c. 1998 Religion News Service

Pope tells Rwandan bishops church can heal genocide’s suffering

(RNS) Pope John Paul II has told a group of Roman Catholic bishops from Rwanda that their church has an important role in healing suffering stemming from the 1994 genocide that left some 800,000 Rwandans dead.”Over the past months, the Rwandan episcopate has been rebuilt,”John Paul said Thursday (Sept. 17) at a meeting with the bishops at Castelgandolfo, Italy, his summer residence.”I encourage the new bishops to guide the people through this difficult stage of their existence.” John Paul said the”terrible events”of the genocide”have hit hearts above all,”Reuters reported.”You must help the faithful to heal their deep wounds by inspiring within them a true desire for sanctity,”he said.

A number of priests have been implicated in the genocide during which ethnic Hutu militants slaughtered ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. After the Tutsis seized power, the militant Hutus fled to neighboring countries.

In April, two Hutu priests were sentenced to death on charges of having organized the massacre of more than 60 Tutsi priests, nuns and seminarians.

John Paul said Rwandan priests must refrain from getting involved with ideological and political groups if they are to properly carry out their ministries.”They must remember that they are above all pastors who must take care of all people, without exception,”he told the bishops.

Appeals court rejects FCC; hands Missouri Synod a victory

(RNS) A federal appeals court has refused to consider rehearing a case pitting the Federal Communications Commission against the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in a dispute involving the FCC’s minority hiring rules.

In April, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., threw out the rules that had been challenged by Missouri Synod-owned radio stations in Clayton, Mo.

The rules became an issue in 1990 when the NAACP filed a petition against the Synod stations claiming they had not adequately sought out minorities when hiring. The NAACP asked the FCC not to renew the stations’ licenses.

After several years of hearings and litigation, a three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled in favor of the stations. On Tuesday (Sept. 15), the full appeals court, with a 6-4 vote, affirmed the three-judge panel’s ruling.”This case had nothing to do with racial discrimination,”said Paul Devantier, executive director of the synod’s Board for Communication Services.”The synod has a strong stand on equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination,”he added.”In fact, KFUO (the station) was completely vindicated of all charges of discrimination at three levels of hearings at the FCC and at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. And KFUO has been successful at recruiting and hiring minorities.”

U.N. report on Algerian violence criticized

(RNS) A U.N. report that blamed Islamic extremists for most of the violence that has torn apart Algeria in recent years has been criticized by human rights groups as incomplete.

The report, issued Wednesday (Sept. 16), blamed Muslim radicals seeking to topple the Algerian government with engaging in widespread violence. Tens of thousands of Algerians have died in the violence, often in bloody massacres, which began after the nation’s military annulled an election in 1992 when it became clear that Muslim fundamentalists were poised to win.

However, there have been persistent reports out of Algeria that government forces also have engaged in widespread violence. Amnesty International, the human rights organization, said the report failed to adequately address those allegations.

The report, done by a team led by former Portuguese President Mario Soares, did note government”excesses”against civilians and said Algeria’s human rights agency lacks credibility.

Despite that, Amnesty International termed the report a”whitewash”of alleged government abuses, according to the New York Times. Human Rights Watch, another watchdog agency, urged a”proper investigation”of the situation in Algeria.

Donald McHenry, a member of the reporting team and a former U.S. representative at the United Nations, said the team’s members had neither the time or expertise to investigate properly all aspects of the Algerian situation.

Fake honey in Israel a bitter Rosh Hashanah pill

(RNS) On Rosh Hashanah, which starts at sundown Sunday (Sept. 20) and marks the start of a new year according to the Jewish calendar, Jews customarily dip apples in honey to signify their hope that the year ahead will be a sweet one.

In Israel _ the biblical”Land of Milk and Honey”_ some 1,800 tons of honey are consumed at Rosh Hashanah _ half the annual total.

But it turns out that not all that honey is the real thing. Israeli government inspectors said Thursday (Sept. 17) they have found at least 2,000 jars of fake honey on the nation’s market shelves.”The fake producers capitalize on the holiday season need,”Shimshon Herlinger of Israel’s National Honey Council told Reuters. Perhaps, the news service speculated, Israel should be called”the Land of Milk and vanilla extract, food coloring, water and sugar.”

Sen. Dan Coats honored as Christian Statesman of the Year

(RNS) Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., has been honored as the 1998 Christian Statesman of the Year by the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship.

Coats received the award Wednesday (Sept. 16) at a presentation in Washington. It is designed to honor a person whose public and private conduct is framed by a set of principles not compromised for political or personal gain.”Indiana Senator Dan Coats … is one of those whose life reflects a consistent effort to glorify God through his public and private conduct,”said Frank Wright, center director.”As such, he is the kind of Christian statesman whose public service is a genuine blessing from God.” Previous recipients of the award, which was presented for the third time, are Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., and Roy Moore, an Alabama circuit court judge.

The interdenominational, nonpartisan center offers spiritual outreach to members of Congress and their staffs.

Security Industry Coalition to assist black churches

(RNS) A consortium of security systems manufacturers plans to donate more than $1 million in materials over the next few years to help prevent damage to black churches.

The Security Industry Coalition announced its plans to work with the Congress of National Black Churches earlier this month (September). The congress has helped rebuild churches that were burned during a spate of arsons in recent years.

Richard Chace, communications director for the Security Industry Coalition, based in Alexandria, Va., said more than 300 manufacturing companies in the coalition have pledged to assist churches identified by the Washington-based CNBC.”It really is ongoing maintenance, plus equipment, plus consulting services,”said Juliette Davis, CNBC public relations director, who estimated that the donations will total more than $1 million in a period of three to five years.

Chace said the donations will vary from church to church.”Some churches might need far more elaborate systems for fire and burglary than others,”he said.”Small churches … don’t need something as extensive.” Chace said the coalition hopes to have systems installed in 50 churches by year’s end.

Quote of the day: Harvard law professor Lani Guinier

(RNS)”I was interested but skeptical. Interested because I thought it was generally a good idea but skeptical because the president as a politician is dedicated to polling before doing.” _ Lani Guinier, a Harvard law professor and expert on civil rights law, quoted Thursday (Sept. 17) in the Washington Post on the end of President Clinton’s Initiative on Race and its failure to include any new initiatives to overcome the nation’s racial divide.

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