c. 1999 Religion News Service
Pope expresses `satisfaction’ at Kosovo peace accord
(RNS) Pope John Paul II has welcomed the signing of the Kosovo peace deal and says he wants Western nations to accept their responsibility for rebuilding the devastated region/”The Holy See expresses its satisfaction because finally the peace process is yielding positive results,”spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.
Navarro-Valls made his comment as John Paul, after a day of rest, renewed the more public activities of his 13-day trip to his native Poland.
John Paul has repeatedly called for an end to the violence in the Balkans, condemning the ethnic cleansing carried out by Serbia against ethnic Albanians in the Kosovo province and deploring the NATO bombing campaign.
In the early stages of the 78-day war, top Vatican officials engaged in day-to-day shuttle diplomacy in an effort to broker a solution.
In his comments to reporters, Navarro-Valls also said Europe must now”assume the responsibility for reconstruction and for the democratic, social and economic life of that region.” In the United States, the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops also expressed his hope that the cease-fire accord will mean a”more just and peaceful future for the Balkans.””We urge all sides to implement this agreement without delay,”said Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of the diocese of Galveston-Houston.”Successful implementation of this agreement requires not only the rapid return of Kosovar refugees and displaced persons, but also the safeguarding of the rights of the Serb minority.”
Eight Christians released by Laos
(RNS) Eight Christians, jailed in Laos for their participation in an illegal Bible study group, were released this week after serving more than a year in jail, a U.S. embassy spokesman said Thursday (June 10).”The Lao authorities have confirmed to us that eight Christian prisoners were released on June 7,”said the spokesman.
The Christians were convicted of illegal assembly and creating social divisions.
Most of the 44 Christians originally detained in the January 1998 raid of a Bible study meeting near Vientiane, the Laotian capital, were Laotian members of the U.S.-based evangelical Christian organization Partners in Progress, Reuters reported.
Among the foreigners detained were three Americans, one Thai and one French national. Laos asked them to leave the country.
Laos has come under mounting international pressure to release prisoners of conscience.
In Washington, news of the release was welcomed.”We welcome the release and urge the government of Laos to allow open and free expression of religion in its society, including freedom of assembly and freedom of expression,”a State Department spokesman said.
Despite the recent case, many in Laos are quick to point out that restrictions on religious freedom, implemented under hard-line communist rule, have been eased in recent years.
One Vientiane resident familiar with the incident told Reuters it was the group’s failure to register with the government and the aggressive evangelism techniques practiced by its members that caused the group’s legal troubles.
Laos is a mostly Buddhist nation of nearly 5 million people. It has 20,000 to 30,000 Roman Catholics and more than 200 Protestant congregations.
The government’s Religious Affairs Department must recognize and approve churches and faith groups.
Nazareth’s Christian mayor injured in clash with Muslim demonstrators
(RNS) Club-wielding Muslim demonstrators, in a new round of protests over a disputed plot of land in downtown Nazareth, clashed with the city’s Christian mayor Thursday (June 10) and beat his driver with a shovel, according to city officials.
Three demonstrators were detained and the driver hospitalized after being struck in the head, police said.
This clash was the most recent in a series of incidents prompted by a dispute over a plot of land next to the city’s Church of the Annunciation, the site where many believe Mary was told she would give birth to Jesus.
Tensions between the groups have escalated in recent months as the Christian mayor, Ramez Jeraisi, has convened the newly elected and mostly Muslim city council only once since the November municipal elections. That has led members of the Islamic Movement to accuse the mayor of attempting to render the council powerless.”The mayor is ignoring us,”Mohammed Dahamshe, a member of the Islamic Movement, told Reuters.”He has no majority, and he knows that if he convenes the council, it will make decisions that he won’t agree with.” The key point of conflict is a dispute over how to develop a downtown lot that borders the church. Jeraisi wants the land developed into a Venetian-style plaza for Christian pilgrims, while Muslims want the land for a new mosque.
On Wednesday, demonstrators outside City Hall brawled with municipal workers leaving the building, police said. Jeraisi’s bodyguard fired shots in the air.
The Muslim activists pitched a tent in front of City Hall and stayed there through the night. The Muslim demonstrators blamed the Christians for starting the Thursday fight that led to the hospitalization of the mayor’s driver.
Israel’s interior minister has appointed a committee to resolve the argument over the land and convene the council.
Vatican cracks down on employees of the Roman Curia
(RNS) In a crackdown on the manners and morals of its 3,000 employees, the Vatican has warned that giving unauthorized interviews is grounds for dismissal.
The new General Regulations of the Roman Curia, which take effect July 1, also order priests to wear a collar or cassock during working hours and lay employees to”dress in decorous outfits.” The Vatican issued the 93-page book containing 146 articles of conduct to replace a previous set of regulations in effect since 1992.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, said in an introduction that the new rules are designed to improve the service of those who”collaborate with the Holy Father in his universal mission.” The new regulations, which the pope approved April 15, include:
_”Everyone is obligated to rigorously observe official secrets. No one can, therefore, give to those who do not have the right to it information relative to acts or to news of which they have knowledge because of their work.”Pontifical secrets will be observed with particular care.” _”Without previous authorization of the competent authorities, no one may release declarations and interviews regarding the persons, activities and orientations of the departments of the Roman Curia. Official communications and declarations to the press must be released only by the Press Office of the Holy See.” The regulations instruct personnel that they have”the duty to carry out their own work with diligence, exactitude, a sense of responsibility and a spirit of full collaboration.” Grounds for dismissal include not only violations of official secrets but also”irregularities in private relations that prejudice the decorum of the department.” Making clear that divorce and cohabitation without marriage will not be tolerated, the regulations say the Vatican will hold its personnel to”exemplary religious and moral conduct, also in private and family life, in conformity to the doctrine of the church.” Other commandments for Vatican employees prohibit accepting outside pay for official acts, using Vatican employment to advance private interests, joining organizations or taking part in demonstrations incompatible with the Vatican’s interests, using computers and other Vatican equipment for private purposes and receiving visits from outsiders during working hours.
Quote of the day: Evangelist Billy Graham
(RNS)”You have to understand, I don’t carry the secret to a successful evangelistic crusade in my briefcase. This is the work of God.” Evangelist Billy Graham, speaking at a news conference before his crusade June 3-6 in Indianapolis. He was quoted by Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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