c. 1996 Religion News Service
Vatican says Belgrade ties don’t suggest political support
(RNS)-The Vatican defended its decision Wednesday (Feb. 21) to resume diplomatic ties with Yugoslavia, apparently wary that Serbia-the dominant force in the Yugoslav federation-might use the decision as a propaganda tool to boost its international image.
In a carefully worded statement, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls made clear that the former Yugoslavia, not the Catholic Church, was responsible for severing relations in 1992, and that resumption of ties was merely a return to the status quo.”The government of Belgrade pulled its ambassador to the Holy See in February 1992, leaving from that date on its diplomatic post vacant,”he said.”These developments,”he said in reference to resumed relations,”do not comprise on behalf of the Holy See any judgment on the legal border disputes of the former Yugoslavia.” On Tuesday (Feb. 20) Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, restored ties and named a new ambassador to the Vatican. Navarro-Valls said the selection of Dojcilo Maslovaric”had been expected for some time.” The Catholic Church and Serbia’s Orthodox Church have been at loggerheads for 900 years, and the Balkan war only inflamed tensions, with the Serbs contending that Rome once again sided with Croatia, it’s historical ally.
The Vatican showed early support for the fledgling independence drive in the Balkans and recognized Croatian independence in 1991. The Holy See also recognized the republics of Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.
But Serbia swiftly followed the diplomatic move by suspending relations with the Vatican the following February. Serbia did little to mask its hostility toward the church, forcing the pope to cancel a pilgrimage to besieged Sarajevo in September 1994. John Paul was left with only a visit to the Croatian capital of Zagreb.
The pope, who has frequently condemned the brutality of a nation ripped apart by ethnic hatred, became so exasperated with Serbian aggression that last summer he said military force would be justified against Serbs to protect Muslim- and Catholic-held territories.
At the same time, the pontiff has moved to mend relations. Last October he met with bishops from the region and urged them to redouble efforts at reconciliation with Orthodox Christians.
With the resumption of diplomatic ties, the pope appears to have improved his prospects of visiting the divided country, though Vatican officials say no such trip is being prepared.
Restructuring denomination, homosexuality top issues for Methodists
(RNS)-Delegates to the United Methodist Church’s quadrennial General Conference in a survey named restructuring of the denomination and the role of homosexuals in the church as the top issues they will face at the meeting.
The General Conference, the denomination’s top decision-making body, is set to meet April 16-26 in Denver.
The denomination also announced that it has invited President Clinton to speak to the convention during the week of April 22. Clinton’s wife, Hillary, is a United Methodist and the couple frequently attend worship services at a United Methodist church in Washington.
The White House had no immediate comment on the invitation. Traditionally, such decisions on presidential travel are made much closer to the event.
Delegates will face a number of institutional restructuring issues in Denver, including a controversial proposal to move the church’s Board of Global Ministries from New York to Reston, Va., a suburb of Washington, and an overhaul and possible reduction in the number of national church agencies.
The survey of delegates was conducted by the denomination’s General Council on Ministries. A total of 781 of the 998 delegates responded.
While the survey cannot be used to predict the outcome of votes at the General Conference, attitudes of those responding showed that 68.8 percent said they wanted the denomination to continue defending the basic rights of homosexuals while also affirming the church stance that homosexuality is”incompatible with Christian teaching.” But 56 percent said they would allow church funds to be used for educational programs concerning homosexuality, which current rules forbid.
About 70 percent of those returning surveys favored reducing the number of national agencies and 57.4 percent said they oppose moving the global ministries board.
Lutherans, Mennonites in Germany reach agreement on Eucharist
(RNS)-The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (VELKD), one of the country’s largest Protestant denominations, and the Association of Mennonite Assemblies, one of the country’s smallest religious bodies, have announced agreement on sharing Holy Communion.
The agreement on”eucharistic hospitality”will allow members of each church to receive Holy Communion in churches of the other denomination, the Geneva, Switzerland-based Ecumenical News International reported Tuesday (Feb. 20).
VELKD is a union of eight regional Lutheran groups, which together have about 11 million members. The Mennonite association has about 8,000 members.
The agreement marks a closer relationship between the Lutherans and Mennonites, two groups that have been divided for more than 400 years.
The Mennonites are part of the Anabaptist wing of the Protestant Reformation.
The Anabaptists practice adult rather than infant baptism and a form of discipleship that includes pacifism and communalism. They were strongly condemned by Luther and persecuted by Lutheran leaders during the 16th century.
Seattle Pacific University gets new president
(RNS)-The former provost of Seattle Pacific University has been named the school’s president.
Philip W. Eaton, 52, is the ninth president of the university. Eaton previously served as interim president at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., during the 1992-93 academic year.
He succeeds E. Arthur”Woody”Self, who resigned last June after serving less than a year. Self and the board of trustees could not resolve differences over how the school should be governed.
Seattle Pacific University, which has more than 3,400 students, was founded in 1891 and is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church of North America.
World Vision blankets for the homeless
(RNS)-The U.S. Department of Defense has given World Vision, the evangelical relief agency based in Federal Way, Wash., 65,500 surplus blankets, which will be used in programs aiding the homeless in the United States.”This will fill a vital gap in our programs assisting the homeless who are still on the street, and those who are trying to re-establish households,”said Bob Seiple, World Vision president.
Seiple placed the value of the blankets and the Defense Department’s cost of transporting them to World Vision distribution centers around the country at $450,000.
He said the blankets will be used in projects in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Seattle, Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Quote of the Day:
Gary Bauer, president of the Washington-based American Renewal, a conservative, social issues advocacy group, in a statement Wednesday (Feb. 21) on Republican Pat Buchanan’s win in the New Hampshire GOP primary:”For 15 years, social conservatives have been given rhetoric about their issues, while economic conservatives have gotten policy. Look at what the Senate GOP leadership is pushing right now: a regulatory moratorium, product liability reform, line item veto. All good things, but where’s the social component? In canned speeches, that’s where … until today. The caucus/primary results now compel the GOP to deal with the moral decay that is the primary cause of everything from educational collapse to urban violence, from the drug plague to child abuse.”
MJP END
