New York (ENI). Film director Mel Gibson's cinematic depiction of the last hours of Jesus has been unveiled in the United States to long lines of movie goers, protests and mixed critical reviews, some of them scathing. "The Passion of the Christ" - a film some religious leaders have suggested is anti-Semitic for its depiction of Jews - opened on Ash Wednesday, breaking records for a film with a religious theme. Playing on 4643 screens at 3006 theatres, the US$30 million production took $26.5 million on its first day the movie tracking service Box Office Mojo said. The film also faced controversy and demonstrations. Jewish protesters picketed a New York City movie theatre. [802 words, ENI-04-0112]

Serbian Patriarch sends condolences to Macedonian prime minister

Sofia (ENI). Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Pavle has sent a telegram of condolences to Macedonian prime minister Branko Crvenkovski on the death of the country's president, Boris Trajkovski, in a plane crash. Trajkovski was killed when his aircraft crashed in thick fog while he on his way to an international investment conference in the Bosnian city of Mostar. Six other Macedonian officials and two pilots also died. [311 words, ENI-04-0115]

Europe's biggest Protestant sisterhood tries to undo waning trend

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). Protestant deaconesses in Germany have dramatically fallen in number over recent decades, but in April, for the first time in almost 30 years, 13 women will take vows to enter the country's biggest sisterhood. "We hope to alter the trend," said Sister Irmgard Bockhorst of the Sarepta Schwesternschaft (Sarepta sisterhood) in the western German city of Bielefeld, which has 630 sisters in all, 320 of whom are of working age. As well as the 13 women who are to make their vows in April, another seven were received as novices for the Sarepta sisterhood at a ceremony on 15 February. The ceremony also marked the union of two sisterhoods to become the Sarepta sisterhood, Europe's largest. [382 words, ENI-04-0113]

Jehovah's Witnesses numbers increasing in Poland, data shows

Warsaw (ENI). The Jehovah's Witnesses have gained ground in Poland while the predominant Roman Catholic Church has lost members, new data from the country's main statistical office shows. The data shows that 124 300 Poles are now members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, compared to 79 000 belonging to the country's largest Protestant denomination, the Evangelical Augsburg (Lutheran) church, and 24 100 to the Old Catholic Mariavites and 21 900 to the Polish-Catholics, whose two communities broke from Roman Catholicism in the 19th century. In its report, the statistics office noted the proportion of Catholics had fallen during the 1990s from 95 to 90 per cent of Poland's 38.6 million people [360 words, ENI-04-0114]

26 February 2004

Geneva (ENI). Aid agencies are warning that the Caribbean state of Haiti faces a humanitarian crisis as rebels continue their armed campaign to overthrow President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "Basic services such as hospitals and clinics, water and sanitation are not functioning," Action by Churches Together (ACT), a global alliance of churches and relief agencies, said in a statement from its Geneva office. "The few hospitals still operating are mostly private institutions and severely over-stretched in their capacity to provide essential medical services. There is an increasing risk of epidemics." [391 words, ENI-04-0109]

US court affirms denial of scholarship funding for study of theology

New York (ENI). The US Supreme Court has ruled that US states are not obliged to provide scholarships for students studying religion. The 7 to 2 ruling was notable not only for strongly reaffirming the traditional separation of church and state within the United States but also because it was written by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a Republican appointee and one of the court's most politically conservative members. The case centred on a one-time college student in the state of Washington who appealed against a decision by state officials denying him a state-funded scholarship based on academic merit. Joshua Davey was then a student at Northwest College, a school affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination. [408 words, ENI-04-0108]

African churches examine possibility of launching a Christian bank

Nairobi (ENI). African church leaders are looking at the possibility of creating a continent-wide Christian bank to help move churches away from dependency on partners abroad for financial support. "This could be directed to provide affordable and accessible financial services and a range of quality banking services to the ecumenical movement, as well as to other sectors of Africa's economy," said Bright Mawudor, financial director of the All Africa Conference of Churches. He suggested such a bank would be viable because of a client base from Africa's estimated 120 million Christians in the AACC grouping which has member churches in 39 countries. [322 words, ENI-04-0110]

Dutch urged to use year's extra day to end a personal quarrel

Amsterdam (ENI). A major church aid agency is urging the Dutch population to use this year's leap day - 29 February - to make a gesture of healing in their personal life. The gestures can be simple, such as visiting a relative with whom one has had a quarrel or inviting a recently bereaved neighbour over for a cup of coffee. Kerkinactie, the leading Protestant mission and development agency in the Netherlands, has publicised its leap day appeal with short adverts broadcast on all radio stations in the country. [351 words, ENI-04-0111]

25 February 2004

Warsaw (ENI). The Vatican's top cardinal dealing with church unity says his recent talks in Moscow were a ''first step in lowering the tone of polemic'' between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches - at loggerheads in recent years over the activities of Catholics in Russia. ''Far from wishing to break relations with Orthodox churches, we seek to strengthen them," Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said in an interview with Russia's Sviet Yevangeliya Roman Catholic weekly newspaper. Inter-church ties have been tense in Russia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union due to a number of issues. [417 words, ENI-04-0104]

Uganda's Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative wins Niwano Prize

Geneva (ENI). The Japan-based Niwano Peace Foundation said on Wednesday it will award its annual prize for the first time to an African group, the Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative, which seeks social justice and the end to a bloody conflict in Uganda. The peace prize is awarded annually to an individual or organization contributing significantly to world peace by promoting inter-religious cooperation. It includes a certificate, a medal and 20 million yen (US$185 000). It will be presented in Tokyo on 11 May. [460 words, ENI-04-0103]

Indian church dismisses two bishops for part in Pentecostal ceremony

New Delhi (ENI). The united Church of North India has dismissed two of its bishops for violating the church's "faith and order" by taking part in the consecration of a prominent Pentecostal Christian leader as a bishop. "Faith and order are the foundations of the church," the church's general secretary, the Rev. Enos Das Pradhan told ENI. "By participating in the consecration of an individual whose church is not in communion with us, these bishops have violated the discipline of the church." Bishop Premkumar Dhotekar of Nagpur diocese and Bishop Bancha Nidhi Nayak of Phulbani were removed from their positions in January by the church's executive committee. [415 words, ENI-04-0105]

Orthodox Christians start Lent two days before many others

Sofia (ENI). For many Christians in the world, Lent began on Wednesday, but more than 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide got a two-day start in their observance of the 40-day period of penitence and fasting. The Orthodox Christian Lent always begins on the Monday before the Sunday of Orthodoxy. In 2004 it falls on 29 February and is a special day in the Orthodox calendar when the faithful are called to rededicate themselves. On this day, Orthodox faithful are required to begin a spiritual and moral purification through fasting, prayer, meditation, repentance, attending Lenten religious services and partaking of the sacraments of confession and communion. [361 words, ENI-04-0107]

Northern Philippines Catholics, Protestants unite against casino

Baguio City, Philippines (ENI). Along with more than 1000 high school students in their white and blue uniforms, Roman Catholic, Anglican and other Protestant leaders marched along this city's main thoroughfare to the city hall to protest the setting up of a casino. The march, in late January, culminated in dialogue with city officials intended to convince the mayor and council members to rethink a November 2003 resolution allowing the setting up of the casino. But the day also illustrated how tricky ecumenical cooperation can be at grassroots level. [418 words, ENI-04-0106]

24 February 2004

Kampala (ENI). A Roman Catholic priest in Uganda and his supporters have condemned a government threat to deport the cleric working in northern Uganda who wants to bring rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and the government to the peace negotiating table. Since 2002, the Rev. Carlos Rodriguez, a native of Spain who first went to Uganda in 1984 to complete his theological studies at Gaba Major Seminary, has been actively involved in facilitating peace talks to end one of Africa's long-standing crises. [420 words, ENI-04-0099]

Christian mosque building aids unity with Nigerian Muslims

Jos, Nigeria (ENI). Christians and Muslims in Nigeria seem to be increasingly reaching out to each others' communities striving for greater harmony in the country where religious conflict between the two major faiths in recent years has claimed more than one million lives according to some. Recent reconciliation moves include the building of a mosque for Muslims by a Christian political leader, the establishment of places of worship that accommodate both Christians and Muslims, and more dialogue. Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, a Christian and governor of the state of Abia in south-eastern Nigeria, recently extended a hand of friendship to Muslims by building a mosque in Umuahia, at an estimated cost of about US$5 million. [596 words, ENI-04-0102]

Kenyan Presbyterian church halts noisy night prayer meetings

Nairobi (ENI). The Presbyterian Church of East Africa has stopped overnight prayer gatherings in its churches in Kenya, saying that the loud music and singing at the get-togethers are bothering citizens. "All disturbing noises in the name of religion should stop," said the church's moderator, the Rev. David Githii. The gatherings are popular with young people, and are held in churches belonging to various denominations. But they have come under heavy criticism because of the loud music, drumming and singing that characterises the prayer meetings and members of the public have been complaining to local authorities about them for a number of years. [403 words, ENI-04-0100]

Balkan church leader blames Macedonian officials for attack

Sofia (ENI). Metropolitan Jovan of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonia has accused Macedonian government officials of attacking a monastery loyal to his archdiocese, the Oslo-based Forum 18 News Service has reported. "Somebody from them did it, if you ask me," the metropolitan told the news service, which campaigns to promote religious freedom. Five masked men armed with machine guns were reported to have broken into the monastery, located at a house in the village of Nizepolje near the southern town of Bitola, in the attack on 20 February. [474 words, ENI-04-0101]

23 February 2004

New Delhi (ENI). Corruption has penetrated the life of churches in India, says the country's main ecumenical body, which has drawn up an anti-corruption Code of Leadership to combat graft in church elections and appointments. "We recognise that corruption which is rampant in society has penetrated the life of the churches, undermining truth, justice and peace, dividing the community and destroying the credibility of the institutions," the National Council of Churches in India acknowledged in a statement following its general assembly. [315 words, ENI-04-0096]

South African clerics oversee election peace pact between political foes

Durban, South Africa (ENI). Ten years after the inception of fully-fledged democracy in South Africa, the African National Congress and the regionally powerful Inkatha Freedom Party remain bitter foes in the volatile KwaZulu-Natal province, so religious leaders have rallied together to forge a peace accord ahead of national elections. The main political contenders made a public before Roman Catholic Archbishop Wilfred Napier and Anglican, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim leaders saying that they want free and fair elections and that any of their members guilty of breaking the code will face the law. Napier oversaw the signing of the pact. [442 words, ENI-04-0097]

Philippine church leaders seek to consolidate peace move with communists

Manila (ENI). Philippine church leaders are seeking to help move forward results of peace talks between the government and communist rebels in the hope that the gains will help resolve Asia's longest communist insurgency. "We welcome the significant development, and we, in the church community, are willing to help strengthen whatever gains both parties have agreed upon," Bishop Allan Ray Sarte of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines told ENI. "Even if both parties are still at war, the fact that they are back on the negotiating table gives us hope for the dawning of real, lasting peace." [413 words, ENI-04-0098]

20 February 2004

Geneva (ENI). Leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on Friday demanded that the Israeli government "stop and reverse" the construction of a barrier being erected "in the occupied Palestinian territories". The "construction and location" of the Israeli barrier is a "violation of the Charter of the United Nations and fundamental principles of international law", said the WCC executive committee in a statement adopted in Geneva. [422 words, ENI-04-0093]

Survey finds more than 11 000 allegations of clergy sex abuse, report claims

New York (ENI). A survey commissioned on behalf of the US Catholic hierarchy has reportedly concluded that more than 4000 US Roman Catholic priests stood accused of sexually abusing children over a five-decade period. The report, scheduled for official release on 27 February, found that 11 000 allegations of child sex abuse were made against 4450 priests between 1950 and 2002, according to a report by the CNN television and online news service. These figures are far higher than previously reported. [455 words, ENI-04-0091]

Kenyan churches back road safety drive despite dwindling congregations

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders in Kenya are supporting new government regulations aimed at curbing road deaths, even though one of the effects of the crackdown on unsafe buses and other passenger vehicles has been to cut drastically attendance at Sunday services. "Although it has been expensive on us, this is going to reduce the deaths of our believers. We support it," said the Rev. Samuel Murigu, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Kenya, a country where more then 3000 people die on the roads each year. [342 words, ENI-04-0095]

Hit and run Catholic cleric first bishop found guilty of a crime in US

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, the former head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, who was arrested last year for his role in a hit-and-run that killed a carpenter, has been found guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The conviction makes O'Brien, 68, the first Catholic bishop in US history to be convicted of a crime. He was ordered to appear at a hearing on 12 March before sentencing and he faces up to 45 months in prison. [448 words, ENI-04-0094]

Lutheran numbers in Africa soar while those in Europe decline

Geneva (ENI). The numbers of Lutherans in Africa has soared by nine per cent over two years, but Lutheran church membership in Europe and North America has declined in the same period, statistics produced by the Geneva-based Lutheran World Federation show. "The politicians call it 'Africa Renaissance'. We in the church see it as a re-awakening of the African spirit which was crushed by slavery and colonialism," noted Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia, who is the LWF vice-president for the Africa region. [488 words, ENI-04-0092]

19 February 2004

Geneva, Switzerland (ENI). Kenyan songs and African drums heralded the official installation on Wednesday of the Rev. Sam Kobia, a Methodist from Kenya, as the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches. "Serving the churches and the ecumenical vision will sustain my life and work," Kobia, 56, the first African to hold the WCC's top executive post, pledged at an installation service at the council's Geneva headquarters, attended by his two immediate predecessors - Konrad Raiser of Germany, and Emilio Castro of Uruguay. [413 words, ENI-04-0088]

Catholic bishop blasts Uganda for muzzling opposition parties

Kampala (ENI). Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa of Masaka Roman Catholic diocese in the Kalangala district of south eastern Uganda has blasted the government for stifling emerging opposition parties ahead of presidential elections scheduled for 2006. In a sermon at Bugoma landing site in Kalangala the bishop noted it was dangerous for the government to hinder the opposition at the same time as President Yoweri Museveni has launched a campaign programme to extend his presidential term limit. "It is grossly unfair that those who campaign for a third term bid can march on the streets protected by the police ... and yet those holding opposite views are harassed and intimidated," noted Kaggwa. [355 words, ENI-04-0090]

'People want to experience God,' says Denmark's full-time spiritual guide

Copenhagen (ENI). After 25 years as a pastor in Denmark's Lutheran church, Jette Dahl has given up her job, her official residence and her fixed income to become the first full-time private Christian spiritual guide in Denmark. "Our Lutheran church really has no tradition for spiritual guidance," she said. "But today people want to experience God, not only talk about him...As a cleric you haven't got enough time for counselling people," Dahl noted. "The need is huge, and if we can't handle people's questions they turn to alternative religions or New Age." [370 words, ENI-04-0089]

Canadian and US churches increase stake in just trade initiative

Vancouver, Canada (ENI). Churches in North America, one of the world's biggest free trade areas, have decided to devote more attention to fighting for a just system of global trade. "We believe that current economic arrangements, international financial institutions and trade and investment treaties, for example, the North American Free Trade Agreement, unjustly distort the rules governing trade and investment to the advantage of the affluent and powerful," a meeting convened by the US aid agency, Church World Service, and the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) has decided. [431 words, ENI-04-0087]

18 February 2004

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The political positions of US presidential hopeful and lifelong Roman Catholic John Kerry on abortion have so upset his church, that at least three bishops have told him not to participate in the sacrament of holy communion. Kerry's rising political status as the frontrunner to be the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party clashes with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' November announcement that it plans to be more outspoken about elected politicians who are Catholics and do not represent the church's positions, especially on abortion and gay rights. Kerry's own archbishop, Sean O'Malley of Boston, has told Catholic elected officials who are pro-abortion they should refrain on their own initiative from taking part in the sacrament of communion. [466 words, ENI-04-0086]

India's churches to intensify efforts on HIV/AIDS

Tirunelveli, India (ENI). India's churches are to step up their activities on HIV/AIDS amid concern that the disease is reaching dramatic proportions in the South Asian country which has the biggest number of people with HIV/AIDS outside South Africa. "So far, only four major churches have taken AIDS as a serious concern," said the Rev. Philip Kuruvilla, the coordinator of the HIV/AIDS campaign of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), following accusations that Indian authorities are in a state of denial about the prevalence of the disease. [380 words, ENI-04-0085]

Scottish Catholic official hopes to find 'common ground' on shared schools

London (ENI). A solution is in sight to a dispute that has held up an ambitious plan to create seven joint campuses for Roman Catholic and non-denominational primary schools in Scotland, says a church official. The dispute is about separate entrances and separate staff rooms for the two sorts of school sharing the sites. The Catholic Church says such separate facilities are necessary to maintain the distinctive identity of its education. The Catholic Church was given the right in Scotland in 1918 to operate separate but state-funded schools. The Catholic schools now comprise 14 per cent of Scotland's 2 984 schools. [388 words, ENI-04-0084]

18 February 2004

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The political positions of US presidential hopeful and lifelong Roman Catholic John Kerry on abortion have so upset his church, that at least three bishops have told him not to participate in the sacrament of holy communion. Kerry's rising political status as the frontrunner to be the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party clashes with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' November announcement that it plans to be more outspoken about elected politicians who are Catholics and do not represent the church's positions, especially on abortion and gay rights. [466 words, ENI-04-0086]

India's churches to intensify efforts on HIV/AIDS

Tirunelveli, India (ENI). India's churches are to step up their activities on HIV/AIDS amid concern that the disease is reaching dramatic proportions in the South Asian country which has the biggest number of people with the disease outside South Africa. "So far, only four major churches have taken AIDS as a serious concern," said the Rev. Philip Kuruvilla, the coordinator of the HIV/AIDS campaign of the National Council of Churches in India, following accusations that Indian authorities are in a state of denial about the prevalence of the disease. [380 words, ENI-04-0085]

Scottish Catholic official hopes to find 'common ground' on shared schools

London (ENI). A solution is in sight to a dispute that has held up an ambitious plan to create seven joint campuses for Roman Catholic and non-denominational primary schools in Scotland, says a church official. The dispute is about separate entrances and separate staff rooms for the two sorts of school sharing the sites. The Catholic Church says such separate facilities are necessary to maintain the distinctive identity of its education. The Catholic Church was given the right in Scotland in 1918 to operate separate but state-funded schools. Catholic schools now comprise 411 of Scotland's 2 984 schools. [388 words, ENI-04-0084]

17 February 2004

New York (ENI). One of the most visible confluences of religion and popular culture is about to unfold with the Ash Wednesday release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ", a film that has already generated heated debate, anger and wide anticipation. A movie that has been derided as a vanity project for Gibson, a traditionalist Roman Catholic, may prove to be a commercial hit, with wide distribution and expected support from the US evangelical Christian community, a diverse group that some estimate makes up a third of the US population. [627 words, ENI-04-0083]

Earthquake threat looms for holy sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem

Bethlehem, West Bank (ENI). The pastor at the church with the highest elevation in Bethlehem has warned townsfolk that his sanctuary has become a potentially lethal danger zone, following last week's earthquake in the Holy Land. This was the assessment of the Rev. Mitri Raheb at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, whose steeple dominates the skyline in the birthplace of Jesus. Parts of the building broke off when the quake hit the region last week and he fears more may collapse. [479 words, ENI-04-0082]

Church of England says proposals on Papal authority require further study

London (ENI). A move that might see Anglicans accept the primacy of the Pope and papal infallibility has been rebuffed by the Church of England's governing general synod. The proposal was made in The Gift of Authority, a report by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, which said the Pope's teaching authority was "a gift to be received by all the churches". The 13 February synod overwhelmingly approved a motion by the Church of England's Council for Christian Unity which asked the international commission to do further work on The Gift of Authority. [498 words, ENI-04-0081]

16 February 2004

Durban, South Africa (ENI). Denis Hurley, the retired Roman Catholic archbishop of Durban, has died at the age of 88 in the east coast city where he served for decades as a champion in the fight against South Africa's racist apartheid policies. Hurley, of Irish descent, was born in Cape Town on 9 November 1915. He was an outspoken Catholic priest, who criticised his own church on its unbending stance on artificial contraception and married priests. Ordained as a priest in 1939 in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate order, Hurley lived for five years as a child on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid fighters were later imprisoned. His father was a lighthouse keeper on the island. [577 words, ENI-04-0079]

Dandala calls on African church leaders to up their human rights' role

Nairobi (ENI). The voice of the Church in championing human rights still needs to come through in Africa, where the crises of war and insecurity persist, the Rev. Mvume Dandala, the All Africa Conference of Churches, general secretary says. "This is not a matter of secular legislation, but a theological and moral imperative that must be articulated, as part and parcel of our journey of faith," said Dandala while opening a seminar on human rights in Nairobi, organized by the World Council of Churches and the Nairobi-based AACC. [360 words, ENI-04-0080]

Pope's 25 years mark signs of change in church

Warsaw (ENI). When the Vatican announced the publication of its latest Annuario Pontificio - its directory of the Roman curia and cardinals, as well as archbishops and bishops worldwide - it confirmed a continuing global growth in Roman Catholicism. Yet there are signs of change in the church; in particular, a shift of gravity from Europe to the Third World. "It will be good if this brings a change of priorities," says Maciej Zieba, the head of Poland's Dominican order. "Until now, our church's universal dimension has been understood too narrowly." In March, John Paul II will become history's third longest-serving Pope, heading a church which has grown by 40 per cent in 25 years - from 750 million members in 1978 to 1.07 billion, representing 17 per cent of the world's population. [638 words, ENI-04-0078]

13 February 2004

Tirunelveli (ENI). Church leaders in Sri Lanka are calling for "free and fair" elections as the country prepares to go to the polls amidst concern about the future of the peace process in the island nation which has been torn apart by a long-running civil war. "Civil society has a great responsibility in this election and we shall be keenly watching how the situation develops," said the Anglican bishop of Colombo, Duleep de Chickera. [376 words, ENI-04-0077]

Copenhagen's Pentecostalists seek inspiration from 'Catholic' symbols

Copenhagen (ENI). Pentecostal Christians in Denmark who until now have shunned symbols such as altars, crosses or candles as being Roman Catholic are showing a new interest in adopting these traditional signs. "We have lost the symbols, and therefore we have lost the hook on which to hang our faith," said the Rev. Rene Ottesen from Copenhagen's biggest Pentecostal church where a sacristy - a special room for meditation and prayer - is to be dedicated in February. "It has a cross, icons, water, candles and other Christian symbols," he said. "The symbols give a physical and tangible dimension to our faith." [424 words, ENI-04-0075]

Zimbabwe church agency warns against upsurge in football hooliganism

Geneva (ENI). Roman Catholic leaders in Zimbabwe are urging police to deal with "overzealous" soccer fans after gangs attacked the house of national soccer team member Wilfred Mugeyi who missed two chances to score in a key match against Egypt, which the Zimbabwean team lost by 1 goal to 2. "We urge true patriots and supporters of the game to refrain from such acts of fanaticism as they are retrogressive but [they] should criticise constructively so that our game as a nation develops," the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe said in a statement. [361 words, ENI-04-0076]

12 February 2004

Jerusalem (ENI). Religious leaders in the Holy Land have denounced statements by a right-wing Israeli government minister who called on Christian missionary groups to convert Muslims to Christianity. They were reacting to remarks by Israel's tourism minister, Benny Elon, of the National Union party, who said that any attempt by Christians to convert Jews would be rejected, and suggested they direct their efforts towards Muslims. The Anglican bishop in Jerusalem said Elon's comments were against the spirit of modernity, under which religious leaders worked to promote peaceful co-existence between their faiths. "For 2000 years, Christians tried to convert Jews. We did not succeed," the bishop said. "In these troubled times we share our faith, we don't force our will on others, we don't impose." [388 words, ENI-04-0074]

India's churches to commemorate Protestant missionaries in 2006

Tirunelveli (ENI). Indian churches are planning ecumenical celebrations in 2006 to mark the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in India. "All the churches in India will own these celebrations and take an active part," said the Rev. Ipe Joseph, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), which groups 29 Orthodox and Protestant churches. [402 words, ENI-04-0075]

11 February 2004

Tirunelveli, India (ENI). The president of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) on Wednesday warned of an increase in anti-Christian violence and accused India's federal government of advancing the agenda of Hindu fundamentalism. There had been a "drastic change in the political atmosphere" in India in the six years since the current government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, said Metropolitan Geevarghese mar Coorilos, the NCCI president, in an address to the council's general assembly taking place in Tirunelveli, in southern India. [392 words, ENI-04-0071]

Russian church issues 'Ten Commandments' to promote clean business

Warsaw (ENI). The Russian Orthodox Church is trying to improve the ethical climate of the country's economy through a set of guidelines for entrepreneurs, business leaders and trade unionists inspired by the Ten Commandments. "Wealth is not an end in itself. It must serve the creation of a good life for the individual and the nation," is one of the guidelines. Another states: "A human being is not a continuously working mechanism: he also needs time for relaxation, spiritual life and creative progress." [302 words, ENI-04-0072]

10 February 2004

New York (ENI). Liberia faces a "huge task ahead" but has turned a corner after its 14-year civil war, according to Gyude Bryant, a long-time lay leader in Liberia's Episcopal (Anglican) Church who now heads the country's transitional government. "We are convinced we will rebuild," Bryant told US church leaders and representatives at a meeting at New York's Episcopal Church Center. The Liberian leader was in New York for a two-day United Nations conference that aimed to raise funds to rebuild the devastated West African country where the civil war is believed to have resulted in 200 000 deaths and to have uprooted 500 000 persons. [399 words, ENI-04-0069]

Zimbabwe cleric warns Mugabe about God's punishment

Geneva (ENI). Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe could face the wrath of God because of continuing lawlessness in the country, outspoken Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube has warned. "God said in his holy Bible that you shall not kill," said Ncube, archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city and provincial capital of Matabeleland. "The Bible further states that you shall not steal but Mugabe's cabinet has stolen properties belonging to white farmers who were forcibly removed from their land and that is breaking God's rules and commandments," Ncube told the privately-owned Standard newspaper. [381 words, ENI-04-0070]

9 February 2004

Nairobi (ENI). The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is to receive US$6 million from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), the US-based Orthodox Christian aid agency, to boost the church's struggle against HIV/AIDS. "This battle requires the cooperation of everyone within Ethiopia, and from outside, who has the resources and expertise to help," said Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch Abune Paulos. "The Church by itself cannot do it all." Ethiopia is said by IOCC to have the third largest number of HIV-positive people in the world. [370 words, ENI-04-0066]

Ecumenical award for Russian film that recounts archetypal story

Berlin (ENI). The Return, a film by Russian film director Andrey Zvyagintsev described as following in the tradition of Russian cinematic mysticism, has been presented the John Templeton European Film Award, awarded annually by an ecumenical jury to a film that broaches spiritual and social questions. "I am really a very secular person," Zvyagintsev said at the award ceremony in Berlin. "But before I began this film, I went into a church and lit a candle in front of an icon. That gave me the strength to make this film." [394 words, ENI-04-0068]

Ministry to ex-convicts overwhelmed by US president's support

Oxford, Ohio, United States (ENI). Thrust into the national spotlight through US President George Bush's State of the Union address last month, Julio Medina's prisoners outreach ministry staff can barely keep pace now with the phone calls flooding their office in the Harlem district of New York. In the final minutes of his address, Bush announced a US$300 million initiative to help the estimated 600 000 prison inmates scheduled for release this year and then declared he wanted to see faith-based groups head the initiative. Bush did not specifically name Medina's outreach ministry in his speech, but Medina attended the event as a guest of the president, and television showed Medina seated next to the president's wife, Laura Bush, during the presidential announcement. [594 words, ENI-04-0067]

6 February 2004

London (ENI). Workers in developing countries who build computers are mainly young women and they face "unsafe factories, compulsory overtime, wages below the legal minimum, and degrading treatment", according to a new report by a UK-based Roman Catholic aid agency. [478 words, ENI-04-0064]

Indian church leaders call for action on anti-Christian violence

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders are calling for official action to protect the Christian community in the Jhabua region of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh following recent violence directed against Christians there. "The situation is serious," said Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, president of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. [385 words, ENI-04-0065]

5 February 2004

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in Sri Lanka have warned of a campaign to intimidate Christians, following dozens of attacks against church buildings in recent weeks. At least seven churches are reported to have been burned down in the attacks. "It is obvious from the pattern of these attacks that they are well-planned and coordinated and are meant to intimidate Christians and provoke undesirable religious strife in the country," the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka said in a statement. [378 words, ENI-04-0063]

Canadian churches plan campaign on violence against Aboriginal women

Vancouver (ENI). A campaign is being launched by Canadian churches to raise public awareness about violence against Aboriginal women, an estimated 500 of whom have disappeared over the past 20 years. "In Canada, Aboriginal women continue to be targets of hatred and violence based on their gender and race," the United Church of Canada said in a document about the initiative. The campaign - called Sisters in Spirit - will be launched in Canada's capital, Ottawa, on 22 March by the United and Anglican churches, and the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC). [434 words, ENI-04-0062]

4 February 2004

Warsaw (ENI). A top European ecumenist has said the continent is at a turning point and that churches will need to mobilise to maintain the ideal of European unity. "All the churches in Europe realise we are at a make-or-break point on whether we are really going to have an integrated Europe, by which we don't just mean an enlarged European Union," said the Rev. Keith Clements, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). The 15-nation European Union is to expand in May to include 10 new member states, including eight from formerly Communist-ruled eastern Europe. But the plans have been overshadowed by disagreements between some long-standing member nations and a number of the new member states. [385 words, ENI-04-0061]

Feature: Christian school in Côte d'Ivoire hopes for return to normality

Dakar (ENI). A Protestant Christian school for missionary children and other students in the Côte d'Ivoire, which was forced to evacuate its pupils in the wake of an uprising by armed rebels in 2002, is tentatively planning to reopen its doors later this year. The International Christian Academy (ICA) made international headlines in September 2002, when rebel army units opposed to the government of Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo took control of Bouaké, where the school is located, and subsequently the entire northern half of the West African country. [608 words, ENI-04-0060]

3 February 2004

Johannesburg (ENI). Former South African archbishop Desmond Tutu has angered his government by backing apartheid victims seeking massive reparations from foreign companies which did business with the former apartheid regime in South Africa. And the South African Council of Churches has come out in support of Tutu, who has submitted an eight-page affidavit to the New York court which is considering whether the applications for reparations should be allowed to proceed. [411 words, ENI-04-0058]

Nigerian agency wants churches to mobilise against fake medicines

Lagos (ENI). A Nigerian government agency wants to enlist Anglican and Roman Catholic priests in its campaign to stem the circulation of counterfeit medicines which it claims are responsible for the deaths of millions of Nigerians. "We have counterfeit drugs, drugs without active ingredients, drugs with insufficient active ingredients, drugs that have been labelled what they are not, and of course, expired drugs," said Dr Dora Akunyili, director of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. [360 words, ENI-04-0057]

Finland's religious leaders want to strengthen inter-faith cooperation

Helsinki (ENI). Christian, Jewish and Islamic leaders in Finland are to set up a permanent forum and are also hoping to promote inter-faith cooperation at local level. "The interaction between different religions is extremely important in a society that seeks to be more open and more multicultural," the leaders noted in a statement released after a meeting in Helsinki on 26 January. [284 words, ENI-04-0059]

2 February 2004

Baghdad (ENI). Security risks - bombings and car hijackings, explosions and kidnappings - have become the norm in this tense, uneasy city and are all but overwhelming the work of humanitarian personnel in Iraq. Veterans of numerous relief operations - many of them with experience in Africa, the Balkans or elsewhere in the Middle East - say they are working in the worst environment they have ever experienced. "At least in Sarajevo you could see the risk and assess the threat," said Alexander Christof, head of mission in Iraq for Architects for People in Need (APN), a Munich-based agency receiving funding from US churches for its work in some of the poorest areas of Baghdad. [611 words, ENI-04-0055]

Kenya's oldest school pupil sparks debate about adult education

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan clerics have called on their government to boost adult education programmes after an 84-year-old man signed up for a primary school class, saying he wanted to learn to read so he could study the Bible. "The old man had no option," said the Rev. Grace Itegi of the Anglican Church of Kenya. "The government should think of bringing back adult education." Free primary education for Kenyan children was brought in last year by the government of President Mwai Kibaki, but in recent years the country's adult education programme has been hit by a shortage of teachers, stationery and other resources. [364 words, ENI-04-0056]

Go to ENI Home Page