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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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Church Leaders Call for an Inter-Korean Confederation Prior to Reunification October 23, 2009 – Nearly 140 leaders from the world's churches, North and South Koreans among them, have called for the formation of an inter-Korean confederation even before complete reunification of the Korea can take place. Agreement was reached at the close of a three-day meeting in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong where the Christian leaders expressed unrelenting hope for peace and reconciliation among Koreans, despite the stark realities of the ongoing division of the Korean peninsula. The call for a confederation came in a communiqué developed by the group at the end of their international consultation on Korean reunification. Pope Announces Special Provisions to Accept Former Anglicans in Roman Catholic Church October 20, 2009 – His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has announced his plans to allow provisions that would accept groups of former Anglicans who wish to convert to the Roman Catholic Church, according to an Oct. 20 press release from The Vatican. The press release announced the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution that would allow such converts to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of Anglican spirituality and liturgy. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, the release said, "pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy." Joint Statement by the Archbishop of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury October 29, 2009 – Today's announcement of the Apostolic Constitution is a response by Pope Benedict XVI to a number of requests over the past few years to the Holy See from groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and are willing to declare that they share a common Catholic faith and accept the Petrine ministry as willed by Christ for his Church. Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony. On Capitol Hill, Religious Leaders Take Stand for Working Families October 20, 2009 – Clergy and faith leaders from throughout the United States gathered on Capitol Hill Oct. 20 to pray and proclaim the moral case for health-care reform legislation that would make coverage affordable to working-class and low-income families. "I have been a nurse for more than 25 years providing basic, no-cost health care to the underserved," said the Rev. Sally Bowersox, executive director of St. Benedict Health and Healing, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, in a telephone interview. "It's a passion of mine, and I believe it's a moral issue that we move from charity to justice and embrace our brothers and sisters." Philadelphia Methodists Join to Reverse History October 20, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two Philadelphia pastors hope that a "reversal of history" between their congregations will set an example for present-day Americans. Instead of storming out of historic St. George's United Methodist Church in disgust – as their founder, Richard Allen, did some 200 years ago – the African-American members of Mother Bethel AME Church will return there Oct. 25 to embrace members of the denomination that had segregated them in the balcony. The reunion at St. George's, located three blocks from Independence Hall, was sparked by a conversation between the Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel, and the Rev. Fred Day, pastor of St. George's. Brethren Staff Take Part in National Conversations on Disaster Guidelines October 19, 2009, ELGIN, IL – Leading staff of two Church of the Brethren programs – Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children's Disaster Services – have been part of efforts to draft guidelines for disaster response: Judy Bezon of Children's Disaster Services has contributed to an interim report from the National Commission on Children and Disasters about the needs of children in disasters. Roy Winter of Brethren Disaster Ministries has contributed to a document from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) defining how to minister emotionally and spiritually to people in times of disaster. Winter has been part of the NVOAD Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee since it began shortly after the 9-11 attacks of 2001, and currently is NVOAD board liaison to the committee. Lutherans Offer ‘Good Gifts' for the Upcoming Holiday Season October 22, 2009, CHICAGO – This holiday season the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering exclusive gift ideas designed to help change the lives of people close to home and around the world. "ELCA Good Gifts," the church's yearlong giving catalog, features 19 pages of gift ideas designed to support the mission and ministries of the ELCA that "nourish, nurture, heal and inspire." Gifts can be purchased through the catalog or the newly designed www.ELCA.org/goodgifts on the ELCA Web site. There are more than 65 gift ideas available year round. Two ELCA Pastors on Opposing Sides Share a ‘Profound Grace Moment' October 19, 2009, CHICAGO – The Rev. James E. Boline and the Rev. Erma S. Wolf have at least one thing in common: South Dakota. Boline grew up there, and Wolf recently served a congregation there. They met while serving as communion ministers for opening worship of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in August. Conceivably, that's as far as their commonalities go. Wolf serves as vice president of the steering committee for Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (Lutheran CORE), an alliance of ELCA members and organizations that oppose some assembly actions, particularly the adoption of proposals to change ELCA ministry policies. UCC Executive Council Moves to Explore Unified Governance October 20, 2009 – The UCC's Executive Council, acting on the recommendation of General Synod 27, has approved a plan to revisit governance of the national setting. A working group was chartered at the Executive Committee's fall meeting, Oct. 17-19, in Cleveland. Twenty-nine delegates, representing diverse constituencies within the UCC, were assigned to this Unified Governance (UGOV) dialog and discernment team. ELCA Youth Continue Struggle to End Hunger with ‘JJJ Music Tour' October 19, 2009, CHICAGO – The 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) may have ended July 26 in New Orleans, but the spirit and the music live on. Several artists who entertained and inspired the 37,000 Lutheran gathered in the Louisiana Superdome went on tour after the Gathering to continue raising money for ELCA World Hunger. As part of the "Change the World: 2009 Lutheran Youth Challenge" to raise $1 million for ELCA World Hunger, high-school-age Lutherans contributed $154,488 at the gathering. The gathering theme was "Jesus Justice Jazz." Women of the ELCA, ‘The Lutheran' Reduce Churchwide Budgets, Staff October 22, 2009, CHICAGO – Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America eliminated seven full-time positions from its churchwide staff, the result of a reduction in the organization's 2010 budget. "The Lutheran," the magazine of the ELCA, will eliminate two positions from its staff in 2010 because of circulation and advertising declines. Affected staff members were notified Oct. 20 that their positions will be eliminated Jan. 31, 2010. Anglican Primate-elect Rejects Conservative Tag October 20, 2009, LAGOS, Nigeria – The newly-elected leader of the (Anglican) Church of Nigeria, the Rev. Nicholas Okoh, has rebutted his being labeled "conservative" on matters such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, women's ordination and other issues. "The liberal and conservative classifications are invented by the West to really demoralize the Church of Nigeria and others. When you disagree with them they find a convenient label for you," Okoh said in a recent interview with This Day, a Nigerian national newspaper. Catholic Church and World Council of Churches October 20, 2009 – The Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) held its annual meeting in Cordoba, Spain, 12-19 October 2009. It concentrated its work on Spiritual Roots of Ecumenism, and on how to ensure that ecumenical achievements of many years are properly received by the churches (Reception). The issue of Migration was discussed and recognized as "a challenge and an opportunity for deepening Christian ecumenical relations." Vatican Announcement Raises Many Questions October 23, 2009 – As a member of the Anglican Centre in Rome, which represents the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican, and as an Episcopalian who is a professor at one of the pope's universities in Rome, I have been asked many questions about the Vatican's announcement on Oct. 20 about the setting up of "Personal Ordinariates" for former Anglicans wishing to enter into full communion now with the Roman Catholic Church. Here are some answers to questions that many in the Episcopal Church are asking. Irony in Catholic Outreach to Anglicans October 22, 2009 – The Vatican's just-announced effort to recruit unhappy Anglicans away from a church that has embraced female priests and elected an openly gay bishop provides the Catholic Church with a way to deal with its shortage of priests – without allowing Catholic women to be ordained and without ending the celibacy rule. If Anglican clergy and seminarians are among those who convert, the Vatican potentially gets more married men in its ranks of priests while continuing to forbid Catholic priests and seminarians to wed. In fact, this very thing has been happening on a small scale for years. Vatican Proposal to Welcome Former Anglicans Generates Mixed Reactions, Commentary October 22, 2009 – The Oct. 20 announcement that Pope Benedict XVI plans to allow provisions to accept groups of former Anglicans who wish to join the Roman Catholic Church prompted a flurry of speculation and comment across the Episcopal Church and beyond. While some applauded or panned the proposal, others cautioned that full details remain to be disclosed. The press release from the Vatican announced the preparation of an "Apostolic Constitution" to allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving elements of Anglican spirituality and liturgy, with pastoral oversight and guidance provided through a "personal ordinariate" and provisions for married former Anglican clergy to be ordained as Catholic priests. Faith in United Methodist Legislators October 20, 2009 – The recent UMNS story about the fact that 53 United Methodists are among those in Congress struggling with the issue of health care reform reminded me of an article I found in an old United Methodist newspaper when I was sorting through my father's papers after his death two years ago. The article, in the April 1969 Indiana Area news edition of "Together" magazine, counted 31 United Methodists in the Indiana General Assembly that year. Among them was my father, Allan E. Bloom, who was president pro tem of the Senate. In a story headlined: "UMs in Assembly Agree: Religion, Politics ‘Do' Mix, writer Robert L. Gildea noted that while a certain "breed of Christian idealists" continued to believe that all politicians must be corrupt, these United Methodists begged to differ. Cardenal Golpista De Honduras Será Condecorado En París 20 octubre 2009, SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – La Universidad Católica de París entregará el título de doctor honoris causa al cardenal y arzobispo de Tegucigalpa, Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, el próximo 24 de noviembre, junto al ex director general del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) Michel Candessus, según un artículo traducido por el portal digital Rebelión, que fuera tomado de su sitio original Memoria de luchas. La Iglesia En El Brasil Intentará Que Los Divorciados Vueltos a Casar Regresen a Misa 19 octubre 2009, BRASIL – Los obispos remitieron a los sacerdotes un instructivo para que estimulen la participación de esas parejas en la vida parroquial, a fin de que no se sientan "católicos de segunda." La sangría de fieles hacia otros credos es el detonante. Debate. La prensa brasileña dio amplia difusión a la decisión de la Conferencia Episcopal Nacional (CNBB) de analizar en su reunión del próximo viernes en Curitiba cómo estimular la participación en las misas de los católicos divorciados y vueltos a casar por el rito civil. La Educación Teológica Es Necesaria Para Fortalecer a Las Iglesias Chinas 21 octubre 2009 – El presidente del Consejo Cristiano de China (CCC), Rev. Gao Feng, dijo a los representantes del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), en su visita a Beijing, que las iglesias de China se enfrentan con varios desafíos importantes en el futuro, especialmente el fortalecimiento de una educación teológica específica para la juventud y que incluya el trabajo social. Gao Feng se reunió el viernes 16 de octubre con el Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, secretario general del CMI, en su camino hacia Corea del Norte para una visita pastoral a las iglesias de ese país. 21 octubre 2009 – Las leyes encaminadas a potenciar y proteger a la mujer en la India han sido descritas sin sustancia por activistas que han hablado contra el fracaso del gobierno en aplicarlas. Activistas de campañas organizadas por importantes organizaciones femeninas de la India se reunieron con el equipo ecuménico cristiano que representa al Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) para incrementar la toma de conciencia internacional sobre la violencia contra la mujer y las leyes que debieran protegerla, pero no lo hacen. 22 octubre 2009, MADRID, España – Ante la declaración por parte de representantes de la Santa Sede acerca de la Constitución Apostólica que abre la puerta a la creación de prelaturas personales para acoger a los anglicanos que desean entrar en plena comunión con la Iglesia de Roma, el Obispo Diocesano de la Iglesia Española Reformada Episcopal, Carlos López Lozano, manifestó en un comunidado de prensa, "que el camino entre Roma y Canterbury, entre la Comunión Anglicana y la Iglesia Romana, es un camino de dos direcciones en el que circulan personas y comunidades en ambos sentidos." Acaba De Aparecer Un Libro Que Pone, Cara a Cara, a La Teología Y La Discapacidad 20 octubre 2009, LA HABANA, Cuba – "La Teología de la Liberación, siendo un instrumento muy significativo en la reivindicación de los olvidados de siempre, no tuvo en su contenido ninguna expresión solidaria hacia las personas con discapacidad." La anterior afirmación la hizo el reverendo Noel Fernández Collot, actual coordinador del programa de la Red Ecuménica en Defensa de las Personas con Discapacidad (EDAM), del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, al hablar con ALC acerca del libro que resume la Primera Consulta Latinoamericana sobre Teología y Discapacidad, que tuviera lugar, el pasado año, en Quito, Ecuador. Seminario Analiza Culturas Y Diversidad Religiosa 23 octubre 2009, BLUMENAU, Brasil – Estudiosos, profesores y representantes de diversos países de América Latina participaron, ayer por la noche, en esta ciudad, del acto de apertura del I Seminario Internacional Culturas y Desarrollo. El encuentro, que se extiende hasta el sábado, reúne también al V Seminario Catarinense de Enseñanza Religiosa. Organizado por la FURB-Universidad Regional de Blumenau, con participación de la Asociación de Profesores de Enseñanza Religiosa de Santa Catarina y diversas entidades, el Seminario discute el tema Culturas y Diversidad Religiosa en América Latina – Pesquisa y Perspectivas Pedagógicas. Kobia Y La Delegación Del CMI Se Reúnen 22 octubre 2009 – En una reunión reciente con una delegación del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) que visitó Pyongyang, el Presidente de Corea del Norte, Kim Yong-Nam, dijo que se daría un notable impulso a la solución del enfrentamiento sobre las armas nucleares en la región, si Corea del Norte y los EE.UU. se reunieran "entre sí cara a cara." Violencia Se Ensaña Con La Niñez: 46 Menores Son Asesinados Mensualmente 21 octubre 2009, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – La Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Arzobispado de Guatemala (ODHAG) denunció que, durante el 2009, la violencia ha arrebatado la vida a un promedio mensual de 46 niños, niñas y adolescentes en el país, con lo cual se registra un incremento del 11% sobre los datos reportados en el 2008, en el que se contabilizaron, oficialmente, 493 muertes violentas de este vulnerable sector de la población. October 22, 2009 – An emergency delegation of international Christians leaders, representing the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches of Christ of the USA, will arrive in Washington, DC today to advocate for the cessation of widespread human rights violations in Honduras, a country torn apart by the coup d'état staged on June 28. The six-person delegation, including American, European, Honduran, and Argentinean leaders, will meet with the General Secretary of the Organization of American States and State Department officials to urge firmer and more decisive action to restore democracy and ensure full compliance with rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights in Honduras. Legal Challenge Brewing over Holy Communion Row October 18, 2009 – The Sydney Anglican Archbishop, Peter Jensen, is facing a legal challenge over his church's decision to break with the national church and permit apprentice ministers to give Holy Communion. The highest court of the Australian Anglican Church, the Appellate Tribunal, has been convened to decide on the contentious issue of whether church law allows deacons or church workers to preside over the Lord's Supper, a duty exclusively performed by ordained priests and bishops. Eight diocesan bishops from Wangaratta, Bathurst, Bunbury, Riverina, Rockhampton, Grafton, North Queensland and Willochra, and 20 clergy and laity from 13 dioceses around the country outside of Sydney have applied for a legal ruling. Church Court to Address Apportionments, Sexuality October 23, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The United Methodist Church's highest court will consider whether regional church groups have any latitude on payment to general church funds when it meets Oct. 28-31 in Durham, N.C. The Judicial Council also will discuss what language is acceptable for statements on sexuality and whether clergy can fill local church positions reserved for laity. Those are among the issues raised from decisions made by United Methodist bishops during the 2009 annual conference season, which compose the 21 docket items before the denomination's nine-member court. UCC Executive Council Encourages Puerto Rico Churches October 19, 2009 – The UCC's Executive Council issued a letter of solidarity October 17 in support of the coalition protesting massive government layoffs in Puerto Rico. "We join with the Council of Churches of Puerto Rico and all its member churches to demand the reinstatement of thousands of governmental workers who have lost their livelihood," the letter said. It is addressed to Executive Secretary the Rev. Angel Luis Rivera at the Council of Churches of Puerto Rico. Kobia and WCC Delegation Meet North Korean President Kim Yong-Nam October 21, 2009, In a recent meeting with a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) visiting Pyongyang, North Korean president Kim Yong-nam said a significant impetus to solving the nuclear weapons stand-off in the region would be for North Korea and the U.S. to meet "face-to-face with each other." Kim, the president of the Presidium of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Supreme People's Assembly, said the region needs to be denuclearized. He alluded to a certain unfairness within the Six Party Talks, saying that the members of the talks are "all nuclear powers or enjoy nuclear protection by the United States" with the sole exception of North Korea. Nurture Our Unity in Christ, Kobia Tells North Korean Congregation October 21, 2009, Using a reference from I Corinthians 12, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia told nearly 200 church members at Bong Soo Church in Pyongyang, North Korea that the "Church is one body in Christ." Responding with a series of "Amens" the congregation heard Kobia say the WCC will remain engaged with all Koreans, particularly those in the church, in reaching the goal of peace and healing between the two countries and the eventual reunification of Korea. Kobia, along with accompanying WCC staff, was on a three-day visit to North Korea in advance of a 21 to 23 October consultation being held in Hong Kong on peace, reconciliation and reunification of the Korean peninsula. Churches Support Korean Reunification at Hong Kong Consultation October 22, 2009, In a momentary foretaste of Korean reunification, two Korean pastors – one from the north, one from the south – bridged more than 60 years of separation in jointly presiding over a celebration of the Eucharist during a worship service commemorating more than 25 years of work toward bringing peace and reconciliation to the divided Korean peninsula. The "Tozanso Process," which brings together Christians from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south, as well as representatives of partner churches from other nations, was initiated by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1984. The Road to Reunification Is Obstructed by Potholes October 23, 2009, If there were an easy path toward the reunification of Korea, it might have been discovered during the past 25 years or at least since the Cold War ended in the late 1980s. But it hasn't been found yet. In 1984 the World Council of Churches (WCC) began the Tozanso Process with the modest goal of bringing Christians from North and South Korea to the same table in order to build relationships and slowly chip away at structures perpetuating a painful division resulting from the Korean War, the Cold War and starkly differing ideologies. Trial of Seven Baha'is Delayed, No New Date Set October 18, 2009 – GENEVA – Although the trial of seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran for more than 17 months was scheduled for today, when attorneys and families arrived at the court offices in Tehran they were told it would not take place. No new trial date was given. "The time has come for these seven innocent people to be immediately released on bail," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva. Theological Education Needed to Strengthen Chinese Churches October 20, 2009, The president of the China Christian Council (CCC), the Rev. Gao Feng, has told World Council of Churches (WCC) representatives visiting Beijing that the churches in China face several significant challenges in the future, including the strengthening of theological education, reaching out to youth and social work. Gao Feng met with the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary, on Friday 16 October en route to North Korea for a pastoral visit with the churches there. SOUTH AFRICA: President Zuma Praises Tutu as Makgoba Urges ‘Delivery' of Basic Services October 20, 2009, CAPE TOWN, South Africa – South African President Jacob Zuma at the weekend met with several church leaders and showed that he wishes to patch up matters with his one-time fierce critic Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Before South Africa held national elections in April, Tutu said he could not pretend to look forward to Zuma's presidency due to allegations of corruption that had been levelled at the then president-in-waiting and also a questioning about Zuma's attitude to the dignity of women. Some of Zuma's former critics have subsequently said he has shown leadership in reaching out to former foes in South Africa where racial and class politics often simmer. |
