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Episcopalians: News Briefs


From dmack@episcopalchurch.org
Date Thu, 1 May 2003 21:31:28 -0400

May 1, 2003

2003-091

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Death and illness in Maine congregation due to arsenic 
poisoning

(ELCA) W. Reid Morrill, a 78-year-old member of Gustaf Adolph 
Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine, died April 28. Maine 
health officials have identified arsenic poisoning as the 
probable cause of his death and of illnesses experienced by a 
dozen other members of the congregation.  Gustaf Adolph is a 
congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 
(ELCA).

Members of the congregation in northeast Maine became sick 
Sunday afternoon, April 27, several hours after drinking coffee 
and eating sandwiches and sweets at the church.  The suspected 
cause of the illness is arsenic poisoning, said Dr. Dora Anne 
Mills, director, Maine Bureau of Health.

Investigations are being conducted into how the parishioners 
ingested the arsenic, Mills said.  An autopsy was conducted 
April 29, with the cause of death reported as pending but 
investigators are considering the possibility of criminal 
intent.

Morrill was one of several Gustaf Adolph members taken to Cary 
Medical Center, Caribou, Maine.  Others were hospitalized at the 
Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine.	Seven were 
treated without being hospitalized.

The Rev. James P. Morgan, an Episcopal priest and pastor of 
Trinity Lutheran Church, Stockholm, Maine, has been serving 
Gustaf Adolph on a part-time basis while the congregation works 
with the ELCA New England Synod to find its own pastor.  The 
Rev. Elaine C. Hewes, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bangor, is 
assisting Morgan in counseling family members and friends of the 
congregation.

The Rev. Hans R. Arnesen, associate to the bishop of the ELCA 
New England Synod, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Morgan 
conducted the Morrill funeral service April 30 at the Lancaster 
Morgan Funeral Home in Caribou. 

The Rev. David R. Cote, Covenant Lutheran Church, Gardner, 
Massachusetts, who has been trained in crisis counseling, is 
assisting the New England Synod to construct a plan for 
immediate crisis management.  The plan also provides for ongoing 
care and support for the members of the New Sweden congregation 
and the community as they deal with the stress surrounding this 
situation, both now and in the weeks and months to come, said 
Payne.

Members of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Maine are 
assisting the ELCA congregation. "Our partnership with the 
Episcopal Church is very strong in that place in particular," 
said Payne.  "Bishop Chilton Knudsen and the whole Episcopal 
Diocese of Maine have been very supportive at the difficult 
time," she added.

Cuban church leaders react to criticism of government jailings 
and executions	

(ENI) Cuban church leaders have responded to criticism of their 
government by calling for understanding from Christians around 
the world of the "grave threats to its security and integrity" 
the Caribbean island nation faces from the United States.

Cuba's imprisonment of 75 dissidents convicted on charges of 
working with the US to overthrow the Cuban government, and its 
swift trial and execution of three men who hijacked a commuter 
ferry at gunpoint, provoked widespread condemnation from human 
rights groups and religious leaders ranging from Pope John Paul 
II to World Council of Churches General Secretary Konrad Raiser. 

Twenty-three Cuban Protestant leaders responded on 23 April with 
an open letter to churches around the world. Among the 
signatories is Dr. Reinerio Arce-Valentin, president of the 
Cuban Council of Churches, a group of more than 30 Protestant 
churches and ecumenical bodies.

In the letter the Cuban church leaders state their disagreement 
with some of their government's actions, and declare they have 
"exercised our evangelical and prophetic mission of criticizing 
all that is wrong, thus contributing to the improvement of our 
society." They also promise to honor the "evangelical imperative 
to provide spiritual counsel" to those in prison.

In response to the execution of the three hijackers, the 
Protestant leaders make clear their opposition to the death 
penalty, saying: "Life is a gift of God and no one has a right 
to take it away."  Yet they argue that the Scriptures call them 
to "pastoral and prophetic comprehension of those who govern us 
and watch out for the destiny of our country, [and] who, facing 
a dramatic and dangerous situation, have severely applied the 
applicable laws."

The church leaders condemn "US government financing, support and 
protection" for opposition groups inside Cuba, an activity the 
church leaders claim has increased in recent months under the 
direction of James Cason, the top US diplomat in Cuba. The US 
government and the dissidents have denied any wrongdoing. The 
letter expresses concern that the US-led invasion of Iraq was a 
prelude to military aggression against Cuba.

SARS Virus affecting churchgoers

(ACNS) Churches in Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada have been 
encouraged to make a number of changes in the way that services 
are conducted as a result of the recent outbreak of SARS. In 
Toronto, Canada, the congregation at St James' Anglican 
Cathedral has been served bread only at Communion.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a respiratory 
illness that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, 
and parts of Europe. The primary way that SARS appears to spread 
is by close person-to-person contact.

The Rev. Andrew Chan, General Secretary of the Anglican Province 
of Hong Kong, has said that while no official guidelines have 
been issued, there has been very close contact amongst diocesan 
secretaries and heads of organizations to determine appropriate 
measures.

Many dioceses and parishes have issued their own guidelines for 
Sunday services, such as encouraging congregations to wear 
surgical masks, keeping all doors and windows open for 
ventilation, and providing plastic gloves for communicants 
during communion.

Several churches, including St John's Cathedral in Hong Kong, 
have suspended Sunday school classes and worshippers are 
exchanging the peace by nodding or bowing rather than shaking 
hands or embracing.

Until the spread of the disease is contained, churches are being 
asked to keep windows and doors open to provide better 
ventilation during services and to sterilize all parts of the 
building--including liturgical books, pews, walls and 
floors--that could harbor germs. In addition, the celebrant and 
communicants have been advised to wear plastic gloves and masks 
during communion.

In a sermon last Sunday at St John's Cathedral, Hong Kong, the 
Rev. John Chynchen tried to put the SARS virus into perspective 
by comparing it with the Great Plague of 1665 when around 70,000 
deaths were reported in London, some 15 per cent of its 
population at that time.

"Undoubtedly, SARS is a very nasty new bug capable of tragic and 
devastating consequences for those infected by it and for their 
loved ones," he said. "It is essential, however, that it is seen 
from the right perspective. In Hong Kong, so far, one person in 
4,500 people has contracted the disease."

He added that a great part of the human race exists in poverty 
and squalor whilst the affluent world over-produces and consumes 
to excess. "In Africa...5,000 children, mostly under 5 years, 
die every day from malaria."

Earlier in April, the Primate of Hong Kong, the Most Rev. Peter 
Kwong, called on all congregations in the province to pray for 
hospital pastoral workers, health professionals and patients.

In Toronto, Canada, where another serious SARS outbreak has 
occurred, Dean Douglas Stoute decided that St James' Anglican 
Cathedral would serve bread only at Communion, with wine being 
served in a separate side chapel.

In response to consultation with public health officials and the 
medical community on the worship practices of the Anglican 
Church during this time of heightened health concerns, 
Archbishop Terence Finlay of Toronto issued instructions to all 
clergy in the diocese. "The celebrating priest will continue to 
consecrate both the bread and wine at every Eucharist. However, 
our parishioners will receive only the consecrated bread until I 
inform the clergy otherwise," he said. "I am also encouraging 
congregations to share the peace through words and smiles and 
similar gestures, rather than hand shakes and hugs." In 
addition, he asked people to uphold in their prayers the victims 
of SARS, those who care for them, the quarantined, and the 
researchers who are searching for its cause and a cure.

Orthodox feud simmers over Holy Fire ceremony despite temporary 
accord	 

(ENI) Relations between the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches 
in Jerusalem have suffered a blow following strong disagreements 
over a major Orthodox Easter ceremony at one of Christianity's 
holiest sites.

Thousands of worshipers were able to attend the ritual at the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City because of a 
last-minute deal between the feuding factions, brokered by the 
Israeli police.  "Thank God, despite the tensions, there was not 
any kind of episode," said Greek Orthodox Archbishop Aristarchos 
in an interview with ENI.

The cost of the temporary compromise, however, has been the 
widening of divisions between the two churches. Last year 
clerics from the rival congregations had come to blows at the 
ceremony.  This year, Israeli police had threatened to bar 
attendance to all but a few hundred worshipers if the sides did 
not reach an accord.

Still, the two churches failed to reach a permanent agreement 
over the ceremony of the Holy Fire, which is one of the 
highlights of the Orthodox church calendar in Jerusalem and 
takes place on Easter Saturday according to the Orthodox 
calendar.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built at the site of a rock 
cave said to be the tomb where Jesus was buried after being 
crucified. As part of the Holy Fire ceremony, the Greek Orthodox 
Patriarch enters the tomb and emerges with a flame which is then 
used to light the candles of the cheering crowd waiting outside.

The Greek Orthodox Church claims that only its representative 
has historical authority to enter the tomb during the ceremony 
and that the Armenian representative must wait outside.  
Archbishop Aristarchos said that this year the ritual passed off 
peacefully because the Armenians agreed not enter the tomb at 
the same time as the Greek Orthodox. The archbishop said Greek 
Orthodox leaders would make every effort to achieve 
reconciliation with the Armenian Orthodox representatives.

"No one can deny that relations have been disturbed. But both of 
us need to try not to alienate the other any further," he said. 
"I hope we will be successful, with God's help, and that we can 
reach a [long-standing] agreement without any involvement with 
the Israelis."	

Lutherans and Anglicans pitch in together for Winnipeg assembly  

(ENI) The July 21-31 assembly of the Lutheran World Federation 
in central Canada's prairie country is developing into an 
ecumenical event that will show how Canadian Lutherans and 
Anglicans work with each other on a daily basis.

The delegates, representing 63 million Lutherans in 76 
countries, will gather in Winnipeg, with the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) hosting the event. The 
planners are expecting 442 representatives from 136 member 
churches and a host of other participants under the theme "For 
the Healing of the World."

This is only the second time the assembly, which normally meets 
every six years, has been held in North America. The last time 
was at Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1957. The most recent meeting 
was held in Hong Kong in 1997.

Many Anglican lay people and priests have joined their Lutheran 
counterparts to volunteer for the variety of tasks related to 
hosting the 11-day event. ELCIC has almost 194 000 members and 
the ACC counts about 740 000 members.

Archbishop Michael Peers, primate of the Anglican Church of 
Canada (ACC) will be among the 500 guests and visitors at the 
Winnipeg Convention Centre. In an address to the assembly, he is 
expected to tell the delegates about the partnership of Canadian 
Lutherans and Anglicans.

Full communion sharing between the ELCIC and the ACC was 
initiated in 2001 at Waterloo, Ontario. The Waterloo Declaration 
stated that the churches would maintain separate identities but 
recognize each other's rites, ministries and sacraments. Both 
churches have praised the arrangement as being flexible and 
mutually beneficial.

"When I visit my colleagues in the United States, where the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is in full communion with 
the Episcopal Church in the United States, they look at us with 
considerable envy because the relationship that we have is so 
amicable," ELCIC's national Bishop Raymond Schultz was quoted in 
article carried by the Anglican Communion News Service on 23 
April.

"It also has a great deal of flexibility compared to the US 
relationship where everything is kind of nailed down from the 
beginning and is a much more rigid process. It's working [in 
Canada] because there is the opportunity to make responses based 
on situations that arise," said Schultz in the interview.

Church leaders note that Canada's sparse rural population has 
obliged churches in some communities to call a single minister 
to serve congregations of the two denominations. Winnipeg has a 
congregation served by an Anglican priest and a Lutheran pastor, 
and in Regina, Saskatchewan, the city's largest Anglican church 
has called a Lutheran pastor to serve as rector.

Anglican dioceses and Lutheran synods sponsor joint worship, 
stewardship and other study events. Leaders from both 
denominations have participated in the consecration of their 
bishops. For more than eight years, Canada's six Lutheran and 30 
Anglican active bishops have met to discuss mutual concerns and 
share in worship.  

NCC's Edgar doesn't regret his opposition to Iraq war

(ENI) Despite opinion polls showing strong public support among 
US churchgoers for the military action in Iraq, religious 
leaders who publicly opposed the war said they have no regrets 
about the stance they took.

The Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council 
of Churches (NCC), and one of the most prominent opponents of 
the war, said he was keenly aware of the apparent "disconnect" 
between his and other leaders' positions and the support given 
to the war by those in the pews.  Still, biblical prophets 
"didn't have a large following among people in the pews," Edgar 
said in an interview with ENI.

"Prophetic direction," such as the NCC's support for the civil 
rights movement in the 1960s is rarely judged as popular at the 
time, noted Edgar, an ordained United Methodist minister and a 
former Pennsylvania congressman.

The strong opposition to the war from religious 
figures--particularly mainstream Protestants and Roman 
Catholics--represented a much-needed corrective, he suggested, 
to political acquiescence by political leaders from both the 
Republican and Democratic parties.

With an unusually high level of patriotic fervor in the air, 
Edgar said he was gratified that opinion polls consistently 
showed that as many as one third of Americans opposed the war. 
It was surprising, given US domestic realities, he added, that 
the percentage of support for the war among Americans did not 
reach 95 per cent.

Edgar said he and other religious leaders are happy to have seen 
Saddam Hussein fall from power, but still believe their position 
on the war was sound. He cited the war's unnecessary loss of 
life, post-war chaos and uncertainty facing Iraq and what he 
described as an increasingly aggressive US foreign policy.

Asked if religious opponents of war were demoralized, Edgar said 
no, but said they were "shocked and angry" by a "rush to the 
Right" in US politics.

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