Front Page

Act Local as Well as National Urges Archbishop of Canterbury

October 14, 2009 – In a lecture yesterday at Southwark Cathedral (sponsored by the Christian environmental group Operation Noah) Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, sets out a Christian vision of how people can respond to the looming environmental crisis. Beginning with the story of Noah and the Flood, Dr Williams highlights the "burden of responsibility for what confronts us here and now as a serious crisis and challenge."

Media Violence Fast ‘09 Focuses on Anti-Immigrant Hate Speech

October 16, 2009 Does violence in the media, particularly hate speech against immigrants, impact levels of actual violence? That's the question that a diverse coalition of faith groups will be asking this week as part of the 2009 Media Violence Fast, a movement now in its third year that signs up thousands of people from across the nation to consciously abstain from violence on television and radio, at least for one week.

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus Advocate for Green Job Creation for Those in Poverty

October 13, 2009 WASHINGTON – Citing a shared tradition of justice and compassion, the faith community, no stranger to providing personal and communal assistance to the nation's most vulnerable populations, is organizing across the country to call on government officials to create new, sustainable and green job opportunities for persons living in poverty. Thirty-four national faith organizations representing the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities will hold public events across the country to encourage government officials to, when working to usher in a new green economy, simultaneously fight poverty by ensuring equal opportunities for training and employment for the nation's most vulnerable.

General News

Common Parents in the Faith

October 12, 2009 – Analysis of the churches' sources of authority is a subject of immediate concern in the quest for Christian unity. "Authority" in the church is a concept that has divided Christians. Some traditions see Scripture alone as the unparalleled authority for faith and life, others appeal to particular authors, creeds and confessions, while still others look to a council, church hierarchy or a single office as the authoritative interpreter of dogma.

ABC-TV Stations Air ELCA's ‘Ready to Forgive: an African Story of Grace'

October 16, 2009, CHICAGO – Beginning Oct. 18 through December, at least 89 ABC Television affiliate stations plan to air "Ready to Forgive: An African Story of Grace" hosted by Immaculée Ilibagiza. Ilibagiza is a survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and author of "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust." The broadcast is a production of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) through the National Council of Churches USA and the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission. It was funded in part by a grant from Odyssey Networks. The documentary is a story about forgiveness and was shot entirely on location in Uganda.

ELCA Director for Congregational Mission Addresses Lutheran CORE

October 13, 2009, CHICAGO – "Will you be serious about mission?" is a question the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman asked in an open letter to members of the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (Lutheran CORE). Bouman is executive director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission. Bouman wrote the letter from a personal perspective after attending a Sept. 25-26 meeting of Lutheran CORE, an organization of ELCA pastors, lay people, congregations and reform groups.

WCC Congratulates Nobel Laureate Obama

October 10, 2009 – In a congratulation letter to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United States President Barack Obama, the World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia highlighted Obama's "deep commitment to promote peace and reconciliation in today's troubled world" demonstrated by his policies on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and curbing greenhouse gas emissions as well as his "eagerness for easing conflicts with Islamic nations."

CTCR Eyes Environmental Report Delivery Formats

October 15, 2009 – Podcasts, videos, PowerPoint presentations, plus blogs and Web sites were some of the formats suggested for disseminating a future report on the stewardship of the environment from the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) in a daylong consultation held during its Sept. 21-23 meeting. A group of individuals with expertise in the environmental and marketing fields – scientists, pastors, teachers, and laity – were invited to discuss various ideas and formats for delivery of the document to audiences both within and outside of the Missouri Synod.

Faith Conference Embraces Local, International Outreach

October 12, 2009 – Two local organizations are bringing extensive international expertise and innovative intercultural exchange to the Holland area this weekend. The Faith in Action Conference, to be held at Providence Christian Reformed Church (821 Ottawa Road) this coming Saturday, will feature speakers from Nigeria, Guatemala, Zambia, and Bangladesh as well as West Michigan. The October 17th Conference is the third of twelve similar events being coordinated throughout the year by the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee.

Racism in Church Communication? Two Mennonites Will Address

October 8, 2009, ELKHART, Ind. – Two Mennonite presenters will offer insights into their journeys with anti-racist communication during a once-in-a-decade event for faith-based communicators. Religion Communication Congress 2010, which has met every 10 years since 1970, will take place in Chicago, Ill., from April 7-10, 2010. Nekeisha Alexis-Baker, graphic designer for Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Ryan Miller, editorial director for Mennonite Mission Network, will offer a workshop on "Shared Voices: Communicating in Anti-Racist Ways." Alexis-Baker led the development of anti-racism communication guidelines for Mennonite Mission Network during her three years with the organization. Both presenters will share how those guidelines, and the process of creating and implementing them, have changed their work and their perspectives.

The Hope We Share: a Vision for Copenhagen

October 12, 2009 – In preparation for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference Of Parties (COP) Meetings to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN) has issued a statement to Anglicans Worldwide, to COP Delegates, Faith Community Representatives, Observer Organizations, and Friends of Creation. Conferring by email, and using a draft text by Convener, Bishop George Browning, retired Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn in Australia, the network's nineteen provincial representatives considered and amended a three-page statement seeking to address the moral consequences of climate change and to provoke UN delegates to combine hope with realism as they devise a political system which will take effect in 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Lutheran ‘Wallet' Votes for Mission of the Church

October 13, 2009, CHICAGO – A spectrum of reactions followed decisions taken by voting members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly in August. Some church leaders have suggested withholding financial support from the denomination, while others have said this is the time to increase funding. The assembly adopted a social statement on human sexuality, and it adopted proposals to change ELCA ministry policies, including a change to make it possible for Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers.

Gardens Feed Neighborhoods and Neighborly Feelings

October 14, 2009 – The Rev. Peter Rood, rector of Holy Nativity Church in Westchester, California, tells of being contacted by City Council member Bill Rosendahl, who wondered if it were possible to plant a garden in the atrium of his office building. The spot proved too shady to be promising, but before they knew it, gardeners from Holy Nativity and Rosendahl were talking about the possibly of turning 4,000 square feet of adjacent city-owned lawn into a community garden. "The city of Los Angeles clearly knew about our garden and appreciated it," said Rood, "but I could tell that they were bewildered."

Campus Ministers Hear Need for New Ministry Models

October 15, 2009 – Campus ministers need to be more evangelistic and visible, and they should work to empower students to tell the story of campus ministry, church education officials said. The old model of campus ministries fully funded by annual conferences is no longer enough to address the needs, directors of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Division of Higher Education concluded. In exploring different models at their fall meeting Oct. 8-10, directors lifted up projects such as the new Wesley House at the University of California-Berkeley that represent new and creative ways of ministry.

United Methodists Discuss Clergy Job Guarantees

October 13, 2009 – Should United Methodist pastors have a lifelong job guarantee? The denomination's Study of Ministry Commission is examining the practice that has survived in The United Methodist Church even as it is disappearing from other U.S. workplaces. How guaranteed appointments—which require bishops to appoint every elder in good standing to a local church—have an impact on the quality and diversity of clergy and whether the denomination can even continue to pay for such a system is up for debate.

Ecumenical News

Text and Context: the Nature and Mission of the Church

October 13, 2009 – Recommendations to extend and expand a consultation process on "The Nature and Mission of the Church" emerged from 12 small groups reviewing the text of that title on the final day of a 7-13 October meeting of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission at the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolympari, Greece. The groups' proposals will be forwarded to the smaller Faith and Order Standing Commission and to officials of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which the Plenary Commission serves as an advisory body.

Faith and Order: Facets of Faithfulness

October 10, 2009 – Is there real potential for visible unity among today's churches, or are cultural and dogmatic differences too great to be overcome? These were key issues raised on Friday 9 October in five presentations at the Faith and Order conference in Kolympari, Greece. Christians from many theological traditions and regions of the world gather under the banner of Faith and Order to compare their perspectives on religious doctrine, worship and faithful action in the world.

Faith and Order: Emerging Coherence and Changes of Patterns

October 13, 2009 – The Faith and Order Plenary Commission meeting, which took place in Kolympari, Crete, 7-13 October 2009, has come to an end. Participants noted an emerging coherence between the three current studies on Nature and Mission of the Church, Sources of Authority and Moral Discernment in the Churches. A tendency to give more space to an "ecclesiology from below" based on the concrete experience of "being church in a particular context," rather than describing the church theoretically "from above," was encouraged.

Cardinal Kasper Presents a New Book on Ecumenism

October 15, 2009, VATICAN CITY – Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, presented a new book on ecumenism at a press conference held this morning in the Holy See Press Office. The work is entitled "Harvesting the Fruits. Basic aspects of Christian Faith in Ecumenical Dialogue. Ecumenical Consensus, Convergences and Differences" and was published recently by the London publisher "Continuum." "This book," the cardinal explained, "is the result of two years of intense efforts I undertook with officials of my pontifical council, in collaboration with our consultors and ecumenical partners. ... In the work we analyse the main Protestant communities, which were the first to establish ties with us following Vatican Council II," and examine the current situation, "with an eye both to the past and to the future."

Seeking Christian Unity in an Orthodox Setting

October 12, 2009 – "The search for Christian unity is very costly, as well as slow and painful," says Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. "And yet there is hope for the quest of church unity by God's grace." Gennadios, a vice-moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), speaks from a long experience within the ecumenical movement, which he began to serve as a young steward at the WCC assembly in Uppsala in 1968.

Ten Years of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists to Commemorate the Event on October 30-31 in Augsburg

October 15, 2009, AUGSBURG, Germany/GENEVA – Several commemorative events will be held in Augsburg, Germany on 30 and 31 October to celebrate the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church ten years ago. During a special worship service on Reformation Day in 1999, the LWF and the Vatican affirmed that mutual condemnations on the decisive question of justification that had been repeated for centuries no longer applied to the teaching of the respective churches.

Spanish News

Concilio De Iglesias Llama a La Solidaridad Y La Esperanza En Medio De La Crisis Y Un Paro Nacional

15 octubre 2009, SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Las iglesias representadas a través del Concilio de Iglesias de Puerto Rico (CIPR), lanzaron ayer un comunicado donde expresan que "como continuadoras de la misión de Dios en Jesucristo" su misión es "anunciar al ser humano y a la creación la liberación de todo aquello que le quite o le impida la paz y la salvación.

Asesinan a Miembro De La Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña

14 octubre 2009, SAN SALVADOR – Con una serie de disparos a quemarropa, fue asesinado este martes por la mañana Jorge Alberto Olmedo, hijo de María Trinidad Olmedo, histórica lídereza de las Comunidades de Base y Directora del luterano Ministerio Amor y Solidaridad que atiende a indigente del Barrio San Miguelito, San Salvador.

Chile Condecora ex Secretario General Del CMI

14 octubre 2009 – El pastor Dr. Emilio Castro fue condecorado hoy por el gobierno de la República de Chile. La condecoración reconoce la contribución de Castro a la defensa de los derechos humanos en ese país sudamericano en la década de los ochenta. La Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins, es la condecoración otorgada por el gobierno de Chile a ciudadanos extranjeros.

Las Iglesias Deben Preparase Para Atender a Refugiados Ante La Crisis De Honduras

15 octubre 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El reverendo Benjamín Cortés, uno de los expositores del Foro sobre acompañamiento pastoral a los migrantes y sus familiares, llamó a las iglesias y ONGs de Centroamérica a prepararse para contribuir en la atención de refugiados que, ante la represión en Honduras, comenzarán a salir del país. Cortés calcula que por la suspensión de garantías y la represión contra zelayistas, campesinos, maestros, sindicalistas y periodistas, muchos ciudadanos comenzarán a salir de ese país en la búsqueda de refugio en otros lugares.

Documento Clave Sobre La Iglesia Representa Progreso, Pero No Está Maduro, Dice Foro Teológico

13 octubre 2009 – Participantes en un foro teológico mundial por la unidad cristiana consideraron que un documento clave sobre la iglesia analizado en la reunión representa un progreso en el diálogo ecuménico aunque necesita más trabajo para ser considerado final. El documento en cuestión se denomina Naturaleza y Misión de la Iglesia; Una etapa en el camino hacia una declaración común.

Fe Y Constitución: Nueva Coherencia Y Cambio De Hábitos

14 octubre 2009 – La reunión plenaria de la Comisión Fe y Constitución del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), que tuvo lugar en Kolympari, Creta, del 7 al 13 de octubre, acaba de llegar a su fin. Los alrededor de 150 teólogos y teólogas participantes percibieron una creciente coherencia entre los tres estudios en curso sobre Naturaleza y Misión de la Iglesia, Fuentes de Autoridad y Discernimiento moral en las iglesias. También alentaron una tendencia a dar más espacio a un discurso sobre la iglesia "desde abajo," basado en la concreta experiencia de "ser iglesia en un contexto particular," y no a una descripción teórica de la iglesia hecha "desde arriba."

Reunión De Familia: Una Mirada Conjunta a Los Padres De La Iglesia

12 octubre 2009 – Si bien a veces derivan en amargas sesiones de reproches mutuos, las reuniones de familia pueden ser también momentos de feliz reencuentro entre quienes se quieren bien y reconocen cuánto tienen en común a pesar de sus diferencias. Cuando las que se reúnen son las iglesias cristianas, las cosas no son muy diferentes. "Encontré una querida familia extensa," dijo Susan Durber, una pastora reformada y académica feminista británica, hablando ante la Comisión Plenaria Fe y Constitución del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) reunida en Creta del 7 al 13 de octubre.

Estudian Cómo Las Iglesias Deciden Asuntos Morales

14 octubre 2009, GRECIA – Un estudio que se aventura fuera de los temas clásicos de la agenda del diálogo teológico por la unidad cristiana, intenta ayudar a las iglesias a hacer frente a sus diferencias en asuntos morales. En su reunión plenaria en Creta, Grecia, del 7 al 13 de octubre, los miembros de la Comisión de Fe y Constitución del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) tomaron parte en la segunda fase del proyecto de estudio "Discernimiento moral en las iglesias."

La Iglesia Evangélica Española Se Manifiesta En Contra Del Golpe De Estado En Honduras

15 octubre 2009, ESPAÑA – El pasado 12 de octubre el LXXIII Sínodo General de la Iglesia Evangélica Española (IEE) aprobó una declaración pública sobre la situación político-social en Honduras; en ella apoya el orden democrático y constitucional. La IEE considera que este golpe, llevado a cabo el 28 de junio pasado, reabre la dinámica golpista sufrida durante muchos años y que había sido superada mediante la vía democrática.

Declaración Del Primer Encuentro De La Pastoral Ecuménica

13 octubre 2009, PUERTO RICO – Una declaración emitida por el Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico (SEPR) y el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI), acaba de sellar el Primer Encuentro de Pastoral Ecuménica bajo el cual se hermanaron ambos organismos para abordar, de conjunto, el tema de la espiritualidad en tiempos de desierto.

Delegación Del CMI Visita Corea Del Norte

16 octubre 2009 – En medio de las crecientes presiones y las negociaciones diplomáticas entre varios países en el ámbito de las Conversaciones a Seis Bandas sobre la paz y la seguridad en la península de Corea, el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, realizará esta semana una visita pastoral a las iglesias de la República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC).

Human Rights News

Secretary General of UN Releases Report Criticizing Human Rights Abuses in Iran

October 15, 2009, UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed strong criticism of Iran's human rights record, voicing concern about the use of excessive force after Iran's presidential election, the harassment of women's rights activists, the ongoing execution of juveniles, and the continued persecution of minorities, including Baha'is. In a 19-page report written specifically to address a request made last December from the UN General Assembly about human rights in Iran, Mr. Ban said there have been "negative developments" in the area of civil and political rights since 2008.

National News

Presiding Bishop, Other Leaders Urge Obama to Tackle Gulf Coast Poverty, Coastal Restoration

October 16, 2009 – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori joined more than 50 leading Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders in urging President Barack Obama to make poverty, climate and coastal restoration a priority in Gulf Coast communities still struggling to come back from Hurricane Katrina. Faith-based groups seized the opportunity of Obama's first official visit to the famed city since his historic election, to call for a beefed-up long-term recovery policy. In a letter to the president, the faith leaders said, "Four years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck and the levees were breached, the slow pace of recovery, persistent poverty, climate change and coastal land loss have created a moral crisis across the region that demands a powerful response from people of faith and our elected officials."

United Methodist Legislators Disagree on Reform Details

October 13, 2009 – As the debate over reforming the nation's health care system rages in Washington, the 53 United Methodists who are members of Congress are listening to their constituents and deciding the best path to follow. But their feelings about the various reform proposals in both the House and Senate tend to echo the positions of their particular political party. All think some reform is needed, but how to make it happen is the issue. Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow, one of nine United Methodists in the Senate, says the need for health insurance reform is imperative.

International News

African Lutheran Church Leaders Want Just Agreements at Copenhagen
Climate Change Talks Calls to Build up Action amid Increased Vulnerability

October 15, 2009 NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA – A Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation on climate change, food security and poverty ended in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with a call on the LWF member churches to challenge their governments to demand fair, equitable and legally binding agreements at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December. Representatives of LWF member churches in Africa, diaconal institutions of churches in the region and mission partners also urged the LWF and ecumenical delegations attending the Copenhagen conference to demand adequate compensation for rehabilitating the environment in Africa.

Despite Women-Friendly Laws, Discrimination and Violence Remain, Indian Activists Say

October 13, 2009 – Laws designed to empower and protect women in India have been described as "toothless" by activists who have spoken out against the government's failure to implement them. Campaigners from high-profile women's organizations in India met with a Christian ecumenical team representing the World Council of Churches (WCC) to raise international awareness about violence against women and laws that are supposed to protect women, but don't.

WCC Delegation to Visit North Korea

October 15, 2009 – Amidst the growing tensions and diplomatic negotiations among various countries within the Six Party Talks on peace and security on the Korean peninsula, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, will be making a pastoral visit to the churches in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) this week. The visit is at the invitation of and being organized by the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) of North Korea and will take place 17 to 20 October.

Lead the Drive for Justice and Peace, Asian Faith Communities Urged
LWF Interfaith Consultation Challenges Religious Leaders to Promote Understanding

October 15, 2009 DHAKA, Bangladesh/GENEVA – Use your institutions to develop opportunities for common action, a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation has urged religious communities in Asia. Delegates called on the LWF to establish a platform to exchange positive experiences of interfaith collaboration in the region. The "Consultation on Interfaith Diapraxis: Building Communities of Solidarity and Mutual Interest," held from 8 to 10 September in Dhaka, Bangladesh, also called for religious, community and political leaders to work for tolerance and reconciliation.

WACC: Interfaith Leaders Call on G8 Nations
To Remain True to the Millennium Development Goals

October 15, 2009 – The 2010 Interfaith Partnership has issued a call to action for

The Violence of Manual Scavenging in India

October 15, 2009 – On a dimly lit balcony in Delhi, the mosquitoes begin to close in. I am talking to the man who Outlook magazine – one of the top-selling English news magazines in India – named among the 25 most influential Indians without wealth or official power last year, and so it is perhaps unsurprising that he is not distracted by a few mosquitoes. As the national convenor of Safai Karmachari Andolan – a movement for the elimination of manual scavenging – Bezwada Wilson is leading a campaign that he hopes will result in the liberation of 1.3 million Indians by 31 December 2010, and it is his spirit that is helping to mobilize the victims of the caste system.

Trial of Seven Baha'is in Iran Scheduled for 18 October

October 16, 2009, GENEVA – The trial of seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders in Iran is scheduled for Sunday. However, defense lawyers have not received the standard advance notification required under Iranian law. "It is unclear whether the trial will take place on Sunday, or whether it will be postponed again," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva. "If the trial does not go ahead, the seven Baha'is should be released on bail, as Iranian law requires," she said.

Despite Women-Friendly Laws, Discrimination and Violence Remain, Indian Activists Say

October 13, 2009 – Laws designed to empower and protect women in India have been described as "toothless" by activists who have spoken out against the government's failure to implement them. Campaigners from high-profile women's organizations in India met with a Christian ecumenical team representing the World Council of Churches (WCC) to raise international awareness about violence against women and laws that are supposed to protect women, but don't. The WCC Living Letters team travelled to India as part of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence, which will lead to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in 2011.

Anglican Health Network Announces Launch of Micro Health Insurance Pilot

October 15, 2009 – People on very low incomes in the developing world may soon be able to access health insurance thanks to the Anglican Health Network (AHN), according to an October 15 news release from the Anglican Communion Office. Based in Geneva, AHN announced October 6 that it will establish a new pilot project to test the concept of providing a ‘micro health insurance plan' in an African setting.

Middle East News

Lutheran Bishops Urge for Continued Commitment to Middle East Peace

October 14, 2009, WASHINGTON – Lutherans are asking the Obama Administration to "remain firm" in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. In an Oct. 13 letter, 58 of 65 synod bishops and the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) expressed concern over the stalemate and the "fading hopes" for a two-state solution. "We urge the U.S. to insist upon an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land as well as an end to Palestinian violence against Israelis," the letter said.

Evicted Palestinian Family Keeps Watch near Home Taken by Settlers

October 14, 2009, JERUSALEM – Most days, Sharihan Hannoun and her family sit along the sidewalk on dusty white plastic chairs watching the East Jerusalem home from which they were forcibly evicted, watching as the strangers who took it over come and go. "Today we stay in the street 65 days," said Hannoun, on October 8. "The first few nights, we slept here," recalled the 20-year-old who was a psychology student at Birzeit University, which is located in the town of Birzeit on the west side of Ramallah, inside the West Bank. That was before August 2 early morning police raids left 37 members of her extended family homeless.

People in the News

Chile Decorates Former WCC General Secretary

October 14, 2009 – The Rev. Dr Emilio Castro was decorated today by the government of the Republic of Chile. The honour recognizes his contribution to the defense of human rights in this South American country during the 1980s. The Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins, is Chile's commendation for non-Chilean citizens. It was bestowed on Castro by the Chilean representative to the international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Carlos Portales. Bernardo O'Higgins, a central figure of Chile's fight for independence in the 19th century, is considered the nation's founding father. Castro, a Methodist pastor from Uruguay, was WCC general secretary between 1984 and 1992.

QUINCY: Presiding Bishop Accepts Keith Ackerman's Renunciation

October 16, 2009 – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori notified Keith Ackerman by mail and email October 16 that she has accepted the former bishop of Quincy's voluntary renunciation of ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Eugene M. Frank, Social Activist, Dies at 101

October 14, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bishop Eugene M. Frank, the first president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, died Oct. 13 at Kingswood Manor in Kansas City, Mo. At 101, Frank was the oldest United Methodist bishop. When he was elected in 1956, he was the youngest bishop in the Methodist Church. A passion for racial equality in the church and beyond marked his ministry. During his 16-year tenure as bishop of the Missouri Area, he oversaw the merger of the African-American Southwest Missouri Conference with the two predominantly white annual (regional) conferences in the state.