c. 1996 Religion News Service
Report says Bonhoeffer soon to be pardoned
(RNS) The German government may be about to pardon Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran theologian executed by the Nazis and who is still listed under German law as guilty of high treason.
Reuters news agency Monday (June 24) quoted unnamed German legal sources as saying the pardon could come”this summer or fall.” If it does, it would follow the recent pardoning of a Roman Catholic priest, the Rev. Bernhard Lichtenberg, who died while in the Nazis custody after publicly praying for Jews and others persecuted by Adolf Hitler. That pardon came just prior to Pope John Paul II’s recent visit to Germany, which ended Sunday (June 23). Lichtenberg was one of two priests beatified by the pope, the next to last step before being declared a saint in the Catholic Church.
Bonhoeffer was a leading anti-Nazi dissident who was arrested in 1943 after urging members of the German clergy to actively oppose Hitler. While in prison, Bonhoeffer _ a key member of the anti-Nazi”Confessing Church”movement _ wrote his best-known book,”Prisoner of God _ Letters and Papers from Prison.” After Nazi officials learned that Bonhoeffer had also been part of a failed plot to stage an anti-Hitler coup, he was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was hanged in April 1945.
German politicians and church leaders have long urged the German government to officially pardon Bonhoeffer, arguing that he should be seen as a hero _ not a criminal _ for standing up to Hitler. Earlier this year, a German Protestant pastor formally asked the government to overturn Bonhoeffer’s conviction.
In 1951, a Munich court ruled that Bonhoeffer’s conviction was valid under the law that was in effect during the Nazi era. Because of that, the court ruled the conviction could not be overturned.
However, Ruediger Reiff, a spokesman for the Berlin justice ministry, recently said that”the public prosecutor has determined that the verdict was handed down for political reasons.”
Homosexual-oriented Metropolitan Community Church gets new home
(RNS) The homosexual-oriented International Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches has purchased a $3.8 million complex in West Hollywood, Calif., for use as the denomination’s first permanent headquarters. “This is a great day for (our church) and for lesbians and gays everywhere,”said the Rev. Troy Perry, the founder and moderator of the 32,000-member denomination, which has nearly 300 congregations in 18 nations.”Our global headquarters will be a highly visible symbol of the maturity, stability, decency and permanence of the gay-lesbian community.” The church’s new home will be a five-story structure that has an adjacent two-story building. The denomination is expected to move into the new facility in a few months, once renovations are completed.
The denomination _ along with its”mother church”_ currently operate from leased facilities in Hollywood. The”mother church,”founded by Perry in 1968, saw its last building destroyed in the 1994 Northridge, Calif., earthquake.
The denomination made a $1 million down payment on the new property and has financed the remaining $2.8 million. Perry said the denomination hopes to pay off the loan within three years.
Archbishop of Canterbury honors retiring Archbishop Desmond Tutu
(RNS) Retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been named the first recipient of an award established by the Archbishop of Canterbury to honor those who have given outstanding service to the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey presented the award to Tutu during a ceremony Sunday (June 23) in Cape Town. Tutu, who was a leader in the anti-apartheid struggle, has stepped down after a decade as the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town and primate of the Anglican province of southern Africa.
Retirement will not mean inactivity for Tutu, 64, who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. He will continue to serve the church as an”archbishop at large”and will also serve as chairman of South Africa’s official Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigates abuses perpetuated during the apartheid era.
The award was described by Ecumenical News International, the news service of the World Council of Churches, as a”silver pot with lid, inscribed and inlaid with the Canterbury Cross. It is decorated with large stones,”which will vary according to where the recipient lives.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary no longer on probation
(RNS) The Association of Theological Schools has ended a two-year probation ahead of schedule for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
The probation was imposed in January 1995 after the dismissal of former president Russell Dilday, who was fired in March 1994 by theologically conservative trustees who felt he was sympathetic to moderates in the Southern Baptist Convention.
In addition, the association’s Commission of Accrediting reaffirmed the seminary’s accreditation, reported Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.”We’re extremely pleased at the action of the commission,”said Scotty Gray, executive vice president at the seminary.”We have had a very good relationship with our accrediting agency, and we’re pleased to have this reaffirmation of our institution.” Originally, the probation would have ended in January 1997. The institution was placed on probation in part because the commission determined that the seminary’s trustee board failed to provide regular evaluation of the president, did not deal sensitively with the various constituencies of the seminary and failed to maintain the seminary’s”integrity and freedom.” The seminary must report to the commission by April 1997 about its continuation of newly instituted policies that deal with some of the commission’s concerns.
Southwestern is one of six Southern Baptist Convention seminaries and the largest in the nation.
Garry Hill, formerly of Z Music Television, new Faith & Values CEO
(RNS) Garry Hill, former executive vice president and general manager of Z Music Television, has been named chief executive officer of the New York-based Faith & Values Channel (F&V).
Hill, 46, began working at Faith & Values June 11, succeeding Nelson Price, who was CEO for six years.
The Faith & Values Channel, which began as VISN (Vision Interfaith Satellite Network), plans to change its name to”Odyssey”on Oct. 1.
The interfaith channel is owned by VISN Management Corp., a subsidiary of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, and Liberty Media Corp., a subsidiary of Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI). It was founded in 1987 by a consortium of Protestant, Jewish, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faith groups. Its programs are a mix of religious, values-based and family-oriented broadcasts.”After an extensive search, we found someone who combines a strong business background with a firm commitment to the type of programming F&V is mandated to provide,”Wil Bane, chairman of VISN Management Corp., said of Hill.
The Faith & Values Channel reaches about 26 million households on nearly 1,600 cable systems, and it also airs nationwide on Channel 83 of Primestar, a direct-to-home satellite service.
Quote of the Day: Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops
(RNS) Speaking on the Catholic bishops’ role in politics, Pilla opened the semiannual meeting of bishops in Portland, Ore., by saying:”… Our intention is not either to advance or to undermine the electoral fortunes of any individual or party. History shows that, in our culture, at least, when religious leaders enter into electoral politics, it is more likely that religion will be debased than that politics will be elevated.”
MJP END RNS
