c. 1998 Religion News Service

Leading African Anglican calls for united African church

(RNS) A leading African Anglican archbishop is calling for a single, united Anglican church for Africa.

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, South Africa, successor to retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, announced his proposal Sunday (Jan. 18) during a sermon at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Kabale, Uganda, reported Ecumenical News International, the Geneva-based religious news agency.

Ndungane, who is head of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, said that as Anglicans face the new millennium, the church must ask itself how to best respond to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

He suggested the establishment of an Episcopal Church of Africa would”enable us to speak with one voice, to give spiritual guidance and support for the people of Africa,”ENI reported.

Such an initiative would create one of the largest churches in the world.

Ndungane also called on African heads of state to consider establishing a pan-African economic organization to address pressing financial issues, such as poverty, and encouraged the cancellation of all Third World debt.”There is a growing movement worldwide, applying the biblical principle of Jubilee, for the cancellation of all debts of developing countries by the year 2000,”he said.”It is my hope and prayer that African bishops will take a lead in this debate … and that developing countries will be encouraged to apply sound principles to ensure their future economic well-being.”

Number of Lutherans worldwide increases, biggest gains in Africa

(RNS) The number of Lutherans around the globe increased to more than 61 million in 1997, up from 60.9 million in 1996, with the church experiencing its largest gains in Nigeria.

According to data submitted to the Lutheran World Federation, the 7.6 million-member Church of Sweden remains the largest Lutheran body, followed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with nearly 5.2 million members, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland with nearly 4.6 million.

The largest number of Lutherans in any one country can be found in Germany, the birthplace of the faith. German Lutherans number just over 14 million, followed by U.S. Lutherans, who number nearly 8.3 million in several Lutheran denominations.

But the most significant Lutheran growth, the LWF said, was found in Nigeria, where the number of Lutherans reached 655,000 in 1997, an increase of 175,000 _ or more than 36 percent _ over 1996.

The total number of African Lutherans increased to 9 million, from just under 8.6 million in 1996. Meanwhile, the European churches continued to report declining numbers: There were 37.2 million European Lutherans in 1997, compared to 37.4 million in 1996. In North America (8.6 million), Asia (5 million), and Latin America and the Caribbean (1.4 million), the number of Lutherans remained relatively stable since the previous year.

New poll finds America ambivalent on abortion

(RNS) As the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing most abortions draws near, a new poll finds Americans are ambivalent on the subject.

Eighty-three percent of those surveyed said abortion should be permitted in some cases, but just 47 percent said they supported the High Court’s Jan. 22, 1973, ruling that allows women to get an abortion at any time during the first three months of pregnancy. Forty-three percent said they were against the ruling. The rest were either uncertain or did not answer, an Associated Press poll found.

But the poll also showed there is general support for limited abortion rights, even among opponents.

Twenty-one percent of respondents said abortion should”not be legal in any circumstances.”But, answering a follow-up question, more than four in 10 of those opponents said abortion should be permitted in at least one of the following circumstances: when the mother’s health is seriously in danger; when the baby is likely to be born with serious defects; when a woman’s pregnancy is the result of a rape; or when a woman does not want the baby.

Public opinion on abortion has remained relatively stable over the years despite the emotional debate that surrounds it.

The nationwide telephone poll by AP included 1,102 adults and was conducted Jan. 8-12 by ICR of Media, Pa. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.

The poll also found that 6 percent of those who supported abortion without restriction based their views on religious beliefs. It found that 76 percent of those who thought it should not be legal in any circumstance said their views were influenced most by their religious beliefs.

Dalai Lama to deliver Emory commencement speech

(RNS) The Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of 6 million Tibetan Buddhists, is slated to deliver the commencement address at Emory University in Atlanta this spring.

The Dalai Lama, who will make his third visit to the campus, also will receive an honorary doctor of divinity degree at the May 11 event, the school announced.

The Nobel laureate has worked with Emory officials to formulate a collaboration between the university and the exiled Drepung Loseling Monastery for the study of Buddhism and Tibetan culture in southern India. Drepung Loseling is the prestigious ancient seat of scholarly activity in Tibet. This spring, an affiliation agreement is scheduled to be signed by Emory President Bill Chace and the abbot of the monastery.

The Buddhist leader was forced to leave his homeland in 1959, after a failed anti-Chinese uprising. He lives in exile in Dharmasala, India, a small town about 300 miles north of New Delhi. He continues to work to maintain the culture and heritage of Tibet, which is under Chinese control.

Quote of the day: Cuban Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega

(RNS)”The fruits of the pope’s visit have already been seen and we will see even more afterward. Time will not move backward.” _ Cuban Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega on the significance of Pope John Paul II’s scheduled 5-day visit to Cuba, which begins Wednesday (Jan. 21).

END RNS