c. 1997 Religion News Service

Anglican bishops say only ordained can preside at communion

(RNS) The bishops of the Church of England have formally said no to proposals that someone other than an ordained priest be allowed to preside at the celebration of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

Although there have been some suggestions from within the Church of England that lay presidency, as it is known, should be allowed to preside, the chief pressure against the the practice has come from Anglicans in Australia.

The Church of England’s House of Bishops, after considering the church’s structure, ministry and its theology on the Eucharist, said there is an essential link between the ordained leadership in the Christian community and presiding at the Eucharist.

In England, the emergence of various forms of”non-stipendiary”priesthood was proving to be”a creative development”and answered arguments for lay presidency based on the shortage of priests, the bishops said.

Reform leader skeptical about”Who is a Jew?”agreement

(RNS) The leader of Reform Judaism said Thursday (June 19) he is skeptical that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can deliver on a promise to forge a compromise to end the current dispute between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews over the registration of converts to Judaism in Israel.

Conservative and Reform leaders want their converts registered in Israel as Jews. Orthodox officials who have de facto control over conversions in Israel do not recognize non-Orthodox conversions, arguing their more traditional approach is the only valid form of Judaism. The issue has come to be called the”Who is a Jew?”dispute.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Reform Union of American Hebrew Congregations, said in an interview that he has doubts Netanyahu will be able to persuade Orthodox members of his ruling coalition to agree to a final settlement of the dispute, which is still to be worked out.”We don’t need recognition from the Orthodox (religious) establishment,”Yoffie said.”Our only concern is with what the government of Israel does. However, the government needs enough Orthodox political support to make an agreement stick, and I have my doubts about its ability to get that approval on an agreement also acceptable to (Conservative and Reform Jews).”If he fails we’re back to where we started from.” On Tuesday (June 17), American Reform and Conservative leaders _ meeting with Orthodox representatives of the Netanyahu’s coalition _ agreed to a government plan calling for a committee to fashion a long-term solution to the dispute. The plan calls for the permanent agreement to be in place by October.

Until then, Orthodox politicians will not push legislation giving legal clout to their de facto authority over conversions. At the same time, the Conservative and Reform movements agreed not to move ahead with legal challenges to Orthodox hegemony pending in Israeli courts.

While the Conservative and Reform movements account for the vast majority of U.S. Jews, both are small in Israel. Non-Orthodox conversions performed outside Israel are not affected by the current dispute.

Despite skepticism over the final outcome, Yoffie called the interim agreement a victory for non-Orthodox Judaism because it gives Reform and Conservative officials as much a veto over any final agreement as it gives Orthodox leaders.

Given the”virtually non-existent recognition”Conservative and Reform Judaism currently have under Israeli law, Netanyahu’s plan represents”a modest step forward for us,”Yoffie said, explaining why he signed off on the interim step.

Super Bowl halftime show too sexy for Oscar Mayer

(RNS) Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime TV broadcast because of its excessive sexual content.

Rick Searer, president of the food company based in Madison, Wis., said his company felt last January’s halftime show was not”family-oriented.”The show featured soul singer James Brown singing”Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine,”and the rock group ZZ Top performing”Legs,”a song about a woman’s attractive legs, along with a host of female dancers.”We strive hard to maintain a certain image and I think we were disappointed at the content of the show,”Searer said, according to the Associated Press.

Oscar Mayer, known for its processed meats, was the halftime show’s only sponsor the past two years and has advertised during National Football League games for the past 15 years.

An Oscar Mayer spokeswoman Wednesday (June 18) declined to say how much the firm spent on halftime show sponsorship, other than to note it was more than the $1.3 million charged for a regular Super Bowl 30-second ad.

Oscar Mayer is a division of Kraft Foods, which is owned by Philip Morris Cos.

Archeologists say Jericho’s walls never tumbled down

(RNS) Two Italian archeologists say their month-long dig in the ancient city of Jericho has turned up no evidence that the Jordan Valley settlement ever fell to the Israelite commander Joshua.

The University of Rome archeologists said they found no layer of rubble or ash, or any other evidence to substantiate the biblical story of how Jericho is said to have been sacked by the Israelites.

According to the Book of Joshua, the Israelite priests first circled the city for six days. On the seventh day, according to the biblical story, the priests returned blowing rams’ horns and the city’s walls miraculously crumbled. The Israelites are said to have then razed Jericho.

However, archeologists Lorenzo Nigro and Nicolo Marchetti said they excavated a portion of Jericho’s ancient wall and found it intact, the Associated Press reported Wednesday (June 18).

The dig was the first foreign dig in the Jericho area since it came under Palestinian self-rule in 1994.

Gay rights legislation under fire in San Francisco, Miami

(RNS) Gay rights legislation on both U.S. coasts was challenged this week by conservative faith-based groups who say the legislation denigrates the integrity of traditional marriage.

In San Francisco, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a lawsuit Tuesday (June 17) with U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of a”domestic partners”ordinance which would extend health insurance, retirement and bereavement leave benefits to unmarried partners in heterosexual and homosexual relationships.”If allowed to stand, this ordinance is a dagger aimed at the heart of traditional marriage,”said Benjamin W. Bull, regional counsel for the ACLJ, in a statement.

Several San Francisco companies object to being forced to condone what they consider immoral behavior.”San Francisco is attempting to force businesses located all across America to adopt its extremist and radical agenda. Its efforts are not only wrong, but unconstitutional,”Bull said.

Meanwhile, on the East coast, a Dade County, Fla., ordinance that would have barred discrimination against homosexuals was voted down without comment, the Associated Press reported.

The proposed ordinance, which would have added sexual orientation to a list of prohibited discriminatory practices, was rejected on its first reading by the county board without a public hearing.”I am a Catholic, and in my religion we sustain and support the traditional family,”Republican commissioner Javier Souto _ who voted against the proposal _ told the Associated Press.

International Red Cross asks for $18 million for North Korea food aid

(RNS) The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has asked donors from its 15 member societies for $18 million to increase its food aid to famine-threatened North Korea.

The money will be used to fund a one-year public health program that will quintuple its food aid contribution and supply trained first aid workers, medicines and equipment to the region, Reuters reported.

In addition, the world’s largest humanitarian network will initiate a three-year disaster preparedness program, which will stockpile emergency supplies and open communication lines in case of a repeat of the 1996 floods that left at least 500,000 people destitute.”We plan to feed 700,000 people until late October or November to make sure they are tided over until the next harvest,”IFRC spokeswoman Marie-Francoise Borel told Reuters.

IFRC’s previous appeal of almost $9 million, issued last November, was met fully.

The Red Cross society from South Korea has contributed 11,200 tons of corn to North Korea, entering the first direct pact between the Red Cross societies of the rival nations in more than a decade.

Mother Teresa, Princess Diana meet in private, pose in public

(RNS) Two of the world’s most famous women shared a private 40-minute conversation at a Roman Catholic Church convent in New York City June 18.

Princess Diana held hands with 86-year-old Mother Teresa and helped her down the steps of the Sisters Missionaries (sic) of Charity convent in the Bronx after the meeting. Mother Teresa kissed the princess and greeted well-wishers. What they discussed was not disclosed.

The Albanian-born nun, who received the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, was hospitalized most of last year with various ailments. She stepped down as head of the order this year after a heart attack, lung infection and kidney problems.

Earlier in the day, Diana, who is in the United States campaigning against landmines, met with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House.

Quote of the day: Jerry L. Walls, professor of theology at Asbury Theological Seminary

(RNS) Jerry L. Walls, a professor of theology at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., argues in”Can We Be Good Without Hell”appearing in the current issue of Christianity Today that without God there is no persuasive reason to be moral:”But there is a deeper reason why it ultimately makes no sense to be moral without God, heaven, and hell. Being moral is often at odds with self-interest. There are times when virtue may exact a large price and occasions when commitment to moral integrity can even cost moral agents their lives.”

MJP END RNS