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Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., Publisher & Editor
Rev. Pedro Bravo-Guzman, Editor-in-Chief
An Ecumenical Report of Local and Global News
in God's Household
Published by the Queens Federation of Churches
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Faith Community Gathers to Protest Nuclear Testing April 11, 2007, MERCURY, Nev. – Against the backdrop of the Nevada Test Site, a United Methodist leader asked people of faith to urge the U.S. Congress to eliminate government funding for nuclear warhead replacements in the fiscal 2008 budget. "As President Bush twists the arms of Iran and North Korea to halt developing their own nuclear weapons against an undefined future threat, it is the height of hypocrisy for the U.S. to go forward with so-called reliable replacement warheads and unacceptable as a policy to go forward with the construction of the Consolidated Plutonium Center," said the Rev. Neal Christie, executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency. Southern Methodist University Withdraws Sponsorship of Turkish-Armenian Program April 13, 2007, NEW YORK – Late Wednesday evening, April 11, 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate (Chief Bishop) of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) was alerted to a hastily organized "International Conference on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue" being co-sponsored by Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Alarmed that of the twelve (12) panelists invited, not a single Armenian academic or Armenian-American leader was asked to take part, except for the Armenian Archbishop of Turkey, Archbishop Barsamian called upon SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Taylor to withdraw the University's support and sponsorship from the conference. April 10, 2007 – What are the implications of climate change for development in a world where years of development efforts are destroyed in a few seconds or hours by a hurricane or a single flood? This will be the subject of a 12-15 April 2007 consultation in London hosted by Christian Aid and sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Working Group on Climate Change. The consultation is expected to renew and update ecumenical advocacy positions and policy in relation to intergovernmental negotiations on climate change after 2012 – the year when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires. It will also review options for faith communities' participation in a proposed global civil society campaign on climate change. Archbishop of Canterbury – Human Failure Is Overcome by God's Love April 8, 2007 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams says that the whole weight human failure cannot extinguish the creative love of God. In his Easter sermon, to be preached at Canterbury Cathedral this morning [Sunday 8th April, Easter Day], Dr Williams says that conflict and failure are part of the human condition, but that Jesus' death and Resurrection turns that on its head: "We share one human story in which we are all caught up in one sad tangle of selfishness and fear and so on. But God has entered that human story; he has lived a life of divine and unconditional life in a human life of flesh and blood." Anglican Theological Commission Clarifies Provenance of Same-Sex Blessings Resolutions March 29, 2007 – The Primate's Theological Commission, a group appointed by the Anglican Primate to consult on theological matters, has released a clarification concerning resolutions on the blessing of same-sex unions approved earlier this month by the church's governing council. The resolutions, approved by the Council of General Synod for the consideration of the church's General Synod this summer, have been described as dealing with The St. Michael Report. But in fact only one of them does, the commission says in its statement. 10 abril 2007 – ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias del cambio climático para el desarrollo en un mundo donde los logros de años de esfuerzos pueden ser destruidos en un abrir y cerrar de ojos por un huracán o una inundación? Éste será el tema de una consulta que tendrá lugar en Londres del 12 al 15 de abril organizada por Christian Aid y patrocinada por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Cambio Climático del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI). Se espera que la consulta renueve y ponga al día las posiciones y políticas ecuménicas de sensibilización en relación con las negociaciones intergubernamentales sobre cambio climático después de 2012, año en el que concluye el primer período de compromisos del Protocolo de Kyoto. El Cambio Climático Visto Desde La Teología Y La Ética En Consulta De CMI Y Christian Aid 10 abril 2007, GINEBRA, Suiza – La agencia británica Christian Aid y el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) a través de su Grupo de Trabajo sobre Cambio Climático organizan una consulta, del 12 al 15 de este mes en Londres, sobre cambio climático y sus consecuencias para el desarrollo. "Se espera que la consulta renueve y ponga al día las posiciones y políticas ecuménicas de sensibilización en relación con las negociaciones intergubernamentales sobre cambio climático después de 2012, año en el que concluye el primer período de compromisos del Protocolo de Kyoto. Iglesia Luterana Se Opone a Producción De Etanol En El País 11 abril 2007, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador –"Siendo el maíz y la caña de azúcar la materia prima para la producción de etanol para combustible en el país, nos oponemos porque su impacto en la economía familiar será más grande que el beneficio que pueda generar" afirmó el obispo Medardo Gómez de la Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña. Luego de la visita del presidente de Estados Unidos, George W. Bush a Brasil, Centroamérica y México, en marzo pasado, el gobierno salvadoreño ha propuesto a El Salvador como país sede para el proyecto piloto de producción de etanol a base de caña de azúcar y maíz amarillo; sin embargo, aunque la crisis por el alza en los precios de los combustibles que rondan los 3.5 dólares por galón, impacta en la economía nacional, la iniciativa se enfrente a una fuerte oposición de diferentes sectores. El "Anticristo" Millonario Es Calificado De Farsante Por Religiosos Nicaragüenses 11 abril 2007, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Pastores evangélicos de esta capital calificaron de impostor y farsante al puertorriqueño José Lusi de Jesús Miranda quien afirmó primero ser Jesucristo hombre y después se autoproclama "anticristo." El pastor Augusto Cesar Marenco, del Ministerio Apostólico Centro Cristiano, declaró que Miranda es un charlatán y lo retó a que visite Nicaragua para sostener un debate teológico. En tanto el pastor Ramón López consideró que no vale la pena comentar el triste pasado de Miranda que empezó sus fechoría desde niño, siendo joven se convirtió en drogadicto, y hoy gracias a la propaganda de los medios cuenta con una fortuna superior a los 20 millones de dólares. Russian Scientologists Here Celebrate European Human Rights Victory April 10, 2007, NEW YORK – Russian members of the fast-growing Scientology religion in the New York area joined with their comrades in celebrating an April 5th ruling of the European Court of Human Rights which confirmed their religious freedom in Russia, and for Scientologists throughout the 46 states of the Council of Europe. "Scientology is a practical religion which has helped millions of people, in Russia and internationally, live lives of greater self-respect and happiness," said Ludmilla Kritchenko, a Scientologist living in Queens. "It is an example of the choices people should have in any free society." In a unanimous decision, the ECHR overturned the Moscow City government's refusal to register the Church of Scientology of Moscow as a religious organization, saying that the Scientologists must be given the same rights as any other religion, including being able to form legal associations. Interfaith TV Special to Feature Ministry of New York's Holy Apostles Parish April 13, 2007 – A weekly arts program that is part of the ministry of Episcopal Church of Holy Apostles in New York City will be featured on "The Arts Within Religion," an upcoming CBS Television interfaith religion special. The program will be released April 22 to television affiliates across the nation as part of the network's quarterly Religion and Culture series. The program is produced by CBS in cooperation with Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, whose members include the National Council of Churches USA (NCCUSA), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Islamic Society of North America, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the New York Board of Rabbis. Holy Apostles is well-known for its ambitious ministry to the hungry. ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls for Action and Advocacy on Global Warming April 13, 2007, CHICAGO – In a written message for Earth Day, April 22, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), discussed the effects of global warming on people living in poverty and urged Lutherans to respond with advocacy and action. In his message Hanson referred to the ELCA's 1993 social statement, "Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice," in which the church recognized that the "buildup of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide" is a threat to the environment. Noting recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which point to humanity's use of fossil fuels as a major cause of climate change. United Methodists Join in Sudan Water Mission April 12, 2007 – Water is a basic need everywhere and is particularly important for displaced people in camps in South Darfur, Sudan, and their host communities. Now a four-year relief project is focusing on re-establishing water supplies and improving sanitation in refugee camps in the war-torn African nation. The ministry is an outgrowth of a continuing collaboration between Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The project is coming together at a time when continuing violence and political instability pose a threat to humanitarian assistance in Darfur, where at least 400,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million driven from their villages during four years of fighting between rebels and militias. WCC General Secretary Congratulates Pope Benedict XVI on His 80th Birthday April 13, 2007 – World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel has sent the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI a greeting in honour of the pontiff's 80th birthday. In the spirit of the Easter season, Kobia pays tribute to Benedict for his lifelong dedication to meeting "difficult upheavals in both society and science" with responses "grounded in our common faith in the Risen Lord." "We thank you for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and sharing generously the assurance of the resurrection. We thank God for your life and work," Kobia says in his letter. On behalf of the fellowship of churches in the WCC, Kobia expresses the hope that God will bless the Pope "to continue leading the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church." Charlotte Winters, Oldest American Female World War I Veteran, Dies at 109 April 11, 2007 – Charlotte Louise Berry Winters was the oldest living American female World War I veteran until her death March 27 at a nursing home near Boonsboro, Maryland. She was 109. A member of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Frederick, Maryland, and a Daughter of the King, Winters was a Civil War buff who met face-to-face with the Secretary of the Navy to fight for women in the military. Her death leaves just five known surviving American World War I veterans. Winters was born in Washington on November 10, 1897, to Mackell and Louise Bild Berry. Her father was a haberdasher. |
