c. 1998 Religion News Service

Expert: Law has had little impact on religious freedom in Russia

(RNS) A leading expert on religious freedom in Russia says the situation there deteriorated relatively little during the first six months that a law allowing officials to restrict religious minorities has been in effect.”Overall … religious freedom in Russia has not seen a sharp, systematic turn for the worse since September _ so far,”said Lawrence A. Uzzell, the Keston Institute’s Moscow representative.”What has happened since the law was enacted might be summarized as a slight acceleration in a negative trend that began about four years ago,”Uzzell said in an April 23 article distributed via the Internet.

Uzzell has paid close attention to the Russian law for the London-based institute, which monitors religious rights in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe.

The law established a religious hierarchy in Russia, with the Russian Orthodox Church on top. It was designed to protect Russian Orthodoxy from losing member to a variety of Christian and non-Christian groups that in recent years have gained increasing numbers of Russian converts.

Religious groups less than 15 years old have no guaranteed right to possess or distribute religious literature or invite clergy from abroad under the new law, which went into effect Oct. 1.

An American Baptist pastor _ Dan Pollard of Salem, Ore. _ was recently forced out of Russia by local officials who cited the new law. However, Uzzell said Pollard’s case appears to be an exception.”Apart from this one case … it is difficult (though not impossible) to find examples of foreign missionaries whose rights have become more restricted in the last six months specifically as a result of the new law. It is much easier to find cases of indigenous Russian religious minorities whose freedoms are shrinking,”Uzzell said.

Uzzell concluded that”fully-fledged”religious persecution, including the arrest of those who simply organize a home prayer group,”is virtually non-existent in Russia.”He said the most widespread violation of religious freedom appears to be the denial to Pentecostals and other Protestants of state-owned facilities for meetings and other activities.

Overall, he added, application of the law has been based on the whim of local authorities and political connections,”including connections to foreign states with which Moscow values good relations.”

Majority of Americans favor great diversity in society

(RNS) The majority of Americans are interested in greater diversity throughout society, but they value it by smaller margins in the places where they worship, live and work, according to a survey by the National Conference for Community and Justice.

Those polled placed more importance on diversity in their police forces, schools and government, the poll found.

NCCJ, formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews, conducted the survey through Bruskin/Goldring Research. The NCCJ is marking its 70th anniversary with the adoption of a new name.”Clearly, the U.S. has come a long way toward inclusion of all people over NCCJ’s 70 years and especially in the 30 years since the watershed era of the civil rights movement,”said Sanford Cloud Jr., president and chief executive officer of the organization.”Just as striking, however, are the areas where we need to redouble our efforts _ those areas closest to home for most Americans.” The poll, released Monday (April 27), registered responses by 1,014 adults across the country from April 9-11. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Asked about the importance of”more racial, ethnic, cultural and religious diversity,”72 percent said it was very or somewhat important among law enforcement officers; 68 percent said it was similarly important among local, state or national government leaders; and 67 percent said it was similarly important in elementary and secondary public schools.

The poll found smaller majorities viewing such diversity as important in other settings: 58 percent in their place of worship; 56 percent in their neighborhood and 53 percent among their fellow workers.

Those who most favored increased diversity were African-Americans, women, people aged 25 to 34 and workers with household annual earnings of $20,000 to $39,000.”Those groups in our society who have known discrimination firsthand best understand the continuing importance of creating an inclusive America,”Cloud said.”At the same time, it is very encouraging to see that young people, who came of age after the civil right struggles, are embracing the lessons this country learned during that period.” The New York-based NCCJ, which was founded in 1927, works to combat racism, bigotry and bias by fostering understanding among people of all religions, races and cultures.

Santa Barbara sued over domestic partnership ordinances

(RNS) Santa Barbara, Calif., has been sued by the American Center for Law and Justice for offering health benefits to”domestic partners”of city employees.”The city ordinances clearly violate the law of California, which protects the institution of marriage,”said Benjamin W. Bull of the Western regional office of the ACLJ in Phoenix, Ariz., in a statement.”In an effort to accommodate unmarried employees who choose to live together, the city of Santa Barbara has overstepped its authority by creating ordinances that are unlawful and violate state public policy protecting marriage.” The lawsuit was filed Friday (April 24) in Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Santa Barbara on behalf of Santa Barbara resident William Rolland Jacks.

City Attorney Daniel Wallace told RNS that Jacks is an”outspoken critic of our statute.” Wallace, who had not received a copy of the suit when contacted by RNS Monday, said Santa Barbara adopted an ordinance last year allowing city residents to register as domestic partners. Earlier this year, the city adopted another ordinance to provide health insurance benefits to partners of both heterosexual and homosexual employees.

He said ACLJ’s charge that the ordinances violate state protection of marriage is”ludicrous”and wondered why his city was singled out for the suit.”Why didn’t they sue San Francisco?”he asked.”Why didn’t they sue Berkeley?” Tracey Conaty, communications director of the Washington-based National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said approximately 60 states and municipalities have passed ordinances extending benefits to domestic partners of employees. In addition, about 200 private employers about 75 colleges and universities have offered similar benefits packages to domestic partnerships.”Basically, the ACLJ thinks anything that is remotely connected to gay and lesbian people will destroy the institution of marriage, so we’re not surprised that they would take umbrage with the domestic partnership ordinance in Santa Barbara,”she said.”This is yet another attack on gay and lesbian families in the name of heterosexual families.”

Update: U.S. government, bishops denounce Guatemala slaying

(RNS) The U.S. government says the murder of a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop a”senseless act of violence”and called on the Guatemalan government to launch”a full investigation of this tragedy,”saying the United States stands ready to assist in any way it appropriately can.

The U.S. reaction, by State Department spokesman James Foley, joined a chorus of reactions to the Sunday (April 26) murder of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi, one of Guatemala’s main human rights champions.

The killing came just two days after the bishop issued a report on human rights abuses during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war which found the military had committed most of the violations. During the war an estimated 150,000 people, mostly civilians, died, and 50,000″disappeared.” In Guatemala, angry church leaders challenged the government to move quickly to solve the killing and former rebels called the slaying”a serious political provocation.” A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Guatemala called on the government to”clarify this tragedy in no later than 72 hours.” In the United States, meanwhile, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark, N.J., chairman of the U.S. bishops committee on international policy, offered prayers and condolences to the people of Guatemala.”It is not yet known if his killer was politically motivated, although spokespersons for the archdiocese suggest the liklihood of such,”McCarrick said in a statement.

In Europe, both Pope John Paul II and United Nations human rights chief Mary Robinson condemned the killing, with the pope calling the slaying an”abominable crime.””I express my strongest revulsion for this act of violence which is an attack on peaceful co-existence,”the pontiff said.

Robinson called on the Guatemalan government to”make all efforts to bring to justice those responsible for this hideous crime.”

Reese named editor of Jesuits'”America”magazine

(RNS) The Rev. Thomas Reese, one of the nation’s most quoted experted on the workings of the Roman Catholic Church, including the Vatican, has been named editor-in-chief of the Jesuit magazine,”America.” Reese, a member of the California Province of the Society of Jesus, is currently a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center and an adjunct professor in the graduate program in public policy at Georgetown University. He serves as Washington correspondent for the New York-based weekly magazine and was an associate editor of the magazine from 1978-85.

Considered one of the world’s top experts on Catholicism, Reese is the author of a trilogy of books examining church structures at the local, national and international level.

Reese said one of the major challenges facing the magazine will be in figuring out”how to establish a strong presence on the Web.”`America,’ if it is going to appeal to a younger and more international audience, is going to have to become an electronic magazine as well as a print publication.”

Church of God leader honored by denominational seminary

(RNS) Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) leader Ray H. Hughes Sr. has been inducted into the Hall of Prophets at Church of God Theological Seminary in Cleveland.

Hughes, the only person to serve three terms as general overseer of his denomination, has held numerous prominent roles in Pentecostal and evangelical circles.”Induction into the Hall of Prophets is an extremely high honor for clergymen whose ministry in the Church of God has been meritorious,”said seminary president Cecil B. Knight in a statement.”Dr. Hughes’ accomplishments, not only in the Church of God, but in Pentecostal leadership, are monumental.” Hughes is currently chairman of the Pentecostal World Conference and was previously chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America and president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Quote of the day: Johann Christoph Arnold, pastor of the Bruderhof community

(RNS)”The only way to end the brutality on all sides is to start by forgiving. We must go directly to those we’ve harmed and make amends _ undoing the evil in both words and deeds. Forgiveness takes courage. Vengeance is the coward’s response.” _ Johann Christoph Arnold, pastor and elder of the Bruderhof religious community in Rifton, N.Y., in a statement on why he will bring humanitarian aid to Iraq and challenge U.S. sanctions against the Saddam Hussein regime.

DEA END RNS