c. 2003 Religion News Service
Pope Names Archbishop Justin Rigali to Philadelphia Archdiocese
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope John Paul II on Tuesday (July 15) accepted the resignation of 80-year-old Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia and named Archbishop Justin Rigali of St. Louis to succeed him.
The Philadelphia appointment comes just two weeks after the pope named Bishop Sean Patrick O’Malley of Palm Beach, Fla., to take over the scandal-plagued Boston Archdiocese.
As heads of two of the largest U.S. archdioceses, both O’Malley and Rigali can expect to become cardinals at a consistory the pope is expected to call in the coming months, possibly as early as this autumn.
Rigali, a native of Los Angeles, had 30 years of Vatican experience before John Paul sent him to St. Louis in 1994. It was believed at the time that he was being groomed for a major role in the U.S. church.
“He is a man of piety, prayer and deep faith, known for his loyalty to the Holy Father and for his unwavering fidelity to the teachings of the church,” Bevilacqua said at a news conference announcing Rigali’s appointment.
Bevilacqua had led the 1.5 million-member Philadelphia Archdiocese _ the fifth largest in the United States _ since Dec. 12, 1983. When he turned 80 on June 17, he was five years past the mandatory retirement age.
If Rigali and O’Malley are elevated to cardinals, as expected, the United States will have 15 living cardinals _ with eight heading archdioceses, four retired cardinals (including Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston), two stationed at the Vatican, and one theologian, Avery Dulles of Fordham University. Eleven of the cardinals are under 80 and still eligible to vote for the next pope.
Rigali, 68, was ordained in Los Angeles in 1961 and worked in Ascension Parish in Los Angeles and St. Raymond Parish in Downey, Calif., before he was sent to Rome. He received a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1964 and a diploma from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1966.
Assigned to the Vatican Secretariat of State, he worked for four years in the Vatican’s embassy to Madagascar and then held a series of increasingly responsible roles in the Roman Curia, the central administrative bodies of the church.
Rigali was president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy from 1985 to 1990 when he became secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and the College of Cardinals and member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
_ Peggy Polk
Muslim Group Says Discrimination Cases Rose 15 Percent in 2002
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Bush shouldn’t expect the support of the Muslim community come 2004 unless his administration changes its civil rights policy, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday (July 15).
The Muslim civil rights group’s annual report showed cases of discrimination, violence and harassment against Muslims were up 15 percent in 2002.
The report, titled “Guilt by Association,” said the government was one of the main violators of Muslim civil rights. Most of the 602 incidents included in the report occurred in the workplace and at government agencies and many dealt with employment discrimination.
Of the cases reported in 2002, 7 percent involved physical assault, shooting or property damage. Verbal harassment, passenger profiling and unreasonable detention were some of the other categories with high numbers of incidents.
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said his group’s solution to the upward trend in Muslim civil rights infractions was to increase political activism within the Muslim community. The group has a goal of getting 1 million voters registered for the 2004 presidential election.
“Civil rights are the central issue for Muslims,” he said.
Awad said the Muslim community supported Bush in 2000, but said the administration has failed to strike a balance between civil rights and security.
“The community feels that they have been let down by this administration,” he said.
Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said Muslims remain important to the president. “The Muslim American community is a very important part of the electorate, and the Republican Party will continue to reach out to those voters on those issues that are important to them,” she said.
Northern Virginia resident Aysha Unus voted for Bush in 2000, but after her home was allegedly raided by federal agents in March 2002, she said she would no longer support him. “I don’t know where I went wrong,” she said.
The government conducted the raids on Muslim homes and businesses as part of its financial investigation in the war on terrorism, according to Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR’s communications director. Hooper said that information regarding why Unus’ family was singled out is sealed.
“Although the government appears to be the problem, we believe the government is also the solution,” Awad said. “The government should look at the Muslim community as an ally in the war on terrorism.”
_ Emily Dagostino
National Park Service Removes Biblical Plaques From Grand Canyon
(RNS) The National Park Service has removed plaques containing biblical psalms from the Grand Canyon after determining that they were unconstitutional.
The Department of Interior decided that the plaques _ quoting Psalms 68:4, 66:4 and 104:24 _ were inappropriate for federal public facilities, said Maureen Oltrogge, spokeswoman for the Grand Canyon National Park.
The three bronze plaques _ which included praises to God and admiration of creation _ have been removed from Hermit’s Rest, Desert View Tower and Lookout Studio, popular viewing areas for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Associated Press reported.
The plaques had been on display for more than three decades, but letters of concern and a recent inquiry by the Arizona American Civil Liberties Union caused park officials to review the matter.
“We are going to clean them, and then return them to the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary,” Oltrogge said.
That international, interdenominational organization has headquarters in Germany and a U.S. branch in Phoenix. Members of the group, founded in 1947 within the framework of the German Evangelical (Protestant) Church, expressed shock about the park service’s decision.
“We were stunned when we heard the news that our three Scripture plaques at the Grand Canyon were suddenly removed,” group members said in a statement. “These plaques have inspired many of the awe-struck beholders to admire and acknowledge the Creator of this majestic landscape spread before their eyes.”
The park service decided, however, that one of the main trails down into the canyon may still be called Bright Angel and a number of canyon formations can have names of Hindu gods.
United Church of Christ Urges Boy Scouts to Change Gay Policy
(RNS) The General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) has pressed the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay youth to join the organization.
“Discrimination against anyone based on sexual orientation is contrary to our understanding of the teachings of Christ,” delegates said in a resolution adopted Sunday (July 13).
During their biennial meeting, held in Minneapolis, 800 delegates listened to current and former Scouts and Scout leaders speak on both sides of the issue before voicing overwhelmingly opposition to the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay youth.
Representatives from UCC congregations praised the Boy Scouts for the contributions they have made to their communities by promoting respect for the environment and respect for others. But some, including Leslie Hoffman of Bethlehem, Pa., said the Boy Scouts’ exclusion of gay youth conflicts with its otherwise tolerant policies.
The Girl Scouts of America and the Campfire Boys and Girls do not exclude homosexual youth or adult leaders. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the Scouts have a right, as a private organization, to exclude gay members and leaders.
The resolution, which delegates stressed does not speak for the UCC’s 1.4 million members, supports both churches that maintain ties with local Boy Scout councils and those that choose to sever relations.
Some Boy Scout councils have ended relations with Open and Affirming Churches _ UCC churches that are open to people of all sexual orientations. Scouting representatives in Cleveland reassigned their troop to a Roman Catholic parish despite the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ’s efforts to continue its relationship with Cleveland’s oldest troop.
During a heated debate, opponents of the resolution said ending the church’s relationship with the Scouts is too stringent a measure.
“Once you sever ties, it is difficult to influence and change,” Mark Mendes of Plymouth, Mass., said in a church news release.
James Haun, a member of Zion New Providence Church in Strasburg, Pa., and a volunteer Scout leader, said the resolution was misguided.
“I ask you to reconsider this attack on an American institution,” he said in a church news release. “Scouting is portrayed as anti-gay and perverted. This must be challenged. This has everything to do with (gay) activists enlisting Scouting into their crusade.”
James Florez, national spokesman for Boy Scouts of America, said he had not seen the resolution but his organization realizes that there are groups that disagree with the Boy Scouts’ stance.
“We believe that the values this organization lives by are worth upholding,” he told Religion News Service. “We ask that they respect our views and our rights to uphold certain standards of membership and leadership as we see fit.”
_ Alexandra Alter
`Purpose-Driven Life’ Named Christian Book of the Year
(RNS) “The Purpose-Driven Life” by Rick Warren has been named the 2003 Jordon Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
Zondervan published the popular book by Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, a megachurch in Lake Forest, Calif. It offers advice on spiritual transformation and Christian living.
The book was honored Saturday (July 12) during the 26th Annual Gold Medallion Book Awards Banquet at the CBA International Convention in Orlando, Fla., an annual gathering of members of the Christian retailing industry.
At the same ceremony, evangelical leader Joni Eareckson Tada was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
“It is a distinct honor for our association to recognize such an outstanding Christian communicator,” said Doug Ross, president of the publishers association, in a statement.
Tada, who became a quadriplegic as the result of a 1967 diving accident, founded a disability outreach organization called Joni and Friends and has authored more than 30 books. There are more than 3 million copies in print of her book “Joni,” published in more than 45 translations.
Gold Medallion winners, presented in 20 categories, are as follows:
Bibles: “The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language” by Eugene Peterson (NavPress Publishing); Bible Study: “My Heart’s Cry” by Anne Graham Lotz (W Publishing Group); Biography/Autobiography: “Let’s Roll!” by Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham (Tyndale House Publishers); Christian Education: “When God Weeps Groupware” by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes (Zondervan).
Christian Living: “Authentic Faith” by Gary L. Thomas (Zondervan); Christian Ministry: “Experiencing God Together” by Henry Blackaby and Melvin Blackaby (Broadman & Holman Publishers); Christianity and Society: “The Next Christendom” by Philip Jenkins (Oxford University Press); Devotional: “Night Light for Parents” by James Dobson and Shirley Dobson (Multnomah Publishers); Elementary Children: “All Is Well” by Frank Peretti (Integrity Publishers); Family and Parenting: “Blessing Your Children” by Jack Hayford (Gospel Light/Regal Books).
Fiction: “Mission Compromised” by Oliver North (Broadman & Holman Publishers); Gift Book/Poetry: “A Family Christmas” by James Dobson and G. Harvey (Multnomah Publishers); Inspirational: “My Heart’s Desire” by David Jeremiah (Integrity Publishers); Marriage: “Divorce-Proof Your Marriage” by Gary Rosberg and Barb Rosberg (Tyndale House Publishers); Missions/Evangelism: “Unveiling Islam” by Ergun Caner and Emir Caner (Kregel Publications).
Preschool Children: “The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” by Ken Taylor (Moody Publishers); Reference Works/Commentaries: “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary” by Clinton E. Arnold, general editor (Zondervan); Spanish: “Cristo Rey de reyes” by E.L. Carballosa (Editorial Portavoz); Theology/Doctrine: “The Doctrine of God” by John M. Frame (P&R Publishing); Youth: “Every Young Man’s Battle” by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker with Mike Yorkey (WaterBrook Press).
_ Adelle M. Banks
Gangster Show Keeps Taiwanese Glued to TV Sets, Away From Church
(RNS) A popular Taiwanese television series about a gangster and his associates is luring people away from Sunday and weeknight church gatherings, the Taiwan Church News reported.
Pastors and campus ministries noticed a drop in church attendance even before the SARS outbreak spread to Taiwan last April. Phone calls to the missing revealed that many people were watching “Taiwan Pill Fire,” the dramatic serial centered on gangster Liu Wen-tsung.
Despite the program’s frequent depictions of violence and vulgarity, some argue that it is possible to extract a Christian message from the show.
Chen Nan-chou, who teaches ethics at Yu-Shan Theological College, urges Christians to reflect on their faith as they watch the program and warns theologians to take its popularity seriously.
“Popular culture and media reflect the lives of modern people,” he told Taiwan Church News. “Theologians must be aware of and understand these cultural events. This enables reflection on society from a theological angle. We must not ignore `Taiwan Pill Fire.”’
The driving force behind the show’s popularity may not be an underlying Christian message, however.
“The penetrating description of the human condition is the strongest point of `Taiwan Pill Fire,”’ a graduate student of theology wrote in an Internet posting.
Other postings on the Campus Ministries Center of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan revealed that some Christians dislike the rough language and gang violence that dominate the show. But many seem determined to find spiritual meaning in the gangster’s ordeals.
“I recommend that clergy and divinity students all watch `Taiwan Pill Fire’ because it reflects current society. Spreading of the gospel must be linked with modern life,” a journalist in his 40s wrote in an Internet posting. “Even though Liu Wen-tsung, the antihero on `Taiwan Pill Fire,’ is a violent man, he loves his wife and children. Even evil people can have a good side.”
_ Alexandra Alter
Quote of the Day: Baptist Center for Ethics Director Robert Parham
(RNS) “Christian leaders were among the clearest and most consistent voices against the rush to war. We need their moral wisdom and courage to help us find a safe way home.”
_ Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, writing in an editorial about the need for representatives of the Christian community to question political statements and call for open congressional hearings about the war in Iraq.
KRE END RNS
