c. 2006 Religion News Service

Two Churches Fined for Cuba Travel Get New Licences

(RNS) As the Alliance of Baptists appeals a $34,000 penalty for allegedly violating travel rules to Cuba, two of the five churches charged with breaking the rules have recently received new licenses to visit the island nation.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) informed the Washington-based alliance in July that five churches that had used its license had itineraries that “did not reflect a program of full-time religious activity” in Cuba, including tourist activities and “beach time.”

Two of the churches _ First Baptist Church of Savannah, Ga., and First Baptist Church of Washington, received new licenses in March and August, respectively.

“Apparently, the civil penalties division and the licensing division … are doing their work on separate tracks,” said the Rev. Stan Hastey, executive director of the alliance and a member of the Washington church.

He said the alliance, which is affiliated with 117 U.S. churches, plans to send its appeal of the “prepenalty notice” by Friday (Sept. 1). If it had to pay the full penalty, it would amount to more than 10 percent of its annual budget.

The Rev. John Finley, senior minister of the Georgia church, said of the new license and the penalty notice: “We don’t know what to make of that.”

He said his congregation believes it has been “in full compliance of all of the regulations” as it has visited churches in Cuba under previous licenses, including those of the alliance.

“When their license was suspended, we applied for our own and received it promptly,” Finley said, who noted that church members took “an innocent kind of walking tour for which we paid no money” that was led by their Cuban hosts.

Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said she could not comment on particular cases.

“A finding of violation from OFAC does not necessarily preclude an entity from ever again obtaining a license from OFAC,” she said in an e-mailed response to questions. “And actually, in some cases an entity that has received a penalty for violating an OFAC regulation may know better than most how to steer clear of unauthorized transactions.”

_ Adelle M. Banks

Polish Churches Asked to List Names of Drunk Drivers

(RNS) Hoping to curb alcohol abuse, Polish officials have asked Roman Catholic churches to read the names of convicted drunk drivers from the pulpit during Mass, according to Catholic News Service.

Church leaders will consider the request, a spokesperson for the Polish bishops’ conference told CNS, and at least one diocese has reportedly agreed to read the names at the end of Mass.

“The Justice Ministry has instructed us to publicize cases of drunken driving and publicly censure those involved _ the Catholic Church would be well-suited for this,” Malgorzata Bednarek, a chief prosecutor in Poland, told CNS.

Despite tougher penalties, drunken driving incidents increased by about 46,000 between 2001 and 2005, CNS reported.

Still, the Rev. Piotr Brzakalik, a Catholic sobriety chaplain in Poland who recently launched a campaign against drunken driving, refused to endorse the plan.

“To risk killing someone is a violation of the Fifth Commandment. But I’m skeptical about this idea _ the pulpit shouldn’t be used for stigmatizing people,” he told CNS.

August is traditionally declared a month of sobriety in the Catholic Church, according to CNS, during which parish priests relay police warnings during Mass and sometimes patrol traffic with the police.

_ Daniel Burke

Pinocchio, Heidi Receive Islamic Makeover in Turkish Books

ISTANBUL (RNS) The latest victim in the rising tensions between the West and the Islamic world didn’t want to become an international symbol for the clash of civilizations; in fact, Pinocchio’s only wish was to become a real boy.

Book publishers in Turkey, reacting to controversy that arose over inclusion of such titles in the Turkish government’s recommended reading list for schoolchildren, have reprinted several of the classics with Islamic elements inserted into the storylines.

In “Pinocchio,” when the wooden puppet arrives at the end of his quest, he exclaims to his maker, Geppetto, “Thanks be to Allah, I am a real boy!” Earlier in the book he says, “If Allah wills it, please give me some bread.”

In Alexander Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” as D’Artagnan is en route to Aramis’ house, he is told on the street that he can’t visit his friend because Aramis was in the company of religious men since he had converted to Islam following the recovery from his illness.

When Johanna Spyri’s “Heidi” asks if there is a benefit to prayer, she is told that praying to Allah is comforting.

Turkish Minister of Education Huseyin Celik blasted the publishers of the Islamicized books, threatening them with a lawsuit since the publishers put the Ministry of Education’s logo on their books without government approval. “If you like Heidi, then write your own `Heidi.’ Don’t work to Islamicize her,” he said in the Turkish newspaper Radikal.

Celik said the government only approved the book titles, not the altered versions printed by the publishing companies.

While proponents of the books argue that “Allah” is simply a translation for “God,” others say the word is used specifically with an Islamic connotation. Turkish columnist Ismet Berkan said publishers had a religious motivation because “Allah” was a special title only employed by Muslims, and not even Arabic-speaking Christians use it in their traditions.

_ Scott Rank

Ministers Back Blackwell, Challenge IRS

COLUMBUS, Ohio (RNS) A national coalition of Christian ministers threw down the gauntlet Monday (Aug. 28), endorsing GOP candidate Ken Blackwell for governor and challenging an IRS crackdown on political activities by churches.

Implored by the Rev. Russell Johnson of Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster to “show your heart,” the 28 ministers calling themselves Clergy for Blackwell said they had a legal right and moral responsibility to endorse the Republican secretary of state over Democratic Rep. Ted Strickland.

The group noted the candidates’ contrasting positions on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and placement of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.

“I came today to make the statement that it’s fundamentally right, it’s historically right, it’s ethically right to do what’s right for Ohio and all of its citizens,” said the Rev. Fred Marshall of Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus.

He accused liberal pastors of using pressure tactics “to chase their congregants to the polls as surrogates for Ted Strickland,” adding, “As a citizen with one voice and one vote, I have a right and I have a responsibility to do what’s right, and that is to vote. And I will vote, by the grace of God, for the honorable Kenneth J. Blackwell.”

Although Strickland is an ordained minister, Johnson and Blackwell repeatedly questioned Strickland’s religious convictions.

Strickland responded: “For Mr. Blackwell or his supporters to get into an argument about which one of us is more religious is so inappropriate. The two of us are running to become governor of Ohio, and there are so many issues that need to be discussed and debated _ job creation, health care, quality education, affordable college. I don’t think people care which one of us is more, quote, religious, close quote.”

Asked about the endorsements, IRS spokesman Chris Kerns declined to comment. Donald Tobin, who teaches courses on tax-exempt organizations at Ohio State University, said he saw nothing improper.

He said the event was not held on church property and didn’t employ church resources and the pastors emphasized they were speaking as individuals.

“My call if I were their lawyer is that what they’re doing is OK,” Tobin said. “I think it’s really important for those of us who don’t like active involvement of churches in politics to recognize that there are still First Amendment issues that allow these pastors to speak out.”

Blackwell, appearing with the ministers, said he supports religious pluralism, but “that doesn’t mean I have to abandon my faith” as a Christian. “I am not a blank slate. I have a spiritual DNA, and I’m not ashamed of it.”

He also said that as a candidate, his job is “to rush forward into (the) darkness with our light and light other candles so that we, together, can punch holes in the darkness.”

_ Ted Wendling

Quote of the Day: Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Ted Strickland

(RNS) “The two of us are running to become governor of Ohio, and there are so many issues that need to be discussed and debated: job creation, health care, quality education, affordable college. I don’t think people care which one of us is more, quote, religious, close quote.”

_ Ted Strickland, Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio, reacting to a group of Ohio clergy who endorsed his opponent, Republican Ken Blackwell, on religious grounds. He was quoted by The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

KRE/RB END RNS