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Kathryn McCormick
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2000-025

News Briefs

Archbishop of Canterbury opposes efforts to scrap ban on 
promoting homosexuality in schools

     (ENS) Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey has publicly 
opposed attempts by Britain's Labor government to scrap a ban on 
local authorities promoting homosexuality or teaching that it is 
acceptable as a "pretended family relationship" in schools.

     Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons that a 
repeal would "free schoolteachers and others to be able to 
explain to children properly the facts of life."

     In a sermon at an inter-denominational service, Carey 
spelled out his opposition. "I condemn totally prejudice against 
anyone on the basis of sexual orientation. But I also resist 
placing homosexual relationships on an equal footing with 
marriage as the proper context for sexual intimacy," he said. 
Roman Catholic Cardinal Thomas Winning of Scotland joined Carey 
in opposition, stirring controversy when he called homosexuality 
a perversion and compared the threats from the homosexual lobby 
in Europe to the Nazi bombing of Britain during World War Two. 
"In place of the bombs 50 years ago you find yourselves bombarded 
with images, values and ideas that are utterly alien," he said. 
Carey called for "adequate safeguards" in schools against what 
critics are calling homosexual propaganda.

     

Bishop Shaw goes to Washington

     (ENS) In February, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts 
will go boldly where no other sitting bishop has gone before--to 
a month-long stint as a congressional intern.

     Saying that he wants "to discover something of what the role 
of the church should be in public life," Shaw will join the corps 
of college students who make up the majority of interns eager to 
get an insider's look at the nations Capitol. He will work in the 
office of Rep. Amo Houghton, a New York Republican, who told The 
Boston Globe that he plans a full schedule for Shaw.

     Houghton said he was trying to arrange for Shaw to spend 
time with White House officials and Cabinet members, as well as 
Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who is a noted civil rights 
advocate, and Rep. Tom Lantos, a California Democrat who is a 
Holocaust survivor. Houghton also said he would take Shaw with 
him on a visit to his home district to see how a member of 
Congress interacts with his constituents and later take the 
bishop to a Renaissance Weekend gathering of opinion-makers in 
Santa Fe, New Mexico.

     According to the Globe, Shaw chose Houghton's office because 
the two have been friends for about 15 years, since Houghton 
attended a retreat at the Cambridge monastery where Shaw lives. 
Shaw performed the marriage ceremony for Houghton and his wife, 
Priscilla Dewey Houghton.

     Shaw, a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, 
has declared that he will wear his monastic robe at least part of 
the time during his internship. 

     He has taken a one-month leave from his diocesan duties. 
While he is in Washington, Suffragan Bishop Barbara Harris will 
administer the diocese.

     

NEAC will celebrate the past, build the future

     (ENS) The National Episcopal AIDS Coalition (NEAC) will host 
its first conference in five years in San Francisco, California, 
March 23 to 25 at Grace Cathedral.

     The three workshops offered address Social Justice, 
Spirituality and Prevention and Education. Health care workers, 
community resource people, persons living with HIV/AIDS, care-
givers and loved ones are encouraged to take advantage of this 
opportunity to connect and network.

     The conference will celebrate personal and parish 
ministries, particularly at the awards luncheon where the 
occasional NEAC awards will be announced and Pamela Chinnis, 
president of the House of Deputies, will be recognized for her on 
going commitment to supporting those whose lives have been 
affected by HIV/AIDS.

     Featured speakers will include Gwen Hall, of the Sojourner 
Truth, Unity Fellowship, Seattle; Christian de la Huerte, San 
Francisco, author of Coming Out Spiritually, and NEAC past-
president Jesse Milan, Jr., Bishop William Swing of California 
will officiate at the opening and the Very Rev. Alan Jones, dean 
of Grace Cathedral, will officiate at the closing.

     For more information contact Cricket Park, conference 
coordinator, at 614/527-7275 or CBPark@aol.com. Web site: 
www.neac.org

     

Millennium Dome anticipates 30,000 visitors per day

     (ENS) The Millennium Dome in Greenwich, South London, is 
open to the public and ready to receive the anticipated 30,000 
visitors a day of all faith traditions as well as those with 
none.

     According to a release, the company that operates the dome 
worked with various churches to appoint a team of 20 Christian 
chaplains, two of whom will be on duty whenever the Dome is open 
to the public. The chaplains were drawn from a very broad range 
of church life, both clergy and lay, including Anglicans, 
Salvation Army officers, Roman Catholics, and five London City 
Mission staff.

     The chaplains will not only lead prayers twice a day and 
Sunday worship, but they will also be available to and answer any 
questions that arise from staff and visitors.

     The dome's Prayer Space is open for private prayer and 
reflection. Morning and afternoon prayers will follow a simple 
pattern based on a psalm, scripture reading and intercessions, 
with more extended worship on Sundays.

     

Anglicare helps East Timor refugees

     (Brisbane Focus) Anglicare Top End, the welfare arm of the 
Anglican Church of Australia, has played a leading role in 
coordinating the Northern Territory's disaster response to the 
unexpected numbers of refugees flooding into Darwin from East 
Timor. Anglicare Top End has helped with the distribution of 
clothing and personal items.

     An urgent appeal for cash, clothing, and toiletries was 
issued after the most needy people were flown out of East Timor 
as violence spread following the referendum on independence from 
Indonesia.

     "The organization is very pleased to have the assistance and 
support of many churches and other organizations in Darwin," said 
Anglicare Top End director, Peter Fisher. Churches throughout 
Australia have helped with donations of money and goods as 
unprecedented numbers of refugees arrive in the country. Armed 
forces personnel were encouraged to write to their home churches 
asking for boxes of tinned food, second-hand clothes and toys to 
be sent to East Timor.

     Seven Anglican chaplains helped the Australian Defense Force 
soldiers to celebrate Christmas in the former Portuguese colony. 
They are serving as part of the International Force East Timor 
(Interfet). East Timor has featured strongly in prayers and 
special services throughout Australia, including an ecumenical 
prayer service in St Francis Xavier Cathedral in South Australia.

     

100,000 people mourn loss of church leader in southern India

     (ENI)--More than 100 000 people, from a wide range of 
Christian confessions, attended the funeral on January 13 of 

Metropolitan Alexander Mar Thoma, a highly respected and loved 
church leader who was head of the (Orthodox) Mar Thoma Syrian 
church for almost a quarter of a century.

     The Mar Thoma Syrian church is one of the few churches in 
full communion with the Episcopal Church.

     According to church officials, thousands of  people paid 
their respects to Thoma whose funeral was held at St. Thomas 
Cathedral, in Tiruvalla, India. Also in attendance were the nine 
bishops of the Mar Thoma church, Orthodox and Roman Catholic 
bishops and leading officials in the Kerala state government.

     He lead the church from 1976 to October 1999 and became the 
first Metropolitan of the church, which broke away from the 
Malankara Orthodox Syrian church in 1836.

     Metropolitan Mar Chrysostam, his successor, said, "The 
number of people who turned up for the funeral shows the Valia 
Metropolitan's legacy. He cared not only for our people but also 
for the sick, poor and lonely of other denominations and 
communities."

     He also pointed out that the metropolitan had initiated 
welfare projects for the benefit of the general public. A whole 

village in the state of Maharashtra in western India had been 
adopted by the Mar Thoma church after an earthquake in 1994 that 
killed 10,000 people and left thousands homeless.

     In a message to the church, Jeanne Becher of the World 
Council of Churches (WCC), wrote on behalf of the general 
secretary, Konrad Raiser, that Metropolitan Alexander's 
"contribution to the spiritual life of the church and his concern 
for the marginalized and the poor, regardless of caste and 
communal distinctions, will remain a beacon for those who 
follow."

     

Some churches share in opening of Jubilee door in Rome 

     (ENI) For the first time in history representatives of the 
Anglican and Orthodox churches have participated in a key 
ceremony in Rome marking an official Catholic Jubilee year.

     The year 2000 has been designated by the Vatican as a 
Jubilee Year, a time of special importance for Catholics that 
includes the granting of special indulgences-remission of the 

penalty for sin to be served in Purgatory after death. The 
jubilee, or Holy Year as it is sometimes known, is celebrated 
once every 25 years.

     Representatives of 22 of the world's major churches, and of 
the World Council of Churches, attended the ceremony. Many 
commentators stressed that such widespread participation in an 
event in Rome was unprecedented.

     Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Metropolitan 
Athanasios of Helioupolis and Theira, representing Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomeos of Constantinople, were also in 
attendance.

     Together with Pope John Paul II, the two leaders pushed open 
the "holy door" of St Paul's Basilica. Never before, in the 700 
years since Rome began celebrating jubilee years, has this event 
been shared in this way with non-Catholic churches.

     In another major gesture to church unity, the service that 
followed included readings from the works of a Russian Orthodox 
theologian, George Florovsky, and from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a 
German Lutheran pastor and theologian hanged by the Gestapo in 
1945.

     In the sermon that followed, Pope John Paul asked: "How is 
it possible that, despite their fundamental unity in their 
baptism in Christ, Christians are so divided?" He ended his 
homily with the words: "Dear brothers and sisters, my wish in 
this solemn moment is that this year of grace, 2000, become for 
all of Christ's disciples an opportunity to give a new boost to 
ecumenical efforts * I remember that in May 1999 in Bucharest, 
during a service at which I presided in the presence of Romanian 
Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist, the people-Catholic, Orthodox and 
Protestant-shouted: 'Unity, unity'."

     Domenico Tomasetto, president of the Federation of Italian 
Protestant Churches, told NEV, an Italian Protestant news agency: 
"Hardly any of the Protestant community in Italy participated in 
the opening of the 'holy door' of St Paul's Basilica, mindful of 
the fact that if it is true that Christ is the door to 
forgiveness, this forgiveness is open to us every day. The time 
of forgiveness is not controlled by any church authority, but is 
at the heart of the Gospel which is never closed to us."

     

Religion provides little guidance on gay marriage 

     (ENS) When faced with large moral questions, many people 
turn to their religious faith for guidance. But when it comes to 
gay marriage, they may have to look elsewhere because there's no 
definitive answer. 

     According to a report, Vermont's top religious leaders, 
relying largely on the same basic faiths and traditions, come to 
opposite conclusions on whether the state should bless marriage 
by couples of the same gender. 

     "I think everybody has to look into their own heart and 
decide what the scriptures or their belief is telling them," said 
Jane Garrett, an Episcopal priest who has been active in her 
church's debate about whether to bless unions between gay and 
lesbian couples. 

     "It's open to interpretation," she said. "People in the end 
have to go and look to see what makes sense to them." 

     Roman Catholic Bishop Kenneth Angell has drafted a pastoral 
letter opposing same-gender marriage that will be read in all 
parishes. 

     "I think there are two ways in which we believe we can know 
what Christ wants of us," Angell said. "One is through scripture, 
the revealed word. The other is tradition, with a capital T."

     "It just seems with so many people today, in this modern 
age, everyone wants to be their own teacher," he said. "Whatever 
we think, we espouse; whatever we want, we do. There doesn't seem 
to be any logic that I can see that would foster homosexual 
marriage."

     Bishop Mary Adelia McLeod of the Episcopal Diocese of 
Vermont, United Methodist Bishop Susan M. Morrison and Ohavi 
Zedek Rabbi Joshua Chasan signed a separate letter signed by 14 
of their colleagues endorsing gay marriage. 
     In an individual statement McLeod said, "I applaud and am 
encouraged by the Vermont Supreme Court's ruling that the State 
of Vermont must 'extend to same-sex couples the common benefits 
and protections that flow from marriage under Vermont law.'"
     "We today no more turn our rebellious children over to the state 
to be stoned, as it says that we should in Deuteronomy, than we punish 
severely Jews who violate Shabbat, the Sabbath," Chasan said. "Under 
Halakhah, you are allowed to make changes when the needs of the 
majority of the people require them. ... All of our faith traditions accord 
a large measure of respect for conscience." 
     He said religion, or at least religious leaders, can be fallible, especially 
when they "project their values onto God.
     "I think that members of the religious community who are clothing their 
take on sexuality in God's garb continue to give religion a bad name in the
 minds of those who are very aware of the injustices that have been done 
by religious folk in God's name.
     "I have a very personal understanding of God. I live a traditional
 Jewish life and I know in my heart of hearts that homosexuality is as 
righteous as heterosexuality," Chasan said. "I'd be an utter fraud, 
especially after the Supreme Court decision, if I didn't make plain my 
view that to deny the right of marriage to homosexuals is a sin."
     

First worship held at Russia's cathedral since 1931
     (ENS) Russia's acting president, Vladimir Putin, joined worshipers 
on January 16 for the first major service held in the Cathedral of Christ 
the Savior, where reconstruction is nearly complete.
     The cathedral in Moscow was blown up by Stalin in 1931 and the 
site has been a public swimming pool since the 1960s. A report states 
that its reconstruction over the past five years is seen by many as a symbol 
of religious revival in post-Communist Russia. It dominates the skyline 
of central Moscow.
     Putin, who became Russia's acting president after President Boris 
Yeltsin's sudden resignation on December 31, received the blessing of 
Patriarch Alexy II, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, at the 
cathedral.
     Many of the worshipers in attendance were construction workers 
and artists who had worked to rebuild the cathedral and paint its interior 
with murals. More than 400 artists worked for months, sometimes without 
pay, to finish most of the work by Christmas.
     According to the Russian press, officially, no public money has been 
spent to rebuild the cathedral but the Moscow city government led by the 
city's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, devised a system, in which businesses were 
urged to donate money and materials for the construction.
     The cost of reconstruction was originally estimated at $150 million, 
but officials said it has reached $500 million.
     

Arctic's bishop looks to England for priests to brave the cold
     (ENI) Unable to find priests in Canada to minister in his region, Bishop 
Chris Williams of the Anglican Diocese of the Arctic has advertised in 
England for clergy to fill nine vacancies in the Anglican Communion's largest 
diocesan territory.
     In an article, Williams said he had advertised in the Anglican Church of 
Canada's national newspaper, the Anglican Journal, but to no avail.
     The weather and isolation seemed to discourage Canadian candidates 
who appeared to prefer urban ministry in the south of Canada, the bishop 
said. "Our communities are isolated from each other. [For] the majority of 
them, the only way in or out is by air. So for a large part of the time they 
are working in isolation."
     However, he added that the isolation was not as severe as it once was. 
When Williams first came to the Arctic 40 years ago as a newly ordained 
priest, a supply ship arrived with mail only once a year. 
     Now, he said, parishes were serviced two or three times a week.
     A more serious challenge to ministry in the Arctic is a range of serious 
social problems, such as teenage suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse. 
Williams told the Anglican Journal: "There are different strains and stress 
on clergy. The stress is probably greater these days.
     "A former clergyman of this diocese, who is retired in Britain, suggested 
we put an advert in the British papers," Williams said. "Sixteen people 
responded, expressing an interest and requesting further information. At 
the present time two have applied to work here."
     The advertisements appeared in various publications and resulted in 
unexpected interest by the British media. "I have done a number of interviews 
with the BBC," Williams explained. "I have spoken to a number of newspapers, 
and some are anxious to do a follow-up story when someone is chosen.
     "A film company has even expressed an interest in making a documentary."
     Williams added, "The Arctic is the largest Anglican diocese in the world in
terms of area--give or take four million square kilometers, one third of the land 
area of Canada. The diocese consists of what is now the Northwest Territories,
plus the new [Inuit] territory of Nunavut and what is known as Nunavik--the 
Inuit part of Northern Quebec. 
     "There are 51 congregations in the diocese, with 30 of them traditionally
having full-time clergy. The rest of them have been ministered to by a priest 
resident in a nearby community. But all of the congregations have very strong 
lay leadership," he said.
     After the candidates' references have been checked, Williams said, "we 
will arrange some kind of interview process for them, possibly in early February."
     

Archbishop of Canterbury's book distributed free of charge
     (Lambeth Palace) Four million copies of the Archbishop of Canterbury 
George Carey's book Jesus 2000 were distributed free of charge.
     A report stated that Carey's millennium message was included in the 
January 2 edition of the News of the World, the UK's largest selling Sunday
 newspaper.
     Reportedly the idea for the give-away came from Carey, who wrote to 
Rupert Murdoch in early November 1999. Murdoch, who is chief executive 
of News Corporation, which owns the News of the World, was enthusiastic 
about the project and agreed that his company would meet the entire cost 
of this venture.
     "The millennium is a wonderful opportunity to spread understanding and
appreciation of the message and the person of Jesus Christ," Carey said. 
"That is the aim of my book and I'm delighted that it is being supported in 
this remarkable and generous manner."
     

Diocese to launch local television ad campaign
     (ENS) Caught in too typical a traffic snarl, the driver clenches the 
steering wheel and utters an expletive in vain. The voice-over responds: "You 
say his name often enough in traffic why not say it where it makes a difference?"
     This is just one of 12 television spots that are part of the Via Media Project, 
a $300,000 six-week advertising campaign to be launched by the Diocese of 
California beginning in Holy Week. 
     "We are trying to reach the unchurched, and seekers in the Bay Area," said
 the Rev. Mark Stanley, rector of Christ Church in Sausalito, who chairs the 
campaign's committee. "These ads are not meant to speak to people who are 
already in our church. They are meant to raise the name recognition of the 
Episcopal Church."
     Another ad shows a leather Bible on a table. As the camera reveals a sanctuary 
and stained glass windows, a voice asks, "Will you come back to church if we 
promise not to throw the book at you?"
     Demonstrating that such ads are effective, Stanley cited a follow-up poll in the 
Diocese of San Diego that showed openness to attending the Episcopal Church
jumped from 2.2 percent to 15.6 percent after the ads were run. In all of the 12 
different circumstances, the tag line is "The Episcopal Church welcomes you."
     Based on print ads created by the Church Ad Project in Minnesota, the 
15-second television spots were created by Rick Johnson, Grace Cathedral's 
canon for communications, an Emmy award-winning producer and founder of 
GraceCom.
     "The ads are only the beginning," said Stanley. "The key to success is how
 the congregations are prepared to welcome newcomers."
     

NCC trying to help with the Elian Gonzalez situation
     (NCC) As the controversy surrounding Elian Gonzalez, the six-year-old 
Cuban boy fished out of the waters off Florida on Thanksgiving Day after his 
mother and stepfather drowned continues, the National Council of Churches 
(NCC) is aggressively seeking a way to ease his return to his family in Cuba.
     The NCC, at the request of and in close consultation with the Cuban 
ouncil of Churches, has been working on this case since early December. 
But what began quietly became public when Gonzalez' return home continued 
to be met with delays.
     NCC representatives traveled to Cuba in early January to meet with his 
father and other close family members and reaffirmed their humanitarian concern 
that Gonzalez be reunited quickly with his family. The INS affirmed the father's 
right to custody and ordered Gonzalez's return home by January 14, but relatives 
in Miami, Florida, are fighting the order. This further delay led to his grandmothers' 
decision to bring their plea for his return to the U.S. in person.
     "We facilitated the grandmothers' visit to the United States so that Americans 
could hear firsthand their love for their grandson and their fervent desire to take 
him back home with them to his father, grandparents, great-grandmother and 
extended family in Cardenas, Cuba," said the Rev. Robert W. Edgar, the NCC's 
general secretary. "That mission was accomplished as they witnessed eloquently 
to their love for their 'little heart' and their suffering because of his absence."