Front Page

Archbishop of Canterbury's Statement for the
World Day of Prayer and Action for Children

November 18, 2011 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has released a statement in advance of the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, which is on Sunday 20th November 2011. "This Sunday, 20 November 2011, is the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children. This day has been promoted by UNICEF, Religions for Peace, Save the Children and other agencies to focus the world's attention on the well-being of our children. In every faith community, our children are the treasure that we value beyond price.

Lotus Temple Embodies "Message for the World of Today"

November 14, 2011, NEW DELHI, India – On the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Baha'i House of Worship here, Delhi's Chief Minister has praised the impact the temple has made on Indian society, and beyond. "This is a very iconic building of India. There's nothing like this anywhere else," Sheila Dikshit told the crowd attending the temple's silver jubilee festivities. "It is thanks to this temple that Delhi has also found a way to reach the hearts of millions of people all over the world." The Chief Minister's remarks came as she paid a special visit on the final morning of a weekend-long celebratory program, at which more than 5,000 visitors from throughout the sub-continent – as well as almost 60 other countries – gathered at the temple's grounds.

On Durban and Climate Change:
"America Leads, it Does Not Follow," CWS Urges President

November 18, 2011, WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the lead up to the COP-17 climate change summit in Durban, South Africa (November 28 – December 9), the head of international humanitarian agency Church World Service has urged President Barack Obama and State Department negotiators to make good on U.S. promises in Copenhagen and Cancun by committing now to the establishment of at least one concrete source of international climate finance, to operationaliziation of the Green Climate Fund, and to support for a second Kyoto Protocol commitment period. .

Appeal to Anglican Communion:
"Pray and Sign Petition for Renewed Climate Change Commitment"

November 18, 2011 – Members of the worldwide Anglican Communion are being challenged to pray for the success of pending COP 171 negotiations and to sign the ‘We have faith: Act now for climate justice' petition calling for a renewed commitment to tackling climate change. Despite 17 years of negotiations to cut warming emissions, current global pledges to cut emissions leave Earth on track for between 2.5 and 4 degrees of warming, widely agreed to be catastrophic,," said Revd Canon Rachel Mash, Environmental Coordinator of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and member of the Anglican Communion Environmental Network.

Christian Leaders Continue Advocacy for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Presiding Bishop Joins White House Meeting

November 15, 2011 – Christian leaders are urging the U.S. government to step up its leadership in resolving the prolonged stalemate in peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, especially in light of a recent controversial move by Israel to establish a new settlement in East Jerusalem. A Nov. 11 alert from the Episcopal Public Policy Network calls on Episcopalians and other religious advocates to write President Barack Obama asking him to state his "clear and forthright public support for the sharing of Jerusalem as a capital for both Israel and a future Palestinian state."

Clergy Continue Support Following Occupy Wall Street Camp Breakup in New York

November 15, 2011 – As Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protestors regrouped after New York police ousted them in a pre-dawn Nov. 15 raid from the movement's original encampment in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, Episcopal clergy and other interfaith leaders in New York continued their support and planned for the future. Efforts included trying to secure meeting space for protestors and lining up shelter for occupiers if they are not allowed to camp in the park. In a morning press conference, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he authorized the park clearing because of public health and safety concerns and that protestors would be allowed to return but not to camp in the privately owned park.

New York Diocese Elects the Rev. Canon Andrew M.l. Dietsche as Bishop Coadjutor

November 19, 2011 – The Rev. Canon Andrew M.L. Dietsche was elected on Nov. 19 as bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church. Dietsche, 57, who currently serves as the diocese's canon for pastoral care, was elected on the third ballot out of a field of seven nominees. He received 131 votes of 233 cast in the lay order and 176 of 262 cast in the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 122 in the lay order and 132 in the clergy order. The election was held during a special convention at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Occupy ‘Astonishing Opportunity for Clergy'

November 18, 2011 – He saw it as an opportunity to be present as a pastor and a peacemaker and went appropriately garbed in his clerical robes, stole and cross. When confrontation threatened, he said he felt called to be a buffer between the police and the protesters marching through Seattle's downtown. By the end of the day Nov. 15, The Rev. Rich Lang, senior pastor at Temple University United Methodist Church, was one of the six people hit by police with pepper spray. Others included 84-year-old Dorli Rainey and a 19-year-old pregnant woman. Disturbed by the night's events, Lang wrote a pastoral lament the next morning, describing his experience and his anguish.

General News

Archbishop of Canterbury's Sermon at Westminster Abbey –
400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

November 16, 2011 – Archbishop Rowan Williams preached today at a Thanksgiving Service for the 400th anniversary of the 1611 Authorized (King James) translation of the Bible, attended by Her Majesty The Queen and TRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales. In his sermon, the Archbishop reflected on the King James Version of the Bible and on what makes a good translation: "A good translation will be an invitation to read again, and to probe, and reflect, and imagine with the text. Rather than letting me say, ‘Now I understand,' it prompts the response, ‘Now the work begins.'".

Church Abuse the Biggest Stumbling Block to Christian Belief, Survey Finds

November 18, 2011 – Church abuse is the chief obstacle to Australians believing in Christianity, according to a national online survey of more than 1000 people conducted by a Christian media group. The Australian Communities Report said more than three-quarters of respondents, 76%, said church abuse was a "massive" or "significant" negative influence on their attitudes towards Christianity and church. It said the top 10 "belief blockers" for Christianity were church abuse, hypocrisy, "judging others," religious wars, suffering, issues around money, that it was "outdated," Hell and condemnation, homosexuality and exclusivity.

ELCA Church Council Responds to Actions of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly

November 16, 2011, CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) acted on several recommendations in response to actions of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The council, which serves as the ELCA's board of directors, also approved revisions to the 2012 current fund spending authorization and considered other matters when it met here Nov. 11-13. The council appointed a six-person advisory committee to continue the work of the "Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA" Task Force.

LWF Committee Underlines Leadership Formation, Communications and Worship
for 2017 Anniversary Sharing of Ideas from Different Contexts Encouraged

November 18, 2011, BUDAPEST, Hungary/GENEVA – The special committee mandated to guide The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in preparing observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 identified leadership formation, the central role of worship and emerging communications as some of the issues needing urgent attention. At its inaugural meeting in the Hungarian capital, 14-15 November, the "Luther 2017: 500 Years of Reformation" committee underlined the use of new information technology – "from Gutenberg to Google" – as crucial especially in engaging young people in the different activities planned by LWF member churches throughout the world.

Lutheran Women and Men Team up to Strategize on Gender Justice
Theological and Ecclesiological Implications Discussed at Poland Meeting

November 16, 2011, KRAKOW, Poland/GENEVA – Gender justice and women's empowerment in Europe came under scrutiny when 30 Lutheran women and men leaders from 14 European countries gathered in Krakow, Poland, 7-10 November. The Lutheran World Federation's (LWF) Women in Church and Society (WICAS) desk, together with the European Women Regional Coordinators' Network, organized the meeting–held in the context of the LWF Strategy 2012-2017 which names gender justice as a crosscutting priority–to develop the use of gender as a theological tool in the churches.

Roman Missal to Change at Advent

November 16, 2011 – The Roman Catholic Mass may soon sound a little more…well, Anglican. With the first Sunday in Advent and the new liturgical year just around the corner, most English-speaking dioceses are poised to implement the third edition of the Roman Missal, the ritual text containing prayers, responses and instructions for celebrating the Mass. This version will be more faithful to the language of the original Latin. The inspiration for the new – and mandatory – version goes back to Jubilee year, 2000, when Pope John Paul II ordered new translations that would more closely reflect the original.

Editorial Page

We must Not Serve Capitalism – We must Make it Serve Us

November 15, 2011 – On Friday, Oct. 21, I visited Zuccotti Park, the site – at least until last night – of the Occupy Wall Street protest. Whatever happens next in Lower Manhattan (and as I write, on the morning of Nov. 15, things are moving fast, with the outcome unclear), there can be no doubt that this protest has struck a chord, and given birth to a movement that appears, in spite of everything, to be gaining momentum. For some, this chord seems to have sounded like a long awaited trumpet call to action; for others – who have not been shy to express their disdain – it is decidedly discordant.

Spanish News

Cantata Navideña Latinoamericana "Nació La Luz": Una Década Caminando Por América

17 noviembre 2011, ARGENTINA – Año 2001, Argentina en plena crisis, con un pronóstico socio-político-económico complejo, gente cansada de ser burlada, derechos avasallados, poca esperanza, mucha oscuridad. Ese fue el contexto en el que surgió la Cantata Navideña Latinoamericana "Nació la Luz."

Presentaron El Libro "Dios Hoy Nos Llama a Un Momento Nuevo"

15 noviembre 2011, ARGENTINA – El Instituto Universitario ISEDET y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Unida presentaron el libro "Dios hoy nos llama a un momento nuevo..." : Conceptualización de la Iglesia como comunidad saludable. La autora de la obra es Raquel E. Rodríguez y el encuentro tuvo lugar este 14 de noviembre, en el Templo de la Iglesia del Río de La Plata, IERP, en Oberá, provincia de Misiones.

Campamento Juvenil Evangélico Convocó a Cientos De Adeptos

18 noviembre 2011, CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ – Mientras unos jóvenes entregan su vida a la delincuencia y al vicio, otros se alejan del malvivir y se capacitan para llevar un mensaje de transformación a su generación, como ocurre con más de 700 jóvenes que asistieron al gran campamento juvenil, que se realizó en un complejo propiedad del concilio evangélico de las Asambleas de Dios de Panamá, en el distrito Oeste de San Carlos, esta semana.

"Colombia Es Un Estado Laico" Dice La Corte Constitucional
Rechazando Destinar Partida Para Festejo Diocesal

14 noviembre 2011, COLOMBIA – En una decisión que tomó la semana pasada, la Corte Constitucional cual declaró inexequible un proyecto de Ley por el cual "se celebraban los 50 años de la diócesis de El Espinal, Tolima, y se autorizaba al Gobierno a incluir una partida presupuestal para remodelar la catedral de ese municipio al sur del país."

La Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Unida Del Ecuador Eligió Nuevo Obispo

15 noviembre 2011, QUITO, Ecuador – El pastor Silvio Cevallos Parra fue elegido como nuevo Obispo de la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Unida del Ecuador (IEMUE), en sesión del Sábado 5 de Noviembre, dentro el marco de la IV Asamblea General Ordinaria de la IEMUE, que se llevó acabo del 3 al 6 de Noviembre con la asistencia de 49 delegados laicos, laicas, pastores y pastoras.

Mujeres Y Líderes Religiosos Claman Para Que Cese La Violencia En El País

16 noviembre 2011, NICARAGUA – La Red de Mujeres Contra la Violencia (RMCV) y algunos pastores evangélicos, llamaron al Gobierno, partidos políticos, Iglesia y ciudadanía a que actúen con concordancia con la misión que tienen para que cese la violencia post-electoral en esta nación centroamericana.

La Ordenación De Mujeres, Tema De Análisis En La UNAM

18 noviembre 2011, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – Como parte del Curso "Mujeres en la tradición judeocristiana. Una mirada desde la antropología filosófica con perspectiva de género," coordinado por los profesores/as Dr. Ricardo Blanco Beledo (ministro anglicano también), Mónica Ríos Saloma, Héctor Conde e Israel Galicia, y que se lleva a cabo durante el periodo otoño-invierno (6 de octubre-5 de enero de 2012) en la División de Educación Continua de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, este jueves 17 de noviembre se presentó la maestra Amparo Lerín Cruz para hablar acerca de la ordenación de las mujeres en la Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de México (INPM).

Pastor Evangélico Será Canciller Designado Por Próximo Presidente

14 noviembre 2011, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – "De persona más apta para dirigir los destinos de la cancillería" guatemalteca, calificó el presidente recién electo, general retirado Otto Pérez, al ex pastor evangélico y ex candidato presidencial Harold Caballeros, a quien designó, el pasado sábado, como ministro de Exteriores del nuevo gobierno que iniciará su mandato el próximo 14 de enero.

Pastoralia, Publicación Teológica Pastoral, Disponible Ahora En Internet

14 noviembre 2011, BRASIL – En junio de 1977, el Centro Evangélico Latinoamericano de Estudios Pastorales – CELEP, que publicaba "Ensayos Ocasionales" decidió descontinuar esta publicación y reemplazarla con otra llamada Pastoralia. Ahora el material está disponible en Internet. El número 1 de Pastoralia fue publicada en abril de 1978 con el tema "La pastoral en América Latina."

Se Gradúa Primera Promoción De Teólogas Y Teólogos Del Presbiterio Kaqchikel

17 noviembre 2011, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – "Agradezco a la Diosa Madre por su despertar en mi vida, por la sabiduría que ha heredado en mí, por hacerme sentir esta necesidad de buscarla, encontrarla y sobre todo vivirla; a Dios Padre por permitirme reconocer que no puede existir una creación sólo con la presencia masculina," expresó Noemí Cuéllar, una de las 15 personas que, el pasado seis de noviembre, recibió la constancia que la acreditan como Bachiller en Teología Avanzada, tras tres años de estudio en el Instituto Teológico Reformado del Presbiterio Kaqchikel, de Chimaltenango.

Iglesia Católica Reclama Cambios Sustanciales En Cuba

16 noviembre 2011, GINEBRA, Suiza – Soplan vientos de cambio en Cuba – que reciben un fuerte impulso desde la Iglesia Católica. La noticia de la visita del papa Benedicto XVI a la isla fue anunciada este domingo 13 de noviembre por el cardenal Jaime Ortega en la iglesia Jesús de Miramar, donde centenares de fieles se congregaron para recibir la imagen de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, que desde agosto de 2010 peregrina por todo el país.

Cristianos Norteamericanos Instan a Centrarse En La Pobreza, La Riqueza Y La Ecología

17 noviembre 2011 – Una consulta sobre la pobreza, la riqueza y la ecología celebrada en Calgary, Alberta (Canadá) hizo una serie de llamamientos a la acción y la reflexión en esta época marcada por la crisis financiera mundial, la amenaza medioambiental y la resistencia a los métodos de Wall Street y de las estructuras económicas afines. Representantes de las iglesias norteamericanas exhortaron a sus interlocutores ecuménicos e interreligiosos a "iniciar un decenio de acciones a favor de la eco-justicia que abarquen tanto la justicia ecológica como económica."

Human Rights News

As Uganda Reconsiders Anti-Gay Law, Former Bishop Calls for Tolerance

November 18, 2011 – As legislators in Uganda prepare to re-open debate on a bill that would harshly punish homosexuals, a church leader who campaigns for gay rights has renewed his call for tolerance and compassion. Christopher Ssenyonjo, former Anglican bishop of West Buganda diocese, said in an Nov. 18 interview with ENInews that fear of attack among lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people, or LGBTs, was increasing each day with many being forced to shift houses.

New York Metro News

‘Day of Action' Marks 60 Days of Occupy Wall Street
Interfaith Leaders March over the Bridge

November 18, 2011, Thousands of Occupy Wall Street protesters and supporters, including an interfaith contingent, converged on lower Manhattan Nov. 17 for a Day of Action, marking the two-month anniversary of the birth of the worldwide nonviolent protest movement against economic inequality. Before Occupy, "people were, we were, like zombies … this is a wake up," said the Rev. Maria Isabel Santiviago, an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of New York and vicar of St. Ann's Church for the Deaf, in an interview with ENS at Foley Square.

National News

Elizabethtown College Students Go Hungry for Food Stamp Challenge

November 17, 2011, ELGIN, IL – Students at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College are participating in a local version of a national program – Fighting Poverty with Faith Food Stamp Challenge – to create awareness and advocate on behalf of people who receive food stamps. Under the program offered by the Chaplain's Office of the college, students can choose from one of three scenarios: eat one meal that costs essentially $1.50 or the amount in food stamps that a recipient would have to spend for one meal; exist on $4.50 worth of food stamps for an entire day's meals; or live on $31.50 worth of food stamps or the equivalent of a week's meals.

Pope Approves US Anglican Ordinariate Launch for Jan. 1

November 15, 2011, BALTIMORE – Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl announced today that an Anglican ordinariate in the United States will be canonically erected on Jan. 1, 2012, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. "I remain convinced this ordinariate will be a true expression of the Catholic Church," said Cardinal Wuerl, who made the announcement Nov. 15 at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fall general assembly in Baltimore. Cardinal Wuerl is serving as the Vatican's delegate for establishing a U.S. Anglican ordinariate.

Faith Leaders Support ‘Occupiers' in Various Ways as 99 Percent Movement Grows and Shifts

November 16, 2011 – As the worldwide protest movement against economic injustice that started with Occupy Wall Street (OWS) in New York enters its third month, participants and their supporters in the religious community are regrouping in some locations after police evicted them from encampments this week while faith leaders continue to provide material and spiritual assistance to "occupations" in many cities. In New York on Nov. 15, protestors returned to the site of their Zuccotti Park encampment minus their sleeping bags and tents at the end of a day that began with an early-dawn raid and eviction by police in riot gear and ended with a judge's ruling that the city could prevent them from camping at the site.

As Injured American Veterans Return Home, Congregations Reach out

November 15, 2011, NEWTON, Massachusetts – Some wounds of war are all too visible – a missing leg, a shattered arm. The invisible wounds of mind and soul are often more difficult to spot, and equally hard to treat. But those who know where to look can help them heal, and it's a message that is hitting home for U.S. congregations as more than 1.35 million veterans adjust to civilian life after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Religion News Service reports. With symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affecting an estimated one-in-six returning service members, congregations are coming face-to-face with the tolls of war.

International News

South African Baha'is Reflect on 100 Years of Racial Unity

November 18, 2011, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Today, Baha'is here of all backgrounds can freely meet together and demonstrate their belief in the oneness of humanity. But this has not always been the case. Among the stories told at the centenary commemoration of the South African Baha'i community were those recounting the perils faced by Baha'is who were trying to follow their faith during the hardest years of apartheid. "The community reflected on the role of the early Baha'is in promoting unity in a country with a volatile and racially segregated past," said Khwezi Fudu, a spokesperson for the Baha'is of South Africa.

LWF World Service and NCA Sign Agreement on Emergency Cooperation
Two Biggest Global Implementers of ACT Inspired by Tunisian Work

November 15, 2011, GENEVA – The two biggest global implementers in the ACT Alliance, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in emergencies. The director of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS), Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, said, "A pilot program finished recently in Tunisia in response to the Libya crisis, in which the LWF provided the umbrella for a joint ACT Alliance program and NCA, played a crucial part in our agreement."

Dusk to Dawn Camp Work for Emergency Officer Otieno
Ensuring a Level of Dignity and Comfort Away from Home

November 16, 2011, DADAAB, Kenya/GENEVA – Every morning at 5 a.m. in the compound of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Dadaab, emergency coordinator Fred Otieno rises. He likes to be the first in the showers, so he can get back to his room to go through any overnight emails. Breakfast, two hours after he rises, is a cup of Kenyan tea, some fried bread and sweet potato. If he's going into the field he has to be in the parking lot at 7:45 sharp to catch a ride with the convoy.

Anger as Archbishop Gives Church Away

November 16, 2011 – Members of a small parish in Vienna are outraged by Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn's decision to hand over the church to the city's Serbian-Orthodox community for free. Neuleuchenfeld parishioners harshly criticised Schönborn for his decision made public last year. Now the Vatican decided to reject their appeal. It promised to rule on the issue by 30 September before ignoring its own deadline.

Historic Church Leaders' Meeting for South Africa

November 18, 2011 – An historic meeting of Church leaders took place Tuesday, 15th November, at Bishopscourt in Cape Town. Its aim was to tackle divisions between historic and newer churches, where labels such as ‘ecumenical' and ‘evangelical' have undermined a broader shared Christian witness within society and nation. Leaders made a renewed commitment to enhance working together for the good of all South Africans. Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, chair of National Church Leaders Consultation, hosted the meeting.

Migrants and Refugees Focus of First Day of Asia Meeting

November 14, 2011 – The hardships faced by migrants and refugees forced to flee poverty and conflict is the focus for the first day of the Anglican Alliance's Asia consultation which opens in Hong Kong (Monday Nov14th). The consultation, hosted jointly by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and the Anglican Alliance is the last of the series to draw up the priorities for the initiative to bring together development, relief and advocacy work across the Anglican Communion.

Indonesian Lutheran Youth Seek Greater Role in Combating AIDS
Call to Include AIDS Subject in Seminary Curriculum

November 15, 2011, SUKAMAKMUR, Indonesia/GENEVA – A three-day conference of youth from the dozen Lutheran churches in Indonesia have called upon church leadership to assign them a greater role in taking up the challenge of fighting the AIDS epidemic. "We as the youth of the Lutheran churches are ready to be involved and take part in actions to prevent [the spread of] HIV and AIDS," said the declaration from the 6-8 November conference of the youth from the 12-member National Committee of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Indonesia.

Lutherans Are Living Witness, Says LWF President Younan
Hungarian Church Hosts Meeting of Officers

November 17, 2011, BUDAPEST, Hungary/GENEVA – Lutherans offer the world "a communion of hope" in the midst of multiple challenges, Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, President of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), said during the opening worship of the 16-18 November LWF Meeting of Officers in Budapest, Hungary. Presiding Bishop Péter Gáncs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary presided at the service, which was also attended by some 300 students and teaching staff of the Lutheran Secondary School of Deák, one of the 40 educational institutions run by the church.

Zimbabwe Project Welcomes Ex-Prisoners

November 14, 2011 – He passed the wide-open oak door and stepped into the church in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. Sadness and pity stared back at him. He longed for what could never be. He had to gather courage for true repentance. Denford Muliliwana, a 33-year-old man released from jail after serving a six-year sentence, walked in. He wore rumpled, dark-green trousers and a white shirt with the top button undone. The eyes of the congregation were glued on him as it murmured the song of a returning prodigal son.

Middle East News

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Begins Syria Peacemaking Bid

November 12, 2011 – Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill on Saturday started a peacemaking bid to unrest-swept Syria for talks with President Bashar al-Assad and other leaders, officials said. "I am deeply convinced that all the problems can be solved peacefully and through dialogue," Kirill told journalists at Damascus airport, the Russian news agencies RIA Novosti and Interfax reported. "The most important thing is that human blood is not spilled. History teaches us that when human blood is spilled it will be hard to solve the problem," he said.