wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

June 3, 2003

2003-122

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Church officials meeting in Geneva reject legitimacy of G-8 
summit 

(ENI) Church officials and protestors who met during the summit 
of the Group of Eight nations in Evian, France, which ended on 
June 3, rejected the legitimacy of the grouping of the most 
industrialized nations, also known as the G-8.

"We see the G-8 as an illegitimate group because they were not 
elected by anybody to rule the world," said Rogate Mshana, 
economy and justice program executive for the World Council of 
Churches (WCC), at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, about 25 
miles from the summit.

"On whose behalf are they speaking?" Mshana said at a meeting on 
Monday hosted by the general secretaries of four world church 
bodies headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre--the WCC, the 
Lutheran World Federation, the Conference of European Churches 
and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, 
Russia and the United States held talks on June 1-3 on the world 
economy, security, democracy and the global fight against 
HIV/AIDS. During the G-8 gathering an amalgam of protestors said 
to number between 50,000 and 120.000 tried to disrupt the 
meeting of industrial leaders by marching in Geneva and 
Lausanne, the Swiss cities closest to Evian, and in neighboring 
Annemasse, France.

Most of the demonstrations were peaceful with discussions like 
those taking place at the WCC occurring in different locations, 
but some street protests during the three days resulted in 
violent attacks against property that were put down by riot 
police using rubber bullets, water cannons and teargas.

The ecumenical meeting was called in part to counter a 
perception that local news media had emphasized the fear of 
violence rather than the positive elements of the peaceful 
protest. 

Orthodox leader in Georgia apologizes for attack on minority 
churches
 

(ENI) An Orthodox church leader in the former Soviet republic of 
Georgia has apologized after appearing on television and urging 
Georgians to kill members of minority churches.

Orthodox Metropolitan Atanase of Rustavi met Malkhaz 
Songulashvili, president of Georgia's Union of Evangelical 
Baptists, on May 18 and apologized for televised remarks in 
February in which Atanase said Orthodox Christians should "fight 
and kill" Baptists, Anglicans, Protestants, Pentecostalists and 
Jehovah's Witnesses.

The metropolitan's remarks were denounced by the Georgian 
Orthodox Church, whose spokesperson said the church had been 
"astonished" by what Atanase said, the Keston News Service 
reported.

"We don't need sects--we are a pure Orthodox nation," the 
metropolitan had told Georgian television viewers. "You should 
destroy not only their computers--they have to be shot dead. Had 
it been in the old times, I would have thrown them all in jail." 
Minority churches have repeatedly complained of harassment in 
Georgia, whose Orthodox church claims the loyalty of 70 per cent 
of the country's more than 5 million inhabitants.

Atanase's meeting with Songulashvili in May followed a letter of 
apology delivered the previous month to the central Baptist 
church in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, in which Atanase wished 
"long life" to Songulashvili, who he described as a "holy and 
great man, one of the leaders of a great church."

Songulashvili said after the meeting on 18 May that he was 
"surprised and delighted" by the metropolitan's apology. "He 
kept saying he never meant to do anything against Christian 
churches here," Songulashvili said in an interview with ENI. 
"Although I've no clear picture why he apologized, it's enough 
that he made this gesture."

Georgia's president, Eduard Shevardnadze, had ordered measures 
earlier this year to protect small churches after a Baptist 
church in the capital was attacked by followers of a defrocked 
Orthodox priest.

Church leaders embark on sea cruise to highlight ecological 
problems 

(ENI) European church leaders are to set sail this month for a 
four-day cruise off the Norwegian coast to focus attention on 
the environmental dangers facing the North Sea.

Led by Patriarch Bartholomeos I, spiritual leader of the world's 
Orthodox Christians, who is sometimes nicknamed the Green 
patriarch because of his commitment to environmental causes, the 
60 participants are scheduled to start the cruise on June 22.

"Through this initiative, we wish to show that the churches are 
concerned with the sea as a resource to us and to generations to 
come," said the organizer of the trip, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit 
of the (Lutheran) Church of Norway, in a press release.

Church leaders from countries bordering the North Sea--England, 
Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and 
Norway--have also been invited to come aboard. Norway's 
environment minister will join the cruise for part of the 
journey, which begins in Egersund, in southern Norway, and ends 
in Alesund, in the west of the country, on June 25.

On the way, participants will disembark at Utstein Monastery, 
near Stavanger, for a seminar on environmental policy to be 
attended by Norway's minister of petroleum and energy, and at 
Bergen for a meeting on pollution of the oceans and fishing 
policy.

The cruise is being organized by the Church of Norway to 
coincide with the assembly of the Conference of European 
Churches, which opens in the northern Norwegian city of 
Trondheim on June 25. The church said it had been inspired to 
organize the cruise by Patriarch Bartholomeos, who has already 
hosted a number of environmental cruises, including one on the 
Danube in 1999 and one on the Adriatic Sea in 2002. From June 
1-10, the patriarch will take part in another cruise, this one 
on the Baltic Sea.

Anglican bishop views damage from earthquakes in Algiers

(ENS) The Rt. Rev. Mouneer Anis, Bishop of the Episcopal Church 
in Egypt and North Africa, paid a pastoral visit May 24 to the 
scene of the deadliest earthquake in Algiers since 1980.

The temblor, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, struck some 30 
miles east of Algiers on May 21. The official toll stands at 
2,251 dead and 10,243 injured, with hundreds still missing.

Anis was on his way to Algiers to discuss matters relating to 
the local Episcopal church, Holy Trinity, with the British 
Embassy and the British Community Association when the 
earthquake occurred. "I tried to contact friends in Algiers to 
find out about the situation but I was unable to get through 
because all communications were down," Anis wrote. "Despite 
this, I decided to go so that I would at least be among the 
people there during this disaster."

Anis surveyed the damage to the church. "I was sorry to see that 
the earthquake caused some serious cracks in the tower such that 
it was necessary for them to remove it before it fell," he 
reported. "There were multiple cracks inside the church as well. 
As a result, there is a lot of repair work required to ensure 
the church is safe."

He also toured the epicenter of the quake, Bomerdas, where a 
number of houses had collapsed, and visited with Algeria's 
Minister of Religious Affairs to convey condolences on behalf of 
the Episcopal Church in Egypt, the Archbishop of Canterbury and 
the Interfaith Committee of Al-Azhar. 

German ecumenical meeting ends with calls for unity near old 
dividing wall

(ENI)The biggest-ever official gathering in Germany uniting 
Protestants and Roman Catholics ended June 1, in Berlin, with an 
ecumenical service attended by tens of thousands of people. But 
the sharing of the Eucharist or Holy Communion did not carry the 
approval of Pope John Paul II. 

"The Ecumenical Kirchentag [church congress] was a great step 
forward on the path of Christian ecumenism," Hans Joachim Meyer, 
one of the event's co-presidents, told worshippers. "No one can 
tear apart what now unites us." 

The June 1 service took place in front of the Reichstag, the 
seat of Germany's parliament, just meters from where Berlin was 
once divided by a concrete wall guarded by watchtowers. The 
Berlin Wall has long since vanished, but Catholics and 
Protestants remain divided over whether they can share together 
in the Eucharist, the sacrament that commemorates Jesus' last 
supper with his disciples and in which bread and wine are 
consecrated and consumed. 

Senior politicians, including German Chancellor Gerhard 
Schroeder, joined church leaders, writers, musicians, artists 
and journalists, as well as religious leaders from outside 
Germany, at the congress, which included more than 3000 events. 
At one event, the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, 
addressed a crowd of 20,000 people. At another, the Latin (Roman 
Catholic) Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, and Israeli 
politician, Rabbi Michael Melchior, outlined challenges facing 
Christians and Jews in the Middle East.

Organizers said when they launched the plans for the Kirchentag 
in 1996 that they hoped it would culminate in a shared 
Eucharist. But the most recent encyclical of the Pope restated 
the traditional Catholic teaching that prevents Protestants and 
Catholics from sharing in the Eucharist and is seen as putting 
an end to hopes for such a ceremony. Still, the gathering heard 
calls, often greeted by standing ovations, for rapid progress on 
the issue of Eucharistic sharing. Elisabeth Raiser, the 
Kirchentag's Protestant co-president, said she hoped church 
leaders would quickly seek common ground on outstanding 
doctrinal issues that would produce results. "What use are 
discussions, if nothing changes in practice?" she said. 

The Vatican's top official for inter-church relations reminded 
the gathering that "there is no alternative to ecumenism," but 
defended a recent papal document restating Roman Catholic 
doctrine preventing Protestants and Catholics from sharing the 
Eucharist. "Ecumenism is not an added-extra for Christians, not 
a hobby for a few people," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, 
president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian 
Unity. "Ecumenism is at the centre of what it means to be a 
Christian." 

"Our hope is that the 21st century will be the century of 
ecumenical unity," said Kasper in a speech on Friday that ended 
with a standing ovation. Kasper reaffirmed that for the Catholic 
church the aim of ecumenism was "visible unity in faith, the 
sacraments and ministry." But he acknowledged that the Catholic 
vision focused on the papacy was "not acceptable--at least in 
its present form--to non-Catholic Christians" and noted that 
Pope John Paul II had himself proposed a "fraternal discussion" 
on the way in which the papal office was exercised. 

On the subject of the Eucharist, the cardinal said progress in 
overcoming divisions could not be made through "public pressure, 
public polemics, demonstrations and controversy." He dismissed 
suggestions that the recent papal encyclical restating Catholic 
teaching on the Eucharist signified a "set-back" for ecumenism. 
"You cannot criticize the Pope just because in his latter years 
in this encyclical he has not become a Protestant," said Kasper. 

The encyclical did not prevent "pastoral solutions" in special 
cases, Kasper insisted. "I have never experienced, still less 
have myself practiced, that someone who comes with serious 
intent to the Eucharist is turned away." 

The previous evening, hundreds of people packed into a Berlin 
church for an ecumenical service at which Gotthold Hasenhuttl, a 
Roman Catholic priest and professor of systematic theology, 
inviting non-Catholics to take the bread and wine at the 
Catholic Eucharist over which he presided. The service took 
place at a Protestant church in eastern Berlin overflowing with 
an estimated 2500 worshippers. Speaking to journalists after the 
service, Hasenhuttl said he stood by his actions and claimed he 
had broken no church rule. "I hope what we have done tonight 
will take place more and more often," he told ENI. 

However, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's chief 
doctrinal watchdog, had earlier condemned the event, saying it 
was a "political action," the German news agency dpa reported. 
The service was not part of the Kirchentag's official program. 
It was organized by groups campaigning for church reform. 

Still, noted Christian Weisner, from Wir sind Kirche (We Are 
Church), one of the organizers of the service, Protestants and 
Catholics receiving the Eucharist from one another has been "the 
practice for years, for decades in Germany and elsewhere. It 
would be an anti-ecumenical signal if this was happening 
everywhere but [did] not [happen] at this first Ecumenical 
Kirchentag," he said in an interview.

Catholic Cardinal Karl Lehmann acknowledged people had a "deep 
longing" for a common Eucharist, and said the Berlin event would 
give it a "new impetus." "It's now time to go full steam ahead," 
said Lehmann, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. On May 
30, 16 German denominations, including Protestant, Catholic and 
Orthodox churches, signed the Charta Oecumenica (ecumenical 
charter), a set of guidelines for promoting cooperation, towards 
the "visible unity" of the church. 

Organizers said that altogether, about 200,000 people from 
Germany and beyond came to the German capital for the five-day 
event. 

Liberian higher learning institutions want cease-fire

(The NEWS/Monrovia)  Institutions of higher learning in Liberia 
have renewed calls for the Liberian government and dissident 
factions to declare an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, 
ending the vicious circle of violence that continues to ravage 
the country.

The University of Liberia (UL), Cuttington University College 
(CUC), the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), United 
Methodist University(UMU), Don Bosco Polytechnic, the AME Zion 
University College and the William V.S. Tubman College of 
Technology said the unrest in Liberia has exacerbated the 
already slow development of human resources in the country, and 
parties to the conflict must see the Akosombo peace talks slated 
for Wednesday, June 4, in Ghana as a window of opportunity to 
dialogue and restore peace. 

The educational institutions maintained that the continuous 
closures of learning facilities and other social service 
institutions inevitably impede socio-economic and political 
development and further increase the illiteracy rate in Liberia. 

Their call was contained in a nine-count resolution issued May 
30 following a one-day summit on the search for peace in Liberia 
held on the main campus of the University of Liberia. The 
one-day summit was attended by the presidents, faculty and 
students representatives of the UL, CUC, AMEU, AMEZUC, William 
V. S. Tubman College of Technology and the Don Bosco 
Polytechnic. 

In the resolution, the group lamented that the situation in the 
country has reached a state where it constitutes a threat to 
international peace and security, calling on the United Nations, 
the African Union and ECOWAS to assume their charter 
responsibilities in dictating an end to the carnage. 

Among other things, the higher institutions of learning pointed 
to the closure of the College of Health of the United Methodist 
University in Ganta, Nimba County and the relocation of 
Cuttington University College to Monrovia as some of the ways in 
which the crises have affected the educational sector. 

Members of Memphis congregation leave to form AMiA parish

(ENS) At a meeting held May 31, members of Church of the 
Annunciation in Memphis, Tennessee, announced their individual 
decisions to leave the Episcopal Church and affiliate with the 
Anglican Mission in America, taking the name Faith Anglican 
Church. Bishop Don E. Johnson of the Diocese of West Tennessee 
was present at the meeting.

In a pastoral letter to the congregation, Johnson acknowledged 
the right of individuals to worship wherever they desired, yet 
expressed his hope that the individuals considering leaving 
would reconsider. After receiving clarification from the elected 
leadership of the church and the members of the staff that they 
had decided to disassociate from the Episcopal Church, the 
bishop accepted their respective resignations effective 
immediately. The Rev. Herb Hand, rector, also declared his 
intent to leave. Hand was inhibited from the exercise of his 
priestly ministry effective immediately.

"This was a sad day for me personally and for all the people of 
the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation," said Johnson. "While 
I do not support the choice of those individuals to leave, I 
wish them Godspeed. We are lessened by their decision to abandon 
the fellowship of this communion."

In a June 2 letter to members of the diocese, Johnson called for 
prayers of support for the members of Church of the 
Annunciation, their newly emerging leadership team and himself 
as work progresses on rebuilding. 

Johnson said, "Their decision to leave has not changed the 
mission of the church in West Tennessee. Our mission is to 
proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ. We 
do not choose to see our mission through the lens of fear."

The  transition to new leadership at Church of the Annunciation 
has begun. On June 1, the normal morning worship was held, and 
in the afternoon the bishop met with those committed to 
continuing with the Church of the Annunciation. Johnson has 
provided for worship and pastoral and temporal care for the 
congregation for the next few weeks and plans another meeting in 
mid-June.

Bishop Tharp dies after extended illness

(ENS) The Rt. Rev. Robert Gould Tharp, second bishop of the 
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee, died Friday, May 30, 2003. 
He was 74. 

"Along with the Diocese of East Tennessee and many friends 
throughout the Episcopal Church, I will miss Bob Tharp's 
enthusiasm, optimism and example as a Christian leader," said 
the Rt. Rev. Charles G. vonRosenberg, who was consecrated as 
third bishop of East Tennessee upon Tharp's retirement in 1999. 
"Bob has served as a mentor and guide for me, and I am grateful 
to God for the life and witness of this fine man and friend."

Tharp was elected bishop coadjutor Nov. 17, 1990, during a 
special meeting of the Sixth Annual Convention of the Diocese of 
East Tennessee. He was consecrated on May 4, 1991, and was 
installed as diocesan bishop on December 7, 1991, at St. John's 
Cathedral in Knoxville. He succeeded as diocesan bishop the Rt. 
Rev. William E. Sanders, first bishop of East Tennessee, when 
Sanders retired Jan. 1, 1992. 

"When I became diocesan bishop, I invited Bob to be Canon to the 
Ordinary because of his devoted work as a parish priest with the 
clergy and laity and his pastoral ministry with them--and in 
light of their obvious confidence in him. That began for us a 
companionship in the ministry," said Sanders. "He's been a 
devoted and able leader at every level of the church's life. His 
heart was in his ministry completely, in his guidance and 
worship, in his eloquent preaching and in his pastoral care of 
the people of the church and of the community."

Born in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 25, 1928, Tharp graduated from 
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, in 1950 with a 
Bachelor of Arts degree. He earned his Master of Divinity degree 
from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary near Chicago in 1956, 
the same year he was ordained deacon. Ordained as a priest in 
1957, he was vicar and rector at four churches in Florida from 
1956 until 1968. Tharp came to Tennessee in 1969 to become 
rector of St. Peter's Church in Columbia. He served there until 
1978, when he became Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of 
Tennessee. In 1985, the Diocese of East Tennessee was formed, 
and Tharp became the Canon to the Ordinary of the new diocese.

He was five times a deputy to General Convention and was elected 
to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in 1988. In 
1989, Tharp traveled to Burundi and Rwanda in Africa as the 
Episcopal Church USA's representative to the Partners-in-Mission 
Consultation for the Provinces of Burundi, Rwanda and Zaire. He 
continued to serve after retirement, accepting an appointment 
just two months later from Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold as 
chairman of the board of directors for Episcopal Relief and 
Development. 

Tharp is survived by his wife of 22 years, Ann Bradford Tharp, 
and by a daughter, a son, four grandchildren, a sister, three 
stepdaughters, a stepson, and five step-grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Episcopal 
Relief and Development, 815 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10017; Kanuga 
Conferences, Inc., P.O. Box 250, Hendersonville, NC; or the 
Diocese of East Tennessee, 401 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN 
37902.

------