Retired UK vicar risks jail over welfare reform campaign; Praying for the peace of Jerusalem as fresh talks start; US Pew Research Center relaunches religion and public; Two ecumenical bodies established for Sudan and South Sudan
Retired UK vicar risks jail over welfare reform campaign
[Mirror by Ros Wynne-Jones] Leaning on his walking stick outside Tottenham magistrates court, the Reverend Paul Nicolson cuts a frail but determined figure.
At the age of 82, he has been summonsed for non-payment of council tax, with arrears and costs amounting to £1,016.
Today, Friday, he will tell the court he will not pay a penny of this money – until Haringey Council restores 100% council tax benefit for benefit claimants and the Government stops the Benefit Cap he believes is destroying his community.
“Civil disobedience is morally defensible,” he will say, “when the laws being highlighted are morally indefensible.”
The father of five, who has nine grandchildren, says he is prepared to go to jail for his beliefs.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/reverend-paul-nicolson-ready-go-2106116
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem as fresh talks start
Fresh talks aimed at reaching a permanent peace agreement in the Holy Land have begun under the sponsorship of the United States’ government.
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, convened talks in Washington this week between Dr Saeb Erekat of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. Those talks paved the way for an agreement on talks on a permanent agreement.
“I know the path is difficult. There is no shortage of passionate skeptics. But with capable, respected negotiators, like Minister Tzipi Livni and Dr. Saeb Erekat, standing side by side here today… with their efforts, their expertise, and their commitment, I’m convinced that we can get there,” Secretary Kerry said.
“The Israeli people and the Palestinian people both have leaders willing to heed the call of history, leaders who will stand strong in the face of criticism and are right now for what they know is in their people’s best interests,” he said. “Their commitment to make tough choices, frankly, should give all of us hope that these negotiations actually have a chance to accomplish something.”
Welcoming the talks, the Bishop in Jerusalem the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, told ACNS: “For our area, for the Middle East as a whole, it is important that there is now a serious start to the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, which have been on hold for several years.
“The re-start of the peace talks will help to ease the tensions here and provide everyone with some hope that peace is still possible. Generally, people are wearied by the constant conflict and lack of peace. They are tired of the killing and loss of life.
“The renewed peace talks will keep hope alive that a better day is coming for everyone involved. With peace and reconciliation both peoples will have a better life, where everyone can live in freedom, with equal opportunity to build their future, and to advance the well-being of their families and communities.”
Bishop Suheil continued: “These peace talks will help indigenous Christians as well, who also are negatively impacted by conflict and the lack of peace and reconciliation. Our prayers are with those who are directly involved in the negotiations, that they will be successful in reviving and refreshing the Two-State Solution, and that a true and genuine agreement will be reached which enables both peoples to live side by side, each in a vibrant state of their own, and with peace, justice and security.”
US Pew Research Center relaunches religion and public
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life has been renamed the “Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project.”
It also relaunched its website, which has been integrated into the main Pew Research Center site and redesigned to be more accessible and easier to use on mobile devices.
The Center announced: “While these changes more clearly reflect the project’s identity as part of the Pew Research Center, the project’s mission will remain the same: to conduct and deliver high-quality research on a wide range of issues concerning religion and society in the United States and around the world.”
The new website, pewresearch.org/religion, has a fresh look and feel that matches several of the other Pew Research websites and also features an expanded topics list so users can easily explore more than a decade’s worth of in-depth, cutting-edge research on religion and public life.
“We hope our redesigned site makes it easier for all users – whether they are policymakers, journalists, religious leaders or citizens – to find timely and reliable information about religion’s role in public life in America and the world,” explained project director Luis Lugo.
Two ecumenical bodies established for Sudan and South Sudan
Two ecumenical councils in South Sudan and Sudan have now been established. The decision comes after South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum mandated by the 2005 peace pact that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.
The decision establishing the two ecumenical organisations was shared in a report released by the Sudanese church leadership on 27 July 2013.
The bodies are the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), based in Juba, and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), based in Khartoum.
The SCC previously represented member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) both in Sudan and South Sudan and existed as one ecumenical organisation for 48 years.
The decision to establish two separate ecumenical organisations was reached through a lengthy process undertaken at the SCC’s 20th General Assembly from 3 to 7 July in Nairobi, Kenya.
The assembly was attended by Dr Nigussu Legesse, WCC programme executive for advocacy on African issues, and the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia of Kenya, the WCC’s former general secretary.
The assembly announced Festus Abdel Aziz James as the new General Secretary of the SSCC in Juba, and the Rev Kori Romla Koru as the new General Secretary of the SCC based in Khartoum.
The WCC General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed his good wishes and prayers for the future work of the Sudanese councils.
He said: “Despite all the difficulties that the Sudan Council of Churches has faced during and after independence of South Sudan, it is admirable how churches have remained committed towards peace and justice in South Sudan and Sudan.”
“When both ecumenical organisations start working in new structures, we pray that they continue to carry their vision for education, peace and reconciliation and serving the communities in the spirit of pure Christian unity, with each other and with the churches around the world,” he added.
Tveit visited Juba and Khartoum in April this year, where he met with the church leaders and government representatives and expressed solidarity with the Sudanese churches.
The two ecumenical councils plan to celebrate their 50 year Golden Jubilee together in January 2015.