c. 1996 Religion News Service

Fear of Antichrist’s coming sends Bolivians to churches

(RNS)-June 6, 1996.

For some, the sixth day of the sixth month in a year ending with six has but one ominous meaning: The Antichrist will appear.

Last week, a fundamentalist Protestant group passed out pamphlets in Bogota, Colombia, informing residents of the Antichrist’s imminent arrival, The New York Times reported Thursday (June 6).

The pamphlets apparently sparked a commotion.

Some pregnant women due to deliver their babies this week (June 2-9) feared they might be carrying the Antichrist. Some parents, worried that unbaptized children would be marked or taken by the Antichrist, filled churches for emergency baptisms. According to the Associated Press, almost 20,000 people were baptized over the weekend (June 1-2).

The response to the Protestant group’s announcement in this largely Roman Catholic country may seem surprising. But the panic occurred at a time when political, social and moral crises weigh on the national psyche, according to the Times.

The Rev. Carlos Mario Alcate, director of the Roman Catholic Church’s department of doctrine, told the Times,”Moral principles are in eclipse. The Catholic Church has lost its presence in many areas, and so people are looking for stronger religious influences.” But for the many clergy encountering frantic parents, the present task is to spread a message of peace. At the Church of the 20th of July, named for Colombia’s independence day, the Rev. Jose Antonio Sarmiento worked to calm those who came to the church bringing mineral water, candles, icons and images of Jesus to be blessed.”Your children are not guilty of anything,”Sarmiento said.”Don’t believe in these rumors.” Meanwhile, Alcate, beyond his concern for the children and parents who came to see him, said he worried about the theology motivating the fears.”It’s very dangerous because it spreads fear among people and reflects the absence of a sense of maturity. It denies the individual responsibility for his own actions, for his role on Earth.”

Catholic cleric accused of embezzlement

(RNS)-The former senior fund-raiser for San Francisco’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese was charged Wednesday (June 5) with allegedly embezzling $251,000 from parishioners and the church over a decade.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office alleged in a 125-page complaint that Monsignor Patrick O’Shea diverted funds parishioners pledged for church activities into eight personal bank accounts.

He allegedly used the money to keep up two homes-a trailer home near Lake Berryessa in the Napa wine country and a house near Palm Springs. The complaint also alleges that O’Shea spent $13,000 on gardening and $4,000 on the maintenance of a swimming pool over the years.

The embezzlement charges against O’Shea cap a year-long investigation that grew out of a probe of embezzlement allegations against another priest, the Rev. Martin Greenlaw.

Greenlaw was indicted last year on 22 counts of embezzlement, money laundering and grand theft for allegedly diverting up to $200,000 from church accounts for his personal use. He was sentenced to three years probation and a full restitution of the embezzled funds in an April plea deal.

The indictment of O’Shea is the beginning of the end of a scandal-ridden chapter in the history of the San Francisco archdiocese.

O’Shea had served as director of the church’s fund-raising arm, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, and was a confidant of former Archbishop John Quinn. But in January 1995 he was charged with 16 counts of sexually molesting boys in churches where he served between 1964 and 1980.

Criminal charges were dropped because a court ruled that the statute of limitations had lapsed. But the alleged victims later filed two civil suits against O’Shea and the archdiocese. The archdiocese settled its portion of the men’s claims. But O’Shea is still defending the allegations.

O’Shea has denied all the molestation charges. Neither O’Shea nor his attorney, James Collins of San Francisco, could be reached for comment on the embezzlement indictment.”When (the District Attorney’s chief of special prosecutions, Don Sanchez,) was investigating the Greenlaw incident, it came to his attention that O’Shea had transferred $30,000 into an account controlled by Greenlaw at the time O’Shea was accused of the sexual molestations,”said DA spokesman John Shanley.”We believe (O’Shea) did that in an attempt to hide that money.” The actions of O’Shea and Greenlaw tarnished Quinn’s otherwise sterling tenure as archbishop of San Francisco. Prominent church members believe that the diversion of $400,000 in funds out of church coffers contributed to a financial crisis that forced the archdiocese to close 14 churches since November 1993. Quinn retired last year and was replaced by Archbishop William J. Levada of Portland, Ore.

Anglican bishop Ndungane elected to succeed Tutu as South African primate

(RNS)-Bishop Winston Njongonkulu Ndungane, a longtime political activist and foe of apartheid, has been elected the new Anglican archbishop of Capetown, South Africa, succeeding Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

As archbishop of Capetown, Ndungane, 55, will be the top leader of the Anglican Church in South Africa. His election occurred Tuesday (June 4) and he will be enthroned Sept. 15.

Ndungane was imprisoned from 1963-1966 at the notorious Robben Island prison for his activities against apartheid. While in prison, Ndungane and other prisoners built the jail that would later hold Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s most famous political prisoner and now president of the country.

While in jail, Ndungane, who comes from a long line of clergymen, decided to enter the ministry. He was ordained in 1974.

In a statement after his election, Ndungane said one of the greatest challenges facing the church and South Africa is poverty.”As Christians we have to pledge ourselves to work for the elimination of poverty in our society and to ensure that people have all that is necessary for a fully human life, such as food, housing and clothing.

He said that the”instruments for a sustainable democracy are now in place”in South Africa .”Our capacity for justice makes democracy possible and our inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary,”he said.” Tutu, who rose to international prominence in the 1980s as one of the most vocal opponents of South Africa’s system of racial separation, steps down as archbishop of Capetown at the end of June, after 10 years as head of the Anglican Church in South Africa. He is currently serving as chairman of the Truth Commission, a panel that is investigating human-rights abuses committed during the apartheid era.

Lilly to fund religion and ethics project on public TV

(RNS)-New York public television station WNET has been awarded a $2.55 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to develop a weekly news report on religion and ethics.

The grant, one of the largest ever made to a single project by the religion division of the Indianapolis-based foundation, provides partial funding for the 39-week series of programs, tentatively titled”Religion and Ethics News Weekly,”scheduled to air in the 1997-98 season.

Other portions of the $5.6 million project include publications, an Internet website and outreach programs, according to WNET spokesman, Neil Parker. The program’s producers are currently seeking funding for the remainder of the costs, Parker said. “Religion and Ethics News Weekly is unlike anything on television and we believe there is a clear need for news programming of this kind,”said Tamara E. Robinson, vice president of national programming for WNET and executive in charge of the series.”It will be a significant addition to public television public affairs programming, in the tradition of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” Bob Abernethy, a veteran NBC News correspondent, now a freelance reporter specializing in religion, will be managing editor and host of the series. Executive Producer is Jack Sameth, a veteran of both WNET and ABC News.”We emphasize that this will be a news program,”Abernethy said.”Our primary intent is to report to viewers the most interesting and important stories we can find each week. We value the importance and sensitivity of this area of people’s lives and we are committed to treating it fairly and accurately.”

Baptist leaders criticize Clinton on late-term abortion veto

(RNS)-Jim Henry, the current president of the 15.6 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, and 10 past presidents of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, have written President Clinton criticizing his veto of a bill that would have outlawed a controversial late-term abortion procedure.

In a strongly worded June 5 letter to Clinton, who is a Southern Baptist, the Baptist leaders also called into question the president’s statement that he prayed over the decision.”You stated that you had prayed about this issue before deciding to veto the Partial-birth Abortion Ban,”they wrote.”It is difficult for us to understand that God somehow would condone this procedure in the light of what the Bible says about unborn human life, or perhaps, you were gravely misinformed about the barbaric nature of the procedure,”the leaders wrote.

While the Bible makes no specific references to abortion, abortion foes cite several verses from the Old and New Testament about the sanctity of life that justify their position.

The letter called the veto”shameful”and urged Clinton to reverse his stand.”Partial-birth abortion is not defensible in light of God’s revelation,”the leaders wrote.

Pat Lewis, a White House spokeswoman, said Thursday (June 6) that Clinton would respond to the Baptist leaders but that, as a matter of established policy, the White House would not make the reply public.”The president stands by his veto,”she said.

Clinton vetoed the bill, which prohibits doctors from using a procedure known as dilation and extraction when performing late-term abortions, on April 10. He asked Congress to amend the legislation to include an exception that would permit use of the procedure if the health of the mother is at stake. Congress has not taken up the issue.

Opponents call the procedure”partial-birth”abortion because the fetus is partially delivered before the abortion is completed.

Late-term abortions in general are uncommon-about one-half of 1 percent of the 1.3 million annual abortions are performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Because doctors do not report the procedures they use, exact figures on the number of abortions that would be banned by the bill are not available. However, during congressional hearings on the legislation, experts testified the number was perhaps between 800 and 1,500 a year.

In their letter to Clinton, the Baptist leaders rejected Clinton’s call for a health exception, calling it”a discredited, catch-all loophole which has been demonstrated to include any reason the mother so desires.” But Lewis said Clinton”strongly disagrees with critics who characterize that as a giant loophole.”Some people would rather have an issue than solve a problem,”she said.

The ban”affects a small group of women in difficult circumstances who are faced with a very, very difficult decision and who are told by their doctors that this is necessary … to avoid severe repercussions to their health,”she said.”This small group of women does not have a loud voice and the president is standing up for them.”

Female Muslim soldier facing court-martial over Islamic attire

(RNS)-A Muslim woman soldier faces a court-martial for refusing an order to stop wearing the traditional black scarf, which hides the head and neck, while on duty.

The U.S. Army maintains the scarf impairs the safety of Pfc. Darlene Summers, the AP said. Summers is stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., and works in the motor pool.

An Army spokeswoman, Maj. Susan Oliver, said Summers”has a right to wear it (the scarf) during off-duty hours but when she’s performing her military duties, as of right now, the decision is that she cannot wear it,”the AP said.

Summers and another female Muslim soldier, Sgt. Sharon Muhammad, requested permission to wear the scarves earlier this year. In March, the requests were granted but the approval was voided by the brigade commander, Col. Charles Weston.

Both women have the right to appeal to the Army’s Religious Accommodations Committee, which makes a recommendation that Weston can either accept or reject as he chooses. Muhammad did not appeal, Oliver said.

Summers did appeal but is supposed to obey the order while waiting for the committee’s recommendation. Since she continued to wear the scarf, Oliver said, the Army is preparing a court-martial for disobeying orders.

German churches warned to expect membership drops

(RNS)-The Rev. Hermann Barth, a vice president of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), has warned that the country’s main Protestant bodies need to prepare for declining church memberships.

But Barth dismissed reports in a major German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, that a secret EKD report predicts a 50 percent decline in church membership over the next decade, Ecumenical News International, the Geneva-based religious news agency, reported Tuesday (June 4).

The EKD is made up of 24 regional churches with a membership of 28.2 million. The issue is important because the church’s income from the government-the so-called”church tax”-is based on church membership.

Barth said the newspaper’s”secret”report was really a rehash of well-known trends. He noted that as far back as 1985, the EKD had published a report that predicted falling membership. However, he said, the actual drop had been less than the report predicted.

Quote of the day: Jerry Rankin, president of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, on the sacrifices of missionaries.

(RNS)-Jerry Rankin, president of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, writes in a new book,”A Journey of Faith and Sacrifice,”about Lottie Moon, the denomination’s famous missionary to China in the late 1800s. Rankin voices support for Moon’s declaration that missionary work is one of”constant self-denial,”adding:”Technology may have advanced, with consumer goods and luxuries in abundance. But sacrifice and hardship continue to be the lot of a missionary who would identify with the people and discover the joy in suffering.”

MJP END RNS