Rapid read summary of church news
Indian Ocean: Archbishop issues appeal for cyclone-hit Madagascar
ACNS – Thirty-one people have been killed and 250,000 left homeless after Cyclone Giovanna devastated Madagascar. Part of the Dioceses of Toamasina and Antananarivo in Madagascar have been destroyed by Cyclone Giovanna. The death toll, now at 31, continues to rise and the number of people homeless has reached 250,000. More at :
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/2/29/ACNS5053
“Cathedral in the Night” homeless ministry
Episcopal News Service – The loss of her job in the medical records field more than two years ago cost Carol Hopkins her home and forced her to move. And although Hopkins, 60, still makes searching for a new job a daily task, she fears her age is limiting her ability to find employment again. “I try to stay hopeful and be positive,” she said. Hopkins is one of dozens of homeless people in Northampton, Massachusetts, and its surrounding communities who have found solace and a hot meal at an ecumenical outdoor ministry called Cathedral in the Night.
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/02/28/cathedral-in-the-night-serves-homeless-engages-students/
“Justice for Women” is focus of Archbishop’s Women’s Day
ACNS – Archbishop Rowan Williams will take part in a “Justice for Women” service in London to mark two global days for women. Working with Central Africa and the Mothers Union, the Anglican Alliance produced a resource pack for churches to use for services on International Women’s Day and Mothers Day. The packs, with briefings and suggestions for action are available in English and French. To highlight the call for justice, the Archbishop and Mrs Jane Williams will be taking part in the service at St George’s Church in Camberwell, London. The Church serves a community in which many women have struggled for justice to overcome inequalities, inspired and supported by the Mothers Union. More at :
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/2/29/ACNS5054
Archbishop of Canterbury links human rights to faith
Lambeth – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, spoke of the link that human rights must have with faith and of the responsibilities inherent in Christian unity in a day-long visit to the Ecumenical Center in Geneva.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/2/28/ACNS5052
Head of Islamic organization deplores killings in Afghanistan
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5495
Call for release of UK journalists held by Libyan militia
Ekklesia – Two British journalists and their Libyan colleagues held by a Libyan militia must be set free immediately or transferred to government custody, says Amnesty
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16348
Syria Passes New Constitution, Bars Non-Muslims From Presidency
Christian Post – Syria’s new constitution may have passed a referendum on Sunday, but Christians are protesting the inclusion of an article that would prevent a non-Muslim from being the country’s president. The constitution passed with 89.4 percent approval, according to Syrian state television. Syria also claims that 57.4 percent of voters turned out for the election, although international diplomats estimate the actual turnout was closer to five percent. Many opposition members boycotted the timing of the measure, saying that they could not effectively vote while fights between the government and the rebels continued to flare up across the country.
http://global.christianpost.com/news/syria-passes-new-constitution-bars-non-muslims-from-presidency-70481/
Lent an opportunity to work on ‘restoring and healing’ relationships
Episcopal News Service – Hong Kong – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached to a full house on the first Sunday of Lent during a service at St. John’s Cathedral in Hong Kong Feb. 26. “This season called Lent is an opportunity to work on healing and restoring relationships of all sorts,” said the presiding bishop. “Lent began as a time of solidarity with those who were preparing for baptism at Easter. It marks the beginning of a special relationship with new members of the body of Christ. When they are baptized, the community promises to stay in relationship. Those ancient Lenten exercises of prayer, study, fasting, and alms-giving are ways of reminding and training ourselves to be better stewards of our relationships with each other and with God.”
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/02/27/presiding-bishop-preaches-at-st-johns-cathedral-hong-kong/
Vatican says relations with Vietnam continue to improve
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The government of Vietnam has agreed to allow the pope’s special envoy to have greater freedom to visit Catholics in the communist country, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, said Vatican-Vietnamese relations continue to take “gradual steps forward,” including an agreement reached in late February “to facilitate the work” of Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the pope’s non-resident envoy to the Vietnam, by making it easier for him to visit Catholic leaders and communities. The archbishop, who was appointed in January 2011, took part in meetings Feb. 27-28 of a joint Vatican-Vietnamese working group, established to work toward fully normalizing relations. For years, top Vatican diplomats made annual trips to Vietnam to work out details of the church’s life and freedom to function in the country. The trips included a discussion of every potential bishop’s appointment with government officials. The Vatican always insisted that needing government permission to name a bishop was not the usual Vatican procedure, but that it could be tolerated temporarily as Vatican-Vietnamese relations improved. The Vatican delegation visiting Hanoi Feb. 27-28 was led by Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican undersecretary for relations with states.