c. 1996 Religion News Service

Rwanda war crimes trials may start in April

(RNS)-War crimes trials against Rwandans accused of participating in the 1994 mass murder of up to 1 million people may begin in April, according to officials of the U.N. Tribunal charged with bringing them to justice.

The trials will be held in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, which is the tribunal headquarters. Andronico Adede, the tribunal registrar, said a prison to house genocide suspects would be completed by the end of March, the Reuter News Agency reported.

The tribunal has issued indictments against two Rwandans held in Zambia for their alleged roles in the genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Twelve other genocide suspects are being held in Zambia.

In its first indictments, handed down in December, the tribunal charged eight Rwandans for massacres in the western Rwandan town of Kibuye, but none has been arrested.

Many genocide suspects have sought refuge in other African states and in Europe. Others have melted into the crowd of 2 million Rwandan refugees now living in Zaire, Burundi and Tanzania. Human rights workers have expressed concern that those who orchestrated the carnage will never be brought to justice.

Tennessee lawmakers honor Ten Commandments

(RNS)-With only one lawmaker objecting, the Tennessee State Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday (Feb. 21) to approve a bill urging that the Ten Commandments be posted and observed in homes, schools, churches and businesses May 5-17.

The measure is expected to be approved by the House, which passed a similar bill last year. Its Republican sponsor, Sen. Ben Atchley, told the Associated Press it is designed to uphold family values.

But the lone dissenter, Democrat Steve Cohen, said his fellow lawmakers were violating their sworn duty to uphold the U.S. Constitution. “People have a right to worship God as they see fit,”Cohen said, adding that he believes in the Ten Commandments but doesn’t believe government should force them on anyone.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that the Ten Commandments could not be posted in public schools when not integrated into a course of study. This week, however, the court rejected a suit that sought to force a Colorado public park from removing a monument with the commandments on it.

The next issue facing Tennessee lawmakers is a bill to finance a football stadium for the Houston Oilers when the team takes up residence in Nashville.

Cohen observed that since the Oilers play most of their games on Sundays, the measure would violate the Fourth Commandment to observe Sunday as a day of rest.

On campaign trail, Taiwan president draws lesson from Guanyin

(RNS)-Taiwan’s President Lee Teng-hui, a Christian, said his government should take a lesson from Guanyin, the Buddha of Infinite Compassion.

Marking the second day of the Chinese New Year at a temple in Taipei Tuesday (Feb. 20), Lee spoke of Guanyin, who is popularly believed to manifest herself in many forms.”Everybody knows Guanyin, who can change her image into the young, the old, a man or a woman to help people solve problems,”Reuters reported.”The government should act like Guanyin to serve the people in many different images.” Lee is the leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election set for March 23.

About half of Taiwan’s 21 million people say they are religious believers. Of them, 93 percent hold to a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian beliefs, and 6 percent are Christian. Taiwan’s many temples are popular sites for political campaigning.

Colorado Methodists open homes to families of bombing

(RNS)-Now that a federal judge has moved the trial of Oklahoma City bombing suspects Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols to Denver, Methodists there are opening their homes to victims’ family members who want to attend the trial.

Colorado Bishop Mary Ann Swenson said Wednesday (Feb. 21) the United Methodist Church would help families find lodging during the trial, according to United Methodist News Service.

The church counts itself as a victim of the tragedy, Swenson noted.”The First United Methodist Church of Oklahoma City, across the street from the federal building, was nearly destroyed by the blast,”she said.

In addition, Raymond Johnson, husband of Anne Marshall, associated general secretary of the church’s Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, died in the blast.”We are intimately aware of the grief and loss experienced by all the victims of this disaster and want them to know that the arms of the United Methodist Church of Colorado are open to them,”Swenson said.

People in need of assistance are asked to call United Methodist Conference offices in Denver: (800) 536-3736.

Cardinal Krol hospitalized

(RNS)-Cardinal John Krol, retired Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, was in serious but stable condition Thursday (Feb. 22) at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson Hospital.

The 85-year-old Krol had been in poor health and is now suffering from a blood clot in his left lung.”It’s a setback for someone with multiple health problems,”cardiologist Joseph F. Majdan told the Associated Press.”He’s a very stoic, very accepting man.” Krol retired as archbishop of Philadelphia in 1988, after leading the nation’s sixth-largest diocese for 27 years.

Quote of the Day:

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright on what she calls the”ethical urgency”of bringing to justice the alleged perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Albright spoke with RNS after returning from a recent trip to Rwanda:

“I would ask any American to come in and stand with me three feet away from an open grave that has 5,000 skeletons in it and say that’s acceptable. … The whole war crime issue is very important because it is the only legitimate way to bring justice in a way that assesses individual guilt and gets away from collective guilt so that people can live together.”

MJP END RNS