wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

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July 11, 2002

2002-177

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Bishop Riah of Jerusalem accuses Israel of fostering terrorism

(ENS) Bishop Riah Abu el-Assal of the Episcopal Diocese of 
Jerusalem and the Middle East used a report to the Church of 
England's General Synod July 7 to launch an attack against 
Israeli policies, accusing them of fostering terrorism.

In his report, "Israel/Palestine--An Unholy War," Riah 
accused the Israeli Defense Force of torturing Palestinians and 
claimed that Israel was contributing to the increase in 
terrorism rather than curbing it. He also warned that the 
continuing conflict could lead to the extinction of the 
Christian presence in the region. Since the most recent intifada 
began almost two years ago, he said that 1,600 people have been 
killed, including 450 young people under the age of 18.

"It is not humanly possible to live with the tortures imposed 
by the Israeli Army," he wrote. "Israeli restrictions on 
movement are impeding hospital staff and patients" from taking 
care of the victims. "All this does not amount to a war on 
terrorism but rather to the systematic humiliation of an entire 
people."

He added, "The result of all this is anger, frustration and a 
desire for revenge. The Israelis may claim that they are rooting 
out terrorism but, in fact, they are creating it. No one is left 
with enough sanity to heed the value of human lives. The bottom 
cause of all this is not terrorism, as some would think, rather 
it is the unjust and illegal occupation of Palestinian land."

Riah said that the occupation "is also corrupting the Israeli 
culture and society. This is an unholy war indeed," in a land 
"we call holy." After 2000 years of Christian witness, "today 
the church faces a serious threat of extinctionThis may be 
avoided but only if peace is established on justice," based on 
withdrawal of the Israelis from all the territories occupied in 
the 1967 war.

Public confidence in American religious institutions 
tumbles

(ENI) Public confidence in American religious institutions has 
dropped dramatically in the last year to its lowest point in the 
last 30 years, according to a survey by the Gallup Organization.

In its survey, Gallup found that only 45 percent of Americans 
surveyed had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in 
religious institutions, a 15 percent drop with a similar survey 
in 2001 and the lowest percentage since 1973 when the first poll 
testing public confidence was conducted.

Of the 16 institutions included in the survey, churches and 
organized religion ranked sixth, behind the military--first with 
79 percent, the police, the presidency, the Supreme Court and 
banks. After religious institutions came the medical system, 
public schools, television news, newspapers, the U.S. Congress, 
the criminal justice system, organized labor, big business, Wall 
Street, and health maintenance organizations.

"There is little question that the sex abuse scandal rocking 
the Catholic Church is the main cause of the drop-off in 
confidence this year," said Frank Newport of Gallup. He stressed 
that the survey had not a question on why participants ranked 
the institutions as they did but pollsters made a "strong 
inference" that the scandal contributed to the results. In the 
same manner the pollsters said that the terrorist attacks of 
September 11 were probably the reason the military and the 
presidency were rated so high.

Newport said that the current mistrust in religious 
institutions was not a reflection of any loss of religious 
values or the confidence Americans place in their local churches 
or clergy. He pointed out that Americans are still among the 
most religious people in the world, particularly in comparison 
with people in other Western nations.

Rwandan archbishop offers encouragement, not oversight, to 
Canadian dissidents

(Anglican Church of Canada) Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda 
has written to the parishes and clergy in the Canadian Diocese 
of New Westminster offering his encouragement in their 
opposition to a decision to bless same-gender relationships but 
backing away from his previous offer of "ecclesiastical 
protection."

In his June 27 message, Kolini extended "the welcoming hand 
of Christian fellowship, shared concern, ready support and 
tangible assistance" to the eight parishes that walked out of 
the June 15 diocesan synod after the vote in favor of blessings. 
At the time, New Westminster's bishop, Michael Ingham, said that 
Kolini's offer of protection was "meaningless" since he had no 
jurisdiction in Canada. Now Kolini says that his offer was meant 
as "a word of encouragement, not as an offer of episcopal 
oversight."

Kolini did say that he would continue to "look into the 
matter" and discuss with other Anglican primates "any counsel we 
can give."

The Rev. Ed Hird, one of the clergy who walked out of the 
diocesan synod, said that the archbishop wanted to clarify his 
offer of the possibility of ecclesiastical protection, a 
responsibility he would share with other. "He doesn't want to 
act alone, and we understand that," said Hird, who helped 
dissidents form what is called the Anglican Communion in New 
Westminster.

WCC's Raiser meets with Rwandan genocide suspects held in 
Tanzania

(WCC) General Secretary Konrad Raiser of the World Council of 
Churches met with a group of Rwandan genocide suspects being 
held at a detention camp in Arusha, Tanzania, focusing on the 
meaning of reconciliation. The July 4 visit was authorized by 
the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

In response to a request from one of the suspects, Raiser 
defined reconciliation as "having to do with healing broken 
relationships, a process which needs time. You can't declare it. 
It takes time to reach genuine reconciliation."

The WCC delegation met with the registrar of the 
International Tribunal and Raiser noted that establishing 
justice is important to rectify wrongs but argued that focusing 
on sentence and punishment "tends to isolate perpetrators from 
their communities and, as such, the system cannot heal the 
victims' wounds."

In response, Adama Dieng said that the traditional courts of 
Rwanda offer space for dialogue, help establish the truth, and 
promote a healing process. Yet he noted that the process still 
lacks some aspects in administering justice.

On its next stop of the African visit, the delegation met in 
Nairobi, Kenya, with a high-ranking official of the Sudanese 
Peoples Liberation Movement/Army and discussed the peace talks 
that hope to end decades of civil war, meeting at a secret 
location in Kenya. Commander Salva Kiir Mayadit said that the 
delegation from Khartoum lacked the authority to make the 
concessions that could pave the way for a peace settlement. He 
predicted that the talks would therefore collapse.

Pakistani Christians denounce blasphemy laws as arbitrary

(ENI) Christian leaders in Pakistan are pointed to a death 
sentence imposed on a Christian man as an example of the 
country's arbitrary blasphemy laws. Abdullah (Augustine) Ashiq 
Kingri Masih was convicted by a district court for slandering 
the prophet Muhammad, an offense that carries a mandatory death 
sentence according to Pakistan's penal code. He is appealing to 
the High Court, supported by the Human Rights Commission.

The real reason the case was brought against Masih was that 
he converted to Islam but continued to meet his Christian family 
members and relatives, bringing objections from those 
instrumental in his conversion.

Churches have been reluctant to get directly involved in the 
defense because feelings among Muslim fundamentalists against 
minorities was running very strong, according to Victor Azariah, 
general secretary of the National Council of Churches of 
Pakistan. Christians account for about 3 million in Pakistan's 
population of 138 million.

Churches have made repeated protests against the blasphemy 
law which, in its current form, dates to 1986. In 1998 Roman 
Catholic bishop, John Joseph, shot himself dead in a courthouse 
to protest a death sentence imposed on a Pakistani Christian who 
is still being held in solitary confinement. While no one has 
yet been put to death under the law, two Christians were 
murdered after their convictions for blasphemy were overturned 
by the courts.

In 2000 President Pervez Musharraf proposed amending the 
blasphemy law but he dropped plans after protests from Muslim 
groups.

ELCA Lutherans in New York grieve suspension of Missouri 
Synod colleague

(ELCA) Leaders of the New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in America have expressed sadness over the recent 
suspension of a Missouri Synod colleague, the Rev. David Benke, 
for his participation in an interfaith prayer service at Yankee 
Stadium for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Though we serve separate Lutheran denominations, President 
Benke and I have worked together in the New York region for the 
last 15 years," said the Rev. Stephen Bouman, bishop of the ELCA 
synod. He said that the two leaders had worked to build homes 
for low income families in Brooklyn, "served the most vulnerable 
in our midst through Lutheran Social Services," and shaped a 
Lutheran response to the September 11 attacks by launching "one 
of the largest religious disaster response teams every assembled 
in the U.S."

Bouman argued that "it was critical for religious leaders 
standing in the wake of a tragedy the magnitude of 9-11 to come 
together on behalf of their faith communities to lead New York 
City and the nation in prayer for healing. God expects 
Christians to go to the places where there is pain, sorrow and 
need so that we may provide God's care and healing in Jesus' 
name."

"To participate with pagans in an interfaith service and, 
additionally, to give the impression that there might be more 
than one God is an extremely serious offense against the God of 
the Bible," wrote the Rev. Wallace Schulz, the Missouri Synod's 
second vice president, in his letter of suspension.

The charges against Benke included "unionism," mixing the 
beliefs of various Christian churches, and "syncretism," mixing 
the views of Christians and non-Christians. Both are forbidden 
by the constitution of the church. Missouri Synod president, the 
Rev. Gerald Kieschnick, said that he had given Benke permission 
to attend the September 23 service, based on a decision at the 
church's convention to allow clergy to participate in civic 
events as long as they are free to express their religious 
views. A moderate who was elected president last year, 
Kieschnick has also been accused of syncretism but a church 
panel ruled that he answers only to the whole church as it meets 
every three years in convention. 

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