Front Page

Presiding Bishop, Interfaith Leaders to Pray for Nuclear Abolition at U.N.

April 30, 2010 – Religious leaders and peace activists will gather in New York May 2 at 12 noon at the Church Center for the United Nations for an interfaith convocation to call for nuclear disarmament in advance of the U.N. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference May 3-28. "We find common ground in our steadfast commitment to abolish nuclear weapons," said Mark Johnson, executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. "From many religions, we come together for those who have been profoundly impacted by the deployment, testing, and storage of nuclear arms."

Religious Leaders Say New Arizona Immigration Law
Is Unjust, Dangerous and Contrary to Biblical Teaching

April 26, 2010 NEW YORK – The National Council of Churches and other religious organizations have sharply criticized Arizona's new immigration law as fundamentally unjust, dangerous to citizens and non-citizens alike, and a rejection of centuries-old biblical precepts of justice and neighborliness. The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary, who last week urged Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto the legislation, reiterated the view of NCC member communions and Arizona religious leaders "that this legislation will not contribute to the reform of our nation's immigration system" and may stimulate similar anti-immigrant legislation throughout the country. Governor Brewer signed the measure into law April 23. The new law makes it a crime to fail to carry immigration documents and gives law enforcement authority to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.

Sense of Urgency for Both Parties as Congress Prepares
To Take Responsibility for Immigration Reform –
Lack of Action Will Open Door for More States to Follow Arizona's Lead

April 29, 2010, WASHINGTON, DC – The effects of Arizona's new immigration law (SB 1070) have created a national crisis that is resonating throughout the country, said NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Yesterday, several members of Congress stood up and spoke out against the misguided Arizona law. "We applaud Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who are set to officially unveil their outline for a comprehensive immigration reform bill this afternoon.

National Council of Churches Officers and Communion Leaders
Urge U.S. Officials to Help Curtail Attacks on Christians in Iraq

April 27, 2010 NEW YORK – Recent attacks in Iraq on Christians and other minority groups have prompted the National Council of Churches to ask U.S. government officials to communicate with Iraqi authorities in an effort to bring the violence to an end. In letters sent April 26 to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, NCC leaders expressed concern about the attacks and asked the secretaries to urge Iraqi authorities and the commanders of Coalition forces in Iraq "to take all possible steps to prevent further incidents of this type." "Christians in Iraq have suffered more than a dozen violent deaths so far this year, including a three-year old child in Mosul who died on March 27 after a bomb, placed next to his family's home, exploded," the letter said.

General News

Churches and Christians Mark Earth Day with Creativity and Love for Neighbour

April 25, 2010 – Earth Day is observed on April 22 around the world every year. It was first introduced by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and environmental activist Denis Hayes around 1970. Today, many countries around the world use this day to promote environmentally-friendly habits or tips. This year, Taipei Shih-Tung Presbyterian Church's Ladies Fellowship marked Earth Day by inviting Housewives Alliance to host a seminar at the church. The alliance, whose members include young and experienced mothers, taught participants how to make soap from discarded frying oil.

Continuing Indaba: Web Pages Now Available

April 30, 2010 – The Continuing Indaba project sponsored by the Archbishop of Canterbury and endorsed by the Anglican Consultative Council has launched its new presence on the World Wide Web. The arrival of Continuing Indaba on the Internet as part of the Anglican Communion web site makes visible the preparatory work already in hand for the series of pilot conversations between dioceses from different parts of the Communion to take place during 2010 and 2011. Visitors to the new site will find an outline of the project, which explains its origins as located within an African conversational method for resolving real or potential conflict through mutual listening and debate.

Spanish News

Construir Una Comunidad Interreligiosa

30 abril 2010, GINEBRA, Suiza – "¿Cómo podemos afirmar nuestra identidad como musulmanes, judíos o cristianos, no en separación ni en contra los otros, sino en relación de unos con otros? Es ésta la pregunta que 30 jóvenes de diferentes países van a examinar durante el seminario de verano que se celebrará en el Instituto Ecuménico de Bossey del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI). El programa incluye actividades espirituales y académicas, así como deportivas y recreativas, y la realización de las tareas de cada día.

La Secretar'a De Relaciones Exteriores Emiti –
una Alerta De Viaje a Arizona a Los Mexicanos Que Visiten, Residan O Estudien En Dicho Estado

27 abril 2010, ALERTA DE VIAJE A ARIZONA – La Secretar'a de Relaciones Exteriores recomienda a los mexicanos que tengan viajes programados a Arizona, o bien residan o estudien en ella, tras la adopci—n de la ley "Inmigraci—n, procuraci—n de justicia, vecindarios seguros" (SB1070), que tomen en consideraci.

Un Film Alemán Sobre Las Víctimas De La Guerra En El País Busca Ganarle Al Olvido

29 abril 2010, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Más de 200.000 víctimas mortales, 45.000 desaparecidos y 5000 mujeres violadas. Este es el saldo que se cobraron los 36 años de guerra en Guatemala. Cuando después de la firma de los Acuerdos de Paz en 1996, la Comisión para el Esclarecimiento Histórico preguntó por la existencia de un archivo de la Policía Nacional (PN), para poder llevar a cabo sus investigaciones, éste no existía, según la respuesta oficial que dio el Gobierno de Álvaro Arzú.

Iglesia Episcopal Exhorta Al Uso De Las "Cuatro Erres" Por La Salud Del Planeta

26 abril 2010, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – En ocasión de su semana de educación Teológica, obispos y clero de la Iglesia Episcopal de Guatemala, hicieron un llamado público a cuidar el planeta, siguiendo el mandato de la XLII Convención Diocesana de octubre pasado, que declaró el 2009 como Año de la "Mayordomía de la Creación." A través de una carta pastoral titulada "El cuidado de la Creación también es proclamación," que circuló públicamente el pasado 22 de abril, Día de la Tierra, los episcopales exhortaron a cuidar el Planeta haciendo parte integral de la vida, y en cada hogar, el uso de las "cuatro erres" de la ecología.

Concluye Esta Semana Curso Sobre Pentecostalismo En Seminario Teológico De Matanzas

27 abril 2010, MATANZAS, Cuba – Un curso acerca del estudio del pentecostalismo en América Latina y el Caribe concluye, esta semana, en el Seminario Evangélico de Teología de Matanzas (SET), como parte del entrenamiento curricular que allí se les brinda a los alumnos de diversas denominaciones. Impartido por el doctor en Filosofía graduado de la Universidad Libre de Holanda, de origen puertorriqueño y residente en los Estados Unidos, el profesor Carmelo Álvarez, dicho entrenamiento trata de reforzar el área de estudios de ese alto centro teológico en tema tan importante, por su vigencia en los momentos actuales dentro del sector protestante y evangélico.

Trabajo Infantil Es Un "Pecado," Afirma La OIT

27 abril 2010, CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ – La Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) calificó de "pecado" las elevadas cifras de trabajo infantil que aún persisten en Panamá, con relación a sus 3,5 millones de habitantes. Briceida Barrantes, coordinadora nacional para la erradicación del trabajo infantil de la OIT, expresó que es alarmante que existan en el país unos 89,767 niños trabajadores, según cifras de la Controladuría. Destacó que son las áreas indígenas y agrícolas donde más se ha detectado mano de obra infantil. "Tenemos que garantizar la educación de nuestros niños y niñas, para evitar que salgan a realizar empleos de adultos," dijo.

Relanzan Diálogo Judíos Y Católicos

30 abril 2010, CIUDAD DEL VATICANO – Católicos y judíos han relanzado el diálogo que interrumpieron oficialmente en el 2001 sobre la figura del papa Pío XII y su relación con el pueblo de Israel durante el Holocausto, según un despacho fechado en la Ciudad del Vaticano, este jueves, por la agencia de noticias ZENIT. Organizado por la ONG "Pave the Way Foundation," el intercambio al cual asistieron varios rabinos, fue saludado públicamente por Benedicto XVI, al finalizar la audiencia general el miércoles. En los dos días de debate, los historiadores presentes dieron respuesta a 47 preguntas que aquella Comisión judeo-católica se planteó al suspender el diálogo, que en aquel entonces aunque no tenía carácter oficial sí respondía a intereses académicos mutuos.

Protestas Contra La Nueva Ley De Migraciones En Arizona Recorren El País

30 abril 2010, NUEVA YORK – El pasado 23 de abril, la gobernadora de Arizona Jan Brewer firmó la ley SB 1070 que criminaliza la migración en ese estado del suroeste de los Estados Unidos. La policia actuará como agente de migración. Esto significa que una persona puede ser detenida no por actos delictivos sino por su apariencia racial. En todo el país, voces de iglesias, organizaciones de Derechos Humanos y ciudadanos, protestan contra esta norma. "Es decir si tienes cara o acento extranjero serás obligado a que confirmes tu identidad y documentación.

Iglesias Se Preparan Para Recibir Conferencia Mundial De Misiones

28 abril 2010, ARGENTINA – Del 2 al 6 de junio, una amplia asociación de iglesias escocesas acogerá 300 delegados de 60 países para la Conferencia de Edimburgo, 2010. La Conferencia de Edimburgo 2010 es la culminación de un processo de estudios internacional e multiconfesional inspirado por la transformadora Conferencia Misionera Mundial de 1910, realizada en Edimburgo. La Cúpula de Misión de Alto Nível será hospedada por el New College, de la Universidad de Edimburgo, y financiada por más de 30 iglesias y organizaciones internacionales de misión protestantes, católicas, ortodoxas, pentecostales y de tradiciones cristianas evangélicas.

Human Rights News

Churches in the Great Lakes Region Commit to Promote Human Rights

April 29, 2010 – Church leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Rwanda have made a "firm commitment to work together in promoting human dignity and fundamental human rights." This commitment is one of the main outcomes of a five-day workshop on human rights that took place in the DRC capital city Kinshasa, 13-17 April. Hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches in the DRC, the workshop was organized by the WCC in cooperation with the Lutheran World Federation and the Protestant German aid agency Bread for the World, and was funded by the European Commission.

National News

‘Called to Serve' – Domestic Poverty Conference Gets Underway in Newark

April 28, 2010, NEWARK, New Jersey – "Healing the worst of the poverty in this nation is intrinsically connected to restoring human beings to right relationship with the rest of creation," said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in a keynote address that touched on most every factor – shelter, food, environment, health care, employment and economics – that plays a role in domestic poverty. More than 170 Episcopalians, the presiding bishop, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson and others interested in social service gathered here April 28 for "Called to Serve: The Episcopal Church Responds to Domestic Poverty," a conference designed to explore the nature of domestic poverty and the church's role in addressing it.

International News

Latin America Marks Key Anniversary in Establishment of Baha'i Faith

April 28, 2010, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – El Salvador and 20 other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are this month electing their national Baha'i assembly for the 50th time. The anniversary not only marks a milestone in the establishment of the Baha'i Faith in the Western Hemisphere, but the formation of those 21 assemblies in 1961 helped pave the way for the election two years later of the Universal House of Justice, the nine-member body that is now the worldwide head of the Baha'i Faith. "To be able to elect the House of Justice, we first had to elect national assemblies," explained Gabriel Torres, who was a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of El Salvador.

PCT Says Ending Death Penalty Reflects Christian Love and Forgiveness

April 25, 2010 – On April 6, PCT issued a statement during its 55th General Assembly in support of abolishing capital punishment based on its religious convictions. According to this statement, human beings were created in God's image, given immeasurable dignity and value, and that is why even murderers have human rights. The statement underscored that though offenders should be punished according to their crimes, the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment that is both irreversible and widely abused. It is also fraught with problems because Taiwan's judicial system's impartiality and fairness has been compromised. Furthermore, churches and organizations around the world have come to agree that death penalties don't alleviate social problems or crime.

Much-Anticipated Rukai Presbytery Finally Becomes Reality

April 25, 2010 – "We're very grateful for the support we've received from the General Assembly and from local churches. Their help has enabled us to grow from district to presbytery. We're very excited," said Rev. Pelenge, General Secretary of the new Rukai Presbytery. Rev. Pelenge added that seeing Rukai District become a presbytery is a milestone many people in the church had been anticipating. This goal was finally attained when PCT General Assembly approved a motion during its recent annual assembly. Rukai Presbytery staffs are extremely excited and already convened the first Rukai Presbytery Assembly on April 10; just one day after the motion had passed in the PCT General Assembly.

People in the News

CRC Chaplain Receives Award

April 27, 2010 The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) presented its 2010 Distinguished Service Award to Chaplain (Col) Herman Keizer, Jr., who recently retired as director of chaplaincy for the Christian Reformed Church. This award is presented annually to an individual or organization in recognition of significant contributions in promoting standards of professional chaplaincy or in the advancement of clinical chaplaincy. It was presented to Keizer during the 2010 APC's Annual Conference in Schaumburg, Ill. The APC noted that Keizer had a distinguished 34-year career as a chaplain in the Armed Services and spent two more years serving the U.S. State Department.