Geneva (ENI). A leader of the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches on his return from a 6-day visit to China has urged dialogue between church bodies in Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. "It is my sincere hope that the China Christian Council and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan will begin to think of ways of being in dialogue," the Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the Reformed alliance, said after his 22-27 April visit. [351 words, ENI-05-0310]

Jerusalem Patriarch not seen at Good Friday church services

Athens (ENI). The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I, who is embroiled in a church property scandal failed to appear at services to mark the Orthodox church's Good Friday on 29 April, according to wire agency reports. The unusual absence at the church services came during increasing calls for him to step down as a result of the controversy about allegations that church property has been transferred to Jewish investors, the British Press Association reported. [404 words, ENI-05-0309]

Christian Aid at 60 sets sights on trade justice

London (ENI). Sixty years after it was founded at the end of the Second World War, the development agency Christian Aid received testimony to its success in a packed St Paul's Cathedral in London and praise from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. "Its task is not simply to meet certain needs but to help shape a particular kind of world," the archbishop said of the agency at a 60th anniversary service in the cathedral on 26 April. [687 words, ENI-05-0311]

Incoming leader of Asian church grouping aims at peace building

Hong Kong (ENI). Prawate Khid-arn, the first Thai to head the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), a grouping of Protestant and Orthodox churches in 19 countries, says he has set regional peace building as his top priority in his coming 5-year term. Conflicts exist in different forms in Asia and they are caused by political and economical factors," Prawate told Ecumenical News International. "There are conflicts in the Korean peninsula, Taiwan Straits, Indonesia and Sri Lanka." [418 words, ENI-05-0312]

28 April 2005

New Delhi (ENI). Christian officials in India belonging to a national forum of dalit groups have welcomed the appointment of two special rapporteurs by the United Nations' Commission on Human Rights to study the discrimination against low castes and others. "We have broken the silence of the UN on the discrimination we face," said Vincent Manoharan, general secretary of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, a coalition of more than 1000 action groups of dalits who are people from all faiths treated as low castes. [357 words, ENI-05-0308]

Bus weaving through Africa picks up messages to G8 leaders

Nairobi (ENI). There's probably only one bus grinding its way through Africa from Johannesburg in South Africa to the Scottish resort of Gleneagles. The small bus is heading to a meeting of leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrial nations in the Scottish resort on 6 July. It is collecting the views and capturing the voices of ordinary people about poverty and it has arrived in East Africa. [372 words, ENI-05-0307]

US judiciary appointments' debate splits Christian groups

New York (ENI). The leader of the Republican Party in the US Senate, Bill Frist, has triggered criticism from some religious leaders because of his appearance at a telecast to Christian evangelicals. The speech by Frist, a lawmaker from Tennessee, who is touted to become a candidate for the Republican Party's nomination for US president in 2008, was part of an event held at a Kentucky Baptist church. [475 words, ENI-05-0305 ]

27 April 2005

New York (ENI). The leader of the Republican Party in the US Senate, Bill Frist, has triggered strong criticism from some religious leaders following a telecast to Christian evangelicals. [463 words, ENI-05-0305]

Germany plans another Protestant and Catholic mass meeting

Bielefeld, German (ENI). Germany's Protestants and Roman Catholics announced on Wednesday plans for a major inter-church gathering in Munich in 2010 following the first such assembly which brought together 200 000 people in Berlin in 2003. The Berlin event, the first Ecumenical Kirchentag (church congress), was the biggest official gathering of Protestants and Roman Catholics in Germany and was described by a senior Catholic at the time as a "a great step forward" for Christian ecumenism. [368 words, ENI-05-0306]

26 April 2005

London (ENI). British Prime Minister Tony Blair has run up against the Church as he tries to fight off an anti-war candidate standing against him in his own parliamentary constituency in his country's general election set for 5 May. Tom Wright, the (Anglican) bishop of Durham, in whose diocese Blair's Sedgefield constituency falls, sent a message of support to activists protesting against the war in Iraq.[370 words, ENI-05-0302]

European Baptists pray and take action against sex trafficking

Sofia (ENI). European Baptists meeting in Hungary have pledged to take an active stand against the huge volume of people being trafficked for the sex industry, vowing to pray and actively work in their support. The pledge was made at a European Baptist Federation conference in Budapest held to discuss human trafficking. Victims are said by human rights groups and law enforcement agencies to number hundreds of thousands in Europe every year. [424 words, ENI-05-0304]

African religious leaders urge politicians to encourage dialogue

Johannesburg (ENI). Leaders of Africa's main religions have decided to continue an initiative they began nearly three years ago to co-operate among themselves to resolve conflicts and other problems in Africa. The religious leaders who came from 30 African countries said after at the end of the second Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa summit near here, that they could significantly contribute to durable peace though enlightened religious teachings. [331 words, ENI-05-0303]

25 April 2005

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders in India have condemned the leader of a Hindu organization for his comments on new Pope Benedict XVI. K. S. Sudarshan, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or National Volunteer Corps, described the new Pope as a "hardliner" who had "little respect for the multiplicity of faiths" in comments made in New Delhi. But Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India said the RSS chief's comment on the new Pope was "born out of ignorance and prejudice". [334 words, ENI-05-0300]

Nigerian Anglican accuses US bishops of duplicity on gay issue

Abuja (ENI). The Church of Nigeria's senior archbishop, Peter Akinola, has issued a pastoral letter criticising a response of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church in the United States to a call by the Anglican Communion to put a moratorium on the ordinations of non-celibate homosexuals. The call by the worldwide Anglican grouping followed the consecration in 2003 of V. Gene Robinson, who lives with a male partner, as bishop of the US state of New Hampshire. [470 words, ENI-05-0299]

Don't use holy scriptures to justify war urges WCC's Kobia

Johannesburg (ENI). The leader of the church grouping of the world's main Protestant and Orthodox denominations, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, has cautioned faith communities against the use of holy scriptures to justify war. "As people of faith, we should not use holy scriptures to moralise wars, as this makes it easier to fight," World Council of Churches' general secretary Kobia said. He was heading a panel at the second Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa Summit taking place near Johannesburg and organized by the Lutheran World Federation. [415 words, ENI-05-0301]

22 April 2005

Rome (ENI). Orthodox church leaders have praised the theological achievements of the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI and predicted inter-church ties would improve during his pontificate. "John Paul II's initiatives for bringing the churches closer in dialogue and peace have aroused hope," said Patriarch Bartholomeos I of Constantinople. [509 words, ENI-05-0296]

Palestinians urge Pope Benedict to strengthen Christian-Muslim ties

Jerusalem (ENI). Palestinians who have seen Israeli leaders praise the new pontiff have urged Pope Benedict XVI to make the establishment of a Palestinian state and stronger Christian-Muslim ties priorities of his papacy. "The Palestinian cause is a humanitarian issue. The Pope needs to give this issue special attention and support it," said Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, a top Palestinan Muslim cleric. Palestinian Roman Catholics attending mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem expressed hope that Pope Benedict would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Pope John Paul II. [295 words, ENI-05-0295]

Profile: High hopes or low expectations on church unity under Benedict?

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he was elected to be Pope Benedict XVI, the man who is now pontiff was seen as the iron fist in the velvet glove of his predecessor, John Paul II. Ratzinger was the cardinal charged with restoring discipline and traditional values to a church he and his leader feared was fast losing sight of its mission, engaged on what he saw as a battle for the soul of world Catholicism. Still, in his first full address after becoming Pope Benedict XVI, he said he was "disposed to do all in his power to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism". [1233 words, ENI-05-0297]

Israelis prepare to celebrate Jewish Passover feast

Jerusalem (ENI). Israelis prepared to celebrate the week-long Passover holiday marking the biblical exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The holiday was to begin on Saturday night with the traditional Seder meal in which Jews read the biblical accounts about the Exodus when the Israelites led by Moses fled slavery in Egypt to journey to the Promised Land. [314 words, ENI-05-0298]

Global religious leaders tell African meeting they will speak out

Johannesburg (ENI). Religious leaders launching an inter-faith African peace summit here have made it clear they will speak out against political injustices in society. Representatives of all major world religions are attending the four-day Inter-faith Action for Peace in Africa summit in Benoni near Johannesburg. [375 words, ENI-05-0294]

21 April 2005

Geneva (ENI). The leader of the world's largest grouping of churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, has told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that he disagrees with some of his security proposals to reform the United Nations. Kobia said the World Council of Churches of which he is general secretary was concerned about suggestions that the UN charter allowed countries to take pre-emptive military action without reference to the UN Security Council. [461words, ENI-05-0293]

Southern Sudan church leaders urge factions to end conflicts

Nairobi (ENI). Sudanese church leaders have urged an end to periodic clashes between the main southern rebel movement, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, and other armed groups there. "We would not like war in the southern Sudan again, because we have officially stopped it," the Roman Catholic Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro told Ecumenical News International in Nairobi referring to a peace agreement signed in January to put an end to a 21-year-long war between the mainly Christian and animist South and the Muslim North. [409 words, ENI-05-0292]

US woman to head Disciples of Christ

New York (ENI). The Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, a long-time leader of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has been named as the denomination's next president, making her the first woman to head the 770 000-member church. Her nomination, as one of the first women to lead a large denomination in the United States, is expected to be approved at a 23-27 July meeting in Portland, Oregon, a church spokesperson said. [286 words, ENI-05-0291]

20 April 2005

Rome (ENI). Newly-elected Pope Benedict XVI has pledged to do all in his power to promote the unity of churches and reach out to other religions. In an address read in Latin to cardinals in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel after his election the day before, the Pope said his "primary task" would be "that of working - sparing no energies - to reconstitute the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers". [477 words, ENI-05-0287]

South African Anglican archbishop tells WTO 'start playing fair'

Geneva (ENI). The World Trade Organization must gain a human face and become more just, equitable and transparent, South African Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has told the global regulatory body for international commerce. He was representing the Trade for People Campaign of the Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, during a Global Week of Action for fair trade, 10 years after the founding of the WTO. [481 words, ENI-05-0285]

Christian convert Vanunu faces another 12-month Israeli travel ban

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel has banned whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu from leaving the country for another year, citing concern he had more secrets to reveal about Israel's nuclear programme and had expressed his intention to do so if he left the country. Vanunu, a 50-year-old former nuclear technician at Israel's secret Dimona atomic reactor, was released from prison in April 2004 after serving an 18-year prison sentence for revealing Israel's nuclear secrets to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. [325 words, ENI-05-0284]

Joy and scepticism in Germany after the election of Benedict XVI

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). Germans have greeted the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI with joy and praise, but many in his home country have also expressed disapproval and scepticism. In predominantly Roman Catholic Bavaria, where 78-year-old Ratzinger was born in the small town of Marktl am Inn in 1927, churches pealed their bells at the news of his election and held spontaneous services of worship. [489 words, ENI-05-0288]

Jewish leaders say new Pope will continue to promote dialogue

Jerusalem (ENI). Jewish leaders welcomed the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI and expressed confidence that he would continue to work to forge closer relations between Jews and Christians and Israel and the Vatican. "[Pope Benedict XVI] was the man who provided the theological underpinnings for Pope John Paul II's decision to open relations with Israel ... In the last 20 years he has changed the 2000-year history of relations between Jews and Christians," said Israel Singer, chairman of the World Jewish Conference. [388 words, ENI-05-0286]

Italian newspapers mull significance of papal election

Rome (ENI). Italian newspapers were speculating the day after the papal election on whether new Pope Benedict XVI would conform to his perceived record as an unflinching guardian of Vatican orthodoxy or whether he would upset the odds and demonstrate an openness to reforms. "His biography is contradictory," the La Repubblica newspaper wrote in an article about the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope in which it described him as a "warrior to challenge modernity". [523 words, ENI-05-0289]

19 April 2005

Vatican City (ENI). World church leaders from Christian denominations and heads of state world-wide have joined in congratulating Pope Benedict XVI, the first German pope chosen in centuries. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the enforcer of doctrine for the 1-billion members of the Roman Catholic Church Cardinal for 23 years, was chosen as the successor to Pope John Paul II, after just two days of deliberation at a secret conclave of 115 cardinals. [574 words, ENI-05-0283]

Philippines plan to tax church activities stirs heated debate

Manila (ENI). Plans by the Philippine's Bureau of Internal Revenue to tax the commercial activities of churches and related institutions has triggered heated debate in this country of 86 million where 83 per cent of the population is Roman Catholic. "They [churches] must declare their income and pay for those businesses," internal revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno said, referring to rents from use of church buildings and lands, sales of rosaries and other religious items, and profits from other investments. [467 words, ENI-05-0282]

18 April 2005

Rome (ENI). The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has called for "radical" changes in Vatican policies towards Russia after a new pope is elected by the Conclave of Cardinals which was to start meeting on Monday. "I believe the Catholic side should show a readiness to take on the difficult job of radically changing its policies in Russia and other neighbouring countries," said Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II. [419 words, ENI-05-0279]

Kenyan churches, missionaries aggrieved at paying taxes

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders in Kenya have opened discussions with the government about the imposition of some taxes, which they say are punishing their spiritual and social work. "It is tough," Bishop Zachariah Kahuthu of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church told Ecumenical News International. "We are being taxed heavily for everything, although our work is mainly to help the ordinary people." Missionary institutions are also feeling hard hit by the Kenya Revenue Authority. [369 words, ENI-05-0281]

Yale university chapel to sever church ties

New York (ENI). The head of the US United Church of Christ has criticised plans by Yale University to sever one of its last ties with the denomination in the Congregational tradition which go back more than 300 years. "Since Yale's beginning in 1701, the United Church of Christ and its Congregationalist forebears have shared Yale's commitment to educating persons for public leadership in church and society," said the Rev. John H. Thomas, president of the 1.3 million-member church. [314 words, ENI-03-0280]

15 April 2005

Budapest (ENI). Hungarians are remembering the role their parents and grandparents played in the annihilation of most of the country's 800 000 Jews during the last months of the Second World War following the German occupation in 1944. Christian leaders are commemorating priests and nuns who defied Nazi special forces units, the SS, and the fascist Arrow Cross movement help Jews on the run from deportation to gas chambers in Poland and other places in Europe. But they are also remembering the complicity of their followers in the persecution of Jews, of whom more than 600 000 are thought to have perished. [842 words, ENI-05-0278]

Catholic leader warns of conflict in Zambia over presidential poll

Lusaka (ENI). Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu of the Roman Catholic Church in Zambia has warned of civil strife if presidential elections for 2006 are held under a constitution church leaders consider defective. "It does not need a prophet to foretell what is going to happen," Mpundu saidl. "The way I look at things, those who will be dissatisfied with the results are likely to cause civil strife." [360 words, ENI-05-0276]

Teach children about Eucharist without the blood says UK panel

London (ENI). Church liturgies which mention "the body and blood of Christ" may make children think Christians are cannibals, and references to the "Holy Ghost" are too spooky, an official working party on religious education in the English county of Norfolk is warning. It would like to see teachers avoid such terms and images, including referring to the "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem, rather than the "Western Wall", because that might make children think Jews are moaners. [286 words, ENI-05-0277]

'Protestant Rome' now offers pilgrims a view of its past

Geneva (ENI). Geneva is known around the world as the birthplace of the Calvinist Reformation, and now the Swiss city that is sometimes called the "Protestant Rome" has an International Museum of the Reformation for pilgrims, tourists and even residents of the city. "The museum is a place for history but above all history that is alive," says the museum's director, the Rev. Isabelle Graesslé. [453 words, ENI-05-0275]

14 April 2005

New Delhi (ENI). Churches and Christian activists in India are elated over the notice the federal supreme court has issued to the central government that it will accept hearings on the question of discrimination against low castes embracing Christianity. "This is a very positive development. We see a ray of hope," said Y. Moses, an executive secretary of the National Council of Churches in India, which groups 29 Orthodox and Protestant churches. [428 words, ENI-05-0273]

International church team warns of flawed elections in Togo

Geneva (ENI). An international church team that has returned from the west African nation of Togo is calling for the postponement of presidential elections, scheduled for 24 April, because of the risk of a "flawed" election process. "The delegation reached the conviction that the time-scale determined for the forthcoming presidential elections was technically too short to be able to inspire the necessary trust and transparency and results acceptable to all," the church group said in a statement released after a visit to the country. [370 words, ENI-05-0271]

Adventist church welcomes lifting of ban on operating in Eritrea

Geneva (ENI). The Seventh-day Adventist Church has welcomed statements from Eritrea's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva that the northeast African country is to allow the registration of the Protestant denomination, which has been under official suspension since 2002. The church said it had been suspended when the Eritrean government in 2002 ordered the closure of all churches not belonging to the Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Evangelical Lutheran denominations. [366 words, ENI-05-0271]

Netherlands' anti-Muslim violence dips; mosque language debate ensues

Amsterdam (ENI). Dutch officials said this week that incidents of anti-Muslim violence in the Netherlands have dropped in recent months after tensions spiked following the murder in November of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a suspected Islamic extremist. There are almost one million of the Netherlands' 16 million people who are followers of Islam, and tension between Muslims and others has stirred national debate and soul searching about the mix of cultures in country, including the role of the national language, Dutch. [389 words, ENI-05-0274]

13 April 2005

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan Vice-President Moody Awori has urged citizens to read the Bible and to use the word of God to battle corruption, a scourge that he said continues to blight the east African nation. "Read the scriptures and fight the evil of corruption," Awori told about 2000 guests at the dedication of a translation of the New Testament in the Pokomo language, at Garsen in the Tana River district of the Coast Province. [313 words, ENI-05-0267]

US Lutheran Church to consider new rules for gay clergy

New York (ENI). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) says it will consider a resolution later this year at its church-wide assembly permitting openly gay and lesbian clergy to serve the church if they are in committed relationships. The resolution would alter present denominational policy on gay and lesbian clergy, the church said in a statement on 11 April. Currently such clergy can only serve on the condition that they vow to be celibate. The resolution will be considered at an 8-14 August denominational assembly in Orlando, Florida. [324 words, ENI-05-0266]

Anglicans ride the tide of popular church schools in England

London (ENI). The case of a teacher who was caught cheating in a bid to get her daughter into a church school has highlighted the growing popularity of these schools in England amid concerns about general educational standards in the country. Margaret Gillespie, the head teacher of a Roman Catholic primary school in London, claimed to live within the catchment area of a popular Anglican secondary school, Lady Margaret, but in fact she lived several miles away. [266 words, ENI-05-0269]

Religious leaders urge World Trade Organization, 'promote fair trade'

Geneva (ENI). World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Samuel Kobia has gone to the World Trade Organization and presented a petition signed by more than 180 religious leaders seeking a change to the rules that govern world trade. "We seek a world where global trade systems give priority to people who live in poverty," said Kobia at the head of a delegation organised by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a grouping of more than 85 churches and Christian organisations worldwide. [315 words, ENI-05-0270]

Internet betting offers fluctuating odds on who will be next Pope

London (ENI). The conclave of cardinals to choose the next Pope is yet to open in Rome and predicting a new pontiff is never easy. That has not stopped bookmakers, some of whom believe they are more accurate than polls, posting odds on who will step into the shoes of Pope John Paul II. The frontrunner, according to the Irish-based online betting site www.paddypower.com, at one stage was Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria who was given odds at 7-2. Still, within a couple of hours, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, 78, the retired archbishop of Paris, was being touted as favourite with odds at 4-1, and Arinze had dropped to fifth place (15-2). [554 words, ENI-05-0268]

12 April 2005

Rome (ENI). Roman Catholic officials at the Vatican have denied claims that Pope John Paul II could be placed on the path to sainthood around September after receiving "popular acclamation" from church members worldwide. "I knew and admired the Pope, and I won't be surprised if he's canonised some day," said Paolo Molinari, president of the Vatican's College of Postulators, which supports the case of potential saints. "But these media reports are aimed at pressuring the Holy See to do something it hasn't done for 500 years." [523 words, ENI-05-0261]

East and southern African bishops join call for fair trade

Nairobi (ENI). Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops from east and southern Africa, meeting in Nairobi, have joined farmers, workers, traders and civil society groups in their countries by calling for fair international trade on the eve of a Global Week of Action. "Trade is important in addressing poverty. However, Africa has not reaped its fair entitlement," Kenyan Anglican Bishop Gideon Ireri of the Mbeere diocese, who heads the Anglican Peace and Justice Network in his country, told journalists on Tuesday. [425 words, ENI-05-0265]

'Infantile' adults failing children, says Archbishop of Canterbury

London (ENI). Children are being deprived of their childhood and lack guidance from adults who themselves have not grown up, says the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who has also questioned the habits of advertising on young people. "When adults stop being infants, children can be children," said Williams, leader of the 78-million worldwide Anglican Communion, at a lecture in London on 11 April arranged by the Citizen Organising Foundation, a community training institute.[281 words, ENI-05-0263]

European churches mark end of WW2 with warning on racism

Geneva (ENI). Leaders of the Conference of European Churches on Tuesday, in a message to mark the 60th anniversary in May of the end of the Second World War, called on churches in Europe to remain vigilant against the threat of militarism and racism. "On 8 May we shall recall how 60 years ago, Europe found itself at last delivered from a war of unparalleled bloodshed and destruction," said the presidium of the grouping, which has more than 120 churches from Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox traditions. [294 words, ENI-05-0264]

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos dies in US at 93

New York (ENI). Archbishop Iakovos, the long-time spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in North and South America, who helped his denomination become an established part of the US religious landscape, has died at the age of 93. As Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas in 1959 he became the leader of a largely immigrant church. But from the Greek Orthodox headquarters in New York until his retirement in 1996, Archbishop Iakovos led his archdiocese to the heart of national life in the United States. [399 words, ENI-05-0262]

11 April 2005

New Delhi (ENI). Christians in Pakistan said on Monday that they oppose a recent government decision to restore the placement of data about the religious identity of citizens in passports, less than a year after the practice was halted. "This is a retrograde step," said Victor Azariah, general secretary of National Council of Churches of Pakistan. He said, "The government is acting under pressure from fundamentalist forces". [308 words, ENI-05-0260]

Nigerian bishop and emir want law to punish religious militants

Ibadan, Nigeria (ENI). Anglican Bishop Emmanuel Gbonigi and the Emir of Ningi, Yunusa Mohammed Danyaya, a Muslim leader in northern Nigeria, have in separate appeals called for a law that will be used to prosecute religious militants in their country. Gbonigi, the former Anglican bishop of Akure diocese in the southwest, said that religious conflicts have exacted a massive toll on the lives of Nigerians. The situation demanded stiffer punitive measures be put in place to enable the menace to be checked effectively. [402 words, ENI-05-0258]

Once Catholic Malawi pastor urges churches to abolish celibacy

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). A charismatic pastor in Malawi, who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, has called for an end to the practice of celibacy which, he says, is the main cause of chaos and sex scandals in the Church. Bishop Mark Kambalazaza, founder of the Charismatic Renewal Ministry, who renounced his priestly vows in 2001 to become a pastor of the charismatic grouping, called at the weekend for an urgent end to celibacy so that bishops will be allowed to have wives and raise families. [301 words, ENI-05-0259]

German Protestants pay tribute to executed plotter Bonhoeffer

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). German Protestants have remembered Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was executed 60 years ago for his role in the plot to kill the Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler. "Until the last moment he was not broken by what the Nazi power did to him, but kept his faith, his love and his hope," said Bavarian Lutheran Bishop Johannes Friedrich at the Flossenbuerg concentration camp in Bavaria, where Bonhoeffer, aged 39, was executed on 9 April 1945. [394 words, ENI-05-0257]

8 April 2005

Vatican City (ENI). Pope John Paul II was given a final farewell at a funeral service attended by kings and presidents, prime ministers and clerics from all over the world that was marked also by spontaneous applause from the hundreds of thousands of mourners who packed St Peter's Square. More than 200 heads of state and global dignitaries, as well as leaders from different faiths and denominations attended the requiem Mass at the Vatican for the Polish-born pontiff, who died at the age of 84 on 2 April after a long illness. [734 words, ENI-05-0256]

Polish priest deplores Russian blocking of massacre enquiry

Warsaw (ENI). A Roman Catholic priest who survived a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during the Second World War has condemned a Russian ruling that the crime cannot be considered an act of genocide. "If this isn't genocide, then what is?" said 86-year-old Zdzislaw Peszkowski, who escaped the 1940 shooting of up to 21 000 interned military officers at Katyn, Miednoye and Kharkhov in Soviet-occupied Poland. [414 words, ENI-05-0254]

Annan acknowledges lack of credibility for UN human rights body

Geneva (ENI). UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told the United Nations' human rights body what it has been told by many rights and religious groups for years, that it has been undermining the credibility of the entire UN organization. "Unless we re-make our human rights machinery, we may be unable to renew public confidence in the United Nations itself," Annan told the 53-member UN Commission on Human Rights, which is holding its yearly session in Geneva. [427 words, ENI-05-0256]

7 April 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). Hong Kong's Roman Catholic leader Bishop Joseph Zen says that Pope John Paul II died deeply regretting "not having had the chance to visit China", and although Beijing expressed condolences on Friday for his death it said it would not attend the pontiff's funeral. "Under current circumstances, China won't send representatives to the Vatican,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. He noted that the Chinese government had expressed its "strong dissatisfaction'' to the Vatican and to Italy for issuing a visa to Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian. [461 words, ENI-05-0253]

Zimbabwe president defies EU sanctions to attend Pope's funeral

Harare (ENI). Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has defied a ban on travel to member states of the European Union, and left for Rome to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Mugabe, who was raised a Roman Catholic, has been barred from travelling to EU states since the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe after he won a disputed presidential election in 2002. The EU said those sanctions would remain after parliamentary elections it viewed as flawed were held in Zimbabwe on 31 March. [303 words, ENI-5-0252]

Political and religious leaders converge on Rome for papal funeral

Rome (ENI). Rome is bulging for the funeral of Pope John Paul II with an unprecedented number of religious and political leaders as well as an estimated more than one million faithful cramming the city. US President George W. Bush arrived with former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior in Rome, where they paid respects at the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica to the pontiff who is lying in state. [669 words, ENI-05-0251]

India honours widow of murdered Australian missionary

New Delhi (ENI). Gladys Staines, the widow of an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, who was murdered in India in 1999, has been honoured with one of India's highest civilian awards. "This is not a recognition for me alone, it is an honour for those who have worked with Graham and those whom we all have served," Gladys Staines told Ecumenical News International after receiving the award, called the Padma Shree, from Indian President Abdul Kalam. [260 words, ENI-05-0250]

6 April 2005

Warsaw (ENI). The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has said after the death of Pope John Paul II that he hopes for improved relations with the Roman Catholic Church. "A new period is now opening in the Catholic church's life, in which there is a possibility of mutually respectful relations and brotherly Christian love between our churches," Patriarch Alexei II said in a letter sent to Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, who under John Paul II was dean of the College of Cardinals. [641 words, ENI-05-0245]

African church body calls for urgent probe into Zimbabwe poll

Nairobi (ENI). The All Africa Conference of Churches has strongly urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to probe claims of voters being turned away, and to investigate final vote tallies for some constituencies in last week's parliamentary elections in the southern African nation. The leaders from the Nairobi-based church grouping delivered a mixed message on the outcome of the election, applauding the peace and calm that reigned during the 31 March poll, but expressing unease at conditions that made the electoral playing field uneven. [536 words, ENI-05-0248]

Hungarian churches seek top court's help to reinstate schools' funding

Warsaw (ENI). Hungarian churches are appealing to the country's constitutional court against government cuts in the education budget that they warn will lead to the closure of many church schools later this year. "This appeal was carefully thought through, and we hope it will have an impact," said Hungarian Reformed Church general secretary Zoltan Tarr about the action against 20 per cent reduction in the 2005 government subsidy to church schools. [323 words, ENI-05-0247]

Indian Christians excited about Mumbai cardinal's papal prospects

New Delhi (ENI). Indian Christians are excited that Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, is being projected by the country's media as a contender for the throne of St Peter to succeed Pope John Paul II in the election at the conclave of cardinals, set to begin on 18 April. "I think Cardinal Ivan is a strong candidate," said Geevarghese mar Coorilos, metropolitan of the Bombay diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and former president of the National Council of Churches in India, a grouping of 29 Orthodox and Protestant Churches. [520 words, ENI-05-0246]

S African archbishop to address WTO on trade for the people

Geneva (ENI). South African Anglican leader Archbishop, Njongonkulu Ndungane, of Cape Town is to speak at the World Trade Organization in its annual public symposium that will assess the global body after 10 years in operation. At the 20 April discussion, Ndungane will represent the Trade for People Campaign of the Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a group supported by among others the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and Franciscans International.[365 words, ENI-05-0249]

5 April 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). Churches need to find new ways of demonstrating unity in a world of change where the focus of Christianity is shifting to the Southern Hemisphere, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, has said in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The purpose of promoting closer Christian unity in the world "is not to serve its own interests and those of institutional structures of the churches, but to serve the causes of justice and peace in the world", Kobia said. [470 words, ENI-05-0240]

Kenyan cleric says Pope helped Church grow fastest in Africa

Nairobi (ENI). Roman Catholic Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a' Nzeki of Nairobi says Pope John Paul II helped to make Africa the fastest growing region for Catholicism, and some are now looking to the continent to provide the next pontiff. "The Church in Africa grew significantly," said the archbishop after the death of the Pope. From 1978, when John Paul became Pope, until 2002, the number of Catholics in Africa increased by 151 per cent to 137 million compared to a global growth of 41 per cent, to 1.07 billion. [501 words, ENI-05-0239]

Bulgaria rebuts revived allegations about Pope assassination attempt

Sofia (ENI). Bulgaria President Georgi Purvanov has said he will attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II on 8 April after joining in rebuttals of revived allegations that the Balkan country was involved in a 1981 attempt to assassinate the pontiff. The Sofia News Agency, which carried on its Web site a readers' questionnaire asking: "Does the Pope's death put an end to the so-called Bulgarian connection in the 1981 assassination attempt?" said Purvanov would attend John Paul's funeral at the Vatican. [391 words, ENI-05-0242]

US Catholic, Pentecostal, Mormon, Orthodox churches grow

New York (ENI). Those belonging to Protestant churches described in the United States as "mainline" are dwindling in numbers while the rolls of Pentecostal churches, and some with mostly African American adherents and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) are growing, new figures show. The 2005 "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches" also reports growth in a number of US Orthodox churches, including the Orthodox Church in America, which, with 1 million members, is now listed in the top 25 denominations in the United States. [405 words, ENI-05-0243]

Christian leaders sue Nigerian authorities over Ash Wednesday curfew

Abeokuta (ENI). Christian leaders in Abeokuta, in south-western Nigeria, have sued the government of the state of Ogun and the local town council, over a curfew imposed on Ash Wednesday which they say prevented adherents of their churches from attending services on that holy day. Officials of Abeokuta South local government council, with the backing of the government of Ogun state, had imposed an 18 hours curfew on the town forcing Christians to stay indoors on Ash Wednesday. [350 words, ENI-05-0241]

Swedish priest business consultant looks to corporate ethics

Stockholm (ENI). They are engaged in morality and ethics, human and business values, but the members of a management consultancy in Stockholm are not standard business analysts. Their hallmark is a holistic view of the human being, and most of the consultants are ordained ministers, employed in a private business, called The Priestoffice Ltd. The "t" of the word "priest" in the logo is depicted as a cross. [517 words, ENI-05-0238]

4 April 2005

Rome (ENI). Hundreds of thousands of Christians from every corner of the globe are pouring into Rome for the funeral of John Paul II on 8 April after Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced details of the ceremony. He made the announcement after the College of Cardinals, the gathering of the red-hatted leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, held its first meeting after the 2 April death of the pontiff. [482 words, ENI-05-0236]

Editor of Krakow paper where Pope wrote says Poles must move on

Krakow, Poland (ENI). Hundreds of thousands of Poles are continuing to attend memorial services and vigils for the Pope across the country, including in the southern town of Wadowice, near Krakow, where John Paul II was born in May 1920. Krzysztof Kozlowski, an editor of Krakow's Roman Catholic Tygodnik Powszechny weekly newspaper, told Ecumenical News International that people had reacted "highly emotionally" to the pontiff's death. He now hoped they would "adjust calmly" to the prospect of living without a Polish Pope. [638 words, ENI-05-0235]

Israeli Holocaust survivors recall childhood meetings with Pope

Jerusalem (ENI). Israelis are mourning Pope John Paul II and honouring him as a great Christian leader who fought anti-Semitism and built historic bridges of reconciliation with the Jewish people, whom he embraced as Christianity's "older brothers". The sadness at the Pope's death was shared throughout Israel - from political leaders to rabbis to ordinary Israelis, including some who had known the Pope during his early years in his native Poland. [535 words, ENI-05-0237]

Canadian Protestant churches to send a delegation to China

Vancouver (ENI). The Vatican's diplomatic ties with Taiwan make Roman Catholic-Beijing relations tricky, but three major Canadian Protestant churches are sending a delegation to China where they will be making contacts with churches that represent some 15 million Christians. "The purpose of the visit is to foster friendship and partnership and to become more aware of the different ministries of the churches in China, and to consider areas for possible future cooperation," said pastor Ron Wallace of the international ministries of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, one of the organizers of the 6-18 April visit. [374 words, ENI-05-0234]

Closer inter-faith ties announced in once atheist Albania

Warsaw (ENI). Religious leaders in Albania have pledged to cooperate in improving conditions in the country, which was declared the world's first fully atheist state and pronounced "cleansed of religion" in 1967 by its then communist rulers. "After rebuilding our religious communities, we have entered a new phase of challenges," the heads of the country's main faiths said in a declaration signed in the presence of Albania's Socialist prime minister, Fatos Nano. [371 words, ENI-05-0233]

3 April 2005

Leaders of Christian denominations praise Pope; rue missed chances

Geneva (ENI). Tributes to Pope John Paul II poured in from heads of many Christian denominations mourning his 2 April death, most of them united in praising the Pope's stand for justice and human dignity, but some wishing for more efforts at promoting unity between churches. [1036 words, ENI-05-0232]

John Paul II and the papacy of paradox

John Paul II's papacy was one of notable firsts. The first non-Italian to lead the Roman Catholic Church for 455 years. The first Slav to sit on the throne of Saint Peter. The first pontiff in modern times to emerge from the citadel of the Vatican to claim a place among the world's political leaders. Such a remarkable and very public break with tradition inevitably created an anticipation that John Paul II who was, when elected, the youngest holder of the office for more than 130 years, would be a champion of renewal. [2043 words, ENI-05-0227]

Next Pope - 'rumours are legion but none carries imprimatur'

With an electoral college of 117, it should be a relatively simple matter to work out which cardinal will gain the majority of the votes and succeed Pope John Paul II. In many other organisations, the runners declare themselves long ahead of time, the voters are thoroughly canvassed, and the incumbent strives to ensure the succession for his or her chosen candidate. Yet, as with most things to do with the papacy, the gathering of the conclave of cardinals that follows the death of a Pope and chooses his successor, is not as straightforward as it at first appears. [1315 words, ENI-05-0229]

Bulgarian Orthodox showed ambivalence to Pope in final days

Sofia (ENI). All over the world Christians and members of other faiths were praying and sending messages of support for ailing Pope John Paul II in his final days, but in mainly Orthodox Bulgaria there was ambivalence about the pontiff despite support for him from other Orthodox churches. [424 words, ENI-05-0230]

1 April 2005

New York (ENI). Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose family was at loggerheads with her husband over whether measures should be taken to keep her alive, has died. But her death, as the last months of her life, has become the focus of a bitter debate on the right to live and the right to a dignified death. "Terri Schiavo has been executed, under the guise of law and 'mercy',' for being guilty of nothing more than the inability to speak for herself," said James Dobson, chairman of the Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family. [483 words, ENI-05-0222 ]

African churches challenge their governments on refugees' problems

Nairobi (ENI). Churches from across Africa are calling on their governments to restrict practices that increase the number of refugees in the continent, saying the toll is swelling and that authorities are showing no visible interest in dealing with the problem. "We must as Africans and churches play the role of holding our governments accountable," Sydia Nduna, a Zambian consultant on uprooted people for the World Council of Churches said in Nairobi. "We should be pressurising our governments to put in place measures that encourage people to stay at home." [362 words, ENI-05-0225]

Archbishop warns about 'politics of fear' as UK prepares for poll

London (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has warned politicians against negative campaigning and against "a competition about who can most effectively frighten voters" as Britain prepares for a general election expected on 5 May. Williams, who is leader of the (Anglican) Church of England, said in an open letter to political leaders: "It already looks as though familiar anxieties over terrorism, asylum and immigration, and crime are going to feature prominently in the contest." [377 words, ENI-05-0223]

Serbian church leaders ask UN for support

New York (ENI). A delegation of Serbian Orthodox Church leaders has taken the case for a multi-ethnic Kosovo to the United Nations, saying international support and goodwill are needed to end violence in the disputed Serbian province. Kosovo, once ruled by predominately Orthodox Serbia, has a population that is largely Albanian Muslim and it has been under UN control since a 1999 NATO military intervention. [285 words, ENI-05-0224]

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