News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. April 17, 2001 [2001-84]
World Council of Churches expresses alarm over Middle East violence
(WCC) The World Council of Churches has expressed alarm over the escalating violence in the Middle East, calling for the protection of human rights in the region.
"We are gravely concerned with the deepening humanitarian crisis and escalation of violence against Palestinian civilians by Israeli military and settlers," said Salpy Eskidjian. He is a member of the international relations team of the WCC that is calling on church partners in Europe to contact their governments for support of a draft resolution on violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine.
In comments for a meeting of the UN's High Commission on Human Rights, the WCC reiterated its position that "only after occupation and the accompanying violations of collective human rights end can the Middle East move towards a real peace based on the rule of law and both Israelis and Palestinians be able to walk together along the path of peace, justice and reconciliation."
The WCC endorsed a UN recommendation that included "the establishment of an adequate and effective international presence to ensure full protection of the human rights of the Palestinian people and the need for a negotiated, comprehensive, just and durable peace."
ELCA Church Council reminds bishops of their responsibilities
(ELCA) At its April meeting, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a resolution to remind bishops of the church's synods of "their obligation to undergird the life and well-being of this church."
While expressing appreciation for the "crucial responsibilities and heavy burdens carried by synodical bishops," and their "strategic role" in fostering a sense of unity, the resolution underscored the "constitutional obligations and limitations of authority" during their terms of office, as well as their charge to "respect the integrity of the leadership and ministry of their successors and not interfere."
The resolution addresses concern over plans for three former bishops and a current synod bishop to ordain a lesbian in a committed relationship in contradiction of church policy. Anita Hill has been serving several years as a lay minister in a congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota. The church's policy states, "Ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships." The congregation's requests for an exception to the policy have not been successful.
ELCA Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson urged the Church Council to see the issues in a broader context-especially since the ELCA is currently discussing and comparing the authority of Lutheran and Episcopal bishops in the United States. "The new relationship with the Episcopal Church has raised fear in some people" about the power of bishops, he said, adding that it would be helpful to restate the practice that Lutheran clergy serve terms of bishops in a given territory and do not function as bishops outside of that territory or after completing their terms.
Former bishops Lowell Erdahl of the Saint Paul Area Synod, Paul Egertson of Southern California, Stanley E. Olson of Pacific Southwest Synod of the former Lutheran Church in America, and Krister Stendahl, former bishop of Stockholm, Sweden, are planning to participate in the April 28 ordination, according to a congregational newsletter. "We are not judging the ordination itself but the action of individuals," said Anderson.
Diocese of Chicago approves redevelopment of downtown center
(ENS) The Diocese of Chicago has approved development of its diocesan center, revolving around a long-term lease of its downtown property and replacing its five-story office building with a 55-story, multi-use high rise that will include a hotel and condominiums. Four levels could be reserved for diocesan and cathedral use in perpetuity.
A development task force had favored an outright sale of the property initially, but recommended the lease arrangement to three key diocesan boards, citing diocesan control over long-term use of the property and the adjacent cathedral's historical and spiritual association with the property. The Cathedral House on the site was replaced 33 years ago with a modern structure.
In an April 10 letter to the diocese, Bishop William Persell said that he was "tremendously excited" by the opportunities the project brings to the cathedral, the diocese and the city of Chicago. Income from the lease "will go a long way in support of existing ministries and missions and the start of new congregations which has been severely hampered by lack of funds."
Once a contract is signed, the developer will have nine months to obtain permits and have the property rezoned. Demolition and construction could begin the middle of next year. The spaces on the lower level, designed for church use, could be ready in late 2003 or early 2004, according to the developer's proposal. It will take several more years to complete the 307-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel and 117 luxury condominium units, as well as a parking garage for 270 vehicles. Total construction cost is estimated at $220 million.
Trinity Institute will explore what it means to be human
(ENS) Trinity Institute's 32nd National Conference will explore the issue of what it means to be human, in light of the way contemporary science is revising the way we understand ourselves.
The institute has assembled a team of scholars who will analyze the new views of human nature and explore its implications for individual spiritual journeys at the May 3-4 conference.
It will be held at Trinity Church in New York City, broadcast via satellite and can be viewed-heard on the audio and video streams on the Internet. For information on satellite downlinks or Internet visit www.ectn.org. For information on the conference visit www.trininst.org or call 1-800-457-0224.