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August 8, 2002

2002-188

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Philippine Independent Church celebrates its centennial

(ENS) Born out of the struggle of the Filipino people to break 
free from centuries of colonial oppression and foreign 
domination, a new and independent church was proclaimed on 
August 3, 1902 by the Union Obrera Democratica, the first labor 
union in the Philippines. Within a year the Iglesia Filipina 
Independeniente (Philippine Independent Church) had attracted 
1.2 million members, about a quarter of the population.

After years of mixed fortunes, the church received the gift 
of apostolic succession as signified by the historic episcopate 
on April 7, 1948 when three bishops of the Episcopal Church in 
the USA consecrated three new IFI bishops at St. Luke's 
Pro-Cathedral in Manila. In 1960 the two churches entered into a 
concordat of full communion--a relationship that has continued 
and been enriched over the years.

To celebrate that relationship, Bishop Christopher Epting, 
the presiding bishop's deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith 
Relations, joined the August 2-3 centennial celebration and 
signed The Manila Covenant, a document that, among other things, 
expresses concern about the disruptive consequences of economic 
globalization, the danger of foreign intervention in the 
Philippines because of the international war on terrorism, and 
the call for restitution from damages caused by centuries of 
colonialism. He was joined by the Ven. Peter Golden, archdeacon 
of the Diocese of Long Island, in representing the ECUSA.

Epting brought greetings from Presiding Bishop Frank T. 
Griswold during the Centennial Mass. "Our two churches have been 
friends for many years," he told the congregation of several 
thousand. "As we were blessed to share with you the gift of 
apostolic succession in the historic episcopate, so you have 
shared with us the inseparable nature of the gospel from the 
struggle for justice and peace in this world. And just as you 
have been faithful in preserving the apostolic ministry," he 
added, "so I ask you to pray for us that we may always 
faithfully proclaim the gospel in such a way that it truly is 
good news to the poor."

In addition to Obispo Maximo Thomas Millamena of the IFI, the 
covenant was signed by Archbishop Peter Carnley, primate of the 
Anglican Church in Australia; Archbishop Joris Vercammen of the 
Old Catholic Church of Utrecht; and representatives of other 
churches in full communion with the IFI, including the Church of 
Sweden, the Old Catholic Church of Switzerland, the Church of 
North India, and other ecumenical partners and friends. The 
covenant summarizes the commitment of participants to stand in 
solidarity with this thriving church of six million Filipinos, 
many of them representing peasants and the working class.

Before the centennial celebration, Epting attended an 
International Church Leaders' Solidarity Summit where 
participants learned more about the Philippine Independent 
Church's history, theology and social teaching. "I was very 
moved by the courage and vitality of this young church," he said 
on his return, "and I look forward to our finding ways to deepen 
our relationship in the coming years." 

New archbishop of Canterbury addresses concerns expressed by 
critics

(ENS) Archbishop Rowan Williams of Wales, newly appointed 
archbishop of Canterbury, has sent a letter to his international 
colleagues in the Anglican Communion, asking for their prayers 
and addressing concerns expressed by his critics, especially on 
sexuality issues.

"At the moment I am chiefly conscious of bringing to the task 
only the fear, the confusion and the sense of inadequacy that 
come from my personal resources," he said in the letter to 
Anglican Communion primates dated July 23. "I have to trust that 
God will give (not least through your fellowship and 
intercession) what is needed--and that I shall have the grace to 
receive and respond to what he gives."

Addressing the "disquiet" expressed by some over his views on 
"certain questions, in particular on human sexuality," Williams 
said that "an archbishop is not someone elected to fulfil a 
programme or manifesto of his own devising, but to serve the 
whole Communion. He does not have the freedom to prescribe 
belief for the Church at large."

As a participant in the international conversation on 
sexuality, he said that he hoped that "what I have written has 
contributed to the continuing discussion but my ideas have no 
authority beyond that of an individual theologian." He also said 
that the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution against the 
ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians or blessing of 
their relationships "declares clearly what is the mind of the 
overwhelming majority in the Communion and what the Communion 
will and will not approve or authorise. I accept that any 
individual diocese or even province that officially overturns or 
repudiates this resolution poses a substantial problem for the 
sacramental unity of the Communion."

Williams said that he had always tried to distinguish between 
"personal theories and interpretations and the majority 
conviction of my church." He added, "Since the Lambeth 
resolution also commends continuing reflection on these matters, 
my main hope will be to try and maintain a mutually respectful 
climate for such reflection, in the sort of shared prayerful 
listening to Scripture envisaged by Lambeth." He expressed the 
hope that "we can hold to the urgent common priority of mission 
and evangelism, and avoid the temptation of becoming trapped in 
questions where the politics of our culture sets the agenda."

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold shared the Williams letter 
with the bishops of the Episcopal Church as part of background 
for their September meeting in Cleveland, pointing out that the 
letter "speaks for itself and underscores a point that I have 
frequently made: If we are a Communion and not simply a loose 
association of national churches then we must take with full 
seriousness how our actions affect other parts of the 
Communion."

Survey finds that half of Britons attend church at least once a 
year

(ENI) A survey by the Baptist Union of Great Britain has 
revealed that almost half the population in the nation attends 
church at least once a year--exclusive of weddings, baptisms and 
funerals. Nine percent said that they attended church once a 
week, 10 percent once a month, another 10 percent once a 
quarter, and 12 percent once a year. Just three percent said 
that they attended more than once a week.

The survey also underscored the difficulties faced by those 
who attend church only occasionally. About 18 percent said that 
they had reservations about the kind of welcome they received at 
church.

"When people come across the threshold it is important that 
we make them feel welcome," said Nick Lear, a Baptist Union 
mission adviser. "There's always room for improvement." While 
attendance at Baptist churches has been increasing while other 
denominations have been losing support, he said that "it's a 
pattern for all denominations that people are less willing 
nowadays to make a commitment."

The Church of England has released attendance figures that 
"reveal a larger church than was previously understood," using 
statistics for attendance during a whole week, rather than just 
on Sundays. In the past, attendance at Christmas and Easter 
services was based only on those who took communion. At 
Christmas in 2000, 2.85 million attended services but fewer than 
half took communion. The church says that the new way of 
counting gives a more accurate picture of support, although 
critics say it is designed to mask the long-term decline in 
attendance at Sunday services.

National Council receives Lilly grant to develop resources 
for new programs

(NCC) The National Council of Churches has received a three-year 
$500,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis for 
developing resources of new programs, alleviating some of the 
financial pressure the ecumenical organization has encountered 
in the last few years.

After a major reorganization of staff, facilities and budget, 
the NCC has moved from a life-threatening deficit to a balanced 
operating budget, stable long-term investments and increased 
donor support. The Lilly grant provides an additional boost for 
the council's next phase of its renewal, according to council 
leaders.

"The Lilly grant is crucial venture capital, assisting us 
where we need it most--in reaching out to those who believe in 
the kind of work we are doing and who, given appropriate 
information, will help underwrite its expansion," said the Rev. 
Bob Edgar, who became NCC general secretary in January 2000.

>From its founding in 1950, the NCC has been largely dependent 
on the contributions of its 36 member churches. As those 
denominations faced dwindling budgets, their investment in 
cooperative work through the NCC slowly declined, forcing the 
council to draw on its reserves and long-term investments. That 
precipitated a financial crisis that threatened its existence. 
The Lilly grant will underwrite programs to address the most 
critical issues facing member churches in the future.

Canada's Roman Catholics differ with many basic tenets of the 
church

(ENI) A poll conducted among Canada's Roman Catholics shortly 
before the arrival of Pope John Paul II for July's World Youth 
Day in Toronto reveals some deep disagreements over many of the 
basic tenets of the church.

A poll by the National Post newspaper shows that 82 
percent believe that priests should be allowed to marry and 80 
percent think women should be ordained to the priesthood. About 
70 percent said that divorced persons should be permitted to 
remarry and a similar percentage favored abandoning the church's 
ban on birth control.

"While close to one in two Canadians viewed themselves as 
Roman Catholic, a majority were exhibiting a pick-and-choose 
style that was readily evident in declining attendance, the 
selective adoption of beliefs, practices and values, and the 
widespread ignoring of church teachings in the area of 
sexuality--including sex outside of marriage, birth control, 
abortion and homosexuality," said Prof. Reginald Bibby, a 
leading expert on religious trends in Canada.

"What we find is that the majority of Catholics across the 
board are not holding to the teachings of the Catholic Church," 
he said, "but there are important differences between those who 
are actively involved and those who are not."

Bishop Peter Schoenbach, general secretary of the Canadian 
Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that the poll results were 
not surprising, given the strength of secular influences 
everywhere in the nation. On the issue of priestly celibacy, he 
said that "there have been interesting situations where Anglican 
priests who are married have been accepted into the church. It 
isn't by any means a completely closed subject. We are part of a 
universal church and what might seem to fit in one country may 
not necessarily fit elsewhere."

"The demand for reforms since the Second Vatican Council 
[1962-65] cannot be stopped despite all attempts of the Roman 
Curia and conservative groups within the church," said Tobias 
Raschke of We Are Church Youth, part of a worldwide Catholic 
reform movement. "The survey shows clearly that Canadian 
Catholics are dissatisfied with the present fundamentalist 
policy of the Roman hierarchy. If the church wants to be 
relevant in the future it has got to listen to real people--and 
the real people are the young people," he said.

Church leaders warn about military build-up in South Asia

(ENI) As India and Pakistan continue their military 
confrontation over the disputed region of Kashmir, church 
leaders in South Asia have issued a warning against the military 
build-up and criticized the money spent on arms in such an 
impoverished region.

"The colossal magnitude of human insecurity and deprivations 
make South Asia the most vulnerable space on the globe today," 
the church leaders said in a statement issued at the end of 
their July meeting in Sri Lanka. The meeting was organized by 
the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of 
Churches.

"The situation here is alarming," said Metropolitan Joseph 
Mar Irenaeus from India, one of the CCA presidents. "Development 
activities are ignored in the name of national defense." While 
those expenditures have increased, the region was facing 
"growing economic problems, poverty and malnutrition," he told 
the conference. He called the increase in military spending a 
"criminal waste of precious resources."

A two percent cut in India's defense spending would enable 
the government to provide safe drinking water for 226 million 
people, or to supply essential medicines without charge to all 
the 135 million people who cannot afford them now, according to 
M.A. Oommen, a prominent Indian economist.

The border tensions between India and Pakistan is threatening 
the whole region, according to several speakers, making it the 
only region in the world where a nuclear war was a real 
possibility. Some noted that even very poor countries like 
Bangladesh are being drawn into the military build-up.

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