News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. October 1, 2002 [2002-223-1]
Province of Canada reconsiders e-mail election process
(Anglican Journal)The Ecclesiastical Province of Canada, which earlier this year broke new ground and gained international attention by electing its archbishop by e-mail, has rescinded the process that made that possible.
The provincial council, meeting in Montreal this fall, also directed the chancellor of the province to prepare an amendment to the canons that would make such elections unnecessary in the future.
Last summer, Bishop Andrew Hutchison of Montreal was elected archbishop after council members voted by e-mail in a process believed to be the first such election in the Anglican Communion. He replaced Archbishop Arthur Peters of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, who retired shortly after a meeting of the provincial council.
The ecclesiastical province's laws require a new archbishop to be elected within six months, and this would have meant convening a special meeting at an estimated cost of about $30,000. The e-mail election process was devised as an alternative.
Despite being told that the process was successful and efficient, the provincial council meeting in late September heard enough reservations about the confidentiality of the vote and the impersonal nature of e-mail elections to rescind the protocol.
The Rev. Alan Perry of Pierrefonds, Quebec, a self-described technophile who, along with chancellor John Arnold of Halifax, devised the protocol for the vote, reported to the meeting that 97 per cent of eligible voters had cast an electronic ballot and that none of the votes were spoiled. He described the process as both successful and efficient.
However, Bishop Donald Harvey of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, who abstained from the original vote in protest, moved that the e-mail protocol be rescinded and that the provincial canons be amended to make such a vote unnecessary in the future.
Harvey stressed that he had nothing against technology, but that the electronic vote had detracted from the value of the council coming together to elect an archbishop and from a sense that the vote was truly democratic and secret.
"Errors may not have taken place," he said, "but errors could have taken place. What we did worked but it was a special situation and now we have the time to change our (canons) to make it unnecessary."
The Provincial Council approved his motion by a vote of 14 to 11.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Canada includes the dioceses of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Fredericton, Quebec, Montreal, Western Newfoundland, Central Newfoundland and Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.
Anglicanos.net 'sowing faith on the Internet'
(ACNS) This September and October the pioneer Spanish-language portal website for Anglicans, www.anglicanos.net, celebrates weekly seedthought number 100 'sown' and the imminent fourth anniversary of its launch in 1998.
Anglicanos.net--"together in the Net"--has grown steadily over the years and its weekly mailing list risen to over 250, including agnostics, Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals, among others from all over the Hispanic world. The pioneer website has received approval and support from Trinity Wall Street and the Southern Cone Provincial Executive Council as well as other websites, bishops and laity.
"It is exciting to see how this small initiative mushroomed" reported the Rev. Tony Somervell,of Paraguay who serves as the site's webmaster. "Concerned for local parishioners who find it difficult to meet midweek due to work and family commitments, I started to email a weekly seedthought to arrive in their office or home for Thursday morning. From the first list of about a dozen in 2000, it has grown to over 250 with people receiving this 'seed of faith' in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, USA, and Chile, among over a dozen other countries. This gets re-sent, copied and included in church noticeboards and magazines, so it gets multiplied on the way."
The website itself started as a hobby, but has become a passion as content has increased. There are over 200 pages available (only in Spanish) with a variety of materials from the classic Thirty-Nine Articles to the modern Essentials of Anglicanism, with pages about sects (which proliferate in South America) plus an international directory of diocesan offices and local congregations. The site figures on the major search engines and receives an average of 100 visits per day, peaking each week on Thursday and Friday after the weekly seedthought is received.
"Our greatest joy, however," concludes Somervell, "is to have two people who have integrated into our own congregation here in Asunción, Paraguay, as a result of visits to the website. There are several others in other countries who have done the same. This could be termed 'fishing on the 'Net'."
Christian leaders denounce plan to impeach Nigeria's president
(ENI) Christian leaders have denounced calls from the Nigerian parliament for the impeachment of President Olusegun Obasanjo, warning that it could derail democracy in the country.
The executive of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the country's main ecumenical body, representing Protestant, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, on September 25 called on the nation's legislators to halt moves to impeach Obasanjo. "This executive calls on the House of Representatives [the lower chamber of the national legislature] to stop every attempt to impeach the president because it is our belief that this is a distraction from the reality of this nation, especially as we are moving forward and preparing for the next elections," said CAN in a statement following a meeting in Kaduna in northern Nigeria. Nigerian local, state and national elections are scheduled for early next year.
In August, Nigeria's House of Representatives gave Obasanjo two weeks to resign or face impeachment, accusing him of demonstrating "monumental inadequacies, ineptitude, persistent disregard for the rule of law and obvious corruption." Obasanjo refused to resign, saying the accusations against him were made with malicious intent. In a 17-page rebuttal, Tunji Oseni, the presidential spokesman, called the claims made by the legislators "vexatious, malicious, mischievous, uncalled for, unconstitutional and therefore rejected outright as it was done in bad faith."
Although the deadline expired without action, legislators have kept the impeachment debate alive. The constitution provides for impeachment if the "president is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office." It requires a two-thirds majority of the upper and lower chambers of the national assembly.
Leaders of Nigeria's Anglican Church cautioned that a move to impeach the president could create chaos. Joseph Akinfenwa, Anglican bishop in Ibadan province and the church spokesman, said, "As of today, the general public is dissatisfied with the performance of the legislators. They are being seen as [confused and] prepared to go to any length to destabilize the country."
After more than three decades of military rule, democratic rule returned to Nigeria in 1999. A former British colony, the country gained independence in 1960.
Bishops warn of revolution if Nigeria won't fight corruption
(ENI) Nigerian Roman Catholic and Anglican Church bishops have warned that unless the government makes strenuous efforts to check pandemic corruption in the country, there might be a revolution that could sweep political leaders from power.
Transparency International, a non-governmental organization working to eradicate corruption, in its 2002 index rated Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in the world, only beaten by Bangladesh. The organization had surveyed 102 countries for its annual report, released on August 28. When presenting the report in Berlin, Peter Eigen, president of Transparency International, said corruption was keeping many nations in poverty and hampering development--despite pledges by political leaders to crack down on it.
However, the Nigerian government says it does not agree with the country's ranking as the world's second most corrupt nation. Tunji Oseni, President Obasanjo's spokesperson, said the report was "fundamentally flawe," challenging the conclusions.
Nigerian Catholic and Anglican bishops do not, however, agree with their government's assessment of the Transparency International report. Dr. Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Catholic archbishop of Lagos, expressed dismay that Obasanjo had not been able to tame corruption as he pledged when he took over from the military government. He described corruption as "a cankerworm eating into the fabric of the society."
In the same vein, Anglican bishops say the Nigerian government has deliberately shied away from fighting fraud in high places because the political leadership itself is corrupt. The Rev. Emmanuel Kana Mani, Anglican bishop of Maiduguri in northern Nigeria, said, "There have been alarming reports of large scale stealing of public funds by people in high places, looting of public treasury, extortion of public contracts and bribery." Yet, he said, "no serious attempt has been made to bring to book the so called leaders who have benefited from the ill-gotten gains, many of whom stashed the money in other countries."
Welsh church quashes plan for ecumenical bishop
(ENI) A long-standing plan to create an ecumenical bishop to serve several denominations in Wales has been vetoed by the (Anglican) Church in Wales, despite support by the church's bishops and other denominations.
The proposal, which would have had the bishop belonging equally to each of the denominations supporting it, was approved by the governing body of the Church in Wales by 137 votes to 106, but failed to gain the required two-thirds majority.
The ecumenical bishop would have served an area of east Cardiff, where two local ecumenical projects have been operating since 1991, joining the Church in Wales, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Covenanted Baptist Church. "People are very hurt and angry, and enormously surprised because the bishops were expected to carry the day," said a senior church figure speaking to ENI on condition of anonymity. East Cardiff is in the Monmouth Anglican diocese of Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury-designate, and the result could be regarded as a setback for him.
John Davies, bishop of St. Asaph, who is responsible within the Church in Wales for inter-church relations, expressed disappointment. "Had this gone ahead, it would have represented a significant step forward in ecumenical relations, in both practical ways and in terms of leading the way in ecumenical developments for the rest of the world," he said.
Stuart Jackson of the United Reformed Church's national synod of Wales said the synod was saddened and "sorry for those in east Cardiff who feel let down." He added, "Now is not the time for recriminations, but for reflection on what the future may hold. We journey on in the hope that the vision will not be lost."
The churches had been working on plans for the ecumenical bishop post for several years. Within the Anglican church, opposition is understood to have come from "high church" (Anglo-Catholic) figures fearful that the post would be a back door for the creation of women bishops. However, the first bishop would have been a man, because the Church in Wales does not consecrate women as bishops.
Credit cards nudge out collection plates in US congregations
(ENI) While electronic giving may never entirely replace the traditional collection plate, charging offerings to a credit card or bank account is becoming an increasingly popular way to donate to a local parish or congregation.
"This is about reflective giving, rather than reflexive giving," said Andrew Goldberger, the co-founder of ParishPay, a New York-based company that has established an electronic credit-card payment system now being used by churches in New York, Illinois and California.
Rather than fumbling through pockets for bills or coins during a worship service, the system allows parishioners to set aside a designated amount each week or month which is automatically deducted from credit cards or bank accounts. "It's a more thoughtful way of giving," Goldberger told ENI in an interview. "It also makes it easier for people to give."
Among the company's clients are Greek Orthodox parishes in New York and the Catholic archdioceses of Chicago, Illinois, and San Jose, California. The firm expects to announce that it is signing on a number of Protestant groups shortly, as well as several Jewish bodies, he said.
The firm charges US $1 for each donor and a 1 per cent service fee for each transaction. That means that a church will receive a $98 donation for every $100 contributed. Goldberger noted that since the churches enrolled have seen an increase in donations, they are not missing the $2 that is charged for the service. They have also a more stable income, resulting in better cash flow during summers and other periods when church attendance in the United States tends to decline.
Goldberger underscored that the system is not intended as a turning away from worship attendance. By making more of a financial commitment, he argued that members are likely to have more personal "investment" in their churches and synagogues.
However, Jack Wilkerson, the vice president of finance for the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, disagrees with credit-card giving. While saying he is "not opposed to technology," Wilkerson explained that the system would be adapted by "mainline Protestant denominations trying to prop up sagging [membership] numbers through a mechanical system of offering."
Christians in Pakistan say they are suffering for the policies of the US
(ENI) Following the latest lethal attack on a Christian target in their country, some churches in Pakistan have declared that they are being made to suffer because of the policies of the United States.
In a statement, the National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) blamed the "unfair false assumptions adopted by [the] United States of America" for the recent attacks on Christian targets in Muslim-majority Pakistan. The statement followed the killing on September 25 by unidentified gunmen of seven workers at the Idare-eb Amin-o-Insaf (Institute for Justice and Peace), an ecumenical social service center, in Karachi. The victims were tied to chairs and shot in the head. Attacks in Pakistan have claimed 30 Christian lives since October last year when the US and its allies launched military strikes in Afghanistan.
"Christians [in Pakistan] are confronting horrible massacres," said the NCCP, which groups mainline Protestant churches. It said that the "exemplary brotherhood" which had prevailed for decades between the minority Christian and majority Muslim population had been a victim of US foreign policy. "Christians are seen by them [Islamic groups] as agents of Western nations and so they are targeting us," Victor Azariah, the NCCP general secretary, told ENI.
Muslims make up 97 per cent of Pakistan's population of 138 million, while the remaining 3 per cent is made up of Christian, Hindu, Parsee and Buddhist minorities.
"There is no doubt that we have become the hapless victims of the Western policies in Afghanistan and Palestine," said Father Yousaf Mani, director of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan. Mani said that of the seven staff killed at the Karachi ecumenical center, three were Catholic and the others belonged to other Christian denominations. All the major churches have been working with the center, which provides literacy, public health, human rights advocacy and legal aid programs for poor people of all faiths.
The killings in Karachi have also been condemned by churches around the world.
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said, "This is a dreadful act of violence against a Christian organization which has been offering welfare and social support to people of all faiths for 30 years."
Day 1 ecumenical program debuts on Sirius satellite radio
(Episcopal Media Center) "Day 1," the longest-running weekly ecumenical program on radio, debuts this week on Sirius satellite radio, airing Sundays at 10 a.m. (ET) on channel 180.
"Day 1" is produced by The Protestant Hour, Inc., in association with the Episcopal Media Center, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.
"Together we work to share the good news of God's love over the air and through our Web site, exploring the Scriptures, offering hope and inspiration, and presenting the voice of the mainline denominations, which is too rarely heard on radio," said Peter Wallace, executive producer.
The half-hour radio program, a winner of the George Foster Peabody Award for broadcast excellence, also is heard weekly across North America on more than 150 radio stations, on the American Forces Radio Network broadcast to servicemen and women in 175 countries around the world, and via streaming audio at www.day1.net.
Channel 180, the Sirius Trucking Network, is designed primarily to serve the trucking industry with round-the-clock programming. Launched earlier this year, it is programmed for Sirius by ABC Radio Networks and the Midnight Trucking Radio Network. Sirius uses three orbiting satellites to broadcast up to 100 channels of digital-quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of $12.95. Sirius delivers 50 channels of commercial-free music in almost every genre, and up to 50 channels of news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming. Sirius-ready radios, tuner modules and adapters that allow any car radio to receive Sirius broadcasts, as well as home and portable products, are sold at most retailers of electronic products and through some car dealers. For more information on the Sirius satellite radio network, go to www.siriusradio.com.
Virginia Theological Seminary receives Lilly Endowment grant
(ENS) Virginia Theological Seminary has been selected to receive a grant of $833,199 from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to participate in a national program called "Sustaining Pastoral Excellence." The program is a new effort of the Endowment to focus attention and energy on maintaining the high caliber of many of the country's pastoral leaders.
Overall, 47 grants were awarded for a total of $57.9 million to religiously affiliated organizations across the country. The awards, given from three to five years, range from $252,355 to $2 million.
The Rev. Martha J. Horne, dean and president of Virginia Seminary, said, "This grant from the Lilly Endowment will enable us to begin what I believe will be an effective program for developing skills and habits that will enable our graduates to sustain a high level of pastoral excellence throughout their ministries. It has become increasingly clear that a three-year Master in Divinity degree program can only begin to prepare students for ordained ministry, and that some skills and practices are better learned 'on the job.' It has long been my hope that VTS could provide newly-ordained clergy with an opportunity to participate in a structured context of ongoing learning, reflection, and formation for pastoral ministry in the early years of their ministries. We are deeply grateful to the Lilly Endowment for this opportunity."
Over the past few years, the Endowment has put several programs in place to encourage current pastors in their work. It has established the National Clergy Renewal Program (2002 marks its third season). The Endowment also has supported small pilot programs of peer learning groups on a limited basis.
"It became obvious, however, that many more pastors would be candidates for such programs and would benefit greatly from participating in them. So we invited 'any nonprofit organization committed to supporting pastoral work and prepared to create or enhance a high-quality pastoral leadership program' to submit a proposal in this program," said Craig Dykstra, Endowment vice president for religion.
"Judging from the response, we seem to have tapped into a wellspring of interest. More than 700 institutions put time and thought into proposals for this competitive program," he noted.
Most groups serve racially mixed groups of pastors, but two programs are aimed explicitly at African Americans, two at Hispanics, and one at Korean pastors on the West Coast. Most offer opportunities for pastors at any stage of their career, though several focus particularly on new pastors. "Peer group learning"-that is, small groups of pastors who meet regularly for several years for ongoing renewal and mutual support-form the basis for most of the programs.
"We will be most interested in following these projects over the next few years," Dykstra said. "They offer the promise of meaningful renewal for many pastors in this country."
Center for Seafarers' Rights protests unscrupulous recruiting
(SCI) The Center for Seafarers' Rights (CSR) of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey is again protesting the illegal recruiting practices of Al-Najat Marine Shipping LLC. Recently, CSR received several reports that the Al-Najat Marine Shipping LLC, a United Arab Emirates company, is offering to recruit Indian nationals for positions aboard cruise ships by contacting various employment agencies in India. It appears that Al-Najat has attempted this recruitment without involving any Indian governmental office.
"CSR's lead voice in stopping this company's illegal operations in other countries is proof that the Church's call for social justice is heard by the maritime industry and the international press," said Douglas B. Stevenson, director of the Center for Seafarers' Rights. "The e-mail CSR is receiving from skeptical people researching the company on the internet reveals that even they really want to believe the ads. We suspect, however, that most unemployed Indian nationals seeking these jobs do not have access to internet information regarding this scam, which is why Al-Najat can successfully operate."
The Center for Seafarers' Rights has contacted the Indian Labour Minister in Delhi and the Indian ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C. about AL-Najat's past practices in Kenya and Morocco. "The Indian government must act quickly because every passing day gives giving Al-Najat enough time to collect lots of illegal fees before official action," said Stevenson.
Last summer in Kenya, Al-Najat claimed to have 50,000 jobs available to Kenyan citizens for work aboard cruise vessels owned by U.K., Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek companies. This claim was later discredited. Similar reliable sources reported the fraud to CSR that started an international call to end the illegal practices. The Kenyan government confirmed that this cruise ship recruitment scheme bilked more than $500,000 from at least 10,000 Kenyan job seekers under the guise of requiring a medical examination fee. Reports of similar activities occurred in India and Pakistan as well. In each case, fees were collected but the agency did not provide any jobs.
The Center for Seafarers' Rights is a worldwide resource for legal research, education, advocacy and assistance on seafarers' rights issues. The center provides free counseling and referrals to merchant seafarers and seafarers' welfare agencies worldwide. The center also works to improve national and international laws and practices protecting seafarers and improving maritime safety.