wfn.org | NCCCUSA on Bosnia, Jerusalem, media, racism, Puerto Rican prisoners

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National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: Carol J. Fouke, NCC, 212-870-2252
Internet: carol_fouke.parti@ecunet.org

NCC11/20/96     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC GENERAL ASSEMBLY ATTENDS TO WIDE VARIETY OF
CONCERNS -- PART TWO

 CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 15 ---- In the course of
its meeting here Nov. 13-15, the National Council of
Churches General Assembly attended to a wide variety
of concerns, including:

HAGHIA SOPHIA
 The recent hand grenade attack on the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the
Mother Church of Eastern Orthodoxy, was condemned by
the NCC General Assembly, as was a statement made by
an official of the Turkish government at the time of
the attack: that the fourth century church of Haghia
Sophia (Holy Wisdom) would be turned over to Islam
for use as a mosque.  Used as a mosque from 1453 to
the early 1900s, under the Secular Turkish
Government Haghia Sophia became a museum accessible
to all and remains the focus for Eastern Orthodox
Christianity throughout the world.  The Islamic
Front of the Great East operating in Turkey claimed
responsibility for the grenade attack as well as for
other church bombings.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND PROPOSITION 209
 The NCC General Assembly reaffirmed the
Council's policy in support of Affirmative Action,
which says in part, "We support goals, quotas and
other remedies of affirmative action when used as
minimum, not maximum, measures of participation."
The Assembly thanked the Council's officers for
issuing a pastoral letter deploring the enactment of
Proposition 209 in California, and proposed several
measures to challenge this and similar legislation.
And it committed the NCC "to be a role model, in all
of its hiring and personnel practices by living out
its policy of Affirmative Action and participating
in continual internal monitoring of its progress, as
well as calling on its member communions to practice
Affirmative Action."

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
 The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky of the Orthodox
Church in America lifted up the purposes of a new
CWSW Unit "Statement on Bosnia-Herzegovina,"
supporting continued engagement of U.S. troops in
Bosnia in order to maintain peace and stability in
the Balkans and asking that efforts be increased
to assure the reconstruction and rebuilding goals
envisioned within the Bosnia peace process.  Nations
accommodating refugees are asked not to "force
refugees to return to Bosnia-Herzegovina before they
can return to their homes."

 "A MESSAGE ON JERUSALEM"
 The NCC General Assembly reviewed and proposed
several modifications in "A Message on Jerusalem,"
adopted by the Council's Church World Service and
Witness Unit Committee and Executive Board earlier
in the week.  The message reaffirms the Council's
previously stated assertion of Jerusalem's
importance for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

THE CHURCH AND MEDIA
 Copies of a new booklet, "The Church and
Media," were distributed to NCC General Assembly
delegates.  It includes three policy statements
adopted earlier by the NCC, along with the message
"Churches and the News Media: Telling Our Story,"
adopted in September by the NCC's Communication
Commission and received earlier this week by the NCC
Executive Committee.  The three policies are:
"Violence in Electronic Media and Film," "Global
Communication for Justice" and "The Churches' Role
in Media Education and Communication Advocacy."
General Assembly delegates also were briefed on
Media Awareness Year 1997-98, including the planned
May 6, 1997, teleconference, "Family, Community and
Media Values."

BURNED CHURCHES PROJECT
In a "Special Session on the Burned Churches
Fund and Project," NCC General Assembly members
heard a report on the project to date and future
plans.  They had opportunity for conversation with
three of the pastors from the burned churches: the
Rev. Harry Baldwin, Gays Hill Baptist Church,
Millen, Ga.; the Rev. Aiken Ruth, Rosemary Baptist
Church, Varnville, S.C., and the Rev. Ted Myers,
South Richland Bible Way Church, Gadsden, S.C.

Special recognition was extended to Deval
Patrick, U.S. Assistant Attorney General, and James
Johnson, U.S. Assistant Secretary for the Treasury,
for their work to bring the perpetrators of these
arsons to justice.  Commented Mr. Patrick, "Racial
hostility drives many of these fires.  This is not a
hoax."  Mr. Johnson said that as a result of the
NCC's intervention, the Treasury and Justice
Departments "had come together to examine how the
investigations were being conducted.  Significant
results include an increase in funding resources to
get the job done and bring those responsible to
justice."  He added that he and Mr. Patrick "had
been transformed personally as they heard the
ministers' stories."  He commended the NCC for its
work and said it had been an "inspiration to the
nation."  Also recognized was Gary Fields, USA
Today, for his reporting on the burned churches.
Mr. Fields could not attend the session but sent a
letter in response.  Council leaders vowed to
continue their work to rebuild houses of worship
destroyed by arsonists and to speak out against
"America's great sin -- the sin of racism."

ALSO OF NOTE: The NCC Executive Board, on Nov.
12, approved a letter to President Clinton calling
on him to release, before Christmas, 15 Puerto Rican
political prisoners being held in U.S. prisons.
Although religious leaders hold diverse opinions
about the status of Puerto Rico and the acts and
beliefs for which these men and women were
incarcerated, they are united in calling for the
release of these prisoners in view of the length of
time they have already served, said the Rev. Dr.
Paul Sherry, United Church of Christ President.

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