c. 2005 Religion News Service White House Official, Some Advocates for Poor, Differ on Bush Budget (RNS) The director of the White House office dealing with faith-based initiatives says President Bush’s proposed budget _ with increases in funding for programs related to religious and community groups _ is a compassionate one, but leaders of some organizations concerned about poverty do not agree. “In the midst of a time where the budget is pressured by a number of forces, the president’s compassion agenda moves forward,” said Jim Towey, director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, speaking with reporters via conference call Monday (Feb. 7). He announced that Bush’s proposed $2.5 trillion budget includes a request for $385 million in funding for five programs related to faith-based and community initiatives, which totals $150 million more than current appropriations. The requests include: $50 million for mentoring of children of prisoners, $100 million for the Compassion Capital Fund; $150 million for the Access to Recovery drug treatment program; $75 million for a prisoner re-entry program; and $10 million for maternity group homes. Some groups that closely watch the budget for its effect on the poor are questioning some of the White House’s proposals. The American Friends Service Committee, a Philadelphia-based Quaker organization, has launched a “Save Our Services (SOS!) Campaign” to counter some of the proposed cuts in federal programs. “As people of conscience, we cannot accept a budget that changes the rules governing Social Security, the tax code, and eligibility for basic services in ways that increase inequality and poverty,” said Roberta Spivek, director of the campaign, in a statement. Bread for the World, which has followed budgeting of domestic concerns as well as global initiatives related to addressing AIDS and helping developing countries, said 2006 budget proposals to increase AIDS relief to $3.2 billion and the Millennium Challenge Account to $3 billion are not sufficient. “I am surprised that the president’s boost in funding for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the HIV/AIDS initiative is so modest,” said David Beckmann, president of the Washington-based anti-hunger group. “Clearly, his heart is in the right place. The increases show that he cares about issues of hunger, poverty, and disease. But the numbers fall far short of the promises made to address these critical areas.” _ Adelle M. Banks Report of Anti-American Papers in U.S. Mosques Prompts Call for Probe (RNS) A national American Jewish organization is calling for a federal probe in the wake of revelations that anti-American, anti-Jewish and anti-Christian documents with links to the Saudi government have been discovered in more than a dozen U.S. mosques. On Tuesday (Feb. 1), the American Jewish Committee (AJC) called on Congress to investigate whether Saudi Arabia is cooperating with the United States on the global war on terror. Further, “We call on the Bush administration to confront Saudi officials at the highest levels on the publication of such hateful materials and their dissemination in the United States,” AJC executive director David Harris said. The call followed the Friday (Jan. 28) release of a report by the Center for Religious Freedom at the human rights organization Freedom House. The report, “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques,” examined more than 200 documents collected from U.S. mosques over the course of a year. Each of the documents was connected to the Saudi government by at least two of several measures Freedom House identified, including official publications of a government ministry, bearing a government seal, a document disseminated by the Saudi embassy or a document that was written by a Saudi-appointed religious authority. Ninety percent of the documents were written in Arabic. The documents contained pronouncements and teachings that are consistent with the Wahhabi branch of Islam. Wahhabism is a fundamentalist sect of Islam that is suspicious of modern reinterpretations of the tradition and considers itself to be the one true faith. It is dominant on the Arabian Peninsula, with Wahhabi imams responsible for the educational system in Saudi Arabia. The documents contain stark recommendations for the treatment of non-Muslims as well as the treatment of Muslims who stray from the tradition. For example, if a Muslim engages in homosexual sex or heterosexual sex outside marriage, “it would be lawful for Muslims to spill his blood and to take his money,” advises one of the documents found in a U.S. mosque. Further, the report’s authors conclude, the documents “cultivate enmity” between Muslims and non-believers. For example, a document reportedly found in the Islamic Center of Washington reads, “To be disassociated from the infidels is to hate them for their religion, to leave them, never to rely on them for support, not to admire them, to be on one’s guard against them, never to imitate them, and to always oppose them in every way according to Islamic law.” _ Holly Lebowitz Rossi Poll Shows Iraq More Important Than Gay Marriage in November Election (RNS) A poll of religious voters in November’s presidential election shows that Americans had the war in Iraq on their minds more than gay marriage when they cast their ballots. Religious groups in the United States are deeply divided in their political affiliations and on key issues, according to the poll, released Thursday (Feb. 3). It was conducted by the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics in Akron, Ohio, and sponsored by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. “The war in Iraq was the most controversial of the public policy issues,” said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute. This led to shifts among groups such as mainline Protestants, Green said, traditionally a Republican constituency. In 2004 mainline Protestants split their votes between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, Green said, adding that more progressive Protestants voted Democratic than in 2000 because of the war in Iraq and tax cuts. In identifying key election issues, the Pew poll clarified frequently cited exit polls taken on Nov. 2 identifying voters as compelled by “moral values,” Green said. Green said those exit polls were vague, not specifying what issues voters tied to “moral values.” In the Pew poll, respondents _ 2,370 adults randomly chosen from a national sample first interviewed last spring _ rated the importance of social, economic and foreign policy issues, and then named the set with the greatest impact on their vote. “We said, for example, `How important were social issues such as abortion and gay marriage to your vote?”’ said Green. Social issues had the least impact on voting, according to the poll, and foreign policy issues, such as the war in Iraq and terrorism, had the greatest. However, Bush’s primary constituencies _ the most traditional Catholics, mainline Protestants and evangelical Protestants _ rated social issues as most important. Green said the poll’s results have lessons for both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats should pay attention to voters in the center if they want to win elections, he said. Republicans also need to look to a middle ground, because if they concede too much to the most traditional religious groups it could cost them support among those closer to the center. “The deeply divided religious landscape means that President Bush needs to proceed more cautiously,” said Green. _ Celeste Kennel-Shank FBI Charges N.Y. Man with Arson Threats Against Presbyterians (RNS) A New York City man has been arrested and charged with threatening to burn Presbyterian churches over the denomination’s Middle East policies, church officials said Friday (Feb. 4). Jeffrey A. Winters, 25, of Queens could be fined up to $250,000 and spend five years in jail if convicted of mailing at least one letter that threatened to burn “Presbyterian churches with people inside.” The letter, one of several that were sent to the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Louisville, Ky., arrived Nov. 9. Church leaders issued an alert to parishes around the country urging them to take security precautions. Winters was arrested “without incident” at his apartment in Queens following an FBI investigation, according to Presbyterian News Service. He is charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure another person. “We are grateful that this threat against our churches has been eased and appreciate the work of the FBI in this matter,” said Presbyterian Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick. “At the same time, we need to be in prayer for Mr. Winters and for the peace and well-being of Israelis, Palestinians and all people of the Middle East.” The church’s vote last summer to pursue financial divestment from companies doing business in Israel was widely criticized by Jewish groups, but the arson threats were the most severe reaction to the church’s policies. The letter bore a Queens postmark. It contained a swastika, said churches “will go up in flames” and set a Nov. 15, 2004, deadline for the denomination to “reverse” its decision, according to Presbyterian News Service. _ Kevin Eckstrom Pope to See Israeli and Palestinian Ministers in Historic Meeting (RNS) Health-permitting, Pope John Paul II will grant a joint audience to the Israeli and Palestinian ministers of tourism on February 25. “For the first time in history, the ministers of Israel and Palestine will be received together by his Holiness John Paul II,” said Monsignor Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s ambassador, during an upbeat Sunday (Feb. 6) press conference with the ministers, aimed at promoting Holy Land pilgrimages. The anticipated audience comes in response to a Jan. 19 letter Avraham Hirchson, the Israeli minister, and Mitri Abu Aita, his Palestinian counterpart, sent to the pope outlining the recent improvement in relations between the Israeli and Palestinian governments. The Sunday press briefing, which followed a meeting between the two ministers earlier that day, took place against the backdrop of the scheduled Tuesday (Feb. 8) summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas _ the first such high-level meeting in more than four years. “With the new prospects for positive political developments in our region … we believe that the time is ripe to further encourage pilgrimage to the Holy Land,” the letter said. The ministers said they would like to “appear together and relay our message before the Holy See, an audience that might have a tremendous effect on the pursuance of the present momentum.” Sambi said the pope had agreed to host the meeting “despite his condition” in order to “promote peace in the Holy Land and to encourage pilgrims to come back.” Since the Palestinian uprising began in September 2000, the number of Christian and other pilgrims to the area has plummeted due to ongoing violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Although that number has risen steadily in the past year, thanks to a sharp decrease in terror attacks and Israeli retaliatory measures, it is still far below optimum, Sambi said. _ Michele Chabin After Muslims Protest, Museum in Sweden Drops Erotic Display (RNS) The Swedish Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, Sweden, has dropped an erotic painting from an AIDS exhibition after hundreds of Muslims protested its inclusion with excerpts from the Quran. Protesters sent over 800 letters to express discontent over the display of “Scene L’Amour,” which depicted a sexual scene headlined with excerpts, in Arabic, from the Quran, the Muslim holy book. The work, by French Algerian artist Louzla Darabis, was part of about 500 displayed under the title: “No Name Fever _ AIDS In the Age of Globalization.” Museum director Jette Sandahl said “people who came to us saying that the painting offended their sensibilities.” She went on to say, “What is important is to have a dialogue with our audience before and during the exhibition” and that “we try to listen to what people say.” Sandahl said the incident should in no way be taken as a slap at the integrity of the artist. Dabaris’ other works are still part of the show. “No Name Fever” aimed to put AIDS into a global perspective and to prompt people to reflect on the crisis. Sandahl said it was not intended to prompt “a discussion about artistic and religious freedom” _ Simon Reeves Vatican Issues Instructions for Hearing Annulment Cases VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican on Tuesday (Feb. 8) issued a book of instructions guiding the granting of an annulment, which decrees that a true marriage never existed in the eyes of the church. The instructions make diocesan tribunals more rigorous in deciding whether to grant the requests of Catholic couples seeking such annulments. Cardinal Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, told a Vatican news conference that the book does not change church law, but “contains interpretations, clarifications of dispositions of the law and further dispositions on procedure for their execution.” Entitled “Dignitas Connubii (The Dignity of Marriage): Instruction To Be Observed by Diocesan and Interdiocesan Tribunals in handling Causes of the Nullity of Marriage,” the book consists of 308 articles and an index. The Latin and English version has 223 pages. It was prepared over 10 years by Herranz’s council working closely with four other Vatican bodies, the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the two Vatican tribunals dealing with annulments, the Roman Rota and the Apostolic Signatura. The Roman Rota is a court of appeals for annulment cases originally heard at the diocesan level while the Apostolic Signatura acts as the Vatican’s supreme court and has jurisdiction over the Roman Rota’s decisions. Addressing the Roman Rota as it opened its judicial term on Jan. 29, Pope John Paul II warned church courts against letting “false compassion” influence their judgment in annulment cases. He also deplored falsification of evidence and said that speeding up the annulment process could lead to injustice. The church does not accept divorce. But annulments are granted for specified reasons ranging from refusal of a spouse to have children to psychological immaturity. Bishop Velasio Del Paolis, secretary of the Apostolic Signatura, told the news conference Tuesday that 800 diocesan and interdiocesan courts ruled on more than 56,000 requests for annulment in 2002. Of the more than 46,000 annulments granted, 30,968 were in North America and 8,855 in Europe. Del Paolis blamed the preponderance of cases in America and Europe on “a widespread secularization that permits mistaken conceptions of marriage with respect to the ideal proposed by the Church.” Herranz, a member of the Opus Dei Prelature, underlined the difference between civil divorce, which is the dissolution of a marriage, and an annulment under Church law, which decrees that a true marriage never existed. In too many diocesan and interdiocesan courts, he said, “The difference between annulment and divorce could be merely nominal. Through a capable manipulation of the annulment case every failed marriage could be annulled.” _ Peggy Polk Update: Vatican, Israel End Dispute Over Terrorism
(RNS) The Vatican and Israel have agreed to end a public feud over terrorism, with Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon calling Pope Benedict XVI “a true friend of Israel.”
The fight erupted in July when the pope failed to include Israel on a list of countries that had been victims of terrorism. The Vatican rejected Israeli complaints, and suggested that Israel routinely breaks international law when it cracks down on Palestinian militants.
The public spat had threatened to damage improved relations between Israel and the Vatican.
Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican, Oded Ben Hur, delivered a letter to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano on Aug. 23 that said Israel was ready to move on, according to the Associated Press.
“We definitely see this thing behind us and are looking forward to improving our relationship,” Ben Hur said.
The letter from Sharon called Benedict “a true friend of Israel, genuinely committed to advancing tolerance, understanding and reconciliation,” according to the AP.
Ben Hur said Sodano was pleased with the letter and indicated the Holy See was ready to resume normal relations. Sodano said the omission of Israel was unintentional and the result of hastily prepared remarks.
Both sides agreed to revive stalled talks over the Holy See’s tax-exempt status in Israel. Israel’s top two chief rabbis are scheduled to meet with the pope Sept. 15 to mark the 40th anniversary of a Vatican document that overhauled the church’s relationship with Jews.
Watchdog Group Says Roberts Would Dismantle Church-State Separation
WASHINGTON (RNS) A leading church-state watchdog group said Monday (Aug. 29) that Judge John Roberts would allow public life “to be hijacked by those with a religious agenda” if he is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State said Roberts’ judicial philosophy _ gleaned from legal briefs he wrote in the Reagan administration _ would throw church-state case law into “disarray.”
“He has been a faithful soldier in the far right’s campaign to roll back the church-state safeguards protecting all Americans, especially religious minorities,” said the group’s director, the Rev. Barry Lynn.
Lynn’s 19-page report said Roberts would overturn a 1971 Supreme Court standard that prohibits state-sponsored activity that has a primarily religious purpose. In its place, Roberts would allow such activity as long as people are not “coerced” into participating, AU said.
The result would be government officials delivering prayers at civic ceremonies, allowing religious symbols such as the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public buildings and permitting government to be used for religious programs, the report said.
That will be dangerous for non-Christian minorities, the report said. “One may assume that the prayers that get said, the displays that get erected and the organizations that get funded will, in the vast majority of cases, reflect certain Christian traditions or beliefs,” the report said.
Allowing Roberts on the court would result in “further erosion of the wall that separates church and state.” Lynn, in a statement, added: “I understand why Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson support Roberts’ confirmation. I don’t understand why anyone else would.”
But Nathan Diament, who directs the Washington office for Orthodox Jewish congregations, called the AU report biased. He said it focused too heavily on the constitutional ban on an “establishment” of religion while ignoring its equal protection of the “free exercise” of religion.
“I don’t think we know enough about Roberts’ views on religion questions as yet, but I certainly don’t think he can be painted as the one-sided extremist they’re trying to portray him as,” Diament said.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Judge Rules Assets of Parishes Can Be Tapped in Sex Abuse Claims
(RNS) In a decision with potentially major implications for Roman Catholic dioceses fighting sex abuse lawsuits, a Spokane bankruptcy judge made 32 Eastern Washington parishes available to pay off clergy abuse claims against the Diocese of Spokane.
If the Archdiocese of Portland (Ore.) is hit with a similar ruling, Catholic churchgoers in 124 Oregon parishes could see more than $500 million in parish assets opened up to claims from sex-abuse plaintiffs seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
“It is a difficult decision for any Catholic parishioner to read,” said Portland lawyer Douglas R. Pahl, who represents parishes, parishioners and others who claim a stake in parish property in western Oregon. “It expressly rejects many aspects of Catholic faith that Catholics have come to rely on for generations.”
Spokane’s bishop, William Skylstad, said Friday (Aug. 26) that the diocese would appeal the decision. An appeal ultimately could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We’d like to have seen it go the other way,” Thomas W. Stilley, one of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy lawyers, said of the decision.
The Spokane Diocese lost its argument that the property, worth about $40 million, actually belonged to the parishes and was thus immune from creditors. The ruling did not affect the parishes’ bank accounts, investments and other personal property.
The Archdiocese of Portland is fighting a virtually identical battle in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland. Last August, the sex-abuse claimants asked a judge to declare that more than $500 million in parish real estate, churches, schools, bank accounts, investments and other property belongs to the archdiocese.
If the plaintiffs prevail, as in Spokane, those parish assets will become available to pay claims that total hundreds of millions of dollars. If the archdiocese and the parishes prevail, the claimants will be limited to the $19 million the archdiocese says it’s really worth.
_ Steve Woodward and Tony Green
Quote of the Day: Evangelist Billy Graham
(RNS) “Please pray for this project. And then if you have any money, give it, too.”
_ Evangelist Billy Graham, joking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday (Aug. 26). He was quoted by The Charlotte Observer.
MO/PH RNS END
