Controversial comments about Gaza call papal Holy Land visit into question

ENI)--Pope Benedict XVI has called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, warning of "damage and suffering for the civilian population," while controversy has broken out over a Vatican cardinal's remarks comparing Gaza to a concentration camp.

"Military options are no solution and violence, wherever it comes from and whatever form it takes, must be firmly condemned," Pope Benedict said on January 8 at the Vatican as he engaged in his yearly address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

Lament from an Allegheny County courtroom

Last January, I became Committee of Counsel in the court action: Memorial Park Presbyterian Church v. Pittsburgh Presbytery. Memorial Park had filed a complaint to the Allegheny County common pleas court seeking to quiet title the property on which the congregation worships.

American Bible Society’s new president began Jan. 1

(RNS) A longtime executive of evangelical organizations became the new president of the American Bible Society on Jan. 1.

Experts say Bush administration left mark on faith-based funding

(ABP) — President Bush’s administration and a host of court rulings have indelibly altered the way that the federal government relates to religious charities, according to an analysis by experts on the subject.

Obama’s Lincolnesque faith embraces uncertainty

Perilous times plagued our nation in the days before Lincoln and Obama took presidential oaths. Both realized one dynamic was certain: Uncertainty.

U.S. must own up to misdeeds, says Grawemeyer religion winner

(PNS) The author of a book that calls for the acknowledgement and repentance of the morally negative events of America’s past is the winner of the 2009 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Pastor in South Carolina tells impact of raid

Chuy Gallegos, pastor of a Hispanic immigrant fellowship in Greenville, S.C., responds to questions by Leslie Scanlon, Outlook national reporter, about the impact on his congregation of the October raid on the Columbia Farms poultry plant.

Immigration raid experiences spur search for equitable solutions

Many people concerned about immigration reform will be watching the start of the Obama administration carefully, looking for indications of how the new president will lean on one of the nation’s most divisive issues.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance issues call from Middle East situation

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has issued the following report and appeal today (January 9):

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
For surely I know the plans I have for you…to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
 
All people impacted by the current violence in the Middle East are facing overwhelming humanitarian needs as a result of the continuing violence. The most basic needs — safe shelter, medical care, food, water, electricity — are well beyond the reach of many of those caught in the crossfire.

Writers Guild seeking new authors for award

The Presbyterian Writers Guild is again seeking entries for the James Angell Award to be presented to the best first book published by a Presbyterian author during the calendar year of 2008. The Guild and the family of James Angell, a prolific and respected Presbyterian writer, established the award to recognize and encourage new writers.

WARC issues call to prayer and action for Gaza

LOUISVILLE — Leaders of the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have called upon member churches to pray for an immediate cease-fire and for “a lasting peace with justice in this region ...”

“None of the violence is acceptable,” said WARC President Clifton Kirkpatrick of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and WARC General Secretary Setri Nyomi — a Ghanaian Presbyterian — in their Jan. 7 statement, entitled “A Call to Prayer and Action to End the Violence in Gaza.”

U.S. university to examine religion’s impact on global human rights

(ENI)--The University  of California in Santa Barbara is to host what it says is a first-of-its-kind series of meetings between humanitarian organization leaders and scholars in international studies to examine the role of religion in human rights work around the globe.

The Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the university will conduct the research thanks to a $400,000 grant awarded by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Study on Vatican’s wartime diplomacy wins author top award

(ENI)--A new book on Vatican diplomacy during World War II that examines the stance of Pope Pius XII on the persecution of the Jews has been hailed as "a path-breaking study" that will shed light on a controversial issue facing the Roman Catholic Church.

The book by Charles R. Gallagher, a London-based Jesuit priest, tells the story of Joseph Patrick Hurley, a priest who was the first U.S. citizen to become a diplomat for the Vatican, and who found himself embroiled in debates about communism and Nazism during the build-up to war in the 1930s.

Stated Clerk issues statement on Gaza-Israel crisis: Parsons: “All violence in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank must stop”

LOUISVILLE — Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons called Jan. 7 for an immediate end to the violence in Israel/Palestine and reiterated the church’s call for the “two-state solution” endorsed by the Bush administration and the World Council of Churches among many others.

Kenyan church leaders fear press gag is sign of coalition cracks

(ENI)--Some church leaders in Kenya fear cracks within the ruling coalition could worsen, if the parties fail to mend their differences and they say that laws seen as seeking to stifle free speech and muzzle the press reflect the tensions.

Roman Catholic Bishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of Machakos described a proposed media law as unfortunate, and urged an amendment of controversial clauses. "The State should not do what the majority of the population is against," Bishop Kivuva, a former journalist, told the Daily Nation newspaper January 5.

College Conference: A tech-savvy generation gets together

Market researchers have done studies on the generation of Americans who are now around college age, a generation sometimes known as Generation Y or the Millennial generation.

An information sheet that the international profession services firm Deloitte put out in 2005 included a list of characteristics shared by this younger sector of the population. “Techno-savvy” and “Connected … 24/7” topped the list. Farther down the page, the sheet included the statements “Never experienced life without computers” and “The world is a click away.”

Byzantium display stirs interest in Christian and Islamic culture

(ENI) —The Antioch chalice, regarded by some as the Holy Grail, the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper, is attracting the attention of about 6,000 visitors each day at an exhibition in London depicting 1,000 years of the Byzantine Empire.

Churches in Sri Lanka rue ‘war mongering’ as rebels lose HQ

BANGALORE (ENI) — Sri Lanka's National Christian Council has urged religious leaders to speak out against "warmongering" following violent celebrations by majority Sinhala groups after government forces captured the headquarters of ethnic Tamil rebels at Kilinochchi in the northern part of the country.

Israeli aide says Norwegian church Gaza statement ‘one-sided’

OSLO (ENI) — The general secretary of the (Lutheran) Church of Norway's council on foreign and ecumenical relations, the Olav Fykse Tveit, says he was summoned to the Israeli embassy in Oslo after criticizing Israel's use of military force in Gaza.

Many injured can’t be reached says Gaza hospital director

(ENI) Civilians injured by bombings in Gaza are stuck in their homes without food and water, unable to seek medical attention, says the director of an Anglican hospital in Gaza City. Nurses working at the hospital are unable to reach their own injured children at home.