c. 2006 Religion News Service

Religion Writers Rate Amish, Muhammad Cartoons as Biggest Stories

(RNS) The Amish community, which inspired the world with acts of forgiveness after a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting, has been named the newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) and Beliefnet.

The multi-faith spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com said Thursday (Dec. 14) the Amish community topped its list of newsmakers for demonstrating “courage, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and love” after a gunman entered an Amish schoolhouse in October and shot 10 girls before taking his own life. The Amish community reached out to the killer’s family, offering monetary and emotional support. Several attended his funeral.

The Amish were also rated the year’s top newsmaker in a separate poll of RNA members. One hundred forty-nine journalists voted between Dec. 8 and 12 to select the 10 most important stories of the year, and the single biggest newsmaker.

The RNA’s top 10 stories were ranked as follows:

1. Muslims throughout the world react violently after the publication of Muhammad cartoons in several European nations. Christians and Muslims are killed when riots erupt in Nigeria.

2. Pope Benedict XVI touches off more Muslim anger by referencing a centuries-old quote linking Islam and violence during a speech. He apologizes and calms the uproar during a trip to Turkey.

3. The Episcopal Church infuriates conservatives during its General Convention by electing Katharine Jefferts Schori _ who supported the consecration of an openly gay bishop _ as the first woman to its top post. Several dioceses throughout the nation adopt measures that set the stage for secession from the denomination.

4. Evangelical Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and is dismissed as pastor of his Colorado Springs, Colo., megachurch after he is accused of engaging in gay sex and using drugs.

5. Many Republican candidates backed by the religious right are defeated in the fall elections, with a significant number of voters claiming morality was one of the strongest motivators in their decision-making at the polls.

6. Religious voices grow louder for peace in Iraq as conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims rises. Israeli incursions in Lebanon aimed at curbing attacks by Hezbollah ignite more strife in the Middle East, and Christian churches reconsider efforts to pressure Israel on the Palestinian question.

7. The schoolhouse murder of five Amish girls in Nickel Mines, Pa., highlights the Amish community’s ethic of forgiveness when several Amish attend the killer’s funeral.

8. (tie) The film “The Da Vinci Code” hits theaters, prompting more outrage over Dan Brown’s novel. Religious critics cite controversial plot lines, including Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene and conceiving a child.

8. (tie) Same-sex marriage bans pass in seven of eight states voting on the issue during the midterm elections. Arizona becomes the first state to defeat such a ban. New Jersey’s Supreme Court decides that same-sex marriage couples deserve the same rights as heterosexual couples.

10. President Bush vetoes a bill calling for expanded stem-cell research. Progress is reported in efforts to create stem-cell lines without destroying embryos.

_ Jason Kane

Pope Meets With Greek Orthodox Leader in Sign of Warming Ties

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI’s push to heal divisions with the Eastern Orthodox took another step forward Thursday (Dec. 14) as the pontiff met with Greek Orthodox leader Archbishop Christodoulos to issue a joint declaration against abortion and euthanasia.

The statement highlights how the Eastern Orthodox and the Vatican are increasingly in agreement on the moral teachings of Christianity even as the churches remain deeply divided on issues of governance.

The pope said his meeting with Cristodoulos, his first since the death of John Paul II last year, was evidence of “pastoral collaboration on all possible levels” between the two churches.

“The Catholic Church has the strong will to undertake everything possible for our `rapprochement,’ in view of reaching full communion between Catholics and Orthodox,” the pope said.

Since his election, Benedict has made dialogue with the Eastern Orthodox the centerpiece of his papacy. In late November, he defied Muslim protest and traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Recent reports in the Italian media indicate that the Vatican is also pushing to arrange a meeting between Benedict and Alexy II, the Russian Orthodox leader who maintains tense relations with Rome.

Benedict’s overtures to the Eastern Orthodox, however, face significant obstacles, including whether the pope has any claim to “primacy” over the Eastern Orthodox churches. Roman Catholicism holds that the pope’s authority is “universal,” or borderless. Eastern Orthodox leaders say his authority is confined to the West.

In March, the Vatican departed from over 1,300 years of tradition by dropping the title of “patriarch of the West” from a list of the pontiff’s official titles. Many observers interpreted the move as an attempt to extend the pope’s authority beyond the West.

_ Stacy Meichtry

Study Says Incense Threatened by Over-harvesting

LONDON (RNS) The production of incense _ used in Catholic, Orthodox and many Anglican service _ is threatened by extracting too much of the precious substance from the trees that produce it, according to a study by Dutch and Eritrean scientists and published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

Frankincense is a resin produced by trees of the genus Boswellia, found mainly in Oman, Yemen and the Horn of Africa. It is obtained by cutting the bark of the tree and leaving the resin to solidify into small lumps, which are harvested every three weeks when the cuts are reopened to ensure a steady flow of the resin.

The harvested incense costs between $22 and $26 a pound. The study, conducted in Eritrea, found that repeated tapping of the trees to produce incense threatens the trees’ ability to reproduce.

“Despite its economic importance, Boswellia papyrifera (the species found in Eritrea) is a threatened species in Eritrea,” the authors write. “The natural Boswellia woodlands have been and are being converted into agricultural fields, while low production of viable seeds, uncontrolled livestock grazing and recurrent droughts hinder the natural regeneration in the remaining stands.”

They suggest reducing the number of points where the bark is cut from the current six; allowing trees to rest for periods of four years without being tapped for resin; and banning livestock grazing to allow young trees to grow.

_ Robert Nowell

Quote of the Day: Anglican Bishop Tom Butler of Southwark, England

“I’m the bishop of Southwark. It’s what I do.”

_ Bishop of Southwark, England, Tom Butler responding to a question about why he was allegedly intoxicated and in the back of a stranger’s car. He was quoted by The Observer, a British newspaper (Dec. 10).

KRE/PH END RNS