Rome (ENI). A three-week long meeting of Roman Catholic bishops that opens at the Vatican on 2 October will be Pope Benedict XVI's first major encounter with leaders of the church from around the world since he was elected pontiff in April. About 250 bishops are expected for the 11th general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which is expected to address difficult issues such as the decision-making structure in the church, and relations with Christians from other denominations. [511 words, ENI-05-0743]

Christians, Muslims, Jews, rights groups issue Darfur plea to Bush

Washington (ENI). A coalition of Protestant, Islamic, Jewish and secular groups is calling on the administration of President George W. Bush to act more decisively on Darfur, Sudan, including increased support for protection forces there. In a letter to Bush, six religious leaders - backed by an alliance of 134 religious and secular humanitarian and human rights groups calling itself the "Save Darfur" coalition - expressed "horror and dismay at the genocidal campaign under way" in the western Sudanese region. [362 words, ENI-05-0742]

Discovery of relics at holy site may fuel tensions in Jerusalem

Jerusalem (ENI). Archaeological finds have been unveiled in an underground tunnel near a disputed holy site in Jerusalem in a move that may rile Palestinians who rioted when another part of the archaeological site was opened almost a decade ago. The archaeological finds are located in an ancient tunnel adjacent to the Temple Mount. The complex is known as al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and is holy to Muslims and Jews. The Waqf, the Muslim trust that administers the shrine which contains the al-Aqsa mosque, has long complained about Israeli archaeological digs near the site, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. [401 words, ENI-05-0744]

Kenyan Anglican archbishop wants school chaplains reinstated

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi is urging the government to reinstate chaplain services in secondary schools to help curb the rising wave of indiscipline in educational institutions. "Chaplains can help students become mature and responsible citizens. They can assist in moulding their behaviour," Nzimbi said while addressing thousands of people at celebrations in Embu, eastern Kenya to mark the 25th anniversary of Christian church missionaries. [299 words, ENI-05-0745]

29 September 2005

New Delhi (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan is calling for the abolition of the country's blasphemy law, following recent attacks on Christians and Hindus who had been accused blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. "We hold the government responsible on account of their passivity in repealing the blasphemy law and allowing such incidents to take place at frequent intervals," the church's National Commission for Justice and Peace said in a statement. [330 words, ENI-05-0738]

Polish and German churches warn of simmering tension

Warsaw (ENI). Church leaders from Poland and Germany are calling for increased efforts to build trust between their countries and have condemned attempts to provoke "new confrontations" six decades after the end of the Second World War. Tensions have arisen in relations between Poland and Germany recently due to demands for compensation from a group representing Germans expelled from eastern Europe after the Second World War and calls for a special centre in Berlin to commemorate the deportees. [342 words, ENI-05-0739]

Multifaith Malawi group warns president of fomenting anarchy

Blantyre (ENI). A faith-based grouping in Malawi, the Public Affairs Committee, has warned that the continued wrangle between the country's president, Bingu wa Mutharika, and opposition groups is a recipe for anarchy and will retard development. PAC secretary the Rev. Maurice Munthali made the remarks after a clash between the president and his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi, about the arrest of a top political official. Ex-president Muluzi criticised the arrest but President Mutharika told him not to comment on the arrest noting that he also arrested people during his tenure as president. [320 words, ENI-05-0741]

Christians in Jerusalem to mark day of prayer for peace

Jerusalem (ENI). Christians around the world are being encouraged to participate in the third annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem organized by evangelical groups, which will take place on 2 October via teleconference. People will be able to dial a special number to join others around the world in prayers for peace in the Holy Land via a free conference call service. Prayer leaders in the United States, Israel, Europe and Africa will lead the services, organizers said. [337 words, ENI-05-0740]

28 September 2005

Dublin (ENI). Two prominent Northern Ireland clergymen chosen to monitor a key part of an internationally-backed peace process say that "beyond any shadow of doubt" the arms of the Irish Republican Army have now been put beyond use. The two clerics, Methodist minister the Rev. Harold Good and Roman Catholic priest the Rev. Alec Reid, witnessed the recent act of decommissioning by the IRA. But the Rev. Ian Paisley, founder of the Free Presbyterian Church and leader of the largest political party in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionists, which has the strongest backing of Protestants from the region, rejected the declaration. [476 words, ENI-05-0737]

Croatian Catholics deny harbouring war crimes' general

Warsaw (ENI). Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Croatia have denied accusations by a United Nations war crimes prosecutor that a fugitive general, Ante Gotovina, is sheltering in one of the country's monasteries. "The leadership of the Catholic Church in Croatia has no knowledge whatsoever or any indication where the fugitive General Gotovina could be," the Croatian Bishops' Conference said in a statement. [389 words, ENI-05-0735]

Agency hails Canada's aid policy change as good for South's farmers

Vancouver (ENI). If there is a food crisis anywhere in the world, how is grain sped to any one of 150 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe? In Canada look to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB), a Christian-based food aid and development organization which is delighted with a Canadian government policy change that will enable more effective distribution of overseas assistance. [673 words, ENI-05-0736]

27 September 2005

Sofia (ENI). Turkish President Ahmet Sezer's official invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Turkey during 2006 is being seen as an attempt to iron out discord in the government that arose over an earlier invitation to the pontiff that had come from Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I. Bartholomeos, viewed by many as the spiritual leader of the world's more than 200 million Orthodox Christians, had sent the Pope an invitation to visit in November, but the Turkish government was unhappy with this, local media reported. [356 words, ENI-05-0731]

US Christian, Jewish groups pledge to work for Middle East peace

Jerusalem (ENI). A group of Christian and Jewish leaders from the United States has pledged to work together towards Middle East peace despite disagreements over issues such as Israel's West Bank barrier and divestment. The 16 Jewish and Christian leaders made the visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories to calm tension created by disagreements over recent decisions by a number of mainstream Protestant groups in the United States. [278 words, ENI-05-0733]

Salvation Army pledges to counter AIDS in Africa

Harare (ENI). When thousands of Salvationists from 17 African countries converged for the Salvation Army's first All Africa Congress in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, one of the key issues they pledged to counter was the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS. The congress, held under the theme, "Africa for Christ", drew participants from South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania and other countries. [452 words, 05-0734]

Rebel theologian Küng hopes for new openness after meeting Pope

Rome (ENI). Dissident Roman Catholic theologian Hans Küng says he is hoping for new openness from the Vatican after his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the pontiff's summer residence near Rome. "I hope that my meeting with the Pope is a sign that the great problems facing the Church and its faithful will be re-discussed in an open fashion," Küng said after the announcement that the two had met, the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica reported. [444 words, ENI-05-0732]

26 September 2005

London (ENI). Cardinal Gabriel Wako, the Roman Catholic archbishop in the Sudanese capital Khartoum is urging the British government to support the peace process in his country following the formation of a government of national unity. "We are always on the verge of war and walking on the border of violence," Wako said in London in advance of talks with British government officials. An estimated two million people died during a decades-long civil war in Sudan before a peace deal was clinched in Nairobi in January, paving the way for the formation of the government of national unity announced this month by President Omar el-Bashir. [309 words, ENI-05-0727]

Protestants and Catholics in Germany mark 450 years of peace accord

Bielefeld (ENI). Germany's Protestant and Roman Catholic churches have jointly marked the 450th anniversary of the Peace of Augsburg, which for the first time gave official recognition to Lutheranism alongside Roman Catholicism. "The Peace of Augsburg proclaimed on 25 September 1555 made possible peace between Christian confessions," said Germany's top Protestant bishop, Wolfgang Huber, at an ecumenical service in the southern German city which gave its name to the peace settlement. [324 words, ENI-05-0728]

Filipino bishops question street protests aiming to dislodge president

Manila (ENI). "People power" street rallies were once encouraged by the late Manila Cardinal Jaime Sin to help oust two Philippine presidents, but are now seen as holding little appeal for the top leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in this Southeast Asian nation. People have the right to assemble and express dissent peacefully and within the bounds of law," said Archbishop Fernando Capalla, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. "But this right is not absolute and is limited by the rights of others." Capalla's comments came as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the national police to enforce a "no permit, no rally" policy against mass protest actions without government permits. [344 words, ENI-05-0730]

5 million Nigerians displaced through conflict and disaster says VP

Abuja (ENI). Five million Nigerians have been displaced as a result of religious and ethnic conflicts as well as natural disasters between 1990 and 2003, says Nigeria's Vice-President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. "Nigeria has been severely affected by the problems of forced displacement," Atiku said in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, while speaking on Nigeria's role in humanitarian operations in conflict regions in Africa. [248 words, ENI-05-0726]

Zambian president jittery about trust that promotes tribal group

Lusaka (ENI). Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has been engaged in a war of words with the Kola Foundation Trust which supports the Lunda tribe in his country's Northwest, saying it is divisive in a nation that has more than 70 indigenous languages. Zambia's Post newspaper said, however, that the president should not only be fighting the Kola trust but all organizations fomenting divisions in the nation, while a church leader said the president was picking on one tribal interest group, perhaps with political motives. [350 words, ENI-05-0729]

23 September 2005

Warsaw (ENI). A top Islamic leader in the Balkans has urged European Christians not to blame all Muslims for acts of terrorism but to accept them as patriotic Europeans. "Don't blame every Muslim for the next ten centuries for what happened in New York, Madrid and London, just as you blamed the Jews for ten centuries for the crucifixion of Christ," said Mustafa Ceric, chief mufti, or Rais-ul-ulema, of Bosnia-Herzegovina. [288 words, ENI-05-0724]

Kennedy, slain nun's family seek meeting with Brazil president

New York (ENI). The family of a US nun slain in Brazil after a life of fighting for peasant land reform in the Amazon rain forests is pressuring Brazil's government to prosecute those who they say ordered her killing and not only the gunmen who shot her. The family of Sister Dorothy Stang - an American member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and a long-time resident of Brazil - have received the support of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Robert F. Kennedy, the assassinated US senator and presidential candidate. [374 words, ENI-05-0725]

Cremation of Kenyan Anglican archbishop stirs local burial debate

Nairobi (ENI). One of Kenya's best known church leaders, retired Anglican Archbishop Manasses Kuria, has been laid to rest in the manner he favoured - not in an expensive coffin but with his ashes in a casket - to the chagrin of some. Kuria, the second African-born leader of the Anglican Church of Kenya, died on 19 September aged 76. But in death he still managed to ruffle the feathers of some fellow Christians when, according to his wishes, he was cremated the following day. [322 words, ENI-05-0723]

Writing on religion in secular world is 'high art' says Saxony bishop

Geneva (ENI). "It is a high art to write about religion in a secular world", said Bishop Jochen Bohl of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony on the awarding of the John Templeton prize for the European Religion Writer of the Year to Dresden journalist Tomas Gärtner. The prize was presented in the eastern German city of Dresden to Gaertner, particularly for three articles published by the daily newspaper Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten (DNN). The jury said Gärtner's articles, "although local in focus, address broad issues of the place of religion in a highly secularised part of Europe, Eastern Germany". [380 words, ENI-05-0722]

22 September 2005

Warsaw (ENI). A Russian Orthodox bishop has appealed for a European Roman Catholic-Orthodox alliance to combat what he described as secularism, liberalism and relativism. "Europe has so rapidly de-Christianised that urgent action is needed to save it from losing its centuries-old Christian identity," said Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Vienna and Austria, the Russian church's representative to the European Union. [309 words, ENI-05-0718]

Armenians mull sainthood for victims of Ottoman-era massacres

Sofia (ENI). A committee of the Armenian Apostolic Church is studying the question of sainthood for victims of what Armenia says was a genocide carried out between 1915 and 1917 by the Ottoman Empire, which became Turkey after the First World War. Armenia says about one and a half million people died as a result of a systematic genocide as the Ottoman Empire undertook forced removals of Armenians. Turkey, however, rejects the term "Armenian genocide" and says mass removals were intended to clear people from a war zone. [386 words, ENI-05-0721]

Pakistan cricketer's conversion to Islam saddens Christians

New Delhi (ENI). The embracing of Islam by Yousuf Youhanna, the Pakistani cricket player and one of only a handful of non-Muslims to play in the national team, has taken aback his family and many members of the country's tiny minority Christian community. "This has really shocked the Christian community," said Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Pakistan. "We are thoroughly disappointed with his action," Azariah told Ecumenical News International after Roman Catholic Youhanna announced his new name was Mohammad Yousuf and he made public his conversion and that of his wife. [462 words, ENI-05-0719]

South Africa's Dutch Reformed Church split over gay priest

Cape Town (ENI). The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa - once considered apartheid's National Party at prayer - has been gripped by a bitter battle over whether it can accommodate an openly gay pastor who had a long-term relationship with a man. The pastor, Laurie Gaum, who comes from a prominent family involved in church and politics, has been dismissed as the presiding minister of St Stephen's church - once a church for freed slaves - in the centre of South Africa's parliamentary capital, Cape Town. [371 words, ENI-05-0720]

New play about St Paul raises storm in London

London (ENI). The director of Britain's Royal National Theatre has received more than 200 letters protesting against a new play about St Paul to open in October which is said to present a secular version of the saint's life and Christ's resurrection. "Quite a lot of them tell me I'll go to Hell unless I take the play off. But I don't believe in Hell," said director Nicholas Hytner in an interview about the play, "Paul", with London's Daily Telegraph newspaper. "Anyone of broad faith will be interested in the play, but it won't be a comfortable or satisfactory play to a particular type of devout Christian." [261 words, ENI-05-0717]

21 September 2005

Geneva (ENI). An Anglican bishop from Sudan has appealed for continuing support from the world's churches, as the country's president announced the formation of a power-sharing government as part of a deal to end a decades-long civil war. "Pray that we get in with the government, talk with the government, so they don't take things for granted," said Bishop Francis Loyo at the headquarters of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. [278 words, ENI-05-0715]

End poverty, says World Council of Churches on day of peace, prayer

Geneva (ENI). The World Council of Churches (WCC) has urged nations to strive for a world without poverty as it called for an International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September, the same day as the United Nations International Day of Peace. "Together, as people of faith, we have faith in a better world," said WCC general secretary the Rev. Samuel Kobia at a ceremony at the organization's Geneva headquarters. [335 words, ENI-05-0714]

Kenyan churches urge delay in battle of oranges and bananas

Nairobi (ENI). Some church, civic and political leaders in Kenya are calling for rescheduling of a 21 November constitutional referendum, after violence hit several campaign rallies and civic education meetings across the country. The leaders are fearful the violence could escalate, tearing the country apart and making it impossible to hold the plebiscite, in which about 12 million people will participate. [358 words, ENI-05-0712]

Chinese hear from US physicist: Science and religion can cohabit

Hong Kong (ENI). When religious leaders cast doubts on the theory of evolution, science and religion can appear on a collision course, but a US Nobel laureate and physicist has lectured to Chinese that the two can work side by side for all of humanity. "Science deals with how the universe works, and religion searches for its meaning and purpose," Charles H. Townes, a physicist whose work led to the development of the laser, told the media at the time of giving a public seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. [473 words, ENI-05-0716]

'Big Brother' launches new season in Bulgaria, without priest

Sofia (ENI). An Orthodox priest has lost a chance to appear on the reality television show "Big Brother" in Bulgaria after the church failed to respond to his request for permission to take part, disappointing the organizers of the no-holds-barred series. The 50-year-old priest, Archimandrite Pamfilii Rilski, had been chosen as a contestant from among thousands of applicants for the show in which 15 candidates vie for a cash prize equivalent of about 100 000 euro (US$122 000), with the winner decided by viewers voting out the other 14. [402 words, ENI-05-0713]

20 September 2005

Port Harcourt (ENI). The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) says that the Rev. Emmanuel Akpan was shot dead at a checkpoint manned by both police and army members for refusing to pay them a bribe. "Rev. Akpan was returning from Aba town when he was killed by police and military personnel at the checking point, over his refusal to give them bribe," said the Rev. Bayo Odukoya in issuing a statement on behalf of the Niger Delta diocese of the Anglican Church. [368 words, ENI-05-0711]

Filipino bishops renew call for more openness in polarising nation

Manila (ENI). Filipino bishops, fearing signs of a nation polarising under political strife, have renewed calls for peace and unity saying the current wrangling is adversely affecting governance and delivery of basic services. "There will be no peace if people are divided," Roman Catholic Archbishop Ricardo Vidal said in a speech at a national inter-faith summit of religious leaders gathered in Lapu-Lapu City, central Philippines. [336 words, ENI-05-0709]

Anglican bishops want apology for Iraq war

London (ENI). Four senior Anglican bishops have suggested that the Church of England arrange a meeting of Muslim and Christian leaders to initiate an apology by Western countries involved in the war in Iraq. The initiative is contained in a 100-page document prepared by a working group under the leadership of the bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries. [338 words, ENI-05-0707]

Top Indian Christian college rows over who to admit

New Delhi (ENI). A clash between the principal and the chairman of a prestigious church-run college in the Indian capital has highlighted criticism that some Christian educational institutions fail their own community by giving preference to non-Christian high achievers. "In the name of merit, some of our institutions do not give enough admission to our members especially from the weaker sections," said Mani Jacob, general secretary of the All India Association for Christian Higher Education, an ecumenical forum of 310 government-affiliated Christian colleges. [360 words, ENI-05-0710]

Teaching on sexual issues in Canada's schools alarms some parents

Vancouver (ENI). North American schools have begun a new school year, but some Canadian parents, especially those from evangelical Christian denominations, are concerned about curricula after the recent legalising of same-sex marriage. Members of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada see a trend in schools to confront children with sexual issues that challenge their faith, Janet Epp Buckingham, who deals with legal issues for the grouping told Ecumenical News International. [373 words, ENI-05-0708]

19 September 2005

Lagos (ENI). Roman Catholic leaders have joined Nobel Literature Laureate Wole Soyinka in condemning the Nigerian government over its decision to increase the cost of petroleum products in the oil-producing country. Nigerian Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie and Bishop Anthony Gbuji of Enugu said that the increase in prices will only aggravate pathetic living conditions of Nigerians. [379 words, ENI-05-0704]

Missionary group distressed at arrest of Belgian priest in Rwanda

Nairobi (ENI). The Missionaries of Africa, or the White Fathers as they are known, have expressed distress at charges brought against the Rev. Guy Theunis, a Belgian Roman Catholic priest, whom Rwandan authorities have arrested, accusing him of inciting genocide when he served in the country in 1994. "We are distressed by the seriousness of the accusation against him, when all the evidence we have points towards someone who spoke out and denounced the wide-spread human rights abuses which led to genocide," said the Rev. Gerard Chabanon, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa. [358 words, ENI-05-0705]

Serb government concedes minority churches face attacks

Warsaw (ENI). A Serbian government minister has admitted that minority churches can face violence in his country, but he has rejected accusations that government leaders ignore the problem. "We have requested detailed information regarding all incidents against religious freedom, especially against religious minorities," said the religious affairs minister, Milan Radulovic. "In the first six months of 2005, a total of 20 incidents were registered against objects of all religious subjects in Serbia, of which 11 represent damage and nine graffiti," Radulovic noted. "A comparative review of 2004 shows a significant decrease of all kinds of incidents in which religious freedom has been harmed and attacks on religious sites or religious clerics carried out." [353 words, ENI-05-0706]

Clerics attack Church of England's policy on same-sex partnerships

London (ENI). A statement by the bishops of the (Anglican) Church of England that priests can register same-sex civil partnerships if they promise to remain celibate is coming under fire from both those who approve and those who disapprove of such unions. A senior English bishop, Peter Selby of Worcester, had criticised his colleagues for "a grudging and fearful response" to the partnerships, which will provide for equal rights and responsibilities in such areas as maintenance, inheritance and pensions. [339 words, ENI-05-0703]

16 September 2005

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel's chief rabbis have urged Pope Benedict XVI to speak out against terrorism and anti-Semitism during a meeting to mark the anniversary of a historic Vatican document that revolutionised Roman Catholic-Jewish relations. The meeting, held at the Pope's summer residence at Castelgandolfo, near Rome, was part of commemorations to mark the 40th anniversary of the landmark Vatican document "Nostra Aetate" (In Our Times) which transformed Catholic-Jewish relations by rejecting collective Jewish guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus. [354 words, ENI-0699]

Sudanese Church leaders warn of refugee crisis in south

Nairobi (ENI). Sudanese churches are warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe after a government crackdown from the north of the country prompted a stream of refugees to flee to the south. "Their safety is being threatened and their property taken away," said Henry Danima, a board member of the humanitarian wing of the Khartoum-based Sudan Council of Churches, speaking in Nairobi. Danima said the crackdown took place after the death of vice-president John Garang in August sparked rioting in Khartoum and in Juba, the designated capital for South Sudan, an area inhabited mainly by black Africans. [353 words, ENI-05-0698]

S. African relief aid for Zimbabwe home clearance victims arrives

Harare (ENI). About 37 tonnes of food aid from the South African Council of Churches (SACC) for victims of Zimbabwe's internationally-condemned home clearance programme have finally arrived in Harare after government officials held up the delivery for seven weeks. The food aid comprising maize, beans and cooking oil had been held up in Johannesburg due to delays imposed by Zimbabwean officials on the grounds that they wanted to ensure the maize was not genetically-modified. [296 words, ENI-05-0700]

Despite UN setback church leaders to continue fight on poverty

New York (ENI). Despite signs that ambitious goals to eradicate poverty had been sidelined by leaders attending a three-day summit at the United Nations, religious figures and others involved in the fight against poverty say they will press on with their cause. As the 14 to 16 September UN summit was drawing to a close, it was clear that progress on the so-called Millennium Development Goals - which seek to cut the rate of extreme poverty by the year 2015 - had not taken centre stage and instead matters like terrorism were at the fore. [292 words, ENI-05-0701]

Ireland promises 0.7 per cent development aid by 2012

Dublin (ENI). Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern has told the United Nations his country has 2012 as the date to achieve the UN target of giving of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Product (GNP) in aid to poor nations - earlier than many other countries but later than churches had been demanding. The UN Millennium Project - a group commissioned by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to draw up an action plan on poverty - says if rich countries met the target, there would be enough resources to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals to cut the rate of extreme poverty in the world by the year 2015. [307 words, ENI-05-0702]

15 September 2005

Warsaw (ENI). Ukrainian church leaders have warned of growing discontent after the country's government was dismissed by President Viktor Yushchenko amid corruption allegations. "The new president's election was a turning point during which we as a nation became truly sovereign over our destiny. But what we can see now is not the complete fulfilment of our expectations," the Greek Catholic church's governing synod said in a statement. [278 words, ENI-05-0696]

Divestment calls spur US Jewish, Christian leaders' Holy Land trip

Jerusalem (ENI). Jewish and Christian leaders from the United States are to travel to the Holy Land in a joint mission to find common ground on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict despite disagreements over divestment and Israel's West Bank barrier. Seventeen leaders from eight Christian denominations and organizations as well as various Jewish institutions will participate in the five-day visit to the Holy Land during which they will meet Israeli and Palestinian officials, religious leaders and intellectuals. [389 words, ENI-05-0694]

Malawi leader unsettles country's Muslims with remarks

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has unsettled the country's Muslim community with his remarks at a political rally in which he said some politicians wanted to hire followers of Islam to burn mosques and put the blame on Christians. Mutharika had in mid-August said there were some "failed politicians in Malawi" who would like to use religion to cause anarchy in the country that he said had peace and co-existence among religions since attaining independence in 1964. [408 words, ENI-05-0697]

Canadian churches launch campaign against small arms

Vancouver, Canada (ENI). The peace agency of the Canadian Council of Churches, Project Ploughshares, has launched a campaign against small arms and light weapons which it says are responsible for half a million deaths each year. The Toronto-based agency says that worldwide there are more than 600 million small arms and light weapons in circulation. Small arms are responsible for more than half a million deaths a year, including 300 000 in armed conflict and 200 000 more from homicides and suicides. [270 words, ENI-05-0695]

14 September 2005

Dublin (ENI). Protestant and Roman Catholic church leaders have condemned rioting by militants opposed to Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom and being incorporated into the Republic of Ireland. Calling on "anyone with influence" to "use it to diffuse tension", Harry Uprichard, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said he was "appalled by the widespread rioting [...] and shocked by its violence and ferocity". [446 words, ENI-05-0693]

Hurricane may change US politics, says national church grouping head

Geneva (ENI). The fallout from Hurricane Katrina may change the political and religious landscape of the United States, the general secretary of the US National Council of Churches, the Rev. Bob Edgar, has told a meeting of European and US church representatives in Geneva. "Hurricane Katrina exposed racism and poverty in the United States," and the leadership of President George W. Bush is now "in question" as a result of the hurricane that battered the southern coast of the United States at the end of August, Edgar said. [365 words, ENI-05-0690]

Lutherans urge Israel: End occupation of Palestinian Territories

Bethlehem (ENI). Lutheran leaders who met in Bethlehem have reiterated a call for Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories held since 1967 and affirmed their commitment to implementation of the international "roadmap" for peace in the Holy Land. They said the roadmap was crucial to establishing a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, with a shared city of Jerusalem. They also called for measures to help counter the decline in the numbers of Christians in the Holy Land and for Lutheran World Federation member churches to encourage pilgrimages of peace to the churches in the region. [493 words, ENI-05-0689]

Just how many Christians and communists are there in China?

Hong Kong (ENI). Some Church scholars in Hong Kong doubt recent claims that Chinese Christians outnumber members of the Communist Party, but assert that China is deeply concerned about ever-increasing religious influences. The American Bible Society at the end of August launched a special fundraising project to help provide paper to produce Bibles for distribution throughout China during 2005 through Amity Press, the officially recognised Christian printing press of the registered church. The Society said that "only the lack of Bible paper holds us back". [737 words, ENI-05-0691]

Zambian churches disagree in 'Christian nation' debate

Ndola, Zambia (ENI). Churches in Zambia are at odds with each other over a proposal to drop a reference to the central African country being a Christian nation from the constitution. Zambia was declared a Christian nation by former president Frederick Chiluba in 1991, but the Constitution Review Commission has recommended removing the enshrining of the Christian faith from the new constitution currently being shaped. [356 words, ENI-05-0688]

Young Quakers return to faith's birthplace in northern England

London (ENI). More than 300 young Quakers from around the world recently returned to the birthplace of their faith 350 years ago in north-west England for a one-week meeting at Lancaster University. Delegates to the World Gathering of Young Friends, aged between 18 and 35, met from to hear testimony, exchange views, seek guidance and learn about Quaker activities in the 30 countries represented. [252 words, ENI-05-0692]

13 September 2005

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip after the government decided not to go ahead with a decision destroy 19 synagogues in the coastal strip that Israel occupied for 38 years. Sensitivities rose to the fore in Israel at the last moment after cabinet ministers announced they would not be party to the destruction of synagogues in the territory. The government had planned to destroy the synagogues to prevent them from possibly being desecrated by Palestinians after Israel completed the withdrawal. But cabinet ministers changed their minds following stern opposition from leading rabbis. [431 words, ENI-05-0684]

On eve of UN meeting, Christian leaders up pressure on poverty

New York (ENI). An international coalition of Christian leaders is pressuring the heads of nations to live up to their stated commitment to assist the world's poor, in advance of a United Nations summit that will discuss tackling global poverty. "The increasing concentration of wealth in our world, while so many suffer, is a scandal that impoverishes us all," the religious leaders from Anglican, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions said in a statement sent to the 14 to16 September UN meeting. [367 words, ENI-05-0685]

Anglican leader urges Islam: Be 'critical friend' of Western society

London (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has urged Islam to join other faiths in dialogue and partnership with Western "secular" nations. "I hope for a political climate in Europe that is open to cooperation between state and religious enterprise," Williams told an inter-faith gathering in Lyon, France, according to a text of his remarks released in London. "If this does not happen, the state becomes unselfcritical in its godlessness and religious communities become isolated and defensive; they too lose the capacity for critical awareness." [262 words, ENI-05-0687]

Priest in jeans advert causes holy rumpus in Poland

Warsaw (ENI). Some members of Poland's Roman Catholic church have criticised a leading clothes company, after it launched a nationwide jeans advert featuring a priest clad in denims and wearing a clerical collar. "This firm has deliberately used a priest, knowing men of the cloth avoid publicly expressing their fashion preferences - it's dragged the clergy into a game of market forces," Janusz Krolikowski, a professor from Holy Cross University in Rome, told Poland's Catholic information agency KAI. "It's a misunderstanding, an absurdity and an abuse. The firm is using something which doesn't belong to it, for purposes which are wholly inappropriate." [336 words, ENI-05-0686]

12 September 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). China's government-recognised Catholic Church has accused the Vatican of erecting "new barriers" after Pope Benedict XVI invited four bishops from mainland China, including one from the unrecognised church, to attend a Vatican synod in October. "The act goes against the original good intention of the Pope and shows no respect for China's 5 million Catholics," an unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and its Chinese Catholic Bishops College said, the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, reported. [300 words, ENI-05-0681]

Asbestos hazard concerns churches in Japan

Tokyo (ENI). The announcement that the chapel and music hall in a college founded on Christian principles in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto contain asbestos has fuelled concern about the health effects of the use of the cancer-causing substance in old buildings including churches. Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, founded on Christian principles in 1876, said it had banned people from entering the Fowler Chapel and some other rooms, including the Glory Hall, until their safety is secured. [475 words, ENI-05-0682]

Montenegro helicopter delivery of Serbian church whips up storm

Sofia (ENI). The delivery by army helicopter of an iron church to a mountainside in Montenegro has triggered accusations that the Serbian Orthodox Church is deepening tensions ahead of a referendum next year about whether the tiny mountain state should break up the union of Serbia and Montenegro, the remains of the former Yugoslavia. The 4 by 3 metre church was placed in July on Mount Rumija, a site holy to Montenegro's Orthodox community, by a Serbian army helicopter in defiance of the wishes of the Montenegrin authorities. [427 words, ENI-05-0680]

Road safety agency takes campaign to Nigerian churches, mosques

Lagos (ENI). Alarmed at the carnage on the country's roads, Nigeria's road safety agency is now calling on Christian and Muslim leaders to assist it in preaching the need for safe driving. Ayodele Ajadi, a high ranking official with the Federal Road Safety Commission had in August appealed to Nigeria's Christian leaders to support a safety campaign on national roads where 30 000 people are now killed each year. [348 words, ENI-05-0679]

Fatwa on Indian tennis star's dress deplored by Christians, Muslims

New Delhi (ENI). Christian women activists have joined some Muslim leaders in lambasting a religious edict by a Muslim cleric demanding that Sania Mirza - India's teenage tennis sensation - who reached the fourth round of the US Open last week wear "Islamic dress". The 18-year old Muslim player made international headlines when she became the first Indian woman to reach the US Open's fourth round before going down to top-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia. [403 words, ENI-05-0683]

9 September 2005

Jerusalem (ENI). The Christian minority in the Holy Land has come under attack from both Muslims and Jews recently in incidents that highlight the perilous situation in which the community often finds itself in the land of Jesus' birth. In one, a mob of Muslim youths rampaged in the mostly Christian town of Taybe, northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, setting fire to 14 village houses in revenge for an alleged affair between a Christian businessman and a Muslim woman from their adjacent village. In the latest incident of Jewish-Christian violence, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth spat at a procession of Greek-Orthodox priests in Jerusalem's Old City. [387 words, ENI-05-0676]

Indian churches want equal rights for low-caste Christian dalits

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders in India are stepping up their efforts for Christian dalits to have the same rights as those of other members of the low-caste group. The issue was raised during a meeting of India's National Integration Council attended by political leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Sonia Gandhi, head of the Indian National Congress, the main governing party. [369 words, ENI-05-0675]

World Council of Churches' head urges UN reform

Geneva (ENI). World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Samuel Kobia says the United Nations needs to be reformed so that it can deal better with major world challenges ranging from AIDS to under-development. Kobia, in advance of the largest gathering of international leaders to take place at UN Headquarters in New York from 14 to 16 September, said an "inclusive approach involving the global South and the global North" was needed to promote a reformed United Nations. [420 words, ENI-05-0678]

U.S. Fair Trade conference to promote 'idea whose time has come'

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). A leading US Lutheran relief body is co-hosting an international conference at the end of September to promote economic justice by bringing together advocates of Fair Trade. "It's an idea whose time has come," said Erin Hayward, programme assistant in international programmes for Lutheran World Relief. "The Fair Trade movement has grown throughout the United States in the last few years." [307 words, ENI-05-0672]

Zambia hosts Global Christian Forum meeting for Africa

Lusaka (ENI). Seventy leaders from denominations all over Africa including Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and locally formed churches, met recently in Lusaka for the first meeting of its kind. "The unprecedented gathering, which was the initiative of the Global Christian Forum was convened under the theme: 'Jesus Christ in Africa: Our journey with Him'," the forum said after the gathering in the Zambian capital. "Prominent leaders in attendance included, bishops and archbishop, moderators, general secretaries and others." [283 words, ENI-0677]

Church of Sweden launches million euro advertising campaign

Stockholm (ENI). The Church of Sweden has launched a 1.1 million euro (US$1.37 million) publicity campaign, taking out full-page advertisements in 67 Swedish newspapers as the church prepares for national, regional and local church elections this month. "The purpose is to present the church to the public in advance of the church's general elections," said Anneli Dufva, press secretary at the archbishop's office. [240 words, ENI-05-0673]

Montreal World Film Festival soldiers; on Ecumenical Jury stays

Montreal (ENI). The Montreal World Film Festival, renowned for an international line-up that often excludes Hollywood celebrities, ended on 5 September under a cloud of uncertainty about its future, although its founder said it will go on next year. Among the judges at this year's festival in Canada's largest francophone city were the six-member Ecumenical Jury. The film festival is the only one in North America that has an Ecumenical Jury judging films. [442 words, ENI-05-0674]

7 September 2005

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel's highest court ordered the Israeli government to ask the Palestinian Authority to act as a custodian for synagogues left behind in the Gaza Strip after Israel completes its withdrawal later this month. The government had intended to destroy the synagogues by blowing them up to prevent the possibility they may be desecrated by Palestinians after the withdrawal. The fate of the synagogues in Gaza was raised at meetings the leadership of the Lutheran World Federation held with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during the past few days. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the Lutheran officials at that it would be better for Israel to relocate the synagogues after the withdrawal. [374 words, ENI-05-0669]

Kenyan Catholics seek early beatification of African cardinal

Nairobi (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Kenya is hoping the Vatican will start the process of beatifying Cardinal Maurice Otunga, who died in 2003, without waiting for the normal five-year period to elapse after a candidate's death. Beatification, which confers the title of "blessed", allows a person to be publicly venerated in the Catholic Church and often, but not always, leads to sainthood. [383 words, ENI-05-0670]

Catholic Church in India launches campaign to combat AIDS stigma

New Delhi (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in India has unveiled a new HIV/AIDS policy whose aims include combating prejudice and promoting access to health treatment for people affected by the disease. "HIV/AIDS is not just a medical concern, but is a developmental issue," declared Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), at the release of the church's AIDS policy in New Delhi. The policy states, "We do not approve of any sort of discrimination or hostility directed against people living with HIV/AIDS. This is unjust and immoral." [401 words, ENI-05-0671]

6 September 2005

Jerusalem (ENI). Leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have met the Israeli and Palestinian presidents as well as senior Christian and Jewish leaders during a six-day meeting of the main governing body of the grouping that serves 66 million Lutherans. LWF President Mark Hanson, who also heads the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, told journalists his delegation had told both leaders: "The Lutheran World Federation has called for a lasting two state solution based on peace with justice for the Palestinian people and security for the Israeli people." [632 words, ENI-05-0667]

Archbishop of Canterbury delivers warning about assisted suicide

London (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has warned that a more permissive approach to euthanasia and assisted suicide in Britain could foster an attitude whereby resources spent on the elderly would come to be regarded as a luxury. "I am certainly not ascribing to the defenders of euthanasia or assisted dying any motive but the desire to spare people unnecessary suffering," Williams said in a speech in London to the Friends of the Elderly charity. "But I think we have to ask the awkward question about how this might develop in a climate of anxiety about scarce resources." [197 words, ENI-05-0666]

Stuttgart to host 2010 Lutheran World Federation assembly

Bethlehem (ENI). The 2010 assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), representing some 66 million Lutherans, is to be held in Stuttgart, Germany, leaders of the grouping announced on 5 September. The assembly, which is the church grouping's highest governing body, will be held for the first time since 1952 in Germany, the birthplace of Martin Luther. [396 words, ENI-05-0663]

Lutheran World Federation gives 3 more churches full membership

Bethlehem (ENI). The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) says it has extended full membership to three churches - in India, Norway and Peru - bringing to 140, the number of churches in the communion worldwide. [114 words, ENI-05-0664]

Canadian-Japanese movie wins ecumenical award at Montreal festival

Montreal (ENI). The film "Kamataki" has been awarded the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Montreal World Film Festival. Canadian director Claude Gagnon received a plaque and certificate for his film about a young Japanese-Canadian sent to learn traditional pottery making from his uncle in Japan while recovering from attempted suicide. The Ecumenical Jury praised the film as an exceptional artistic achievement and a masterfully-told story of the potential for creativity and healing when two cultures meld. [366 words, ENI-05-0668]

Filipino Bishop calls for probe of pastor's killing

Manila (ENI). A Protestant bishop in the Philippines is urging President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's government to investigate the 20 August shooting of a pastor who campaigned against the entry of mining corporations on the Philippines island of Palawan. Bishop Elizier Pascua of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines said that the pastor, Raul Domingo, had died in hospital on 4 September. "We condemn the shooting of Pastor Raul Domingo as part of a pattern of persecuting our church workers," Pascua told Ecumenical News International. It had previously been reported that Raul Domingo died on 20 August. [386 words, ENI-05-0665]

5 September 2005

New York (ENI). A week after Hurricane Katrina battered the city of New Orleans and large sections of the US Gulf Coast, church-based relief groups are stepping up their efforts to assist those who survived what is being called possibly the worst natural disaster to hit the United States. "This is truly America's tsunami," said Thomas Hoyt Jr, the bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Louisiana and Mississippi, and president of the US National Council of Churches. [485 words, ENI-05-0661]

Lutheran leader in Holy Land lends support to Katrina relief

Bethlehem (ENI). The president of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Mark Hanson, has encouraged Lutherans to be as generous in their response to Hurricane Katrina as they were to the tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia at the turn of the year. Hanson's support was part of an outpouring from churches and religious groups throughout the world for one of the worst known disasters to hit the United States. Hanson, who is also the leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, sent a message from Bethlehem where he was meeting with leaders of the 66 million strong Lutheran World Federation from 31 August to 6 September. [361 words, ENI-05-0660]

Lutheran leaders want governments to spend more on AIDS fight

Bethlehem (ENI). Leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have urged member churches to request their governments to increase resources for the fight against HIV/AIDS, as governments gear up to discuss funding to combat the disease. The council of the LWF, its main governing body meeting in Bethlehem, on 5 September adopted its HIV/AIDS campaign report as discussions were to begin in London on funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. [470 words, ENI-05-0662]

2 September 2005

Bethlehem (ENI). The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) closed 2004 with a balanced budget for the operating of its Geneva-based headquarters the treasurer of the grouping representing 66 million Lutherans told its main governing body on 1 September. Peter Stoll explained that the main reason for last year's positive developments were the high exchange rate gains obtained via the higher market value of the euro against the US dollar. Stoll told the Lutheran Council at its annual meeting being held in Bethlehem/Jerusalem, 31 August to 6 September, that the financial situation was "tight" only 12 months ago, and "this is why we decided to seek ways to improve our financial sustainability." [327 words, ENI-05-0657]

Danes debate the separation of church and state

Stockholm, (ENI). The (Lutheran) Church of Denmark says it could redefine its ties in the not too distant future, loosening its centuries' old ties with the national government. The publication Church News from Denmark, issued by the Council of International Relations of the Lutheran Church of Denmark said several arguments for loosening the bond between church and state are currently being debated. [422 words, ENI-05-0658]

Kenya bishop dropped from Lutheran body over ordination of Swede

Bethlehem (ENI). The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has voted to end the services of Kenyan Bishop Walter E. Obare Omwanza as an adviser to its main governing body for consecrating as a bishop a Swedish pastor opposed to the ordination of women priests and to the church's stand on gay clergy. The consecration of the Rev. Arne Olsson in the breakaway Mission Province in Sweden on 5 February took place without the agreement of the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden so Obare was found to have acted outside of his jurisdiction. [493 words, ENI-05-0659]

1 September 2005

Dublin (ENI). The office of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has sought to play down reports linking him to the position of Vatican Secretary of State, the office primarily responsible for the diplomatic and political activity of the Holy See. The archbishop is among a number of people tipped to succeed Cardinal Angelo Sodano in what is seen by some as the second most important job in the Church, after the Pope. Cardinal Sodano, who will be 78 in November, was Pope John Paul II's Secretary of State from 1991 and was re-appointed by Pope Benedict XVI following his election in April. It is widely expected that Sodano, already past the Vatican's official retirement age of 75, will vacate the position by the end of the year. [363 words, ENI-05-0656]

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