c. 2005 Religion News Service
Pope Calls for `Unity’ With Church of England, Accepts Ambassador
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (Dec. 23) accredited the first Catholic in centuries to serve as Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See and called for Rome and the Church of England to work toward “full visible unity.”
“The wounds resulting from more than four centuries of separation cannot be healed without determined efforts, perseverance and above all, prayer,” Benedict told Francis Campbell, the first Catholic British ambassador to the Vatican since Henry VIII broke with Rome in the 16th century to found the Church of England.
“I encourage all those involved in this work never to rest content with partial solutions but to keep firmly in view the goal of full visible unity among Christians,” he said.
Henry VIII’s schism generated centuries of violence and hostility between Anglicans and Catholics, which set the stage for an armed resistance led by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the 20th century.
Benedict on Wednesday praised the recent decision by the IRA to disarm as a “most visible sign” that tensions have eased in predominantly Catholic Northern Ireland.
“This would not have been possible without immense diplomatic and political efforts to achieve a just solution to the long-standing conflict,” the pope said.
In an apparent reference to Vatican disapproval of British abortion rights law, Benedict noted that respect for human rights “requires us to recognize and protect the sanctity of life from the moment of conception until natural death.”
He also appeared critical of recent British legislation that approved gay legal unions and expanded stem cell research. The pope underscored the “indispensable role of stable marriage and family life for the good of society” and urged ethical diligence, “particularly in the field of medical research and genetic engineering.”
_ Stacy Meichtry
Prosecutor Seeks Perjury Evidence in Intelligent Design Case
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (RNS) A federal prosecutor said testimony in the Dover Area School District’s intelligent design case is under review to determine if perjury charges should be pursued.
U.S. Middle District Attorney Thomas A. Marino said Wednesday (Dec. 21) that the decision will take time because there is “a lot of reading to do” to determine if the statements rise to the level of a crime.
“I want to question a couple of people who were present,” he said. They will not include Judge John E. Jones III, who presided over the case, he said.
Marino’s comments came a day after Jones struck down the school district’s policy of telling ninth-grade biology students Darwin’s theory of evolution is not fact and intelligent design is an alternative explanation of the origin of life.
In his opinion, Jones accused some of those who testified during the six-week trial in Harrisburg of lying, singling out former board members Alan Bonsell and William Buckingham, the leading proponents of the policy.
Both men testified during the trial, which ended last month, and both gave sworn statements in depositions on Jan. 3. During the trial, Jones and lawyers for parents opposed to the policy confronted the men about the discrepancies and evasiveness in their answers to questions about their motivations and efforts to raise money for a pro-intelligent design textbook, “Of Pandas and People.”
During the trial, after questioning by Jones and lawyers, Bonsell and Buckingham acknowledged that Buckingham raised money for the books in his church, then wrote a check for $850 to Bonsell’s father, who bought the texts and donated them to the school district. Neither man disclosed the transaction in his deposition.
“The inescapable truth is that both Bonsell and Buckingham lied at their Jan. 3, 2005, depositions about their knowledge of the source of the donation for `Pandas’ …” Jones said in his ruling. “This mendacity was a clear and deliberate attempt to hide the source of the donations by (Bonsell and Buckingham) to further ensure that Dover students received a creationist alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution.”
In an interview, Buckingham called Jones a liar and denied making false statements. Bonsell has said he “tried to be as truthful” as he could.
_ John Beauge and Bill Sulon
Closures Possible as Catholic Archdiocese Realigns After Hurricane
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) The Archdiocese of New Orleans plans in January to unveil plans to realign Catholic churches, schools and ministries to fit the hurricane-altered landscape, including the possible closure of the most devastated parishes.
The Rev. William Maestri, superintendent of archdiocesan Catholic schools, said Wednesday (Dec. 21) that the announcement will mark the first step in a long process dependent on the pace of recovery in different communities.
But the strategic planning effort, launched by Archbishop Alfred Hughes and based on recommendations from a team of pastors, could significantly reshape the archdiocese, Maestri said, including permanent closures of some schools and churches and time lines for reopening others.
“The exact configuration hasn’t taken shape yet,” Maestri said. “I would say that the archdiocese is in a hopeful stance to do things in a different and better way than before.”
With more than 1,000 properties damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Maestri said the archdiocese faces $85 million in repairs beyond what insurance covers. At the end of 2005, he said, the archdiocese might be looking at a $40 million deficit in its operating budget, which he blamed partly on lost tuition in closed schools and lost collection plate donations from closed churches.
The archdiocese has already cut about 2,000 jobs through layoffs and not replacing workers who didn’t return after the storm.
“We have tried to streamline and be very frugal in our use of the resources that we have now,” Maestri said.
Easing the financial blow from Katrina, Maestri said, have been millions in donations from Catholic organizations and individuals, including $25 million from Catholic Charities USA and $400,000 that the National Catholic Education Association raised with help from children across the country. The Vatican has also provided aid, but Maestri said he is not privy to the amount.
“The archdiocese is not in danger of bankruptcy,” he said. “There is no sense of panic. There is no sense of dread.”
The redesign likely will include phasing in the reopening of churches, schools and ministries based on the extent of damage and repopulation in different areas, Maestri said. The “great unknown,” he said, is how fast the repopulation and rebuilding will move.
_ Mark Waller
Most Governors Wish `Happy Holiday’ in Cards
(RNS) Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is keeping Christ in his Christmas cards this year. And he is pretty much alone among the nation’s governors.
Riley’s card mentions the “Risen Christ,” and he is the only governor to use Christ’s name, a survey has found, although Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s cards have a baby Jesus on the card, and his wife’s recipe for brisket.
Instead, most governors are wishing voters a “happy holiday” even as some conservative groups highlight who won’t refer to “Christmas.”
Riley’s spokesman, Jeff Emerson, said Riley hasn’t done anything differently this year in giving a religious message. In fact, Riley didn’t bother to change the text of this year’s card from last year’s greetings.
According to a survey by the nonprofit research group Stateline.org, nine governors mention “Christmas” in their cards, while 37 prefer “holiday” cards. Four governors did not send cards.
Only Riley mentions “Christ,” though Huckabee’s card for Arkansas voters mentions the “Messiah” and “our Savior’s birth.” Riley’s card includes a passage about Jesus’ birth from the book of Matthew.
The governor’s own message reads, “During this Christmas season may you be surrounded by the love of family and friends and filled with the spirit of the Risen Christ.”
On the front, the card shows the lighting of the state “Christmas Tree.”
Christmas cards are generally sent by the governors’ campaigns rather than at taxpayer expense, and Riley is no different.
President Bush rankled some conservative Christians earlier this month when he wished recipients of his Christmas cards a happy “holiday season.” Some conservatives have protested the “war on Christmas” this year, with Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly featuring it almost nightly on his show.
_ Taylor Bright
Public School Board Letter Calls Christ `Greatest Gift to Mankind’
ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (RNS) A teacher and her husband are objecting to a year-end letter from the Kenowa Hills Public Schools Board of Education describing Jesus Christ as God’s “greatest gift to mankind.”
The letter, signed by the board’s seven members and sent to staff, is “insensitive, intolerant and arrogant” and signals that a public body “has put its collective stamp of approval on this distinctively Christian belief,” said Jeff and Linda Rueble.
Jeff Rueble, a lawyer, read a two-page statement at a recent board meeting. Linda Rueble, a middle-school teacher, sat nearby.
The reference to Christ’s birth is a single sentence in a half-page letter complimenting Kenowa Hills staff for sacrifices at a time when state aid lags and Michigan’s economy is not strong.
“At this holiday time, we pause to remember the sacrifices which were made back when Christmas began,” the letter said. “God sent his Son to earth as the greatest gift to mankind. We feel that our Kenowa Hills Family has also made great sacrifices throughout the past years.
“All Kenowa Hills employees give willingly to the students entrusted to us. … Merry Christmas, and God bless us everyone!”
Board President Dennis Kneibel seemed perplexed by the couple’s reaction.
In their statement, the Ruebles requested a retraction as well as assurances the board “will recognize and respect the diversity of religious beliefs in the community.” They also want the board to consider a policy on religious expression by district officials.
The school board’s reference to God and Christ is “totally inappropriate and clearly unconstitutional. … It’s not even close,” said Frank Ravitch, a constitutional-law specialist at Michigan State University’s Detroit College of Law.
A school board “directly promoting core theology of a religion is very different than the political-correctness debate of Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays,” Ravitch said.
Sandy Wilson, a maintenance employee who is president of the district’s support staff union, said “a lot of the staff is upset” by the letter, but for more than the religious references.
Employees fear the board’s use of “sacrifice” could mean trouble during an upcoming round of contract talks, he said.
“A lot of people read into it that we’re going to be asked to sacrifice more,” Wilson said.
_ Nardy Baeza Bickel and Ed White
Quote of the Day: Mormon Scholar Richard Lyman Bushman
(RNS) “I do think there is a growing willingness to respect Joseph Smith because of the success of the Mormon Church. With so many sensible, likable people who are Mormons and who believe in him, it’s not as easy to dismiss him as it was in the 19th century.”
_ Richard Lyman Bushman, author of “Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,” a new scholarly biography of the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bushman was quoted by Beliefnet in an interview timed to the observance of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Smith on Dec. 23, 1805.
MO/PH END RNS
