wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

June 25, 2003

2003-151

Episcopalians: News Briefs

Churches recognized as 'real force' in EU constitution 

(ENI) A top European church official has welcomed the text of a 
draft constitution for the European Union to be presented to an 
EU summit starting on June 27. The constitution, drawn up by a 
convention of European politicians chaired by former French 
President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, is intended to streamline 
the 15-nation EU so that it can deal with the influx of up to 10 
new member states next year.

"Churches were probably among the top three issues most 
discussed at the European Convention. They were more than 
recognized as a real force," said Rudiger Noll, director of the 
Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European 
Churches (CEC). Noll said the text of the draft constitution 
unveiled on June 13 had met key demands made by European 
churches. 

It included, among other things, a special article dealing with 
churches and non-confessional organizations. The article 
guaranteed that the EU would respect the variation in the status 
of churches and religious associations from country to country, 
and pledged that the EU would maintain an "open, transparent, 
and regular dialogue" with churches, Noll told ENI. 

This "grants us access to the [EU] institutions and an open 
dialogue," Noll explained. "We are very satisfied, even proud of 
what's been achieved." 

Churches' status varies widely among EU nations, from Denmark, 
where the country's parliament makes decisions for the national 
Lutheran church, to France, where the church and state are 
officially separated. 

One of the most controversial issues discussed by the 
convention, during its 15 months of deliberations, was whether 
the constitution should make reference to faith in God as a 
source of truth and justice or to Europe's having a Christian 
heritage. In the end, the text's preamble refers to Europe's 
"cultural, religious and humanist heritage." 

Noll said CEC's members, which include most Anglican, Protestant 
and Orthodox churches in Europe, had been "far apart" over the 
issue, with some opposing any reference to religion, and others 
pledging support for "God and Christendom" in the text. He said 
CEC was "much happier" with the latest preamble. 

EU governments will have the ultimate say on the final text of 
the constitution during negotiations set to start in October.

Church leaders back demands for compensation for Kenyan rebels 

(ENI) Church leaders in Kenya are supporting a claim for 
compensation for veterans of an armed insurrection in the 1950s 
against British colonial rule who maintain they were beaten and 
tortured by British forces. 

The fighters belonged to a group called the Mau Mau, which took 
up arms against white settlers but also targeted Africans 
accused of collaborating with the colonial rulers. In 1952 
Britain declared a state of emergency in Kenya with the aim of 
suppressing the Mau-Mau. 

Although reliable statistics are hard to come by, it has been 
estimated that 11,000 Africans died in the fighting, more than 
1,000 were hanged by the British, and 90,000 were detained, 
while 37 white settlers and 32 other white civilians were 
killed. 

The Rev. Peter Karanja, provost of Nairobi's Anglican All 
Saint's Cathedral, said compensation would help promote 
reconciliation between Britain and the fighters and their 
families. But Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said that 
while he "guardedly" supported the demand, some Mau Mau veterans 
could be expecting too much, "forgetting that freedom was the 
goal and was attained." 

Some church leaders suggested that if compensation was provided 
it should benefit all Kenyans and not only Mau Mau veterans. 

It was reported in May that the anti-terrorist branch of 
Britain's Scotland Yard was examining claims that British 
officials were responsible for atrocities, including rape, 
torture and murder. 

Inscription on burial box referring to Jesus is a fake, say 
Israeli experts

(ENI) An inscription referring to Jesus on an ancient limestone 
burial box was pronounced a modern-day forgery by 14 leading 
Israeli archaeologists and scientists. 

The inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" carved 
into the box in Aramaic letters had prompted speculation that it 
referred to St James, who, according to some New Testament 
translations, was Jesus' brother. If authentic, it would have 
been the first archaeological discovery to corroborate biblical 
references to Jesus. But the Israeli committee established to 
determine the authenticity of the burial box, known as an 
ossuary, found that while the receptacle was from about the time 
of Jesus, the inscription was probably carved some time in the 
last 20 years. 

"The ossuary is original. The inscription is a fake," said Dr. 
Uzi Dahari, a member of the panel. Ossuaries were widely used 
between 20 BC and 70 AD to preserve the bones of the dead. 
Hundreds have been found in archaeological digs in the Jerusalem 
area. 

The committee chairman, Dr. Gideon Avni, said the verdict 
resulted from a scientific examination of the patina of the box, 
which is a natural film that forms on surfaces over time. 
Scientists, he said, had found the inscription was carved over 
the original patina and a new patina had then formed on top of 
the carving. 

There is no doubt it is a forgery," Avni told ENI. He said the 
inscription, which appeared so authentic that it had convinced 
noted paleographer Andre Lemaire of Paris's Ecole Pratique des 
Hautes Etudes (Sorbonne), had been carved by an expert forger. 
"It appears the person who did this used an archaeological book 
of inscriptions and copied the letters," Avni said. The 
committee's decision to declare the inscription a forgery was 
"unanimous" and was based on unequivocal scientific evidence, he 
said. 

But Avni said there was one small part of the inscription which 
could not be conclusively ruled a fake and that was the word 
"Jesus," although it was, he said, the second most common name 
in the region 2000 years ago.

Presbyterian-Episcopal dialogue notes progress in joint 
mission

(ENS) The most recent meeting of the Presbyterian-Episcopal 
Dialogue, established by the 2000 General Convention, noted the 
possibilities of  joint cooperation in mission.

Meeting at Indian Hill Church, a joint Presbyterian-Episcopal 
congregation in Cincinnati established over 50 years ago, 
members of the dialogue meet with the staff and lay leadership, 
including some of the founding members. The congregation is 
governed by a vestry and a session, the elected body of elders 
that oversees the local church in the Reformed tradition. It is 
served by both an Episcopal priest and a Presbyterian minister.

Worship in the congregation alternates between the two 
traditions each Sunday. Confirmation classes are held together 
with confirmands learning about both traditions before choosing 
confirmation in one church or the other. Confirmation is 
administered jointly with a local Episcopal bishop and 
Presbyterian elders participating.

When asked how the congregation managed to hold together over 50 
years, despite the differences in liturgical style and polity, 
the answer from the church leaders was loud and clear: focused, 
consistent, clear engagement in common mission. The church has 
been active in the greater Cincinnati community, a commitment to 
mission fostered by long-time Presbyterian minister Paul Long 
and Episcopal rector Jim Metzger.

The example and witness of Indian Hill served as a powerful 
witness for the dialogue team. Apart from meeting with 
representatives of the church, the Presbyterian-Episcopal 
dialogue continued its discussion of the ministry of oversight, 
set within the context of the ministry of the whole people of 
God.

The dialogue is scheduled to meet in November at Princeton 
Theological Seminary in New Jersey. The major focus of that 
meeting will be to respond to the discussion being held on that 
topic by the ministry task force of Churches Uniting in Christ, 
successor to the Consultation on Church Union, a movement toward 
church unity of nine denominations that began in the 1960s.

Zimbabwe's outspoken Roman Catholic bishop continues criticism 
of Mugabe

(ENI) Zimbabwe's outspoken Roman Catholic bishop insists he will 
continue to speak out on violations of human rights, denying 
allegations that he intends to found a new political party to 
topple President Robert Mugabe.

"I am not a politician but a churchman and a defender of human 
rights," said Archbishop Pius Ncube, responding to 
government-owned newspaper reports that he had been holding 
clandestine meetings with members of the political opposition. 
He has been publicly castigated by Mugabe and subjected to 
harassment by state security agents.

Warned not to discuss politics at church meetings, Ncube said 
"we cannot avoid addressing political issues affecting the 
people of Zimbabwe. Politics is about food, shelter, school fees 
for your children and so on." He urges congregations to pray 
that the nation's leaders would "uphold human rights and be 
inspired by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise Zimbabwe will perish."

He insisted that he would not be intimidated into silence while 
human rights violations persisted. "I shall not be quiet when my 
people are suffering," Ncube said. "There is a lot of suffering 
here, and we need to change this. Our children are forced to go 
for military training where our daughters are sometimes raped 
and you call this normal?"

Military helicopters hovered over the cathedral during the 
service, attended by human rights activists, opposition members 
of Parliament, and members of various Christian denominations.

Adversity brings religions closer together in Sri Lanka

(ENI) Devastating floods, perhaps the worst natural catastrophe 
in Sri Lanka since 1947, have brought together the nation's 
religious communities.

Up to 300 people are dead after flash-floods and landslides in 
the south were followed by torrential monsoon rains in mid-May. 
More than 150,000 families were homeless. "Some of them have 
nothing left. They have lost everything, including their houses 
and lands," said the Rev. Ebenezer Joseph, general secretary of 
the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka and head of the 
council's relief and rehabilitation programs.

The council has been aiding more than 2,000 families in the 
areas most seriously affected, providing rations of rice, sugar 
and flour, as well as temporary shelter. Joseph said that the 
aid was especially appreciated by Buddhist monks, some of whom 
had been suspicious of Christian charity. Christians are a small 
minority in the country, with only eight percent in a population 
of almost 20 million. Buddhists comprise almost 70 percent.

Though the region has seen what Joseph described as "unpleasant" 
incidents where evangelical groups have distributed ration kits 
to Buddhists complete with prayer cards and Bibles, mainstream 
church bodies have helped rebuild Buddhist religious schools. 
"On such occasions, we need to work together," said one monk at 
a monastery near Deniyaya. He encouraged cooperation between 
Buddhists and Christians in collecting relief supplies. "This is 
a great opportunity to come together and throw our differences 
away."

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