Front Page

Ecumenical Gathering Studies, Worships,
Speaks out on Issues, and Adds a Member

November 11, 2010, NEW ORLEANS – The Centennial Gathering of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service expressed strong support Wednesday for beleaguered Christian minorities around the world, and urged immediate and comprehensive reform of immigration laws in the U.S. The Gathering also called upon U.S. senators to confirm the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II and issued a message on "honoring the sacredness of religious others." But the day wasn't devoted entirely to testimony on urgent issues. The Gathering also heard a bible study on its theme scripture by Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, and celebrated a unanimous vote to welcome the Community of Christ into its membership.

Archbishop Aymond: All of Us Were Strangers Once;
Ecumenical Gathering Looks Ahead to a New Century

November 10, 2010, NEW ORLEANS – The Catholic archbishop of New Orleans welcomed hundreds of Centennial Gathering delegates to opening worship in Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Tuesday night, and said the ecumenical movement has made significant progress in the past century. "In 1928 Pope Pius XI was critical of the ecumenical movement and would not participate in it," said Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond in a homily before a richly diverse group of Protestants, Orthodox, Anglicans and Catholics. "But in 1964 Vatican II challenged all Christians to unity." Vatican II acknowledged that God wants Christians to be a united people, Aymond said. Looking around the crowded Cathedral, he said, "At one time we would have called each other strangers."

Presiding Bishop Addresses Major Ecumenical Gathering on the Interconnectedness of God's Creation –
NCC, CWS General Assembly Marks 100 Years of Ecumenical Movement

November 10, 2010 – The National Council of Churches and global humanitarian agency Church World Service are capping a year of ecumenical anniversary celebrations with their annual general assembly, welcoming religious leaders from the United States and beyond, including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. The Nov. 9-11 "centennial gathering" is drawing more than 400 people to the Marriott New Orleans to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland – an event widely regarded as the beginning of the modern ecumenical movement – and to discuss how the churches might live and work together in the future. "Ecumenism in the next century must consider the realities of the contexts we inhabit and the changes to those contexts we can see quickly arriving," Jefferts Schori said.

Bush's Defense of Torture Is ‘Incomprehensible,'
Writes NCC Chief in Huffington Post Blog

November 11, 2010, NEW ORLEANS – The general secretary of the National Council of Churches has sharply challenged former President George W. Bush's defense of torture during his administration. The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon is attending the Ecumenical Gathering of the NCC and Church World Service here this week. His remarks appeared today via Religion News Service in the Huffington Post:

General News

Military Chaplains Ask If Church Cares

November 8, 2010 – His most recent deployment as a United Methodist military chaplain was officer in charge and chaplain of the mortuary for the theater of operations in the Middle East, located in Kuwait. In short, his task was to oversee the care of the military war dead. He also gave his full attention to the spiritual and emotional needs of the staff responsible for the bodies of the heroes who would not be alive to see their families and loved ones. Surrounded by death on an hourly basis, one of his prayers was for someone – anyone – back home in his annual conference, or anywhere in his beloved United Methodist Church to recognize and support him in that hard work.

What Question Do You Have for the ELCA Presiding Bishop?

November 8, 2010, CHICAGO – If you could ask the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) a question, what would it be? The Rev. Mark S. Hanson is ready to receive questions live during the online ELCA Town Hall Forum Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. EST. The forum is an hour-long event designed to inform ELCA members about the life-changing mission and ministries of the ELCA. According to Eric Peterson, congregations should not think of the forum as "a show to be watched. Congregations should prepare and study for it, discuss what they have heard and grow in action out of that."

Student Day Nurtures New Leaders

November 11, 2010 – Music education and performance are Lauren's passions. Sara is an aspiring food scientist. International studies capture Doo-Hee's attention. Seminary is on Cora's horizon. Maria wants to be a music therapist. Diverse interests, indeed, but these young adults share one common characteristic. Each has benefited from the generosity of people on United Methodist Student Day, which congregations celebrate Sunday, Nov. 28.

Technology Replaces Phone Cards for Military

November 10, 2010 – The world back in 2003 was quite different from the world today. No Facebook or Twitter. No one had yet heard of Lady Gaga or "The Situation." People used phones exclusively for placing calls. Plenty of things were not as they are now, but one fact has endured: The people of The United Methodist Church have always reached out to those who are in need. Thus, on Veteran's Day 2003, the long-running Phone Cards for Military program began. This year, it will end.

Bishops Face Challenge on Same-Sex Unions

November 4, 2010, PANAMA CITY, Panama – The legalization of same-sex marriage in some states and countries is complicating a long-simmering debate on how the church ministers to gays and lesbians. The challenge, say bishops from areas where same-sex marriage is legal, is encouraging dialogue and mutual respect among all parties in the debate in the pews while at the same time upholding church law. "Even though people are coming from across the theological spectrum, we trust that they are willing to engage in conversation with integrity, respect and sensitivity," said New York Area Bishop Jeremiah Park, whose episcopal area includes Connecticut. "And that's something we can celebrate. We are not in a perfect place, but at least I see a sincere intention to have holy conferencing on an issue like this."

Editorial Page

Editorial: Arrogant Candidates Need Not Apply

November 14, 2010 – The recent US midterm elections was a blow to the Obama administration when American voters used their votes to voice their displeasure at the past two years of high unemployment and economic downturn. Voters gave the House of Representatives back to the Republicans. The Obama administration will henceforth face an uphill battle in pushing its policies through. During a question and answer session in India with local students, President Obama said the beauty of a democracy is that the people have the right, duty, and responsibility to voice displeasure over government performance. He also admitted results of US midterm elections had forced him to consider "midcourse corrections" to his agenda.

Spanish News

La Iglesia Católica Entre El Nombramiento Del Arzobispo De Santiago Y La Causa Karadima

10 noviembre 2010, CONCEPCIÓN, Chile – El Cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz realizó el pasado fin de semana una serie de liturgias de despedida en las diferentes parroquias de su jurisdicción. Los entendidos piensan que la designación del próximo arzobispo de Santiago es cosa de días. El Cardenal reconoció que el caso del sacerdote Fernando Karadima postergó en principio el proceso de nominación de su sucesor, para que el mismo no quedara de herencia al próximo arzobispo de Santiago.

Observatorio Del CLAI Realizará Foro Nacional De Análisis De La Coyuntura

11 noviembre 2010, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Un Foro Nacional de Análisis de la Coyuntura realizará, el viernes 26 de noviembre, el Observatorio Ecuménico para los Derechos Humanos en Honduras del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (OEDHCLAI), con el propósito de evaluar la situación actual del tema en el país y cómo, desde una fe comprometida, se puede ayudar al respeto de los mismos en el escenario político y social del momento. Al encuentro, que tendrá carácter inter-eclesial, se espera que asistan unos 70 representantes de diversas instituciones ecuménicas del país y la región, además de la importante presencia del secretario general del CLAI, el reverendo Nilton Giesse y, también, el secretario regional para Mesoamérica de ese mismo organismo, el reverendo Alfredo Joiner.

Iglesias Reflexionan Sobre "Su Deuda" Con Personas Con Discapacidad

11 noviembre 2010, SAN SALVADOR – El presidente del Foro Ecuménico de Iglesias de El Salvador (FE- CLAI), el reverendísimo Martín Barahona, dio la bienvenida y agradeció a un selecto equipo teológico de expositores, que se han reunido en esta capital para reflexionar sobre el tratamiento que, desde las iglesias, se les da a las personas portadoras de algún tipo de discapacidad. "Ellos han llegado para ayudarnos a entender la situación de nuestros hermanos y hermanas con discapacidad que, a veces desde los púlpitos consciente o inconscientemente, invisibilizamos en los derechos fundamentales de esas personas," dijo Barahona, al hacer énfasis de la deuda de las Iglesias con este sector.

Homosexuales Se Besan Frente Al Papa En Protesta Por Su Posición Ante El Tema

8 noviembre 2010, ESPAÑA – Un grupo de homosexuales se besó frente al pontífice, este domingo en Barcelona, al criticar Benedicto XVI la legalización del aborto y el matrimonio entre parejas del mismo sexo, lo cual ha venido a avivar tensiones entre España y el Vaticano, aunque el gobierno de Zapatero restó importancia al asunto. "La Iglesia se opone a todas las formas de negación de la vida humana y apoya cuanto promueva el orden natural en el ámbito de la institución familiar" expresó el Papa durante la celebración de una misa de consagración de la Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia, aún sin terminar.

Solidaridad Con Haití Y Cuba Expresa Iglesia Católica

9 noviembre 2010, SAN SALVADOR – En comparecencia de prensa, luego de la homilía de este domingo, el arzobispo de San Salvador, monseñor José Luis Escobar, declaró la solidaridad de la Iglesia que representa con los pueblos de Haití y Cuba. Escobar se refirió a la situación del pueblo haitiano, luego del paso de la tormenta tropical Tomás, y del accidente aéreo ocurrido, el pasado jueves, en Cuba y donde perdieron la vida 68 personas, de ellas 40 nacionales y 28 extranjeros.

New York Metro News

Enter the Conversation: a Visit with Wangari Maathai

November 10, 2010 – The Interfaith Center of New York will sponsor a Conversation with Wangari Maathai on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Amsterdam Avenue at West 112th Street in Manhattan. Wangari Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. She is the founder of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), which, through networks of rural women, has planted over 30 million trees across Kenya since 1977.

National News

Lutheran Disaster Response, American Red Cross Reaffirm Partnership

November 12, 2010, CHICAGO – Lutheran Disaster Response and the American Red Cross reaffirmed a longstanding partnership Nov. 9 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony at the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C. "The purpose of the agreement is to state formally the many ways in which Lutheran Disaster Response, its affiliates and individual Lutheran congregations partner with the American Red Cross and its chapters before, during and after disasters," according to an e-mail message sent to the Lutheran Disaster Response network.

PENNSYLVANIA: Convention Calls on Bishop to Leave

November 8, 2010 – The 227th annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, by a vote of 341-134, has asked Bishop Charles Bennison Jr. to "resign immediately." A resolution containing the request also said that Bennison "does not have the trust of the people and clergy of the Diocese of Pennsylvania to continue to serve as their bishop." Bennison made no comment on the resolution after it passed. Passage of the resolution came hours after Bishop Paul Marshall of the neighboring Diocese of Bethlehem wrote to Bennison and the convention, calling on him to resign and suggesting that convention participants urge Bennison to leave.

NCC Governing Board Calls for End of Afghanistan War;
Unanimously Re-elects Kinnamon as General Secretary

November 10, 2010, NEW ORLEANS – In a brief meeting preceding the Centennial Gathering, the National Council of Churches Governing Board adopted a resolution calling for an end to the war in Afghanistan, and unanimously re-elected the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon as NCC general secretary. The resolution, "A Call to End the War in Afghanistan," calls upon President Obama to negotiate a withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan "to be completed as soon as possible without further endangerment to the lives and welfare of U.S. and NATO troops, Afghan troops and Afghan civilians." The board urged the president "to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan in the context of the United Nations declaration to use all available diplomatic means to protect the population from crimes against humanity, and to employ military means of protection only as a last resort."

International News

National Compensation for Chinese Nationals Sparks Debate

November 14, 2010 – Are Chinese nationals eligible for "national" compensation in Taiwan? This question became a hot topic when landslides on the Suhua Highway recently claimed more than 20 Chinese tourists. The tragedy soon turned into controversy when Taiwan's Premier Wu Den-yih announced the government would use the Act Governing Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area to give "national" compensation to the families of these deceased Chinese tourists. For those incensed by the Premier's decision, the problem is self-evident.

ENGLAND: Five Suffragan, Assistant Bishops to Resign and Convert to Rome

November 8, 2010 – Five Church of England bishops – three suffragans, two assistants – will resign on Dec. 31 and accept an offer from the Vatican that will enable them to convert to the Roman Catholic Church when the appropriate mechanisms have been established. Suffragan bishops Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet, Keith Newton of Richborough, John Broadhurst of Fulham, and assistant bishops Edwin Barnes of Winchester and David Silk of Exeter announced their plans in a Nov. 8 joint statement saying that they have "now reached the point ... where we must formally declare our position and invite others who share it to join us on our journey."

People in the News

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Bishop Robinson Announces Plan to Retire in 2013

November 8, 2010 – Saying that the last seven years have taken a toll on him, his family and the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, Bishop Gene Robinson told the diocese Nov. 6 that he will retire in early 2013. "Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood with me every minute of the last seven years, and in some ways, you," said Robinson, speaking at the conclusion of the diocese's 208th annual convention.