c. 2007 Religion News Service
Irish Bishops: Put Down `The Drink’ During Lent
LONDON (RNS) Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland have branded their country’s abuse of alcohol a “national tragedy” and urged citizens to cut alcohol consumption by one-third during Lent.
The bishops’ pastoral letter, titled “Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation,” was announced ahead of Ash Wednesday (Feb. 21), which marks the start of the 40-day season of Lent. The bishops also urged a serious discussion with the Dublin government about Ireland’s worrisome drinking habits.
Ireland, the bishops said, has become “one of the wealthiest nations in Europe,” but at the same time “our struggle with alcohol continues” in a sort of “love-hate relationship.”
“We owe it to this generation and the next to find a way which is not destructive or harmful, to enjoy alcohol as a gift from God,” said the document, which has been issued in English, Irish and Polish.
Auxiliary Bishop Eamonn Walsh of Dublin, who launched the letter with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, said, “Do we just shrug helplessly, leave it to others, or do we assume responsibility ourselves?”
“Moderation is a responsible approach to consuming alcohol,” Walsh told a news conference in Dublin on Feb. 16. “Some may choose abstinence, which is equally laudable.”
“However,” he added, “if we look at international research on alcohol consumption, Irish society’s use of alcohol is nothing short of a national tragedy.”
The pastoral letter included a list of what it called “practical suggestions,” including refraining from alcohol during Lent, encouraging friends to do likewise or at least cut back, and donating the money saved from not buying alcohol to charity.
In the long run, the bishops called for all Irish people to commit to reducing consumption of alcoholic beverages by one-third, and for the Irish government to prioritize funding for treatment and recovery centers.
“If we could promote abstinence or moderation and create attitudes toward alcohol that are conducive to a better and healthier way of life,” the bishops said, “then, indeed, we would be leaving a wonderful inheritance to future generations.”
_ Al Webb
Justice Department Launches `First Freedom Project’
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Department of Justice has launched a “First Freedom Project” to draw more attention to protecting the religious liberties of Americans.
“Why should it be permissible for an employee standing around the water cooler to declare that `Tiger Woods is God,’ but a firing offense for him to say `Jesus is Lord,’?” Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday (Feb. 20) at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
“These are the kinds of contradictions we are trying to address.”
The initiative includes a new Web site (http://www.firstfreedom.gov), a public education program and a task force that will review religious freedom policies and cases.
The department also released a “Report on Enforcement of Laws Protecting Religious Freedom,” which summarizes its work from fiscal years 2001-2006.
“Religious discrimination is a growing problem,” the report states, citing a 69 percent rise in religious discrimination complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between 1992 and 2005.
Leaders of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Family Research Council and Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission applauded the initiative.
The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said it was a hypocritical action by an administration that he said has tried to merge church and state.
“Expecting the Bush administration to defend religious liberty is a little like asking Col. Sanders to baby-sit your pet chicken,” Lynn said.
The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC), welcomed the renewed focus on religious freedom but questioned why it was announced at a gathering of a single denomination.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Monks Deny PETA Charges That Chickens Are Mistreated
(RNS) Trappist monks at a South Carolina abbey have rejected accusations made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that the monks mistreat the chickens on their egg farm.
“The monks at Mepkin Abbey do not abuse animals,” said abbey spokeswoman Mary Jeffcoat. “They care about and are concerned for their hens, and they believe that conventional cage production is healthy for them.”
A PETA investigator, posing as a retreatant at the abbey, found evidence of “shocking cruelty” to the hens, according to a PETA statement.
The statement deplored the hens’ living conditions in “tiny cages,” and condemned the monks for debeaking the chickens and periodically starving the birds in order to increase egg production. Video of the farm is available on PETA’s Web site (http://www.PETA.org).
Jeffcoat on Thursday (Feb. 22) said the monks follow all of the United Egg Producers’ “science-based guidelines” in order to ensure that the hens are treated well. A United Egg Producers spokeswoman dismissed PETA’s allegations as “a publicity stunt.”
“Everyone knows that (PETA’s) ultimate goal is to eliminate animal agriculture,” spokeswoman Diana Storey said. She said the abbey was audited in October and was found to be 100 percent in compliance with guidelines.
PETA alleged that the abbey’s practices violate Catholic teaching, quoting Pope Benedict XVI to back up their claims.
“Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures, so that … hens live so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds, this degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me … to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible,” the pope said in a 2002 interview before he was elected pontiff.
PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, a Catholic, described the monks as animal abusers.
“If these monks abused dogs or cats the way they abuse chickens, they could be put in prison on felony cruelty to animals charges,” he said. “We’re asking the monastery to stop causing birds to suffer for money’s sake and to switch to making marmalade, bread, beer or some other product that does not cause animals such unmitigated misery.”
_ Katherine Boyle
Phone Company Cancels Porn Access After Bishop Vows Boycott
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (RNS) Canada’s second-largest telecommunications company will stop offering erotic images on cell phones after receiving complaints and learning of a boycott launched by the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.
A spokesman for Telus Corp., the first major wireless provider in North America to directly sell adult content on mobile phones, said Tuesday (Feb. 20) the company was ending the month-old service in light of the public’s growing concerns.
As a result, Vancouver Archbishop Raymond Roussin said he would call off his order to more than 140 parishes and schools to cancel their Telus contracts.
“I am pleased and grateful that Telus has decided to remove itself from the business of profiting from pornography. This decision is for the greater good of the community as a whole _ a fact I am glad Telus is recognizing,” Roussin said after his boycott received international attention.
“We are just beginning to fully appreciate how serious the issue of sex and pornography addiction really is. It is a problem that is taking a horrendous toll,” Roussin said.
_ Douglas Todd
Egyptian Mufti Says Women Not Obligated to Prove Virginity
(RNS) In a decision being hailed as a major step towards female equality in the Islamic world, the Grand Mufti of Egypt has said Muslim women have no obligation to prove their virginity to prospective husbands.
Appearing on a popular Egyptian talk show, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said he endorsed a recent fatwa, or religious edict, which said it is permissible _ though not required _ for women who have lost their virginity to have reconstructive hymen surgery, according to a Tuesday (Feb. 20) report from The Daily Star newspaper of Egypt.
The fatwa was issued by Soad Saleh, a noted female Islamic scholar at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, one of the Islamic world’s most revered institutions. Saleh also received backing from Shiekh Khaled El Gindy, another Al-Azhar scholar and member of Egypt’s Higher Council of Islamic Studies.
“Islam never differentiates between men and women, so it is not rational for us to think that God has placed a sign to indicate the virginity of women without having a similar sign to indicate the virginity of men,” El Gindy told The Daily Star.
“Any man who is concerned about his prospective wife’s hymen should first prove that he himself is a virgin.“
Several Muslim women welcomed the rulings.
“For those who claim that logic is out of vogue in the corridors of Muslim power, prepare to revise,” wrote G. Willow Wilson, a Muslim writer in Cairo, on the popular Muslim blog, http://www.eteraz.org. “The real meat of the fatwa is in its de-emphasis of the need for proof of virginity. In a region of the world where a woman is not considered a virgin unless she bleeds on her wedding night, this is a serious blow to entrenched un-Islamic misogynistic cultural practices.“
_ Omar Sacirbey
Southern Baptist Lawyer Says Independent Abuse Panel Not Possible
(RNS) A top lawyer for the Southern Baptist Convention said Thursday (Feb. 22) that it is not possible for the denomination to create an independent sexual abuse review panel requested by a watchdog group.
“With regard to criminal matters, the proper investigatory panel for Baptists should be law enforcement officials,” D. August Boto, a lawyer with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, said in a statement.
His comments came two days after the Executive Committee met briefly with representatives of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to consider SNAP’s requests to “make Southern Baptist churches safer.”
Boto’s statement said denominational officials have encouraged churches to do background checks on prospective ministers and volunteers, but “that due diligence cannot be mandated.” He noted there are a number of denomination-related Internet resources about preventing child abuse.
Christa Brown, who coordinates SNAP’s activism in Baptist churches, met briefly with committee members Tuesday and said she would like to see Southern Baptists follow the example of Catholic and Presbyterian leaders who reached “outside of their usual bylaws and structure” to establish panels to try to protect children.
She said leaving the matter to law enforcement is “a cop-out,” noting that child abuse cases often cannot be prosecuted because statutes of limitation have expired.
“Over and over, of course, they say that their hearts are truly broken,” she said. “We have heard the words a lot, but what we are looking for is deeds, deeds that will actually serve to make kids safer.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Farrakhan Uses Last Major Speech to Call for Unity
(RNS) Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, used what was billed as possibly his last major address to urge followers to unite and cooperate with other faiths.
“My time is up,” Farrakhan told tens of thousands of people on Sunday (Feb. 25) at Ford Field in Detroit, where the Nation of Islam was holding its annual Saviour’s Day convention. Farrakhan, who turns 74 on May 11, checked-out of a Washington, D.C., hospital Jan. 28 after recovering from complications of prostate surgery performed on Jan. 5.
Farrakhan told the crowd that he had been at “death’s door” but had been saved by God and the prayers of people of all faiths, striking an inclusive tone that he maintained throughout his two-hour speech.
Still, black pride and unity were a main part of his message.
“My love for black people here and throughout the world is unconditional,” he said, “because I believe in the resurrection and redemption of black people. And I believe in the resurrection and the redemption of the whole human family.”
Farrakhan’s speech was occasionally interrupted by chants of “Long Live Muhammed,” a reference to Elijah Muhammed, who led the NOI from 1934-1975, and is regarded by NOI followers as a prophet of God. His son W.D. Muhammad was chosen to succeed him, even though he rejected the group’s theology and brought the movement into mainstream Islam.
Farrakhan, who joined the movement in the 1950s, remained a fervent black nationalist and disagreed with Muhammad’s more moderate direction and restarted the Nation of Islam in 1978.
Saviour’s Day commemorates the birth of Wallace Fard Muhammad, who founded the Nation of Islam in 1930. He preached that blacks were a superior race but had been oppressed by whites, who were irredeemably evil.
_ Omar Sacirbey
Tehran Delegation Returns Stressing Talks Between the U.S., Iran
WASHINGTON (RNS) A delegation of 13 U.S. Christian leaders who recently traveled to Iran to help defuse tensions over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions will meet with members of Congress next week to discuss their trip.
“Our governments have not spoken for 30 years,” said the Rev. Jeff Carr, of Sojourners/Call to Renewal. “We think that beginning dialogue and paving the way for mutual respect and peaceful relations is really something that needs to happen, and religious leaders could play a significant role in that.”
During the Feb. 17-25 trip, the group met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, members of parliament and local religious leaders.
The trip was organized by the Mennonite Central Committee and the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group. Others participating include Sojourners/Call to Renewal; the Episcopal, Catholic and United Methodist churches; the National Council of Churches and Pax Christi USA.
In the meeting with Ahmadinejad, the delegation spoke about topics including the role of religion in easing conflict, the Iraq war, nuclear proliferation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During the 21/2-hour discussion, the president told the group that Iran has no intention to acquire or use nuclear weapons, according to the delegation’s statement. He also advocated solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through political rather than military means.
Carr said members of Congress from both sides of the aisle encouraged the religious leaders to make the trip.
“I think they understand the tensions between (Iran and the U.S.) need to somehow be resolved peacefully, that war is not the answer,” Carr added.
Jim Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodists’ Board of Church and Society, said the group will stress the need for dialogue with Iran when they meet with members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“There have to be talks,” Winkler said. “The president’s statement that he will not speak to somebody that doesn’t meet his standard of behavior is just not a realistic or appropriate way to deal with the situation.”
_ Katherine Boyle
Pastor Says Solicitation for Sex Shouldn’t Be a Crime
OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) A former member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee went on trial here on a charge of offering to engage in a lewd act.
Lonnie Latham, then 60 and pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church, was arrested Jan. 3, 2006, after allegedly inviting a male undercover Oklahoma City police officer to his hotel room for sex. He pleaded not guilty in February, 2006.
In a non-jury trial in Oklahoma County District Court on Thursday (Feb. 22), Judge Roma M. McElwee said she would rule on the case in about two weeks. Latham waived his right to a jury trial.
The case drew the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union and national gay rights organizations who maintained that inviting someone to a hotel room for sex was not a crime.
Latham’s attorney, Mack Martin, argued that his client was charged under a lewdness statute that should be unconstitutional because the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 legalized consensual sex between two adult males.
“If it’s not illegal to engage in that conduct, then it shouldn’t be illegal to talk about it (solicit),” he said.
He filed a motion asking that the case be dismissed.
Attorney Michael Salem, along with the American Civil Liberties Union Oklahoma Foundation, argued that Latham’s solicitation for sex was protected free speech.
First Assistant District Attorney Scott Rowland argued that the state still has laws against _ and an interest in controlling _ public solicitation, even for sexual activity that has been legalized by the Supreme Court.
If convicted, Latham could face a year in jail, a $2,500 fine and 40 to 80 hours of community service.
As a spokesman for Southern Baptists, Latham often defended the church’s opposition to same-sex relations. After his arrest he resigned from his pulpit, the SBC executive committee, and state leadership roles.
_ Bill Sherman
Gay Bishop Says U.S. Church Should Reject Anglican Ultimatum
(RNS) The openly gay Episcopal bishop at the center of the Anglican debate over homosexuality said his church should reject demands to ban any more gay bishops and same-sex unions even if it leads to a break with the worldwide Anglican Communion.
“Does anyone believe that our full compliance with the … demands, our complete denunciation of our gay and lesbian members, or my removal as bishop would make all of this go away?!” Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire said in statement.
On Feb. 19, Anglican leaders, or primates, meeting in Tanzania demanded that the Episcopal Church promise not to elect any more openly gay bishops or bless same-sex unions. The bishops threatened the U.S. church with a reduced role in the 77 million-member communion if it refused to comply.
Robinson, who was elected in 2003, argued that decisions on electing bishops and same-sex unions could only be made by the full church at its next national assembly in 2009.
“This way forward may not be acceptable to many in the (Anglican) communion who want this settled now, once and for all,” Robinson said. “So be it. Nothing we do will settle this once and for all.”
A number of liberal bishops in the 2.2 million-member church have also taken issue with the primates’ demands, arguing that it is unjust to discriminate against gay and lesbian Episcopalians.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has called for a season of “fasting” on gay bishops and same-sex blessings in the U.S. church.
But Robinson said “the fast” would be “a sacrifice borne most sacrificially by gay and lesbian members.”
_ Daniel Burke
Quote of the Week: A KFC Press Release
(RNS) “KFC’s new Fish Snacker Sandwich, a tender, flaky filet of 100 percent Alaskan Pollack topped with tangy tartar sauce and served on a warm sesame bun, extends KFC’s popular Snacker line-up and is ideal for American Catholics who want to observe Lenten season traditions while still leading their busy, modern lives.”
_ KFC (the chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) in a Feb. 21 press release promoting their new fish sandwich. KFC President Gregg Dedrick has sent a letter to the Vatican asking Pope Benedict XVI for his blessing.
KRE/PH END RNS
