Front Page

Communique from a Common Word Conference

October 15, 2008 – At a press conference today, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and His Excellency Dr Ali Gomaa, presented the communiqué from ‘A Common Word' conference, a meeting of leading Muslim and Christian clerics and scholars.

WCC Urges International Institutions and Governments to Uphold the Right to Food

October 16, 2008 – As "the global food crisis continues to unfold and impact on the most vulnerable in our societies," the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called on international institutions and governments to move into swift action. In a statement on the occasion of the World Food Day (16 October), Kobia has called on international institutions, regional intergovernmental bodies and governments "to address volatility in food and agriculture prices by re-establishing public stocks at national and regional levels."

Religious Extremism "One of the Greatest Threats," Says Kobia

October 16, 2008 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has said that "one of the greatest problems facing the world today is religious extremism." Kobia expressed his concern over the recent outbreak of violence against Christians in the eastern India state of Orissa during a visit to the national headquarters of the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) in New Delhi, India.

Commentary: John Wesley's Advice on the Economy

October 16, 2008 – The year was 1772 as John Wesley addressed a letter to the editor of Lloyd's Evening Post regarding the causes of and cures for high unemployment, food shortages and dismal economic conditions. More than two centuries later, the United States is struggling with a meltdown on Wall Street, skyrocketing gas prices and inadequate health care. But our diminished economy would scarcely rival that of England in 1772. Wesley, who was 69 at the time, starts by asking why. "Why are thousands of people starving – perishing for want, in every part of England?"

General News

Congress Ends with a Call to Give Peace a Chance

October 13, 2008, MALAWI – A week-long World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) Congress ended 10 October with a call by General Secretary Randy Naylor to give peace a chance. "War has had enough time. We have given war enough space in our publications, but as Christian communicators, the time has come that we give peace a chance. We should start writing about peace–peace that builds viable communities, inclusive communities," said Naylor. The Congress – whose theme was "Communication is peace: Building viable communities" – began on 4 October and is the fourth since WACC came into being in 1975.

Caregiving Clergy Need to Give Self-Care, Too

October 15, 2008, GOLDSBORO, N.C. – The morning sun glares off a rural road in North Carolina, where the Rev. Chuck Cook has worked up a pretty good sweat. He leans into a 17-mile-an-hour breeze of his own making, shoulders hunched forward. It is a deliberate attack on the open road in front of him-and on the years behind him. The occasional passing motorists would never suppose the slender cyclist in a neon lime jersey is 58 years old. Even when he stops peddling to talk, the former Marine's squared jaw and the calm intensity beneath his pointed riding helmet suggest a much younger man.

With Globalization, Church must Offer Different View

October 15, 2008, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Making a difference as a church in an age of increasing globalization requires a new level of engagement with biblical resources and the resources of the Christian tradition. Such was the challenge presented to higher education leaders in The United Methodist Church by the Rev. Joerg Rieger, professor of systematic theology at United Methodist-related Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. Rieger has written extensively about the intersection of Christian theology with economics, globalization and poverty. He delivered the Willson Lecture Oct. 10 to the governing members of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Indigenous Theologians to Suggest Visions for Church and Society

October 16, 2008 – The Philippines – a country where approximately a tenth of the population is indigenous and lives in isolated areas where access to basic services and opportunities for economic growth is lacking even as natural resources abound – will be the meeting place for some 30 indigenous theologians from the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia. This consultation on "Ecclesial and social visions of the indigenous peoples" aims to encourage the World Council of Churches (WCC) constituency to be inspired by the theological and spiritual resources of the indigenous peoples.

Theaters, Channel to Show Historic Film about Lutherans, Civil Rights

October 16, 2008, CHICAGO – Special showings of "A Time for Burning" in Nebraska and New York will coincide with its broadcast on the Documentary Channel. "A Time for Burning" is a landmark civil rights film featuring the struggles of Augustana Lutheran Church, Omaha, Neb., in 1965, and its pastor, the Rev. L. William Youngdahl. The 58-minute black-and-white documentary, produced and released in 1966 by Lutheran Film Associates, was reissued on DVD in 2005 by Docurama Films. "A Time for Burning" was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006 as part of a library of more than 400 selected films preserved for their cultural, historic and artistic significance.

President Says Church Pension Fund Is Secure
Assets in Reserve Exceed Money Needed to Pay Pension, Medical, Life Insurance Benefits

October 17, 2008 – Despite the past six weeks of world financial turmoil that has led to what some observers are calling "wealth destruction," the president of the Episcopal Church's Church Pension Group said October 16 that active and retired participants need not worry about their benefits. On a day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average swung nearly 800 points, T. Dennis Sullivan acknowledged that "we're not immune to what is going on in the market," but emphasized that "benefits are fully secure." Sullivan's sentiments echoed an October 2 letter he sent to clergy receiving benefits from the Church Pension Fund, which is part of the pension group that also includes the church publishing company and insurance products.

Former Pittsburgh Bishop Warns Church of England Traditionalists Against ‘Complacency'

October 17, 2008 – Former Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan, who was deposed from the episcopate last month, has warned traditionalists in the Church of England that, in his view, what happened to him could happen to them. Duncan spoke to journalists at a press conference on October 17 at All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, chaired by Canon Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstream. Duncan was deposed on September 19 by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori with the consent of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church. Duncan was charged with "abandonment of communion" for his actions in openly planning to remove his diocese from the Episcopal Church to align with the South America-based Province of the Southern Cone.

Effort to Let Parishes Join Diocese of Dallas Fails

October 14, 2008, FORT WORTH – Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker has announced that a group of priests has not been able to develop a plan for the future of diocesan congregations that do not want to leave the Episcopal Church. Iker reported in an October 13 letter posted on the diocese's website that a plan suggested by Fort Worth and Diocese of Dallas bishops, chancellors, canons to the ordinary, and presidents of the standing committees had also failed because it conflicts with the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons.

Ecumenical News

Eastern Orthodox Leaders Recommit Themselves to Dialogue

October 15, 2008 – Patriarchs, primates and representatives of Eastern Orthodox churches recommitted themselves to overcome intra-Orthodox conflicts as well as to continue theological dialogues with Christians from other confessions at a 10-12 October meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. "Overcoming the internal conflicts of the Orthodox Church through the surrendering of nationalistic, ethnic and ideological extremes of the past" is a requisite for the "word of Orthodoxy [to] have a necessary impact on the contemporary world," reads a message issued at the end of the meeting.

Christians from Many Traditions Seek an Ecumenical Approach to Christian-Muslim Dialogue

October 15, 2008 – The World Council of Churches (WCC), together with a number of Christian world communions, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Roman Catholic Church are expecting some 50 church leaders and experts on Christian-Muslim dialogue to attend a consultation from 18 to 20 October in Chavannes-de-Bogis, outside Geneva, Switzerland. The aim of the consultation is to provide a space for churches and communions to share their initiatives and theological resources for engaging with Muslims, and to identify substantial issues for Christian theology in relation to Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Spanish News

Aires De Cambios, Esperanza Que Anima. Mensaje Del CMI Y El CLAI En Paraguay

16 octubre 2008, ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – Del 11 al 14 de octubre de 2008 se reunieron en Asunción del Paraguay representantes del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI), para trabajar como grupo Regional, una nueva propuesta de articulación. Una carta pastoral emitida ayer, refleja el sentir y las expectativas de este grupo luego de la visita. Santificad a Dios el Señor en vuestros corazones, y estén siempre preparados para presentar defensa con mansedumbre y reverencia ante todo el que os demande razón de la esperanza que hay en vosotros.

Consejos Ecuménicos Escuchan a Las Iglesias Y Buscan Desafiarse Mutuamente

14 octubre 2008, ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – Representantes del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI) analizaron, en reuniones entre el 11 y el 14 de este mes en la capital paraguaya, procesos de análisis socio-políticos y económicos, también de reflexión bíblico-teológica, sobre los cambios ocurridos en la realidad de América Latina. "La urgencia de aplicación de proyectos hace que la relación con el CLAI-CMI sea más de colaboración que de dialogo.

Líderes De Iglesias Ortodoxas Reafirman Comrpomiso a Favor Del Diálogo

16 octubre 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – Patriarcas, primados y representantes de las Iglesias Ortodoxas (calcedonias) reiteraron su compromiso de superar los conflictos intraortodoxos y continuar los diálogos teológicos con cristianos de otras confesiones, en una reunión celebrada en Estambul, Turquía, del 10 al 12 de octubre. "La superación de los conflictos internos de la Iglesia Ortodoxa mediante la renuncia a extremos nacionalistas, étnicos e ideológicos del pasado" es una condición indispensable para que la "palabra de la ortodoxia ejerza el impacto necesario en el mundo contemporáneo," se lee en el e publicado al final de la reunión.

Cristianos De Muchas Tradiciones Buscan Un Enfoque Ecuménico
En El Diálogo Entre Cristianos Y Musulmanes

17 octubre 2008 – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), junto con varias comuniones cristianas mundiales, la Alianza Evangélica Mundial y la Iglesia Católica Romana, esperan que unos 50 líderes eclesiales y expertos en el diálogo entre cristianos y musulmanes participen, del 18 al 20 de octubre, en una consulta que se celebrará en Chavannes-de-Bogis, cerca de Ginebra, Suiza. La finalidad de la consulta es crear un espacio en el que las iglesias y comuniones compartan sus iniciativas y recursos teológicos para entablar un diálogo con los musulmanes y determinar cuestiones sustanciales para la teología cristiana en relación con dicho diálogo.

Líderes De Iglesias Ortodoxas Reafirman Compromiso a Favor Del Diálogo

15 octubre 2008 – Patriarcas, primados y representantes de las Iglesias Ortodoxas (calcedonias) reiteraron su compromiso de superar los conflictos intraortodoxos y continuar los diálogos teológicos con cristianos de otras confesiones, en una reunión celebrada en Estambul, Turquía, del 10 al 12 de octubre. "La superación de los conflictos internos de la Iglesia Ortodoxa mediante la renuncia a extremos nacionalistas, étnicos e ideológicos del pasado" es una condición indispensable para que la "palabra de la ortodoxia ejerza el impacto necesario en el mundo contemporáneo," se lee en el mensaje publicado al final de la reunión.

Neoliberalismo En Retirada Constata Consulta Ecuménica

16 octubre 2008 – Un "gradual retiro del neoliberalismo" en la región constataron participantes en una consulta ecuménica latinoamericana y caribeña dedicada a discernir los vínculos entre pobreza, riqueza y ecología. Realizada en Guatemala del 6 al 10 de octubre, la consulta contó con unos 45 participantes y fue organizada por el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, el Consejo Ecuménico Cristiano de Guatemala y el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI).

Pobreza, Riqueza Y Ecología. El CMI Y El CLAI Realizan Consulta En Guatemala

15 octubre 2008, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – "En el campo del pobre hay abundante comida, pero esta se pierde donde hay injusticia." (Prov. 13.23). Bajo esa constatación empezó el 6 de octubre la Consulta sobre Pobreza, Riqueza y Ecología en Guatemala. La Consulta fue organizada por el Programa Justicia Económica y Testimonio Publico: Confrontar el poder, afirmar la paz. La consulta organizada por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias – CMI – tiene el apoyo del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias – CLAI -que envió 24 representantes de los programas Mujer y Justicia de Género, Juventud e Indígenas.

El Secretario General Del CMI Visita India Y Sri Lanka

16 octubre 2008 – India y Sri Lanka, dos países del Sur de Asia que han padecido niveles alarmantes de violencia en los últimos meses y años, reciben, del 16 al 23 de octubre, la visita de una delegación del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) encabezada por el secretario general, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia. La visita se efectúa menos de un mes después de que el comité ejecutivo del CMI hubiera declarado su preocupación "por la tendencia alarmante de la creciente violencia entre comunidades e intolerancia religiosa en la India" y "por la escalada de la guerra y todos los tipos de violencia armada" en Sri Lanka.

Tres Religiosos Declarados Ciudadanos Ilustres Por Su Lucha Por La Democracia

14 octubre 2008, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguary – El 30 de setiembre se recordaron los 25 años del ayuno que dos sacerdotes católicos y un pastor metodista, realizaron en plena Dictadura Militar llamando a la " Reflexión Nacional." Este ayuno que duro 15 días fue un intento de movilizar la ciudadanía en 1983 por el Movimiento Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ) cuando empezaban a darse signos de resquebrajamiento de la Dictadura. Perez Aguirre, jesuita, fundador de SERPAJ y Jorge Osorio sacerdote iniciaron el ayuno como lucha no violenta frente a los horrores en el país.

Filipinas: Visiones Indígenas Para La Iglesia Y La Sociedad

16 octubre 2008 – Las Filipinas – país en el que aproximadamente un décimo de la población es indígena y vive en zonas aisladas, carentes de acceso a servicios básicos y oportunidades de crecimiento económico, pese a la abundancia de recursos naturales – será el lugar donde se reúnan unos 30 teólogos pertenecientes a pueblos indígenas de América Latina, América del Norte, Europa, Australia y Asia.

Iglesias Ecuménicas Visitan Al Presidente Lugo

15 octubre 2008, ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – Representantes de las iglesias ecuménicas del Paraguay y los representantes internacionales del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias(CMI) y Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI) se reunieron ayer, 14 de octubre, con el presidente del Paraguay Fernando Lugo. El motivo de la visita fue expresar al presidente la esperanza de cambios para el pueblo pararaguyo, expresada en la elección de abril pasado. "Elegimos este país porque entendemos que es necesario dar una mayor visibilidad en el mundo ecuménico al Paraguay y lo que está viviendo.

National News

UMCOR Lobbies to Provide Cuba Storm Relief

October 16, 2008, STAMFORD, Conn. – The United Methodist Committee on Relief has made some progress toward obtaining the U.S. Treasury Department licenses required to allow the denomination to assist hurricane survivors in Cuba. The Rev. Sam Dixon, UMCOR's top executive, presented an update from legal counsel about the licenses during an Oct. 15 meeting of the relief agency's board of directors. UMCOR is part of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, which was meeting Oct. 13-17 in Connecticut. Numerous United Methodists have called for a response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in Cuba in early September, including those in the church's Florida Conference, which has an ongoing relationship with Cuban Methodists. The hurricanes destroyed more than 400,000 homes and destroyed or damaged 33 Methodist church buildings, according to reports from the Methodist Church in Cuba.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Speaks on the U.S. Presidential Election

October 17, 2008, CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), expressed a "high expectation for our public discourse" in the closing weeks of the U.S. presidential campaign. In an Oct. 16 pastoral letter issued to the ELCA, Hanson wrote, "Instead of personal attacks, I appeal to the McCain and Obama campaigns and related message groups to bear in mind and recall for all of us the situations of our sisters and brothers who will suffer the most from our current economic turmoil."

Women's Division Backs U.S. Sex Ed Legislation

October 14, 2008, STAMFORD, Conn. – United Methodist Women are supporting proposed U.S. legislation to fund comprehensive sex education at the state level. Directors of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, endorsed REAL (the Responsible Education About Life Act) during the division's Oct. 10-13 annual meeting. The Women's Division is the administrative arm of United Methodist Women. Inelda González of Harlingen, Texas, is the division president for the next four years.

International News

Lutheran Leaders, High-Ranking Government Representatives Confer at Intl Debt Symposium
Church-Based Actors Seek Concrete Measures to Guarantee the Poor's Rights

October 16, 2008 GENEVA – Representatives of governments, churches and their partner agencies, United Nations bodies, civil society organizations and legal experts are among participants in an international symposium on illegitimate debt jointly organized by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Church of Sweden and Norwegian Church Aid, 20-23 October in Oslo, Norway. Co-sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the symposium seeks to define the general legal principles that may be applicable to sovereign debt and its impacts on human development.

New LWF Publication Explores the Spiritual and Moral Dimensions of Illegitimate Debt
LWF Documentation 53: "Not Just Numbers – Examining the Legitimacy of Foreign Debts"

October 16, 2008, GENEVA – An effective response to the continuing global debt crisis is not merely about examining the amounts a debtor country owes a lending state or institution, rather it is about recognizing the mutual moral responsibility in restoring people's justice, dignity, hope and life. This dimension is the focus of a new publication of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) titled "Not Just Numbers – Examining the Legitimacy of Foreign Debts," produced in October. It provides insights from the LWF program on illegitimate debt, started in 2005 in Latin America, and invites reflection on new initiatives related to the question of illegitimate debt, including recent initiatives by the Governments of Ecuador and Norway.

In Congo, ERD Responds to Civil Unrest

October 13, 2008 – Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is providing critical emergency assistance to more than 200 displaced people from the Province de L'Eglise Anglicane in the north-east region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bishop Henri Isingoma and Anglicans from the Diocese of Boga were forced to flee their homes last week after a recent upsurge of rebel violence. They were able to circumvent the rebels by traveling for two days through the forests to seek refuge in Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province. About 40 families are temporarily living in church buildings in Bunia.

Middle East News

Christians in Iraq

October 17, 2008 – The Anglican Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, whose diocese includes Iraq, has expressed his strong solidarity with all Christians there at a time when they in particular are suffering a spate of violence. The bishop recently visited Baghdad, where he met religious and political leaders, including major Shi'a and Sunni figures, as well as diplomats.

Iraqi Christians Need Action, Prayers and Solidarity, WCC Says

October 16, 2008 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on the UN and the Iraqi government "to quell the violence" targeted to Christians in Iraq and has urged its member churches and partners worldwide to "pray for peace and reconciliation" in the country. The WCC has been in contact with officials of the United Nations and of the Iraqi government, "lobbying for swift action to quell the violence in Iraq and to thwart activities aimed at the expulsion of Christians and other minority populations," the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia wrote in a 14 October letter to the churches in Iraq.

People in the News

Priest Inhibited as a Result of Her Conversion to Islam

October 14, 2008, RHODE ISLAND – Bishop Geralyn Wolf of the Diocese of Rhode Island has inhibited the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding for publicly professing her adherence to the Muslim faith. The notice states that the diocesan "Standing Committee has determined that Dr. Redding abandoned the Communion of the Episcopal Church by formal admission into a religious body not in communion with the Episcopal Church. The bishop has affirmed that determination." The inhibition prevents Redding from "exercising the gifts and spiritual authority conferred on her by ordination and from public ministry" and is in force until March 31, 2009.