Tokyo (ENI). Hundreds of Christians and seven churches in Japan are opposing an evangelical festival on account of its preacher's support for the war in which the United States is embroiled in Iraq and for statements attributed to the pastor against Islam. The festival will have Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, preaching on one of the islands of Japan's southwestern Okinawa Prefecture. About 75 per cent of the US military bases in Japan are concentrated on the island of Okinawa, from where US troops have been dispatched to Iraq. [309 words, ENI-06-0862 ]

In Russia, Christians warn about Halloween

Moscow (ENI). Halloween is hugely popular in the United States where children dress up and go asking for a "trick or treat", but in Russia, Christians say they are troubled by the growing appeal of the festival in their country. "We must understand that Halloween is simply a masquerade, entertainment that very often smacks of commercialism, when stores connected with it make six months worth of sales," the Rev. Mikhail Prokopenko, a spokesperson for the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, told the Interfax news agency. "Nonetheless, a young person who puts on the mask of a demon or a ghoul often in life begins to think it possible to display qualities characteristic of this personage." [277 words, ENI-06-0861]

Police review Jerusalem gay parade opposed by faith leaders

Jerusalem (ENI). A Jerusalem gay parade scheduled to take place in November is threatened with cancellation because of opposition from ultra-Orthodox Jews, groups of Muslims and Christians who say the event would be insulting to believers around the world. Jerusalem police chief Ilan Franco has held a meeting with a senior rabbi from the Eda Haredit movement, which is opposed to Zionism, and who warned of violent protests if the parade goes ahead on 10 November through the streets of central Jerusalem. [301 words, ENI-06-0860]

30 October 2006

Dhaka (ENI). Church leaders in Bangladesh have warned about widespread violent street battles between supporters of rival political groups over the formation of an interim government ahead of general elections. "We are really anguished over what is happening," Elgin Saha, president of the National Council of Churches of Bangladesh (NCCB), told Ecumenical News International. "The violence has thrown life out of gear." [334 words, ENI-06-0858]

Malawi Council of Churches advocates a law against prostitution

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). The Malawi Council of Churches and a multi-faith grouping, the Public Affairs Committee, are urging the government to introduce a law barring prostitution, which they say is fuelling the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country. "If we are to succeed in the fight against HIV and AIDS then the government needs to enforce a law to prohibit prostitution because it's one of the major ways through which the pandemic is spreading fast," church council chairperson the Rev. Howard Matiya Nkhoma, a Presbyterian minister, told The Nation newspaper. He lamented, "Some people venture into prostitution to earn a living while others do it for pleasure. The problem in both cases is that it's the innocent who are affected." [365 words, ENI-06-0859]

Church must reclaim prophetic voice says Australian politician

Sydney (ENI). Australian opposition lawmaker Kevin Rudd has triggered a national debate by criticising a growing influence of conservative Christian groups in Australian politics. But the country's health minister has said the government does not aim its policies at a block of religious voters. Labor Party legislator Rudd early in October said, "God is not owned by any political party and never will be." In an interview with the public broadcaster, ABC radio, Rudd criticised politicians who identify themselves as the only "Christian" candidate. [363 words, ENI-06-0857]

27 October 2006

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders in Sri Lanka say they hope talks between the government and Tamil rebels taking place in Geneva will help restart a stalled peace process in the island nation. "We are happy that contrary to general expectations, both parties are ready for talks," the Rev. Kingsley Perera, chairperson of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, told Ecumenical News International from Colombo. "This itself is an achievement." The two sides met in Switzerland in February but since then there has been an upsurge in fighting, despite a fragile Norwegian-brokered cease-fire in force since 2002. The renewed violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and has displaced many thousands more. [308 words, ENI-06-0854]

UN vote will boost arms control efforts says world church group

Geneva (ENI). The World Council of Churches has hailed a vote at the United Nations to start work on drawing up an arms trade treaty that had been called for by religious leaders and Nobel Peace Prize laureates. "The vote at the UN to begin work on a future 'Arms Trade Treaty' is the best disarmament news for several years," Clement John, of the WCC's international affairs commission, said after the vote at a UN committee in New York. The treaty would aim to close loopholes in existing laws which mean guns still end up in area of conflict despite arms embargoes and export controls. [334 words, ENI-06-0852]

Airline in dispute with cross-wearing employee

London (ENI). British Airways has become embroiled in a dispute with a check-in official at Heathrow Airport in London who refused a company request to cover up the cross she was wearing around her neck. Nadia Eweida, aged 55, who is on unpaid leave until the dispute is resolved, claims the right to display her Christian religious affiliation in a discreet way. The cross is less than two centimetres wide, and Eweida asserted she was not being given the same rights by the company as Muslims and Sikhs, who may wear headscarves and turbans. [297 words, ENI-06-0854]

Christians look to dialogue with Islamic group in Somalia

Nairobi (ENI). Christian leaders in Africa have suggested opening talks with the Union of Islamic Courts which controls most of the southern part of the Somalia and is challenging a transitional government that is itself struggling to assert control. "I believe they will listen to us, if we moved there in a very humble way, not with the idea of evangelisation. We will need to say, we want to know how you [Islamic courts] want us to accompany you," said Melaku Kifle from the Geneva-based World Council of Churches. [312 words, ENI-06-0856]

Polish Lutheran rebuts assertions his church could be used for spying

Warsaw (ENI). A Polish Lutheran pastor in Warsaw has rejected claims that his church could be used for spying against the nearby headquarters of the interior ministry if a planned extension to the church building goes ahead. "We've been here for 60 years, and we've never had a problem like this," said the Rev. Adam Pilch, pastor of the Lord's Ascension church on the Polish capital's Pulawska street. "We've kept the city council informed, as the law requires, and explained what we are doing. To say we could rent part of the new building to spies is very hurtful." Interior ministry officials wanted to block the parish construction work, the Zycie Warszawy newspaper reported, because it would "endanger the tele-informational security of a government building" and could be used for spying against the ministry's headquarters. [300 words, ENI-06-0853]

26 October 2006

Cologne/Frankfurt, Germany (ENI). Germany's top Protestant bishop has condemned as "perversion" pictures that appear to show German soldiers in Afghanistan desecrating a human skull. But Bishop Wolfgang Huber, who heads the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), said such "shocking incidents" were not a reason to withdraw German armed forces from Afghanistan. Germany has about 2800 troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of an international force. Roman Catholic military chaplain Stefan Scheifele described the incidents as a "cry for help from home" and urged increased support for soldiers abroad. He said: "Often no one in Germany is interested in what the soldiers in the field are being put through." [309 words, ENI-06-0851]

S. African churches to convene AIDS meeting with unions and NGOs

Cape Town (ENI). South African churches are joining forces with trade unions, AIDS activists and non-governmental organizations to promote action on the HIV pandemic in a country where the number of AIDS-related deaths has been put at 700 a day. "In many parts of the world, governments and international donors are increasingly coming to realise that faith-based communities have the infrastructure in communities to address the critical needs around HIV/AIDS," said the Rev. Moiseraele Prince Dibeela, general secretary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. [393 words, ENI-06-0850]

Kremlin-supported group enlists Scriptures in fight against corruption

Moscow (ENI). A Russian organization with close ties to the Kremlin is quoting the Bible, the Jewish Torah and a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad in an anti-corruption drive to warn against the evils of bribery. "'Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.' All the people shall say, 'Amen!'" (Deuteronomy 27:25), reads the Bible verse in a 16-page pocket-sized booklet, titled "If You're Asked for a Bribe", and published by the Public Chamber, a Kremlin-supported group. [432 words, ENI-06-0849]

25 October 2006

Dublin (ENI). The (Anglican) Church of Ireland has pledged to combat sectarianism in Northern Ireland, following a meeting with leaders of the Sinn Fein political party, which wants to see the British-governed territory become part of a united Ireland. "We acknowledge the ongoing existence of sectarianism within all parts of our society and our responsibility to give leadership within our own church and beyond to end such practices," the denomination's leader, Archbishop Robin Eames, said. The talks - described by both sides as positive - represented the first public meeting between the leadership of the Church of Ireland and that of the predominantly Roman Catholic-supported Sinn Fein. [370 words, ENI-06-0846]

In Philippines, Christians and Muslims mark end of Ramadan

Manila (ENI). Messages to mark the end of Ramadan in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines have highlighted the need for understanding, reconciliation and peace, while a new survey has suggested that most Filipinos have a "favourable view" of Islam. "We wish to greet our brother Muslims as they end their month-long Ramadan, which has been a season of prayer and fasting in support of their great tradition of peaceful co-existence, compassion and solidarity," said Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. [344 words, ENI-06-0847]

Religious leaders often misconstrue media, says prize-winning journalist

Geneva (ENI). Many church leaders do not understand what journalism is all about, while secular media are often suspicious of religion, says Portuguese journalist Antonio Marujo, this year's winner of the John Templeton Prize for the European Religion Writer. "In the eyes of many church leaders, the media are just a modern form of pulpit. This is one of the biggest misunderstandings," said Marujo, religion writer with Publico, a Portuguese daily newspaper, delivering the annual lecture that goes with the prize. "The secular media show a great ignorance of and suspicion towards religion. On the other hand, religious institutions show a lack of confidence in the media, and seem to be unable to understand the fundamentals of journalism as well as to grasp the challenges of modern information technology." [347 words, ENI-06-0848]

24 October 2006

Beijing (ENI). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, says he believes that in some regions in China the percentage of the population attending church on Sundays is as large or even larger than that in most western European countries. "The astonishing and quite unpredictable explosion in Christian numbers in recent years is clearly connected to a widespread sense that the equally extraordinary explosion in the economic life has left many huge questions about personal and social values unanswered," said Williams at the end of his two-week visit. Williams, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, which numbers around 70 million people, said that if China was to develop the kind of civil society that will guarantee both stability and harmony, the Church is a vital partner. [367 words, ENI-06-0845]

Microfinance now successful way to combat poverty, says church 'bank'

Geneva (ENI). Oikocredit, an international church-supported microfinance institution, has approved more than 100 million euro worth of credits in the first 10 months of 2006, a record, it said, in reaching out to poor people often excluded by the commercial banking sector. At the same time, the Netherlands-based financial institution hailed the Nobel Peace Prize committee for awarding this year's prize to Bangladesh economist Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank for pioneering small loans to help overcome poverty. "We owe a great deal to Muhammad Yunus' innovative work of the last three decades," said Oikocredit managing director Tor G. Gull in a 24 October statement. "Muhammad Yunus has given a new perspective on life to the 1.1 billion people that live on less than a dollar a day." [316 words, ENI-06-0844]

Anglican bishop says Catholics should be more collegial

Hong Kong (ENI). The chairperson of the governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome, Bishop Stephen Patten, has invited the Roman Catholic Church to use its authority in a more collegial way, and to allow more freedom of expression in theological dialogue. "Catholics says Anglicans do not have a clear enough structure on authority, and I agree that there are areas it ought to be better. But I also believe the Catholic Church should exercise its authority in a much more collegial way," Patten, the Anglican bishop of Wakefield in England, said during a visit to Hong Kong. "Many Anglicans would be pleased to have a central figure - just like the Pope - in the church, but they want its role to be more collegial also." [348 words, ENI-06-0843]

23 October 2006

Trier, Germany (ENI). Germany's top Protestant cleric, Bishop Wolfgang Huber, has lambasted German parents for allowing their children uncontrolled access to modern media while at the same time not providing them with future prospects. "There is a lack of setting priorities correctly in the family, when parents themselves spend a lot of their free time with media consumption and then they are off course not an example for their children to do differently," said Huber who heads the German Protestant church (EKD). [314 words, ENI-06-0842]

Captured Israeli soldier's family appeals to Russian mufti for help

Moscow (ENI). Russia's top Muslim cleric has told the family of an Israeli soldier whose capture by Hezbollah in July helped spark the conflict with Lebanon that he will endeavour to discover what happened to the soldier, Ehud Goldwasser. "The mufti promised the family of the soldier that through his channels he will contact the spiritual leaders of Lebanon and Palestine to find out the fate of the soldier," said Gulnar Gazilyev, spokesperson of Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, the head of Russia's council of muftis. [396 words, ENI-06-0841]

Kenyan church leaders concerned over Somali refugees' influx

Nairobi (ENI). Church leaders are concerned over an influx of Somali refugees into Kenya, but are urging a "compassionate emergency response" for victims fleeing fighting between the Transitional Federal Government and the Union of Islamic Courts. "As a means of self preservation they have the right to flee," said the Rev. Maloba Wesoga, the administrative secretary of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Nairobi. "But the government should ensure that by hosting them it doesn't jeopardise security, resources and the general calm." [310 words, ENI-06-0839]

Ignorance about AIDS triggers stigma say Indian Christian activists

Nagpur, India (ENI). Christians are in the forefront in providing much of the care and treatment for people with HIV in India, but church workers say a lack of understanding about the pandemic is perpetuating stigma and discrimination. "Pastors without proper awareness drive away HIV people from the church. This only leads to their isolation and adds to the stigma," said David Cherian, who coordinates the social work of the Church of South India in the country's southern state of Kerala. [310 words, ENI-06-0840]

20 October 2006

Jerusalem (ENI). A Lutheran Holy Land leader, who was shocked to encounter school children begging by the road side, has pleaded for Palestinians, Israelis and the international community to get more than 700 000 Palestinian students back to school. Bishop Munib Younan, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, said in a pastoral letter that the children were staying at home because their schools remained closed due to an international boycott of aid to the Palestinian Authority's Hamas-led government since it won an election in January. [440 words, ENI-06-0835] Japan churches decry nuclear test, say US must talk to North Korea

Tokyo (ENI). A grouping of Japanese churches and Christian organizations has protested against North Korea's nuclear weapon test but would like to see the United States have direct negotiations with Pyongyang. "Possessing nuclear weapons and carrying out nuclear tests go directly against the life that has been given to human beings," the National Christian Council in Japan said after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Japanese leaders in Tokyo on the first stop of a north Asian tour. [394 words, ENI-06-0836]

South African church leaders to meet Mbeki on accord to fight crime

Johannesburg (ENI). South African Christian leaders plan to meet President Thabo Mbeki soon to discuss a plan to involve the Church and the community in a national effort to fight the country's rampant crime. This follows a spate of crimes involving churches and church people themselves. This week four armed robbers held up a priest and two women employees at Johannesburg's Roman Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King, stealing cash, church icons and jewellery. [368 words, ENI-06-0837]

Malawi government ruling takes Christian universities by surprise

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Church leaders have reacted with surprise to a Malawi government decision not to recognise the country's two church-run universities, saying the ruling will hamper the task of providing quality education for the central African nation. "Teachers and staff engaging themselves in studying at the said institutions risk having their qualifications not recognised, therefore rendering the whole process fruitless," the Malawi government stated in a circular which has recently become public. [367 words, ENI-06-0838]

19 October 2006

Oslo (ENI). The former general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev. Gunnar Staalsett, has said he is "highly surprised" at reports that the federation's former president Bishop Zoltan Kaldy was an agent of the communist era Hungarian secret police. The claims were made in early October by Norwegian theology professor Tormod Engelsviken who had access to Kaldy's secret police files as part of a three-year study into relations between the Lutheran Church in Hungary and ecumenical organizations, in particular the LWF. [372 words, ENI-06-0832]

Swiss ethicist Stueckelberger warns of disasters from global warming

Nairobi (ENI). Swiss ethicist Christoph Stueckelberger says he fears that most countries will not be able to reduce Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions below the Kyoto Protocol levels, which countries agreed to in 1997, to check against global warming. "We already fear and know that most of the countries will not reach the goals and obligations of the Kyoto protocol. That will mean there is danger that more and more disasters will happen," Basel professor Stueckelberger and founder of the Globethics network told Ecumenical News International. [283 words, ENI-06-0833]

Future church leaders prepare at Bossey Institute in Swiss vineyards

Bossey, Switzerland (ENI). Quiet vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva seem an unlikely setting for the preparation of future church leaders. And yet the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute at Bossey has been a unique international centre for Christian dialogue and learning for six decades, since its creation in 1946. The latest group of almost 40 young leaders from almost as many countries have arrived in Switzerland for a five-month intensive graduate school. All have a first university degree, and are enthusiastically discovering the study facilities at the Ecumenical Institute, along with the opportunity to share with others their own diverse assumptions and traditions. [842 words, ENI-06-0834]

18 October 2006

Windhoek (ENI). A Roman Catholic priest who founded Namibia's only day-care centre for prostitutes is working to improve their lot in the face of high rates of HIV and abhorrence of the sex trade by society. "These women are hated by many, but I have tried to give them dignity and the knowledge that there is life after the streets," said the Rev. Herman Klein-Hitpass, the founder of Stand Together, the day-care centre based in Katutura, a Windhoek suburb that was once a township only for black people. [451 words, ENI-06-0831]

Muslims ask Malawi president to ease VP's bail over Ramadan

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Malawi's Islamic Council of Ulama has written to President Bingu wa Mutharika urging him to ease the bail conditions set for treason-charged Vice President Cassim Chilumpha during the holy month of Ramadan, says a Muslim leader. They want the leader, whose bail restricts him to his home, to be allowed to pray with fellow Muslims. Chilumpha was arrested in April accused of plotting to assassinate the president. He was given bail, but put under house arrest. [334 words, ENI-06-0829]

Christian values help 'uphold' integrity in Asian higher education

Hong Kong (ENI). Integrating Christian values into higher education in Asia has helped safeguard academic integrity, says the new leader of an Asian Christian higher education body, a former professor of ethnic studies at a US university. "Asia's economy is booming, but there is a great need for spirituality," Jun Xing, the new vice-president in charge of programmes for the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, has told Ecumenical News International. [374 words, ENI-06-0830]

17 October 2006

Jerusalem (ENI). An Israeli ministerial committee is looking into the country's continued support of Irineos I, the deposed leader of the Greek Orthodox church in Jerusalem in a situation described by one leader in the denomination as "catastrophic". The World Council of Churches has demanded that Israel withdraw its backing of Irineos and acknowledge Theophilos III as the church's new leader in Jerusalem. "A special ministerial committee - as requested by interior minister Roni Bar-On - is investigating the matter," Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson, Mark Regev, told Ecumenical News International. [389 words, ENI-06-0826]

Quake victims in Pakistan facing harsh winter says church aid agency

New Delhi (ENI). A year has passed since the devastating earthquake in Pakistan, but a church aid group working there has warned that most of the three million quake victims are without proper shelter and face an encroaching harsh winter. "There is only a small window of time before winter hits. We are faced with a ticking time bomb," cautioned Mervan Pervez, the director for Afghanistan and Pakistan of the US-based Church World Service which works there with Geneva-based ACT International. [322 words, ENI-06-0827]

Priests and lawyers want Indonesia at international court over executions

Singapore (ENI). Lawyers and Roman Catholic priests say they are seeking to take Indonesia to the International Criminal Court for the execution of three Christians last month for their part in a mob killing. The inter-denominational Indonesian group, Advocacy Service for Justice and Peace in Indonesia (PADMA), said the executions were illegal and unconstitutional. This is because the accused were denied their constitutional rights to make a second appeal for clemency under Indonesian law, were executed in an "inhuman and uncivilised way" and were not buried according to their religious beliefs and wishes. [321 words, ENI-06-0828]

16 October 2006

Nagpur, India (ENI). Christians and other faith groups have challenged anti-conversion laws enacted by some Indian states by publicly burning copies of the controversial legislation and carrying out mass conversions of Hindus. Thousands of people gathered at a rally for religious freedom in Nagpur in central India to witness the mass conversions of low-caste Hindu Dalits to Christianity and Buddhism. By converting, they hope to escape the prejudice and discrimination they often face as Dalits. [335 words, ENI-06-0821]

Christian Orthodox leader says Pope's Turkey visit is a 'good sign'

Istanbul (ENI). The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI is to travel to Turkey in November on a visit that some say might help overcome a 1000 year rift between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Pope's visit from 28 November to 1 December will take him to the capital Ankara as well as Istanbul, once the Christian Byzantine city of Constantinople, where he will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, the Vatican announced. [450 words, ENI-06-0825]

Christian pastor shot dead in Indonesia

Singapore (ENI). An unidentified assailant has shot dead a Christian pastor on an island in Indonesia where Muslim-Christian tension is high following the execution of three Roman Catholics last month. The gunman shot the Rev. Irianto Kongkoli in the head while the cleric was shopping with his wife in Palu, the provincial capital of Central Sulawesi, a local police chief said. After the shooting the gunman fled on a waiting motorcycle along with an accomplice. [253 words, ENI-06-0823]

Christian groups call for inquiry into London 'mega-mosque' plan

London (ENI). Plans for a mosque in east London large enough to accommodate more than 40 000 worshippers are generating opposition from two Christian groups, the Barnabas Fund and the Christian Peoples Alliance. Tablighi Jamaat, which says it is a Muslim missionary organization, has acquired land for the proposed buildings on a site less than one kilometre from the designated 2012 Olympic Village. The centre would be Britain's biggest religious building, four times the size of the mosque in Morden, south London, and far bigger than Liverpool's Anglican cathedral which can seat 3000. [335 words, ENI-06-0822]

World church leader urges new UN head to tackle reform urgently

Geneva (ENI). The head of the world's largest grouping of churches, the Rev Samuel Kobia, has told the newly elected secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, that one of the important tasks ahead is the urgent reform of the United Nations. "This, no doubt will receive your urgent attention and action," said Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches in a congratulatory letter to Ban, the foreign minister of South Korea. "The international community has in recent times expressed its concern about the urgency of carrying out these reforms." [442 words, ENI-06-0824]

13 October 2006

Geneva (ENI). The award of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize to Bangladesh economist Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank for pioneering small loans to poor people to set up in business has been hailed as a major boost for what is now called microfinance. "Muhammad Yunus gave a new perspective for life to the 1.1 billion people that live on less than a dollar a day," said Tor G. Gull, managing director of Oikocredit, originally set up as the Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society in 1975 by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches to offer a socially-just means of investment. "Many years ago, both Oikocredit and my Grameen Bank started with the big hope that we could reach out to many poor people with tiny loans," Yunus said in a statement released by Oikocredit. "And we managed to do so." [382 words, ENI-06-0820]

Kenyan Anglican leader to listen to Muslim claims of harassment

Nairobi (ENI). The head of Kenya's Anglican church says he will investigate complaints by Muslims that they have been subject to harassment and intimidation by a police anti-terrorism unit. "I will be reaching out to the Muslims to hear what their grievances are," said Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi in Nairobi. "When Kenyans protest it means there is something they are not happy about." Muslims have been holding demonstrations demanding the dismantling of the unit, accusing it of harassment during the Ramadan holy month, especially in the evenings. [389 words, ENI-06-0818]

Adventists say they want professors to be church members

New York (ENI). Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have decided that faculty and board members of their denominational colleges and other educational institutions should be members of the denomination in "good and regular standing". The decision, made on 11 October during an annual denominational council meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, is seen as a way to maintain the religious identity of the denomination's schools. Still, the motion did not pass without considerable discussion, the Adventist News Network reported. Several delegates pointed out the difficulty of finding and hiring qualified Adventist faculty members. Some also questioned the assumption that employees who are not church members could not adequately reflect Adventist values. [306 words, ENI-06-0819]

European church group leader wants to strengthen Protestant voice

Warsaw (ENI). The newly-elected general secretary of Europe's biggest grouping of Protestant churches says he wants to strengthen the "Protestant voice" in European affairs, while also stepping up dialogue with other religious traditions. "There is a specific Protestant source of ethics, particularly towards freedom and responsibility, which could be helpful in discussing contemporary issues in Europe," said the Rev. Michael Buenker, who takes over in January as general secretary of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Buenker, a 52-year-old Lutheran pastor, was speaking following his election in September at the general assembly in Budapest of the grouping, which has 104 European Protestant churches in membership. He said his priorities would include "deepening the community of churches" through worship and common prayer, as well as strengthening the Protestant voice on issues such as immigration and the future of the European Union. [356 words, ENI-06-0817]

12 October 2006

New York (ENI). The head of the US National Council of Churches says he is shocked by the results of a new study estimating that more than 600 000 Iraqis may have died as a result of the US-led invasion of March 2003. "The perpetrators of this war can no longer tell us this is 'collateral damage'," said the Rev. Robert Edgar, NCC general secretary, a prominent opponent of the invasion of Iraq. "They must face up to the widespread death and destruction that is being inflicted daily upon innocent men, women and children." The study conducted by US and Iraqi epidemiologists and based on a national survey has been disputed by US George Bush. Researchers say their approach is more reliable than counting dead bodies. [246 words, ENI-06-0813]

Malawi churches join worldwide anti-poverty campaign

Blantyre (ENI). Churches in Malawi are gearing up their efforts in the fight against poverty by forming a local section of the Micah Challenge, a worldwide network of Christian relief, development and justice agencies. The Micah Challenge was launched internationally in October 2004 by South African Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane to mobilise Christian support for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include halving the rate of "absolute global poverty" by 2015. Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika is expected to join church leaders in the capital Lilongwe for the official launch of Micah Challenge Malawi on 15 October, the UN-sponsored International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. [231 words, ENI-06-0815]

Salvation Army in Moscow welcomes European court ruling

Moscow (ENI). A leader of the Salvation Army in Russia has welcomed a decision by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that the denomination's Moscow branch had been wrongly denied registration after being labelled a "quasi-military organisation". In its unanimous 5 October decision on the case, which was lodged in 2001, the court ruled that Russia was in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and awarded the Salvation Army 10 000 euros in damages. Religious organizations operating in Russia were required to re-register under a 1997 law. The Salvation Army was granted federal registration but Moscow authorities refused to re-register the local branch, which is known in Russia's capital for its ministry to street children and the hungry. [276 words, ENI-06-0814]

Ailing Farrakhan says Nation of Islam will flourish without him

Oxford (ENI). The delicate and apparently declining health of Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam movement in the United States, has left observers questioning the future stability of his religious and political organization. "In this period of testing, you can prove to the world that the Nation of Islam is more than the charisma, eloquence and personality of Louis Farrakhan," 73-year-old Farrakhan said in a September letter to supporters in which he disclosed that he was seriously ill. An accomplished classical violinist, Farrakhan has since 1979 headed the Nation of Islam, which traces its origins to a separatist movement founded in the 1930s to help blacks overcome racism and poverty. [365 words, ENI-06-0816]

11 October 2006

Hong Kong (ENI). China is developing as a global leader with potential to help solve the world's problems, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has said in Nanjing during his first visit to the People's Republic which will also take him to the capital, Beijing. "China is emerging as a senior partner in the fellowship of nations; a country whose economy is changing so fast and whose profile in the world has become so recognisable and distinctive that we can't imagine a global future without the Chinese presence," Williams told a reception for Chinese scholars who had studied in Britain. "Yours is a society which will have messages to give to the rest of the world, but I hope too that it's a society willing to receive and to hear what the rest of the world has to say." [403 words, ENI-06-0810]

Kenya Mau Mau veterans seek church support for compensation

Nairobi (ENI). Survivors of an armed insurrection in Kenya against British rule 50 years ago say they are looking to churches to support legal action against the former colonial power for allegedly torturing or illegally killing thousands of Kenyans. "A lot of them are big church goers," said Martin Day, the British lawyer acting for the veterans of the insurgency. "They are very religious in their beliefs, and so having the support of the Church will mean a lot to them." A claim seeking compensation for about 10 Kenyans seen as test cases was served on the British government, according to Kenyan radio reports. If Britain does not agree an out-of-court settlement, the case could go before the High Court in London. [354 words, ENI-06-0812]

Nigerian elections must be free and fair, says new Methodist leader

Abuja (ENI). The new leader of Nigeria's Methodist church has called on the country's government to ensure that general elections scheduled for 2007 are free and fair. "More than anything else, Nigeria needs free, fair and credible general elections that would enthrone a purposeful leadership for the country," the Rev. Ola Makinde, prelate-elect of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, told Ecumenical News International. Political tension has increased ahead of the elections which should see President Olusegun Obasanjo hand over power to another elected president, the first such transition since Nigeria gained independence from Britain. [348 words, ENI-06-0811]

10 October 2006

Dublin (ENI). The Rev. Ian Paisley, who heads Northern Ireland's largest political party, the Democratic Unionist Party, has met the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland in what has been hailed as a step to overcome tension in the religiously-divided territory. Paisley, who has in the past faced accusations of making inflammatory remarks against Roman Catholics, met the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, Dr Sean Brady, in Belfast. "We had a very good and useful exchange of views across a range of issues," Paisley, who also leads the Free Presbyterian Church, was quoted saying after the meeting. "It is in the interests of everyone to develop the foundations for stability and prosperity for all the people of Northern Ireland." [360 words, ENI-06-0807]

Killing of bishop 'politically motivated', say Philippine church leaders

Manila (ENI). Church leaders in the Philippines say the slaying of a bishop belonging to the Philippine Independent Church was probably politically motivated and not the result of a robbery as police have stated. "We are outraged by the violent manner by which our esteemed co-chairperson was killed," the country's Ecumenical Bishops Forum said. "It was an assault that cannot be dismissed as another case of robbery and homicide as the police reported." Bishop Alberto B. Ramento was found dead on 3 October with multiple stab wounds in the parish of San Sebastian, Tarlac City, 105 kilometres north of Manila. Some critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have accused her administration of trying to silence critics through a series of extra-judicial killings. Arroyo denies there is any such policy and her military chiefs have instead blamed the political killings on the armed wing of the clandestine Communist Party of the Philippines. [318 words, ENI-06-0808]

Polish Catholics warned against talking to Jehovah's Witnesses

Warsaw, 10 October (ENI)--Roman Catholics in Poland have been warned against conversing with Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious movement which has spread rapidly in the country since the collapse of communist rule 17 years ago. "It is important to be aware who we are talking to - members of a non-Christian community who do not recognise the dogmas of Holy Trinity or Incarnation and propose a false path to life and salvation," the church's Poznan archdiocese said. The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in the United States in 1872 and since then have spread around the world, grouped in an association called the Watchtower Society. The movement's authorised information site (www.jw-media.org) says Jehovah's Witnesses are "members of a worldwide Christian religion" who "base their beliefs solely on the principles found in the Holy Bible and view first-century Christianity as their model". [295 words, ENI-06-0809]

9 October 2006

Geneva (ENI). The head of the World Council of Churches has condemned North Korea's claimed nuclear weapon test as a threat to world security and says it reflects the failure of nuclear-armed states to meet their international disarmament obligations. "North Korean nuclear testing must not be allowed to cause a chain reaction involving Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and possibly others such as Indonesia and Australia," said WCC general secretary, the Rev. Samuel Kobia. "A nuclear test by a new state in 2006 is not only a new regional threat to world security," Kobia stated. "It is also a dangerous consequence of the failure to meet international political obligations and commitments especially among those governments who have taken up nuclear arms, openly or otherwise." [331 words, ENI-06-0803]

Priest mulling sainthood for Pope John Paul faces 'agent' claims

Warsaw (ENI). A senior Polish Roman Catholic priest who is a member of a tribunal considering sainthood for the late Pope John Paul II has been named in newspaper reports as a former communist secret police agent. Michal Jagosz, the Rome-based chairperson of the tribunal's six-member historical team, was recruited before moving from Poland to take up a Vatican assignment in 1984, the Polish Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper stated. Jagosz has denied the allegation, saying in an interview with the newspaper that the claim was "completely at variance with the truth". [304 words, ENI-06-0804]

Evangelical Christian rally is tourist boost for Jerusalem

Jerusalem (ENI). Jerusalem is hosting more than 4000 evangelical Christians from about 80 countries for a gathering that has been billed as Israel's single largest tourism event of the year. Media reports stated that the Israeli economy is expected to be bolstered by about US$15 million as a result of the week-long annual event organized by the pro-Israel International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and which coincides with the celebration of Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. "Since 1980, God has used this ministry to revive the ancient biblical tradition of the nations coming to Jerusalem to keep this festival of joy," the Rev. Malcolm Hedding, the embassy's executive director told the Jerusalem Post newspaper. [284 words, ENI-06-0805]

Churches hail Indian recipient of 'Alternative Nobel Prize'

New Delhi (ENI). Christian groups in India have hailed rights activist Ruth Manorama, a member of the Church of South India, one of the joint winners of this year's Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the "Alternative Nobel Prize". "We are indeed proud of her," said Bishop D. K. Sahu, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India after the announcement that Manorama had been selected for the award that honours people working on issues such as peace and human rights. Founded in 1980, the Right Livelihood Awards are presented annually in the Swedish parliament. Announcing the news of the award to Manorama, the Right Livelihood Award foundation described her as "India's most effective organiser of and advocate for dalit women, belonging to the 'scheduled castes' sometimes also called 'untouchables'". [392 words, ENI-06-0806]

6 October 2006

Oslo (ENI). Zoltan Kaldy, the Hungarian bishop who was president of the Lutheran World Federation from 1984 to 1987, was an agent of his country's secret police from the late 1950s, says Norwegian theology professor Tormod Engelsviken. Engelsviken told the Christian daily newspaper Vart Land he reached his conclusions after a three-year study of relations between the Lutheran Church in Hungary and ecumenical organisations, in particular the LWF. [447 words, ENI-06-0799]

Tutu, turning 75, laments Anglican position on homosexuals

Cape Town (ENI). Archbishop Desmond Tutu says he has been saddened by his Anglican church's position about the ordination of gay priests, in his biography, entitled "Rabble Rouser for Peace", which is to be released in the United States and Europe on his 75th birthday. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who gained the award in 1984, at the height of the struggle against apartheid, is also critical in the book of former South African president F.W. de Klerk for his failure to more fully admit accountability for apartheid atrocities. [661 words, ENI-06-0801]

Church opens hospital for quake anniversary in Pakistan

New Delhi (ENI). A 60-bed Christian hospital has been inaugurated in the northern Kashmir region of Pakistan a year after the territory was devastated by a powerful earthquake. More than 75 000 people were killed and over three million people were made homeless when the earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale hit northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005 with the epicentre of the quake in the Kashmir region bordering India. It was an area often in the headlines due to decades of tension between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir territory, and the presence of Islamic militants there. [408 words, ENI-06-0802]

Pentecostals have a major influence on life globally US survey finds

New York (ENI). A stereotype of Pentecostals and charismatic Christians as apolitical and retreating from social concerns is not valid, with sizeable numbers of those surveyed in the Unites States asserting the right of religious groups to express political views. The study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, a Washington-based research group, matches other studies and anecdotal evidence that Pentecostals and charismatic Christians are having a major influence on religious life globally. "This survey demonstrates that Pentecostal beliefs and practices are literally reshaping the face of Christianity throughout the developing world," Luis Lugo, Pew Forum director said in announcing the study. [359 words, ENI-06-0800]

5 October 2006

Warsaw (ENI). A Hungarian church leader has called for the anniversary of the 1956 uprising against the Soviet presence in his country to be used to overcome current divisions and to remind churches of their "prophetic role" in bridge-building and upholding values. "This was a unique event, when all faiths and political groups were able to act together for freedom," said Bishop Peter Gancs, president of the southern district of Hungary's Lutheran church. "We've now regained our freedom without the bloodshed and sacrifice of 50 years ago. But we've misused this gift from God and our freedom is again endangered." [452 words, ENI-06-0795]

Zambia churches call for acceptance of national poll outcome

Lusaka (ENI). Despite having clashed in the past with President Levy Mwanawasa over constitutional and electoral reforms, the three main church groupings in Zambia have urged acceptance of his re-election. Mwanawasa's Movement for Multiparty Democracy, after trailing in early results, won 72 of the 148 parliamentary seats. But the opposition Patriotic Front of Michael Sata won control of some key urban areas such as the capital Lusaka and in the industrial Copperbelt. The mainly Protestant Council of Churches in Zambia, the Zambia Episcopal Conference representing Roman Catholic bishops and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia urged the southern African nation to unite and rise above the "divisive election period" to enable meaningful development. [338 words, ENI-06-0794]

Kenyan Anglican backs pressure on EU to change trade position

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan Anglican Bishop Gideon Ireri, who co-ordinates the justice and peace department of his denomination, says the European Union should change its position on free-trade negotiations with developing countries, a demand made by civil society groups in east and southern Africa. "I support the civil society in opposing Economic Planning Agreements. It's akin to a debt burden where poor countries continue to grow poorer," Ireri told Ecumenical News International from Nyeri in northern Kenya in a telephone interview. [259 words, ENI-06-0796]

World Association for Christian Communication, now Toronto-based

Toronto (ENI). The World Association for Christian Communication has held its first meeting at its new global headquarters in Toronto. The organization is known for its global advocacy work on behalf of groups which do not have access to communication media or who consider themselves to be misrepresented or stereotyped in news stories. WACC leaders say it is launching a major programmatic initiative focused on the role of the media in peace building. [199 words, ENI-06-0797]

After 170 years, Japan's oldest block-print Gospel goes audio digital

Tokyo (ENI). The oldest block-printed Japanese translation of St John's Gospel from 1837 has been republished with narrated excerpts in compact discs, says the publisher, the Japan Bible Society. The original translation was done in Macao by Karl Friedrich August Guetzlaff, a German-born Protestant missionary of the Netherlands Missionary Society and it was printed in what is now Singapore. [278 words, ENI-07-06-0798]

4 October 2006

Hong Kong (ENI). Hong Kong Christians have protested to the authorities in their Special Administrative Region of China that is often touted as one of the world's financial capitals, urging them to pass minimum wage legislation. "A fair wage means that workers should be able to sustain their families, and have protection for their future needs," said Lawrence An, the general secretary of the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs at a prayer meeting before a rally. [350 words, ENI-06-0791]

Philippine Catholic university has interfaith dialogue at Ramadan

Baguio City, Philippines (ENI). A Philippine Catholic university aims to build bridges among various religions through what it designated as World Religion Week, timed to mark the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is in progress. The Catholic-run Saint Louis University believes this will help promote tolerance and understanding among all religions after an international furore was triggered by a September speech of Pope Benedict XVI in which he quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who referred to "evil and inhuman" aspects of Islam. [360 words, ENI-06-0793]

US church council head says he is to step down at end of 2007

New York (ENI). The general secretary of the US National Council of Churches (NCC), the Rev. Robert Edgar, has announced he will not seek a third term as head of the largest ecumenical body in the United States. "I care deeply about the council and have invested my best self in the work," Edgar announced in a statement in which he said: "The council has been returned to financial stability and has reclaimed its place as a prophetic ecumenical voice heeding Christ's call to serve the least among us." [250 words, ENI-0792]

3 October 2006

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). A rural setting defined by tidy farms, kerosene lanterns for home lighting and the steady beat of horse hooves pulling buggies was shattered when a gunman thought to be bearing a simmering grudge entered a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania and opened fire on a dozen girls before committing suicide. Five girls have died, and several more have been hospitalised with severe gunshot wounds by the killer who seemed to beat no grudge specifically against the Amish. [343 words, ENI-06-0788]

World awash with firearms warn Tutu, Dalai Lama, Muslim leaders

Cape Town (ENI). Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu has joined other religious leaders in calling on governments to bring the "global horror story" of the arms trade under control. "The world is awash with weapons, including an estimated 640 million firearms, or one gun for every 10 people on the planet," the religious leaders say in a letter published in London's The Times newspaper ahead of a vote on an international arms trade treaty at the UN General Assembly in New York. [337 words, ENI-06-0787]

Recognise new Greek Orthodox Jerusalem head, WCC urges Israel

Geneva (ENI). The World Council of Churches (WCC) has written to the Israeli government, urging it to recognise promptly Patriarch Theophilos III as head of the Greek Orthodox church of Jerusalem. "I write to convey the deep concern of the World Council of Churches and request remedial action at the long delay by the Government of Israel in recognising His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III as the head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem," said WCC general secretary, the Rev. Samuel Kobia in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. [358 words, ENI-06-0790]

Cardinal charges British TV programme on child abuse is malicious

London (ENI). The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has condemned a documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation that alleged Pope Benedict XVI took part in a cover-up of child abuse by priests while he was still a cardinal. "Your programme sets out to inflict grave damage on Pope Benedict, the leader of a billion Catholics throughout the world," Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor wrote in a letter released to BBC director general Mark Thompson. "This is malicious and untrue and based on a false presentation of Church documents." [284 words, ENI-06-0789]

2 October 2006

Trier, Germany (ENI). A German Catholic bishop has lashed out at the rise of top management salaries by up to 30 per cent at the same time as companies are plunged into bankruptcy and jobs are cut. Reinhard Marx, the bishop of Trier and chairperson of the German episcopal Commission for Societal and Social Matters, told the local newspaper, Trierischer Volksfreund, he thought such salary hikes were "audacious". [210 words, ENI-06-0782]

French debate proposed changes to law on Church and State

Paris (ENI). A report presented to French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy has sparked controversy by proposing to amend the country's strict laws separating church and state by allowing local authorities to finance the construction of new places of worship. The proposal drawn up by a committee under Paris law professor Jean-Pierre Machelon is seen by its supporters as responding to the lack of places of worship in France for Muslims and evangelical Protestants, two religious traditions almost totally absent from the country when the separation of Church and State was approved in 1905. [405 words, ENI-06-0785]

Obasanjo urges Nigerians on freedom anniversary to turn to God

Abuja (ENI). President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to turn to God if the country is to overcome intractable problems that have bedevilled Africa's most populous nation during its 46 years of nationhood. "We have come out of the dark past and as we continue to work together and plan together, our dear country, in God's name, we will continue to make progress," Obasanjo said in a nationwide broadcast. "We are a strong, God-fearing, proud and productive people; we must continue to make progress." [348 words, ENI-06-0784]

First Sri Lanka ordained Anglican women say dream comes true

New Delhi (ENI). The first women priests in Sri Lanka's Anglican church say their ordination is a dream come true. "I have no words to describe my joy," the Rev. Chandrika Mayurawathie, one of the first three women ordained in September into the Church of Ceylon told Ecumenical News International. "I have waited and prayed for this ordination for years," said Mayurawathie, who completed a bachelor's degree in theology in 1996 and was speaking from Colombo. [325 words, ENI-06-0783]

Japanese group wants Nagasaki churches to be world heritage site

Tokyo (ENI). A Japanese group is promoting an international campaign to declare the Roman Catholic churches in Nagasaki in southwestern Japan a world heritage site. "Knowing the splendid value and long history of belief of the Nagasaki Church Group, we want to make it known to all people," the group says in its motivation for declaring the Nagasaki churches a World Heritage site. Nagasaki has long been a stronghold of Christianity in Japan, but the city has become known more recently as the second place to suffer an atomic bombing, when it was attacked in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. [324 words, ENI-06-0786]

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