Nairobi (ENI). Religious leaders from different faiths attending the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World have called for a ban on the use of anti-personnel mines, which kill and maim an estimated 22 000 people each year. "We call upon governments to rid the world of landmines and that those who survive the scourge be given the assistance they deserve," the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Baha'i faiths said in a joint statement at interfaith prayers, held in Uhuru Park. [472 words, ENI-04-0779]

S. Africa's ANC says Tutu not a liar, Anglican leader offers to mediate

Cape Town (ENI). South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has said it does not believe Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is either a liar or a charlatan after an angry verbal exchange between the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and South African President Thabo Mbeki. The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane, Tutu's successor, stepped into the fray, calling for calm and offering to mediate between the two. Ndungane said: "I want to encourage the two to meet. They are two distinguished people who mean well for South Africa and we must find a way for them to come together." [509 words, ENI-04-0780]

Cardinal tells Myanmar Christians faith will help combat problems

Bangkok (ENI). A Vatican-based cardinal has urged Roman Catholics in Myanmar, a country ruled by a military junta that does not allow democratic elections, that their faith will help them overcome difficulties they face on a daily basis. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, who has the title of prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, arrived in Myanmar (formerly called Burma) on 20 November, as part of a Southeast Asia pastoral visit that has included Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Both Myanmar and Laos, a communist country, are described by human rights groups as dictatorships largely closed to the outside world. [336 words, ENI-04-0782]

Canadian church's AIDS campaign doubles fundraising objective

Ottawa (ENI). The United Church of Canada, Canada's largest Protestant denomination, has said just before World AIDS Day that its two-year global HIV/AIDS advocacy, education, and fundraising initiative has netted 2 million Canadian dollars, double its original objective. [285 words, ENI-04-0781]

29 November 2004

Rome (ENI). Pope John Paul II at the Vatican has handed over to Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I the remains of two of Christianity's most important saints in a gesture seen as marking a rapprochement between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christianity. The relics of the two saints, John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen, had been brought to Rome hundreds of years ago from their original resting place in Constantinople, now called Istanbul, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is based. [339 words, ENI-04-0777]

Pentecostalism beneficial for ecumenism says Kobia in Chile

Quito (ENI). Chile, seen as the best scenario to gauge the impact of Pentecostalism in church and society in Latin America, was where WCC General Secretary Sam Kobia underscored the importance of Pentecostalism for the ecumenical movement. "Through a new openness to ecumenism, the dynamism and energy of Pentecostalism can significantly enrich the search for unity among Christian churches," said Kobia in a meeting with representatives from Pentecostal churches in Santiago, on 20 November. [480 words, ENI-04-0776]

S. Africa's Tutu and Mbeki in row after ANC called 'sycophantic'

Johannesburg, 29 November ( ENI)--The former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu has become embroiled in an angry row with South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki over his charge that the ruling African National Congress party has become "sycophantic". Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace laureate, complained in the annual Nelson Mandela Foundation lecture that 10 years after the ANC came to power, the culture of vigorous debate in the anti-apartheid movement had given way to an "uncritical, sycophantic, obsequious conformity". [514 words, ENI-04-0778]

Some see food in Holy Land locust invasion, others a Biblical warning

Jerusalem (ENI). Millions of red locusts have swarmed into the Holy Land conjuring up Biblical images as they ate palm trees bare, feasted on crops and even settled on the shores of the Dead Sea. The locust plague has swept in from North Africa where the insects devoured fields and even crossed over the pyramids. It was the worst locust plague to hit the Holy Land since 1959 and the Israeli airforce said it spotted another swarm, 10-kilometres long, approaching from the Sinai Peninsula. [419 words, ENI-04-0775]

26 November 2004

Warsaw (ENI). Some Ukrainian church leaders have condemned a "mass falsification" in the country's presidential election and urged a peaceful outcome to their country's political crisis declaring 26 November as a day of fasting and prayer, an appeal not supported by all denominations. "At this moment, when Ukraine faces a choice about its future, democratic or authoritarian, and when the unity and even independence of our homeland are in danger, the church is with the nation," the heads of a number of churches said in a statement, released three days earlier. [440 words, ENI-04-0774]

Evangelist Billy Graham starts to wind down his revival trail

Lexington, Kentucky (ENI). US evangelist Billy Graham has ended what seems likely to be one of his final crusades calling on people to devote their lives to Jesus, and his followers believe a unique period of religious history in America is closing. Some 80 000 people gathered in the Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl Stadium to hear Graham preach. Now 86 and recovering from surgery to repair a broken pelvis, Graham spoke for about 45 minutes after arriving in a golf cart. [359 words, ENI-04-0772]

US missionary surgeon who fought cancer in Korea dies

Bangkok (ENI). A memorial service for David Seel, a cancer surgeon and researcher who worked for 37 years as a missionary in South Korea, was to be held on Saturday in Montreat Presbyterian Church in the US state of North Carolina. Seel died on 20 November in a Birmingham, Alabama hospital, at the age of 79, the Presbyterian Church (USA) news agency reported. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease. [316 words, ENI-04-0773]

25 November 2004

Geneva (ENI). Christian and Muslim women have spoken of violence endured by women in Sudan, where they have been singled out as deliberate targets in a 21-year-long civil war. That conflict has taken as many as 2 million lives, and a separate conflict unfurling in the country's western Darfur region over the past two years has left another 50 000 estimated dead. "When men and governments declare war, they target women," said said Joy Kwaje, coordinator for the women's programme of the Sudan Council of Churches. [406 words, ENI-04-0771]

Draft law for schools sex instruction splits Argentine churches

Buenos Aires (ENI). An attempt to introduce sex education in schools in the city of Buenos Aires is turning into an explosive issue among Argentina's Christians and it has evoked divided church responses. Even the general secretary of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, entered the fray during a recent visit to countries in the Latin American region. The storm erupted in October when a draft law was presented in Buenos Aires proposing that sex education should be compulsory in all city schools [839 words, ENI-04-0769]

More finance needed for religion reporting say journalists

Uppsala, Sweden (ENI). Religion writers and journalists covering humanitarian affairs have noted there is a dire need for the funding of religious affairs reporting. Speakers at a symposium in Uppsala, Sweden called for continued finance to sustain credible reporting on religious affairs and the activities of churches. The round-table of writers and journalists from around the world representing regional ecumenical news agencies and other news organizations gathered to mark the 10th anniversary of Ecumenical News International. The event was hosted by the Church of Sweden's communications department. [580 words, ENI-04-0770]

24 November 2004

Brazzaville (ENI). The Evangelical Church of the Congo has founded a soccer football school to promote a culture of peace among young people, many of whom are still suffering from the effects of a series of civil wars in recent years that tore the country apart. "It is only through this kind of action that we can psychologically heal our children who have been traumatised by all that they saw, experienced and heard during the wars," said the Rev. Alphonse Mbama, president of the denomination, at the inaugural ceremony on 6 November. [427 words, ENI-04-0768]

23 November 2004

Baguio City (ENI). Piano music is the usual accompaniment to Protestant and Roman Catholic church services in the Philippines. But at one Protestant church in Baguio City, 250 kilometres north of Manila, the measured beat of tribal gongs has replaced the piano in what is dubbed an "indigenous worship service". And instead of the usual English or Filipino hymns, worshippers sing religious hymns not only in local dialects but also using tribal melodies, some of which use the tunes of native prayer chants. [584 words, ENI-04-0767]

22 November 2004

Cape Town, 22 November (ENI)--The African Union and South Africa should take "a much tougher stance" on troubled Zimbabwe, but there appears to be a kind of protection racket operating with regard to that country, says former South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission vice-chairperson Alex Boraine. (744 words)

19 November 2004

Nairobi (ENI). After 21 years in a war that has taken as many as 2 million lives and forced the displacement of about 5 million, the Sudanese government and the leader of the rebel group in the south of the country has promised to sign a comprehensive peace agreement as a 2004 Christmas present. "We are glad that the [UN] Security Council has focused on the Sudanese conflict," Pastor Benjamin Alyuon of the Sudan Church of Christ told Ecumenical News International, standing outside the UN Offices in Nairobi where he had joined Sudanese refugees in a demonstration. [502 words, ENI-04-0765]

Hungarian plan to cut church schools' aid sparks anger

Warsaw (ENI). Hungarian church leaders have threatened to take action in the country's constitutional court action against plans by Hungary's Socialist-led government to cut State aid to church schools by 20 per cent. "We weren't consulted about these changes, and we've no idea how we'll find the resources to cope," said Zoltan Tarr, general secretary of the Reformed Church in Hungary. "We hope this is a case of poor communications, rather than an ideologically motivated campaign against the churches - that the government will reconsider and isn't just using us in some political game." [361 words, ENI-04-0764]

18 November 2004

Nairobi (ENI). The All Africa Conference of Churches on Thursday called on the United Nations' Security Council, meeting in the Kenyan capital, to exert pressure to bring peace to Sudan and a solution to the conflicts in the African country. "That it is in the interest of the people of the Sudan, the international community and the church in Africa," said the Nairobi-based conference's general secretary, the Rev. Mvume Dandala. "The church continues to journey with the oppressed people of Sudan. It continues to stand in solidarity and speak out for the people of Sudan." [437 words, ENI-04-0761]

Sudanese demonstrate outside UN Security Council in Nairobi

Nairobi (ENI). Southern Sudanese civil society organizations, including church groups, protested on Thursday outside a UN Security Council meeting in Nairobi and demanded Sudan's government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement to settle their 21-years of conflict as a matter of urgency. Carrying posters reading, "Stop delaying peace", "We need to go home", "Stop abusing our rights", and "21 years of suffering must come to an end", the demonstrators stressed they had been deprived of their human rights by an oppressive dictatorial regime in Khartoum. [357 words, ENI-04-0763]

Jewish groups condemn threat to US Presbyterian Church over Israel

Cincinnati, Ohio (ENI). US Jewish groups have condemned a terror threat against the Presbyterian Church (USA) that threatened retaliation for what it said were the denomination's "anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes". "Threats of violence against any houses of worship are intolerable," said Kenneth Bandler, spokesman for the American Jewish Committee. A threatening letter was received after a vote by the Presbyterian church's governing body in July to begin phased, selective divestment in multinational firms said to be contributing to the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and a meeting in Lebanon in October between two denominational officials and members of the Hezbollah movement. [447 words, ENI-04-0762]

17 November 2004

Warsaw (ENI). Ukrainian church leaders have demanded an end to what they said were "falsifications and pressures" in the run-up to the second round of the country's presidential election scheduled for 21 November. ''We are certain only a fairly elected president will have the moral right to represent the people of Ukraine, which we see as guaranteeing our nation's unity and the spiritual oneness of our people," said Orthodox, Catholic, Pentecostal, and Protestant church leaders in a statement. [381 words, ENI-04-0759]

Only missionaries can tame global terror, says Nigerian evangelist

Jos, Nigeria (ENI). A Nigerian evangelising Christian leader, described by the Twentieth Century Dictionary of Christian Biography as the originator of indigenous cross-cultural missions, has said it is only Christian missionaries who can tame the rising wave of global terrorism. Dr Panya Baba was speaking at a missions programme in the city of Jos in central Nigeria and advocated that the United Nations should send Christian evangelists into areas of the world engulfed in conflicts. [323 words, ENI-04-0760]

16 November 2004

Bangkok (ENI). The general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, Dr Ahn Jae Woong, has stressed the need for "revitalising" Asian spirituality at a time when, he says, traditional cultures are on the verge of extinction due to Western influences. Many churches in Asia had lost their missionary vocation and become corrupted, he told a meeting in Hong Kong of representatives of the Asian church grouping's partner agencies. [314 words, ENI-04-0757]

New US Catholic bishops' president heads bankrupt diocese

Cincinnati, Ohio (ENI). The new president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is reputed to be a religious moderate known for strong pastoral skills and his constant, public apology to victims of paedophile scandal involving priests. But Roman Catholic Bishop William Skylstad is embroiled in battles within his Washington state diocese of Spokane that has been declared bankrupt. [496 words, ENI-04-0758]

New York pastor sparks Zambia uproar with HIV/AIDS link to sin

Lusaka (ENI). New York pastor Carter Conlon of the Times Square Church caused consternation among Zambian church leaders when he declared that to a large extent, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has badly hit the southern African country, had been a question of sin. Conlon was in Zambia with a 250-member delegation from the charismatic church of New York, in late October, for a three-day evangelistic tour, in Lusaka. On arrival he addressed journalists at the capital's international airport, saying: "The HIV/AIDS is to a large extent, a question of sin because when people run away from the government of God, the result was often fornication and sin." [319 words, ENI-04-0756]

15 November 2004

Nairobi (ENI). During a lull in a recent upsurge of Ivory Coast violence, All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) general secretary, the Rev. Mvume Dandala, has cautioned that fresh fighting would threaten a fragile peace in that west African region. Dandala, who visited the region in October, urged African and other world leaders to continue efforts to attain peace, including in Sierre Leone and Liberia, countries which neighbour Ivory Coast. [430 words, ENI-04-0753]

Arafat laid to rest as church leaders in Holy Land pray for peace

Ramallah (ENI). Yasser Arafat was described by Jerusalem church leaders as the "symbol of his people", as a chaotic funeral at his West Bank headquarters was cut short to avoid a near riot when thousands of Palestinians stormed the compound to bid farewell to their leader. Palestinian police fired bullets into the air from automatic rifles to prevent a stampede as two Egyptian helicopters landed in Arafat's Ramallah headquarters. [593 words, ENI-04-0754]

Religion in Vietnam faces new restraints says Catholic archbishop

Bangkok (ENI). Vietnam has put into effect new legislation that the communist state says will ensure freedom of religion, said a Roman Catholic archbishop who warned that it would places new restraints on religious groups. Authorities aimed to put a positive spin on the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs, though Christians continue to face persecution in the South East Asian country. [426 words, ENI-04-0755]

12 November 2004

Jerusalem (ENI). Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has been released from custody, but placed under house arrest after being picked up by police in the grounds of the Anglican cathedral in East Jerusalem. Vanunu, a Christian convert, had been living in the cathedral's guest house since his release from prison in April after serving an 18-year sentence for disclosing Israel's nuclear secrets. [391 words, ENI-04-0750]

Church and media in Bulgaria urged to overcome legacy of atheism

Sofia (ENI). The church and media can cooperate in eliminating the atheistic legacy of communism and building spiritual enlightenment, a senior Bulgarian lawmaker has told a conference on church and media relations. Lachezar Toshev, the head of Bulgaria's parliamentary committee on religious matters, said the conference was "overdue". He said the church and media could help in bringing spiritual enlightenment. [293 words, ENI-04-0752]

England's rugby captain prays, and puts wild time behind him

London (ENI). When Jason Robinson was unexpectedly offered the captaincy of England's rugby union team, he knew there was only one thing to do - pray. "I was surprised. The coach told me to think about it. I went home and prayed. The next day I shook his hand and told him I'd be delighted to do it," Robinson told reporters after he was named to lead England's 15 players against Canada at Twickenham, the national home of rugby, on 13 November. [586 words, ENI-04-0751]

11 November 2004

Ramallah, West Bank (ENI). Christian leaders in the Holy Land have expressed sorrow at the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and said they would be present at his funeral in Cairo and burial in Ramallah. In reactions from around the world, some church leaders noted that Arafat's death presented both opportunity and risk to the peace process in the region. [646 words, ENI-04-0746]

Jerusalem bishop appeals to Christian leaders after Vanunu held

Geneva (ENI). The Anglican bishop in Jerusalem has condemned the detention of nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, a Christian convert, in the grounds of the city's Anglican cathedral, where the former technician had been holed up since his release from prison earlier this year. Vanunu was reportedly detained on suspicion of disclosing more state secrets after he had completed an 18-year prison term for treason after divulging classified information about Israel's nuclear programme to London's Sunday Times newspaper. [415 words, ENI-04-0749]

Indian human rights commission censures anti-conversion laws

New Delhi (ENI). A report by the National Human Rights Commission in India has criticised laws enacted in some Indian states to restrict conversion from one religion to another as an attempt to hold onto the caste system. The 300-page report by the commission on prevention of "atrocities against Dalits, Indians consigned to a low caste, said the anti-conversion laws were an attempt by the state and upper caste Hindus to 'freeze' the status of Dalits as "untouchables". [388 words, ENI-04-0747]

Nigerian Anglican leader lauds Bush for stand on same-sex marriages

Abuja (ENI). The senior Nigerian Anglican Archbishop, Peter Akinola, has commended US President George W. Bush for standing against same-sex marriages during his campaign for re-election. Akinola's message, which focussed on the perceived value stance of Bush in campaigning for the 2 November elections in the United States, contrasted with remarks by the Anglican primate, or senior bishop, in South Africa, Njongonkulu Ndungane, about the policies espoused by the US president. [350 words, ENI-04-0748]

10 November 2004

Amsterdam (ENI). Christian and Muslim leaders in the Netherlands have called for peace and calm following heightening tensions after the funeral for the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh who was killed by an alleged Islamic extremist. After Van Gogh's funeral, attacks on both mosques and churches were reported. "The violence, the aggression must stop," said Jan-Gerd Heetderks, president of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. "This is a negative spiral that's threatening to turn into attack and counter attack," said Mohammed Sini, the head of a national Muslim organisation, Citizens and Islam. [445 words, ENI-04-0745]

Imprisoned Indonesian pastor walks free one year early

Bangkok (ENI). The Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, an Indonesian peace worker imprisoned on what many believe were trumped-up charges, was to be reunited with his family in Tentena, on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, after he walked free a year ahead of his scheduled release. Damanik was a prominent figure in peace efforts on the island, bedevilled by violence between Muslims and Christian communities since the late 1990s. [481 words, ENI-04-0744]

New Dutch Bible translation is best-seller

Amsterdam (ENI). A new Dutch translation of the Bible has catapulted into the best-seller lists in the Netherlands, despite survey findings that show a continuing decline in church attendance in the country. The first copy of the New Bible Translation was presented to Dutch monarch Queen Beatrix in Rotterdam on 27 October and launched two days later in Antwerp for the Belgian market. [388 words, ENI-04-0741]

Church found to have low standing among Australians

Bangkok (ENI). The findings of a church-backed research project suggest that in Australia the reputation of the Church is sinking faster than that of the government, legal system, banks and media. Sydneyanglicans.net and the Roman Catholic Web site cathnews.com reported on a study supported by the National Church Life Survey, Edith Cowan University and Deakin University, that draws on the results of a similar survey conducted in 1998. [434 words, ENI-04-0740]

Canadian clergy plan to join trade union to protect their interests

Vancouver (ENI). The Canadian Auto Workers Union has accepted a request from some United Church of Canada clergy in Ontario to represent ministers of religion and is to launch a campaign to unionise the 4000 ministers of Canada's largest Protestant denomination. "There have been decades of clergy abuse," said the Rev. David Galston, minister at Eternal Spring United Church in Hamilton, Ontario, who initiated the action. [332 words, ENI-04-0742]

Dial-a-chaplain plan to help minority faiths in UK hospitals

London (ENI). A dial-a-chaplain service has been suggested as a means of meeting the spiritual needs of UK hospital patients from minority religions. A single national phone number would put the patient in touch with an appropriate adviser. "This might be particularly helpful for a thinly spread faith," commented John James, who aired the idea in a report on chaplaincy services commissioned by the British government's Department of Health, which is responsible for most of the country's hospitals. [412 words, ENI-04-0743]

9 November 2004

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders in Kenya have warned that the chasm between the poor and the rich could spark chaos in the East African country of 32 million people, where three million individuals control virtually all the riches. The church leaders want this gap bridged and have declared it a tormenting eyesore affecting their work. [403 words, ENI-04-0737]

Thai government, NGOs, World Vision link to fight sex tourism

Chiang Mai (ENI). The international Christian relief organization, World Vision, has linked up with Thai government agencies and other non-governmental organizations to assist children targeted for sex abuse by foreigners. "World Vision has coordinated efforts with 10 other NGOs to establish the 'Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project' to assist and rescue under-18 youths from sex trafficking," its Thailand coordinator, Jaruwan Siri, announced in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city. [363 words, ENI-04-0736]

Greek Orthodox head in US saddened by Macedonia name decision

Sofia (ENI). The decision by the US government to recognise the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under its own constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia has "saddened" Archbishop Demetrios, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In a statement issued in New York and reproduced on the Web site of the archdiocese, Demetrios said: "I am very much saddened by the news of the unexpected, untimely and arbitrary recognition of the State of Skopje as 'Republic of Macedonia', a name that defies history." [369 words, ENI-04-0739]

Canada's Anglican bishops respond to same-sex blessing issue

Vancouver (ENI). Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada are calling on dioceses and parishes to study a report by an Anglican Communion commission seeking to find a way of preventing a schism over homosexuality. The Anglican Communion document, titled "The Windsor Report", had criticised the introduction in Canada's Anglican New Westminster diocese of a rite for blessing same-sex unions, as well as the consecration in the United States of an openly gay man as a bishop. [298 words, ENI-04-0738]

8 November 2004

New Delhi (ENI). A prominent Christian human rights campaigner in India has welcomed the re-election of US President George W. Bush and has called on the US leader to promote religious freedom in South Asia. Countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar and India "all share a common trait of the majority communities, often with state connivance, targeting Christians," said John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union and secretary general of the ecumenical All India Christian Council, in a message to the US president. [339 words, ENI-04-0733]

Ecumenical Patriarch tells UK Catholics of delight at Pope's gesture

Istanbul (ENI). Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain say they are happy the Ecumenical Patriarch - the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians - has spoken of his "great delight" at Pope John Paul II's gesture whereby the remains of two of Christianity's most important saints are to be returned to Istanbul from the Vatican at the end of this month. "We praise the Pope for his courage and willingness to promote dialogue between Christians in the East and the West and it is my deepest hope that he will visit us soon," Patriarch Bartholomeos I of Constantinople said at his Istanbul headquarters, to a group of more than 30 visiting Catholics and others from Britain. [474 words, ENI-04-0735]

Killing of S. African Dutch Reformed leader unsolved after 10 years

Cape Town (ENI). Ten years ago former Dutch Reformed Church moderator Professor Johan Heyns was shot dead at his home in Pretoria, but the reasons for his assassination remain a mystery and the killer has never been found. The African National Congress' ANC Daily News Briefing reported at the time that Heyns was an "independent-minded and outspoken reformist" by the standards of South Africa's Afrikaners, who formed the majority among the country's dominant white minority during the apartheid era. [504 words, ENI-04-0734]

5 November 2004

Amsterdam (ENI). Worshippers in churches, mosques and synagogues in Amsterdam were asked to pause for thought because of the killing in Amsterdam of Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh. "Imams, priests, rabbis, pastors and other spiritual leaders will express their abhorrence at what has happened," the inter-religious network Amsterdam With Heart And Soul announced in a statement after the 2 November murder of Van Gogh, who made a controversial film about Islamic culture. [394 words, ENI-04-0732]

'Jesus Revolution' looks to young Filipinos as new heroes

Baguio City, Philippines (ENI). The crowd was like one at an emotional rock concert. To a frenzied drum beat and electric guitar rhythms, clashing cymbals and an electric organ, a vocalist was screaming his heart out, and the audience were swaying their bodies, waving their hands. But a rock concert it was not. It was part of an evening praise service, capping a day of Bible studies and spiritual reflection at what organizers dubbed as "a Jesus Revolution Convergence" seminar, held in Baguio City, about 250 kilometres north of Manila. [572 words, ENI-04-0731]

Zambian bishop chides Kaunda over independence fighters' plight

Lusaka (ENI). Church of God Bishop John Mambo has chided Zambia's first president Kenneth Kaunda for contributing to the abject poverty affecting many Zambian independence fighters, some of who have died destitute. Mambo's comments follow concern first expressed by Kaunda back in September about the suffering of the stalwarts in the freedom struggle, when he donated a wheelchair to an ageing opponent of British colonial rule, Kapasa Makasa, ahead of the country's 40th independence anniversary on 24 October. [352 words, ENI-04-0730]

4 November 2004

New York (ENI). Concern about moral values and support by evangelical Christian voters propelled President George W. Bush to a 3.6 million vote margin over his Democratic Party challenger John Kerry in the US presidential election, surveys showed. Exit polls by US news agencies and television networks indicated that concern over morality helped Bush, a Methodist with evangelical support, in his 51-to-48 per cent victory over Kerry, a Roman Catholic who was often reticent in discussing his religious faith. [718 words, ENI-04-0726]

Ohio seen representing US battle of morals

Columbus (ENI). The Rev. Marj Creech, pastor of a small church in Granville, in the US state of Ohio, is worried about losing her medical insurance with the passing of Issue One, an amendment to the Ohio Constitution which states that only a union between one man and one woman can be a marriage. The constitutional amendment reads, in part, "This state and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognise a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage." Pastor of God's Promise Metropolitan Community Church, Creech two months ago began receiving medical insurance through her lesbian partner's employer, Ohio State University. "Now what happens to me?" she asked. [594 words, ENI-04-0729]

Zimbabwean media regulatory body attacks Catholic bishops

Geneva (ENI). Zimbabwe's media regulatory body, the Media and Information Commission (MIC), has attacked Roman Catholic bishops over remarks in their latest pastoral statement in which they criticise the abuse of the public media by the ruling party. Referring to the biased nature of the public media in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference said in the statement released at the end of September, "It is important that all political parties have access to media coverage so that they can inform citizens about how they intend to govern if they are elected into power." [396 words, ENI-04-0728]

Release of Indian Christian detained in Saudi Arabia commended

New Delhi (ENI). Two Christian groups in India have hailed the release of an Indian Christian, Brian O'Connor, from jail in Saudi Arabia where he had been sentenced to 10 months in jail last month after being accused of "spreading Christianity" among other charges. O'Connor landed in Mumbai in India on 1 November, following his deportation from Saudi Arabia, after being convicted by an Islamic court of possession and sale of alcohol in the strict Muslim kingdom, and sentenced to 300 lashes and a 10-month prison sentence. However, the court ignored the charge against O'Connor of spreading Christianity. [454 words, ENI-04-0727]

3 November 2004

Manila (ENI). A Roman Catholic bishop and church groups are supporting protests against a Canadian mining firm's activities which he said has disrupted the peace of people on their traditional land in southern Philippines. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines has supported the bishop's call, accusing the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of being responsible for an imminent ecological disaster they say will stem from the mining company's operations. [465 words, ENI-04-0725]

Orthodox church leaders celebrate Bulgarian Patriarch's birthday

Sofia (ENI). The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, other church dignitaries and political leaders have joined in celebrating the 90th birthday of Patriarch Maxim, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, whose church has been dogged by controversy. Maxim has been head of the church since 1971. He has been shrouded in controversy because his opponents say he was appointed with the collusion of Bulgaria's former regime and they have demanded his resignation. [425 words, ENI-04-0724]

2 November 2004

London (ENI). The Church of England will be "increasingly isolated and anachronistic" unless it accepts women as bishops, a working party of the Anglican church has concluded. "Gender-blind equality of opportunity will remain a central feature of Western society ... The Church of England will not be able to commend the gospel effectively if its structures embody sexism in a way that contemporary society no longer finds acceptable," the working party said in its report published on Tuesday in London. The Church of England's governing general synod will debate the report in February 2005 as the first stage of a process that could see women consecrated as bishops from 2009, a press conference on Tuesday was told. [394 words, ENI-04-0723]

Kenya's police seek help of religious leaders to fight crime

Nairobi (ENI). Kenya is reported to be facing a spiralling crime wave and the East African country's police force wants to enlist churches and other religious groups in the fight against law-breaking. Senior police officers held a meeting with Christian, Muslim and Hindu leaders on 28 October to discuss the issue. But while the religious leaders expressed concern about increasing armed crime, burglary and sexual crime, and said they would assist the police, they said it was the responsibility of the Kenyan authorities to protect citizens. "The buck stops at the government's doorstep, although the public has a key role to play in fighting crime," said the Rev. Mutava Musyimi, general secretary of the National Christian Council of Kenya. [395 words, ENI-04-0722]

1 November 2004

Lagos (ENI). Africa's Anglican bishops have ended their first continent-wide gathering by reiterating what they said was their "biblical position" in the controversy within the worldwide Anglican Communion about homosexuality. "God created us male and female and we cannot sacrifice truth for any revisionist agenda which leans on a faulty understanding of Christian unity," the bishops said in a statement issued on Monday after a six-day gathering in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos. The controversy followed a decision by the Episcopal (Anglican) Church in the United States to consecrate an openly gay man as a bishop, and the approval by a Canadian Anglican diocese of a rite to bless same-sex unions. [420 words, ENI-04-0720]

Map of Africa needs revising to bring peace, says retired Anglican leader

Lagos (ENI). A retired head of the (Anglican) Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye, has said the map of Africa needs to be redrawn to bring peace to the continent by overcoming the political boundaries set down by Europeans. "I believe that the ethnic, religious, and political conflicts that we now have in Africa are caused by the division and sharing of Africa by the Europeans," Adetiloye told the Africa Anglican Bishops Conference meeting in Lagos. He said the partitioning of the African continent by the European powers at the Berlin conference of 1884-85 was the catalyst for conflict in places such as Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Sierra Leone, and Cote d'Ivoire. [391 words, ENI-04-0721]

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