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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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Interfaith Harmony Week to Be Celebrated January 31, 2011 – The annual observation of a world-wide Interfaith Harmony Week has been scheduled for the first seven days of February beginning in 2011. One of the groups that has endorsed the initiative was a global consultation of Muslim and Christian organizations addressing the topic "Transforming Communities" in November 2010. The consultation was convened at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva and was jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Islamic Call Society and A Common Word. In his opening speech of the meeting in Geneva on 4 November, Jordanian Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad bin Talal invited participating organizations to become involved in the UN-supported Interfaith Harmony Week. A Letter from the Bishop of Egypt February 2, 2011 – "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 My Dear Friends, Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! First, I would like to thank you so much for your prayers, phone calls, and messages from around the world that you have sent in the last few days. I want you to know that these meant a lot to me personally and to your brothers and sisters in the church here. Washington Activists Condemn Immigration Raids, February 4, 2011 – For the first time in nearly two weeks, Ricardo Gonzalez had something to celebrate Feb. 2: his parents – arrested during an early-morning immigration raid in Ellensburg, Washington – were home again, at least temporarily. "We don't know what happens next. They have another court date," said Gonzalez, 17, during a Feb. 2 telephone interview. He recalled awakening to his mother's screams at about 6:45 a.m. on Jan. 20, when immigration officials raided the family home in the city of 17,000 about 90 miles east of Seattle. "I was half-asleep. I saw the guy with a gun pointed at me," Gonzalez recalled. "There was a light on the gun that was shining in my face. I couldn't see that much. He told me to come out of my bedroom with my hands up in the air. I walked toward him. He handcuffed me. He did the same thing with my younger brother, who's 15." Building Public Will for Public Schools, Faith Groups Organize to ‘Prepare the Future' February 3, 2011 – With a $25 billion state budget deficit looming in California – where some 25 percent of ninth-graders fail to graduate from high school – people of faith are uniting statewide to raise levels of high-school completion and parent engagement in public education. Their work to "Prepare the Future" is echoed in Ohio, where organizers in Cincinnati and Cleveland are pursuing similar goals set in place by the founder of Good Schools Pennsylvania, a retired superintendent of Maryland's state public education system. "Ensuring equal public education opportunity is an imperative and a collective responsibility for this and future generations," said Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, a founding partner of Prepare the Future (PTF) California. Renewed Clarity on Primates' Meeting Meets Archbishop of Canterbury's "Chief Hope" January 30, 2011 – Speaking at a press conference Dr Williams explained that when inviting the Primates to the meeting he had indicated what things might be considered there. These included decisions about an effective Primates' Standing Committee, reflections on primacy itself, and expectations of the Primates' Meeting. "My chief hope was to emerge with greater clarity and agreement about what we expect of the Primates corporately and how best we can realise our expectations," he said. "In the light of that, I'm very glad to say that we have now a document about how we understand the work and calling and responsibility of the Primates' meeting; the result of a number of days of very intensive discussion of our theologies of the church and of ministry. Asesinado Un Activista Gay De Uganda Señalado Por La Prensa 31 enero 2010, ARGENTINA – "¡Colgadles, van a por nuestros hijos!." Así titulaba a doble página el semanario Rolling Stone de Uganda, que anunciaba la publicación del nombre y las fotografías de 100 homosexuales del país. David Kato, activista de Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), fue de los primeros en aparecer, hasta que en el mes de noviembre una orden judicial prohibió al semanario seguir con sus artículos por invasión del derecho a la privacidad de los ciudadanos. Presidente De La Alianza Mundial Bautista Elogia Labor Misionera Del País 3 febrero 2011, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El presidente de la Alianza Mundial Bautista (BWA, por sus siglas en inglés), doctor y reverendo John Upton, en una comparecencia ante los micrófonos de Radio CEPAD, dijo sentirse conmovido, al concluir el lunes 31 de enero una visita de tres días al país, "por la visión y la pasión que tienen los cristianos aquí que trabajan por mejorar las condiciones de los pobres." Afirmando Espiritualidades De Vida: Pueblos Indígenas En Conversación Teológica 20 enero 2010 – Por primera vez en la caminata ecuménica, alrededor de 40 teólogas y teólogos, en su mayoría indígenas, se reunirán para compartir e intercambiar las diversas experiencias y reflexiones teológicas indígenas generadas en diferentes regiones del mundo. La Homofobia, El Nuevo Pecado Que No Se Castiga Públicamente 4 febrero 2010, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Indyra Mendosa, presidenta de la Red Lésbica en Honduras, dijo en entrevista a la BBC hoy, que en el país se está dando una total impunidad en el tema de la homofobia, cuando de 34 asesinatos referidos a esta causa solo hay un detenido y la situación ha empeorado, desde que Manuel Zelaya salió del poder tras el golpe de Estado de junio de 2009. Grupo Estratégico En Vih Y Sida Reacciona 2 febrero 2010 – BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – El Grupo Estratégico en VIH y SIDA de la Alianza Ecuménica de Acción Mundial hizo pública una declaración en respuesta al asesinato de David Kato, un muy reconocido activista social en Uganda. Su muerte ha sido informada por ALC. Según información periodística, Kato, maestro de primaria de 41 años, había participado activamente en la lucha contra la legislación antigay que un buen grupo de parlamentarios pretendía aprobar en 2009 y que posibilitaba la condena a muerte de los homosexuales. Crisis En Egipto: Se Debe Respetar La Libertad De Expresión, Dice La WACC 31 enero 2011, TORONTO, Canadá – Mientras las protestas políticas continúan aumentando en Egipto, la Asociación Mundial para la Comunicación Cristiana (WACC) pide a las autoridades egipcias respetar la libertad de expresión y permitir a sus ciudadanos el pleno acceso a todos los medios de comunicación, en particular de Internet y medios de comunicación social. La WACC también condena la violencia contra periodistas que cubrían las manifestaciones. Iglesia Católica Cubana Arguye Que No Hay Que Temer a La Riqueza 31 enero 2011, GINEBRA, Suiza – ¡Tiempos equívocos los nuestros! Hace poco más de tres décadas, en 1978, Deng Xiaoping, el líder del mayor país comunista del mundo, nos sorprendió con una herética consigna: ¡Enriqueceos! Ahora le corresponde a Orlando Márquez, director de la revista del Arzobispado de La Habana, Palabra Nueva, convencernos de que no hay que temer a la riqueza. 4 febrero 2011, LA HABANA, Cuba – La Iglesia Presbiteriana-Reformada en Cuba (IPRC), nombró como su nuevo moderador al presbítero Daniel Izquierdo Hernández, a la vez que emitió una declaración dirigida a la Iglesia y al pueblo cubano que llama a "fortalecer la vocación de servicio al prójimo, la cual, aún cuando sea modesta, es expresión de solidaridad y apoyo con quienes resultan más afectados por los cambios de carácter económico y social en marcha" en el país. Musulmanes, Budistas, Mayas Y Cristianos 2 febrero 2011, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Cansados de tanta violencia, con el corazón lleno de esperanza y la convicción de que la unidad es necesaria para construir una Guatemala en paz, cientos de personas provenientes de diferentes iglesias y religiones se congregaron el pasado 26 de enero, en Catedral Metropolitana, para clamar por el cese de la violencia. Violencia que solo, en el primer mes del 2011, cobró la vida de más de 400 personas, entre las que se cuenta a unas 40 mujeres, bajo la saña y la crueldad constantes. 3 febrero 2010, CHILE – El próximo 6 de febrero, César Núñez, Director Regional para América Latina del Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA, ONUSIDA, visitará la isla de Chiloé – acompañado de una amplia delegación de personeros del sistema de Naciones Unidas – buscando conocer en primera persona de las denuncias por muerte y discriminación formuladas por la Organización Kelwo de Chiloé, integrada por indígenas viviendo con VIH/SIDA. PITTSBURGH: Appeals Court Upholds Diocesan Asset Ruling February 3, 2011 – The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has upheld a lower court ruling that said the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is the trustee of diocesan-held property and assets. The court, a statewide intermediate appeals court, said in a Feb. 2 opinion that Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph M. James had correctly ruled Oct. 6, 2009 that all diocesan assets must be held by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh that is recognized by the Episcopal Church. "We are pleased with the court's findings and hope that this will be the final legal challenge concerning this issue," said Pittsburgh Bishop Kenneth L. Price Jr. in a statement posted on the diocese's website. Presiding Bishop to Join Obama Administration as Advisory Council Member February 5, 2011 – President Barack Obama announced Feb. 4 that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori would be joining his administration as a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. "I am grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the larger community in this way," Jefferts Schori said, according to a press release from the Episcopal Church's Office of Public Affairs. "The ability to build partnerships between civic and religious bodies can only expand our capacity to heal a broken world." The council "brings together religious and secular leaders as well as scholars and experts in fields related to the work of faith-based and neighborhood organizations in order to make recommendations to the government on how to improve partnerships," a White House press release noted, adding that the president will announce additional members at a later date. The Church in the Province of the West Indies Adopts the Anglican Communion Covenant January 30, 2011 – The Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies has announced that his Province has adopted the Anglican Communion Covenant. It is the third to do so officially, the others being the Anglican Church of Mexico and The Church of the Province of Myanmar. Speaking from the Primates' Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, Archbishop John Holder said his Province saw the Covenant as something that will enable the Anglican Communion to move into the future. "We see it as a workable document that can help the Anglican Communion to move forward while still addressing issues that face its member Churches," he said. UCC Coalition Urges Prayer and Advocacy in Response to Murdered Ugandan Activist January 28, 2011 – The UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns has issued a press release calling on congregations to pray and take action in response to the slaying of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato. Kato was originally targeted last October, along with other persons, by a Ugandan magazine that published pictures, addresses and contact information for those they deemed "Uganda's Top Homos" along with a banner that read "Hang Them." The Rev. Barbara Mason Rathbun, the Coalition's moderator, asked for UCC congregations to "hold the LGBT people of Uganda and their families in prayer." Churches Closing in North Sudan after Referendum February 4, 2011, JUBA, Southern Sudan – Some churches, parishes and church schools in northern Sudan are closing due to a large movement of people to the south after the independence referendum, according to some church leaders. "This is the trend. There are some centers in the parishes that are far apart and the populations have decreased drastically. These are closing," Roman Catholic Bishop Daniel Adwok, the auxiliary bishop of the Khartoum archdiocese, told ENInews on Feb. 3. According to provisional results from the referendum, held in mid-January, voters in southern Sudan overwhelmingly approved independence for their region, the site of two long civil wars spanning some 50 years. In Egypt's Crisis, Episcopal Mission Partner Plays Critical Role January 31, 2011 – "If ever I've had a role to play, it's right now," said the Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler, an Episcopal Church mission partner living in Egypt, after a week of anti-government demonstrations and violence have been the cause of more than 100 deaths. Chandler was speaking with ENS on Jan. 31 from his home in Maadi, a suburban district of Cairo where he has served since 2003 as rector of an international Episcopal church. "Although the mood here is very tense, it is calmer than it has been over the last few days, but there is some feeling that it may be the quiet before the storm," said Chandler, noting that a major protest is expected to draw millions of people on Feb. 1. ELCA Missionaries Left Egypt with Mixed Feelings, Look Forward to Return February 3, 2011, CHICAGO – The Rev. Peter C. Johnson, one of 10 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) missionaries and family members evacuated from Egypt this week, said the group left the country reluctantly, well aware of the colleagues and friends they left behind who eagerly await their return. The 10 missionaries and family members are now in St. Paul, Minn., their temporary home until they are able to return to their assignments when the crisis in Egypt subsides. Members of Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, a congregation Johnson previously served, met the missionaries at the airport. Members also provided the missionaries with supplies and personal items, such as winter coats. Church Coalition Urges Support of UN Resolution on Halting Israeli Settlement Building February 3, 2011 – A national Christian coalition has expressed its concern for the stalled negotiations in the Middle East peace process, and is urging the Obama administration not to block a draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Israel to stop illegal construction of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) – which includes 24 Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant national church bodies and faith-based organizations, including the Episcopal Church – said in its Feb. 2 statement that the language in the resolution "reflects language that the United States has historically used to describe settlement construction activity: illegal, an obstacle to peace, and not legitimate." UCC Minister for Racial Justice to Lead Ecumenical, Interfaith Relations February 1, 2011 – The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, Minister for Racial Justice in UCC Justice and Witness Ministries for the past two years, has been named the church's Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. "Rev. Thompson comes to this position with a wealth of experience in the wider church setting, having served on the Florida Conference staff and here in the national setting as Minister for Racial Justice," said the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, UCC General Minister and President, in announcing the appointment Jan. 28. Thompson says she is "challengingly excited" about the opportunity, assessing it as a natural extension of her work. |
