Jerusalem, 23 December (ENI) --The heads of the main Christian denominations in Jerusalem have issued a joint Christmas message asking their faithful to pray especially for children and young people in the Holy Land so they can overcome "all evil and hatred". In their message they thanked their Christian brothers and sisters across the world for expressing solidarity with them. "However the way to go is still long in order to come to the end of all oppression and violence, in order to suspend the building of the Wall, to stop killing taking prisoners and end the occupation," the clerics said in their yearly Christmas message. [375 words, ENI-05-0991]

Bethlehem inns a little fuller this year despite barrier around city

Bethlehem (ENI). Bethlehem stars and other Christmas decorations were hung in Manger Square on 23 December in preparation for this year's festivities in the West Bank town where Jesus was born. At the Church of the Nativity, hundreds of pilgrims and tourists patiently queued up for a glimpse of the underground manger where tradition holds that Jesus was born. They lit candles and said prayers at the site. Workmen added the final touches to the adjacent Roman Catholic St. Catherine's Church where Midnight Mass was to be held on Christmas Eve . [476 words, ENI-05-0992]

Christmas greetings from ENI Geneva (ENI). All the staff of Ecumenical News International would like to wish our readers, a blessed Christmas, and a peaceful 2006. We thank you for your support and readership. ENI's full service will resume on 2 January 2006. [43 words]

22 December 2005

Blantyre (ENI). Violent lightening and heavy rains, which normally bring joy at the beginning of the wet season, have triggered the deaths of 12 people in church accidents during a two-day period in Malawi's northern Mzimba district. Police said that 11 people from the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian at Chiseng'ezi in the Mzimba district were struck dead by lightening while attending a service. The day after a child was killed and 38 people at Jandalala Roman Catholic church in Mzimba sustained injuries when the walls of their church collapsed on them after the roof was whipped off by heavy winds. [351 words, ENI-05-0990]

At Bethlehem's Christmas Tree Restaurant, the tables are empty

Bethlehem (ENI). The sparkling red and green lights on the pine tree in the Christmas Tree restaurant give a festive air to the Bethlehem eatery which a few years back was so crowded with tourists there was barely an empty table. Today, five years after the start of a Palestinian uprising called by some the second intifada, all the tables are empty. The restaurant has become a metaphor for the town of Jesus' birth. Five years of fighting turned many of the town's streets into virtual war zones and decimated the lifeblood of the Bethlehem economy - the tourist industry - leaving the Palestinian-ruled West Bank town crushed. [763 words, ENI-05-0989]

21 December 2005

Nairobi (ENI). Churches in southern Sudan are gearing up for increased numbers at Christmas services due to a peace accord to end a decades-long civil war that means refugees who fled the conflict can return from camps where they spent many years. "Our people are tired of being in camps. They want to go home," the Rev. Peter Tibi, deputy executive secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches told Ecumenical News International. "They have been there for too long and would want to participate in the rebuilding of their country." [351 words, ENI-05-0986]

US judge's ruling on 'intelligent design' theory hailed and jeered

New York (ENI). Proponents of "intelligent design", which centres around the idea that the universe is created by a higher power, not referred to specifically as God, have harshly criticised a federal judge's ruling which found that teaching the theory cannot be permitted in public schools because it advances a religious viewpoint and is not scientific. Opponents of the theory, meanwhile, hailed the decision by Judge John Jones III, who in his ruling said that intelligent design could not be taught in public schools as an alternative to the theory of evolution as first articulated by Charles Darwin. [421 words, ENI-05-0988]

English bishops return after assessing Zimbabwe rights situation

Harare (ENI). A group of English Roman Catholic clerics led by Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth, chair of the international affairs group of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has left Zimbabwe after a visit apparently to assess the human rights situation. But the bishops declined to comment to an England-based correspondent for Ecumenical News International who sought their views after their return. [407 words, ENI-05-0987]

After tsunami and civil war, Sri Lanka churches seek to rebuild

Kilinochchi (ENI). One year after the coast of Sri Lanka was bludgeoned by a devastating tsunami, people are still struggling to come to grips with the events of that fateful day. Added to their woes have been increasing tensions between rebel groups and the government following a spate of attacks on the army and police.In the north and north-western parts of the island, and in particular in the Wanni region controlled by Tamil rebels and which includes the Kilinochchi district, people are also quick to refer to the legacy of a war that lasted more than 20 years. [759 words, ENI-05-0985]

Slovak bishops praise public for shunning 'reality TV'

Warsaw (ENI). Orthodox, Lutheran and Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia have welcomed a drop in viewing figures for a series of controversial TV "reality shows", after Christian groups accused them of eroding moral values. "We are grateful to everyone who is giving up the third-rate culture presented in certain media," the bishops, who all are all based in the eastern city of Presov, said in a joint pre-Christmas statement. "We urge all of you to be brave in living the Christian life in practice - in this blessed way, you can help to build healthy families in an integrated society." [301 words, ENI-05-0984]

20 December 2005

Lusaka (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Zambia has rejected allegations that Lusaka's archbishop, Medardo Mazombwe, has been plotting with opposition party leaders to oust President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 general elections. Members of the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy called for the archbishop's resignation after a report in the Sunday Times of Zambia that he had chaired two secret meetings at the Catholic Secretariat's Kapingila House in the capital at which a network was formed to remove Mwanawasa from office. [274 words, ENI-05-0981]

Hong Kong was unsuitable venue for WTO talks says Catholic bishop

Hong Kong (ENI). Hong Kong's Roman Catholic bishop has described the arrest by the territory's police of more than 1000 anti-World Trade Organization protesters during crucial trade talks at the weekend as a "disgrace". He said Hong Kong was not a suitable venue for such conferences because it was insufficiently prepared for such protests. [486 words, ENI-05-0982]

Mormons celebrate 200th anniversary of founder's birth in US

Oxford (ENI). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Joseph Smith Jr, in the city of his birth with a television tribute that will be broadcast to its churches around the world and carried on satellite television networks. Born in Sharon, Vermont, on 23 December 1805, Smith was the fifth of 11 children. His family moved in 1816 to Palmyra, in New York State, where he had the visions that led to the founding of the church. Smith, who was persecuted for his beliefs, was killed by an angry mob in Illinois in 1844. [270 words, ENI-05-0980]

Pope's death was top religion story of 2005, say US journalists

New York (ENI). The death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI to succeed him were the top religion stories of 2005, according to rankings by a group of American journalists who cover religion. Other top stories in a survey of members of the Religion Newswriters Association included the controversy around the life and death of Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman who died amid a national controversy surrounding the removal of her feeding tube. [283 words, ENI-05-0983]

19 December 2005

Bethlehem (ENI). Christians wishing to visit the town of Jesus' birth this Christmas must first pass through metal turnstiles at an Israeli border terminal that locals complain is turning their West Bank town into an open-air prison. Until 5 years ago, when a Palestinian uprising began, the 15-minute bus drive from Jerusalem to Bethlehem went without a hitch and barely a stop for tourists and Palestinians alike. [503 words, ENI-05-0977]

WTO breathes relief at pact, but Christian, civil activists unimpressed

Hong Kong (ENI). The 149 members of the World Trade Organization, after days of protests during their Hong Kong talks, breathed a sigh of relief on hammering out a scaled-down agreement on global commerce. But many Christian and civil society groups fighting for trade justice rued that the deal will do little to help the world's poor. [583 words, ENI-05-0979]

Bulgarian legislators call for recognition of church marriages

Sofia (ENI). A coalition of legislators in Bulgaria has called for a change to the country's constitution to allow the legal recognition of church marriages. Lawmakers have until 23 December to submit proposed changes to the constitution, which is subject to reconsideration by a special committee in the light of Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, scheduled for January 2007. [374 words, ENI-05-0976]

Don't hold back on Christmas urge Canterbury archbishops

London (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and his immediate predecessor, Lord (George) Carey, have urged Christians to not be reticent in celebrating Christmas. "There is a view around that practising Christianity and all the symbols that go with it embarrasses people of other faiths: and of course that is nonsense," Carey, who retired in 2002, said in an interview on the GMTV television station. [263 words, ENI-05-0978]

In Sri Lanka's rebel areas, faith instils hope to continue with life

Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka (ENI). Life seemed to have reached an impasse for 42-year-old Nahanandini when her manual labourer husband died suddenly in October leaving her with three young children to look after. "I would have committed suicide but for my faith," said Nahanandini, standing in front of her home, a hut made of coconut palm leaves in Kinkatharai village in the Wanni region in the north of Sri Lanka, under the control of Tamil rebels fighting for autonomy. Nahanandini became a Christian only weeks before the sudden death of her husband but now she feels embracing the faith was "a timely act" that will help her face the hard life awaiting her. [625 words, ENI-05-0975]

16 December 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). They are still waiting for signs of progress in the Hong Kong world trade talks, and while some groups supporting the poorer countries say no deal would be better than a flawed pact, others believe poorer nations are starting to build alliances that can further advance their cause and a deal should be struck. Still, a common thread for faith groups and their allies in civil society is that the rich countries must deliver on their stated goals of using the World Trade Organization, which regulates international commerce, to empower poor nations to get stronger economically. [440 words, ENI-05-0974]

Faith groups welcome UK terror law change regarding worship places

London (ENI). Christian churches and Muslim leaders in Britain have welcomed a decision by the British government to drop part of proposed anti-terror laws which would have enabled the police to close places of worship linked to extremism. "We thought it a disproportionate response to a problem that could better be tackled in other ways," said Anglican Bishop Tom Butler of Southwark in London, welcoming the announcement by British interior minister Charles Clarke. [344 words, ENI-05-0974]

'Happy Holidays' greeting jars some US faithful at Christmas season

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The United States is entering the festive season with a series of legal battles, boycotts and political debates in what international media have called "America's war of words over Christmas". Some Christian groups are filing lawsuits and launching protests against schools, municipalities and organizations that remove nativity scenes from public locations, put up "holiday" instead of "Christmas" trees, and use the phrase "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas". [459 words, ENI-05-0973]

John Paul II's secretary rejects letter questioning his beatification

Warsaw (ENI). Pope John Paul II's former secretary has condemned an open letter by a group of theologians who oppose placing the late pontiff on the path to sainthood, because of what they call "negative policies" on issues from sex to church governance. "In principle, one should ignore such initiatives," said Stanislaw Dziwisz who was appointed archbishop of Krakow in June after serving for 39 years with Karol Jozef Wojtyla, who reigned as Pope John Paul II from 1978 to 2005. [386 words, ENI-05-0970]

In Hong Kong fair traders also display wares during free trade talks

Hong Kong (ENI). Parallel to the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Hong Kong, about 50 community-based economic co-operatives have been holding their own "Fair Trade Fair", to demonstrate that "trade for people" is possible. One of the stands at the fair is run by Sunbula. Based in Jerusalem, it works with a dozen craft shops across the West Bank, Gaza Strip and throughout Israel, reaching rural villages and Palestinian refugee camps. It provides training for technical skills, management and finance to the craft shops, as well as helping them market and promote their products. [493 words, ENI-05-0972]

15 December 2005

Bethlehem (ENI). The mayor of the town of Jesus' birth has urged Christians to travel to Bethlehem for Christmas to show solidarity with Palestinians living in the West Bank town that he said was in danger of being turned into a "prison". "Bethlehem has been turned into a ghetto," the mayor, Dr Victor Batarseh, told reporters in Bethlehem. "We demand the Israelis give Bethlehem freedom. If they won't do it then we won't have peace this Christmas." [332 words, ENI-05-0967]

UN envoy Egeland warns of 'worsening' situation in Zimbabwe

Harare (ENI). The United Nations is warning about food shortages in Zimbabwe, echoing concerns by a top UN relief envoy who has visited the southern African nation where he was briefed by church leaders about a controversial slum clearing operation. An agent of Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organization scuffled with a UN official as the state security agent tried to force his way into a meeting earlier in December between UN envoy Jan Egeland and church leaders in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city.. [404 words, ENI-05-0968]

Facing falling vocations, more work, nuns want more church support

Warsaw (ENI). Roman Catholic nuns at an international conference in Poland have warned that falling recruitment could hamper their social and charitable work and have urged their church to do more to support them. A meeting of the International Union of Female Religious Superiors heard that the number of nuns fell worldwide by more than a fifth in the past 20 years to 776 000, with some countries reporting no new vocations at all. [283 words, ENI-05-0965]

Aceh peace holds after Asian tsunami havoc

Banda Aceh (ENI). The residents of Aceh suffered a disaster nearly one year ago that may have killed as many as 170 000 in their province of Indonesia alone. But some have noted that the violence of nature also appears to have stemmed a 30-year civil conflict that had made the area one of the most militarised places on earth. While no one talks about a "benefit" from the 26 December tsunami, residents say that if anything good came from the disaster triggered by a massive earthquake, it was a kind of peace that has, by nearly all accounts, taken root in a region once wracked by civil war. [579 words, ENI-05-0966]

East-West divide still pervades German churches and links with press

Geneva (ENI). Fifteen years after unification, Germany remains divided on old East-West lines as far as church membership is concerned. And it also has the same split when it comes to the way churches deal with the press, showing old habits die hard even under a new political system, says this year's winner of the John Templeton prize for the European Religion Writer. Tomas Gärtner won the prize for three articles published by the daily newspaper Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten (DNN) and delivered the annual lecture that goes with the prize in Geneva. He said as far as church membership is concerned, about 76 per cent of the population is either Protestant or Roman Catholic in the West, while in the East it is about 26 per cent. [537 words, ENI-05-0969]

14 December 2005

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in Pakistan are to observe 20 December as a "day of fast and prayer" to demand the repeal of a law about blasphemy that often leads to violence against the tiny Christian community in the Muslim majority nation. "As long as the blasphemy law remains in force, we will continue to suffer," said Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Pakistan, which groups four major Protestant denominations. [345 words, ENI-05-0963]

Relatives want those who ordered murder of US nun in Brazil court

New York (ENI). Relatives and fellow members of the order of a US nun active in a movement to help landless Amazon peasants who was murdered rue that full justice has not yet been achieved despite the conviction of two men for her death. The conviction of Rayfran das Neves Sales and Clodoaldo Carlos Batista immediately drew praise from the family and allies of the late Dorothy Stang, 73, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and a long-time resident of Brazil, but they said they would like to see those who ordered the murder brought to book. [359 words, ENI-05-0964]

Killing of girl on Christian campus shocks Japan

Tokyo (ENI). The killing of a 12-year-old girl by a law student from a Japanese university founded on Christian principles has shocked the campus and the surrounding community following other murders of girls that had already shaken the nation. "For our school that has adopted 'conscience education' as our motto since its establishment, this is such a serious situation it brings into question the very basis of the spirit of our foundation," said Eiji Hatta, president of Doshisha University in Japan's historical Kyoto Prefecture. [361 words, ENI-05-0962]

Narnia spawns religious publishing as it soars to top movie spot

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" took top spot in 11 countries during the weekend following its release and became the second-highest December debut in the United States, claiming more than US$67 million in box office sales. The release of the movie described as a Christian allegory, has also produced an onslaught of Narnia-related religious books ranging from apologetics to devotional guides. It has accelerated interest in the original seven-book series by Irish scholar C. S. Lewis. [400 words, ENI-05-0961]

13 December 2005

Warsaw (ENI). Churches in the Czech Republic are considering an appeal to the country's constitutional court about a law on religious bodies which they say restricts their activities and resembles legislation from the pre-1989 communist era. "The Ministry of Culture drew up the latest text without any dialogue with the churches," said Jitka Krausova, general secretary of the Czech Ecumenical Council, about the measure signed into law by President Vaclav Klaus on 6 December. [353 words, ENI-05-0958]

Pastor, 50 Catholic school students mourned after Nigeria plane crash

Abuja (ENI). Nigerians are mourning the 106 passengers and crew who died in a weekend plane crash at Port Harcourt, among them a pastor of the Fountain of Life Church and 50 students from the Roman Catholic Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja. An interdenominational memorial service for the crash victims was held on 13 December in Port Harcourt, a centre of the oil industry in the south of Africa's most populous nation. [311 words, ENI-05-0959]

Churches raise voices for trade justice during Hong Kong talks

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). It is an oft repeated, but also frequently ignored message: Trade should be designed in a way that will eradicate poverty and eliminate dumping of the developed nations' cheap products on developing countries. As the 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization began in Hong Kong on 13 December, other Geneva-based organizations such as the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation issued messages to show that faith-based groups are now stepping up their advocacy in the call for trade justice. [468 words, ENI-05-0960]

Churches challenge British government on climate change

London (ENI). A church-backed campaign on climate change has challenged the United Kingdom government to state its policy for future negotiations on global warming while also welcoming the agreement reached at the United Nations' conference in Montreal. The 29 November to 9 December talks in Montreal aimed to start discussions on a long-term strategy to safeguard climatic stability after the expiry in 2012 of current commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide and other atmospheric gases that many scientists believe cause global warming. [270 words, ENI-05-0956]

From China to Nepal, human rights at risk says Asia inter-faith group

Manila (ENI). The rule of law does not exist in most parts of Asia, thus denying the basic human rights of many citizens in a vast continent, home to more than half of the world's people, says a regional inter-faith human rights watch body. "[In many Asian countries], the effort to create the conditions for the realisation of human rights compares very poorly to the hard work that has been undertaken to create an awareness of human rights," said the inter-faith Religious Group for Human Rights, which is linked to the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission. [390 words, ENI-05-0957]

Jerusalem holy sites marred by littering, TV expose shows

Jerusalem (ENI). Garbage and litter have marred some of Christianity's holiest sites in Jerusalem and the local municipality has done nothing to clean it up, an Israeli television news expose has found. At the Garden Tomb, Christian pilgrims sing psalms in the tranquil garden, which many Protestants hold is the traditional site of the crucifixion. But garbage is piled up along the perimeter of the tomb and streets leading to the site are littered with refuse. [352 words, ENI-05-0955]

12 December 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). Participants at an interfaith conference on economic justice have urged the World Trade Organization to respect people's food sovereignty and halt the current negotiations on agriculture and the production of food. "People's food sovereignty is being undermined by the WTO's Agreement on Agriculture," a declaration said after a meeting held in Hong Kong. [502 words, ]

Churches say bombs aiming for Islamic law concern all Bangladeshis

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders in Muslim-majority Bangladesh have expressed anguish about an unprecedented series of bomb blasts widely seen as the work of extremist groups wanting to impose the Islamic laws of Sharia on the South Asian country. Eight people were killed on 9 December after two bomb explosions in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka. Elgin Saha, president of the National Council of Churches of Bangladesh said: "Not only Christians, but everyone is concerned about the spate of bombings here." [414 words, ENI-05-0954]

Jerusalem patriarch plants olive trees next to West Bank barrier

Jerusalem (ENI). Israel's West Bank barrier will lead to further hostility in the Holy Land, the Latin Patriarch for Jerusalem has said at a protest march along a section of the wall where he prayed for the barrier to be removed. Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah planted two olive trees during the visit alongside the barrier which cuts through the West Bank village of Aboud, near Ramallah, the city where the Palestinian Authority sits. [288 words, ENI-05-0951]

Southern Africa faith groups urge: End barriers to farm exports

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Southern Africa faith-based groups and non-governmental organizations are urging developed countries at world trade talks in Hong Kong to stop subsidising agricultural products and to remove barriers to agricultural exports from poor countries. "The highly industrialised countries must immediately stop subsidies for their domestic production and exports that result in the dumping of their excess agricultural production in our countries," the groups stated. [303 words, ENI-05-0953]

9 December 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). Christian leaders from many parts of this planet have grave doubts the World Trade Organization (WTO) will deliver on its goals to reduce poverty and diminish inequality during upcoming talks to reset regulations for global commerce. Church groups from a plethora of denominations associated with civil society groups have converged on Hong Kong for the 6th Ministerial Conference of the WTO to lobby, badger and protest for more justice in the way humanity goes about a large part of its daily life. [578 words, ENI-05-0949]

Lutheran bishop appeals to Jerusalem's Christians, Jews and Muslims

Jerusalem (ENI). Holy Land Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan has issued an appeal for Jews, Christians and Muslims to respect each others' faith and religious traditions in Jerusalem and the rest of the land of Jesus' birth. Bishop Younan wrote in an article published in Israel's daily Haaretz newspaper that an opportunity had been missed in October with the rare convergence of the Jewish High Holidays and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. [341 words, ENI-05-0950]

One year after the tsunami, concern in Aceh, is roofs over heads

Banda Aceh, Indonesia (ENI). Almost a year after the lives of Indonesians living in the isolated province of Aceh were changed irrevocably by tidal waves triggered by a massive earthquake, humanitarian agencies face an oft-heard lament: the pace of building houses is not keeping pace with the need. Thousands of residents in Aceh - the area hardest hit by the 26 December 2004 tsunami - remain in tents and other temporary shelter provided by the United Nations and international aid agencies. [528 words, 05-0947]

8 December 2005

Manila (ENI). The Harry Potter phenomenon has come in for some flak in the past from Christian critics but the latest blockbuster episode in the saga of the boy wizard has impressed an arm of the (Roman) Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. After a review, the bishops have endorsed the film for general viewing because it depicts how good triumphs over evil. [351 words, ENI-05-0945]

'Too much religion' says British newspaper reader as trend changes

London (ENI). When a reader wrote to Britain's daily Guardian newspaper complaining there were too many religious stories in a journal, she believed had a secular tradition, the readers' editor decided to make an electronic check. "Yet another religious article today," the reader wrote. "Please could you tell me why there is now so much religion in the Guardian? What prompted this move to go from being a secular paper to the most religious of all the papers?" [462 words, ENI-05-0946]

7 December 2005

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The US National Council of Churches has joined human rights organizations and farm workers in criticising McDonald's Corporation for not doing enough to ensure that improved working conditions are offered to its tomato pickers. "McDonald's ... you have acquired a strong reputation for social accountability," the council's general secretary, the Rev. Robert Edgar, said. "Now we expect you to build on that reputation to accomplish real change in partnership with the farm workers who are so sorely abused by the current system." [397 words, ENI-05-0942]

Kenyan church leaders say politicians' election call is wrong move

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan church leaders have warned politicians not to push for the immediate holding of a general election following the defeat of a referendum backed by President Mwai Kibaki on a proposed new constitution. "The referendum is over and the national agenda is healing, reconciliation, and the improvement of the economy," Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi has told journalists. "It would be inappropriate to use public resources in financing an expensive election process." [336 words, ENI-05-0943]

Sri Lanka churches urge leaders: Don't forget 65-year-old unity dream

Colombo (ENI). Leaders of Sri Lanka's major Protestant denominations are facing calls to step up efforts to create a union of churches, 65 years after the start of inter-denominational dialogue on the island for a united church. "We are still waiting for fruition of the dialogue initiated by visionary church leaders," said Narme F. Wickremesinghe, coordinator of the Franciscan Communion, who addressed an inter-church service to mark the anniversary of the union talks. [306 words, ENI-05-0944]

Churches, Walt Disney send Christmas message to bingeing Britons

Canterbury, England (ENI). London's Royal Albert Hall has been transformed into a glittering ice palace for the world premier of the film version of C. S. Lewis' children's best-selling book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Anglican leaders have encouraged families to see film that cost 62 million British pounds (US$108 million) to make and features stars like Liam Neeson, Rupert Everett, Ray Windstone and Tilda Swinton. [338 words, ENI-05-0941]

7 December 2005

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The US National Council of Churches has joined human rights organizations and farm workers in criticising McDonald's Corporation for not doing enough to ensure that improved working conditions are offered to its tomato pickers. "McDonald's ... you have acquired a strong reputation for social accountability," the council's general secretary, the Rev. Robert Edgar, said. "Now we expect you to build on that reputation to accomplish real change in partnership with the farm workers who are so sorely abused by the current system." [397 words, ENI-05-0942]

Kenyan church leaders say politicians' election call is wrong move

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan church leaders have warned politicians not to push for the immediate holding of a general election following the defeat of a referendum backed by President Mwai Kibaki on a proposed new constitution. "The referendum is over and the national agenda is healing, reconciliation, and the improvement of the economy," Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi has told journalists. "It would be inappropriate to use public resources in financing an expensive election process." [336 words, ENI-05-0943]

Sri Lanka churches urge leaders: Don't forget 65-year-old unity dream

Colombo (ENI). Leaders of Sri Lanka's major Protestant denominations are facing calls to step up efforts to create a union of churches, 65 years after the start of inter-denominational dialogue on the island for a united church. "We are still waiting for fruition of the dialogue initiated by visionary church leaders," said Narme F. Wickremesinghe, coordinator of the Franciscan Communion, who addressed an inter-church service to mark the anniversary of the union talks. [306 words, ENI-05-0944]

Churches, Walt Disney send Christmas message to bingeing Britons

Canterbury, England (ENI). London's Royal Albert Hall has been transformed into a glittering ice palace for the world premier of the film version of C. S. Lewis' children's best-selling book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Anglican leaders have encouraged families to see film that cost 62 million British pounds (US$108 million) to make and features stars like Liam Neeson, Rupert Everett, Ray Windstone and Tilda Swinton. [338 words, ENI-05-0941]

6 December 2005

By Michele Green Jerusalem (ENI). Christian activists assisting Palestinians in the West Bank have been holding prayer vigils for four colleagues kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Iraq. The members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) are also trying to get word to the kidnappers via the Arabic media that their colleagues are pacifists who have devoted their lives to helping oppressed peoples, including the Palestinians. [356 words, ENI-05-0940]

Plummeting attendance shows Canadian church faces 'extinction'

Vancouver (ENI). Canada's churches are suffering such a serious decline in membership that some denominations face disappearance, a report presented to the Anglican Church of Canada's House of Bishops released by Can West News Service shows. Keith McKerracher, a retired marketing expert who serves as an advisor to the church, published the data which shows that between 1961 and 2001, Anglican numbers plunged from 1.36 million to 642 000. He said the Anglican church is losing 13 000 members each year and, at this rate, "is facing extinction by the middle of this century". [360 words, ENI-05-0938]

Sliding HIV/AIDS infections in Kenya pleases churches

Nairobi (ENI). As the last candle signalling World Aids Day flickered out in Nairobi, church leaders in the East African country said they were energised by new statistics showing that HIV infections had dropped by 4 per cent over a two-year period. "This is commendable, but we ask the government to do more. We don't want to lose any more people through AIDS," the Rev. Peter Karanja, provost of All Saints Anglican Cathedral told Ecumenical News International. [344 words, ENI-5-0936]

Church banned in Zambia rebuts allegations of Satanism

Harare (ENI). The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) which has been banned in Zambia after allegations of devil worship has denied the accusations through a statement in Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper. "The accusation against us that we practice Satanism is false. The Universal Church is a wholly Christian Church," asserted Bishop Renato Cardoso, the denomination's overseer for the African Continent. He said the allegations were made by someone he believed to be a psychiatric patient who sometimes attended church services. [332 words, ENI-05-0939]

Churches concerned at lack of progress on 'digital divide'

Geneva/Bielefeld (ENI). The recent World Summit on the Information Society was a missed opportunity for bridging the "digital divide" that separates disadvantaged sections of society from the Internet, say campaigners for increased access. "Rich countries do not believe any more funds are needed," Chantal Peyer from the Swiss Protestant organization Bread for All, said after the summit in Tunis. [239 words, ENI-05-0935]

Norway's Lutheran free church has its first female pastor

Oslo (ENI). Norway's 21 000-member Evangelical Lutheran Free Church has appointed its first woman pastor. Caroline Vesterberg from Sweden has been called to part-time service as children and youth pastor in the Free Church's largest congregation in Oslo. "We are not calling Caroline because she is a woman, but because she is a fantastic human being with gifts and talents for this service," the congregation's main pastor, the Rev. Reidulf Hanssen, told the Vart Land newspaper. He noted, "The council of elders was unanimous in our nomination." [227 words, ENI-05-0937]

5 December 2005

New York (ENI). Four American churchwomen who were killed in El Salvador during that country's civil conflict in the 1980s are being honoured by a variety of religious groups on the 25th anniversary of their deaths. At ceremonies in El Salvador, New York and elsewhere in the world, the four Roman Catholic women - Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford; Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel; and Jean Donovan, a lay missionary - were honoured for their work in assisting El Salvador's war refugees and poor. [294 words, ENI-05-0933]

Malawi Anglicans reject UK bishop in row over homosexuality

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). -The Anglican church in Central Africa has rejected the consecration of British priest the Rev. Nicholas Henderson as bishop of the diocese of Lake Malawi because of his involvement with a group seen as supporting homosexual clergy. A statement from the Central Africa church said the bishop had been rejected by its court of confirmation "because of lack of sound faith". [274 words, ENI-05-0934]

Tributes flow for 'grandmother' of western Orthodoxy, Behr-Sigel

Geneva (ENI). Tributes have been paid to Elisabeth Behr-Sigel, one of the first women in France to study Protestant theology but who later joined the Orthodox church, becoming one of its most well-known theologians, who has died aged 98. She has been called the "Grandmother of Western Orthodoxy" by her friends and colleagues in France, the Greek Orthodox news service Mosaic said in a tribute to Behr-Sigel. [424 words, ENI-05-0932]

Scottish missionary Livingstone's name remains Zambian icon

Lusaka (ENI). One hundred and fifty years ago Scottish missionary David Livingstone came across a curtain of water that straddles present-day Zambia and Zimbabwe measuring 1 708 meters wide and which is seen as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Known by the local Kololo people as Mosi-o-Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders", Livingstone was one of the first Europeans to have come across the largest curtain of water in the world, which was then named after Britain's reigning monarch Queen Victoria. [477 words, ENI-05-0931]

2 December 2005

Hong Kong (ENI). The Vatican has issued a protest against the arrest and beating of Roman Catholic nuns that led to hundreds of Christians in Xian, the capital of China's northwestern Shaanxi province taking to the streets to protest. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the director of the Vatican press office, in a briefing, noted two separate incidents during the preceding week: the beating of Franciscan nuns in Xian and the violent arrest of six priests in the Zhengding diocese. [476 words, ENI-05-0927]

WCC says abduction of activists in Iraq serves no one

Geneva (ENI). The World Council of Churches has added its voice to calls for the immediate release of four Christian peace activists kidnapped in Iraq by an insurgent group. "Their prolonged captivity is not in anyone's interest and is likely to further embitter and polarise Iraqi society causing anger and frustration," the Geneva-based church grouping said in a statement. [285 words, ENI-05-0926]

No taboo on condoms Seventh-day Adventist leader says in Malawi

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Seventh-day Adventist president Pastor Jan Paulsen, on a five-day tour of Malawi, has said his church does not place a taboo on the use of condoms but that it has clear standards of morality on the use of contraceptives. "The Church does not place a taboo on the use of condoms but the Church has clear standards of morality on use of condoms. Sexual behaviour outside marriage does not belong and is not part of a life of a believer," said Paulsen. [214 words, ENI-05-0929]

Korean Presbyterians to protest at Hong Kong trade talks

Seoul (ENI). Activists from the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) say they will take part in demonstrations against what they assert are unfair farming treaties that will be discussed at world trade talks in Hong Kong later in December. The 6th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference will be held in Hong Kong from 13 to 18 December and agricultural talks will be high on the agenda for the meeting of the global trade regulator. [222 words, ENI-05-0928]

Russia's Orthodox have no special status Condoleezza Rice told

Warsaw (ENI). A Christian Orthodox leader has criticised a US government report on religious freedom in Russia, accusing its authors of relying on sources representing "the interests of marginal groups". "There are absolutely no grounds to the assertion that the Russian Orthodox church 'has enjoyed a status that approaches official'," said Metropolitan Kirill, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations in a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. [447 words, ENI-05-0930]

1 December 2005

Geneva (ENI). World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Samuel Kobia has told a gathering in front of the Swiss parliament that the deaths of close relatives due to HIV/AIDS has impelled him to speak out on the pandemic. And he noted that a major difficulty for churches in dealing with the pandemic has been an inability to address sexuality in an open way. [502 words, ENI-05-0922]

US churches pulled in on war against human trafficking

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). US churches say they have made significant advances in the fight against human trafficking in recent years, due in part to the trust those opposed to the 21st century equivalent of slavery have in faith-based groups. Lutherans, Adventists, organizations like the Salvation Army and the National Association of Evangelicals are educating their own members, directly intervening for victims and endorsing state and national legislative changes to thwart trafficking. [397 words, ENI-05-0921]

Italian Protestant says Pope's 'indulgences' a setback for unity

Rome (ENI). A top Italian Protestant has accused Pope Benedict XVI of setting back Christian unity by granting indulgences to Roman Catholics who carry out acts of devotion to the Virgin Mary to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council. "The Catholic Church is free to decree all the indulgences it likes but stressing the things that divide [churches] crushes the hopes of those who are working for Christian unity," said Professor Paolo Ricca of the Protestant Waldensian theology faculty in Rome. [458 words, ENI-05-0924]

Zambia police stop banned Universal Church speaking to media

Lusaka (ENI). Zambian police on have prevented the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God from holding a media conference two days after the banning of the denomination, which was facing accusations of practising Satanism. Pastor Carlos Barcelos, who was to speak on behalf of the denomination at its Cathedral of Faith, was about to take journalists on a conducted tour of the new church building when police arrived and ordered reporters to leave because the meeting was illegal. [361 words, ENI-05-0923]

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