Amsterdam (ENI). The Council of Churches in the Netherlands is encouraging Christians to give a special greeting to Hindus on the occasion of Holi, a Hindu festival observed this year on 28 March. Holi, referred to as the Festival of Colours, is a spring celebration marked by lively processions, folk songs and dances, in which revellers throw coloured powders and water over each other, shedding inhibitions and caste differences for a day. The Council of Churches hopes that its initiative will promote tolerance and respect in what has become a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. [349 words, ENI-02-0098]

27 March 2002

Lima (ENI). The head of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference in Peru has rejected suggestions that jailed guerrilla leaders were behind a car bomb that exploded in Lima shortly before US President George Bush arrived at the weekend for a historic visit. Bishop Luis Bambarén said he met six guerrilla leaders in a high security jail on the night of the 20 March bombing and it was "impossible" that they had ordered the bombing. They had turned their backs on terrorism, he said, speaking on a Peruvian radio station. Nine people were killed and 30 were injured when the bomb exploded a block from the United States embassy in Lima. [500 words, ENI-02-0095]

Fiery fundamentalist and critic of the ecumenical movement dies at 95

New York (ENI). Carl McIntire, a fiery fundamentalist preacher and an outspoken and tenacious critic of the ecumenical movement, has died at the age of 95. McIntire had been in failing health for years and died on 19 March in Voorhees, New Jersey, not far from his home in nearby Collingswood. A memorial service was held for him on 26 March. "Collingswood was his Rome," said Betty Thompson, a former press officer for the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Methodist Church. "He didn't like the other Rome." [777 words, ENI-02-0096]

A Jewish journalist searches for God among Holy Land's other faiths

Jerusalem (ENI). Shortly before Easter last year, an Orthodox Jew entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's walled Old City with his two oldest children. The man, Yossi Klein Halevi, wanted to demonstrate to his family that they could feel at home and draw inspiration from what he described as a "sacred place", even on the Christian Good Friday. The church marks the site where tradition holds that Jesus was buried and rose from the dead. The reasons Klein Halevi could enter a place that many of his fellow Jews would regard as off-limits are to be found in his recent book, At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden, a record of his search for God in the Holy Land. [1233 words, ENI-02-0097]

26 March 2002

Harare (ENI). Desmond Tutu, the former South African Anglican archbishop, on Sunday condemned his government for endorsing the controversial presidential elections this month in neighbouring Zimbabwe which extended incumbent Robert Mugabe's rule of 22 years for a new six-year term. "I am deeply, deeply, deeply distressed that our country could be among those that said the election was legitimate or free and fair," Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said in Newsmaker, a current affairs programme on South African public television. South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Nigeria were among those countries that accepted as "legitimate" Mugabe's victory in the 9 to 11 March elections. [550 words, ENI-02-0094]

Sounds of violence echo at Jerusalem meeting of religious leaders

Jerusalem (ENI). A Palestinian suicide bombing in the heart of Jerusalem last week resounded at a reception for Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders intended to reaffirm their commitment to ending bloodshed in the Holy Land. At least three Israelis, including a man and his pregnant wife, died in the explosion, which also killed the bomber. The reception had been intended to mark the Jerusalem launch of an inter-faith declaration aimed at promoting peace in the Middle East. [598 words, ENI-02-0092]

Catholic-style Lenten rituals attracting Dutch Protestants

Amsterdam (ENI). An increasing number of Protestants in the Netherlands are taking to Lenten rituals traditionally associated with the Roman Catholic Church. While attendance at regular Protestant church services has generally been on the decline, some Protestants are showing an increasing interest in Catholic-style practices, such as the stations of the cross and Ash Wednesday observances, according to reports. In addition, more Protestant congregations are holding services on all three days before Easter - a tradition often associated with the Catholic Church. [400 words, ENI-02-0093]

26 March 2002

London (ENI). The Church of Scotland is fighting back against a serious shortage of ministers that has left more than one in eight charges - parishes or groups of parishes - without full-time clergy. The church's general assembly in May will be asked to approve a more attractive pay structure for ministers, although church leaders denied press reports that an increase of about 20 per cent - more than 10 times the rate of inflation - was planned. [413 words, ENI-02-0091]

22 March 2002

Amsterdam (ENI). Major reforms proposed by a church commission in Norway aim to end the status of the Lutheran church as the established state church. The Church-State Commission of the Church of Norway has proposed that the power to appoint bishops be handed over from the government to a church body, and that the church be responsible for its own leadership and finances. These reforms would require changes to the country's constitution. They are not expected to come into effect for at least a decade, according to experts. [664 words, ENI-02-0088]

US churches welcome UN call for Palestinian state

New York (ENI). A coalition of US churches and church groups is hailing a recent United Nations resolution that calls for the creation of a Palestinian state. The 16-member ecumenical coalition, Churches for Middle East Peace, said the resolution - a 13 March initiative that was drafted by the United States - was a major step forward in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the group also warned that the resolution would be futile without continued international pressure in brokering new peace efforts. [674 words, ENI-02-0090]

Church of Scotland wants to bring the men back

London (ENI). The Church of Scotland, the nation's largest Protestant church, is searching for the missing men. Although men continue to dominate the ministry and other leadership positions, the ordinary "man in the pew" is becoming an uncommon sight, according to some observers. David Currie, the kirk's senior adviser in mission and evangelism, agrees that outside church leadership, women vastly outnumber men, and says the church in recent years has failed men. [529 words, ENI-02-0089]

21 March 2002

Geneva (ENI). As East Timor prepares to become independent in two months' time, Nobel Peace Prize laureate José Ramos-Horta - the territory's foreign affairs minister - has paid tribute to the role of international solidarity in achieving sovereignty. Currently under United Nations administration, East Timor is preparing for independence in May, just over two and a half years after Indonesia pulled out of the territory in 1999. Speaking last night at a gathering at the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Ramos-Horta paid tribute to support from the WCC and other organisations since the territory was invaded by Indonesia in 1975. [501 words, ENI-02-0086]

When does life begin? An Australian archbishop engages in soul-searching ENI-02-0087

By Margaret Simons Sydney, 21 March (ENI)--The primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, Archbishop Peter Carnley, has argued that a human embryo should not be regarded as a living person with a soul in the first 14 days after fertilisation. Speaking to a conference of Anglican bishops in Perth on 19 March, Dr Carnley urged the church to take into account recent scientific research which showed that fertilisation was not the same as conception. Dr Carnley's speech is part of a push to persuade the Anglican Church to reconsider its opposition to stem cell research.

The distinction between fertilisation and conception would mean moral objections to stem cell research and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) technology would largely "fall away", Dr Carnley said in his paper to the conference. Collecting embryonic stem cells would become morally permissible because of its potential to help find cures for human disease. This was so even though the harvesting involved the destruction of the embryo.

Dr Carnley argued that the question about when human life began was not only a theological issue, but also a scientific and physiological one. It should not be "arbitrarily decided on the basis of the level of scientific knowledge as it stood in the middle of the nineteenth century".

The growth of human reproductive technologies since the early 1980s had been dominated by moral debate about when life began, and whether human beings should meddle with conception.

"Some may urge that we should adopt an attitude of conservatism and reverence, like Moses at the burning bush, in relation to our entry into the world of genetic engineering," he said.

Some theologians saw reproductive technology as usurping of the role of God, and essentially dehumanising. But others argued that technology was part of the human spirit - endlessly experimental and curious. Reproductive technology could be seen as part of a process of co-operating with God in an exercise aimed at perfecting all things.

Dr Carnley said it was wrong for Christians to adopt a fundamental attitude of suspicion and fear, let alone condemnation, to the application of human reason and research to reproduction. "The simple answer at this stage to the moral and ethical question of 'are we intruding improperly into the province of God?' is: 'No. We are exercising our God-given abilities to act as stewards, and to complete and perfect the work of creation.'"

Dr Carnley said to try and answer the question of when life begins was "a little like trying to answer the question of when middle age begins". Sperm and eggs were already alive before fertilisation.

"All that can be said is that a genetically novel kind of cell comes into existence at fertilisation. The question is, at what point should a new creation of this kind be accorded the status of a human individual or a human subject?"

Theologians had tended to speak of the embryo resulting from fertilisation as being endowed with a human soul by God at that moment, he said. This view had recently been restated by Pope John Paul II, and by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell.

But scientific research had shown quite clearly, Dr Carnley went on, that fertilisation was not the same as conception. Conception was not a moment, but a process taking about 14 days.

"During the course of this process, which takes some days, the embryo may divide and give rise to identical twins. If we insist that the embryo is endowed with a soul from the moment of fertilisation are we then, in the case of twinning, to say that one soul has become two souls?"

As well, there was sometimes a reuniting process leading what had appeared to be twins to become a single child. Those who argued that this was already a human being would have to say that two souls had become a single soul.

"This should alert us to exercise caution in relation to soul talk - and certainly to the question of whether fertilisation of an ovum can be identified as being synonymous with the conception of a human individual," Dr Carnley said.

Up to the 14-day mark, he said, the embryo was human genetic material which "should be treated with respect, and certainly not frivolously", but not as though it was a conceived human individual.

This made stem cell research "thinkable", so long as it was conducted under license and cells were collected before the 14th day. "We may think of this in terms of a radical form of contraception, but not in terms of the killing of an already conceived human individual."

At the conclusion today of their conference, the bishops made a statement saying that they had "examined" the ethics of stem cell research together with other issues. However, no decision on stem cell research was announced. [814 words]

20 March 2002

New Delhi (ENI). Church bodies have joined a vocal chorus of protest over a warning issued by a Hindu nationalist group to the Muslim minority in India. Christian, Sikh and Muslim groups have condemned a resolution passed by the controversial Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or National Volunteer Corps, on 17 March challenging the minority's right to live as equal citizens in India. [558 words, ENI-02-0084]

Lutheran leader criticises Bush's talk of 'axis of evil'

New York (ENI). Christian Krause, the president of the Lutheran World Federation has strongly criticised US President George Bush's recent remarks describing Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil". Krause told ENI in a 19 March interview that he "deplored" such statements, which in effect "were holding whole nations to ransom". President Bush, he said, should pursue the US war on terrorism "with care" and not compromise what Krause called one of the principal achievements of western societies - the protection of human rights and liberty. [417 words, ENI-02-0085]

19 March 2002

By Chris Herlinger New York, 19 March (ENI)--Church leaders have condemned the assassination of Roman Catholic Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Colombia, who was gunned down on 16 March after presiding at a wedding ceremony in Cali, the third biggest city in Colombia. Duarte, 63, had been a long-time critic of the nation's powerful drug traffickers and left-wing guerrillas, and speculation immediately arose that he had been killed by one of those groups. The Colombian government said it was offering a US$434 000 reward for the apprehension of the assassins. "It is inconceivable that a good man, a man who dedicated his life to loving God and serving his brothers, has become a victim of the terrible violence which is ripping this country apart," Cardinal Pedro Rubiano of Bogota said in a statement. [839 words, ENI-02-0082]

Australia's Anglican church makes formal apology to sexual abuse victims

Sydney (ENI). The leaders of Australia's Anglican Church have made a formal apology to victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Anglican clergy, officers and institutions in what is seen as a response to continuing controversy over Australia's constitutional head of state, the former archbishop Peter Hollingworth. In recent weeks Hollingworth has faced calls for his resignation as governor-general for the way he handled child sexual abuse cases when he was archbishop of Brisbane. On 17 March, the standing committee of the Anglican church's general synod issued a statement expressing deep regret to victims of sexual abuse for the hurt that had been caused and the breakdown in pastoral relationships. [402 words, ENI-02-0083]

18 March 2002

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in Pakistan have condemned Sunday's deadly grenade attack on the International Protestant Church located in a diplomatic enclave of the capital, Islamabad. Five people were killed and 41 people injured - most of them foreign nationals attending a worship service - when two unidentified assailants hurled grenades on the congregation just before 11 a.m. The National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) called the attack a "heinous and barbarous act of terrorism". [726 words, ENI-02-0081]

Kenyan Christians urge heightened security in wake of massacre

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders in Kenya are calling for the government to tighten security after an outbreak of violence in the nation's capital, Nairobi. At least 23 people were killed and more than 30 seriously injured when a band of 300 axe-wielding youths suspected of being members of an outlawed sect went on a brutal rampage on 3 March in Kariobangi, a low-income, densely populated estate in the capital. In an inter-religious prayer service held on 10 March for survivors of the massacre, leaders of Kenya's largest churches urged police forces to step up protection, particularly in the run-up to general elections, expected to take place towards the end of the year. Ethnic tension has seized the country in previous election years. [631 words, ENI-02-0080]

15 March 2002

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in India today expressed relief after Hindu groups backed down on threats to hold a special prayer ceremony at a disputed religious site in the town of Ayodhya. The destruction by Hindu zealots of a 16th-century mosque at the Ayodhya site in 1992 led to nation-wide riots between Hindus and Muslims that left thousands dead. Many feared that similar violence could have broken out if Hindu activists had gone ahead with their threatened prayer ceremony, which was to mark the beginning of construction of a Hindu temple on the site. [520 words, ENI-02-0079]

Church observers cite intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe election

Harare (ENI). Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe yesterday won a fiercely fought presidential election condemned by many independent Zimbabwean and international election observers as being seriously flawed. Mugabe, aged 78, gained 54 per cent of the vote, or 1 685 212 votes against 1 258 401 for his strongest opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, in an election characterised by political violence and what many believe to be a general breakdown in the rule of law. An international team of church-related observers expressed concern about episodes of political violence before and during the election and the imposition of hastily drafted laws which curtailed the freedom of assembly and of the press. [586 words, ENI-02-0078]

US$1 million Templeton prize for scientist-turned-priest

New York (ENI). John C. Polkinghorne, a mathematical physicist who amazed his scientific colleagues more than 20 years ago by becoming an Anglican priest, has won the 2002 Templeton Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards in the field of religion. Long associated with the University of Cambridge, Polkinghorne, aged 71, is a leading figure in attempting to bridge the worlds of science and religion. "I am a passionate believer in the unity of knowledge," Polkinghorne told ENI in an interview prior to today's announcement of the award. [761 words, ENI-02-0077]

15 March 2002

Harare (ENI). Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe yesterday won a fiercely fought presidential election condemned by many independent Zimbabwean and international election observers as being seriously flawed. Mugabe, aged 78, gained 54 per cent of the vote, or 1 685 212 votes against 1 258 401 for his strongest opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, in an election characterised by political violence and what many believe to be a general breakdown in the rule of law. An international team of church-related observers expressed concern about episodes of political violence before and during the election and the imposition of hastily drafted laws which curtailed the freedom of assembly and of the press. [586 words, ENI-02-0078]

US$1 million Templeton prize for scientist-turned-priest

New York (ENI). John C. Polkinghorne, a mathematical physicist who amazed his scientific colleagues more than 20 years ago by becoming an Anglican priest, has won the 2002 Templeton Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards in the field of religion. Long associated with the University of Cambridge, Polkinghorne, aged 71, is a leading figure in attempting to bridge the worlds of science and religion. "I am a passionate believer in the unity of knowledge," Polkinghorne told ENI in an interview prior to yesterday's announcement of the award. A colleague said Polkinghorne had a rare ability to integrate scientific approaches and religious thinking. [761 words, ENI-02-0077]

13 March 2002

New York (ENI). Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, on 9 March paid tribute to a tiny Greek Orthodox parish in New York that was destroyed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. As commemorations were held in New York to mark the 6-month anniversary of the 11 September attacks in the United States, the patriarch vowed that the small Orthodox church would re-emerge as a visible symbol of recovery. "The damage will be repaired, the Holy Church of Saint Nicholas will be rebuilt," Patriarch Bartholomeos, of Constantinople, said at the site where the church had once stood in the shadow of the Trade Center. [567 words, ENI-02-0075]

Indian Christians applaud court decision halting controversial curriculum

New Delhi (ENI). Leading Christian educational bodies in India have welcomed a ruling by the country's Supreme Court halting the introduction of a new school curriculum that churches say promotes Hindu nationalism. On 1 March, the court stopped the introduction of the new curriculum on the procedural grounds that the new syllabus had not been presented for approval to the Central Advisory Board on Education, the final authority for education policy. The judgement, an interim ruling pending a full hearing, followed a petition from three prominent activists, including a leading Christian journalist. [351 words, ENI-02-0076]

12 March 2002

Jerusalem (ENI). As Israel intensifies its military offensive against Palestinian targets, Israeli troops have taken up positions across Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem, including at a Lutheran school. Yesterday the Israeli army seized control of the Dar al Kalima (Lutheran) School and Wellness Centre, in the southern section of the city, for the second time in recent days. Israeli snipers positioned themselves on the roof of the complex. [852 words, ENI-02-0072]

As counting begins, Zimbabweans await results of presidential election

Harare (ENI). Vote counting began in Zimbabwe this morning after three days of polling and a presidential race marred by accusations of political violence and intimidation. Zimbabwe's High Court ordered polling stations to extend voting by one day to accommodate the long queues of Zimabweans who came out to vote on Saturday and Sunday. However, the government of President Robert Mugabe allowed voting to continue into Monday only in Harare and Chitungwiza, 25 kilometres south of Harare. Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, condemned the government for only partially complying with the court order. [405 words, ENI-02-0074]

Court ruling offers hope to Salvation Army's Moscow branch

Moscow (ENI). A landmark ruling by Russia's Constitutional Court may help the Salvation Army overturn a lower court order that it stop its activities in Moscow. The ruling may also help other Russian religious groups that are threatened with losing their right to rent premises or carry out social projects. A Moscow court had ordered the closure of the Salvation Army's city branch because the branch had failed to meet a deadline to re-register with the authorities under a controversial 1997 law on religious organisations. [526 words, ENI-02-0073]

11 March 2002

New York (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in the United States continues to reel from a mounting number of sex abuse scandals, in which numerous clerics face accusations of paedophilia. The latest development involved a bishop: Anthony O'Connell, the bishop of Palm Beach, Florida resigned from his office on 8 March after it was reported that he had sexually abused a former under-age student more than 25 years ago when the youth attended a Roman Catholic seminary at which O'Connell was rector. The student became a priest but eventually left the priesthood, citing depression caused by the abuse. Commenting on his resignation, O'Connell said he was ashamed and embarrassed: "For those who will be angry," he said, "I certainly ask, when the time is right, that they pray for my forgiveness." [728 words, ENI-02-0071]

8 March 2002

New Delhi (ENI). Christian activists in India are calling for the government of Gujarat state to be sacked following sectarian violence that led to the deaths of hundreds last week. Christians and dozens of secular and Muslim groups called on Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to dismiss the state government for its failure to curb the attacks. Christian activists have blamed the attacks on the inaction of the ruling pro-Hindu BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), saying that its failure to act was a direct result of the rout suffered by the party in recent state elections. [727 words, ENI-02-0069]

Irish turn down stricter abortion law

London (ENI). A referendum proposal to further tighten Ireland's already strict laws against abortion has failed by a margin of less than one per cent. The proposed constitutional change, backed by the Irish government and the Roman Catholic Church, would have removed an expectant mother's threat of suicide as a legal basis for abortion. Pro-life campaigners see the threat of suicide as a loophole in the law that allows abortion when the mother's life is threatened - the only legal grounds for termination of pregnancy in Ireland. [525 words, ENI-02-0070]

7 March 2002

Harare (ENI). Churches and civic organisations in Zimbabwe have condemned President Robert Mugabe's government for reinstating parts of a law struck down by the country's Supreme Court last week restricting the activities of independent election monitors. President Mugabe on Tuesday signed a last-minute decree that allows only public servants, such as soldiers and the police, a principal role in monitoring presidential elections on 9 and 10 March. Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, today filed a legal challenge to the decree. [460 words, ENI-0068]

Chester Cathedral finds medieval inspiration for its new bottled beer

London (ENI). An English cathedral has revived an ancient monastic tradition by producing its own beer and has found modern visitors as enthusiastic as their medieval counterparts. The monks of Chester, in northern England, used to produce beer for themselves and for pilgrims to the shrine of St Werburg, a 7th-century abbess to whom were ascribed many miracles. Now Chester Cathedral has launched Chester Pilgrim Ale, a strong (5 per cent alcohol by volume, or ABV) bottled beer. Revenue from the venture will help the authorities to keep admission to the cathedral free to visitors. [442 words, ENI-02-0067]

Leading charity warns of 'chronic' poverty in Europe

Warsaw (ENI). A prominent international church charity has warned that poverty is growing within the European Union (EU) and urged steps to protect weak and vulnerable sections of society. Poverty is rampant, even in Europe's richest countries, according to a special report issued at the end of February by Caritas Europa, a Roman Catholic aid agency. "The collapse of the Soviet Union has resulted in the emergence of over 150 million 'new poor' and prompted a redrawing of the development map," the report, called "Poverty in Europe", said. It was based on data collected from 43 countries with populations ranging from 33 000 (Monaco) to 146.2 million (the Russian Federation), and gross national incomes varying from US$2103 billion (Germany) to US$1.5 billion (Moldova). [575 words, ENI-02-0065]

Germany's Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders to share award

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). The leader of Germany's Roman Catholic Church has been named as co-recipient of a prize usually awarded to individuals for promoting Protestantism in public life. Cardinal Karl Lehmann, chairman of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference (DBK), will share this year's Hans Ehrenberg Prize with Manfred Kock, head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), at a ceremony in November. Each will receive 5000 Euro. The Hans Ehrenberg Association said the two men were being recognised for their work to promote co-operation between Protestants and Roman Catholics in Germany. [358 words, ENI-02-0066]

5 March 2002

New York (ENI). Billy Graham, the prominent American evangelist, has apologised for remarks he made 30 years ago in which he said American Jews had a "stranglehold" on the US media. In comments taped in the Oval Office with former President Richard Nixon and released last week by the National Archives, Graham, who has often been called "America's pastor", is heard to say: "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain." In his apology, released 1 March by a Texas public relations firm, the 83-year-old Southern Baptist pastor said: "Although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with President Nixon ... some 30 years ago," he said. "They do not reflect my views and I sincerely apologise for any offence caused by the remarks." [708 words, ENI-02-0063]

Catholic welcome for Israeli decision on controversial mosque in Nazareth

Jerusalem (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church has praised the Israeli government's decision on Sunday to permanently halt the construction of a mosque in Nazareth close to a major Christian site. The mosque was being built close to the Basilica of the Annunciation, the site where tradition holds that the Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she would give birth to Jesus. Previous Israeli governments supported the building of the mosque, but some Christian groups found its proximity to the basilica provocative. [506 words, ENI-02-0064]

4 March 2002

Harare (ENI). The Zimbabwe Supreme Court has struck down a law barring churches and selected civic organisations from carrying out voter-education campaigns. The Supreme Court action nullifies the General Laws Amendment Act passed in January. The law was viewed by critics as an attempt by President Robert Mugabe to maintain his grip on power as Zimbabwe prepares for a presidential election this weekend. [378 words, ENI-0061]

Four weddings and a baptism can cost Poles more than a month's salary

Warsaw (ENI). The cost of a church baptism in Poland can come to more than a day's pay, while the average fee for a church wedding amounts to a week's wages, according to a report in a Polish newspaper. The report, published in the daily Zycie, said that parishioners were often charged up to 100 zloties (US$24) for a baptism, while the average fee for a church wedding was zl 400 (US$96), and as much as zl 1000 (US$ 240) in some prestigious churches. The average weekly wage in Poland is just zl 400. [423 words, ENI-02-0062]

1 March 2002

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in India are calling for tough action from the Indian government to end the violence between Hindus and Muslims that has claimed about 200 lives in the western state of Gujarat since Wednesday. The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) last night urged the government "to control the situation through clear policies and affirmative actions to restore peace and harmony". The city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, has been the scene of widespread violence between Hindus and Muslims since 27 February, when a train packed with Hindus returning from a disputed religious site was set on fire by a furious mob, killing at least 57 people, including women and children. [564 words, ENI-02-0060]

US religious leaders call for alternative to Bush's environment proposal

New York (ENI). More than 1200 religious leaders in the United States have taken issue with key environmental policies announced by the Bush administration and have signed a declaration opposing a new US global warming proposal. Called "An Interfaith Call for Energy Conservation and Climate Justice", the declaration offers an alternative to an environment proposal announced by President George Bush in February. Bush's plan rejects the 1997 Kyoto treaty, which sets international standards for reducing atmospheric gases that many scientists believe cause global warming. [648 words, ENI-02-0059]

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