wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

October 31, 2002

2002-253

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Carey says he looks forward to appointment of women as 
bishops

(PANews) Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey said in an 
interview that the ordination of women to the priesthood ranked 
among his greatest achievements in his 11 years in office. Yet 
he added that the decision was accompanied by the highest and 
lowest moments of his tenure when he realized the stress it 
caused for many people in the church.

"There were a large number of people who were very, very 
distressed and I felt that the Church of England handled that 
particularly well," he said in an interview with Martha Linden. 
"We rejoiced and celebrated with the ordination of women but 
there were people, for varying reasons--some of them 
theological, some of them were ecumenical--who felt they could 
not agree with it."

Carey said that he had "no theological problems with the 
ordination of women as bishops. The moment you ordain women as 
priests then you are opening the way."

When asked about the low points in his career, he mentioned 
the serious drop in the value of the church's assets and added 
that the genocide in Rwanda had posed one of the worst problems 
of his tenure. On the difficult issue of homosexuality, Carey 
said that he took a "traditionalist" line and believes that he 
is supported by the vast majority of society and the Anglican 
Communion. He also believes that the church needs to "enter into 
the experience" of homosexual people and to continue the debate.

Carey said that he would like to be remembered as a Christian 
leader who was "excited by God" and who believed that the good 
news of Jesus Christ could change lives. He hopes that the 
Church of England has become more open and involved with the 
wider society and that the Alexandria Declaration, signed by 
interfaith leaders in the Holy Land, would be seen as one of his 
outstanding achievements.

Judge dismisses lawsuits against Anglican Church of Canada 
for alleged abuse in residential schools

(ENS) A judge in Calgary, Alberta, has dismissed lawsuits filed 
against the Anglican Church of Canada for alleged abuse of 
children at residential schools, ruling that only the church's 
Missionary Society can be named in the suits.

"There is no evidence of direct involvement in the schools by 
the General Synod at any time," wrote Judge Terrence McMahon in 
his October 24 opinion, pointing out that the Missionary Society 
signed the contracts with the federal government to run the 
schools in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

A lawyer representing the native claimants said that the 
decision could mean that the government is liable for any 
financial settlements. "The government of Canada is going to end 
up paying 100 percent of the judgments and be left to collect it 
from the remaining Anglican entity," said Vaughan Marshall.

The Rev. James Boyles, general secretary of the church, said, 
"We would like to find a way in which the Anglican bodies 
involved can make a legitimate contribution to settlements and 
continue its work in healing and reconciliation with aboriginal 
communities."

The government, as well as Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, 
have been sued for billions of dollars in damages for the 
alleged abuse in the schools from 1916 and 1983, according to 
the Toronto Globe and Mail. The Anglicans administered 26 
schools across the country from 1920 until 1969. The government 
is considering an appeal of the ruling.

Woman added to Swiss Reformation monument in Geneva

(ENI) Four new names have been chiseled onto the Wall of the 
Reformers in Geneva, one of the world's most important monuments 
to the Protestant Reformation--including a female lay 
theologian. Marie Dentiere, a Flemish-born, 16th century 
Reformer now takes her place beside Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and 
other prime movers of the Reformation.

Dentiere will be joined by early church reformers Peter 
Valdes, who inspired the Waldensian movement; John Wycliffe, 
responsible for the first English translation of the Bible; and 
John Huss, the preacher whose teachings united a movement in 
Bohemia.

The names appear on the two blocks framing the monument at 
the foot of an old fortress wall in Geneva, a city that John 
Calvin made into a refuge for religious asylum-seekers and a 
centre of Reformation teaching, practice and printing in the 
16th century.

Dentiere was described as "a theologian of surprisingly 
modern, reasoned feminism" by the Rev. Isabelle Graessle, a 
theologian who served as first female moderator of the 
Protestant Church of Geneva's Company of Pastors and Deacons, a 
position originally established by Calvin. Dentiere's inclusion 
represents recognition that not only men participated in the 
Reformation movement, Graessle said.

Members of the committee that consider new names are saying 
that it might be able to honor 20th century figures, such as 
clergy who were sent to Nazi concentration camps and those who 
resisted dictators or those who, inspired by Reformation ideas, 
had worked to combat slavery.

Indian Dalits threaten mass conversions to protest against 
law

(ENI) Leaders of India's Dalits are flouting a state law against 
conversions by calling for mass conversions to Christianity and 
Buddhism, religions that do not have a caste system like 
Hinduism that treats them as "untouchables." The call comes in 
the wake of Christian-led protests on October 24 against the law 
in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Dozens of Dalit groups were joined in the protest by members of 
the political opposition in Tamil Nadu, according to Bishop V. 
Devasahayam of the Church of South India. Nearly 70 percent of 
India's 24 million Christians are Dalits, many of them 
converting from Hinduism in protest at the discrimination they 
have faced.

The Tamil Nadu government said that the law was meant to ban 
conversions by "force, allurement or fraudulent means" and 
prevent "some religious fundamentalists and subversive forces" 
from creating "communal disharmony in the name of religious 
conversion."

The Dalit Panthers of India, a political party, has threatened 
that more than 25,000 of its members would embrace Christianity 
if the law against conversions were not revoked. Another Dalit 
party has said that millions of its followers would change their 
religion unless the law was scrapped. "Conversion is the only 
solution for Dalits if they are to live respectable, dignified 
and free lives devoid of oppression and humiliation," said Udit 
Raj, a leading Dalit activist who embraced Buddhism last year.

At the meeting hosted by Devasahayam both Christian and Muslim 
leaders agreed to form a Federation of Christian and Muslim 
Dalits to continue the campaign against the anti-conversion 
legislation.

Church leaders in Congo appeal for help in coping with 
crisis

(ENI) Church leaders in the Congo are appealing for 
international help as thousands in the violence-torn country, 
fleeing bloodshed at the hands of rebels, are taking refuge in 
the capital city of Brazzaville. In recent weeks the rebels have 
used assassinations, looting and blackmail to create havoc, 
effectively cutting off the capital's main supply lines for 
food.

"For 10 years we have attempted, with our meager means, to 
assist people, in spite of the fact that we ourselves have been 
looted," said Archbishop Anatole Milandou of Brazzaville, 
president of the Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches of the 
Congo. While churches were collecting money to help those 
seeking refuge in the capital, he said it was clear that the 
churches "cannot cope with this tragedy. We ask our sister 
churches throughout the world to come to our aid."

"We have been saying the same thing for a long time: dialogue is 
the only way to definitively resolve the problem between the 
rebels and the authorities in place. We simply need the 
political will," said the archbishop.

The government, which has forbidden opening buildings for 
displaced persons in the center of the city, has solicited 
humanitarian aid from the United Nations which has been 
arriving. But that aid has not been enough and, as the rainy 
season begins, the displaced persons will lack tents, food, 
bedding, medicine and, above all, drinking water. 

A relief program of the Evangelical Church of the Congo, 
supported by churches in Sweden and Norway, and the Catholic 
Caritas Congo group are providing aid. Protestant churches in 
France have also launched an awareness program on the situation. 
The Protestant Federation of France has a web site to inform 
people of the crisis at www.protestants.org. 

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