Front Page

Anglicans to Meet in Geneva to Promote Peace and Justice

March 12, 2010 – Some 35 members of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13 – 20 March, 2010. Representing over 20 countries and all the world's continents, participants will learn more about making their voices heard within the UN system in Geneva. In parallel, they will be introduced to UN policies and programmes to inform their own work on peace and justice worldwide. The meeting, facilitated by the Anglican UN Office in Geneva, will include presentations by prominent UN and civil society representatives and will facilitate an Anglican presence at the UN Human Rights Council.

Theologians Draft Manifesto for Church Unity and Justice

March 9, 2010 – An international panel of pastors and theologians is drafting a "manifesto" on church unity and social justice for a new global organization of Reformed churches. The text is to be presented in June to the Uniting General Council (UGC) of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in Grand Rapids, United States. At the conclusion yesterday of a four-day consultation in Cartigny, Switzerland, the group representing churches in eight world regions approved a text calling for a clear commitment to church unity as the basis for joint action on economic and ecological justice concerns.

ELCA Bishops Discuss Draft Social Statement on Genetics, Release Is Mar. 18

March 8, 2010, ITASCA, Ill. – The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was introduced to the content of a soon-to-be-released draft of a social statement on genetics in a closed background session here March 5. The draft, prepared by the ELCA Task Force on Genetics, will be released to the church and to the public on March 18. The social statement, planned for action by the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, was requested by the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

White House Focuses on Faith-Based Groups

March 12, 2010 – An "ambitious" 164-page report submitted to the White House this week on partnerships with faith-based organizations already is having an impact, says a United Methodist involved in the process. The more than 60 recommendations from the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships also have implications for United Methodists, added the Rev. Donald "Bud" Heckman, a United Methodist pastor who sat on the council's Inter-religious Cooperation Task Force. "This report has an overriding focus on those whom our Scriptures call ‘the least of these,'" he said.

WCC Condolences over Death of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar

March 12, 2010 – Sheikh Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar mosque and head of the al-Azhar University "will be remembered with great respect and appreciation for his remarkable contribution to Islamic scholarship, for his prominent role and genuine commitment to intercultural and inter-religious dialogue," World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit wrote in a condolence letter to the Ulama' of al-Azhar al-Sharif on 11 March. The sheik died on 10 March of a heart attack at age 81.

Membership of Churches Belonging to the LWF Tops 70 Million for the First Time
Over 1.2 Million New Members in African Lutheran Churches

March 11, 2010, GENEVA – The total number of members in churches belonging to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) last year rose by 1,589,225 to just over 70 million (70,053,316). While membership of Lutheran churches in Africa and Asia increased, churches in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as North America once again experienced a slight decline. Extension of LWF membership to the newly formed Evangelical Church in Central Germany, resulting from the January 2009 merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia and the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony, led to a slight increase in the membership of LWF churches in Europe also.

General News

Anglican Communion Theological Education Group (TEAC 2) Commits
To the Work of ‘Building Up' the Church Through Theological Education

March 11, 2010 – Meeting in Canterbury at the beginning of Lent 2010, the first meeting of the Steering Group of TEAC2, established by ACC 14 in Jamaica in May 2009, has been nourished and undergirded by the Scripture-soaked worship of this Cathedral in which we have been privileged to share. As we sought to express our vision for the fostering and celebration of theological education in the Anglican Communion, a wealth of scriptural wisdom formed and shaped our reflections.

Despite Challenges, ELCA Churchwide Organization Had Net Income in ‘09

March 8, 2010, ITASCA, Ill. – Despite the financial challenges of 2009, much of it the result of the downturn in the U.S. economy, the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) finished the year with net income of $3.9 million. Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, reported to the ELCA Conference of Bishops meeting here that current operating income to the churchwide organization in 2009 was $76.5 million, down nearly $7 million from the previous year.

ELCA Now Fourth Largest Member Church of the LWF

March 11, 2010, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is now the fourth largest member church of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). For the first time in its history, the overall membership of churches belonging to the LWF has reached 70 million. According to a March 11 report from Lutheran World Information (LWI) – the LWF's information service – the membership of Lutheran churches in Africa and Asia increased, while churches in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a slight decline.

‘ELM' Pastors Pleased with ELCA Bishops' Draft Reception Rite

March 12, 2010, ITASCA, Ill. – Three ordained pastors on the roster of "Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM)" said they were pleased with the draft rite, "Reception onto the Roster of Ordained Ministers" that emerged from discussions March 5-9 in the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The bishops agreed March 8 by consensus to a draft rite for affirming ELM pastors and receiving them onto the official ELCA clergy roster, versus requiring them to be ordained again.

DALLAS: Special Convention Affirms Anglican Covenant,
Rejects Same-Gender Liturgies Gathering Leaves Some Episcopalians ‘Feeling Torn'

March 11, 2010 – A majority of delegates attending a special March 6 convention meeting of the Diocese of Dallas at St. Michael and All Angels Church endorsed the Anglican covenant and rejected same-gender liturgies. Delegates approved two resolutions, including one by voice vote that the diocese "endorses, adopts and enters into the Anglican covenant and thereby affirms our full membership and participation in the Episcopal Church and the world wide Anglican Communion." The resolution, 2010 SCR-01, urged other dioceses, along with the Executive Council and General Convention, to do likewise.

Missionary Safety a ‘Constant Concern'

March 11, 2010, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No United Methodists are assigned to Pakistan, but the March 10 murder of charity workers there points to the need for constant vigilance regarding the safety of missionaries, church officials said. Six Pakistani employees of the U.S.-based Christian charity World Vision were killed and seven others were wounded in an attack on the aid group's offices in a remote village in northern Pakistan, according to news reports.

Editorial Page

Editorial: Living out God's Call for Women in this World

March 7, 2010 – In one of the hymns found in our new hymn book, there is a hymn that speaks about the complexity of God's image. The second verse of this hymn highlights God's female attributes. As we celebrate Women's Sunday this week, it's worth spending some time reflecting on this issue to help us build a diverse and creative church. In the past, churches always viewed God as masculine and evaluated church ministries from a man's point of view.

On Glenn Beck and Social Justice

March 13, 2010 – Fox News host Glenn Beck has created a firestorm by calling for Christians to leave congregations that preach and teach social justice. According to Beck, this is code for a socialist agenda. He has said that the one idea that Nazis and Communists have in common is the concept of social justice. Many Christians, and I would dare say many non Christians, are outraged by such statements. It is clear that Beck has neither a clear understanding of what social justice is or what most religions require of believers. Moreover, social justice is not only a requirement of faith, but it is a duty of citizenship.

Spanish News

Aumentarán Latinos En Centros Católicos De Enseñanza En Estados Unidos

11 marzo 2010, BUENOS AIRES – Un estudio de la Universidad de Notre Dame, en South Bend, estado de Indiana, reveló que para el 2020 se espera el ingreso de un millón de niños hispanos a las escuelas católicas norteamericanas, duplicándose así la cifra actual que asiste a instituciones educativas rectoradas por la Iglesia. Según el reporte de El Observator, la investigación, bajo el título de Para alentar el espíritu de una nación: familias latinas, escuelas católicas y oportunidades educativas, "intenta responder a las prioridades de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos, a fin de fortalecer la identidad católica, atraer y formar líderes talentosos, asegurar la excelencia académica y financiar las escuelas católicas, de tal forma, que sean accesibles a todas las familias," al margen de su nivel de ingresos.

Alentadora Reunión De Mujeres Ordenadas En La INPM

10 marzo 2010, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – Con una asistencia cercana a las 70 personas, la mayoría damas, más de 20 de ellas convocadas por nombre, el sábado 6 de marzo se llevó a cabo la primera reunión de mujeres ordenadas en la Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de México (INPM) en las instalaciones de la Iglesia Ammi-Shadday, ubicada en la colonia San Pedro Zacatenco, en la zona norte de la Ciudad de México.

CONEP Y UNICEP Consideran La Laicidad Como Fundamental En Propuesta De Libertad E Igualdad Religiosa

12 marzo 2010, LIMA, Perú – Tras varias reuniones entre el Concilio Nacional Evangélico del Perú (CONEP) y la Unión Nacional de Iglesias Cristianas Evangélicas del Perú (UNICEP) ambos entes concordaron en señalar que la laicidad es un factor fundamental en la lucha a favor de la libertad e igualdad religiosa. Esto fue dado a conocer en un comunicado emitido por ambas instituciones, constituidas en las voces representativas de la comunidad evangélica peruana, que conformaron una Comisión de Trabajo que construyó la propuesta, la cual va en sintonía con la posición histórica del CONEP, basada en la inclusión de todos los sectores sociales y la afirmación de la democracia en el país.

Convocan a Días De Oración Y Acción Por Los Desplazados Y La Crisis Humanitaria Que Vive Colombia

8 marzo 2010, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Desde hace unos cinco años iglesias de Estados Unidos y Colombia celebran días de Oración y Acción por esta nación, pidiendo por los más de cuatro millones de colombianos desplazados por la guerra y cerca de medio millón que busca refugio en los países de la región, cuando allí se sufre la segunda peor crisis en desplazamiento interno en el mundo. La jornada se realizará entre los días del 16 al 19 de abril próximo y, como es habitual, tendrá su centro en la petición de un cambio en las políticas del gobierno norteamericano hacia esa zona en guerra.

Encuentro Entre Los Dirigentes De La AEM Y Del CMI

10 marzo 2010 – Geoff Tunnicliffe, director internacional de la Alianza Evangélica Mundial, y Olav Fykse Tveit, secretario general del CMI. El pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), y el pastor Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, director internacional de la Alianza Evangélica Mundial (AEM) se reunieron el 3 de marzo en el Centro Ecuménico en Ginebra, Suiza para abordar preocupaciones comunes en torno a la unidad cristiana. Para los dos dirigentes, que se reunieron por primera vez en 2007 en el Foro Cristiano Mundial en Limuru, Kenya, la reunión en Ginebra fue su primer encuentro desde que Tveit asumió el cargo de secretario general del CMI el pasado mes de enero.

ENFOQUE EN MIGRACIONES:
Los Proyectos Sociales Y Productivos De Las Organizaciones De Migrantes

12 marzo 2010, MÉXICO – Desde finales del siglo anterior, en que las migraciones internacionales se incrementan en forma significativa surge un creciente interés por el tema de las remesas familiares que los migrantes envían a sus comunidades de origen y por los diversos proyectos sociales y productivos que las organizaciones de migrantes desde el exterior promueven en beneficio de sus familiares y esas comunidades.

Informe De Alto Comisionado De La ONU Analiza Situación De DDHH En Colombia

12 marzo 2010, COLOMBIA – Importantes avances en los derechos humanos y el derecho humanitario internacional en Colombia, "destacando la reducción drástica de las denuncias por ejecuciones extrajudiciales y los progresos en la tramitación de los procesos contra congresistas y funcionarios públicos por presuntos vínculos con organizaciones paramilitares," son algunos de los aspectos que recoge un informe de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas, realizado a partir del acuerdo firmado, en 1966, por la entidad relatora y el gobierno de ese país.

El CMI Pide Seguridad Para Todos Los Ciudadanos De Nigeria

12 marzo 2010, GINEBRA, Suiza – El secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, expresó "dolor y conmoción" por los recientes actos de violencia ocurridos en Nigeria, donde, según las autoridades, varios centenares de personas fueron asesinadas en pueblos cercanos a la ciudad de Jos, en el Estado de Plateau, en el centro del país, el pasado fin de semana. En una carta escrita y enviada en nombre de las iglesias miembros del CMI al presidente en funciones de Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Tveit le instó a "llevar ante la justicia a los autores de estas masacres."

Declaración Católico-Musulmana Contra Toda Justificación De La Violencia Religiosa

9 marzo 2010, ARGENTINA – Representantes musulmanes y católicos han concertado y producido un documento que contiene una Declaración en la que rechazan la manipulación de la religión con el objetivo de justificar intereses políticos, la violencia o la discriminación. El documento resume las conclusiones de la reunión anual, celebrada durante febrero en el Cairo, del Comité permanente de Al-Azhar para el Diálogo entre las Religiones Monoteístas y el Consejo Pontificio para el Diálogo Interreligioso de la Santa Sede.

Oran Por Mujeres De Camerún Y Nicaragua En Día Mundial De Oración

10 marzo 2010, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Las congregaciones asociadas al Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Pro-Alianza Denominacional (CEPAD), celebraron este 8 de marzo, Día Mundial de la Oración y Día Internacional de la Mujer, elevando plegarias de intercesión por las féminas maltratadas y sufridas de Camerún y, también, de Nicaragua, que conmemoraron la efeméride con un congreso de obreras del ramo textil en zonas francas. El sub-director de CEPAD, profesor Evenor Jerez, destacó que en el país, cada día, las mujeres tienen más amplia participación en todos los campos, pero lamentó que un 21 por ciento de ellas sufran algún tipo de violencia, según estudios de la organización española INTER-VIDA.

Pierde El Ecumenismo Cubano Uno De Sus Grandes Líderes

12 marzo 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – Uno de los más importantes líderes del ecumenismo cubano y pastor de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de Cuba (IPR), el doctor Isaac Jorge, falleció ayer, en esta capital, a la edad de 88 años. Fundador del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC) y del Seminario Evangélico de Teología de Matanzas (SET), junto a otro grupo de pastores y pastoras, Isaac defendió la fe desde una alta postura ética y patriótica, a la par que fue gran maestro de generaciones y ejemplo para muchos en el camino del cristianismo.

El VIH Es Un Tema De Derechos Humanos, No Solo Médico, Dice El Pastor Orlov En El CONCASIDA

11 marzo 2010, SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – Bajo el lema "Juventud y VIH: Por Mi Derecho a Saber y Decidir" se dio inicio a este encuentro que pretende brindar a la juventud un rol protagónico en la defensa y el derecho a una vida libre de prejuicios y discriminaciones con respecto al VIH. Costa Rica ha sido el país anfitrión de CONCASIDA 2010, evento que ofrece a la región centroamericana y del Caribe una valiosa oportunidad de reunir entidades gubernamentales, agencias de cooperación internacional y la sociedad civil en una misma dirección: un mundo inclusivo.

Religious Liberty News

SAN JOAQUIN: Diocese Sues for Return of Church Property

March 12, 2010 – The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin on March 11 continued to seek return of church property held by former congregations. The diocese filed a complaint in Fresno County Superior Court March 11 seeking return of St. Columba's Church in Fresno, held by a breakaway group. St. Columba's was among 40 congregations whose members disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church in 2007, first realigning with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone and later with the Anglican Church in North America. They refused to relinquish church property. Seven congregations and remnants of other congregations reorganized the continuing Episcopal diocese in California's Central Valley. It has since grown to 21 new or continuing congregations.

National News

President Obama Hosts Archbishop Demetrios, Prime Minister Papandreou
For March 25 Celebration at the White House

March 10, 2010, WASHINGTON – The White House hosted yesterday afternoon the Annual Greek Independence Day Celebration for the 24th consecutive year honoring the 189th Anniversary of the start of the Greek War for Independence of March 25th, 1821. This year's celebration was scheduled earlier than the actual anniversary because the President will be traveling to Asia after March 18. This year's celebration coincided with the official visit to Washington of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Mr. George Papandreou.

Minnesota ELCA Bishops Visit Lawmakers, Issue Pastoral Letter

March 12, 2010, ST. PAUL, Minn. – Bishops of the six Minnesota synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) visited House and Senate leaders at the State Capitol here March 11 "to advocate for the common good of all people in the state," according to a news release from the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod. The visits were planned so that the bishops could share their concerns "about the toll of the state's budget deficit on the state's poorest citizens," the release said.

International News

Catholics and Protestants Proclaim Christ During Lantern Festival

March 7, 2010 – This year's government-sponsored Lantern Festival Exhibition was held in Chiayi and Catholic Bishops Office participated in this event by displaying lights in the exhibition's religion section. Catholics and Protestants came together on the evening of February 28, the day of the Lantern Festival, to host a united choir performance and do some outreach. Members of Chiayi Christian Prayer Alliance, PCT Chiayi Presbytery, and other local churches could be seen distributing gospel tracts to the crowds.

CWS Board Says Haitians must Lead Reconstruction Effort

March 12, 2010, NEW YORK – The board of directors of Church World Service has "strongly affirmed" the need for Haitians to lead development and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the country's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. In a March 11 "Statement for a Just and Compassionate Response" to the Haiti emergency, approved at a meeting in Durham, N.C., the CWS board affirmed "the need for a Haitian-led broad-based development strategy and planning, in which the Haitian people and their community leaders are fully participant, and which includes rebuilding of infrastructure with attention to disaster risk reduction, creating growing economic opportunities, and addressing the need for greater food production capacity within Haiti."

LWF Pre-Assembly to Deliberate Challenges in an Increasingly United Europe
Meeting in Bratislava Prepares Delegates for Eleventh Assembly

March 12, 2010, BRATISLAVA, Slovak Republic/GENEVA – The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic (ECAC-SR) will host a regional meeting to prepare Lutheran churches in Europe for the July 2010 Eleventh Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The Assembly will be held in Stuttgart, Germany, under the theme "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread." Participants in the 13-17 March European region pre-Assembly consultation in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, will include 67 delegates, stewards and advisers from 35 LWF member churches in the region, as well as representatives from national committees, church networks, church-related agencies and LWF staff.

LWF General Secretary Conveys Prayers, Condolences to Victims in Northern Nigeria
Religious and Political Cooperation Urged in Securing Peace and Justice

March 12, 2010, GENEVA – The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, has conveyed the LWF's prayers and condolences to victims of violence in the recent attacks in northern Nigeria. He also urges the country's religious and political leadership to work together in providing meaningful responses that secure peace and justice. In a statement released today, Noko emphasized that retaliatory acts of violence can only worsen conflict. He expressed shock and sadness at the continued cycle of attacks, saying the "horrifying images of death, injury, pain and destruction shown in the media give a tragically vivid picture of the intolerable consequences of violence and revenge."

WEA and WCC Leaders Meet

March 10, 2010 – Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) met on 3 March, at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss common concerns around Christian unity. The two met for the first time in 2007 at the Global Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya. The meeting in Geneva was their first encounter since Tveit began his tenure as WCC general secretary in January.

Anglican, Episcopal Women Forge New Relationships at UN Women's Meetings

March 12, 2010 – For two Episcopal Church women, attending parts of the 54th meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women March 1-12 put the local and the global into sharp focus. The sessions also reinforced for them the scope of work ahead for people of faith, said Marge Christie of Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Karen Longenecker of San Diego, California. Both were part of the delegations of Episcopalians and Anglicans who participated in the meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, at the nearby Episcopal Church Center and at other locations in Manhattan.

Lutherans Visit Senegal to Learn about Peace- Building

March 10, 2010, CHICAGO – Senegal is a place where Christians and Muslims coexist. To learn more about life there, 10 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) journeyed through the western African country to learn about peace-building at the intersection of faith and life. "Senegal is a unique place for engaging across religious lines," said Valora Starr, director for discipleship, Women of the ELCA. "No matter where you go there, folks will say Christians and Muslims get along just fine.

SRI LANKA: Religious Leaders Call for Fair Polls in April

March 9, 2010, BANGALORE, India – Sri Lankan religious leaders have called for free and fair polls scheduled for April in an election campaign that has already been marred by violence. "If you cannot uphold law and reject violence during the elections, how can we trust that you will do this after the elections?" leaders of Sri Lanka's Congress of Religions challenged about 7,000 candidates set to contest 225 seats for the national parliament in the April 8 elections.

Lutherans Visit Earthquake-Ravaged Concepcion, Chile

March 8, 2010, CHICAGO – For the first time since the earthquake, Lutherans were able to visit the Chilean town of Concepción, March 4-7. Karen Anderson likened the scene in Concepción to "a war zone." Anderson, based in Santiago, Chile, is a staff member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Mission. She was part of an ecumenical team that traveled to Concepción to assess the needs of people there following the Feb. 27 earthquake in Chile.

People in the News

Three Bishops-Elect Receive Church's Consent for Ordination

March 8, 2010 – Bishops-elect in the dioceses of Los Angeles, Louisiana and Upper South Carolina have received the required consent of the wider church for their ordinations and consecrations. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's office March 8 announced successful consent processes for the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce of Los Angeles, the Very Rev. Morris K. Thompson of Louisiana and the Rev. W. Andrew Waldo of Upper South Carolina. Bruce was elected bishop suffragan on Dec. 4. Her ordination and consecration is planned for May 15.