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2002-006

News Briefs

Israelis withdraw permission for mosque near Christian shrine in Nazareth

     (ENS) Facing strong international opposition, Israeli authorities have 
withdrawn permission for Muslims in Nazareth to build a mosque adjacent to the 
Basilica of the Annunciation, the traditional site where the angel Gabriel 
announced the birth of Jesus to Mary.

     Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has appointed a committee to recommend 
an alternate site for the mosque, which was being built to honor a nephew of 
Saladin who led the Muslim army that captured Jerusalem from Christian crusaders 
in the 12th century.

     Acknowledging that the construction, approved by a previous Israeli 
administration in 1999, had been the source of friction and violence between 
Muslims and Christians, an Israeli official said, "We don't want to shove it down 
the throat of Christians. The effort is to come up with an alternate proposal 
that will be carried out with the consent of both sides."

     That may not be easy. Muslim leaders have vowed to build the mosque despite 
the government's decision. "The government is bending to the pressure of the 
Vatican, the pope and Bush," said Salman Abu Ahmad, the Muslim leader in 
Nazareth. "The mosque will be built."

     As construction actually began, it ignited a new round of protests from 
local church leaders and Christian groups around the world. The Vatican said in 
November that continued construction would "put this holy place in a permanent 
state of siege." The work has been proceeding despite the lack of a building 
permit.

     Observers say that the confrontation is a sign of the growing assertiveness 
of the Muslim majority in Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus.

Indian church leaders plead for dialogue to resolve tension with Pakistan

     (ENI) As tension grow between India and Pakistan, Indian church leaders have 
warned that "war hysteria" is gripping their country. They have issued urgent 
calls for dialogue to resolve differences. "War is not a solution for the 
existing situation between India and Pakistan," said Geevarghese mar Coorilos, 
president of the National Council of Churches in India, an ecumenical 
organization that includes 29 Orthodox and Protestant churches.

     "India and Pakistan cannot afford another war," said Ipe Joseph, general 
secretary of the NCCI, referring to the three wars between the two countries 
since independence in 1947. At the heart of the conflict is the unresolved status 
of the state of Kashmir in the Himalayan region. Both countries claim Kashmir. 
India charges that Kashmiri separatists, supported by Pakistan, were responsible 
for the December attack on the Indian Parliament.

     The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has also urged the government "to 
consider all other options before taking the last step of going to war." While 
pledging support for India's attempt to counter terrorism, the bishops expressed 
serious concern about the "fallout of war," arguing that "violence breeds more 
violence."

     "Suspicion and distrust among neighbors, hatred and prejudice between 
friends belonging to different faiths and ideologies, hatred of communities--all 
these could blow up the democratic and secular fabric of India," cautioned Sajan 
George, convenor of the Global Council of Indian Christians based in the southern 
city of Bangalore.

Scots appear to scuttle plans for a united church

     (The Scotsman) Ambitious plans to create a united church in Scotland have 
met fierce opposition and may be abandoned.

     After five years of talks, the Scottish Churches Initiative for Union 
developed a plan to merge the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, 
Methodists and the United Reformed Church, forming teams of ministers and laity 
to serve "maxi-parishes." A grassroots consultation, conducted by the Church of 
Scotland, revealed an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the proposals.

     Proponents now face the choice of either admitting defeat or pressing on 
with the talks, knowing that final proposals could not be implemented. Opposition 
centers on the belief that the introduction of bishops is anathema to the 
Presbyterian principle that all clergy are equal.

     Others argue that the plans would also severely diminish the role and authority 
of elders who, according to church law, have parity with clergy.