Istanbul (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI has prayed with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomeos I, who is often referred to as the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, making a step to healing a 1000 year rift, which the pontiff said obstructs the proclamation of the Gospel. "The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world and an obstacle to the proclamation of the Gospel," said Benedict at a service with Bartholomeos. [437 words, ENI-06-0945]

Russian Orthodox leaders say they can work with Pope Benedict

Moscow (ENI). In interviews coinciding with Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Istanbul to meet with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Barthomeos I, two senior Russian Orthodox clerics praised his intelligence and moderation in relations with their church. "I have a very high regard for his theology, for his discipline of mind and word," Metropolitan Kirill of Kaliningrad and Smolensk, chairperson of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations, told Moscow News. [356 words, ENI-06-0946]

Feuding Malawi Presbyterian synods veto mediation talks

Blantyre (ENI). Two of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian synods in Malawi which are at loggerheads with one another over boundaries, have rejected offers from the country's civil society to act as arbitrators. The feuding synods, whose problems have been aired in the national media, are those of Livingstonia in northern Malawi and Nkhoma in the central part of the country. Some Presbyterians have said the difficulties stem from language differences, but others says they hark back to the different origins of the synods. They say the Nkhoma synod had its roots in the Dutch Reformed Church, whereas Livingstonia was started by Church of Scotland missionaries. [288 words, ENI-06-0947]

30 November 2006

Istanbul (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI has prayed with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomeos I, who is often referred to as the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, making a step to healing a 1000 year rift, which the pontiff said obstructs the proclamation of the Gospel. "The divisions which exist among Christians are a scandal to the world and an obstacle to the proclamation of the Gospel," said Benedict at a service with Bartholomeos. [437 words, ENI-06-0945]

Russian Orthodox leaders say they can work with Pope Benedict

Moscow (ENI). In interviews coinciding with Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Istanbul to meet with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Barthomeos I, two senior Russian Orthodox clerics praised his intelligence and moderation in relations with their church. "I have a very high regard for his theology, for his discipline of mind and word," Metropolitan Kirill of Kaliningrad and Smolensk, chairperson of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations, told Moscow News. [356 words, ENI-06-0946]

Feuding Malawi Presbyterian synods veto mediation talks

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Two of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian synods in Malawi which are at loggerheads with one another over boundaries, have rejected offers from the country's civil society to act as arbitrators. The feuding synods, whose problems have been aired in the national media, are those of Livingstonia in northern Malawi and Nkhoma in the central part of the country. Some Presbyterians have said the difficulties stem from language differences, but others says they hark back to the different origins of the synods. They say the Nkhoma synod had its roots in the Dutch Reformed Church, whereas Livingstonia was started by Church of Scotland missionaries [288 words, ENI-06-0947]

29 November 2006

Ankara (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI has called for an "authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims" at the start of one of this most difficult journeys since he became the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in April 2005. The second day of his visit, amid continuing tight security, the pontiff left Ankara for Ephesus, the ancient city where the Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days. During an open-air Mass in Ephesus, Benedict paid tribute to a Catholic priest who was killed following the outbreak of global Muslim outrage after the publication of Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in February. [438 words, ENI-06-0942] Rebuilding of Chechnya Russian church is 'healing', says bishop

Moscow (ENI). After standing in ruins for more than a decade, the only Russian Orthodox church in Chechnya's capital has been restored. The consecration of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Grozny was led by Bishop Feofan of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz, who presides over a region settled by Christians and Muslims, but riven by tragedy. Particularly horrific, was the school hostage-taking in Beslan, Northern Ossetia, near Vladikavkaz, in September 2004. [352 words, ENI-06-0943]

Korea-Japan dialogue starts for Asian theology of reconciliation

Kyoto, Japan (ENI). Theologians from Korea and Japan, its coloniser in the first half of the 20 century, have begun a dialogue in search of an Asian theology that can act to reconcile, and that goes beyond nationalism in both countries. The two-day Korea-Japan Theology Forum 2006 was held in Kyoto. It was hosted by the Japan Society of Christian Studies. Organizers said the meeting was unprecedented and that it was the most significant communication between theologians from the two countries in recent years. [374 words, ENI-06-0941]

Protestants to mobilise for 2007 World Social Forum in Kenya

Nairobi (ENI). Kenyan Protestant church leaders have pledge to mobilise their followers for the 2007 World Social Forum to be held in Nairobi from 20-25 January, saying their presence there will be of critical importance. "We cannot let others arbitrate issues for our followers as we watch," said the Rev. Habil Omungu of the Kenya Anglican Church as leaders announced plans for the meeting of proponents worldwide of an alternative way of conducting economic life. [241 words, ENI-06-0944]

28 November 2006

Bangalore, India (ENI). Christian groups in India are mourning the killing of a prominent Christian worker who had converted from Islam and was shot dead at a bus stop in front of his home in the state Kashmir. The Global Council of Indian Christians has demanded that the federal police fully investigate the killing of Bashir Tantray, the slain man, who worked in his spare time for the church group. People close to him said he was gunned down by motor-cycle borne Islamic militants. [344 words, ENI-06-0939]

Church of Norway synod votes to change relations with the State

Oslo (ENI). The general synod of the (Lutheran) Church of Norway has voted for the first time to radically change the church's relations with the State, the denomination's information service has reported. A total of 63 out of 85 synod delegates voted that the church should no longer be referred to in the country's constitution as a State or national church. As the governing body of the church, the synod has in it the Church of Norway's 11 bishops and 11 diocesan councils. The synod decided that the church should be founded on a separate act passed by parliament and that the synod should itself assume all church authority now resting with the king and the government. [378 words, ENI-06-0938]

S. African Anglican leads march against abuse of women and children

Cape Town (ENI). Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has marched with the mayor of Cape Town, one of South Africa's capital cities, to mark a campaign against excessive violence against women and children. Before the march, Ndungane had told journalists, "The dire situation calls for all instruments of justice and security to play their part. It is our responsibility as citizens to play our part too." He was referring to a growing campaign in which churches are becoming more involved, to curb violent crime in South Africa. [242 words, ENI-06-0940]

Swedish WCC officer and daughter killed in Egypt car crash

Uppsala, Sweden (ENI). The Church of Sweden is mourning the loss of World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee member Inger Aasa Marklund and her eight-year-old daughter, Sara, after they were killed in a car accident about 100 kilometres from Cairo. Born in 1960, Aasa Marklund was the international secretary for the Church of Sweden's diocese of Lulea. The diocesan Bishop Hans Stiglund said: "It is a terrible thing that has happened. I have lost a good friend and member of staff." [243 words, ENI-06-0937]

27 November 2006

Rome (ENI). Improving relations with followers of Islam and with Christian Orthodoxy are two major challenges that Pope Benedict XVI will face on his four-day trip to Turkey, beginning on 28 November. The day before his departure, the BBC reported: "Pope Benedict XVI travels to Turkey this week on what is arguably the most dangerous, delicate and contested visit outside Italy made by any pope in modern times". [518 words, ENI-06-0934]

Nuclear weapons unacceptable in any form, Kobia tells Taiwanese

Taipei (ENI). The general secretary of the World Council of Churches has heard Christian leaders in Taipei express concerns about Taiwan's vulnerability due to the increasing proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region, especially the threat from China and North Korea. Kobia was visiting Taiwan and he addressed faculty and students of the Taiwan Theological College and Seminary, which dates back to 1872. "The World Council of Churches' policy on nuclear proliferation is very clear," Kobia responded. "The WCC calls for all countries with nuclear weapons not simply to commit to not using them, but to destroy them entirely." [312 words, ENI-06-0936]

Turkey still denying rights to religious minorities, says EU

Warsaw (ENI). The European Union accused Turkey of failing to protect religious minorities in the same month of a historic visit by Pope Benedict XVI. "Turkey's approach to minority rights remains unchanged," notes a 2006 report published by the European Commission in Brussels. "Non-Muslim religious communities are denied legal status and still have their property rights restricted. They also encounter problems in managing their foundations." The report was published in the run-up to a December summit of the EU, which began accession talks with Turkey in October 2005. [318 words, ENI-0935]

24 November 2006

Utrecht, Netherlands (ENI). A small Christian party is well placed to join the ruling Christian Democrats as a junior partner in the next Dutch government. The results of the 22 November general election in the Netherlands have focused media attention on increased support for two radical parties, the left-wing Socialist Party and the right-wing Party of Freedom. But gains made by the smaller Christian Union are also significant. The political minnow doubled its tally of parliamentary seats, from three to six. The result could catapult the CU to being a junior partner in the next government. [375 words, ENI-06-0930]

Russian Orthodox bishop notes limits to Pope's Turkey visit

Warsaw (ENI). A senior Russian Orthodox bishop has warned against viewing the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul as a meeting between heads of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. "In the family of Orthodox churches, the Patriarch of Constantinople is primus inter pares [first among equals], but his primacy is that of honour, not of jurisdiction, since he has no ecclesial authority over the other churches," said Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, the Russian church's representative to European institutions, in an interview with the Roman Catholic news agency Zenit. [446 words, ENI-06-0931]

Malawi police arrest two in connection with Anglican cleric's death

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Police in Malawi say they have arrested two Anglican church members in connection with the death of the Rev. Rodney Hunter who was an assistant priest for All Saints Anglican Cathedral of the Lake Malawi Diocese. Hunter's funeral was on 21 November. Aged 72, he died 11 days earlier. Full post-mortem results on his death have not been released. Interim results of the inquiry indicate, however, that he might have died of food poisoning said Laban Makalani, a police spokesperson from Nkhotakota in central Malawi. [398 words, ENI-06-0932]

Archbishop in England calls on airline to think again on cross ban

London (ENI). The Anglican Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, has called on British Airways (BA) to reconsider its decision to refuse to allow Nadia Eweida, a check-in worker, to wear a necklace cross on the outside of her uniform. The airline announced this week that her appeal against the original instruction not to wear the cross at work had been rejected. It said: "Personal jewellery, including crosses, may be worn - but underneath the uniform. ...The policy recognises that it is not practical for some religious symbols- such as turbans and [Islamic] hijabs to be worn underneath the uniform. This is purely a question of practicality. There is no discrimination between faiths whatsoever. We want Nadia to come back to work." Sentamu, second in the Church of England hierarchy, said: "This decision by British Airways is nonsense and is based on flawed reasoning. The basis for the decision should not be 'practicality' as BA suggests, but rather whether it impacts on Nadia's ability to carry out her duties at the check in counter." [373 words, ENI-06-0933]

23 November 2006

Rome (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, have prayed together and committed to strengthening Roman Catholic-Anglican ties. But the two churches remained divided over key issues, including the ordination of women priests and the role of homosexual clergy. The Pope and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion met at the Vatican to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the meeting between the then spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, Michael Ramsey, and Pope Paul VI, in 1966. [499 words, ENI-06-0928]

Christian and Muslim groups offer mediation role to curb Somalia war

Nairobi (ENI). An east African church grouping has joined with an inter-religious council and a leading NGO to urge religious leaders from the Horn of Africa to help avert a looming regional military confrontation in Somalia, as regional tensions continue to escalate. "We are alarmed by the escalating military confrontation in Somalia," the Rev. Fred Nyabera, the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa's executive director, told Ecumenical News international in Nairobi. [368 words, ENI-06-0929]

Zimbabweans are dying of depression says Bulawayo archbishop

London (ENI). Zimbabweans are dying of depression as well as from HIV/AIDS and hunger, 60-year old Pius Ncube, Zimbabwe's Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo, says. On a visit to Britain he told the BBC that inflation in the southern African country is in excess of 1000 per cent "and people are extremely depressed and tired of being harassed by President Mugabe's secret police, the Central Intelligence Organisation". [357 words, ENI-06-0926]

Nepal may get truth and reconciliation panel that churches seek

Bangalore, India (ENI). Churches in Nepal have hailed the signing of a peace treaty between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist leader Prachanda ending years of turmoil for the Himalayan country. "It was a great moment in the history of Nepal and probably in the whole world," said the National Christian Council of Nepal (NCCN) in a statement. "It ended the 11-year long conflict launched by the CPN (Maoists) and it opens a new door for peace, democracy, and development." [343 words, ENI-06-0927]

22 November 2006

Beirut, 22 November (ENI)-The normally jammed-packed streets of Beirut during rush hour were even more frantic as residents scrambled following the news that Christian politician Pierre Gemayel had been gunned down and killed in the streets of a Beirut suburb. Horns blared, sirens screeched and a thick air of apprehension took hold as people struggled with the news. For a while, mobile phones were inoperable as hordes of people tried to dial out at once. The 34-year-old's cabinet minister's killing was especially jarring for some in the diverse Christian community here and fears the assassination will lead to more violence. [499 words, ENI-06-0925]

China's growing power brings greater responsibility says WCC head

Beijing (ENI). The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia is leaving China for Taiwan following a week-long trip in which he told his hosts that the growing power the nation has brings "increased accountability" and "responsibility". In one speech, in Nanjing, Kobia who is a Methodist from Kenya, had referred to China's role in Africa. He said many Africans were "keen ... that China's increasing economic involvement with Africa should avoid the pitfalls that have characterised that continent's relationships with the economies of the West". [507 words, ENI-06-0924]

Excommunicated cleric challenges Zambian Catholic bishops

Lusaka (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Zambia and excommunicated archbishop Emmanuel Milingo who defied the Vatican by ordaining four married bishops, are waging an intercontinental war of words over the celibacy of clerics. The latest salvo came from Milingo, who was the archbishop of Lusaka, with the release of a statement of reaffirmation last week by Pope Benedict XVI that the Catholic Church remains committed to celibacy. Milingo responded from Washington saying, "Our organization also reaffirms the married priesthood in the same Roman Catholic Church." [468 words, ENI-06-0923]

Polish cardinal apologises for 'secret agent' remark to priest

Warsaw (ENI). The head of Poland's Roman Catholic Church Cardinal Jozef Glemp has written to a priest to apologise for branding him a "super-agent" for his role in exposing clergy members who had cooperated with the former communist regime. Krakow-based priest, the Rev. Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, told Poland's Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper. "I value the fact that this prince of the Polish church can write to a priest from the ranks and say sorry." He noted, "It shows we can differ on particular issues in the church, but that it's also human to make mistakes." [315 words, ENI-06-0922]

21 November 2006

Geneva (ENI). Religious leaders and faith-based organizations are questioning the global political will to fight HIV and AIDS in the light of the new 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update issued by UNAIDS. "The human toll of the epidemic is undeniable and increasing. "Our governments must still learn to keep their promises," said Dr. Sheila Shyamprasad of the Lutheran World Federation. She noted that "189 countries signed the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, but only 126 submitted their reports on how they have delivered [on their commitments]." [551 words, ENI-06-0918]

British Christians and Muslims unite to keep religion in Christmas

London (ENI). Britain's Christian Muslim Forum has strongly criticised moves to take the religious message out of Christmas in the country on the grounds that offence might be caused to members of other faiths. The forum, launched in January by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to promote interfaith relations, draws half its membership for the Muslim community. It warned that attempts to remove religion from the Christmas festival acted to encourage right-wing extremism. Some local governments have tried to excise references to Christianity from Christmas. One renamed their municipal celebrations "Winterval". [314 words, ENI-06-0917]

Lutheran and Reformed governing bodies hold first joint meeting

Geneva (ENI). Governing officers of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Lutheran World Federation, have met for the first time in a joint session, both church groupings said in a joint statement. At that meeting, the executive committee members of the LWF, which represents some 66 million Lutherans, and the officer of WARC, with about 75 million Reformed Christians in its fold, recommended that a new type of ecumenical assembly be considered to take place in 2013. This would bring together groupings of churches currently based in Geneva, including the World Council of Churches, the LWF and WARC. [391 words, ENI-06-0920]

Former US Air Force surgeon who rescued AIDS children, dies in Kenya

Nairobi (ENI). Angelo D'Agostino, a Roman Catholic who was once a surgeon in the US Air Force, but later became known for rescuing abandoned HIV positive children in Kenya for many years, has died aged 80. Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki described D'Agostino as a great Christian who worked assiduously in serving vulnerable members of society while propagating Christianity. "His death is not only a loss to the Nyumbani community, but to the nation at large," said Kibaki. [265 words, ENI-06-0921]

20 November 2006

New York (ENI). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has formally apologised for Lutheran persecution against Anabaptists in 16th-century Europe. A statement approved by the ELCA Church Council, the denomination's board of directors, during a meeting in Chicago declared the denomination was expressing "its deep and abiding sorrow and regret for the persecution and suffering visited upon the Anabaptists during the religious disputes of the past". [333 words, ENI-06-0916]

Russian Patriarch thanks Pope for donation to damaged cathedral

Moscow (ENI). Patriarch Alexei II of the Russian Orthodox Church has thanked Pope Benedict XVII for a donation he made towards the restoration of the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg, which was severely damaged by fire in August. In a letter by the Patriarch posted on his press service's Web site, www.patriarhia.ru, on 16 November, Alexei II praised Pope Benedict's gesture. "I regard your participation in the restoration of this house of God as a sign of sincere love for the Russian Orthodox Church, which, without a doubt, can serve as a guarantee for further development of our relations in the spirit of Christian brotherhood and mutual assistance," said the Patriarch. [305 words, ENI-06-0914]

Malawi aide denies Muslim TV head lost job because of his faith

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Rodrick Mulonya who was director general of Television Malawi - the only station in the southern African nation - says he has lost his job and been transferred to a government ministry because he is a Muslim. Mulonya said he was transferred from the government run television station to become director of administration and finance in the Ministry of Labour, a post that did not exist before. [375 words, ENI-06-0915]

20 November 2006

Russian Patriarch thanks Pope for donation to damaged cathedral

Moscow (ENI). Patriarch Alexei II of the Russian Orthodox Church has thanked Pope Benedict XVII for a donation he made towards the restoration of the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg, which was severely damaged by fire in August. A letter by the Patriarch posted on his press service's Web site, www.patriarhia.ru, praised Pope Benedict's gesture. "I regard your participation in the restoration of this house of God as a sign of sincere love for the Russian Orthodox Church, which, without a doubt, can serve as a guarantee for further development of our relations in the spirit of Christian brotherhood and mutual assistance," said the Patriarch. [305 words, ENI-06-0914]

Malawi aide denies Muslim TV head lost job because of his faith

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Rodrick Mulonya who was director general of Television Malawi - the only station in the southern African nation - says he has lost his job and been transferred to a government ministry because he is a Muslim. Mulonya said he was transferred from the government run television station to become director of administration and finance in the Ministry of Labour, a post that did not exist before. [375 words, ENI-06-0915]

17 November 2006

Nairobi (ENI). The World Council of Churches is urging those in power to "listen to the scientists and the cry of the Earth" and address climate change "with the extreme urgency that it demands" as the global situation is critical. The statement was delivered at the UN climate change conference in Kenya on its final day by Jesse Mugambi a University of Nairobi academic, who is a member of the WCC's working group on climate change. "Faith communities are addressing climate change because it is a spiritual and ethical issue of justice, equity, solidarity, sufficiency and sustainability. The situation is critical. We must all act now." [393 words, ENI-06-0910]

Religious leaders in Arab countries launch AIDS' response network

Cairo (ENI). More than 300 religious leaders have signed up to a new network bringing together diverse Muslim and Christian denominations from 20 Arab countries, as religious leaders responded as a "united force" to a mounting prevalence of HIV in their region. The First Network of Arab Religious Leaders Responding to AIDS was launched in Cairo under the acronym CHAHAMA. "The motto for CHAHAMA is 'Religions in the Service of Humanity'," stated Dr. Lina El Hemsy, a lecturer at the Kaftaro Islamic Center in Damascus. [476 words, ENI-06-0912]

Argentine church head urges others to join Norway's debt relief act

Geneva (ENI). An Argentine church leader has urged other countries to follow the unprecedented move by Norway to unconditionally cancel ill-obtained debt amounting to 63 million euro (U$81 million) that was owed by five countries. "We hope that other countries will follow on such measures," said the Rev Federico H. Schaefer, president of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP) of Argentina told Ecumenical News International after he had met Norwegian government officials in Geneva. [509 words, ENI-06-0911]

Trade justice activists fear it's 'business as usual' in WTO talks

Geneva (ENI). Church campaigners say they are concerned that the apparent resumption of international commerce negotiations at the World Trade Organization will be "business as usual" with corporate interests outweighing the need to end poverty. Negotiations in what are known as the "Doha Round" were suspended in July, but a meeting of WTO ambassadors in Geneva on 16 November gave the go-ahead for multilateral discussions to resume in negotiating groups on unresolved issues. [409 words, ENI-06-0913]

16 November 2006

New Delhi (ENI). A 60-year-old Roman Catholic Pakistani, Ranjha Masih, has been acquitted after being held in for eight and a half years in isolation at a prison awaiting trial on fabricated blasphemy charges. "We are really happy. This is a victory for Christians and those who believe in human rights," Joseph Francis, director of the Christian action group that pleaded Masih's appeal, told Ecumenical News International. [378 words, ENI-06-0908]

World's Christians want to learn from Chinese says WCC's Kobia

Shanghai (ENI). Christians from other parts of the world want to learn from followers of the faith in China, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches has said. Kobia was speaking to Chinese church representatives at his first meeting with them during a one-week visit by an ecumenical delegation to China and Taiwan led by the WCC head. "Without the involvement of the Chinese church in the ecumenical movement and the WCC in particular, we would be a much poorer fellowship," said Kobia. [490 words, ENI-06-0907]

Russian Patriarch censures Protestants denies closer Catholic ties

Warsaw (ENI). Russia's Orthodox Patriarch has accused Protestant churches of "permissiveness," while at the same time denying that his church is now closer to Roman Catholics as a result. "This vision of modern Protestantism is the consequence of a particularly worrying permissive spirit which reigns in the bosom of Western secular society with a laxity and liberalism which pervade everything," said Patriarch Alexei II in an interview with France's Paris Match magazine. [358 words, ENI-06-0906]

Lombard theology prize winner is Church of South India pastor

Geneva (ENI). A 31-year-old pastor from the Church of South India, the Rev. Anderson Jeremiah, has won the 2005-2006 Lombard theological essay prize, says the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The US$1000 prize presented by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the prize donors the Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Bank and the Lombard family was handed out at a ceremony in Geneva. [280 words, ENI-06-0905]

Micro-credit is a key to human development says German bishop

Geneva (ENI). Lutheran German Bishop Baerbel Wartenberg-Potter says that the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize this year to micro-financier Muhammad Yunus is vital recognition that kick-starting the smallest of businesses is a key to human development. Bishop Wartenberg-Potter, who leads the northern German diocese of the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church was the guest speaker at a gathering to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of one of the world's first international micro-credit institutions for the poor, Geneva-based ECLOF, the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund. [413 words, ENI-06-0909]

15 November 2006

Shanghai (ENI). The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, has arrived in China where he is leading a delegation of church leader to China for a weeklong visit. It is the first visit to China of Kobia since he assumed the top executive position for the WCC in January 2004. In China, Kobia and his party will also visit Nanjing, Beijing and Xi'an. Kobia will preach and make speeches on how the movement for Christian unity is shaping in the 21st century. [487 words, ENI-06-0900]

Uzbekistan added to US list of countries violating religious freedom

New York (ENI). Uzbekistan has been added to a US Department of State's list of countries of "particular concern" for severely violating religious freedom. In its annual report on the status of religious persecution internationally, the State Department added Uzbekistan to a list of countries that includes Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Vietnam, which had previously been designated a country of concern, was dropped from the list. [298 words, ENI-06-0904]

South Africa approves law allowing for same sex marriage

Cape Town (ENI). Two weeks before a deadline set by the South African Constitutional Court, the country's lower house of Parliament has approved a Civil Union Bill which will allow homosexual couples to register their unions, giving them the same rights as heterosexual couples, despite strong protests from a number of religious groups. South Africa became the first country in Africa and the fifth in the world to legalise gay sex marriage when its National Assembly voted 230 to 41 to remove language in the proposed law which created separate categories for same and opposite sex unions. [332 words, ENI-06-0904]

Christian agencies both hopeful and derisive on climate change

Nairobi (ENI). Some Christian relief and development agencies at international climate change talks in Nairobi have hailed progress made in the negotiations, but others have criticised a lack of urgency at them, "I'm sure something good will come out of it," Margaret Mwaniki, the Africa director of Caritas Internationalis told Ecumenical News International, and who was among thousands of people in a climate change awareness march in Nairobi on 11 November. But Mwaniki noted during the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Nairobi from 6 to 17 that some countries had selfish ends since reducing green house gas emissions could mean shutting down some of their industries. [305 words, ENI-06-0899]

Faith leaders back British finance bond for mass immunisation of poor

London (ENI). The engagement of faith-based organizations in economic justice has been highlighted by the subscription of Pope Benedict XVI and the leaders of five other leading faiths in Britain to an inaugural bond issued by the British Treasury. The bond is expected to raise one billion dollars for the mass immunisation of children in developing countries. A statement by Britain's finance ministry said the aim of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, or IFFIm, bond is to deliver four billion US dollars over the next 10 years earmarked for immunising up to 500 million children in the world's poorest countries against preventable diseases like polio, measles, and diphtheria. [308 words, ENI-06-0902]

14 November 2006

Oxford (ENI). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged both the main parties in the US Congress to fully cooperate with each other in trying to secure peace in Iraq. Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland for a twice-yearly national conference, the bishops urged the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress to set aside what they said was previously loud and superficial debate over the war and to work together in a frank assessment of how to best promote peace. [344 words, ENI-06-0896]

Some Zambian church leaders back bid for more film censorship

Lusaka (ENI). A plan by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to introduce censorship on foreign films deemed to be pornographic by restricting showings on public and private television stations has been received with mixed feelings by church leaders. The plan was raised during the opening of Zambia's Parliament following national elections at the end of September. Mwanawasa had said his government would during 2006 reconstitute the Film Censorship Board into a classification board. This would ensure that children were protected from viewing unacceptable material. [339 words, ENI-06-0897]

Italian Protestant grouping celebrates 39 years since foundation

Rome (ENI). The Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI) in predominantly Roman Catholic Italy has celebrated 39 years since its founding as a growing organization. Italian Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists and Valdensians in 1967 created the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, to strengthen their then small band of believers, who numbered 60 000 in the country where the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church sits. But the Valdensian Church - which has its roots in the valleys of Piemonte - is the oldest Protestant church in Europe. It started in the 12th century and managed to survive despite persecution by the Catholic Church over four centuries after it joined the Reformed Church of Calvin. [388 words, ENI-06-0898]

13 November 2006

New Delhi (ENI). Churches in Sri Lanka have decried the shelling by Sri Lankan forces of minority Tamils displaced by ongoing ethnic conflict on the island and the assassination of a Tamil member of parliament. The Commission for Justice and Peace of Sri Lanka's National Christian Council in a statement expressed shock over the killings of dozens of civilians at Vaharai in the east and the assassination of outspoken Tamil parliamentary legislator Nadarajah Raviraj from the troubled Jaffna district. [353 words, ENI-06-0894]

Attack on Siberian Jewish office latest Russian xenophobic incident

Moscow (ENI). Russia's Jewish community is calling on authorities to tighten security around synagogues to stave off a growing tide of attacks across the country. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia issued its appeal after an incident in Surgut, a Siberian oil industry centre on 5 August. Assailants threw two Molotov cocktails into the office of the local Jewish community and left threatening fliers. Timur Kireyev, a spokesperson for the Federation of Jewish Communities, told ENI that general xenophobia, rather than a specific rise in anti-Semitism seem to be the main motive for the attacks. [346 words, ENI-06-0891]

Scaled-down Jerusalem gay event takes place after religions protest

Jerusalem (ENI). Christian, Jewish and Islamic groups failed to stop a gay-pride meeting in Jerusalem, but the event's organizers had to hold a pared-down event on 10 November after police said they could not guarantee safety if a planned march went ahead. Before the meeting, police prevented about 50 pro-gay activists from holding a march in the direction of the rally, leading to the arrest of 20 protestors after they refused to get on buses to the Hebrew university. Police also detained five ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters in the same area, who were found to possess clubs, knives and a licensed pistol. [353 words, ENI-06-0893]

Catholic peace group hails Madonna's adoption of Malawian boy

Blantyre, Malawi (ENI). Singer Madonna, who has often been at loggerheads with the Roman Catholic Church in which she was brought up, has been praised for her controversial adoption of a Malawian boy from a justice group of the church. The Lilongwe diocese's Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace praised the US pop star Madonna for adopting David Banda, a poor Malawian from the central region district of Mchinji. The statement by the commission ran counter to some non-governmental organizations railing against the adoption, charging that Malawi's laws do not allow inter-country adoption. [377 words, ENI-06-0892]

10 November 2006

Jerusalem (ENI). A Lutheran Holy Land leader has lambasted Israeli military officials for the killing of 18 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, describing it as "indiscriminate regard for human life". This week, Israeli tank shells ripped through a residential neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, killing 18 members of an extended family, including 10 children. "This incident is only part of a week-long military campaign that killed 80 Palestinians and kept a city of 30 000 under siege and in terror," Bishop Munib Younan, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, said in a pastoral letter. [357 words, ENI-06-0889]

US churches respond to election with call for Iraq withdrawal

New York (ENI). The main governing body of the US National Council of Churches (NCC) has called for "an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq". The resolution was approved with an overwhelming majority of votes by members of the NCC's general assembly, meeting in Orlando, Florida. Delegates voted the day after President George W. Bush suffered a stinging rebuke by voters elections for seats that came up for re-election in the United States. [285 words, ENI-06-0888]

Russian Orthodox Metropolitan urges; Stay with WCC

Moscow (ENI). A senior Russian Orthodox hierarch has said it important for his denomination to continue its participation in the World Council of Churches while warning of the dangers of self-isolation during a radio interview in Moscow. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad told Radio Mayak, a state-run radio station, that the Geneva-based WCC is the best forum for the Russian Orthodox Church to bear witness and understand the state of contemporary Christianity. [335 words, ENI-06-0887]

Ethics 'must be part of climate change' talks, says US-based group

Nairobi (ENI). Civil society groups are lobbying at international climate talks in Nairobi to have ethics and justice considered in negotiations, and one accused governments and other parties are sticking to old arguments on economics, science and national self-interest. "Ethics, human rights, distributive and procedural justice must be part of international negotiations seeking any comprehensive solution to climate change," Donald Brown, the co-ordinator for the Collaborative Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change, told journalists. [311 words, ENI-06-0890]

10 November 2006

Paris (ENI). Some French Roman Catholics have expressed misgivings with Vatican policy towards traditionalists who had rejected the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly the now established celebration of the mass service in local languages. Two initiatives taken by the Vatican recently have triggered the new debate. On 8 September the Institut du Bon Pasteur (Institute of the Good Shepherd) was founded in Bordeaux. It comes under the Vatican and aims to receive members of the movement founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who opposed the changes of the Second Vatican Council. Lefebvre was excommunicated after he ordained four bishops without the agreement of Rome and it was seen as an act of rebellion. [513 words, ENI-06-0886]

Religious leaders hail historic Nepal peace pact with Maoist rebels

New Delhi (ENI). Christians in Nepal have joined in widespread rejoicing over Maoist rebels signing a pact with the government thereby renouncing violence and handing their weapons to a United Nations monitoring group to enter the political mainstream. "This historic agreement ends the 11 year-long armed conflict setting a new record and a model of conflict resolution in a peaceful manner," said the National Christian Council of Nepal. [450 words, ENI-06-0885]

Indigenous peoples at climate conference in Africa demand rights

Nairobi (ENI). Indigenous peoples backed by international church groups at the Conference of Parties to the Climate Change Convention in Nairobi have demanded recognition, saying that they live in fragile ecosystems vulnerable to climate changes but are often not consulted. "The prolonged droughts in the Amazon Basin and Africa and the melting of the polar ice caps are threatening the survival of indigenous peoples and causing a planetary crisis," Lucy Mulenkei, a Maasai from Kenya who is leading an International Indigenous Forum on Climate Change told journalists. [367 words, ENI-06-0884]

8 November 2006

Geneva (ENI). The Salvadorian authorities should conduct a swift and full investigation into the shooting to death of two pastors in the Central American country on 4 November, the leader of the 66 million strong Lutheran World Federation is demanding. The general secretary of the Geneva-based LWF, the Rev. Ishmael Noko said on 8 November he had received "with deep distress news about the murder" of two pastors from the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod, Francisco Carrillo and Jesus de Carrillo. [383 words, ENI-06-0882]

Hungarian church protests against police violence at uprising memorial

Warsaw (ENI). Hungary's Roman Catholic Church which led protests against the former regime has protested against the police beating of a Jesuit priest, Laszlo Vertesaljai, during the dispersal of an opposition rally marking the 1956 Uprising against Soviet domination. "He was badly maltreated - first, while leaving the gathering as a simple and peaceful passer-by, and then having approached the police cordon as a priest with the intention of making peace," said the Jesuit provincial superior, the Rev. Janos Lukacs. [384 words, ENI-06-0880]

Material and mental healing get underway in Lebanon

Souane, Lebanon (ENI). Scan the faces of children gathered for a break outside Souane Elementary School and you see that life is slowly returning after the trauma of the 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah conflict that left Lebanese villages bombed, roads destroyed and thousands injured and dead. For 20 days students at the public kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school could not use their building because it was "very badly damaged" in the fighting, said Farid Hamra, a construction specialist for International Orthodox Christian Charities, a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. [572 words, ENI-06-0883]

YMCA plays key role in Bangladesh micro-credit programme

Bogra, Bangladesh (ENI). Amina Begum, is a mother of three children who can barely read, and is not sure of her exact age. But life for 30 something woman has undergone a transformation since 2001 when she joined the Jamuna women's development council at Mathura Para village in the Qutabpur district of northern Bangladesh. "My husband respects me a lot now and consults me on every major decision," Begum told Ecumenical News International. [538 words, ENI-06-0881]

7 November 2006

Trier, Germany (ENI). The president of German's Central Council of Jews, Charlotte Knobloch, has drawn parallels between recent extremist attacks in eastern parts of Germany and the 1930s era under Adolf Hitler when the Nazi's were consolidating power. Her warning came ahead of the anniversary on 9 November of Kristallnacht (also known as Reichspogromnacht) in 1938, a night in which purges were launched against Jews in Germany. [363 words, ENI-06-0878]

Priest says dismal statistics shouldn't halt global warming fight

Nairobi (ENI). A Roman Catholic priest who has taken centre stage at international climate change discussions says dismal statistics about global warming should not cause despair, but rather inspire action against the new global trend. "People can be overwhelmed by statistics, but the critical moments that have come out should be considered impetus for our action, not cause for us to be overwhelmed," the Rev. John Brinkman, a priest with the MaryKnoll order and a historian of religion, told Ecumenical News International. [359 words, ENI-06-0877]

Nuns in Philippines angered at police raid on convent

Manila (ENI). A Philippines Roman Catholic group sees "a pattern of persecution of church people" after police, who said they were looking for a communist leader, raided a convent of meditating nuns in Southern Philippines. "In the name of this all-out war, even members of the Church are not spared the brutish force of the government," the Sisters Association in Mindanao said in a statement. "The police are so brazen they could violate the sanctity of the convent and the right and privacy of the sisters." [373 words, ENI-06-0876]

British bishop says climate campaign is not political, but 'spiritual'

London (ENI). Churches in Britain have joined the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition and aim to mobilise Christians to take stewardship of a threatened earth just as a critical United Nations conference on the planet is taking place in Nairobi. The Anglican Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, led churches' Operation Noah campaign supporters bearing banners to a rally at London's Trafalgar Square where thousands of people gathered. Chartres told Ecumenical News International: "This is not a political campaign. It is something that springs out of the Bible. We are all participants in the web of life. This is a deeply spiritual initiative." [393 words, 06-0879]

6 November 2006

Nairobi (ENI). A united Christian platform of Caritas Internationalis and the All Africa Conference of Churches has urged industrialised nations to compensate poor countries for damage caused by high carbon emissions, which scientists and activists say are causing global warming. They issued their call as the 189 Parties to the United Nations Frame-work Convention on Climate Change and 166 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol conference got underway in Nairobi on 6 November. [356 words, ENI-06-0874]

Evangelical leader who preached against gays, resigns, says he lied

Oxford, Ohio (ENI). The president of the US National Association of Evangelicals who often preached virulently against homosexuality, and who resigned after allegations he paid for sex with a male escort, has told his congregation he was a "deceiver and liar". Evangelical preacher Ted Haggard admitted to "sexual immorality" in a letter read to his Colorado Springs congregation at a Sunday service. 'There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life," Haggard said. But Haggard denied being homosexual or having a homosexual affair, the Denver Post newspaper reported. [436 words, ENI-06-0872]

US Episcopal Church installs first female presiding bishop

New York (ENI). Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, 52, has been installed as the first female presiding bishop in the US Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion, at a time when the denomination's relationship with the Worldwide Anglican Communion is tense. She was installed in her leadership role for the 2.4-million-member US church in a ceremony at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. [376 words, ENI-06-0875]

German bishop who worked north of Arctic for 44 years dies

Oslo (ENI). Gerhard Goebel, the 75-year-old Roman Catholic bishop of Tromsoe in North Norway, has died in his native Germany after more than 44 years of service as priest and bishop in Norway's three northernmost counties and Spitsbergen. The Catholic Information Service in Norway reported that he had died on 4 November. For more than 25 of the 44 years Goebel served as bishop, after being consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1979. [283 words, ENI-06-0873]

3 November 2006

Moscow (ENI). A Russian Orthodox Church leader has denounced nationalist demonstrations scheduled for 4 November, and several groups from the denomination have withdrawn from Moscow's march saying they do not want to walk alongside admirers of Adolf Hitler. Authorities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and cities across Russia have banned the "Russian Marches", as they have been dubbed by the nationalist and neo-fascist organizations behind the demonstrations. [338 words, ENI-0-0870]

Filipinos told to honour the saints, and shun the occult

Manila (ENI). Roman Catholic priests in the Philippines have been told to step up their preaching of the Gospel, after reports about the paranormal and ghosts dominated media in this predominantly Catholic nation on 1 November, All Saints Day. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines criticised businesses and media of trying to "commercialise" the Christian holiday by associating it with Halloween, which falls the day before, and when spirits of the dead are supposed to return to their former homes. [232 words, ENI-06-0871]

2 November 2006

Erfurt, Germany (ENI-epd). A retired Protestant pastor in Germany has died after dousing himself with petrol and setting himself on fire, leaving behind a note saying he was worried about the spread of Islam. Roland Weisselberg, aged 73, died in a special clinic on 1 November after setting himself alight the previous day at a service in the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt in eastern Germany to mark Reformation Day. [257 words, ENI-06-0869]

Catholic barred from Indian parliament for 'exploiting religion'

New Delhi (ENI). Church leaders have welcomed the nullification by Kerala state's high court of the election of P.C. Thomas, a Roman Catholic, to India's parliament due to his infringing of a law governing the use of religion during election campaigns. The verdict came after a petition was filed by the losing candidate P.M. Ismail of the Left Democratic Front, which is part of the current ruling coalition in the state. Ismail had lost to Joseph in the 2004 national election for the Muvattupuzha constituency seat. [350 words, ENI-06-0868]

Launch of Christian party in Kenya worries some church leaders

Nairobi (ENI). The launch of a Christian political party in Kenya has triggered a national debate, with some church leaders and politicians warning that its formation could further divide the East African country which has been fighting government corruption for decades. "The Church is supposed to be the conscience of society. When Kenyans are misled, it should provide guidance, but not take leadership," the Rev. Wellington Sanga, the secretary of the Methodist Church of Kenya, told Ecumenical News International. [328 words, ENI-06-0867]

Two Lutheran churches in Norway move closer to unity

Oslo (ENI). The (Lutheran) Church of Norway and the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway have negotiated an agreement of full recognition and cooperation to come into force once approved by the synods of the two denominations. "We can serve each other as churches with the experiences we have from our different church structures," said the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, the ecumenical officer for the Church of Norway. "One plus one is more than two in this context." [258 words, ENI-06-0866]

1 November 2006

Warsaw (ENI). A Roman Catholic archbishop has urged Poles to take direct action to prevent drink-driving, which has helped give the country Europe's highest road fatality rate. "If they see a drunk trying to move a car, they should take the keys and call the police, and above all prevent him taking to the road," Marian Golebiewski, the archbishop of Wroclaw, said in a radio appeal. "Such a role has nothing to do with informing - it's a duty of conscience." [342 words, ENI-06-0863]

First ordained female Scottish church moderator says unity 'No 1' task

Edinburgh (ENI). The first ordained woman to be named to the top position of the Church of Scotland says she hopes to promote Christian unity during her year in office. "I will definitely be involved in trying to reach out to other Christian denominations. That will be the No 1 priority for me," said the Rev. Sheilagh Kesting after the announcement that she is to serve as moderator of the church's general assembly from 2007 to 2008. "From a very early age I became aware of the tensions between the churches. That didn't seem to me to be right," Kesting was quoted as saying by The Scotsman newspaper. "Christians should be able to work together and live together." [283 words, ENI-06-0864]

German Bible in inclusive language sells out quickly

Bielefeld, Germany (ENI). A new translation of the Bible in inclusive language intended to do justice to women, Jews and marginalised groups has been officially launched in Germany - and is already sold out. "It was a risk, and for a long time we did not know if we meet the deadline. But we are happy and thankful for achieving this day," Hanne Koehler, head of the publishing team, said at a service in Frankfurt to celebrate the completion of the project on Reformation Day, 31 October. [272 words, ENI-06-0865]

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