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99-162

News Briefs

Griffiss installed as canon theologian

     (ENS) Holding a small icon signifying his new post, the Rev. 
Dr. James E. Griffiss was formally installed on October 15 as 
canon theologian to Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold. The 
commissioning took place in the Chapel of Christ the Lord in the 
Episcopal Church Center in New York City.

     Griffiss, editor of the Anglican Theological Review, will 
serve as a consultant to the presiding bishop, and will be 
charged specifically with convening theological conversations 
including Griswold and theologians whose interests and expertise 
touch on specific topics. In many ways, the appointment 
recognizes work that Griffiss already has done in advising 
Griswold and in organizing meetings with theologians, such as the 
presiding bishop's consultation on bioethics held last June in 
Washington, D.C.

     In the past, Griswold has spoken of the church's need to 
hear from groups that often have not been clearly heard, 
including theologians. In remarks at an Executive Council meeting 
last year, he noted that an earlier meeting with 12  theologians 
had convinced him that "we really do need to think more 
profoundly about what it means to be the Church and then figure 
out how we engage in theological discourse in a way that is civil 
and upbuilds the body."

     He reported that the theologians had told him that they felt 
they "had always been on the edges of the life of the church," 
not an active part in how the community does its discernment. He 
added that they noted "very little attention had been paid to the 
whole doctrine of what it means to be the Church and that we've 
become largely a community of agendas," without a common sense of 
reference.  	

     Griffiss will continue his editorial responsibilities at his 
office in Chicago. A theologian who has taught at several 
Episcopal seminaries, he is also editor of The New Church's 
Teaching Series and author of the series' first volume, The 
Anglican Vision.

Report paints bleak picture of Britain in 2010

     (ENI) A recent report, commissioned by the Salvation Army, 
paints a bleak picture of the Britain of 2010.

     The report, "The Paradox of Prosperity," predicts that an 
average rise in living standards of 35 percent by 2010 will be 
coupled with a bigger gap between the rich and poor, representing 
a "threat to public safety." 

     Commissioner Alex Hughes, territorial commander for the 
Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said, "The 
report is tremendously pessimistic, but much of what it describes 
is reality now." He pinpointed substance abuse among the young as 
"a very serious problem," which needs to be countered by greater 
parental monitoring and a sense of spiritual values. 

     The report went on to say that less than half of those 
currently employed will remain so by 2010. It stated that "our 
lives will resemble a game of 'snakes and ladders' in which those 
who once enjoyed prosperity and recognized social status could 
suddenly find themselves at the bottom of the pile."

     According to the report, greater longevity is a "demographic 
time-bomb," where the state alone will not be able to cope with 
the financial needs of the aged, according to the report.

     "The Paradox of Prosperity" warns that traditional, church-
based religion is unlikely to be able to exploit the renewed 
interest in spirituality. "The 'spirituality' that is seen as 
more relevant today is found in a variety of shapes and forms, 
many of which are directed at inner development or ethical 
lifestyles, yoga, self-help and counseling, aromatherapy...

     "Our search for meaning does not, however, imply that we 
want a belief system to be dictated to us," according to the 
report.

     "The essence of our 'post-modern' age is the denial of a 
single Truth."

     In an interview Hughes said, "Many of the issues in the 
report are aspects of a spiritual vacuum. They are about quality 
of life. We need social programs, but mostly the issues need to 
be picked up by the evangelistic program."

Dutch Evangelicals confess ancient 'guilt' to Jews 

     (ENI) Evangelical Christians in the Netherlands have started 
a campaign to encourage Christians to mark "2000 years of 
Christianity" by confessing Christian "guilt towards Jewish 
people."

     The campaign, which asks people to fill in cards to be sent 
to Israelis, was launched in September at a meeting of 1,400 
Christians in one of the main churches in Utrecht.

     Worshippers at the service prayed, "Lord we confess that our 
hands are stained with blood." According to the campaign's 
initiator, Herman Goudswaard, "since the second century, 
Christians have treated the Jewish people with disdain, arrogance 
and criticism."

     Goudswaard acknowledged after the ceremony that his campaign 
was centuries too late. But he added: "But to God it might never 
be too late."

     Official Jewish leaders were invited, but did not attend the 
service. However, an organization representing Orthodox rabbis 
sent a letter expressing gratitude for the initiative. "We hope 
that this unique religious act may contribute to the end of the 
dark period between our two religions."

     The cards being sent to Israelis state that Israel belongs 
to the Jewish people, quoting a verse from the book of Amos 9:15, 
which reads: "I will plant them upon their land, and they shall 
never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, 
says the Lord your God."

     Evangelical Christians in Canada, the United States and 
Germany are already supporting the campaign by filling in the 
cards with their own names and addresses. The cards will be 
delivered to the private houses of Israelis within the next year 
or so.

     However, the Dutch Council of Churches and the mainstream 
Protestant churches, which belong to it, are not involved in the 
campaign.

Vatican seeks patron saint for World Wide Web

     (ENI) The Vatican has not yet made an official decision on 
appointing a patron saint for cybernauts despite increasing calls 
from Catholic users of the Internet.

     According to a spokesman for Switzerland's Catholic bishops, 
many Catholics believe that the church needs to appoint a 
spiritual guardian for the Internet because of the lack of moral 
authority over the exploding number of web sites, many of which 
present immoral and pornographic material, making it accessible 
to hundreds of millions of computer-users, including children.

     It is rare nowadays for people to ask the church to appoint 
a patron saint for a particular cause or profession. Most 
workers-from beggars to photographers-have an official patron 
saint. But interest in the appointment of a patron saint for the 
Internet has grown rapidly since news agencies reported early 
this year that the Vatican had commissioned a search to find who, 
among existing Catholic saints, would be the most suitable patron 
of the Internet.

     Researchers came up with the name of Saint Isidore, bishop 
of Seville in Spain, who was born between 560 and 570. Though 
Isidore is now unknown even to most Catholics, he has long been 
seen by scholars as a man ahead of his time.

     He wrote a form of encyclopedia, Etymologies, with a 
structure similar to what is now known as a database. Like the 
World Wide Web, Etymologies put at the disposal of its readers 
massive amounts of knowledge. Its 20 volumes contained 
information on liberal arts and subjects such as medicine, 
agriculture, architecture, the books and offices of the church, 
and other church subjects. At the time, Etymologies became an 
extremely popular reference work.

     However, despite the enthusiasm of some Catholics for 
Isidore, Nicolas Betticher, information officer for the Swiss 
bishops, said on October 4, "For the moment, no official decision 
has been made. The Vatican does not want to be hurried. It wants 
to wait and see how the Internet evolves. An appointment could 
take place later."

     However, the Swiss newspaper, Le Matin, pointed out that, 
while the Vatican delays its decision, material on the Internet 
shows that interest in and devotion to St. Isidore of Seville are 
growing fast. One Australian-based web site includes a "shrine" 
(http://www.compassnet.com/aussie/shrine.htm) to Isidore asking 
him to protect it from hackers-people who surreptitiously 
infiltrate web sites, often with malicious intent.

American nun accepts Vatican ban on her ministry to gays

     (ENI) The American nun who had been barred by the Vatican 
from continuing her personal ministry to Catholic gays and 
lesbians has declared that she will abide by the decision and try 
to reverse the directive by working within the church.

     According to the Washington Post, Sister Jeannine Gramick 
asked Roman Catholics in the U.S. to help her find "creative, 
collaborative ways to lift the burden of this directive from my 
shoulders."

     Gramick called the decision barring her and the Rev. Robert 
Nugent from ministry to Catholic gays and lesbians unfair. But 
describing her work as a "call," she said she hoped to continue 
her work within the church, saying it was better that the 
ministry to Catholic gays and lesbians be done with the church's 
blessing. Gramick did not elaborate on how she planned to do 
this.

     In July the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the 
Faith, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, said that Gramick 
and Nugent had not sufficiently condemned homosexuality as 
"intrinsically evil" and that their ministry had caused confusion 
within the church, resulting in "erroneous and dangerous" 
teaching.

     At the time, Gramick had called the Vatican decision 
troubling, and said the Vatican had acted as "prosecutor, jury, 
and judge in the same case." 

     Nugent said that he was willing to publicly affirm his 
"personal assent" to church teaching about homosexuality, but 
only if he could do so using what he called "pastoral language" 
that avoided the Vatican's use of words such as "evil" and 
"disorder" to describe homosexuality. 

     Gramick initially protested what she said had become "an 
interrogation" about her personal beliefs on the issue of 
homosexuality.

Partnership promotes Episcopal Church on TV nationwide

     (ENS) A series of public service announcements that builds 
awareness of and welcomes people to the Episcopal Church is 
airing nationwide and reaching millions of viewers.

     The campaign is made possible by a partnership between the 
Atlanta-based Episcopal Media Center and two ministries of the 
Episcopal Church Center, the Office of Evangelism Ministries and 
the Office of Telecommunications. All three entities donated 
$10,000 to the campaign.

     The TV spots, developed by the media center, were 
distributed in September to 600 broadcast and cable stations. TV 
Access, a Chicago firm that works exclusively with non-profits, 
tracks for a year when and where the spots air.

     In the first three weeks, 14 broadcast stations (ABC, CBS, 
Fox) had aired them an average of 50 times apiece, and nearly 500 
cable stations carried them. More than 15 million homes were 
reached.

     All three of the 30-second spots convey a message that "The 
Episcopal Church welcomes hungry hearts." One ad shows a wilted 
flower that blooms again, another a playful litter of golden 
retriever puppies. In the third, the flame of a depleted candle 
is restored.

     Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold endorsed the new spots 
and the effort to reach more people through the mass media. He 
said his own "experience makes plain that many of those in our 
communities would welcome an invitation to 'come and see.' These 
brief messages offer just the needed invitation in a way that is 
at the same time gracious and compelling. I hope they will be 
broadly used, bringing the inviting word into the homes of people 
who yearn for the healing message of Jesus Christ."

     During the past year, congregations and dioceses in more 
than 30 communities have developed local campaigns to increase 
awareness about them and welcome people to church.

     For more information about the announcements call 1-800-229-
3788.

Orthodox institute brings new dimension to theology

     (ENI) The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in 
Cambridge, England, has linked up with Roman Catholic, Anglican, 
Methodist and United Reformed theological colleges, which form 
the Cambridge theological federation, to bring a new dimension to 
theological studies.

     The institute, which will also work closely with the 
Cambridge University divinity faculty, received its first 
students on October 4. It is understood to be one of a tiny 
handful of Orthodox institutes throughout the world to offer 
theological education and training in an inter-Christian setting 
and within a university.

     In an interview, John Jillions, the institute's director, 
said the ecumenical venture would make his students "not worse 
Orthodox, but strengthened by experiences that will challenge 
them." Each of the partner organizations in the theological 
federation would "maintain its own integrity," he said.

     A spokesman for Archbishop Gregorios, the London 
representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople 
(Istanbul), said that the institute had the patriarchate's 
blessing and would complement a training center for priests and 
laity that the patriarchate planned to open in London next year.

     Dr. Eamon Duffy, a leading church historian and chairman of 
the Cambridge divinity faculty, described the Cambridge institute 
as "an enormous enrichment of the resources already available 
here and in the country at large."

     The first full-time students are a nun from South Korea and 
two men, from Greece and India. All are Orthodox Christians. 
About 25 part-time students have also registered, and the 
institute plans to launch an international distance-learning 
course through the Internet.

     Jillions said the institute hoped to offer a range of 
studies leading to Cambridge University qualifications, directed 
at both academic training and preparation for ordination. It 
would not be "a traditional form of church teaching," however. 
Jillions said that students needed "to be exposed to other 
Christians."

Orthodox archbishop denies he ordained women as deacons

     (ENI) Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania has 
denied press reports that he recently ordained several women as 
deacons.

     According to a report by Reformierter Pressedienst, a Swiss 
Protestant news agency, the Orthodox Church leader had accepted 
three women into the diaconate. Anastasios confirmed in a 
telephone interview that he favored a discussion of women's 
ordination as deacons, and would raise the issue "at the right 
time" with other Orthodox archbishops and patriarchs.

     There are no women deacons in any of the world's Orthodox 
churches, nor in the Roman Catholic Church. In the Orthodox, 
Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, the diaconate is 
traditionally the first major step on the way to priesthood, and 
deacons exercise some of the functions of priests. The ordination 
of women deacons by one Orthodox church would be an event of 
major ecclesiastical importance, and would have deep 
ramifications for relations with other Orthodox churches and for 
the Catholic Church. It would also bring about a major boost to 
Orthodox relations with Anglican, Old Catholic, Lutheran and 
other Protestant churches in which women have won entry into the 
clergy.

     "This report is pure fiction-none of it is accurate beyond 
the basic background," Anastasios said. "We use women in all our 
activities. But a decision to admit them to the diaconate would 
require formal discussions-we could never take such a decision by 
ourselves."

     He continued, "Sometimes important initiatives can be 
destroyed by incorrect information. If misinformation has been 
circulated that the Orthodox Church of Albania has ordained women 
as deacons, one can expect the seed will be destroyed by 
immediate strong opposition from traditional churches."

     Anastasios, who has gained a reputation worldwide as an 
enlightened and effective church leader, had insisted since 
taking office in 1992 that women should be engaged "at all 
levels" of church life, and had persuaded opponents to "accept 
this as a reality."

     He added that women dominated the church's social, 
educational and youth activities, as well as its social service 
department and the church's relief efforts for Kosovo refugees. 
He hoped to raise the issue of ordination "at the right time 
after proper preparation."

     "It is women who have taken responsibility for tackling the 
various difficulties we've faced during these eight years, and 
we've given them more decision-making authority as a result," 
Anastasios added. "Although the priesthood is not in question, 
the diaconate is an open possibility. But it isn't a simple 
matter, and we must ensure the effort isn't destroyed from the 
beginning by some announcement which creates immediate 
opposition."

Ecumenical Patriarchate appoints new Geneva representative

     (ENI) The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has 
announced that Archimandrite Benedict Ioannou will become the 
patriarchate's representative at the World Council of Churches 
headquarters in Geneva.

     Ioannou, who was born in Nicosia, is completing his doctoral 
thesis at the University of Cyprus on "Foundation charters and 
monastic rules of the Byzantine monasteries." He was ordained a 
priest in the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul in 1997, and 
has studied at the University of Athens, at the Institute fur 
Byzantinistik und Neugriechische Literatur in Munich, and at the 
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He speaks 
Greek, English, French and German.

     Ioannou will succeed Protopresbyter Georges Tsetsis who 
recently retired after 30 years of work linked to the ecumenical 
movement.

Millennium project: Together 2000

     (ENS) Anglicans are being invited to participate in 
"Together 2000," a millennium project that is bringing together 
nearly all Christian churches in Canada. The cosponsors are the 
Canadian Council of Churches, which represents 19 member and 
associate denominations and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 
which represents for 32 denominations.

     The project asks participants to answer the question, "What 
is your community doing together to honor Jesus at this milestone 
in history?" Anglican groups, which have already advised the 
project of their plans, include the Diocese of Huron, which is 
one sponsor of "Celebrate 2000," a three-day festival involving 
all of the local Christian churches of Southwestern Ontario. 
Others may send their answers to this key question by e-mail to 
together@together2000.org 

     If the answer is "nothing yet," project organizers suggest 
participating in a coast-to-coast Christmas Carol singing from 
December 17 to 19 with churches or groups with whom you don't 
normally connect or ring your church bells for five minutes 
beginning at noon, local time, on January 1. Another recommended 
activity is to gather to say the Together 2000 prayer at noon on 
January 1, 2000, when church bells summon Christians to pray. The 
prayer is based on Luke 10:27: "Loving God, help us by your 
spirit in this new time to love you with all our hearts, with all 
our souls, with all our strength, and with all our minds, and to 
love our neighbors as ourselves in Jesus' name."

     For more information go to the web site at 
www.together2000.org

General Seminary urges passage of Lutheran proposal

     (ENS) At a September 14 meeting the faculty of the General 
Theological Seminary, in New York endorsed the document "Called 
to Common Mission," the revised Concordat of Agreement for full 
communion with the Episcopal Church, which was approved recently 
in Denver by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in America.

     In a document the faculty said, "We are excited about the 
possibilities it offers for common mission in New York City, and 
for joint theological study with the Lutheran Seminary in 
Philadelphia, as well as the opportunities it affords for 
learning from those parts of the Lutheran tradition with which we 
are least familiar." It continued, "We urge the next General 
Convention of the Episcopal Church to ratify this document so 
that we may enter the new relationship of Full Communion with the 
ELCA at the earliest possible time."

     General Seminary has long been in the vanguard of Lutheran-
Episcopal relations. In January, 1998, General signed a Seminary 
Covenant with the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia 
which committed the schools to pray for each other in seminary 
liturgies, to strive for the removal of any obstacles to full 
communion, to share academic and spiritual resources, to jointly 
plan academic and social justice programs, and to share the 
resources of both institutions with church constituencies on a 
national level. The agreement also outlined 13 specific 
activities, including the development of programs in Hispanic 
ministry, the appointment of visiting faculty members, and joint 
publishing ventures. Plans for a joint Hispanic ministry are 
currently underway.

Chinnis previews GC at Western Michigan convention

     (ENS) "Whether we look backwards, or peer into the future, 
it is evident that conflict and its eventual resolution are a 
normal part of the life of the church," Dr. Pamela Chinnis, 
president of the House of Deputies, noted recently. "It's true 
throughout Christian history. It is true of the Episcopal Church, 
USA. I'm sure it's true of the Diocese of Western Michigan. There 
is not a diocese in this church that hasn't had its share of 
fights over churchmanship or money, competition among 
congregations, scandal, conflict over buildings versus mission, 
and you can make your own list."

     Chinnis was the banquet speaker at the 125th anniversary 
convention of the Diocese of Western Michigan. She outlined what 
she sees as major issues that will come before the General 
Convention in Denver next summer.

     First among them is the decision concerning full communion 
with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "This is a 
decision which will have dramatic consequences for the future of 
both churches," Chinnis stressed. Evangelism and the Jubilee Year 
are two other issues she cited. "The Jubilee Year is part of a 
worldwide campaign known as Jubilee 2000, aimed at canceling the 
unpayable debt of the poorest countries by the new millennium."

     Noting that she doesn't think it's the most important issue, 
she said "nevertheless I am sure that this General Convention 
will be like those of the previous several decades, providing a 
hearing for a variety of resolutions addressing human sexuality."

     Chinnis expressed her hope that deputies would use great 
discipline and patience, civility and respect, seeking to see one 
another as brothers and sisters in Christ and truly hearing one 
another's views even if opposed to them.

Episcopal Media Center offers Anglican view of evangelism on 
video

     The Episcopal Media Center in Atlanta, Georgia has released 
a video that offers the Anglican view of evangelism.

     The video features the Rev. Dr. Michael Green, advisor on 
evangelism to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, as he 
addressed the World Evangelism Congress '99 last June at the 
Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

     The event was sponsored by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, 
which is an evangelism ministry for men and boys within the 
Episcopal Church, focusing on prayer, study and service.

     The one-hour video costs $25, plus $3.50 shipping and 
handling. Orders can be placed through the Episcopal Media 
Center, 1727 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329. Phone: (404) 633-
7800 or (800) 229-3788; fax: (404) 633-7097.

     Also, this Christmas, the Episcopal Media Center will 
sponsor the national radio broadcast of "The Festival of Nine 
Lessons and Carols", the most listened-to holiday radio program 
in the United States. The program will be broadcast December 24 
live from Kings College, Cambridge, airing on more than 260 
stations nationwide. [Please consult local listings for the time 
and radio station in your area. For most stations, this is a 
morning program.]

     "We're thrilled to give Episcopalians a role in this 
presentation of an Anglican choral music tradition," said the 
Rev. Canon Louis C. Schueddig, president and executive director 
of the Atlanta-based organization. "For many people who have no 
church, this program is Christmas."

     The broadcast is coordinated by Minnesota Public Radio, 
headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota.