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Muslims Join Christians in Cathedral for Historic Prayers of Peace

March 22, 2003, DIOCESE OF RIPON AND LEEDS - In an unprecedented act of interfaith witness and cooperation, Muslims from Leeds and North Yorkshire have joined with Christians in prayers for peace at Ripon Cathedral today, Saturday 22 March. History was made when a delegation of thirty-five members of the Leeds Muslim Forum and the Scarborough Islamic Society laid down prayer mats and performed midday prayers in the south aisle of the Cathedral, before moving to a Shrine for Justice and Peace where they joined with the Dean of Ripon and other Christians in prayers for peace. Afterwards members of the Muslim delegation lit candles at the shrine.

WCC General Secretary Challenges Bush's Religious Claims

March 21, 2003, GENEVA – Speaking yesterday at an ecumenical service of prayer for peace held at World Council of Churches (WCC) headquarters in Geneva, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser denounced as "misuse of religious language" US president George W. Bush's attempts to invoke divine legitimation for his war against Iraq. Noting an increasing tendency on the part of the US president "to invoke religious, even divine legitimation for his intention to disarm Iraq by force," Raiser suggested that a Christian response today to "the political, ethical and spiritual challenge of war [...] declared with the alleged purpose of restoring peace and justice" must be "an act of defiance: denouncing this misuse of religious language in order to justify an act of war that violates the legal order developed to protect world peace."

General News

Christian Mission in the 21st Century Caribbean

March 21, 2003, CODRINGTON COLLEGE, Barbados - In July 2002, the House of Bishops of the Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) asked each diocese to pay greater attention to the area of mission, having identified engagement in mission as critical to the development of the Anglican Church in the province. Partly in response to this, the staff of Codrington College, the historic theological college in Barbados dedicated to preparing women and men from the dioceses of the Province of the West Indies for ordination and to offering a range of programs and courses in theological subjects, organized a conference on the theme "Christian Mission in the 21st Century Caribbean," which was held in Barbados, 12-13 March 2003.

Religious & Civil Liberty

WCC to Denounce Increasing Violence Against Dalits in India

March 19, 2003 – The increasing violence against Dalits in India is being denounced by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the current (59th) session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). "The violence against Dalits is on the increase," states a written submission by the WCC Commission of Churches on International Affairs (CCIA). "They are not only segregated in all spheres of social life - places of worship, education, housing and land ownership, use of common wells and roads - but also subjected to arbitrary executions," the submission explains.

International News

Ecumenical Service in Republic of Georgia Celebrates Unity

March 21, 2003, VALLEY FORGE, Pa.- Hundreds of worshipers thronged the Cathedral Baptist Church in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia on March 14 for an ecumenical service, undaunted by a previous mob attack staged by religious extremists. The president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, attended the service along with numerous Christian and state dignitaries from across Europe. Unprecedented security measures were in effect surrounding the Cathedral Baptist Church (formerly named Central Baptist Church). Some 600 policemen, along with snipers from the presidential guard stationed on the roofs of surrounding buildings, protected the entire area. Loudspeakers carried the service to crowds outside the church, which was filled to overflowing.

...Not a Religious War

March 21, 2003, LAMBETH PALACE, Joint Statement by Religious Leaders - We have gathered against the backdrop of military action in Iraq involving British forces. They, their families and everyone caught up in this conflict are in our thoughts and prayers-especially those whose lives or loved ones have been lost. As religious leaders from several faiths, we are here to signal the common ground on which we stand and to reaffirm the values we share at this time of tension, conflict and discord. We pray that almighty God will grant wisdom, judgement and compassion to the political and military leaders who carry the immense burden of responsibility for the way this war is prosecuted. Respect for every human being in times of armed conflict, as set out in the Geneva conventions and protocols, must be guaranteed on all sides. The rights and needs of civilians innocently affected by the conflict must be fully protected. This is a conflict neither about religion nor between religions.

Middle East News

IOCC Mobilizes Humanitarian Response for Iraq Crisis

March 18, 2003, BALTIMORE - With diplomatic efforts to peacefully disarm Iraq coming to an end, staff members of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) are being dispatched to the Middle East to coordinate an Orthodox Christian response to assist the victims of a war in Iraq. IOCC, the official humanitarian aid agency of Orthodox Christians, is planning a three-pronged response to the current crisis: distribution of "survival packs" to migrant workers fleeing Iraq; provision of medical assistance to ill or disabled refugees in Jordan; and distribution of humanitarian relief supplies within Iraq with IOCC's local church partners.

Churches for Middle East Peace - Statement on Iraq War

March 20, 2003, WASHINGTON – On behalf of Churches for Middle East Peace, the following statement was issued by Fr. Stan DeBoe, chair, and Corinne Whitlatch, director. The full text follows: Churches for Middle East Peace deeply regrets the decision by the United States and other nations to begin military action against Iraq. We are concerned about the injury and loss of life of U.S. personnel who have been deployed to the region and of the Iraqi people who once again suffer the devastating effects of war.

United Methodist Bishop Urges Church to Pray for Peace

March 21, 2003 – As U.S.-led forces intensify their attack on Iraq, the president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops is calling on all 9.5 million members of the denomination to pray for those involved in the conflict and to make local churches "venues of peacemaking." In a letter issued March 21, Bishop Sharon A. Brown Christopher urges United Methodists to pray for a just resolution to the war, engage in "respectful" dialogue and generate support for relief to the Iraqi people. She has asked that the letter, written on behalf of all the denomination's bishops, be read from church pulpits Sunday, March 23.

Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Peter Jensen Concerning the War in Iraq

March 22, 2003, SIDNEY - The Scriptures teach us that God is a sovereign and just God who rules and weighs the affairs of the nations (e.g. Psalm 99). We are also taught to pray for "kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-4). The outbreak of war in Iraq constitutes a solemn moment, with many dangers and threats and potential for great human suffering. There are strongly held differences of opinion about our participation in this war. For my own part I remain unpersuaded that we ought to have committed our military forces, but I recognise the limitations of my judgment and the sincerity of those who differ.

Statement from the President Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East and Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf

March 21, 2003 – Together with countless people around the World, we in the Middle East have been urging that war is not the solution to the situation in Iraq. Our hearts are deeply saddened, therefore, that war has broken out. The concern of people throughout this region now is for a swift resolution of this conflict with minimal damage and loss of life. We shall continue to pray for all persons in any way caught up in this conflict. Among them, especially, we remember all the people of Iraq, the citizens of surrounding countries and those who live among them, and the service men and women and their families as they fulfil the duty laid upon them.

Prayers in Time of War

March 21, 2003 – The Church of England has published a range of prayers suitable for use in churches and in the wider community following military operations in Iraq. The Invitation to Prayer website, www.invitationtoprayer.org, exists to support both individual prayer and collective worship. Special prayers for use in time of war have been added to the site today.

Reviews

Faithful Daughter: Novelist Sue Miller Writes about Caring for Alzheimer's-stricken Dad

March 21, 2003, LOUISVILLE - Novelist Sue Miller has written that her father, a Presbyterian minister and church historian, once told her that having faith was much like falling in love: "For him the experience of both was as though he'd entered a room backwards ... so that by the time he was able to look around and understand where he was, he was already encircled by it, held in it." Miller's dad, the Rev. James Nichols, a historian who worked at Princeton Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago, was not a man who wavered in his faith. "It seemed not," she said in a recent interview. "To me he always seemed serene and ... convinced."