c. 2005 Religion News Service Pope Chides Spain for Liberal Policies, Says Family Threatened VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI told Spanish bishops that he prays the traditional family will survive attempts to “degrade its dignity and attack its freedom” in Spain, once one of Europe’s most Catholic countries. In a letter to the bishops issued by the Vatican on Monday (May 23), Benedict did not refer directly to the government of Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, but he made clear that he strongly opposes new laws liberalizing divorce and abortion and legalizing same-sex marriages. “The human being, who is born, grows up and is educated in the family, is capable of undertaking the path of good without uncertainties, without allowing himself to be disoriented by fashions or ideologies alien to the human person,” he wrote. The pope said he prayed to the Virgin Mary to preserve the family from social injustice and all that might “degrade its dignity and attack its freedom.” He said he also prayed for respect for life “from the first instant of existence to its natural end” and for “freedom of religion and of conscience for all people.” The late Pope John Paul II expressed strong concern over the “secularization” of Spain at a meeting with Spanish bishops at the Vatican in January. The Spanish government issued a formal protest but said it wanted to continue dialogue with the church on terms of “reciprocal respect.” _ Peggy Polk Abuse Victims Slam Pope for Ending Investigation of Legionaries Founder (RNS) A support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse said Pope Benedict XVI has lost “all credibility” on the abuse scandal after the Vatican reportedly closed an investigation into the founder of the Legionaries of Christ. The Vatican confirmed Monday (May 23) that the investigation into abuse allegations against the Rev. Marcial Maciel that was shelved in 1999 and then unexpectedly reopened last December is closed again. “It is true that there is no proceeding under way at present, and it is not foreseeable that there will be any proceeding in the future,” the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, assistant Vatican spokesman, told Religion News Service. Maciel, 85, has been dogged by accusations that he molested at least eight seminarians in Mexico in the 1940s-1960s. His conservative religious order, which was founded in 1941 and was praised by the late Pope John Paul II, now claims 650 priests and 2,500 seminarians in 20 countries. An investigation was shelved in 1999 and then reopened last year by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger _ who is now Pope Benedict XVI _ when he was head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, accused Benedict of reviving the investigation in a crass attempt to help him win votes to be elected pope. “It’s hard to imagine a decision that could be more damaging to the hierarchy’s already weak credibility and reputation,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine a more heartless move.” In a statement Friday (May 20), the Legionaries said they were told by the Vatican that “there is no canonical process under way” against Maciel, and again defended his innocence. “Before God and with total clarity of conscience, I can categorically state that the accusations brought against me are false,” Maciel said. “I never engaged in the sort of repulsive behavior these men accuse me of.” _ Kevin Eckstrom and Peggy Polk Bush Cites Scripture to Urge Calvin College Grads to Serve GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) In a commencement address, President Bush urged graduates of an evangelical college to serve others as the Bible commands. In the run-up to Calvin College’s Saturday (May 21) commencement, 823 alumni, faculty, staff and students took out a full-page ad criticizing Bush’s policies as violating the principles of the evangelical school; about 100 faculty signed another half-page ad doing the same. But when he appeared before about 5,000 people _ including 900 graduating seniors _ Bush was greeted with an enthusiastic standing ovation. He gave a speech with references to God and Scripture. “As the Class of 2005 goes out into the world, I ask you to embrace this tradition of service and help set an example for all Americans,” he said. “As Americans we share an agenda that calls us to action _ a great responsibility to serve and love others, a responsibility that goes back to the greatest commandment.” According to the Bible’s Book of Matthew, Christ said the “greatest commandment” is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Christ then said, “The second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.”’ Continuing on this theme of service, Bush said: “This isn’t a Democratic idea. This isn’t a Republican idea. This is an American idea.” That was perhaps his biggest applause line of his 14-minute speech, which enabled him to reprise some of the themes of compassion that were the hallmarks of his first campaign in 2000. He spoke of “armies of compassion” and “social entrepreneurs,” and of serving the greater good. He also spoke the language of conciliator. “It is by becoming active in our communities that we move beyond our narrow interests,” Bush said. “In today’s complex world, there are a lot of things that pull us apart. We need to support and encourage the institutions and pursuits that bring us together.” Gaylen Byker, Calvin College’s president and a Bush supporter, was particularly impressed with how well the Bush team researched Calvin for the speech. “The president and his speech-writing staff got a good understanding of the college,” Byker said. “It was a call to service and understanding of the kinds of things we want our students to do and he encouraged them to do it.” Byker said he was pleased to see how well the ceremony went and that he wasn’t surprised the campus community came together after a month of tensions over the president’s visit. _ Steven Harmon and Mark O’Keefe Muslim Group Calls for FBI Investigation of Two Alleged Hate Crimes (RNS) Two recent violent incidents in New York City have led a prominent Muslim civil liberties group to call on the FBI to investigate the episodes as hate crimes. At a news conference Sunday (May 22), the New York chapter of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) requested FBI probes of the murder of a Bangladeshi man and the assault of a 13-year-old Muslim student, claiming that the incidents may have been the result of anti-Muslim bias. “Both of these disturbing incidents must be investigated thoroughly by the FBI to determine whether or not the attackers were motivated by anti-Muslim bias,” said Wissam Nasr, the executive director of CAIR-NY. On May 6, a Bangladeshi Muslim man was found dead in Brooklyn after being severely beaten. Because there was money in the victim’s pocket, area Muslims reported to CAIR that they suspected anti-Muslim bias. On May 18, a 13-year-old Muslim student was assaulted at his private school, the New Dorp Christian Academy, on Staten Island. The young man said his attackers physically assaulted him and called him a “terrorist” and “a relative of (Osama) bin Laden,” the Staten Island Advance newspaper reported. In addition to calling on the FBI to investigate, CAIR-NY’s Nasr is working with NYPD officials to increase patrols in the Brooklyn neighborhood where the Bangladeshi man was murdered. Nasr is also requesting police assistance in setting up a neighborhood watch group. The students who assaulted the 13-year-old Muslim may require “sensitivity training,” he said, and the administration at the school should be scrutinized. Federal hate crime charges may not be required for the youths, he said. Both episodes point to a need for FBI investigation, he said. “This is a situation that means a lot to Muslims,” Nasr told Religion News Service. “We just want to make sure that people don’t feel it’s OK to attack Muslims.” _ Holly Lebowitz Rossi Update: Mission Conference Urges Churches to Be Healing Communities

(RNS) Addressing a global imbalance of religious power, the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism has called on the world’s Christians to be “reconciling and healing communities.”

“While the centers of power are still predominantly in the global North, it is in the South and the East that the churches are growing most rapidly, as a result of faithful Christian mission and witness,” the conference said in a statement issued Wednesday (May 18).

The statement offered no specific suggestions on how to address the power imbalance.

Sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the mission conference _ the 13th such gathering since 1910 _ met May 9-16 near Athens, Greece. The final draft of the statement from the 600 delegates from 105 countries was issued by a conference commission.

“In Athens we were deeply aware of the new challenges that come from the need for reconciliation between East and West, North and South, and between Christians and people of other faiths,” the statement said.

“We have become painfully aware of the mistakes of the past, and pray that we may learn from them,” it added.

It said delegates were conscious that race, caste and gender bias continue to exist in the churches, adding: “As a global gathering, we are challenged by the violence inflicted by the forces of economic globalization, militarism and the plight of the marginalized people, especially the indigenous communities and people uprooted by migration.”

Perhaps reflecting the larger than usual presence of Pentecostals at the meeting, the statement put special stress on the role of healing, including that which takes place through prayer, ascetic practices “and the charisms (gifts) of healing through sacraments and healing services (and) through a combination of medical and spiritual, social and system approaches.”

While the meeting brought together an usually wide spectrum of theological views, the statement also expressed pain that “God’s mission is distorted by the divisions and lack of understanding that persists in and among the churches.”

_ David E. Anderson

Court Allows Ill Teen to Refuse Blood Transfusion on Religious Grounds

VANCOUVER (RNS) A court here has allowed a teenage Jehovah’s Witness to seek cancer treatment at a New York hospital that offers a “blood avoidance” program.

It’s the latest development in a legal battle involving a 14-year-old girl, who has not been named. Last month, a British Columbia court ruled that as a minor, she cannot refuse blood transfusions even though the procedure violates her religious beliefs.

At the time, the court declared that the state has an obligation to preserve life. It found that while the girl is free to practice her faith, the guarantee to life under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms trumps her religious beliefs.

The girl and her parents traveled to Ontario and appealed to a court there for a different ruling. But an Ontario judge said he found no fault with the B.C. ruling, and ordered the family to return home.

But on May 17, the British Columbia Supreme Court issued an order, reached by agreement with the girl, her parents and the provincial Ministry of Child and Family Development, permitting the girl to seek treatment at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Her lawyer said the facility has experience in treating cancer like his client’s without resorting to blood transfusions.

Since a cancerous tumor was discovered in the teen’s leg in December, she has undergone three rounds of chemotherapy. She has told doctors she does not object to chemotherapy or even the amputation of her leg, if necessary, to save her life.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe blood is a sacred source of life, and that the Bible forbids any misuse or tampering with blood or blood products.

_ Ron Csillag

Quote of the Day: Former Secretary of the Interior James Watt

(RNS) “I never said it. Never believed it. Never even thought it. I know no Christian who believes or preaches such error. The Bible commands conservation _ that we as Christians be careful stewards of the land and resources entrusted to us by the Creator.”

_ Former Secretary of Interior James Watt, countering decades-old allegations that the former Reagan administration Cabinet member said protection of natural resources wasn’t important given the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Watt tried to clarify in an op-ed column for The Washington Post.

MO/PH END RNS