News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. July 11, 2002 [2002-177-1]
Bishop Riah of Jerusalem accuses Israel of fostering terrorism
(ENS) Bishop Riah Abu el-Assal of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East used a report to the Church of England's General Synod July 7 to launch an attack against Israeli policies, accusing them of fostering terrorism.
In his report, "Israel/Palestine--An Unholy War," Riah accused the Israeli Defense Force of torturing Palestinians and claimed that Israel was contributing to the increase in terrorism rather than curbing it. He also warned that the continuing conflict could lead to the extinction of the Christian presence in the region. Since the most recent intifada began almost two years ago, he said that 1,600 people have been killed, including 450 young people under the age of 18.
"It is not humanly possible to live with the tortures imposed by the Israeli Army," he wrote. "Israeli restrictions on movement are impeding hospital staff and patients" from taking care of the victims. "All this does not amount to a war on terrorism but rather to the systematic humiliation of an entire people."
He added, "The result of all this is anger, frustration and a desire for revenge. The Israelis may claim that they are rooting out terrorism but, in fact, they are creating it. No one is left with enough sanity to heed the value of human lives. The bottom cause of all this is not terrorism, as some would think, rather it is the unjust and illegal occupation of Palestinian land."
Riah said that the occupation "is also corrupting the Israeli culture and society. This is an unholy war indeed," in a land "we call holy." After 2000 years of Christian witness, "today the church faces a serious threat of extinction…This may be avoided but only if peace is established on justice," based on withdrawal of the Israelis from all the territories occupied in the 1967 war.
Public confidence in American religious institutions tumbles
(ENI) Public confidence in American religious institutions has dropped dramatically in the last year to its lowest point in the last 30 years, according to a survey by the Gallup Organization.
In its survey, Gallup found that only 45 percent of Americans surveyed had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in religious institutions, a 15 percent drop with a similar survey in 2001 and the lowest percentage since 1973 when the first poll testing public confidence was conducted.
Of the 16 institutions included in the survey, churches and organized religion ranked sixth, behind the military--first with 79 percent, the police, the presidency, the Supreme Court and banks. After religious institutions came the medical system, public schools, television news, newspapers, the U.S. Congress, the criminal justice system, organized labor, big business, Wall Street, and health maintenance organizations.
"There is little question that the sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church is the main cause of the drop-off in confidence this year," said Frank Newport of Gallup. He stressed that the survey had not a question on why participants ranked the institutions as they did but pollsters made a "strong inference" that the scandal contributed to the results. In the same manner the pollsters said that the terrorist attacks of September 11 were probably the reason the military and the presidency were rated so high.
Newport said that the current mistrust in religious institutions was not a reflection of any loss of religious values or the confidence Americans place in their local churches or clergy. He pointed out that Americans are still among the most religious people in the world, particularly in comparison with people in other Western nations.
Rwandan archbishop offers encouragement, not oversight, to Canadian dissidents
(Anglican Church of Canada) Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda has written to the parishes and clergy in the Canadian Diocese of New Westminster offering his encouragement in their opposition to a decision to bless same-gender relationships but backing away from his previous offer of "ecclesiastical protection."
In his June 27 message, Kolini extended "the welcoming hand of Christian fellowship, shared concern, ready support and tangible assistance" to the eight parishes that walked out of the June 15 diocesan synod after the vote in favor of blessings. At the time, New Westminster's bishop, Michael Ingham, said that Kolini's offer of protection was "meaningless" since he had no jurisdiction in Canada. Now Kolini says that his offer was meant as "a word of encouragement, not as an offer of episcopal oversight."
Kolini did say that he would continue to "look into the matter" and discuss with other Anglican primates "any counsel we can give."
The Rev. Ed Hird, one of the clergy who walked out of the diocesan synod, said that the archbishop wanted to clarify his offer of the possibility of ecclesiastical protection, a responsibility he would share with other. "He doesn't want to act alone, and we understand that," said Hird, who helped dissidents form what is called the Anglican Communion in New Westminster.
WCC's Raiser meets with Rwandan genocide suspects held in Tanzania
(WCC) General Secretary Konrad Raiser of the World Council of Churches met with a group of Rwandan genocide suspects being held at a detention camp in Arusha, Tanzania, focusing on the meaning of reconciliation. The July 4 visit was authorized by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
In response to a request from one of the suspects, Raiser defined reconciliation as "having to do with healing broken relationships, a process which needs time. You can't declare it. It takes time to reach genuine reconciliation."
The WCC delegation met with the registrar of the International Tribunal and Raiser noted that establishing justice is important to rectify wrongs but argued that focusing on sentence and punishment "tends to isolate perpetrators from their communities and, as such, the system cannot heal the victims' wounds."
In response, Adama Dieng said that the traditional courts of Rwanda offer space for dialogue, help establish the truth, and promote a healing process. Yet he noted that the process still lacks some aspects in administering justice.
On its next stop of the African visit, the delegation met in Nairobi, Kenya, with a high-ranking official of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement/Army and discussed the peace talks that hope to end decades of civil war, meeting at a secret location in Kenya. Commander Salva Kiir Mayadit said that the delegation from Khartoum lacked the authority to make the concessions that could pave the way for a peace settlement. He predicted that the talks would therefore collapse.
Pakistani Christians denounce blasphemy laws as arbitrary
(ENI) Christian leaders in Pakistan are pointed to a death sentence imposed on a Christian man as an example of the country's arbitrary blasphemy laws. Abdullah (Augustine) Ashiq Kingri Masih was convicted by a district court for slandering the prophet Muhammad, an offense that carries a mandatory death sentence according to Pakistan's penal code. He is appealing to the High Court, supported by the Human Rights Commission.
The real reason the case was brought against Masih was that he converted to Islam but continued to meet his Christian family members and relatives, bringing objections from those instrumental in his conversion.
Churches have been reluctant to get directly involved in the defense because feelings among Muslim fundamentalists against minorities was running very strong, according to Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Pakistan. Christians account for about 3 million in Pakistan's population of 138 million.
Churches have made repeated protests against the blasphemy law which, in its current form, dates to 1986. In 1998 Roman Catholic bishop, John Joseph, shot himself dead in a courthouse to protest a death sentence imposed on a Pakistani Christian who is still being held in solitary confinement. While no one has yet been put to death under the law, two Christians were murdered after their convictions for blasphemy were overturned by the courts.
In 2000 President Pervez Musharraf proposed amending the blasphemy law but he dropped plans after protests from Muslim groups.
ELCA Lutherans in New York grieve suspension of Missouri Synod colleague
(ELCA) Leaders of the New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have expressed sadness over the recent suspension of a Missouri Synod colleague, the Rev. David Benke, for his participation in an interfaith prayer service at Yankee Stadium for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"Though we serve separate Lutheran denominations, President Benke and I have worked together in the New York region for the last 15 years," said the Rev. Stephen Bouman, bishop of the ELCA synod. He said that the two leaders had worked to build homes for low income families in Brooklyn, "served the most vulnerable in our midst through Lutheran Social Services," and shaped a Lutheran response to the September 11 attacks by launching "one of the largest religious disaster response teams every assembled in the U.S."
Bouman argued that "it was critical for religious leaders standing in the wake of a tragedy the magnitude of 9-11 to come together on behalf of their faith communities to lead New York City and the nation in prayer for healing. God expects Christians to go to the places where there is pain, sorrow and need so that we may provide God's care and healing in Jesus' name."
"To participate with pagans in an interfaith service and, additionally, to give the impression that there might be more than one God is an extremely serious offense against the God of the Bible," wrote the Rev. Wallace Schulz, the Missouri Synod's second vice president, in his letter of suspension.
The charges against Benke included "unionism," mixing the beliefs of various Christian churches, and "syncretism," mixing the views of Christians and non-Christians. Both are forbidden by the constitution of the church. Missouri Synod president, the Rev. Gerald Kieschnick, said that he had given Benke permission to attend the September 23 service, based on a decision at the church's convention to allow clergy to participate in civic events as long as they are free to express their religious views. A moderate who was elected president last year, Kieschnick has also been accused of syncretism but a church panel ruled that he answers only to the whole church as it meets every three years in convention.