c. 1996 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Norway’s Nobel committee chose the winner of the 1996 Peace Prize Wednesday (Oct. 2), but won’t announce until Oct. 11 which of the 120 candidates won. The committee does not divulge the names of nominees, but several have been made public by those making the nominations. Here are some of the most prominent:

_ Roman Catholic Bishop Samuel Ruiz, who has attempted to negotiate a settlement in the civil strife in his southern Mexican state of Chiapas. He has been accused by ranchers and businessmen of siding with the mostly poor rebels and some fellow clergy say he is fomenting class rebellion by preaching liberation theology.

_ Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Belo of East Timor, the former Portuguese colony that was occupied by Indonesia in 1975. Belo has been an outspoken critic of Indonesian rule.

_ Leyla Zana, a Kurd and former member of Turkey’s parliament who has been in prison since 1994, accused of helping armed separatists. She received a freedom of expression award from the European Parliament last year.

_ Wei Jingsheng, a Chinese dissident who has spent most of the last 16 years in prison for his pro-democracy activities. He has written that China’s economic modernization would be incomplete without democracy and that relying on dictators for gradual reform was futile.

_ The Salvation Army, founded in 1878 and located in 99 countries. Best known for its ubiquitous Christmas kettles, the church is dedicated to helping the needy with such services as homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

_ Doctors Without Borders, a Brussels-based international relief agency that has sent medical workers to dozens of nations torn by civil strife.

_ President Bill Clinton and U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke for their efforts to negotiate a peace agreement in Bosnia, which thousands of U.S. troops are helping to implement. Critics say the plan is only cementing Bosnia’s ethnic partition, but the Norwegian news agency NTB reported in September that Clinton and Holbrooke were the leading candidates for the Nobel.

MJP END SMITH