wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

February 13, 2002

2002-041

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Russian Orthodox Church deplores Vatican decision to form 
dioceses

(ENS) An announcement by the Vatican on February 11 that it 
intended to form four dioceses in Russia has brought a strong 
reaction from the Russian Orthodox Church, further straining the 
relationship between the two churches.

A statement by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia 
said, "We see this step as unfriendly and undermining the 
prospects for better relations between the two churches." He 
said that the decision to establish a "church province" in 
Russia headed by a metropolitan "means in fact the establishment 
of a national Catholic Church in Russia having its center in 
Moscow and claiming the Russian people, who are the flock of the 
Russian Orthodox church culturally, spiritually and 
historically, as its flock."

The patriarch added, "The formation of such a church in 
Russia means in fact a challenge to Orthodoxy which has been 
rooted in the country for centuries. Nothing of this sort has 
ever happened in the history of our country." He pointed out 
that, "in taking care of its faithful in Catholic countries, the 
Russian Orthodox Church has never tried to establish church 
institutions parallel to Catholic ones" or to "carry out 
missionary work among the local population. If the Catholic 
Church worked in Russia with the same tact and good will as we 
do in Catholic countries, then no difficulties would arise in 
our relations." He dismissed the Vatican's argument that it was 
merely restoring Catholic structures that existed in Russia 
before the 1917 Revolution.

"Such actions of the Roman Catholic Church, not conditioned 
by any real pastoral needs, expose the missionary purposes of 
the changes made," Alexy charged. The Orthodox are very 
sensitive to what they perceive as attempts to proselytize, 
especially on their "home turf." He cited it as "one of the 
basic obstacles for improving relations." The frosty 
relationship has led Alexy to block Pope John Paul II's interest 
in visiting Russia, even after President Vladimir Putin issued 
an invitation.

"The leadership of the Roman Catholic Church is now 
responsible before God and history for a sharp aggravation of 
our relations, for the frustration of the hope for their 
normalization that has just begun to shape," the patriarch 
concluded. "The Vatican's action has put in jeopardy the ability 
of the Catholic West and the Orthodox East to cooperate as two 
great civilizations for the benefit of Europe and the world."

Peace and Justice networks meet together for overview of 
their ministries

(ENS) Representatives of the Episcopal Church's peace and 
justice networks met at a conference center near San Francisco 
in early January to present overviews of their ministries and 
forge new partnerships. It was convened by the Rev. Carmen 
Guerrero, Jubilee officer for the Episcopal Church.

"This gathering was in response to an Executive Council 
resolution that commended what used to be the Justice, Peace and 
Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Committee for its contributions," 
said Marge Christie of the Diocese of Newark. "The council 
recommended occasional gatherings so that it could keep track of 
the trends, initiatives and ministries in church and society 
that reflect the church's commitment to issues of peace and 
justice." The council sent a "listening team" to the meeting, 
also attending by staff members of the Church Center.

Many participants urged better interaction among the peace 
and justice groups to increase the impact of the church's 
ministries. For example, since the AIDS pandemic is escalating 
among ethnic minority youth and heterosexual women, the church's 
ministry with women and youth should be involved. While the 
church's resettlement of refugees is very successful, there was 
dismay over the inability to minister to asylum seekers being 
held in detention centers because there is neithter funding nor 
a network to address the issue. "Participants also acknowledged 
the common thread of racism that runs through every justice," 
Christie added.

Participants expressed their appreciation that 
representatives from Executive Council and the Church Center for 
their support and there was general agreement that more networks 
should be represented at the next consultation, with an emphasis 
on seeking youth involvement.

Sudan's Supreme Court blocks execution of Christian woman

(ENS) Under intense pressure from the international 
community, Sudan's Supreme Court has overturned a sentence 
imposed under Islamic law on a Christian woman calling for her 
to be stoned to death for adultery.

Non-governmental agencies, including Human Rights Watch, 
called on Sudan's president and members of the government to 
save the life of Abok Alfa Akok. She is a Christian who is a 
member of the Dinka tribe and was sentenced by a court under 
Shari'ah law imposed by Islamic authorities in Sudan's South 
Darfur province. The law is being applied to all residents in 
the northern states, regardless of their religion. A Nigerian 
woman is appealing a similar sentence imposed by Islamic 
authorities in northern Nigeria after an international outcry.

Sudan has been enduring civil war between the northern Muslim 
government in Khartoum and rebels in the mainly Christian and 
animist south since independence in 1956.

Christians in northern Nigeria face growing hostility

(ENS) Christians in northern Nigeria, which is overwhelmingly 
Muslim are facing increased hostility, including the possible 
demolition of churches and the dissolution of non-Islamic 
courts, according to a release from the Barnabas Fund, a 
British-based organization that monitors persecution of 
Christians around the world.

Local authorities in the state of Zamfara are reportedly 
threatening to demolish 14 churches to prevent the growth of 
Christianity and its governor has suggested that he might 
abolish magistrates courts, leaving on the Islamic courts to 
function.

Zamfara was the first of a dozen Nigerian states to introduce 
full Islamic Shari'ah law in January 2000 but the move was 
intended to affect only Muslims. Christians fear that Muslims 
now intend the law to apply to everyone.

Authorities in the states of Kano and Jigawa, also with 
Muslim majorities, deployed police and soldiers because of fear 
of reprisals against Christians in the wake of recent riots in 
Lagos in southern Nigeria. Revenge attacks are common against 
minority groups in the country. Christian Yorubas in Kano, for 
example, live in fear that last October's violence against them 
will be repeated. Over 200 were killed when Muslims 
demonstratred in support of Osama bin Laden, causing the Yoruba 
Christians to flee for their lives. 

Ecumenical solidarity and action promised in 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict

(WCC) As violence between Palestinians and Israelis in the 
Middle East escalates, representatives of over 40 churches and

church-related organizations met in Geneva February 1-2 to 
establish the scope and framework of an Ecumenical Accompaniment 
Program in the region.

The World Council of Churches program may engage in a number 
of tasks -- including human rights monitoring, advocacy, support 
for non-violent resistance by local Palestinian and Israeli 
peace groups by "accompanying" them in their efforts.

 

Among the objectives for the program are exposing the violence 
of the occupation; ending the brutality, humiliation and 
violence against civilians; building a stronger global advocacy 
network; attempting to influence public opinion on the 
international level and foreign policy in the Middle Easaat to 
end the occupation and create a viable Palestinian state; 
serving as active witnesses to the possibility of an 
alternative, non-violent struggle for peace and justice.

The meeting also looked at the coordination, training, 
recruitment criteria and communication for those who will be 
accompanying the peace activists. It was not possible, however, 
to solve the immediate problem of funding to implement the 
program.

Chinese Christians play a role in the nation's social 
vision

(ENI) The "extraordinary expansion" of Christianity in China 
is not sufficiently appreciated in the West, according to 
Caroline Fielder, an Anglican who will serve as a specialist on 
the subject for churches that are members of Churches Together 
in Britain and Ireland.

There now an estimated 17 million Protestants and about six 
million Catholics in China, according to some estimates, 
although statistics are complicated because the number of 
Christians who attend churches not registered with the 
government is unknown. According to some experts, counting those 
Christians could increase the total by 50 percent.

Fielder, who speaks Mandarin Chinese and taught at a school 
in Jiangxi Province, said that she would visit the country at 
least twice a year because "it is changing incredibly fast" and 
she must keep current on church trends. "For the first time, the 
churches are being seen as part of the social vision for China," 
she said.

Overseas churches currently support many social projects in 
areas such as health, teaching and rural development through the 
Nanjing-based Amity Foundation, founded by the Chinese with 
strong links to the China Christian Council, the official agency 
for the Protestant churches.

Chinese authorities have launched occasional crackdowns on 
churches not willing to work with the government, according to 
observers. The situation has gotten worse since the 1980s when 
Christians played a role in the collapse of Communist regimes in 
eastern Europe, leading some Chinese authorities to speculate 
that Christians in China might present a similar challenge. "We 
don't do anything that's not transparent," said Edmond Tang an 
advisor to the commission on mission for Churches Together. 
"We're not

taking sides and we work to promote the reconciliation of the 
official and unofficial churches."

------