c. 2006 Religion News Service

Federal Judge Dismisses Suit By Air Force Critic

(RNS) A federal judge in New Mexico has dismissed a lawsuit by an Air Force veteran who charged that the Air Force was unconstitutionally permitting evangelism by evangelical Christians at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker of Albuquerque ruled Friday (Oct. 27) that Mikey Weinstein and other plaintiffs did not provide sufficient information to substantiate their claims against the military academy.

“Plaintiffs never allege a personal link or connection to any alleged future Establishment Clause violations,” Parker wrote in a 16-page decision. “Without that personal link or connection to future misconduct, plaintiffs have simply not shown that they will suffer an injury in fact that is `both concrete and particularized and actual or imminent.”’

In his court filing, Weinstein had pointed to a statement by Brig. Gen. Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force’s deputy chief of chaplains, in which he was quoted as telling The New York Times: “We will not proselytize but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched.” The judge said Weinstein and others filing the suit did not explain how they were “personally affected” by the statement.

The Air Force welcomed the decision.

“We believe Air Force Academy officials performed properly, and this litigation is one important step in the judicial recognition of that,” said Dewey Mitchell, an Air Force spokesman.

Weinstein said he plans to refile his suit.

“Our fight is far from over,” he said. “Religious bias and the outrageous violations of the separation of church and state continue to spread rampantly throughout our military.”

_ Adelle M. Banks

Pope Vows `Whatever Steps Are Necessary’ in Combatting Abuse

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI said the Catholic Church must “take whatever steps are necessary” to address the clergy sex abuse scandal, but victims’ groups immediately accused the pope of not going far enough.

“It is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes,” the pope said Saturday (Oct. 28) in a speech to Irish bishops making their regular “ad limina” visit to the Vatican.

The pope, making his most direct extensive remarks about sexual abuse in his young papacy, acknowledged the “heart-rending” sex abuse cases that have occurred in Ireland, which many have likened to the scandal that erupted in the U.S. church in 2002.

“The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged,” the pope said.

The Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests (SNAP), however, issued a statement urging “actions not words” and said “the pope is merely acknowledging what millions of Catholics have known for years.”

“He should call on all bishops in the world, asking them to reveal the names of the predators in all the dioceses throughout the world, most of whose names have never been made public, so children remain at risk of being abused by them,” SNAP president Barbara Blaine said.

“It’s understandable to forgive sick priests who have abused childen. It’s hard to forgive those (bishops) who have protected and shielded the molestors,” she said.

Church historian Alberto Melloni, who teaches at Italy’s University of Bologna, agreed, calling the pope’s remarks “unconvincing,” noting that former Boston Cardinal Bernard Law was given a plumb job in Rome after he resigned in disgrace over the abuse scandal.

“There are two ways of dealing with this: focus on the sinners, or focus on the institution behind them,” Melloni said. “He’s basically absolving the bishops from a very bad management crisis.”

_ Kristine Crane

Nigerian Pastor Plans Britain’s First-Ever Megachurch

LONDON (RNS) A Nigerian television evangelist is planning to construct Britain’s largest religious building, an American-style megachurch with a seating capacity for 8,000 worshippers, according to the Sunday Times newspaper in London.

The newspaper reported that controversial Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo has commissioned architects to design the new church, to be built for about $66 million on an unused industrial site in east London.

According to the Times, the building will be modeled on arena-style evangelical churches, some of which have seating capacities for up to 18,000 people, that are springing up across America’s Bible Belt and into California.

At present, Britain’s largest religious edifice is Liverpool Cathedral, an Anglican church that can seat an audience of about 3,000.

The newspaper said the huge new church will be funded partly from an estimated $25.5 million in compensation that the British government paid the African preacher’s organization for its present site, an old factory, that is being razed to make room for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Ashimolowo heads the Kingsway International Christian Center (KICC), which teaches a “health and wealth” brand of Christianity that tells its followers _ many of them of African immigrants _ that God’s intention is for his people to be both rich and healthy.

The Times said the preacher has shared a platform with Creflo Dollar, an American “word of faith” preacher known as “dollar by name, dollar by nature” for his “school of prosperity” that instructs worshippers on “why God wants you rich.”

Ashimolowo himself, acccording to the newspaper report, has had run-ins with Britain’s Charity Commission, which four years ago found “serious misconduct” in the charity that ran KICC at the time, and ordered the preacher to repay $380 million.

_ Al Webb

Massachusetts Episcopalians to Ask for Church Rites for Gay Weddings

(RNS) Massachusetts Episcopalians voted Saturday (Oct. 28) to seek authorization from the national Episcopal Church to use the church’s official marriage rites in same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The 324-43 vote came as more than 500 delegates considered a series of proposals related to same-sex marriage at their annual convention, held at Trinity Church in Boston.

On another hot issue, delegates called for a task force to study “the nature of Christian marriage and civil marriage” in light of a tabled proposal for clergy to stop officiating civil marriage ceremonies.

Massachusetts Episcopalians have wrestled with same-sex marriage since May 2004, when the Bay State became the first in the nation to make the practice legal. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts is on record supporting same-sex marriage, but priests can’t perform same-sex weddings unless the national church changes rules for the use of rites in the Book of Common Prayer. Those rites are currently limited to heterosexual couples.

Saturday’s request for a new policy from the national church aims to bring local church practice into alignment with diocesan statements on the issue.

“This change would give same-sex couples the same access to the church’s marriage rites as heterosexual couples,” said a written explanation from the resolution’s sponsors, “and end this disturbing exclusion of same-sex couples from the church’s sacramental life.”

The soonest the Episcopal Church U.S.A. could act on the Massachusetts request would be at its next General Convention in 2009. If approved at that time, the resolution would permit adjustments to marriage rites in order to reflect a couple’s common gender. The policy would be applicable in all jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.

On the question of whether clergy should keep officiating civil marriage ceremonies, same-sex marriage was again an underlying issue. Supporters of the original resolution had argued that the best way to treat all couples equally would be merely to administer blessings, which the Diocese of Massachusetts permits for same-sex couples, once the couple has been married by a civil authority. Although that proposal received no decisive action, at least one sponsor welcomed Saturday’s decision to study the topic.

“This substitute resolution will provide opportunity for reflection and dialogue on the issue,” said the Rev. Mally Lloyd, rector of Christ Church in Plymouth, Mass.

In other business, delegates called on the Legislature to vote down a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. A constitutional convention on the proposal is scheduled to reconvene on Nov. 9.

_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Gay Megachurch Cathedral of Hope Welcomed into UCC

(RNS) The Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, which calls itself the world’s largest gay-friendly congregation, has been accepted as a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Officials at the UCC’s North Texas Association granted the 4,300-member church congregational standing on Saturday (Oct. 28), making it the fourth-largest congregation in the 1.2 million member UCC.

“This is a historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope,” said the Rev. Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector of the cathedral, in a statement. “We are blessed to be a full partner in ministry with … the United Church of Christ. We celebrate that our values of compassion, inclusion, tolerance and hope in service to the world by following Jesus are consistent with those of the United Church of Christ. We are proud to be a part of such a diverse body of churches and people.”

Until 2002, the church was affiliated with the predominantly gay Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Church officials say the congregation has been looking at the UCC since 1997. In 2005, the UCC endorsed civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

By early 2005, the Cathedral’s board of directors urged the church to either end the process or affiliate with the UCC. The church voted to join the UCC last October. Now, one year later, a special service of installation is being planned.

“We will be enriched by the vitality of Cathedral of Hope’s ministry,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a statement, “even as we hope that incorporation into our 50-year history will be a gift to them.”

_ Chansin Bird

Quote of the Day: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm

(RNS) “It’s my family and faith that make me who I am. And long after I’m done, it will be my faith that makes me who I am and frankly, whose I am.”

_ Jennifer Granholm, a Catholic, speaking about her faith at Hope College in Holland, Mich., during a campaign stop. She was quoted by the Grand Rapids Press.

KRE/JYL END RNS