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"Disastrous" Iraq War Must End:
Victims Require Church Advocacy and Assistance, WCC General Secretary Says

March 15, 2007 – In a statement for the fourth anniversary on 19 March of the invasion of Iraq, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia warns of "further carnage and destruction" because "the sponsors of this tragic war insist on carrying on military pursuits." "We hear the cries of the Iraqi people, the women, the children and the innocent civilians who are in pain and agony and despair," Kobia says, citing studies that report over 600,000 Iraqi casualties as a direct and indirect result of violence since the 2003 invasion, as well as more than 1,6 million refugees displaced by the war. This situation "demands that the churches continue not only to assist and support the victims of this disastrous war, but also to speak on their behalf and to redouble interventions for peace with governments and with intergovernmental bodies."

Delegates Urge Lawmakers to Help Stop Murders in Philippines

March 15, 2007, WASHINGTON – Filipino members of a religious human rights delegation put their own lives in jeopardy to urge U.S. lawmakers to help stop the extra-judicial killings that have claimed the lives of more than 800 since 2001. Two of the nine-member delegation testified during a March 14 hearing in Washington on extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. The hearing, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., was the first conducted by the subcommittee under her leadership, the Senate Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Earlier in the day, the delegation met with the staff of the House Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., in a closed-door briefing.

Children's Health, Poverty Focus of Faith-based Ecumenical Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill

March 14, 2007 – Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, made the plea: ‘'Each child is God's own beloved… How we treat each child is how we treat God... Every child needs and deserves health coverage.'‘ She addressed her words to the 1000-plus members of the faith community present in Washington, D.C., for Ecumenical Advocacy Days March 9-12.. ‘'God didn't make different classes of children and the U.S. should not continue its current inequitable treatment of children.'‘ This is the year that the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expires. Funded only through September, Congress must reauthorize the program, cut it or expand it. That reality helped keep participants focused on how to influence Congress. ‘'This is the time for action,'‘ declared Lindsey Wade, policy associate with the Children's Defense Fund, to those preparing arguments for the legislators they would visit the final day of the gathering.

Christian and Jewish Organizations Defend Religious Freedom Restoration Act
in Lawsuit by Muslim Victims of Torture Against Donald Rumsfeld

March 16, 2007, WASHINGTON – Seven major religious organizations today filed an Amicus Curiae brief with the U.S. Court of Appeal for the DC Circuit defending the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in a case involving four British detainees who allege they were tortured before being released in 2004. The four have filed a law suit seeking damages from Donald Rumsfeld and various other military and Department of Defense officials in their individual capacity. The case is known at Shafiq Rasul et al. v. Donald Rumsfeld et al.

General News

Church Must Use Gifts of Older Adults, Leader Says

March 16, 2007, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The world's elderly population has nearly quadrupled in the last 50 years, and The United Methodist Church needs to find a way to use "this incredible resource," said the Rev. Rick Gentzler Jr. The elderly population increased from 130 million in 1950 to 419 million in 2000, according to a report by Gentzler, director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. He outlined the trends in aging that will impact the global church and society during the United Methodist Committee on Older Adults meeting March 8-12.

A Lenten Commentary: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Hope

March 13, 2007 – I missed Ash Wednesday. I missed attending an Ash Wednesday service and saying the prayers, hearing Psalm 51 and receiving the ashes. Yet I think I experienced what the day is all about.

Ecumenical News

Communique from the Anglican Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council

March 8, 2007, MADRID – The Anglican Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council (AOCICC) met in the Monasterio de Benedictinas de la Natividad de Nuestra Se F1ora in Madrid from 5 to 9 March. This was the first meeting following the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the Bonn Agreement in 2006. The Council reviewed the events held during the anniversary year, reflecting on the stimulus this has given to closer joint life and mission. The members reviewed the present ecumenical dialogues with which our Communions are engaged and proposed either joint discussions with common ecumenical dialogue partners or the possibility of sending observers to dialogues involving our sister Communion, where appropriate.

Anglicans, Roman Catholics Reflect on Relationship, Continue Dialogue on Mary Statement

March 14, 2007 – The 62nd meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation (ARC-USA) took place at Saint Paul's College in Washington, DC, March 8 to 10. Chaired jointly by Bishop Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., of Kentucky, and the Most Reverend Edward W. Clark, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, the meeting focused on recent developments in Anglican-Catholic relations, trends within the Anglican Communion and two statements that are nearing completion. Further consideration was given to a response by ARC-USA to the 2004 ‘'Seattle Document'‘ of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, entitled ‘'Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ.'‘

Methodist Bishops Pledge Cooperative Work – But Not Merger

March 16, 2007, ATLANTA – Bishops from six Methodist denominations value fellowship among the churches and cooperating in projects and issues of concern to all, but a union or merger of the churches is definitely not on the horizon. Bishops attending a once-every-four-years consultation March 11-13 made that clear when, after considerable discussion, they agreed that the name of the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union should simply be "Pan-Methodist Commission." Other names considered by the group of 62 bishops were "Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation" and "Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Unity."

Spanish News

Irak: Guerra "Desastrosa" Debe Terminar;
Víctimas Necesitan Que Iglesias Las Ayuden Y Aboguen
Por Ellas, Afirma El Secretario General Del CMI

15 marzo 2007 – En una declaración con motivo del cuarto aniversario de la invasión de Irak el próximo 19 de marzo, el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, advierte que habrá "más muerte y destrucción" porque "quienes auspiciaron esta guerra trágica insisten en continuar con sus actividades militares." "Oímos el clamor del pueblo iraquí, las mujeres, los niños y los civiles inocentes que sufren y están desesperados de dolor," dice Kobia, citando estudios que informan de más de 600 mil víctimas iraquíes como consecuencia directa e indirecta de la violencia acontecida desde la invasión en 2003, víctimas que se suman a los más de 1,6 millones de refugiados desplazados por la guerra.

Reglamentan La Asistencia Espiritual En Hospitales Y Centros De Reclusión De Bogotá

16 marzo 2007, BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Mediante el Proyecto de Acuerdo 268, el Concejo de Bogotá reglamentó, como resultado del trabajo adelantado durante varios años por la Asociación de Capellanes Evangélicos de Colombia (ACEC), la asistencia espiritual en hospitales y centros de reclusión del distrito capital. Con base en la experiencia y la observación de la necesidad de garantizar el ejercicio real y efectivo del derecho fundamental a la libertad religiosa, de conciencia y de culto, el concejal cristiano Emel Rojas, presentó el pasado año ante el Concejo de Bogotá un proyecto para afianzar, preservar y esparcir el mencionado derecho constitucional.

Foro Ecuménico Promueve La Paz Ante Hechos De Violencia En Centroamérica

13 marzo 2007, GUATEMALA – El Foro Ecuménico por la Paz y la Reconciliación (Fepaz) de Guatemala, dio a conocer una carta con fecha 1 de marzo donde analizan la situación de violencia e inestabilidad de ese país centroamericano, agravado en las ultimas semanas por la muerte de tres parlamentarios del Parlamento Centroamericano (Parlacen). Los parlamentarios, originarios de El Salvador, perdieron la vida en manos de delincuentes que no solo los mataron, sino que también los quemaron junto al vehículo en que circulaban.

Homosexualidad: De Leyes Y Cuentos

14 marzo 2007, LONDRES, Gran Bretaña – Medios de todo el mundo colocan hoy en sus portadas la noticia de que el Tribunal Supremo francés anuló de forma definitiva el primer matrimonio homosexual de la historia de ese país, celebrado en 2004, por considerarlo ilegal; el argumento es que "según la ley francesa, el matrimonio es la unión de un hombre y una mujer." Los protagonistas de la historia son Stephane Chapin, de 36 años, y Bertrand Charpentier, de 33, quienes se casaron el 5 de junio de 2004 en el ayuntamiento de Bègles, al sudoeste de Francia, gracias a un alcalde ecologista, Noel Mamère, que se opuso a la ley y luego fue suspendido del cargo temporalmente.

La Iglesia Católica Sanciona a Jon Sobrino

12 marzo 2007, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Según fuentes internacionales, el arzobispo de San Salvador, Fernando Sáenz Lacalle, confirmó ayer que el Vaticano ha sancionado al jesuita Jon Sobrino, de la Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), por resaltar en sus escritos la humanidad de Cristo y no su divinidad. La Agencia EFE informó en tanto que el prelado afirmó que la Congregación de la Doctrina de la Fe ha notificado a Sobrino la prohibición de que imparta clases en cualquier centro católico "mientras no revise sus conclusiones, es un punto fundamental de nuestra fe la divinidad de Jesucristo, que verdaderamente es hijo de Dios hecho hombre."

Iglesia Metodista Retorna Al Concilio Nacional Evangélico Del Perú

12 marzo 2007, LIMA, Perú – La Iglesia Metodista de Perú (IMP) se reincorporó al Concilio Nacional Evangélico del Perú (CONEP), después de 40 años. El obispo metodista Jorge Bravo entregó al pastor Rafael Goto, presidente del CONEP, la carta en la que esta iglesia, históricamente la primera iglesia evangélica que inició sus actividades en el país en 1877, solicita su reincorporación a la entidad representativa de la comunidad evangélica peruana. La Iglesia Metodista, junto con la Iglesia Evangélica Peruana, la Iglesia Libre de Escocia, la Iglesia del Nazareno y la Sociedad Bíblica Británica, fue fundadora del CONEP, en 1940, pero en 1968 decidió retirarse del Concilio debido a fuertes críticas de la que fue objeto por su apertura al diálogo ecuménico.

Alan García: No Al Aborto, Sí a Los Métodos Anticonceptivos Víctor Liza Jaramillo

16 marzo 2007, LIMA, Perú – El presidente del Perú, Alan García Pérez, manifestó su desacuerdo con la práctica del aborto, tras manifestar su aprobación a que las mujeres puedan sentirse en libertad de utilizar el método anticonceptivo que mejor les parezca. García hizo estas declaraciones luego de promulgar una ley que promueve la Igualdad de Oportunidades para ambos géneros, acompañado de dos ministras de su gabinete y de la presidenta del Congreso, Mercedes Cabanillas. Tras reiterar que estaba a favor del uso de anticonceptivos, sostuvo que esta acción le da a la mujer la posibilidad de "administrar su destino y ser madre responsable."

Promueven Ley De Igualdad Religiosa En Perú

14 marzo 2007, LIMA, Perú – La bancada parlamentaria del Partido Aprista Peruano presentó un proyecto de ley sobre el tema de la igualdad religiosa, con la finalidad de que el Estado evite que haya discriminación hacia otras confesiones no católicas en los diversos campos de la sociedad. Este proyecto de ley, que será debatido en las próximas semanas en el Congreso de la República, pretende regular lo establecido en el artículo 50 de la Constitución Política del Perú, cuyo texto hace alusión a la colaboración del Estado con otras confesiones, como las evangélicas y otras no cristianas.

Human Rights News

Prayer Event Focuses on Human Rights in Philippines

March 12, 2007, SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On the day he would address a World Day of Prayer worship service at a local church, Bishop Eliezer Pascua was awakened by an early morning phone call from the Philippines. The general secretary of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines listened as the caller told of the latest killing just hours earlier – another UCCP member gunned down in the streets. The murder of Renato Torrecampo Pacaide, 53, who was secretary general of a peasant movement in Mindanao, brought to 835 the number of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines in five years. Of that number, more than two dozen church people and clergy have been killed, including a United Methodist pastor. The UCCP has been the hardest hit denomination.

Religious Liberty News

Department of Justice Launches First Freedom Project to Protect Religious Liberty

March 12, 2007 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a new initiative intended to defend religious liberty in the United States. Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim, head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division, spoke about the project today before the Committee on Religious Liberty of the National Council of Churches meeting at the First Amendment Center. Referring to the recently published Report on Enforcement of Laws Protecting Religious Freedom: Fiscal Years 2001-2006, he reported that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice enforces a wide range of laws protecting religious liberty.

National News

Lutherans Advocate for Children's Issues at Ecumenical Advocacy Days

March 15, 2007, WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 1,000 U.S. church members, including more than 100 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), participated in the Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice conference here March 9-12. Under the theme ."..and How are the Children?" participants learned about issues affecting children around the world and had the opportunity to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. Workshop tracks covered issues affecting children domestically and internationally. Featured workshop sessions focused on unaccompanied children crossing borders; fixing the No Child Left Behind Act; the dangers of global warming on children now and in the future; the effects of the current Middle East conflict on the region's children; the impact of current U.S. security policies on children; the ill effects of free trade agreements on poor workers and families in Latin America; and escalating violence and human rights abuses in Burma and the Philippines.

Lutheran Students Bring Hope to the U.S. Gulf Coast

March 14, 2007, NEW ORLEANS – Dressed in white a hard hat with a respirator over her face, Lisa Evans, a senior at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., said, "We're here to bring hope. We can make a big difference in just one week." Standing in front of a Hurricane Katrina-damaged house March 5 in New Orleans, Evans joined more than 800 college and university students participating in "What a Relief!" during the 2007 spring break. What a Relief! is an opportunity for students and others in campus communities to spend their spring break helping survivors of the 2005 hurricane season rebuild. Lutheran Disaster Response is organizing What a Relief! Students participating in What a Relief! this year represent some 34 U.S. colleges and universities, 13 of which are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

International News

Anglican Christians Experience Libyan Generosity

March 15, 2007 – March has been an historic month for Anglicans and other Christians living in Libya. The Libyan Government with the help of the Islamic Call Society handed over the historic building of the church of St. Mary's to the Episcopal Anglican Church in Tripoli. The church is situated in the beautiful Old City of Tripoli and was first built in the fifteenth century. This historic section of Tripoli contains among other monuments two churches, several old mosques and one synagogue, a historic witness to the ability of how the children of Abraham from different faiths have lived together in peace and harmony in an Islamic country. The re-consecration of the church was led by the Rt Revd Dr. Mouneer Anis the bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt and North Africa.

WCC Supports UK Churches' Opposition to Government's Nuclear Plan

March 12, 2007 – Ahead of an upcoming vote in the UK parliament on the government's plan to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has written to WCC member churches in the country praising and expressing support for their efforts to stop this. "From outside the UK, it has been heartening to hear of opposition to the government's Trident plan from churches, from various sectors of society, and from the public at large," says Kobia in a letter dated 9 March.

Forgiveness, Restorative Justice Are Central to Conflict Resolution,
Michael Lapsley Tells TEAM Conference

March 10, 2007 – Healing and reconciliation are integral to the journey of forgiveness, the Rev. Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who serves as the director of the Institute for the Healing of Memories based in Cape Town, South Africa, told the Towards Effective Anglican Mission (TEAM) conference gathered in Boksburg March 10. Restitution and reparation are part of the journey, he added. Born in New Zealand, Lapsley moved to South Africa in 1973. Due to his political and social organizing efforts he was expelled from the country in the mid-1970s by the apartheid government. He subsequently lived in exile in Lesotho, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. Early in that period, he became a member of the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), which was then conducting an underground guerrilla struggle against apartheid.

People in the News

Rev. Jimmy Lim Takes Council of Churches' Helm in April

March 13, 2007, NEW YORK – The Rev. Jimmy Seong G. Lim has been elected as the next Executive Director of the Council of Churches of City of New York. He assumes his new responsibilities April 1 following the retirement of the Rev. Dr. John E. Hiemstra who has significantly strengthened the Council during his nearly 13-year leadership, since 1994. Jimmy Lim was elected by the Council's Board of Directors at its regular meeting on January 18 following the "enthusiastic" recommendation of the Council's officers whom the Board had designated as a transition team.