wfn.org | ALC Noticias Sept 18, 2005

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALC NEWS SERVICE
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org

----------
CONTENT

BRAZIL: Anglican Bishop of Nigeria did not invite Brazilian bishop
ARGENTINA: Evangelical organization makes dramatic call about Argentine youth
GERMANY: Evangelical Church guarantees transmission of 2006 World Soccer Cup
BRAZIL: Legislator Carlos Rodrigues resigns to avoid removal
CHILE: Evangelicals call on Chilean government to give sign of equality

---------
BRAZIL
Anglican Bishop of Nigeria did not invite Brazilian bishop

PORTO ALEGRE, Sept. 16 (ALC). The Anglican primate of Nigeria, Archbishop
Peter Akinola told his Brazilian colleague Orlando Santos de Oliveira that
the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (IEAB) was not welcome at the III
Anglican Global South meeting.

The event will bring together Anglican provincials from the Southern
Hemisphere in Alexandria, Egypt from October 25 - 31, under the slogan "One
Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."

Akinola justified the inconvenience of the Brazilian presence in the event
based on declarations from Bishop Jubal Neves of the South-Western Diocese
of Brazil who recently criticized the conservative group that has been
defending a "New Anglican Communion."

The Nigerian prelate also lamented the removal of Bishop Robinson de Barros
Cavalcanti, of the Anglican diocese of Recife, s! tating it was "hasty."

Criticism from Bishop Neves and the removal of Cavalcanti from the ministry
are, according to Akinola, crisis factors in the relationship between
Anglicans from Brazil and Nigeria as well as divergences in the theological
commitments of the Anglican Communion and other provinces from the Global
South.

In response to the Nigerian Bishop, Bishop Orlando Santos de Oliveira
affirmed that the IEAB is being judged and discriminated against. "I think
that the organizational Committee of the Global South Event does not want
to hear us, I think they only want to hear one way of thinking," argued the
primate, who lamented the lack of pastoral and theological openness to
diversity that "is the foundation of the Anglican Communion."

In terms of Akinola's complaint about the declarations from Bishop Jubal
Neves, Santos de Oliveira emphasized that "each Diocesan bishop has the
freedom to exp! ress themselves, no matter what their opinion and they do
not necessary represent an authorized voice of the Church in Brazil.

Santos de Oliveira added that the removal of Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti,
last June, is an internal issue. "Bishop Cavalcanti was removed for
disciplinary, ethical and moral problems. He was the one who broke
communion with the Brazilian Church and offended the primate, the Chamber
of bishops, the clergy and all the people from the province," explained the
Anglican
leader.

The conflict between Cavalcanti, the IEAB and the originated when the
former diocesan bishop of Recife participated in a confirmation service for
110 young people in Ohio in June 2003 together with five other retired
bishops opposed to the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson from New
Hampshire, a declared homosexual. The service did not have the
authorization of the Diocesan bishop.

The Province of! Brazil "does not have to apologize for its actions and
declarations in the sense that in all of our manifestations we have sought
to be respectful of our brothers and sister in Christ," underlined Santos
de Oliveira to Akinola.

------------
ARGENTINA
Evangelical organization makes dramatic call about Argentine youth

Buenos Aires, Sept. 16 (ALC).	The Christian Alliance of Evangelical
Churches of the Argentine Republic (ACIERA) made a dramatic call to the
nation to open its eyes to the cruel reality faced by millions of young
people, condemned to a lack of employment, to violence and the absence of
ideals and ethical principals.

Every day in Argentina, 11 young people lose their lives in violent
incidents, one of every three drivers involved in serious accidents is
young; 76 percent of people who drink alcohol are under the age of 26 and
one out of every 10 young people admits to having tried illegal drugs,
according to the manifest presented to Senate by this religious
organization on September 15.

The pronouncement entitled "Declaration of Values and Principles of
Evangelical Christian Youth," calls attention to the loss of values and the
lack of examples for young people in Argentine society.

In Argentina working and studying are not considered valid means to get
ahead, said Ruben Proietti, ACIERA president. To the contrary there is a
compulsion to convert young people into sports idols or performing artists,
using the model of fame and easy success and styles of corruption as a
natural way to become wealthy.

The data emphasized by the religious organization points to the extreme
vulnerability of the youth population that confronts a lack of employment
in percentages that go from 38 percent in  middle class sectors to 54
percent among the poor.

Six out of every 10 young people are poor and 21 percent are extremely poor
and 58 children die every day from malnutrition. Among young people age
13-17, 50 percent do not finish high school and 35 percent of young people
age 15-24 do not study or work, said ACIERA.

The only opportunity for the Argentine people is to return to "Biblical
conduct and values," include the practice of loving one's neighbor,
solidarity, the struggle against indifference and selfish individualism.

The manifest rejects the current tendency toward unmeasured material
ambition, excessive value placed on the physical image, disdain for
knowledge and the exaltation of the mediocre and the banal.

It expresses particular concern about the increase of pregnant adolescents
and proposes urgent work about reproductive health and responsible
procreation. "We are in favor of life. (.) We reject abortion, suicidal
practices, euthanasia and all that which affects life," said the manifest.

Finally, it demands a model of government based on honesty, transparency,
social justice and equity.

-----------
GERMANY
Evangelical Church guarantees transmission of 2006 World Soccer Cup

Berlin, September 14 (ALC). The Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) has
obtained the rights to transmit the 2006 World Cup in its 16,000 parishes.

The EKD closed a deal with Infront, the company that holds the rights to
the commercial broadcasts of the sporting event.

Only matches with the German team will be broadcast on public television in
Germany. Sports fans who want to see the rest of the matches, even a final
match without the German team, must subscribe to a service.

"Something that isn't cheap," said Brazilian pastor emeritus Ernesto
Schlieper, who lives in the European nation.

The de-codifier alone costs 300 euros plus the cost of the subscription
that the customer must maintain for a minimum of a year.

The agreement signed by the EKD will allow people who do not have a
subscription to watch all the matches in the parish hall of their local church.

The agreement with Infront was obtained by the Sports Pastoral Department
(Sportpfarramt) of the EKD. The Sportpfarramt is responsible for
elaborating material about sports ethics and issues like doping. It also
provides support for athletes in competitions like the Olympics and world
football championships.

"This is a service that has existed for years and carries out intense
activity," said Schlieper. An EKD pastor provides spiritual support to
athletes, trainers, officials and collaborators of the German football team.

Today football is the most important mass sport in Germany. "Football
fascinates Germans," said Shlieper.

In all the stadiums that were built or rehabilitated for the 2006 World Cup
there are chapels to celebrate mass and worship services during the
championship.

----------
BRAZIL
Legislator Carlos Rodrigues resigns to avoid removal

BRASILIA, September 13 (ALC). Federal representative Carlos Rodriguez, of
the Partido Liberal (PL) and former bishop of the Universal Church of the
Kingdom of God (IURD) quit Monday, four days after being included in a list
of 18 legislators accused of being involved in the bribery scandal.

Rodrigues was being interrogated by two Parliamentary Investigation
Commissions and confronted the possibility of impeachment, an act that
would bar him from political involvement for eight years.

Rodrigues is accused of having withdrawn 400,000 reales (close to $165,000)
from the bank account of publicist Marcos Valério Fernandes de Souza. De
Souza allegedly operated the scheme which, among other things, handed over
monthly payments to legislators who voted in favor of government proposals
in the Chamber.

The 48-year-old legislator, born in Rio de Janeiro, denied having received
the money and said there is no documentary or testimonial evidence that
incriminates him.

In his short political trajectory Rodrigues formed part of the Partido
Frente Liberal (PFL) during his first mandate between 1997 and 1999.
Politically and professionally he was linked to the IURD until the IURD's
Council of Bishops announced his removal as bishop and Church spokesman in
the National Congress.

The council made that decision when the media linked Rodrigues' name to
former federal government advisor Waldomiro Diniz who was in turn linked to
the ruling Partido de los Trabajadores' (PT) former government minister
Jose Dirceu.

Diniz was accused of negotiating favors with businessmen from the lottery
sector in exchange for kickbacks and contributions for electoral campaigns.
At that time, the government managed to overcome the problem.

Rodrigues was elected on a PL ticket and currently is without a party. He
is the first of the 18 indicted legislators to present a formal resignation
although his letter did not specify why he was resigning.

------
CHILE
Evangelicals call on Chilean government to give sign of equality

Santiago, September 12 (ALC). Bishop Bernardo Cartes, of the Methodist
Pentecostal Church of Chile called on President Ricardo Lagos to provide a
"sign of equality" with respect to the Roman Catholic Church during the
traditional Te Deum ceremony held each year in the Evangelical Cathedral to
commemorate the nation's anniversary.

The Pentecostal leader made the request Sunday when President Lagos and
several presidential candidates congregated in the Methodist Pentecostal
Church. Cartes maintained that just as the government supports the
canonization of the Rev. Alberto Hurtado (SJ) it should facilitate the
construction of evangelical Churches in the country.

Some 15,000 faithful attended the Evangelical Cathedral which attracted
enormous media interest due to the presence of presidential candidates
Michelle Bachelet (Concertación),

Joaquín  Lavín (Unión Democrática Independiente) and Sebastián Piñera
(Renovación Nacional) who will vie for the presidency on December 11.

Bishop Cartes said that government decrees to erect monuments across the
country to pay homage to the Rev. Hurtado should be given on a par with
others that allow Evangelicals to obtain land that is currently abandoned
to build Churches and places of prayer.

"We do not raise our voice to speak against the statutes. We respect our
brothers who have this faith," said Cartes, but he added that the same
energy used to support the Catholic Church should be used to support
Evangelicals.

Cartes recalled the Antuco tragedy, where 45 soldiers died from cold, half
of whom were Evangelicals and requested more places for prayer for
Evangelicals who do military duty.

President Lagos did not respond directly to the request from the
Evangelical bishop but said "what we have seen here is a desire for freedom
and equality of worship to reign in our country."

At the end of the religious act, Lagos was questioned about an initiative
to give some benefits to military officers who are processed for human
rights. He responded by quoting the last message from former President
Salvador Allende pronounced September 11, 1973 when the La Moneda house of
government was attacked on the orders of Gen. Augusto Pinochet: "Other men
will arrive to overcome this grey and dark moment."

"I think the time to overcome this grey and dark moment is arriving," said
Lagos.
--------------------

Latin American and Caribbean News Agency
P.O. Box 14-225 Lima 14 Peru
Tel. (511) 462 0189  Telefax (511) 463 2496
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org
http: //www.alcpress.org