c. 2005 Religion News Service

Vatican and Israel Pledge to End Dispute Over Church Property

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Israeli President Moshe Katsav met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Thursday (Nov. 17), pledging to swiftly settle a long-standing stalemate over the tax and legal status of Vatican properties in Israel.

Making his first visit to the Vatican since Benedict’s election in April, Katsav also extended an invitation initially made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in July for the pope to visit Israel. Katsav said the pope “responded positively” and expressed hope that the trip would be made in the coming year.

A statement released by the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican deputy spokesman, said the meeting paid “particular attention” to the ongoing dispute over the fiscal and legal status of Catholic property in the Holy Land.

For more than a decade, Israel and the Vatican have been locked in a stalemate over Israeli laws that do not guarantee the tax exemptions the Vatican and other religious institution routinely receive in other countries. Israeli law also denies the Vatican access to judicial courts when land ownership disputes occur.

Speaking to a press conference following the visit, Katsav said he spoke with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, “promising that an effort would be made to accelerate the (negotiations) and respond positively to the requests of the Catholic Church.

“Most of the issues are almost settled. Very few remain open” to further negotiation, Katsav said, pledging to reach a solution “as soon as possible.”

Traditionally, Israel has granted tax exemptions to Catholic property, but regional and local governments have recently started pressing Catholic institutions such as hospitals and pilgrimage centers to pay back taxes.

The Vatican argues that its right to tax exemption was established centuries ago, recognized under the Ottoman Empire and reflected in United Nations Resolution 181, which effectively created Israel in 1947. According to the resolution, religious properties that had been tax exempt before the resolution should remain so.

Katsav said his meeting with Benedict also focused on relations with Islam and the ongoing conflict with Palestinians in the Middle East.

Benedettini, the deputy Vatican spokesman, said the pope reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for a two-state solution between Palestinians and Israelis.

_ Stacy Meichtry

Anglican Bishops Rebuke Archbishop of Canterbury Over Gay Issue

LONDON (RNS) Nearly half the 38 primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion have rebuked the archbishop of Canterbury for not condemning a liberal attitude to homosexuality shown by Anglican churches in North America.

Of particular concern is the 2003 election and consecration of openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire and the moves in Canada toward providing a form of blessing for same-sex unions.

The 17 Primates _ including Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies _ saw the unity of the Anglican Communion challenged by “unrepented sexual immorality.”

In a letter sent Wednesday (Nov. 16) to Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, they said they appreciated his recent acknowledgement that the “overwhelming consensus” of the church was that sex was intended by God for married couples only and that “same-sex sex is unacceptable and cannot be described as `holy and blessed.”’

The primates _ the bishops of highest ranking in their respective countries _ went on to say, however, that they “wonder, however, whether your personal dissent from this consensus prevents you from taking the necessary steps to confront those churches” that endorse homosexuality.

“We urge you to rethink your personal views and embrace the church’s consensus and to act on it, based as it is on the clear witness of Scripture,” the letter said.

While the Anglican tradition does not give the archbishop of Canterbury the authority the Roman Catholic Church gives its pope, Williams is the spiritual head of a worldwide “communion” comprised of 37 self-governing provinces, with churches in more than 160 countries.

The primates said they were troubled by Williams’ reluctance “to call for the immediate cessation of any blessings of same-sex unions and on any ordinations of those in such unions in every diocese” in the United States and Canada.

In addition, the primates criticized the Church of England’s acceptance of the Civil Partnerships Act which comes into force Dec. 5 in Britain. The law allows homosexual couples to register their partnership to obtain some of the legal benefits associated with matrimony.

_ Robert Nowell

Oregon Archdiocese Says it Can Pay Sex Abuse Victims $40 Million

(RNS) Sixteen months after betting its future on a high-stakes bankruptcy, the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., has spread its cards on the table, offering to pay sex-abuse victims $40 million.

The archdiocese, which is still besieged by 121 pending sex-abuse claims seeking hundreds of millions of dollars, said Wednesday (Nov. 16) that it believes the $40 million, in Archbishop John G. Vlazny’s words, is “fair and just compensation for victims who have been sexually abused.”

The archdiocese, which encompasses nearly 400,000 Roman Catholics in Western Oregon, filed its plan for emerging from bankruptcy late Tuesday. The church simultaneously asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth L. Perris to accept its $40 million estimate for pending claims.

An additional $2 million would go to victims whose claims are undisputed.

Church lawyers and officials said the plan would enable the church to pay victims’ claims in full and move on with its religious mission, perhaps early next year.

“We think this is a very good plan for creditors, a very good plan for claimants,” said Thomas W. Stilley, one of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy lawyers. “I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t like this plan.”

The plan came under immediate attack from lawyers representing sex-abuse plaintiffs. They predicted the plan would not get majority approval from claimants, which is needed for final confirmation. In addition, claimants representing at least two-thirds of the dollar amounts of claims must vote to approve the plan.

Kelly Clark, a plaintiffs’ attorney, said the $40 million limit was meant to encourage claimants to settle their cases quickly before the money runs out.

“It’s very skillfully designed to put pressure on plaintiffs to forgo jury trials,” Clark said.

Without the threat of a trial, he added, the archdiocese gains leverage in settlement negotiations.

Archdiocesan lawyers said they based their $40 million estimate on 140 settlements that occurred from 2000 to 2004, prior to the bankruptcy filing. The bulk of the cases settled for an average of $182,230, although cases involving two notorious former priests _ the late Maurice Grammond and Thomas Laughlin _ settled for significantly higher amounts. The overall average, including the settlements in the Grammond and Laughlin cases, is around $400,000.

_ Steve Woodward and Ashbel “Tony” Green

Survey: American Shiite Muslims Unlikely to Report Discrimination

(RNS) A new survey shows American Shiites are unlikely to report anti-Muslim hate crimes or other forms of discrimination and many say they face religious hostility when attending Sunni-dominated mosques in the United States.

Nearly 80 percent of American Shiites who were victims of “post 9-11 discrimination” reported the incidents either to family members or no one, according to the nationwide survey, the first of its kind to document the political and religious experiences of American Shiites.

The American Shi’a Muslim Survey was sponsored by the Qunoot Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit that released its findings Saturday (Nov. 12) at a conference.

The survey found that few American Shiite victims reported such incidents to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national advocacy group that seeks to represent all American Muslims.

Last year, CAIR processed nearly 1,700 reported cases of anti-Muslim discrimination or hate crimes, according to its 2005 annual report. The council does not keep track of whether victims are Sunni or Shiite, said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the organization.

While there are an estimated 6 million Muslims in the United States, nobody knows what percent of that total is Shiite. Worldwide, Shiites comprise between 10 percent and 15 percent of the total Muslim population with some tension arising over the fact that Saudi Arabia regards Shiite theology and practice as heresy.

The survey also showed that 47 percent of American Shiites experienced either overt or subtle forms of discrimination when attending Sunni mosques.

Conference participants _ mostly American Shiites in their 20s and 30s _ debated vigorously about whether to form their own national advocacy organizations or to seek to make existing, Sunni-dominated ones, such as CAIR, more responsive to American Shiite needs.

One reason the issue has come to the forefront is the sectarian nature of the Iraq war, said Najam Haider, a Princeton doctoral student who spoke at the conference.

“We are perceived as the `good Muslims’ now, and many say we should use that to our advantage,” said Haider, referring to the cooperation between Iraqi Shiites and the Bush Administration.

_ Andrea Useem

Report: Religious Freedom Squelched in North Korea

WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious freedom is suppressed in North Korea while its citizens are forced into a quasi-religious cult worshipping a dead Korean leader, according to a new report by the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The study, released Tuesday (Nov. 15), reveals an enormous gap between North Korea’s policy and international standards for religious freedom, said David Hawk, a human rights investigator and advocate who led the commission’s study.

Religious suppression in North Korea began in 1945 when former Prime Minister Kim Il Sung came to power, Hawk said. By the onset of the Korean War in 1950, the suppression worsened with the execution of religious believers.

Eight years later, the North Korean leader changed his title from “Prime Minister” to “Great Leader.” Despite Kim Il Sung’s death in 1994, religious suppression continues under his son, Kim Jong Il, who rules over the Communist country while requiring worship of his father, the report said.

Hawk _ the author of “Hidden Gulag,” a book about North Korea’s prison camps _ said the religious philosophy in North Korea “consists of a glorification and semi-deification of Kim Il Sung as the Korean messiah.”

Hawk interviewed 40 North Korean refugees in South Korea during the preparation of the study. When asked if freedom of thought and religion existed in North Korea, the refugees said “impossible,” and “it cannot possibly exist.”

They seemed surprised that such questions even could be asked, he said. The refugees only agreed to talk anonymously to protect relatives back home, Hawk said.

“If you have a religion, you will be persecuted, even executed,” said one refugee, according to the report.

The commission, created by Congress, advises the federal government on issues related to religious freedom.

_ Kabuika Kamunga

Quote of the Day: President Bush

(RNS) “The people of China want more freedom to express themselves, to worship without state control, to print Bibles and other sacred texts without fear of punishment. … By meeting the legitimate demands of its citizens for freedom and openness, China’s leaders can help their country grow into a modern, prosperous and confident nation.”

_ President Bush, speaking Wednesday (Nov. 16) in Kyoto, Japan, days before traveling to China.

MO/JL END RNS