wfn.org | ALC Noticias Oct 10 2004 Ecuador Brazil Puerto Rico Argentina

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALC NEWS SERVICE
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org

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CONTENT

ECUADOR: CLAI laments death of Pastor Humberto
BRAZIL: Post Graduate Theological School Program obtains maximum grade
PUERTO RICO: Mix of religion and politics in electoral campaign criticized
ARGENTINA: Support for the fourth Sunday of September to be the Day of the
Bible
ARGENTINA: WCC Secretary General to be distinguished by Argentine university

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ECUADOR
CLAI laments death of Pastor Humberto

By Manuel Quintero

QUITO, Oct 8 (alc). The death of Pastor Humberto Ramos, killed in a car
accident, has caused great consternation. Ramos was president of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia (IELB) and a member of the board of
the Latin American council of Churches.

  The accident took place around 8:00 pm on October 7 when he was returning
to La Paz from Vilacaya in the department of Potosi. Pastor Juan Cevallos
and Ramon Conde and Verena Welz, a German volunteer working with the IELB
also died in the accident.

"I will always remember him for his simplicity that allowed him to be
surprised by daily life," said Pastor Israel Batista, CLAI secretary
general.

It is difficult to understand an act of this nature, why a servant of God
who meant so much for his people and his Church, for CLAI and the ecumenical
movement would die this way. "Why Lord?, is the question that comes to my
lips in my weakness," wrote Pastor Batista in a letter to the directors and
member Churches of the Council.

On one occasion, referring to the Aymara culture, Ramos wrote that
solidarity is inherent to the spirit of the Aymaras. "When each person is
capable of caring and trusting others, this reciprocity makes the community
a single body," he wrote.

This spirit of solidarity presided the life of Pastor Ramos and was
manifested in many ways, in particular in service to indigenous communities
in the highlands, his struggle for the people and the management of natural
resources, which lead him to make opportune and prophetic declarations.

The funeral for Rev. Ramos will be held Friday in the Lutheran Church in El
Alto and will be attended by leaders from other Churches, Catholic,
Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist, in testimony of his renowned
ecumenical work.

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BRAZIL
Post Graduate Theological School Program obtains maximum grade

By Micael Vier B.

SCO LEOPOLDO, Oct.6 (alc). The Postgraduate program at the Theology School
(EST) obtained the maximum grade, a 7, in an evaluation carried out by the
Coordinating Committee for the Perfecting of Educational Personnel (CAPES in
Portuguese).

Among the 1,819 postgraduate programs evaluated by CAPES three percent were
disqualified, 64 percent obtained a regular grade and only 11 percent were
considered excellent, CAPES said October 4.

In an interview with ALC, EST Dean Lothar Hoch emphasized the serious nature
of the work carried out in the institution, the quality of the teaching
team, investment in research and publications and the relationship with
universities in other countries.

"The CAPES grade expresses the consolidation of the Ecumenical Post Graduate
Institute (IEPG) of the EST as a course of excellence in the area of
theological teaching and research," he noted.

The EST of Sao Leopoldo has held the maximum grade since 1988. "The grade
represents a joy and an awareness of our growing responsibility to maintain
our level and continue attracting students from all over Brazil and abroad
for the school," added Hoch.

According to EST's secretary of Projects and Reports, Walmor Ari Kanitz, the
evaluated points include the intellectual production of the teaching body,
the intellectual production and the thesis for masters and doctorate degrees
by students, as well as the available infrastructure.

The EST has a total of 51 professors. The post graduate professors' team
includes 21 doctors. Close to 100 students are enrolled in the postgraduate
program in the institution working on four areas of concentration: Bible,
theology and history, religion and education and practical theology.

According to G|nther Heinz Beineke, library assistant, the resources include
75,000 tittles, 80,000 volumes, 476 VHS tapes, 12 DVDs, 200 slides, 340
audio CDs and 1,400 periodicals. Of this 14,550 are in English, 22,900 in
German, 28,200 in Portuguese and 4,500 in Spanish.

"We still have free access to the CAPES periodical site, because of the
grade in the last evaluations, as well as books in Hebrew, Latin, Greek,
French, Finnish, Japanese and 200 maps," said Beineke.

The CAPES evaluation is annual, based on reports and visits to institutions.
The conceptual grade is granted to institutions every three years. The EST
graduate program was evaluated by the Education Ministry in April 2002 as
very good and will be newly evaluated in 2007.

The EST is the only theological teaching institution in the country that
obtained the maximum CAPES grade in the postgraduate program.

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PUERTO RICO
Mix of religion and politics in electoral campaign criticized

SAN JUAN, Oct 6 (alc) - Pedro Rossello, candidate for governor of Puerto
Rico for the New Progressive Party (PNP) denied that he has converted to
Protestantism, but this did not stop the Catholic Bishop of San Juan, Luis
Aponte Martinez, from denouncing him as a "declared apostate."

Rossello denied statements made by the Rev. Wanda Rolon of the Senda Antigua
Church that he had "converted to the Lord" during a service in this Church
last year. "I was there and I participated in that service. They said that
those who accepted Christ should come forward. I accept Christ. That is what
happened. I accept Christ and here I will repeat it again, I accept Christ,"
said Rossello.

Rossello, former governor of the Island said he did not aim to favor of a
specific Church but has participated in different Churches, different
denominations, because they are formal expressions of faith where we have
the freedom to participate "because our relationship to God is very
personal."

"I believe in Christ, His teaching, His values. I am a Christian,"
reiterated Rossello during a lunch with members of the Federal Bar
Association. He denied that he was baptized as an Evangelical. "I am
Baptized a Catholic Christian. I understand that I was baptized once. I was
Baptized (as a Catholic) and confirmed," he told El Nuevo Dia.

However, Rosello's expressions sparked criticism from Cardinal Aponte
Martinez. "A person who says they are Catholic and then goes with Pastor
(Rodolfo) Font and then with that one (the Rev. Rolon) will go with another
one tomorrow. The most that can be said is that he is using religion
opportunistically," said the Cardinal in an interview with NotiUno.

  "I did not say do not vote for him. I said that a Catholic who is going to
vote should know that if they vote for him they will be voting for a
declared apostate Catholic," said Aponte Martinez.

For his part the Metropolitan Archbishop of San Juan Roberto Gonzalez
Nieves, lamented Rossello's expressions and attributed them to an "identity
crisis."

"If a person wants to persevere in the Catholic faith and, on the other
hand, feels that they have reasons to 'protest' before the institution they
can do so, as a child of the Church, through the adequate forums within the
same Church community," said Msgr. Gonzalez in a statement distributed to
the press.

The polemic has sparked differing opinions. According to "El Nuevo Dia" some
people said that "recent bishops are getting involved in politics and that
is wrong." Others said that religious leaders should not use their pulpits
to speak against determined political leaders.

One citizen from Caguas, Ivette Cestero said that the search for support
from the Rev. Rolon is an act of desperation on the part of the former
governor.

"This is a desperate movement and definitely he does not have any idea of
what he is saying. A person who is Catholic cannot be Protestant because
Protestantism is an open protest against what the Catholic religion is," she
said.

Another citizen, Jaime Green, said that Catholics can have relationships
with Protestants or Christians from other denominations because their
principles are clear. "No one is going to make them change. Puerto Rico
needs people who unite us, not who separate us."

"The use that he (Rossello) has made of the different religions is
opportunism" said Iraida Busquets, attending a meeting for the other
candidate for governor Anibal Acevedo Vila.

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ARGENTINA
Support for the fourth Sunday of September to be the Day of the Bible

BUENOS AIRES, Oct  4 (alc) - Representatives from Catholic and Evangelical
Churches signed a statement supporting a move to declare the fourth Sunday
of September as the Day of the Bible in Argentina.

The Argentina Bible Society has sent a petition to Congress to this end.

The declaration states that in September, the Catholic Church, Evangelical
Churches and other Christian organizations celebrate the Month of the Bible.

It states that the Bible is a foundation book of Western culture and its
impact in legislation, ethics and all areas of art have given our culture a
common profile. Moreover, it is recognized by Christianity, Islam and
Judaism.

It added that declaring the "National Bible Day" in Argentina will give
different creeds the opportunity, within the growing Argentine ecumenical
environment, to emphasize the importance that this book has in the dialogue
among different confessions.

Moreover, for many indigenous groups in the country the Bible is the only
book translated into their languages and in many cases has opened up the
possibility of having a written language and therefore preserving different
cultures.

In this sense, they argue, declaring the "National Day of the Bible" will
allow for a greater integration of indigenous cultures and will open up the
possibility for dialogue with these groups, frequently marginalized and
forgotten.

The celebration of the "National Day of the Bible" will also emphasize the
relevance of the essential values of the human being, respect for life and
for human rights.

The statement is signed by Marcelo Figueroa, executive secretary of the
Argentine Bible Society, Msgr. Jorge Bergoglio, cardinal primate of Buenos
Aires, Emilio Monti, president of the Argentine Federation of Evangelical
Churches (FAIE), Aldo Etchegoyen, president of the Ecumenical Commission of
Christian Churches of Argentina (CEICA)  and Juan Gattinoni, for the Latin
American Council of Churches  (CLAI). (690/2004).

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ARGENTINA
WCC Secretary General to be distinguished by Argentine university

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 4 (alc) -The Secretary General of the World Council of
Churches (WCC), the Rev. Samuel Kobia will be distinguished by the
University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in his upcoming visit to Argentina November
14-16 with the title of "Honoris Causa".

The UBA Superior Council made the decision, stating that the title is
granted to "eminent individuals in the intellectual or artistic field, from
the country or abroad," a title which fits the Methodist minister who was
born in Kenya. The resolution was adopted at the initiative of Guillermo
Jaime Etcheverry, UBA dean. In 2003 the UBA granted a Honoris Causa to
Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago, 1998 Nobel Laureate for Literature.

The UBA is a state university and is Argentine's biggest and most
prestigious university.

The resolution considers, among other things, that the Rev. Kobia has a
diploma in theology from St. Paul's College in Kenya as well as a diploma in
urban ministry from the McCormick Theological Seminary and a master's in
City Planning from the Technological Institute of Massachusetts.

Kobia, elected secretary general of the WCC in August 2003 assumed the
position in January this year. From 1999 to end-2002, he was the director of
the WCC Cluster on "Issues and Themes", and in 2003 served as director and
special representative for Africa of the WCC. He helped reorganize the
Christian Council of Zimbabwe after independence and chaired the
International Coordination Committee of Frontier Internship in Mission and
was vice moderator of the WCC Program to Combat Racism.

He helped found the Nairobi Peace Group and the Fellowship of Councils of
Churches in Eastern and Southern Africa, chaired peace talks for Sudan and
chaired Kenya's National Election Monitoring Unit.

Kobia has written several books such as The Quest for Democracy in Africa
(1993) considered the conditions under which democracy in Africa might
succeed or fail; The Courage to Hope (2003) is a result of many years of
collective struggle to come to terms with Africa's dilemmas.
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