Cape Town (ENI). The most important issue facing South Africa 10 years after its transition to democracy is breaking the grip of poverty on a substantial portion of its citizens, says a study commissioned by a grouping of churches and theologians. "There is a consensus amongst most economic and political analysts that approximately 40 per cent of South Africans are living in poverty - with the poorest 15 per cent in a desperate struggle to survive," said the Stellenbosch-based Ecumenical Foundation of Southern Africa. [436 words, ENI-04-0487]

Zambian Catholic bishops step up campaign against death penalty

Lusaka (ENI). The (Roman) Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace in Zambia has launched a booklet as part of a drive to sensitise people as to why the death penalty should be abolished in the country. The book, "Why the Death Penalty Should be Abolished in Zambia", comes soon after the release of 14 treason convicts of a June 1997 coup attempt, after serving two-thirds of their jail terms. In February this year, President Levy Mwanawasa commuted the death penalties imposed on the 46 sentenced to prison terms ranging from10 to 20 years. [395 words, ENI-04-0488]

US Protestant majority may be thing of the past, study suggests

New York (ENI). A long-standing feature of US religious life - a Protestant majority - may become a thing of the past, a new survey has concluded. "Since colonial times the United States has been a Protestant nation. But perhaps as early as this year (2004), the country will for the first time no longer have a Protestant majority," the survey by the National Opinion Research Center, based at the University of Chicago, found. [350 words, ENI-04-0486]

Irish EU leader urges Christians to back constitution

Warsaw (ENI). The outgoing Irish president of the European Parliament has urged church members to support the new European Union constitution, despite the document's failure to give explicit recognition to Christianity. "I'm an Irishman and a Catholic, and I'm going to vote 'yes' with a clear conscience," said Pat Cox, in an interview with the Polish Catholic Information Agency, KAI. [341 words, ENI-04-0489]

29 July 2004

New York (ENI). A Finnish theologian at the largest interdenominational seminary in the United States is being forced to leave the country due to new rules governing visas for religious professionals. "If a theology professor from Finland can't stay here, there is something wrong with the administrative process," Veli-Matti Karkkainen, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary since 2000 said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, from where he and his family were preparing to depart for Finland to beat a 31 July deadline to leave the United States. [453 words, ENI-04-0486]

Israeli police probe Christian convert Vanunu after Israeli bomb claim

Jerusalem (ENI). Israeli police are investigating whether former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu, a Christian convert, has violated the terms of his release from prison and has endangered national security. The high level inquiry has been launched after Vanunu told an Arabic newspaper that Israel possesses hydrogen as well as atomic bombs. A special team of state prosecutors, police and members of the intelligence establishment, has been formed to investigate Vanunu who has been staying on the grounds of the Anglican St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem. [375 words, ENI-04-0483]

Papal plan to visit France draws dissent from Protestants

Paris (ENI). Plans by Pope John Paul II to visit France in August have led to a disagreement with the country's Protestant churches. The Pope is scheduled to visit Lourdes, a town and place of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees, on 14-15 August. The visit is intended to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin. [543 words, ENI-04-0482]

Somali Christians at Kenya talks say they face pressure to join Islam

Nairobi (ENI). The plight facing Somalia's tiny Christian minority was highlighted at a peace conference in the Kenyan capital as delegates told of pressures to convert them to Islam and how they felt abandoned by those abroad who follow their faith. Delegates attending the Somali Peace and Reconciliation Conference in Nairobi said that facing renewed pressure to abandon Christianity for Islam led them to feel as if the international Christian community was neglecting them. [409 words, ENI-04-0484]

Malaysian cleric knocks ban on non-Christians seeing Passion movie

Geneva (ENI). A senior Malaysian cleric has criticised film censors in the Muslim-majority country for allowing only Christians to see Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of the Christ". "We are not in agreement that this should be restricted to Christians only," said the Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches in Malaysia. "This goes against the grain of fostering inter-religious understanding, a cornerstone of Malaysian social life since the independence of our country." [301 words, ENI-04-0481]

Latin American 'Apostles' stir up debate over God's mandate

Quito (ENI). Evangelical Christians in Latin America are at loggerheads over the tendency of some spiritual leaders to call themselves "apostles" thereby suggesting they have received a direct mandate from God. Many Latin American Protestant leaders find the idea of someone calling themselves an "apostle" contrary to the doctrine of the Reformation, believing that only the disciples of Jesus should be called apostles as people who have received special gifts from the Holy Spirit. [384 words, ENI-04-0480]

28 July 2004

Geneva (ENI). Europe, which in the 19th century sent missionaries to spread Christianity around the world, is now becoming one of the new "mission fields" where people do not even know basic information about the faith, says the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Sam Kobia. "In many places today we can no longer assume the religious, much less Christian, awareness which existed 20 years ago," Kobia told a WCC-convened gathering of theologians from the world's main Christian traditions in Kuala Lumpur. [359 words, ENI-04-0476]

Denominational divide imperils Christianity, says African theologian

Geneva (ENI). Christianity is on the rise in Africa and the global south but is hampered by too much influence from churches in the north, a Methodist from Congo has told a global gathering of theologians in Malaysia. "It is repeatedly said that the future of the church of Jesus Christ is supremely found in the Third World," noted the Rev. David Yemba, a Zimbabwe-based theologian who is moderator of the World Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission speaking in Kuala Lumpur. [317 words, ENI-04-0479]

Religious rights group reports pressure against Baptists in Kazakhstan

Bangkok (ENI). Baptists who on principle refuse to apply for state registration in northern Kazakhstan are facing increasing pressure, with a pastor being fined twice the minimum monthly wage and having his church closed for six months, in a recent incident. "Fresh pressure is being applied to the unregistered Baptists," says Forum 18, an Oslo-based organization, while time noting concern by human rights groups about legislation before the Kazakh parliament that could be used against religious communities. [471 words, ENI-04-0477]

Retiring Zambian Catholic leader to continue fight for free media

Lusaka (ENI). Ignitius Mwebe has retired as secretary general of the Zambia Episcopal Conference where the Roman Catholic priest had come to prominence in his role as a fighter for civil liberties and for helping the church in Zambia to become self-reliant. Mwebe, 54, took up his post at the helm of the Catholic secretariat in 1994, taking over from the Rev. Ives Bantungwa, and he went into retirement from 16 July. His close associate, the Rev. Joe Komakoma, executive director of the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace at the secretariat, has succeeded him. [323 words, ENI-04-0478]

27 July 2004

New York (ENI). Resolutions by the Presbyterian Church (USA) on Israel and Christian-Jewish relations - including one that calls for "selective" divestment from firms that do business in Israel - have triggered a stinging rebuke from US Jewish groups. The criticism has been so heated - and phone calls and emails to the church's national headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, so intense - the denomination has been forced to issue a public clarification on actions taken during the Presbyterians' general assembly in Richmond, Virginia. [471 words, ENI-04-0474]

Muslim-majority Malaysia to host Christian unity meeting

Geneva (ENI). Theologians from the world's main Christian traditions will gather this week in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to seek ways of promoting church unity. "Our expectation is that Kuala Lumpur will come up with specific steps to help churches to grow together in communion within our changing world," said the Rev. David Yemba, moderator of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, which is organizing the meeting. [403 words, ENI-04-0472]

Polish bailiffs seize cars in raid at Gdansk archdiocese

Warsaw (ENI). Polish court officials have seized cars belonging to a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Poland, to pay off fraudulent debts of 20 million zloties (US$5 million) by a church-owned publisher. "We still don't know how much we'll have to pay," said Witold Bock, spokesman for the Gdansk archdiocese. "All we can say is this publisher derived its legal status from the church - so the burden of its doubtful economic activities has unfortunately fallen on our shoulders." [414 words, ENI-04-0473]

Non-believing Danish pastor facing trial gets backing from a 'majority'

Copenhagen (ENI). A majority of Danes surveyed in a recent inquiry support a Danish Lutheran priest who faces a trial in a clerical court for not believing in God as creator. "The majority of the Danes simply do not worry that much about the theology of the priest," said Peter Lüchau from the Epinion research institute, which conducted the survey. "It would be a different matter if he came to church in bright green bathing trunks." [389 words, ENI-04-0475]

26 July 2004

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that nuclear whistleblower, Mordechai Vanunu, a Christian convert, still poses a danger to national security and must not be given more freedom, including the right to travel abroad. After losing his appeal against the restrictions, Vanunu pledged to continue fighting from his Anglican sanctuary in Jerusalem for his rights to leave the country and speak freely. He had served 18 years in prison for revealing details of Israel's secret nuclear programme. [445 words, ENI-04-0469]

Mel Gibson's The Passion comes to Malaysia - but only for Christians

Bangkok (ENI). Censors in Malaysia have approved Mel Gibson's controversial movie "The Passion of the Christ" for screening, but the government says only Christians will be allowed to watch it. To ensure the government's restrictive policy is adhered to, tickets can only be bought at Christian churches. [495 words, ENI-04-0471]

South Africa's Mbeki lauds Haiti's Aristide as inspired by Gospel

Cape Town (ENI). South African President Thabo Mbeki, whose government has provided a safe haven for Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has delivered a glowing tribute to the deposed Haiti president and to his biblical inspiration. Aristide arrived in South Africa with his wife Mildred and two daughters, aged five and seven, and a number of aides at the end of May and is now housed with his family in diplomatic quarters in Pretoria. He was lauded in ANC Today in the presidential message on the Web site of the ruling African National Congress. [380 words, ENI-04-0468]

Catholics and Mennonites to look at martyrs of the Reformation era

New York (ENI). Mennonite and Roman Catholic scholars are set to continue a joint landmark study of 16th-century Christian martyrs, an event organizers hope will lead to the creation of a permanent institute on the subject. The growing scholarly interest in the subject requires a continuing dialogue on the topic, noted Ivan Kauffman, a Washington DC-based author, and one of the organizers of the 26 to 28 July conference, "Sixteenth Century Martyrdom in Ecumenical Perspective", to be held at Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. [340 words, ENI-04-0470]

23 July 2004

Bangkok (ENI). The Chinese government has blocked a wide range of foreign-based religious Internet sites that relate to persecution of Christians and believers of other faiths, the Dalai Lama and a "surprising number" of Roman Catholic Web sites. This is the conclusion of a two-month study by Oslo-based Forum 18, which monitors state restriction to religious freedom worldwide. [567 words, ENI-04-0463]

Dissenting Bulgarian priests protest against seizures of properties

Sofia (ENI). Members of Bulgaria's Alternative Synod, a group opposed to the leadership of the country's Orthodox church, have begun protests against police-led seizures of church property and a number of arrests that have triggered a national political controversy. In the course of the police operation, which began on 20 July, priests and others who resisted were arrested and held for questioning for some hours before being released. The doors of the properties, which include churches, monasteries, and offices, were sealed by police. Churches continued to be under police guard. [437 words, ENI-04-0464]

Sri Lanka church body warns conversion bills will oppress minorities

New Delhi (ENI). The head of the Anglican church in Sri Lanka, Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo, is to tell church faithful that legislation before the national parliament intended to curb religious conversions could be "counter productive" to religious harmony. "There is a great possibility that the legislation could become counter productive and further aggravate the situation," Bishop Chickera says in a pastoral letter to be read in Anglican churches across the Buddhist-majority island nation. [372 words, ENI-04-0465]

Kenyan church leaders slam group on truck drivers' capture in Iraq

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders in Kenya have condemned the capture of three Kenyan truck drivers in Iraq by a militant group, as the government ordered all its citizens working in the country to return home immediately. "We are saddened by the capture of three innocent people who were trying to make a living," said the Rev. Peter Karanja, the provost of the Anglican All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi. "We urge the captors to be considerate and release the seven hostages. We are sad and we are praying for them." [351 words, ENI-04-0427]

Swedish Lutheran leader pleads for Muslims to be given a chance

Stockholm (ENI). The archbishop of the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden, K.G. Hammar, has pleaded through the country's largest-circulation newspaper for Muslims to be allowed a bigger say and for their right to wear religious symbols in the work place. "Discrimination against a large group of Muslims today working and living in Sweden is a burning question," the archbishop wrote earlier this month in an article published with two other authors in the Swedish daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. Hammar advocates a tolerant attitude towards religious symbols in society. [302 words, ENI-04-0466]

22 July 2004

Police eviction of dissenters from Bulgarian churches triggers protests

Sofia (ENI). On the orders of Bulgaria's prosecutor-general, police have seized about 250 churches that were in the hands of the Alternative Synod, a group of church leaders and priests that opposes Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Maxim, drawing condemnation from civil affairs groups and opposition politicians. The crackdown that took place in the capital Sofia, and in the cities of Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad and Chepelare, saw police move in during the night of 20 July to take possession of the churches and seal the doors. [577 words, ENI-04-0456]

South Korean missionaries warned they face terror attacks in Iraq

Bangkok (ENI). The South Korean government has warned that Korean missionaries in Iraq are likely to be the target of terrorists. "We cannot release details of the intelligence reports but the very credible information specifically warns that if Koreans enter as missionaries, terror attacks will be made on them," Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck announced at a press conference in Seoul, the Korea Herald newspaper reported. [387 words, ENI-04-0454]

In dealings with Cold War dissidents, former WCC leader rues failings

Imshausen Germany (ENI). The former general secretary of the World Council of Churches says the organization failed to give sufficient recognition to dissident movements in the then communist countries of Eastern Europe such as Solidarity in Poland and Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia. "While being aware of the situation and basically sympathetic to their struggle, the WCC gave priority attention to the struggles against racism and for justice and liberation in the southern countries," said the Rev. Konrad Raiser at a conference in Imshausen, central Germany, on the church and dictatorships in the 20th century. [554 words, ENI-04-0460]

Churches full, but Philippines Catholics need more priests

Manila (ENI). Its churches, particularly in the cities, overfill with worshippers each Sunday. But the Philippine Roman Catholic Church, one of the biggest in the world, has a shortage of priests. "We have a serious shortage of priests in the country. We need at least 25 000 to serve some 68 million Catholics," Bishop Luis Tagle of the diocese of Imus, Cavite, south of Manila, told journalists during a national congress of Catholic clergy at the World Trade Center. [418 words, ENI-04-0453]

Nigeria's Catholic Church plans radio station in Muslim-majority city

Kaduna, Nigeria (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria is making plans to establish a radio station in the northern Muslim-majority city of Kaduna and the church has applied for a broadcasting licence from the county's National Broadcasting Commission. The radio station, if established, "will be our contribution to making Nigerians more enlightened," said the Rev. Victor Chedekemen Yakubu, director general of the Catholic Media Services Centre in Kaduna. [377 words, ENI-04-0455]

Filipino's release is an answer to prayer says Catholic archbishop

Manila (ENI). Freed Philippine hostage Angelo de la Cruz, kidnapped by militants in Iraq, returned home on Thursday to what Manila's Roman Catholic Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales said was "an answered prayer". De la Cruz, aged 46, was a truck driver transporting oil from Saudi Arabia to Iraq when he was seized in early July by a group called the Khaled Ibn al-Walid Brigade. The group said it would execute de la Cruz if the Philippines did not pull out its 51-member peacekeeping force in Iraq. [340 words, ENI-04-0461]

Australians debate: Should churches conduct baptism together?

Adelaide (ENI). "Should churches be conducting baptism together instead of separately?" The president of the National Council of Churches in Australia, Professor James Haire, posed this question in his presidential address at the church council's triennial forum in July. "We have a common understanding of baptism. That's our Christian identity marker," Haire said after his speech. "If that's the case, why should baptism be carried out separately? It's a Christian rite. We are baptised into the church, not into a denomination." [528 words, ENI-04-0457]

Irish peacemaker named to top post in troubled Anglican Communion

London (ENI). An Irishman with experience of conflict resolution has been named as secretary general of the worldwide Anglican Communion at a time when it faces schism over the issue of homosexuality. The Rev. Kenneth Kearon, aged 50, a priest of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland and director of the Irish School of Ecumenics in Dublin, has been active in his denomination's Church and Society group, which works to break down sectarianism in Northern Ireland. [311 words, ENI-04-0462]

Archbishop of Canterbury offers prize for theological writing

London (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has announced a 15 000 pounds sterling ($27 770) prize competition to find a published work on theology that is "at the cutting edge" of Christian thinking. "I have been clear since I came into office that a real priority had to be the encouragement of excellence in the field of theological education," said Williams, who will be one of the judges, announcing the competition. [226 words, ENI-04-0458]

20 July 2004

Imshausen, Germany (ENI). Germany has paid tribute to the army officers who tried to kill Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944, while church leaders from inside and outside the country considered whether churches could have done more to resist the Nazi tyranny. The plotters "showed us it was not treason to attempt to liberate one's own country and humanity from a barbaric dictatorship", said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at a ceremony in Berlin. There he paid tribute to the dissident army officers and other opponents of the Nazi regime. [624 words, ENI-04-0449]

Pope appoints special investigator for Austrian seminary scandal

Warsaw (ENI). Pope John Paul II has named a special investigator to probe a sex scandal that has catapulted an Austrian seminary into headlines around the world. The Vatican said that Bishop Klaus Kueng, from the city of Feldkirch, will look into the problems of the Austrian diocese of St Poelten where a seminary, founded by the Franciscans in 1455, has been at the centre of a sex and child pornography scandal. [386 words, ENI-04-0450 ]

Australia must support Indonesia reforms, says Jesuit report

Bangkok (ENI). It is in the interests of Australia to support Indonesia's reforms towards the rule of law and respect for human rights, the Sydney-based Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre says in a recent report. "This initial report [titled View on Indonesia: the Political and Human Rights Situation] comes at a time when Indonesia's first popular election raises many questions about the future direction of Australia's nearest neighbour," Uniya director Sister Patty Fawkner said. [246 words, ENI-04-0452]

UN world heritage body sounds alarm for Cologne Cathedral

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). Cologne Cathedral, whose twin steeples tower over the German Rhineland city, is now on a list of world heritage sites in danger by UNESCO, the United Nations' Scientific and Cultural Organization. "The Cologne Cathedral and its urban landscape are the city's only outstanding cultural heritage elements to have survived World War Two", said Francesco Bandarin, the director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. But Achim Hermes, a spokesman for the company erecting one of the new towers, said UNESCO was exaggerating the danger. [287 words, ENI-04-0451]

19 July 2004

Imshausen, Germany (ENI). A foundation named after a German executed for his opposition to Nazism has honoured the work of Willem A. Visser 't Hooft, the founding general secretary of the World Council of Churches, for his support of wartime resistance to Adolf Hitler's tyranny. A plaque to honour Visser 't Hooft (1900 - 1985) was unveiled on Saturday at the former family manor of Adam von Trott, a member of the German resistance executed after the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944. He had been one of the Dutch theologian's most important contacts in Germany during the Second World War. [440 words, ENI-04-446]

US foes of same-sex marriage to continue fight despite senate vote

New York (ENI). Proponents of an amendment to the US constitution banning same-sex marriage have said they will continue their fight despite a setback to their cause in the country's senate. By a vote of 50-48, US senators have voted, in effect, to block the measure on a procedural vote. In order to pass, the proposed federal amendment needed the approval of 67 senators. But despite the senate vote, a similar measure is expected to be debated in the US House of Representatives. [347 words, ENI-04-0447]

Anglican leaders urge Swazis to act on goodwill while it lasts

Johannesburg (ENI). Representatives of the worldwide Anglican communion have urged the government and people of Swaziland to negotiate a compromise solution to their political crisis before the reservoir of national goodwill runs out. Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane led a delegation of Anglican leaders from Africa, Britain and the United States to the tiny kingdom of Swaziland sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique. [386 words, ENI-04-0448]

16 July 2004

Washington DC (ENI). The head of the US National Council of Churches who was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington DC said it was a protest to call attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in the western Sudan region of Darfur. NCC general secretary, the Rev. Robert Edgar, was one of 50 people taking part in the protest about the situation in Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have died and more than 1 million people in the region have been displaced in what observers are calling "ethnic cleansing". [422 words, ENI-04-0442]

Palestinian wall hunger strike supported by Christian volunteers

Jerusalem (ENI). Christians from around the world this month joined a Palestinian hunger strike against Israel's West Bank security barrier, as international efforts continued in a bid to halt the project which is mired in controversy. The weeklong hunger strike had ended on 9 July, the day of an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which ruled against the barrier and called for the dismantling of sections built inside the West Bank. [596 words, ENI-04-0443]

Nigerian Anglican bishop advocates cell phone ban in churches

Abuja (ENI). The Anglican bishop-elect of the Ukwa diocese in south-eastern Nigeria has banned the use of mobile phones during his services, saying the love of the electronic instruments is becoming a new form of idolatry. Bishop-elect Kelechi Eze urged Anglicans and other denominations to do the same, charging that the use of cell phones, which is booming in Africa's most populous country, disrupts church services and distracts the attention of worshippers. [375 words, ENI-04-0445]

Suspended Danish pastor who does not believe in God, now for court

Copenhagen (ENI). The fate of a priest in Denmark's Evangelical Lutheran Church who was suspended after stating he did not believe in God as creator of the world, will now be decided by a clerical court within the state apparatus. Justice Minister Lene Espersen said that a clerical court made up of an ordinary judge and two theologically trained lay judges would hear the Rev. Thorkil Grosbøll's case, which will be like an ordinary trial with a prosecutor, defender and the examination of witnesses. [356 words, ENI-04-0444]

15 July 2004

Johannesburg (ENI). South Africa's Dutch Reformed Church, once notorious for supporting apartheid, this week returned to the family of South African churches after an absence of some four decades. The South African Council of Churches, representing most denominations in the country, admitted the Dutch Reformed Church as a full member. [438 words, ENI-04-0438]

Mbeki's 'quiet diplomacy' on Zimbabwe has failed, say SA churches

Johannesburg (ENI). The South African Council of Churches has criticised South African President Thabo Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy" on the Zimbabwean crisis, saying that it has "clearly failed". SACC officials said Mbeki's efforts to stop the Zimbabwean government abusing its peoples' human rights and to get it to start genuine political negotiations with its opponents had not produced results and were unlikely to do so. [349 words, ENI-04-0439]

Churches applaud after Australian government shift on refugees

Adelaide (ENI). The national forum of the National Council of Churches in Australia burst into applause when it heard the Australian government had softened at least one area of its refugee policy. The country's immigration minister, Senator Amanda Vanstone, announced on 13 July that 9500 temporary protection visa holders could apply for mainstream migration visas to enable them to remain in Australia permanently, without needing to leave the country to lodge their applications. [459 words, ENI-04-0440]

Knowledge vital in preventing AIDS, says Jesuit health worker

Bangkok (ENI). Many people are dying of AIDS because those living with HIV and church-based grassroots caregivers do not have sufficient knowledge about the disease or competence to address it. This was the message of Father Michael Czerny, a Roman Catholic priest who was one of the speakers at a gathering for faith-based organizations attending the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok at which religiously-linked organizations have been playing a prominent role. [490 words, ENI-04-0441]

14 July 2004

Johannesburg (ENI). South Africa's top Roman Catholic cleric has called on the government in Pretoria to consider imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe for the oppressive policies of President Robert Mugabe's government against its own people. Cardinal Wilfred Napier joined a growing chorus of regional church criticism of Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front government and of the South African government's policy of uncritical diplomacy towards it. [329 words, ENI-04-0436]

Europe's Christian churches debate Muslim Turkey's entry to EU

Sofia (ENI). The Russian Orthodox Church says that by joining the European Union, Turkey could become a bridge between the Christian and Muslim worlds, but it says the country that straddles Europe and Asia has to overcome problems including freedom for religious and ethnic minorities and take responsibility for past faults. "Clearly, the membership of Turkey in the EU is impossible without overcoming the existing contradictions between Turkey and neighbouring European states," the church's department for external relations said in a statement. [860 words, ENI-04-0437]

Southern African Presbyterians pledge help to Zambia, Zimbabwe

Lusaka (ENI). The newly elected moderator of the general assembly of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA), the Rev. Graham Duncan, a South African, has pledged to direct his work to the denomination's poor congregations in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Duncan was in Zambia on a 14-day tour and noted a widening gap in the relationship between the richer congregations of the UPCSA in South Africa and poorer congregations, especially those in less privileged rural communities of Zambia. [270 words, ENI-04-0434]

US Nobel laureate among recipients of Wittenberg Awards to Lutherans

New York (ENI). Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner hailed as the "father of the green revolution" is among the recipients of the 2004 Wittenberg Awards, an annual honour bestowed by the Washington DC-based Luther Institute. The institute, a Lutheran educational and service organization that promotes the role of faith and ethics in US public life, gives the awards to Lutherans for "outstanding service to church and society". [304 words, ENI-04-0435]

13 July 2004

Manila (ENI). A Philippine official's announcement that Manila would pull its troops out of Iraq swiftly may yet answer the prayers and appeals of Christians and Muslims for the safe release of a Filipino abducted in Iraq by militants. "In response to the demand by the group Khaled ibn al-Walid [Islamic army in Iraq], the Philippine government will pull its humanitarian forces out of Iraq swiftly, in the time it takes to carry out the necessary preparation for their return to the Philippines," foreign affairs under-secretary Rafael Seguis was quoted as telling the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television. [465 words, ENI-04-0431]

Global Fund to work more closely with faith-based groups in AIDS fight

Bangkok (ENI). The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which disburses billions of dollars in grants to fight the three lethal diseases worldwide, has promised closer cooperation than in the past with church and faith-based organizations. The pledge was given by Dr Christoph Benn, director for external liaison of the Global Fund at a session of the 15th International AIDS conference attended by several hundred delegates from religious organizations. [374 words, ENI-04-0430]

South Africa's Mbeki urges Christians to support national agenda

Cape Town (ENI). South African President Thabo Mbeki has urged Christians under the umbrella of the South African Council of Churches to support the country's national agenda of progressive reconstruction, but not to criticise negatively. Speaking in Johannesburg at a national conference of the council that was formed in 1968, Mbeki praised it for playing a key role in overthrowing apartheid. The president, however, warned against those whom he said needlessly read negative signals into the national agenda. [429 words, ENI-04-0433]

Impact of archdiocese bankruptcy may be felt all over US

Dayton (ENI). When the archdiocese of Portland opens all its accounting records for judicial scrutiny as part of a bankruptcy declaration prompted by unsettled sex abuse lawsuits, the fallout will touch nearly 200 Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States, say business law experts. "It is likely to spur Catholics themselves to call for greater openness and public accountability of their own parishes, schools and dioceses," said Fred J. Naffziger, professor of business law at Indiana University South Bend. [548 words, ENI-04-0432]

12 July 2004

Bangkok (ENI). Church and faith-based activists went into the 15th International AIDS Conference in the Thai capital with praises ringing in their ears. "Political systems come and go, politicians, businesses and UN organizations come and go, but the long-term perspective, the memory and the future is with faith-based organizations and religions," said UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot. "That perspective is what has been missing in our response to the AIDS epidemic." [360 words, ENI-04-0429]

World leaders lay to rest Austrian president praised by church leaders

Warsaw (ENI). Austrian church leaders have lauded President Thomas Klestil, who has been buried at a state funeral and who helped distance his country from its past links with Nazism and to forge links with eastern European nations. Klestil died aged 71 on 5 July following a heart attack, after completing 11 years in office. "His impressive work for a vibrant democracy and capacity for contacts with the most varied people have established a direction for political life," said Peter Karner, the superintendent of the country's (Reformed) Evangelical Church of the Helvetic Confession. [544 words, ENI-04-0426]

S. African archbishop leads group to address Swaziland 'crisis'

Johannesburg (ENI). South African Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has led a worldwide Anglican delegation to Swaziland to address what he called a political and economic catastrophe in the small kingdom neighbouring South Africa. "The situation in Swaziland seems to have reached a crisis," Ndungane said before travelling from South Africa to Swaziland. With him for the three-day visit were Anglican bishops from Mozambique, the United States, and Scotland, as well as other Anglican Communion officials. [347 words, ENI-04-0428]

UK Catholic journalist granted award by Anglican leader

London (ENI). A Roman Catholic journalist, John Wilkins, has been granted an academic honour by the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, leader of the world's Anglicans. Wilkins, aged 67, was editor of The Tablet weekly magazine for 21 years until December 2003. He will receive a Lambeth master of arts degree for "his contribution to religious journalism in Britain". [353 words, ENI-04-0427]

9 July 2004

Bangkok (ENI). Australia has been criticised by one of the world's top religious leaders, World Council of Churches general secretary Sam Kobia, who compared an Australian detention centre for asylum seekers to the US military camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Kobia, a Methodist minister from Kenya, who is visiting Australia, on Friday lashed out at the Baxter detention centre in South Australia, saying, "I think it is Guantanamo Bay but without the shackles and the uniform." [502 words, ENI-04-0424]

S. African government complicit in Zimbabwe abuses, says archbishop.

Johannesburg (ENI). Zimbabwean church leaders say President Robert Mugabe's government will prevent national elections next year from being free and fair. And they have accused South Africa and the African Union (AU) of complicity in human rights abuses carried out by the Zimbabwean government. A church delegation to South Africa led by Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, also accused Mugabe of planning to manipulate food aid to get Zimbabweans to vote for him. [494 words, ENI-04-0425]

Sri Lanka church leaders say suicide blast will not end peace process

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders in Sri Lanka say the first suicide bombing in three years will not derail the island nation's peace process aiming to resolve a two-decade long civil war. "We are disturbed by what has happened," said Anglican Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe, chairperson of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka after the lethal bombing. "People are worried whether we are going back to the dark days." [406 words, ENI-04-0421]

Catholic cardinal warns that Vietnam is tightening restrictions on religion

Bangkok (ENI). A newly adopted law on religious freedom in Vietnam is even worse than one adopted in the 1950s under Ho Chi Minh, founder of Communist North Vietnam, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City says. The new law, set to take effect on 15 November, makes it more difficult than in the past for religious organizations and associations to register with the authorities. Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, in what has been described as an "unofficial statement", said it would be better if the newly approved legislation had been dropped, the Roman Catholic Zenit news agency reported. [339 words, ENI-04-0423]

Kenyan churches and government vexed about serious food shortages

Nairobi (ENI). Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has sent out an urgent appeal for food aid, saying the country faces severe food shortages due to reduced rains, which have affected agricultural output. The president's appeal came as church leaders described the situation as worrying, especially in many parts of the country where the rains had failed for two consecutive seasons. [355 words, ENI-04-0422]

8 July 2004

New York (ENI). The US Roman Catholic archdiocese of Portland did not declare bankruptcy to avoid its responsibility in unsettled sex abuse lawsuits, Archbishop John G. Vlazny has said after facing criticism for his action. The archdiocese of Portland on 6 July declared bankruptcy in an action prompted by unsettled sex abuse lawsuits, stemming from abuse scandals within the Catholic Church in the United States. [434 words, ENI-04-0417]

Asia's religious mix sets good example, says WCC's Kobia

Bangkok (ENI). Asia's experience of interfaith living is a good example from which conflict-ridden societies can learn, World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev Samuel Kobia has told a group of Buddhist and Christian leaders in Hong Kong. Kobia made his comments during a visit to Hong Kong hosted by the Christian Conference of Asia , the regional ecumenical organization which has its headquarters in the Special Administrative Region of China. [375 words, ENI-04-0419]

Christians and Muslims say they need a forum in England

London (ENI). Formal structures are needed in England so that Christians and Muslims can work together on common issues, says the report of a group from both faith communities initiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The group held meetings in what was called a "listening exercise" with more than 500 individuals or organizations, visiting towns and cities with large Muslim populations including Bradford, Oldham, Leicester and London. [366 words, ENI-04-0418]

Philippine churches fight to close state-run gaming firm

Baguio City, Philippines (ENI). Churches in the Philippines are backing the unrelenting campaign of a Roman Catholic bishop who is fighting for the abolition of a government-run gaming corporation, which an ecumenical group says is helping breed "a culture of gambling". "The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has become an institution that promotes the gambling culture in our Christian nation," the Baguio-Benguet Ecumenical Group, said in a resolution. In it the group called for Pagcor to be closed down. [602 words, ENI-04-0420]

7 July 2004

Amsterdam (ENI). Worried that the reputation of the Netherlands as Europe's most open-minded society is diminishing after the government in recent months has taken tough positions on immigration, the country's council of churches has launched an initiative to promote tolerance. "Tolerance is not the same as indifferent living alongside one another or striving for uniformity," the Council of Churches in the Netherlands said in a statement announcing the publication of a book on tolerance as a resource for church congregations. [426 words, ENI-04-0413]

Christians prepare to counsel and evangelise during Olympics

Sofia (ENI). It's not only athletes who are preparing their starting blocks for the Olympic Games. When the world's largest sporting spectacle starts in Athens on 13 August, Christians from around the world will be there, in some cases to provide counselling, and in others to evangelise. The ancient Olympics were banned as pagan rituals in the fourth century by Roman Emperor Theodosius, but many church and religious groups are planning to attend their modern equivalent in the Greek capital. [599 words, ENI-04-0415]

'Cool it' is message of first faith officer for London police

London (ENI). Police officer Garrett Pennery knows the importance of pounding the beat. His job, however, is not to go after criminals but to promote community relations in one of London's most multi-cultural areas. Pennery, 38, is the London police's first full-time faith officer. His role was tested when Greece beat Portugal to win the Euro 2004 soccer tournament. Police were worried that celebrations among the local Greek-speaking community might get out of hand. "Thanks to my contacts I was able to get a message put out on Greek community radio to 'cool it and stay safe', and a Greek Orthodox church official agreed to help us if we needed it," Pennery said. [652 words, ENI-04-0416]

6 July 2004

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). Germany's Protestant and Roman Catholic churches have given a cautious welcome to government plans to make it easier for terminally-ill patients to refuse life-extending treatment in hospitals. A new law would increase the weight given to "living wills", where people can spell out in a written statement what medical care they want if they become seriously ill. "Living wills can be a great help for the patient's relatives, for carers and for doctors," the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Catholic German Bishops' Conference said in a joint statement. But the two church bodies categorically rejected any moves to make medically-assisted suicide and euthanasia legal, and said patients "should not in any circumstances be put under pressure" to end their lives. [424 words, ENI-04-0411]

Zambian government threatens to ban church group critical of president

Lusaka (ENI). The Zambian government has threatened to ban an alliance of church and other bodies called the Oasis Forum after the forum criticised President Levy Mwanawasa's decision to postpone the enactment of a new draft constitution. Interior minister Ronnie Shikapwasha has warned the Oasis Forum to register with the authorities or face a ban, saying it was operating illegally. The warning followed claims by the forum that the enactment of the new constitution was being delayed until after general elections in 2006 because it would tighten up provisions for presidential elections. [339 words, ENI-04-0412]

Austrian theologian criticises plans to beatify last Habsburg emperor

Warsaw (ENI). A prominent Austrian Roman Catholic has criticised his church's plans to beatify Karl I, the last Habsburg to rule the Austro-Hungarian empire, who was deposed after the First World War and died on the Portuguese island of Madeira in 1922. "This is the work of a small, but powerful group, which has the ear of our country's cardinal," said Professor Paul Zulehner, dean of Vienna University's Roman Catholic theology faculty. "It isn't important for Austria, and the rest of the church hierarchy isn't interested". [391 words, ENI-04-0414]

5 July 2004

New York (ENI). US President George W. Bush's re-election campaign is being criticised for efforts to mobilise church members as a way of securing the president's base of support among conservative Christians. The source of controversy is a memo from within the Bush campaign made public last week suggesting that church-going Bush campaign volunteers provide the campaign with church membership rosters and directories and that the campaign help pastors in registering voters. [456 words, ENI-04-0408]

Philippine cardinal issues call for unity as protests continue over election

Manila (ENI). Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in for a further term as president of the Philippines on 30 June, but the political wounds left by a hotly-contested election have prompted a Roman Catholic archbishop to appeal for "healing and reconciliation" so this Southeast Asian country can move forward. "The time has come to leave divisive politics behind us, to address the wounds that have been decaying our national fabric, and to begin the process of launching a new life as a country with a sense of unity and hope," said Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, archbishop in the central Philippine city of Cebu. [431 words, ENI-04-0409]

Jeffrey John installed as cathedral dean as controversy continues

London (ENI). Jeffrey John, the openly gay Anglican priest who turned down an appointment as a Church of England bishop, has become a cathedral dean. John was chosen last year to be suffragan (assistant) bishop of Reading, near London, at the same time as Gene Robinson, who has a male partner, was named as a bishop in the US state of New Hampshire, triggering controversy in the worldwide Anglican Communion. During the furore John withdrew, but Robinson was later confirmed in his post in the US. [349 words, ENI-04-0407]

Christian factory produces low-cost drugs for the poor in India

Chennai (ENI). A strip of ten tablets of Nifedipine, a drug used to treat high blood pressure, costs in India, at its market price, the equivalent of US$1.70 but a church-sponsored pharmaceutical factory is providing the same product at a fifth of the price to charitable and government hospitals. "We are producing high quality essential drugs and selling them at cost price to make them affordable to the poorer sections [of society]," said Moses P. Manohar, director of the Inter-Church Service Association, which is responsible for the trust that runs the factory. [535 words, ENI-04-0410]

2 July 2004

Sofia (ENI). A breakaway synod from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church says it will resort to court action if the mainstream church attempts to seize church property occupied by the alternative group. The Orthodox Church in Bulgaria has been divided since 1992, shortly after the fall of communism, when part of the church said that Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Maxim did not occupy his post legitimately because he was put there with the collusion of the former regime. [439 words, ENI-04-0405]

Once seen as 'evil', mbira music now popular in Zimbabwe churches.

Geneva (ENI). A traditional musical instrument commonly associated with ancestor-worship in some African ethnic groups is gaining popularity in Zimbabwe's churches among gospel musicians who use it in praise and worship music. So popular is the mbira - or the thumb piano as it is known to western musicologists - that one musical band which experimented by recording a praise song with mbira instrumentals last year earned a place in the pop charts on local radio. [399 words, ENI-04-0406]

Reformed churches ponder whether economic order is heretical

Quito (ENI). Should the present world economic system be rejected as sinful and heretical? That is the critical and potentially divisive issue that delegates from more than 200 Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed and United churches in more than 100 countries will have to face when they gather in Accra at the end of July for the 24th general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. In 1982, the alliance's 21st general council, or world assembly, had declared the theological basis for the South African apartheid system to be a "heresy" and suspended two churches with whites-only membership for promoting it. Now, as delegates prepare to travel to Ghana, some churches are calling for a similar denunciation of the global economic system. [812 words, ENI-04-0404]

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