadership's composition, but she predicted a solution within three months. [159 words, ENI-00-0120]

27 March 2000
Preach the message of the beatitudes, Pope says in sermon on mount
Korazim: Pope John Paul II, celebrating mass on Friday (24 March) before a crowd of some 100 000 Christians by the Sea of Galilee, focused his message on young believers - calling on them to choose the path of good over evil. In a voice that was stronger and clearer than at any time during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the pope's message reverberated across the Mount of Beatitudes - the place where tradition holds that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. [681 words, ENI-00-0114]

At Jerusalem's Western Wall Pope pleads for God's forgiveness
Jerusalem: In an emotional climax to his week-long pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope John Paul II visited the sacred sites of Jews, Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday, 26 March, the last day of his visit. At the Western Wall, the holiest of Jewish sites, the Pope made a sign of reconciliation by asking God for forgiveness for hundreds of years of mistreatment of Jews. [794 words, ENI-00-0115]

Israelis and Palestinians pay tribute to Pope's pilgrimage to Holy Land
Jerusalem: The Pope's visit to the Holy Land marked a new era in Jewish-Christian relations, according to a senior Israeli politician, while a Palestinian official has described the visit as demonstrating papal support for the right of Palestinians to live in an independent homeland. [804 words, ENI-00-0116]

4000 children to burst into song in Anglo-French entente cordial
London: Children in 100 churches in France and Britain are planning to burst into song simultaneously as part of an Anglo-French event to celebrate the millennium. The event on 6 May will feature adult and children's choirs in Mayfield, England, and Neufchatel, France, who will take part in a performance broadcast in England and France, and will be relayed to 100 churches in the two countries. [448 words, ENI-00-0117]

24 March 2000
Methodist lay preacher declares he is president of all Macedonians
Skopje: On 15 December last year, Boris Trajkovski, a Methodist lay preacher from the centre-right Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity, became the first Protestant president of the small Balkan republic officially known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Less than 1 per cent of the republic's 2 million citizens are Protestant (66 per cent of the population are Orthodox, 30 per cent Muslim, and 2 per cent Roman Catholic), but Trajkovski's rise to prominence has prompted such deep resentment among some sectors of the population that anti-Protestant graffiti has appeared on buildings in the capital, Skopje, and a Methodist church in a suburb of the city has been stoned on several occasions. [826 words, ENI-00-0110]

Globalisation and Clinton are not welcome here, say activists in India
New Delhi: Although this week's visit to India by United States President Bill Clinton is being described by some Indians as the "greatest ever" visit by a foreign dignitary, some prominent Christians are supporting protests against the presence of the US delegation. [883 words, ENI-00-0111]

After ritual murder of Siberian priest, church denounces rise of sects
Moscow: Church authorities in the Russian Orthodox diocese of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, more than 3000 kilometres east of Moscow, have condemned the ritualistic murder of a local priest, and blamed his death on the rise of cults in Russia. "We see the tragedy as a consequence of extensive advertising of all sorts of pseudo-religiousness, and the return to the wild pagan cults of satanism and the cultivation of new types of polytheism," the church declared in a statement. [689 words, ENI-00-0112]

English cathedrals' recipe to stop attendance numbers falling
London: Cathedrals in England appear to be bucking the trend of dwindling Christian congregations. Worshippers are apparently drawn to cathedrals by a potent mix of choral music, liturgy and the historical character of the buildings, according to a recent survey. [721 words, ENI-00-0113]

23 March 2000
At Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial, the Pope regrets persecution of Jews
Jerusalem: Pope John Paul II today spoke out in remembrance of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, praying that a new relationship between Christians and Jews would be born from "sorrow over this tragedy". After praying at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, the principal Israeli monument to those who perished in the Holocaust, the Pope asked that there would be no more hatred but only respect between the two faiths. [945 words, ENI-00-0108]

In rush for technology, don't forget people, ecumenical official tells Europe
Geneva: As the leaders of the European Union's member states gather in Portugal for a special summit on ways to promote economic growth, a senior European church official has warned against the "human dimension" becoming lost in an era of technical advance and globalisation. High on the summit agenda is the search for ways to promote economic competitiveness and the use of new information technology to generate economic growth. [742 words, ENI-00-0109]

22 March 2000
Pope John Paul retraces Jesus' footsteps
Jerusalem: Pope John Paul II today realises the start of a long-held dream - to retrace the footsteps of Jesus. The pontiff, who arrived in Israel from Jordan last night (Tuesday) on the first visit by a pope to the Holy Land in 36 years, hopes that his spiritual pilgrimage will help to heal the divisions between Arabs and Jews. He will visit the traditional sites of Christ's path from birth through to baptism, crucifixion and resurrection. [682 words, ENI-00-0102]

Punishing schedule will put Pope's stamina to the test
Jerusalem: Concerns are being raised about Pope John Paul's health as he begins a demanding tour of the Holy Land, perhaps the most demanding trip he has ever made since he became pontiff in 1978. Jerusalem-based Roman Catholic priest and scholar, Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, said there were real question marks over the Pope's ability to cope with his hectic schedule of meetings and trips in Israel and the Palestinian territories. [328 words, ENI-00-0103]

Palestinians put pressure on Pope over status of Jerusalem
Jerusalem: Palestinian political and religious leaders have petitioned Pope John Paul to help end what they say is the "illegal Israeli occupation of Jerusalem". The petition calls on the pontiff to issue a statement of support "so that Jerusalem will become a free city and the capital of a Palestinian independent state". [480 words, ENI-00-0104]

Despite synod approval, Prague's Orthodox archbishop faces obstacles
Warsaw: The newly elected Orthodox archbishop of Prague has promised to improve his church's pastoral network and to extend ecumenical ties with other churches in the Czech capital. But the archbishop-elect, who will probably be enthroned on 25 March, faces a number of obstacles, including division within the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia over his appointment. A member of the church's national council told ENI that disputes over the archbishop's election had not been resolved, and that if the situation continued other church authorities could be forced to intervene. [1074 words, ENI-00-0105]

'I'm not a saint or theologian,' says astonished Templeton prize-winner
New York: Freeman J. Dyson, an eminent physicist and a critic of the growing technological divide between rich and poor, has won the 2000 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's most prestigious prize in religion. Dyson, aged 76, becomes the second physicist in two years to win the award, which this year comes with a cheque for 600 000 pounds sterling (US$948,000). He will be formally awarded the prize on 9 May by Prince Philip of Great Britain. A public ceremony to honour Dyson will take place on 16 May at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. [787 words, ENI-00-0106]

Pope tells Palestinians to seek hope in the place where Jesus was born
Bethlehem: Pope John Paul II today chose the birthplace of Christ to identify himself with the suffering of Palestinians and to express sympathy for their aspirations for statehood. The Roman Catholic pontiff delivered this message during a tour of Bethlehem, which included a Mass outside the Church of the Nativity, built over the spot where, according to ancient tradition, Jesus was born. [809 words, ENI-00-0107]

21 March 2000
Taiwanese church leader calls for recognition of island's sovereignty
Geneva: The general secretary of Taiwan's biggest Protestant church, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), has called on Christians world-wide to pray that last Saturday's national elections - which swept the Kuomintang (KMT) president from power - will usher in a new era for the island in which its sovereignty will be respected by the world community, especially the People's Republic of China, which is just 130 kilometres away. [878 words, ENI-00-0100]

Indian churches protest against 'price tag' for Christian conversion
New Delhi: Church groups in the Indian state of Orissa are taking legal action in the high court to suppress a regulation requiring people who want to change religion to seek official permission first. According to one church leader, "a would-be Christian" from a remote village would have to pay out at least 1000 rupees (US$24) for the preparation and submission of the affidavit and for police verification. "Well, now there is a price tag to become Christian," he said. [631 words, ENI-00-0101]

20 March 2000
China's Cardinal Ignatius Kung: loyal to the Pope until the very end
New York: Cardinal Ignatius Kung of Shanghai died in the early hours of 12 March in Stamford, in the US state of Connecticut where he had lived with his nephew since 1988. At the age of 98 years, Ignatius Kung was the Catholic Church's oldest cardinal. Kung spent 30 years in prison for defying the Communist government's attempt to control Roman Catholics through a state-run church. Throughout that period and until his death, he retained the titles of bishop of Shanghai, and apostolic administrator of Suzhou which the Vatican had conferred on him in 1949, only six days after the Communists came to power. [987 words, ENI-00-0099]

17 March 2000
We must halt America's gun scourge, says ecumenical leader
New York: Declaring that the United States must end the "scourge" of gun-related violence which has brought a series of multiple killings in recent years, the US National Council of Churches (NCC) has come out in support of legislation in the US Congress aimed at limiting the ownership of guns. [692 words, ENI-00-0096]

Only human contact can ease Kosovo tension, says Orthodox 'cyber-monk'
Gracanica: Father Sava Janjic is one of the very few advocates of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence in Kosovo. During the Nato bombings, which began a year ago on 23 March 1999, Sava became world-famous as the "cyber-monk", thanks to his internet site (www.decani.yunet.com). Now he says that for Kosovo's Serbian citizens the situation was worse today than immediately after the arrival of the KFOR, the international peace-keeping force, last year. [840 words, ENI-00-0097]

Church council urges swift resolution of Zimbabwe's row over white farms
Harare: The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the main ecumenical organisation in this southern African country, has urged the government of President Robert Mugabe to move swiftly to distribute land - mostly owned by white farmers - to thousands of peasants, under a comprehensive land-reform programme. The call follows the invasion in recent weeks of more than 300 commercial farms by thousands of former guerrillas who fought in Zimbabwe's war of independence which brought white rule to an end in 1980. [808 words, ENI-00-0098]

16 March 2000
Russian Orthodox Church calls for efforts to rebuild peace in Chechenya
Moscow: The Russian Orthodox Church has called for increased efforts to rebuild peaceful life in the breakaway Russian republic of Chechenya. The church expressed concern about civilian casualties and called for captured Chechen fighters to be treated in a "humane and legal" fashion. [866 words, ENI-00-0094]

Churches react as India tries to control growth of its 1 billion citizens
New Delhi: India's church leaders have welcomed the federal government's new population policy, but both they and many health experts fear that the policy will remain a "paper tiger" which will not receive support in the government's budgetary provisions. The new policy, approved by the federal cabinet last month, aims to curb India's population explosion by promoting two-child families. Some church leaders were, however, critical of the Indian government's continuing support for abortion. [1021 words, ENI-00-0095]

15 March 2000
Pope's visit to Holy Land has no political meaning, says Latin Patriarch
Jerusalem: The senior Roman Catholic church leader in the Holy Land has rejected claims that Pope John Paul II's forthcoming visit to the region is part of efforts by the Vatican to intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, told a news conference in Jerusalem on 14 March that the Pope's pilgrimage should not be dragged into the political arena. The visit was, he said, intended to symbolise the Pope's strong commitment to peace between all faiths. [1083 words, ENI-00-0092]-

Orthodox federation joins Germany's main ecumenical body
Frankfurt: The main Orthodox organisation in Germany has become a full member of the Association of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK), the country's main ecumenical organisation, which is based in Frankfurt. [467 words, ENI-00-0093]

14 March 2000
90-year-old Granny D walks across US to become a prophet and scourge
New York: A 90-year-old great-grandmother, suffering from arthritis and emphysema, has completed a 14-month, 3200-mile (5100km) walk across the United States in a holy crusade for the reform of politicians' massive spending in election campaigns. Doris Haddock, known affectionately as Granny D, claims that the very soul of the nation is at risk if US citizens do not convince their elected officials that political spending must be brought under control. [1419 words, ENI-00-0090]

At an historic service, Polish church leaders ask pardon for past mistakes
Warsaw: Leaders of Poland's Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches have expressed their regret for past mistakes at an ecumenical service attended by five European presidents. [730 words, ENI-00-0091]

13 March 2000
The church's 'children' made mistakes, but the church is sacred, says Pope
Rome: At a solemn service of penance in St Peter's Basilica in Rome, Pope John Paul II made history yesterday 12 March by begging pardon of God for the sins committed by members of his church over the past 2000 years, especially those which caused division among Christians. At the same time the Pope reaffirmed the sanctity of "Mother Church". The document on which the confession is based stresses that while the church always remains holy, its members can make mistakes. [1236 words, ENI-00-0088]

Visit our basilica. And stay at our hotel, says Krakow's enterprising priest
Krakow: When it comes to commercial flair, Our Lady's parish in Krakow is decidedly different from Poland's countless other Catholic parishes. Eighteen months after opening Poland's first up-market, church-owned hotel, the parish rector is confident he'll soon be netting some "serious profits". [866 words, ENI-00-0089]

10 March 2000
More Christians killed in Nigerian violence over Islamic law
Jos: Nigeria faced further major conflict this week as more violence erupted between Christians and supporters of Islamic Sharia law. Three Christians were killed and a church was set on fire after riots broke out on 7 March in the city of Sokoto in north western Nigeria. [377 words, ENI-00-0086]

Now you must forgive Mozambique its debts, Methodist bishop tells West
Geneva: As churches in southern Africa mobilise to help the victims of the floods in Mozambique, the president of the country's main ecumenical organisation called on the rich nations of the world to forgive his country its crippling debts. Methodist Bishop Bernadino Mandlate, who is president of the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), said that it was immoral that creditor nations continued to demand payments while the country's population was struggling to survive the devastating floods. Mozambique pays US$1.46 million a week to service its debts. [1002 words, ENI-00-0087]

08 March 2000
Irish church rule on clergy couples prompts pair to seek joint refuge in US
London: A married couple, both Anglican priests, have moved from Ireland to the United States so that they can live together. As rectors in the Church of Ireland, Christopher and Paula Halliday were required by canon law to live within their separate parishes 55 kilometres apart- which meant return long journeys and occasional meetings. (ENI-00-0085, 447 words)

08 March 2000
Build bridges, but fight fanaticism, India's churches told
Ranchi: The assembly of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) has ended with a call to the churches of this multi-faith nation to be more "inclusive" in their relationships with other religious groups. "The church is called upon to continually strive for greater mutual understanding with people of other faiths," said the official "message" released by the NCCI assembly as it closed in Ranchi, India, on 6 March. (The assembly is held every four years.) At the same time, the message urged churches to lobby against Hindu fanaticism and against moves to strengthen India's caste system. [795 words, ENI-00-0083]

Catholic priest fears that violence will continue in southern Philippines
Manila: Violence is likely to continue in at least four southern provinces of the Philippines which have big Muslim populations, despite a second round of peace talks between the government and secessionist rebels, according to a prominent Roman Catholic priest, Eliseo Mercado. Almost 75 000 people have been displaced since January following clashes between military troops and guerillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the biggest rebel movement in Mindanao island, 1000 kilometres from the Philippines capital, Manila. Although the Philippines is a predominantly Christian country, several of its southern provinces are mainly Muslim. Arab traders brought Islam to Philippines in the 13th century. [608 words, ENI-00-0084]

06 March 2000
Orthodox charity director wins US award
New York: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Samir Ishak, the director of operations at International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), which is based in Baltimore, Maryland, the prestigious Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator's Special Award. The award cited Ishak's work in several large-scale humanitarian projects in co-operation with USDA in the Russian Federation, the Republic of Georgia and in Bosnia-Herzegovina. IOCC targets regions that require either emergency intervention after war or drought, and regions hit by long-term economic decline. [691 words, ENI-00-0079]

03 March 2000
No solution in sight for split in Nigeria's biggest Lutheran church
Jos, Nigeria: The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) is engulfed in a serious leadership and constitutional crisis which has led to a split among the church's 720 000 members. [962 words, ENI-00-0077]

Poland is no longer a Catholic monolith, says ecumenical leader
Warsaw: The Lutheran head of the Polish Ecumenical Council has been awarded one of the highest state honours for services to "ecumenism and European unity". However, Bishop Jan Szarek warned in an interview with ENI that Polish society still lacked a "sense of pluralism" Life remained difficult for minority religious groups in this mainly Roman Catholic country. [734 words, ENI-00-0078]

01 March 2000
Nigeria orders suspension of Islamic law after four days of riots
Kaduna, Nigeria: Nigeria's federal government yesterday suspended the Islamic legal system - Sharia law - in several states, following mass killings and destruction of property worth millions of dollars in the city of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria. More than 400 people died in street battles and other violence between Christians and Muslims in the city of Kaduna last week. The main reason for the violence was the decision of the Kaduna state government to implement Islamic law for its four million citizens. Many mosques and at least 36 churches were destroyed, and more than 200 000 people were forced to flee. [1575 words, ENI-00-0075]

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