c. 2004 Religion News Service
Spitting on Christians Decried in Israel
JERUSALEM (RNS) The Israeli government has vowed to crack down on religious Jews who insult and spit at Christians.
In a stern statement issued Tuesday (Oct. 12), Interior Minister Avraham Poraz condemned recent incidents in which Jewish seminary students, many of them Americans studying in Israel, spat at Christian clergy during processions through the Old City of Jerusalem.
Poraz expressed “revulsion” and called the situation intolerable, vowing to take action to prevent future incidents.
The latest incident occurred Sunday, when an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student studying in the Old City spat at a cross being carried by Armenian Archbishop Nourhan Manougian as he led a procession near the community’s church. Jerusalem police said that a scuffle ensued between the student and Manougian, who slapped the student after the latter damaged the medallion the archbishop wore around his neck. The student was arrested and subsequently barred from entering the Old City for 75 days. The archbishop was questioned by the police.
Manougian told RNS in an interview that there have been several such incidents between Jews and Christians since 1967, when Israel took control of the eastern part of Jerusalem, where the walled Old City is located. “It happens whenever they see a Christian procession or a Christian clergyman,” Manougian said, referring to the small minority of fervently religious Jews who continue the age-old custom of spitting at the sight of Christian symbols. The exact origins of this practice are unknown.
The archbishop said that “sometimes they spit, sometimes they cut through the procession. They have thrown garbage in front of the churches and broken the crosses on tombstones.”
Manougian charged that the police “do nothing” to the Jews accused of committing these offenses.
“The police hold them for a few minutes or bring them to the police station and then let them go,” he said.
While the archbishop expressed his appreciation for Poraz’s statement, he insisted that “the Israeli government must do more to stop these actions.”
Although the practice of spitting is reportedly encouraged _ or at the very least tolerated _ at certain ultra-Orthodox seminaries, mainstream religious leaders abhor the practice. Such conduct is “a desecration of the Divine Name” and also liable to contribute to anti-Semitism in the Diaspora,” Rabbi Yisrael Lau, former chief rabbi of Israel, said in a statement.
Lau said that the Jerusalem municipality “cannot divest itself of responsibility for these actions. Protection of everything sacred to other religions is one of the justifications for Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem, whose legitimacy will be undermined if this spitting becomes prevalent.”
According to the Israel office of the American Jewish Committee, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky plans to appoint an adviser in the next few days to deal with the problem of Jewish harassment of religious minorities in Jerusalem. The adviser will submit a comprehensive program aimed at improving interreligious relations in the city.
_ Michele Chabin
Hindus and Sikhs Find Substitute for Ganges River
LONDON (RNS) Hindus and Sikhs in Britain have turned a stretch of a local waterway into a surrogate Ganges River so they can scatter the ashes of their loved ones without having to travel all the way back to India.
They are hiring canal boats to take them into the River Soar, in England’s county of Leicestershire, to carry out the ritual.
The bereaved rent the boats from Frank Reeves, the owner of Barrow Boating, who said they have assured him that the Soar “has been blessed and mixed with water from the Ganges by one of the priests, so it’s OK to use.”
It’s also OK with Britain’s Environment Agency, which is notoriously particular about how and where the remains of dead people are disposed.
Traditionally, thousands travel to India to drop the ashes of their dead relatives on the waters of the sacred Ganges. Now in Britain, they can take a boat ride and perform the same ceremony on waters closer to where they live.
“We stop the boat or tread water, depending on the weather conditions,” said Reeves. “The people have their ceremony, spread the ashes over the side of the boat, and then we bring them back.
“They come back very joyful and very happy that they’ve been able to do it as a family.”
_ Al Webb
Vatican Gives Approval to Broadcasting Sacrament
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Offering Catholic bishops suggestions and proposals for observing the Year of the Eucharist, the Vatican has said that radio and television Masses are acceptable but going to church is better.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments gave conditional approval to media Masses in a 35-page document addressed to national and regional conferences of Catholic bishops throughout the world.
The document, titled “Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals,” was intended to help bishops lead observances dedicated to the Eucharist for the 12 months between October 2004 and October 2005.
The Eucharist is the sacrament of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, perpetuating his sacrifice on the cross. The church believes in the real presence of Christ in the bread, called the host, and the wine of which worshippers partake.
Pope John Paul II proclaimed the year with the apostolic letter “Stay With Us, Lord,” issued Oct. 8. The observances opened this week at an International Eucharist Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, and John Paul will preside over an inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday evening (Oct. 17).
Emphasizing the importance of attendance at Mass on Sundays, the Vatican congregation said, “To revive the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist in all communities must be the first task of this special year.”
Broadcasts of the Mass are “useful especially for those for whom it is impossible to participate in the Mass,” the congregation said.
But it told bishops to carefully consider “the type and the quality of television and radio transmission of the Eucharistic celebration.” It said they must ensure the “correctness of the recordings, good quality of the comment and beauty and dignity of the celebration so as not to diffuse questionable procedures.”
It advised bishops to pay attention also to other forms of prayer transmitted by radio and television, especially the adoration of the Eucharist. The adoration of the Eucharist consists of prayer before the tabernacle holding the consecrated host.
The congregation urged bishops “to favor adorations in church.”
_ Peggy Polk
Israeli Prime Minister Allows Muslims to Begin Ramadan at Sacred Site
JERUSALEM (RNS) A reversal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon allowed tens of thousands of Muslims to begin Ramadan on Friday (Oct. 15) by praying at a spot where tradition says the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Sharon had previously informed the Wakf, the Islamic trust that maintains the site, that unless it took urgent measures, the number of worshippers would be restricted to just 60,000. Ordinarily, the site can accommodate more than 200,000 worshippers.
Sharon reversed that initial decision on Thursday, enabling Muslims to begin their most sacred time of the year at the site, called the Temple Mount by Jews and Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims.
The prime minister issued his initial warning after Israeli engineers said that the construction work performed by the Wakf in recent years had weakened the mount to such a degree that it was in danger of collapsing under the weight of a massive crowd.
According to local press reports, Sharon’s about-face occurred on Thursday, after a high-ranking police official informed him that the Wakf, aided by Jordanian engineers, had sufficiently bolstered the ceiling of a large underground area known as Solomon’s Stables. Part of the weakened area was also reportedly sealed off from worshippers.
Initially, Muslim leaders had shrugged off the Israeli government’s warnings, claiming they were an attempt to reduce Muslim influence over the site, which is also holy to Jews.
“Limiting the number of worshippers is a declaration of war on Allah by the Jews,” Tayseer Tamimi, chief judge of the Islamic Court in Jerusalem, told the newspaper Ha’aretz.
Israeli officials countered that they were simply trying to ensure the safety of Muslim worshippers.
The vast majority of Muslims who prayed at the mount Friday were Arab citizens of Israel. Despite the start of Ramadan, Israel maintained a tight security closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip that prevented most residents of these areas from entering Jerusalem.
_ Michele Chabin
Vatican Gives Approval to Broadcasting Sacrament
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Offering Catholic bishops suggestions and proposals for observing the Year of the Eucharist, the Vatican has said that radio and television Masses are acceptable but going to church is better.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments gave conditional approval to media Masses in a 35-page document addressed to national and regional conferences of Catholic bishops throughout the world.
The document, titled “Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals,” was intended to help bishops lead observances dedicated to the Eucharist for the 12 months between October 2004 and October 2005.
The Eucharist is the sacrament of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, perpetuating his sacrifice on the cross. The church believes in the real presence of Christ in the bread, called the host, and the wine of which worshippers partake.
Pope John Paul II proclaimed the year with the apostolic letter “Stay With Us, Lord,” issued Oct. 8. The observances opened this week at an International Eucharist Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, and John Paul will preside over an inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday evening (Oct. 17).
Emphasizing the importance of attendance at Mass on Sundays, the Vatican congregation said, “To revive the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist in all communities must be the first task of this special year.”
Broadcasts of the Mass are “useful especially for those for whom it is impossible to participate in the Mass,” the congregation said.
But it told bishops to carefully consider “the type and the quality of television and radio transmission of the Eucharistic celebration.” It said they must ensure the “correctness of the recordings, good quality of the comment and beauty and dignity of the celebration so as not to diffuse questionable procedures.”
It advised bishops to pay attention also to other forms of prayer transmitted by radio and television, especially the adoration of the Eucharist. The adoration of the Eucharist consists of prayer before the tabernacle holding the consecrated host.
The congregation urged bishops “to favor adorations in church.”
_ Peggy Polk
Evangelicals Urged to Base Their Votes on the Bible
(RNS) Dozens of evangelical Christian leaders have signed an open letter to American citizens asking them to rely on biblical values as they choose candidates on Election Day.
“With thankfulness for the freedom of all Americans to believe whatever they think best regarding matters of religion and ethics, we offer this statement of our personal understanding of the teachings of the Bible for the thoughtful consideration of all who are interested in how the Bible might speak to ethical issues in the current election,” they wrote in the introduction to the two-page letter.
The statement, spearheaded by executives of Focus on the Family, including founder and president James Dobson, cited biblical reasons for choosing candidates. For example, it cited verses against harming pregnant women when declaring support for candidates who agree with their view on abortion.
“We believe the ethical choice is for candidates who believe government should give protection to the lives of unborn children, not ones who believe government should allow people to choose to murder their unborn children if they wish,” they wrote.
They called appointment of Supreme Court justices an ethical issue and criticized members of the current court for going beyond strictly interpreting laws.
“We believe the ethical choice is for a president and for U.S. senators committed to appointing judges who will follow the original intent of the Constitution and just interpret law and not make it, rather than for candidates who have often voted to block such judges in votes in the Senate,” they wrote.
They also offered biblical arguments for choosing candidates who oppose gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research.
The letter ended with a note, based on a tax lawyer’s advice, saying that a church leader who chooses to read the letter from the pulpit will not violate laws regarding tax-exempt organizations and political advocacy.
Signatories included Christian Film & Television Commission Chairman Ted Baehr of Camarillo, Calif.; American Values President Gary Bauer; World Magazine founder Joel Belz; American Family Association founder Donald Wildmon; and professors of Christian colleges and seminaries.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Bishop Urges Prayers on Abortion to Patron Saint of Politicians
(RNS) The Roman Catholic bishop of Wilmington, Del., has asked Catholics to pray to the patron saint of politicians in hopes that elected officials who support abortion might have a “change of heart.”
Bishop Michael Saltarelli issued a prayer litany to St. Thomas More for politicians to be “courageous and effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life.”
“Our hope is to lead our people back to prayer and to the basic tenets of this great nation _ `In God We Trust,’ `One Nation Under God,’ `God who is the author of all life,” Saltarelli told his diocesan newspaper. “We will storm heaven with our prayersâÂ?¦”
St. Thomas More, a close associate of England’s King Henry VIII, was beheaded in 1535 when he refused to acknowledge the king as head of the church in England. In 2000, Pope John Paul II named him the patron saint of lawyers, politicians and statesmen.
The “Prayer for Virtuous Governance” has been distributed to parishes and Catholic schools, and the bishop said he hopes Catholics will use it beyond the Nov. 2 elections.
Catholic politicians who support abortion rights _ especially Sen. John Kerry _ have come under fire from some bishops for violating church teaching. Saltarelli said he has met with dissenting politicians and urged all Catholics not to seek Communion if they are unworthy to receive it.
“Thomas More knew the consequences of his choice. He knew the world would view him as politically incorrect,” he told the newspaper.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
France Continues to Grapple With Charges of Anti-Semitism
PARIS (RNS) France’s struggle to overcome charges of anti-Semitism has received more setbacks in recent weeks as a prominent journalist accused Israel of being a racist state and a far-right politician minimized the scope of the Holocaust.
On Monday (Oct. 18), Alain Menarges, information director for the state-funded Radio France International, was forced to step down after describing Israel as a racist state. Menarges’ statements on France’s LCI TV _ along with separate radio remarks that Jews had created “the first ghetto” in Venice _ drew protests from Radio France’s own reporters and from the French Foreign Ministry.
But Menarges remained unapologetic, telling France’s Liberation newspaper in an interview published Tuesday that his remarks were taken out of context, and that he was the victim of a conservative Jewish lobby that could not tolerate having Israel criticized.
Menarges’ remarks came at a sensitive time for the French government.
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier left Sunday for a three-day trip to Israel aimed at shoring up bilateral ties frayed over Israeli charges of anti-Semitism in France, and of Paris’ perceived support for the Palestinian cause.
The French political establishment has already been roiled by separate remarks by Bruno Gollnisch, second in command of the far-right National Front party.
Last month Gollnisch, a university professor, cast doubt on the dimensions of the Holocaust, telling reporters the number of Jews that died in Nazi concentration camps was smaller than reported.
The National Front’s leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, sparked outrage in 1987 when he described the Holocaust as a “detail” in history.
Le Pen placed second in the first round of French presidential elections in 2002. He was trounced by President Jacques Chirac in the second round, in a virtual referendum against extremism.
On Friday, French Justice Minister Dominique Perben suggested that the state might press charges against Gollnisch for “negation of crimes against humanity.”
France has long battled allegations of latent anti-Semitism, and some critics say it has yet to come to grips with its World War II-era past, when the collaborationist Vichy government was in power.
Since 2000, however, friction between Muslims and Jews has been largely blamed for a sharp spike in attacks against the country’s 600,000-strong Jewish community.
_ Elizabeth Bryant
Quotes of the Week: President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry at the final presidential debate on Wednesday (Oct. 13).
“I pray for strength. I pray for wisdom. I pray for our troops in harm’s way. I pray for my family. I pray for my little girls. But I’m mindful in a free society that people can worship if they want to or not. You’re equally an American if you choose to worship an almighty and if you choose not to. If you’re a Christian, Jew or Muslim, you’re equally an American. That’s the great thing about America, is the right to worship the way you see fit.”
_ President Bush
“I went to a church school and I was taught that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord, your God, with all your mind, your body and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. And frankly, I think we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do in this country and on this planet. … And as president, I will always respect everybody’s right to practice religion as they choose _ or not to practice _ because that’s part of America.”
_ Sen. John F. Kerry
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