Front Page

Risk of Disease Multiplies Myanmar Disaster

May 29, 2008 – A prolonged lack of access to relief supplies has created a "second wave of disaster" that is poised to strike the people of Myanmar, according to Church World Service. CWS staff and partners are concerned that many survivors of Cyclone Nargis are at risk of disease because of contaminated drinking water. "This is, unfortunately, one of the downsides of a delayed response," said Matt Hackworth, communications officer for CWS, in a May 28 interview. The United Nations estimates that 2.4 million people have been impacted by the May 3 cyclone, which left 134,000 people dead or missing.

Churches Applaud Cluster Munitions Agreement, Expect More States to Join

May 29, 2008 – "Churches around the world are much encouraged" by the multilateral agreement on cluster munitions reached Wednesday in Dublin, and now look with expectation to "powerful governments that have not been at the negotiating table," said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a comment on the agreement today.

Tornado-Ravaged Iowa Picking up after Storms

May 30, 2008, PARKERSBURG, Iowa – Power is being restored in parts of tornado-ravaged northeast Iowa after an F-5 tornado killed seven people, destroyed much of Parkersburg, damaged homes and buildings in nearby New Hartford, Dunkerton and Hazelton, and scattered debris more than 100 miles away. United Methodists were at work in the May 25 tornado's aftermath there as well as in Hugo, Minn., near St. Paul, and after the May 22 tornadoes that struck northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Training and support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief has assisted church members as they manage the immediate and long-term response to the tornadoes.

Domestic Poverty Work Focus of Presiding Bishop's Summit

May 28, 2008 – Following a three-day Summit on Domestic Poverty, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori released a communiqué, noting that "we are just beginning to engage this ministry in a coherent way that draws in the whole of the church in the United States." Nearly 100 representatives from all areas of the country gathered in Arizona May 13-15 to focus on domestic poverty issues, including social causes, anti-racism work, economic justice, ecological and environmental concerns, healthcare, children, social justice, immigration, prison ministry and more. The diverse group of lay and ordained Episcopal participants was joined by ecumenical representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Moravian Church, and United Methodist Church.

General News

New Church Is Answer to Prayer for Native Congregation

May 30, 2008 – The prayers of a district superintendent and a clergywoman became reality on Memorial Day weekend with the dedication of a Native American church, set amid 43 acres of forest in Illinois. More than 300 Native Americans and others from across the United States came to witness the May 23-26 dedication of the Native American Fellowship Dayspring United Methodist Church in East Peoria. Five years earlier, the Rev. Melva Graham England, Illinois River District superintendent, and the Rev. Carol Lakota Eastin had walked along the wooded area. They had prayed for a church on that spot and began making plans.

Ecumenical News

AJC Welcomes Vatican Clarification on Easter Prayer for the Jews

May 27, 2008, NEW YORK – The American Jewish Committee welcomed an official Vatican clarification concerning the Easter Prayer for the Jews. The statement was delivered by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, to the Chief Rabbis of Israel. "While the Catholic Church still faces the challenge of how to fully understand its relationship with the Jewish people, this important declaration makes it categorically clear that the Church has not changed its position of deep respect for the integrity of the Jews and its opposition to proselytizing," said Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs.

Pope to Alexis II: Growing Closeness Between Us

May 30, 2008, VATICAN CITY – The Holy Father has written a Message to His Holiness Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, delivered by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, during a meeting with the Patriarch. In the text of his English-language Message, the Pope writes that the cardinal's visit to Russia "offers me a welcome opportunity to extend my cordial greetings, to express my esteem for your ministry in the Russian Orthodox Church and to restate my appreciation for your commitment to fostering relations between Catholics and Orthodox."

Archbishop Welcomes Dalai Lama to Lambeth Palace for Meeting of Faith Leaders

May 23, 2008, LAMBETH PALACE – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Lambeth Palace on May 23 as part of the Tibetan spiritual leader's 11-day visit to Britain. Williams held a private meeting with the Dalai Lama before they joined other religious leaders from the main faith traditions for discussions on the priority of compassion. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also had a private meeting with the Dalai Lama at Lambeth Palace. "The religious leaders who had gathered to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama listened with great appreciation to what he had to say about the priority of compassion in all our religious traditions," said Williams.

Spanish News

Huracán Alma Causa Muertes Y Deja Miles De Damnificados Trinidad Vásquez

30 mayo 2008, MANAGUA – El huracán alma sorprendió a Nicaragua la noche del 28 y tarde del 29 causando tres muertes indirectas, miles de damnificados y daños materiales millonarios al arrasar los vientos cientos de viviendas. ACT, Acción Conjunta de las Iglesias, puso en funcionamiento sus equipos para la ayuda en las zonas afectadas. Las primeras víctimas fueron confirmadas por Defensa Civil entre ellos Damaris Zamora, consultora de la Fundación Católica de Desarrollo, que pereció al norte de la capital al volcarse el vehículo donde viajaba, por el exceso de lluvias.

Hallan Cuerpos En Fosa Común Luego De 24 Años

26 mayo 2008, LIMA, Perú – Pasaron casi dos décadas y media para que los familiares de campesinos desaparecidos en 1984 lograran dar con su paradero, tras confirmarse el hallazgo de un total de 25 cuerpos en una fosa común descubierta en el departamento de Ayacucho. El descubrimiento se produjo el pasado viernes 23 en la localidad de Putis, perteneciente a la provincia de Huanta, encontrándose el hoyo más grande en el Perú, que data de la época de violencia política y subversiva vivida en el país en las décadas de 1980 y 1990; y en el que se presume habrían más 120 cuerpos.

Líderes Religiosos Del Mundo Se Reúnen Por La Paz

26 mayo 2008, JAPÓN – Nadie puede ser feliz hasta que todo el mundo sea feliz. Este deseo impulsa a cerca de 400 líderes de diferentes iglesias y religiones que se reúnen en Hiroshima/Japón, desde el 24 al 26 de Mayo para "Aprender a compartir valores, acción y esperanza." Este tema "representa un notable contraste con lo que es el mundo de hoy, tan lleno de injusticia, competencia y conflicto" dijo el Rev. Takeyasu Miyamoto, 91 años, presidente de la Fundación Arigatou y fundador de la Red Global de Religiones por la Niñez (GNRC).

Religiosos Prometen Respetar Culto Y Cultura Indígena

29 mayo 2008, CAMPO GRANDE, Brasil – Pastores de iglesias evangélicas, pentecostales, neopentecostales y de la Iglesia Católica se comprometieron, junto al Ministerio Público del Mato Grosso del Sur, a respetar la libertad cultural indígena, capacitar personas que actúan en las aldeas y limitar los niveles de sonido durante los cultos y eventos que organizan en las comunidades locales. Dos delegaciones guaraníes concurrieron a la oficina local de la Fundación Nacional del Indígena (Funai) con la finalidad de quejarse de pastores evangélicos, que demonizan los cultos indígenas y califican al "nhanderu" (líder religioso indígena) de enviado del diablo.

Envíe Por E-mail Un Deseo U Oración Por La Paz a Belén

29 mayo 2008 – Los participantes de Belén en una semana mundial de sensibilización de las iglesias invitan a personas y grupos de todo el mundo a que les envíen sus deseos y oraciones por la paz. Los correos electrónicos que se reciban se compartirán con parroquias, escuelas y organizaciones de Belén y Jerusalén, como parte de la semana de acción organizada por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias.

Iglesias Aplauden Acuerdo Sobre Municiones De Racimo, Esperan Que Más Estados Adhieran

29 mayo 2008 – "Las iglesias de todo el mundo se sienten muy alentadas" por el acuerdo multilateral sobre las municiones de racimo alcanzado el miércoles en Dublín, y dirigen ahora sus expectativas hacia "los poderosos gobiernos que todavía no han participado en la mesa de negociación," dijo el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, al comentar hoy el acuerdo.

Religiones Por La Paz Llama a Los Países Latinoamericanos Al Diálogo Y El Consenso

29 mayo 2008, LIMA, Perú – El Secretario General de Religiones por la Paz, Dr. William F. Vendley, hizo pública una Declaración donde expresa la profunda preocupación de su organización por los acontecimientos actuales que se registran en varios países de América Latina. "Esta situación podría degenerar en enfrentamientos y actos de violencia, y por ello, afectar a la cohesión social de los pueblos de la región," afirma.

National News

Lutherans Assess Damage Following Storms over Memorial Day Weekend

May 29, 2008, CHICAGO – Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) coordinators in Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota are assessing damage left behind from severe storms and tornadoes that struck these states Memorial Day weekend. According to the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, LDR director, the first half of 2008 has "been littered by news of one severe storm after another." LDR is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service indicate that 930 tornadoes have touched down this year, and the number of tornadoes is nearly equal to the total number of tornadoes for all of 2007, said Massey.

CRWRC Response Team Reaches Parkersburg, Iowa, CRC Families and Community

May 27, 2008, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Six people were killed Sunday as a powerful tornado raged across the country's mid-section. Two of those killed by the storm were members of Parkersburg, Iowa, Christian Reformed Church (CRC). Eight families in the congregation lost their homes and belongings. Local reports yesterday said that most of those who died in Parkersburg were in their basements when their homes collapsed, including an elderly couple in their 80s.

CWS Responds to Devastating Spring Storms

May 27, 2008, NEW YORK – Church World Service has increased its appeal responding to spring storms to $95,000. The Memorial Day weekend storms follow a busy spring storm season, with more communities across the U.S. recovering from disaster this year than in the last 10 years. A powerful tornado cut a 50-mile long path of destruction across north-central Iowa Sunday, killing six and destroying hundreds of homes. Nearly one third of homes and businesses in Parkersburg, Ia. have been destroyed. Four people were killed in Parkersburg, an agrarian town of 2,000 people. Two were killed in nearby New Hartford.

Diocese Joins Call for FEMA to Ensure Permanent Affordable Housing for Hurricane Victims

May 30, 2008 – The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has joined a coalition of groups and organizations calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address what Bishop Charles E. Jenkins terms "the second, silent disaster" – the lack of permanent, safe and affordable housing for families displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The coalition, in a letter to federal, state, and local leaders, said that 578 families in Louisiana will lose temporary housing in FEMA trailer group sites by May 31.

International News

Archbishop Demetrios at Christ the Savior Cathedral
Hosted by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk

May 26, 2008, MOSCOW – Archbishop Demetrios of America revisitted the massive Christ the Savior Cathedral on Sunday, May 25, in the same Church where he led the Official Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate eight years ago at the Consecration of this, the largest church building in Russia. Standing in the Altar with brother Hierarchs Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta and Bishop Savas of Troas, the Archbishop followed the Divine Service presided over by Archbishop Arseny, an Assistant Hierarch to Patriarch Alexy, and whose main duty is to be responsible for all the clergy of Moscow.

Archbishop Demetrios Concludes Visit to Moscow

May 29, 2008, MOSCOW – Archbishop Demetrios of Americca and the members of the official delegation concluded their official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church on Wednesday, May 28th, by visiting two of the most famous monasteries in Moscow. The evening before their departure, the Archbishop and the members of the delegation were received by the Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzkhov, who has been Mayor for over 15 years., The delegation was welcomed to the Mayoral Official Residence, a 200 year old structure just a short walk from the Kremlin by the Vice-Mayor of Moscow, Valery Vinogradov.

LWF Applauds Initiative to Ban Cluster Munitions
General Secretary Noko Decries Weapons' Obstacle to Reconstruction, Human Development

May 30, 2008, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) welcomes the adoption of the new treaty to ban cluster bombs, agreed at the international Dublin Conference on Cluster Munitions, and urges countries that had not participated in the initiative to join the process. In a public statement released today, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko praised the governments and civil society organizations that had worked together during the 19-30 May conference "to realize a framework for ridding the world of cluster munitions, following the example of the Landmine Ban Treaty."

ELCA South Dakota Synod Builds Connections with Lutherans in Cameroon

May 27, 2008, CHICAGO – The South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is planning to welcome a professor of systematic theology from the Republic of Cameroon to teach pastors and lay leaders in the synod about evangelism. The Rev. Joseph Ngah, Lutheran Institute of Theology at Meiganga, is expected to visit the synod in September, said the Rev. David B. Zellmer, bishop of the ELCA South Dakota Synod, in the current issue of the synod's newsletter.

Archbishops Call on UN for Mediation and Protection in Zimbabwe

May 29, 2008 – The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop Cape Town yesterday spoke to Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, to express their grave concern about the increasing violence of what appears to be a sustained campaign against the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe. Joint statement on Zimbabwe by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Cape Town after speaking with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Harare Bishop Condemns Continued Persecution of Zimbabwe's Anglicans
Presiding Bishop Says International Solidarity Is Vital

May 23, 2008 – Bishop Sebastian Bakare of the Anglican Diocese of Harare, Zimbabwe, has issued a statement condemning the "brutality" of the local police who have repeatedly persecuted and assaulted Anglicans in an attempt to stop them from attending Sunday church services. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has said that the "continued brutal attacks on Anglicans seeking to worship in peace leaves little doubt that far stronger international action is needed to contain that nation's rapidly escalating political crisis." Bakare, who replaced the controversial former bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga, in December 2007, appealed to law enforcement agents and the police "to let sanity prevail and refrain from harassing and brutalizing Anglican Christians" in the Harare diocese.

Middle East News

Middle East Fellowship Delegation Visits Jordan and Syria

May 29, 2008, BEIRUT, Lebanon – A fact-finding delegation from the Middle East Fellowship in the USA, led by Mr. Robin Wainright, director of the Caltin Foundation in Florida visited Jordan and Syria, May 17-26, 2008. The mission aimed at studying the Iraqi refugees' situation in the two countries that have hosted a very large numbers of those refugees. The visit was organized in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) both in Syria and Jordan. Rev. Dr. Nuhad Tohme, MECC Associate General Secretary, accompanied the delegation in their visits. In Jordan, the delegation met with Iraqi refugees and learnt about their situation.

E-mail a Wish or Prayer for Peace to Bethlehem

May 28, 2008 – Bethlehem participants in a global week of church advocacy are inviting individuals and groups around the world to send them wishes and prayers for peace. Incoming emails will be shared with parishes, schools and organizations in Bethlehem and Jerusalem as part of the action week, which is led by the World Council of Churches. The messages will remind Palestinians cut off from each other and from the outside world that they are not forgotten, the Bethlehem groups say.

MECC Hold Consultation in Support of Human Dignity

May 30, 2008, BEIRUT, Lebanon – The MECC/JPHR organized a consultation on "The Role of the Religious Institutions in the support of human Dignity." It took place in Harissa – Lebanon (5-7 May). The consultation is considered as part of the process of agreement between MECC and the Conference of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon. The General Secretary of the Council Mr Guirguis Saleh addressed the meeting with a welcoming word and briefed the participants on the Council's challenges and achievements on the protection of human dignity.

National Council of Churches in Australia Passes Resolutions on the Holy Land

May 29, 2008 – At a national meeting last week, the National Council of Churches in Australia passed a series of resolutions on the situation in the Holy Land. It is the first time the Council has taken such a stand. It follows a visit to the region last year by a delegation of Church leaders, as well as international ecumenical developments, such as the new Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum. By passing these resolutions the Council wants to take a Christian perspective on a land and its peoples who have endured longstanding and intense suffering – on both sides. During their 2007 visit the Australian Church leaders spent time with Christian leaders from Jerusalem and the West Bank who are experiencing a mass exodus from their communities.