U.S. Catholic bishops meet; U.S. Episcopal bishops meet; Alito defends religion in the public square

American bishops convened in Washington this week are expressing reluctance to change the Mass to meet new Vatican standards, Kevin Eckstrom reports in Monday’s RNS transmission: The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are showing surprising resistance to changing the words of the Sunday Mass in order to bring the liturgy in line with Vatican-ordered changes. The […]

American bishops convened in Washington this week are expressing reluctance to change the Mass to meet new Vatican standards, Kevin Eckstrom reports in Monday’s RNS transmission: The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are showing surprising resistance to changing the words of the Sunday Mass in order to bring the liturgy in line with Vatican-ordered changes. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is meeting here this week, said changing the well-known songs and prayers would not be accepted by rank-and-file Catholics, and the prelates would prefer to keep the Mass mostly intact. The tweaks in language, if adopted next summer, would represent the most sweeping changes to the daily worship life of America’s 67 million Catholics since the current Mass was introduced in 1970. The bishops’ reluctance to change, revealed in unsigned comments that were released Monday (Nov. 14), could spark an uncomfortable confrontation with Rome that is more characteristic of American Catholics’ independent streak than the bishops’ penchant for loyalty.

Conservative Anglicans are contemplating a`realignment’ of the relationship between Episcopal Church in the United States and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Ann Rodgers reports from the convention in Pittsburgh Nov. 10-12: After a four-day meeting of 2,400 leaders who believe the Episcopal Church no longer upholds biblical tradition, tension remains between those eager to depart from the U.S.-based church and others counseling patience. Despite that difference of opinion, the predominant vocabulary of the Nov. 10-12 “A Hope and a Future” conference was not “split” but “realignment.” That refers to relationships between the theologically conservative minority within the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) and the theologically conservative majority in the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion. Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola said the U.S. bishops are now standing with one leg in ECUSA and one in the new Anglican Communion Network. “If you really want the global south to partner with you, you must let us know exactly where you stand. Are you ECUSA or are you Network? Which one?” Akinola asked to a standing ovation from most of those in the convention center.

Robert Schwaneberg writes about Samuel Alito Jr. as defender of religion in the public square: Zachary Hood made a poster of Jesus for a kindergarten assignment, only to see public school officials take it down. Dennis Blackhawk used two black bears in his Lakota Indian ceremonies and was fined $6,442. Newark, N.J., police officers Faruq Abdul-Aziz and Shakoor Mustafa grew beards in accordance with their Sunni Muslim beliefs and were threatened with dismissal. All of them found a sympathetic judge in Samuel Alito Jr., President Bush’s nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court. A review of Alito’s rulings as a federal appeals judge shows he is a vigorous defender of the right to practice one’s religion, even if that requires moving the wall separating church and state a few feet to the right. And while such an approach heartens those who feel that public squares and schools have become virtual religion-free zones, it alarms groups dedicated to keeping government away from matters of faith.


Keith Spera reports on Episcopalians helping with the jazz rebirth in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina: Trumpeter, composer and New Orleans Jazz Orchestra founder Irvin Mayfield has yet to find his father. The elder Mayfield rode out Hurricane Katrina at his home, then disappeared during the subsequent evacuation. “Everybody’s been asking me, `How do you deal with this thing with your dad?’ More so than ever, we’ve got to do what it is that we do. What I do is play the trumpet and write music. So that’s how I’m dealing with this.” To that end, Mayfield reconvenes the 17-piece New Orleans Jazz Orchestra this week for a series billed as “the cultural reopening of New Orleans.” It’s largely funded by a local Episcopal church and the donations of Episcopalians across the country.

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