c. 2005 Religion News Service
President Bush, First Lady to Attend Papal Funeral
(RNS) President Bush has decided to attend the funeral Friday (April 8) of Pope John Paul II.
“Laura and I are looking forward to leading a delegation to honor the Holy Father,” the president told reporters Monday while meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko at the White House.
“It is my great honor, on behalf of our country, to express our gratitude to the Almighty for such a man. And of course we look forward to the majesty of celebrating such a significant human life.”
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters that the president and first lady plan to lead a delegation of five people to Rome on Wednesday morning and the president will likely hold bilateral meetings while there.
Bill Bushong, a historian with the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit organization that is independent of the White House, believes this marks the first time a president will attend a papal funeral.
“I can’t recall a president attending a funeral” of a pope, he said.
On Saturday, the day the pontiff died at age 84, the president ordered flags to be flown at half staff “as a mark of respect.”
Bush’s proclamation that made that order applied to flags at the White House, public buildings, military posts, naval stations and vessels as well as U.S. embassies abroad. They are to remain in that position “until sunset on the day of his interment,” the proclamation states.
Immediately after the pope died, Bush attended a Saturday Mass in remembrance of the pontiff at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle just blocks from the White House.
Evangelist Billy Graham said in a statement that he had been invited to the funeral but would not be able to attend for health reasons.
He said on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Saturday that he asked his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, to attend along with an associate of his.
“They wanted a woman to come representing me,” Graham told King. “And then my son, Franklin, will be going to the enthronement of the new pope.”
Both Lotz and Franklin Graham are involved in evangelistic ministries, which include speaking in arena events, a practice long followed by their father.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Atheists Decry Lowering of Flags in Pope’s Honor
(RNS) Two atheistic groups have found fault with the government’s decision to lower the American flag in honor of the late Pope John Paul II.
The president of American Atheists called on President Bush to rescind his order that flags at the White House and other public buildings be flown at half-staff.
“It’s inappropriate for the American flag to be lowered as a salute to a foreign religious leader,” said Ellen Johnson, head of the Parsippany, N.J.-based organization, in a statement.
“The flag should represent all Americans, and not all Americans believe that the pope deserves such a special, government-sponsored recognition.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation had a similar reaction to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s executive order that both the U.S. flag and the state flag be flown at half-staff at state buildings and military installations until sunset Friday, the day of the pope’s funeral.
“Let’s reserve the honor of half-masts for true American heroes,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Madison, Wis.-based foundation, in a statement.
The Wisconsin governor’s executive order mentioned Bush’s directive and called the pontiff “an inspirational spiritual leader” who “made a significant impact on social issues and was a champion of peace.”
Bush’s order, which said the flags should be lowered “as a mark of respect,” applied to a wide range of public buildings and grounds, including military posts, naval stations and vessels and U.S embassies abroad. It also ends at sunset Friday.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Non-Orthodox Converts Gain Status in Israel
JERUSALEM (RNS) In a landmark decision, Israel’s High Court has recognized non-Orthodox converts to Judaism who meet certain requirements.
The high court ruled Thursday (March 31) that non-Orthodox converts to Judaism who studied toward their conversion in Israel but who underwent the actual conversion procedure abroad are nonetheless entitled to Israeli citizenship.
The legal decision comes in response to a Conservative movement petition to the High Court in 1999 seeking recognition for several of its converts who studied Judaism in Israel for at least a year but who immersed themselves in a mikva _a ritual bath _ overseas.
The converts’ decision to undergo their actual conversions abroad stemmed from an earlier court ruling recognizing Reform and Conservative conversions performed overseas for the purposes of citizenship.
In a statement to the press just after the ruling, Israel’s Masorti movement, the Israeli wing of the Conservative movement, hailed the ruling as “yet another step forward in the full recognition of non-Orthodox conversions performed in Israel.”
Should the High Court eventually recognize Reform and Conservative conversions done in Israel, it would be a severe blow to the Orthodox establishment, which has sole authority over Jewish religious services such as conversion, marriage and divorce.
The ruling was condemned by many Orthodox leaders, both in Israel and elsewhere.
“The decision of the court may eventually lead to the division of the people of Israel into two camps,” said Stephen Savitsky, president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America, based in New York City. “There will be a group of halachically valid Jews and a group of Jews who are Jewish only by the ruling of the Supreme Court. The consequences of this ruling will be tragic.”
Projection: Muslim Population in Canada Will Dramatically Increase
MONTREAL (RNS) Canada may be in for “a dramatic shift” in its religious composition over the next dozen years, with the number of Muslims expected to skyrocket.
By the time it reaches its 150th birthday in 2017, Canada will see its Muslim population increase by 160 percent and the number of Hindus rise by 90 percent, according to projections released Wednesday (March 30) by the Association for Canadian Studies.
Analyzing projections based on the 2001 Canadian census, the association noted that by 2017, the number of Muslims in the country will jump from the current 600,000 to 1.42 million, while Hindus will nearly double from 300,000 to 583,000.
The number of Sikhs in Canada will also increase dramatically, from 300,000 to nearly 500,000 _ a 70 percent rise. As well, Buddhists are expected to see their numbers bolstered, from 300,000 to 414,000, an increase of 38 percent.
The numbers forecast a modest 10 percent increase in Canada’s long-established Jewish community, to 375,000. Once comprising the largest number of non-Christians in the country, Jews were surpassed in numbers by Muslims over a decade ago.
The study did not forecast growth rates among Christian denominations.
Non-Judeo-Christian groups will be concentrated in Canada’s largest cities, the forecasts indicate.
In the greater Toronto area, roughly one in six residents will be Muslim or Hindu, with the two groups surpassing the 1 million mark.
The projections suggest that in Montreal by 2017, there will be more Muslims than all other non-Christian denominations combined.
Enrollment figures released last week by Quebec’s education ministry indicate that by 2006, Arabic will be the most common mother tongue in francophone schools, after French.
In Ottawa, the number of Muslims is expected to jump from 40,000 to nearly 100,000.
“We’re in for a very different society,” association executive director Jack Jedwab said in an interview. “We’re seeing a fundamental shift in our traditional vision of Canada as predominantly European, to a different type of mix.”
Changes in Canada’s religious landscape, he added, will have far-reaching implications in virtually every aspect of society, from schools to the workplace to foreign policy.
Jedwab cautioned against making judgments about the forecasts, even as hosts of French radio talk shows in Montreal joked that soon, everyone in the city will have to learn Arabic.
_ Ron Csillag
Warren’s Book Tops Four Best-Seller Lists
(RNS) Pastor Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” hit the top spot on four best-seller lists this week, two weeks after an Atlanta-area woman read it to her kidnapper.
The book is the first to reach the number one spot on the best-seller lists of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publishers Weekly _ a feat called a “quadruple crown” _ years after its initial publishing.
“I’ve been doing best-seller lists for almost 30 years, and I don’t remember something that has done this well has hit number,” said Daisy Maryles, executive editor of Publishers Weekly.
Maryles said the book’s sales last week likely resulted _ in addition to it being Easter Week _ from news stories that Ashley Smith, an Atlanta area woman, read from “The Purpose Driven Life” to a murder suspect holding her hostage March 13.
Sales of the book surged within three days of Smith’s comments, Zondervan, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based publisher of Warren’s book, said in a statement.
“There is nothing more powerful than the grace of God, which Ashley experienced in her own life and was able to pass on to someone else,” Warren said of Smith, with whom he has been in contact since her ordeal. “I was encouraged but not surprised by her story, as we have heard from tens of thousands of readers who have found similar purpose and meaning to their lives.”
Warren and his wife, Kay, have been giving away 90 percent of the book proceeds to global ministry projects, including programs to combat illiteracy, poverty and diseases like HIV/AIDS, through three foundations they established, said A. Larry Ross, a spokesman for Warren.
Warren is pastor of the 20,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., which will celebrate its 25th anniversary April 17.
Gibson’s Movie Blamed for Rise in Belief That Jews Killed Christ
WASHINGTON (RNS) Discussing the results of a survey on anti-Semitism, the director of the Anti-Defamation League said Monday (April 4) that “The Passion of the Christ” movie is at least partially responsible for the lingering belief that Jews were responsible for the death of Christ.
“`The Jews killed Jesus’ are probably the four most powerful words in the history of anti-Semitic sentiment,” Abraham Foxman said. Of the Mel Gibson-directed movie’s impact on this belief, Foxman asserted that “not only did it reinforce it, it probably did contribute to its increase.”
According to the nationwide survey, released Monday at an ADL Leadership Conference, 30 percent of Americans blame Jews for the death of Christ, up 20 percent from 2002, the last year the survey was taken.
However, the survey of 1,600 Americans also showed 14 percent hold views about Jews that are “unquestionably anti-Semitic,” a decrease from the 17 percent reported in 2002, the last year the survey was released. Anti-Semitic respondents were defined as those who agreed with six or more of 11 stereotypical statements about Jews.
Along with the survey, ADL released its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents. That audit found anti-Semitic incidents to be at their highest level in nine years, with 1,821 incidents reported last year, a 17 percent increase over the 1,557 reported in 2003.
The audit reported increasing activity among neo-Nazi hate groups and escalating harassment and intimidation in American schools.
“We are especially disturbed that school children are engaging in anti-Semitic slurs and mockery,” said ADL National Chairwoman Barbara B. Balser. “There is a great need for anti-bias education among young people.”
In the national survey of anti-Semitic beliefs, Hispanic and African-American respondents were much more likely to hold Anti-Semitic viewpoints than white respondents. Among all respondents, anti-Semitic viewpoints decreased with education and increased with age.
“The demographics of the U.S. is changing very rapidly,” said John Marttila, president of the Marttila Communications Group, a Boston-based public opinions firm that conducted the survey. “As that does, it’s changing some of these findings.”
_ Shawna Gamache
Queen’s Church Position Will Keep Her Away From Son’s Civil Wedding
LONDON (RNS) Queen Elizabeth’s position as supreme governor of the Church of England will reportedly prevent her from attending the civil wedding Saturday (April 9) of her son, Prince Charles, to Camilla Parker-Bowles.
The wedding was originally planned for Friday (April 8), but that is the day of Pope John Paul II’s funeral in Rome, which Prince Charles will be attending.
The Sunday Telegraph quoted the queen as telling a friend: “I am not able to go. I do not feel that my position (as supreme governor) permits it.”
The newspaper quoted “a senior royal official” as saying: “The queen takes her position as supreme governor of the Church of England incredibly seriously. She also has great personal faith.”
The newspaper said the queen had decided not to attend even before the venue for the wedding was shifted from Windsor Castle _ the royal residence _ to Windsor Guildhall after it was discovered that, if the wedding were to be held in the castle, the licence for that would mean that ordinary members of the public would be able to be married there over the next three years.
A “senior royal aide” was quoted as saying: “The venue was never the issue for the queen. The civil nature of the service is the issue. She did not feel it was appropriate for her to attend.”
However, the queen will attend the service of prayer and dedication following the civil ceremony. The service will be conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. She will also host the wedding reception for more than 700 guests.
Before the postponement of Prince Charles’ wedding was announced, Windsor council officials said that the Guildhall had been booked for three other weddings on Saturday. But these are all timed for the afternoon, which leaves the morning free for the royal wedding.
As supreme governor of the Church of England, the queen has presided in person at the opening session, every five years, of each newly elected general synod of the Church of England, the church’s governing body.
_ Robert Nowell
Jewish Group Launches Campaign to Combat Divestment From Israel
(RNS) The American Jewish Congress (AJC), an advocacy group, has launched a campaign to counteract an effort by some church groups divesting from companies that do business in Israel.
The divestment effort, which has been spearheaded by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other church groups that are unhappy with Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, has drawn fire from Jewish groups.
In response, the AJC is urging Jewish groups and financial professionals to purchase stock in companies that are in the process of divesting, in an attempt to convince those companies to continue to do business in Israel.
Paul Miller, the AJC president, criticized the divestment campaign as misguided and dangerous.
“Preying on the emotions of well-meaning individuals who think that they are contributing to peace, these divestment campaigns coincide with other efforts which seek to undermine Israel’s self-defense, its economy and its legitimacy,” Miller said in a statement.
“It is time to make it clear that these tactics will not work,” he said.
In addition to launching a letter-writing campaign to church leaders in various denominations, the AJC is trying to forge a coalition to oppose the divestiture program, pulling together Christian and Jewish leaders to unite in their effort.
The AJC says it will seek pledges from financial institutions willing to purchase stock in companies targeted for divestment.
The AJC itself bought shares of Caterpillar Inc., the construction equipment company, and is working to defeat a shareholder resolution that opposes the sale of equipment to Israel or any entity of the Israeli government.
_ Holly Lebowitz Rossi
Federal Funding of Faith-Based Groups Nearly Doubled in 2004
WASHINGTON (RNS) “Faith-based” groups received more than $2 billion in federal funding for the 2004 fiscal year, compared to $1.17 billion in 2003, according to statistics recently released by the Bush administration.
President Bush has pushed to give religious groups equal opportunities to compete with nonsectarian groups for federal contracts since entering office in 2001 and has vowed to make sure the government does not act as a “roadblock.”
On Friday (April 1), Bush spoke to participants in a faith-based group that mentors children of prisoners.
“We strongly believe at the federal level that federal money ought to be accessible on an equal playing field, level playing field to faith-based programs,” Bush said.
Some of the federal funding was funneled through state governments.
New York received the most of any state, with more than $150 million targeted to faith-based groups. Illinois and California also received more than $100 million for such groups. New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia and Ohio rounded out a top 10 list of states receiving the most funds for faith-based efforts.
“The faith-based program is one that is going to … remain a constant part of my administration,” Bush said.
Bush said he wants to expand opportunities for people to choose faith-based options and has applied pressure on Congress to pass legislation for increased funding, while encouraging state governments to support faith-based organizations.
According to Bush, religious organizations are better equipped to serve the poor, mentor at-risk youth and meet other social needs than secular organizations because of the shared values of the groups’ volunteers and employees.
_ Helena Andrews
Quote of the Week: Boston Red Sox Pitcher Mike Timlin
(RNS) “I know that God is out there with me all the time. Win or lose, he’s still going to pat me on the back. My kids are still going to love me. That’s where I get to see God’s face most of the time, in my kids. I can give up the game-winning three-run home run and I can come off the field and I can be dejected and I can have a broken heart and feel like the worst guy in the world and they still run up to hug me. That’s what God does. He’s still going to run up and hug me no matter what.”
_ Boston Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin, quoted in the March/April issue of New Man magazine, a Christian men’s magazine published by Strang Communications.
MO/PH END RNS
