c. 2007 Religion News Service
R.I. Bishop Blasts Giuliani on Abortion
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence, R.I., publicly lambasted Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani’s abortion stance, adding his voice to a chorus of critics rebuking the former New York mayor on the issue.
“Rudy’s public proclamations on abortion are pathetic and confusing. Even worse, they’re hypocritical,” Bishop Thomas J. Tobin wrote in a May 31 editorial in his diocese’s newspaper, Rhode Island Catholic.
Tobin’s criticism comes as the Catholic Church _ from Pope Benedict XVI on down _ confronts a debate over how the church’s hierarchy should treat Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.
Tobin said he would “probably have written this article anyhow” but he was particularly “distressed” when he received an invitation to attend a fundraiser for Giuliani.
“I try to avoid partisan politics,” Tobin wrote. “Heck, I’m not even a Republican. But most of all, I would never support a candidate who supports legalized abortion.”
Giuliani’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
The former New York mayor’s pro-abortion rights stance has been heavily criticized by conservatives _ including Focus on the Family founder James Dobson _ but Tobin is thought to be the first Catholic bishop to speak out against Giuliani.
In a speech at Houston Baptist College in May, Giuliani said: “I believe abortion is wrong. I think it is morally wrong.” But he also said that “where people of good faith … when they come to different conclusions about this, about something so very, very personal, I believe you have to respect their viewpoint. You have to give them a level of choice here.”
Tobin said that “Rudy’s preposterous position is compounded by the fact that he professes to be a Catholic. As Catholics, we are called, indeed required, to be pro-lifeâÂ?¦”
In May, Pope Benedict XVI said Mexican politicians who recently voted to legalize abortions could be excommunicated. The pontiff later backed off and said church rules call for Catholics who participate in abortions to exclude themselves from receiving Holy Communion. Soon after, 18 Catholic House members criticized the pope for overstepping church-state boundaries.
During the 2004 presidential race, nearly a dozen U.S. bishops said they would refuse to offer Communion to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
_ Daniel Burke
Jonathan Falwell Assumes Father’s Va. Pulpit
(RNS) The Rev. Jonathan Falwell, the younger son of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, was unanimously chosen Sunday (June 3) to take his father’s place in the pulpit of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va.
Jonathan Falwell, 40, was chosen as senior pastor by a unanimous vote of the membership of the congregation, the church announced on its Web site.
Since 1994, he has been executive pastor of the church, which became affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in 1996.
His father, who died May 15 at 73, founded the congregation in 1956 with 35 persons. Under his leadership, it grew to a membership of 24,000 with a large campus that houses a day school and is involved in global missionary work. Last year, the congregation moved into a 6,000-seat sanctuary as it marked its 50th anniversary.
Jonathan Falwell has also succeeded his father by writing Falwell Confidential, a weekly e-newsletter of the Moral Majority Coalition, which his father began shortly after the 2004 election to encourage evangelicals to “vote values” at the polls.
Falwell’s older son, Jerry Falwell, Jr., 44, is now chancellor and president of Liberty University, the school his father founded in Lynchburg in 1971.
_ Adelle M. Banks
China Derails Dalai Lama Visit to Kenya
NAIROBI (RNS) The Dalai Lama’s plans to visit Kenya came to an abrupt halt when the Chinese government learned of the event and demanded that the east African nation block him.
The trip _ which was to have taken place in January but was discovered by the public and parliament only in recent days _ was initially approved by the vice president of Kenya, Moody Awori, according to the Kenya Times.
But just as visas were being issued and security matters discussed for the Tibetan spiritual leader and his entourage, the Chinese embassy began covertly threatening to severe ties with Kenya, according to documents obtained by the Times. The visit was quickly dropped and forgotten.
The successful subversion of the Dalai Lama’s travel plans highlights China’s growing influence over Africa, where Chinese President Hu Jintao has courted the continent with increased vigor in an effort to gain access to African oil and to create new markets for China’s exportable goods.
China has helped bankroll massive projects involving urban development, infrastructure and healthcare for impoverished nations such as Kenya. In return, it expects beneficiaries to stand firmly behind its “One China” policy, which dictates that the secessionist hopes of provinces such as Taiwan and Tibet should be ignored.
The Dalai Lama _ often simply called “Lama” here _ has led the Tibetan government in exile from India since 1959. In addition to his religious teachings, he now travels the world in an attempt to drum up political support for Tibetan autonomy.
Kenya’s foreign affairs assistant minister, Moses Wetangula, said the government would not allow the Dalai Lama to discuss his political beliefs within Kenya’s borders, and said he is free to visit Kenya, but only as a private citizen.
When the Dalai Lama attempted to visit Kenya in 1999, the trip was canceled. At the time, opposition leader Mwai Kibaki accused the government of caving to China’s “check-book diplomacy.”
Now as president _ and facing China’s financial pressures head-on _ Kibaki personally stopped the arrangements for the Dalai Lama’s visit after the protestations from the Chinese embassy began, the Kenya Times reported.
_ Jason Kane
Quote of the Day: Florida Evangelist Bill Keller
(RNS) “Let them come after me for making a spiritual statement about Mitt Romney. I would love that. Bring it on.”
_ Evangelist Bill Keller of St. Petersburg, Fla., after Americans United for Separation of Church and State asked the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of Bill Keller Ministries. Keller, who was quoted by The Washington Post, has warned supporters that “if you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan.”
KRE DS END RNS