c. 1999 Religion News Service

Christian conservatives balk at Arafat attending prayer breakfast

(RNS) Some Christian conservative activists say they will boycott the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (Feb. 4) because Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has accepted an invitation to attend.

The Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, said Monday (Feb. 1) he had sent a letter to all members of Congress urging them also to boycott the annual event.”The problem is not Arafat’s coming,”said Sheldon.”It’s his lack of remorse for murder by his organization of so many Jews and Israelis.” Randy Tate, executive director of the Christian Coalition, said his organization will also stay away from the breakfast, which generally attracts more than 3,500 religious leaders, politicians and diplomats.

Hassan Abdul Rahman, Washington representative for Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority, dismissed the protests as coming from”insignificant voices who represent right-wing extremists allied with anti-peace groups in Israel.”He said Arafat would attend the breakfast despite the planned boycott.

In addition, Abdul Rahman said Arafat would meet with President Clinton at the Washington Hilton, site of the breakfast. While in Washington, Abdul Rahman said the Palestinian leader will also meet with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and unnamed members of Congress.

Clinton, as is customary for the president, is also expected to attend the prayer breakfast.

The prayer breakfast has been a Washington institution for nearly 50 years. Ostensibly bipartisan, it generally has a conservative evangelical Protestant emphasis.

Many evangelicals are staunch supporters of Israel, which they see as a fulfillment of the biblical prophecy of the return of Jews to the Holy Land in advance of Jesus’ Second Coming.

Judge reaffirms ruling in Greek Orthodox mailing list suit

(RNS) The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and a dissident group within the church have both claimed victory following settlement of a law suit that the archdiocese had initiated against Greek Orthodox American Leaders, Inc. (GOAL).

The archdiocese had asked United States District Court Judge Denny Chinn to prevent GOAL from using the archdiocese’s mailing list to communicate with church members. The archdiocese said GOAL had improperly obtained the list, which the dissident group argued it was entitled to in order to make its views known to church members.

GOAL is seeking the ouster of Archbishop Spyridon, the American Greek church leader. GOAL claims Spyridon’s allegedly authoritarian management style has alienated many in the church, while the archbishop’s spokesman maintains GOAL has little support and consists of malcontents upset at losing power within the church.

The archdiocese’s lawsuit against church members drew protests from the church’s five metropolitans, or regional bishops, as well as more than 100 Greek Orthodox priests.

Chinn ruled in November against the archdiocese, saying that as church members GOAL officials were entitled to the mailing list. Friday (Jan. 29), Chinn reaffirmed his earlier decision.

In a statement, Spyridon said he was”very pleased that this entire episode has been concluded. Out of our deep sense of responsibility for the personal information entrusted to us by the faithful who are in turn entrusted to us by God, we acted honorably. I regret the pain that this has caused us all, the faithful believers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.” GOAL attorney John Nassikas, in his statement, said”plain and simply the diocese lost their case.”He said GOAL now had”a green light”to mail information to church members using the archdiocese’s mailing list.

Anglican theologian publishes book of rites for animals

(RNS) – A prominent Anglican theologian well-known as an advocate of animal rights has published a new book of animal rites _ liturgies and prayers to be used for animals.

The book,”Animal Rites: Liturgies of Animal Care,”by Andrew Linzey, a professor of Mansfield College, Oxford, includes a service for animal welfare, eucharistic prayers for all creatures, liturgies for the healing of animals, a vigil”for all suffering creatures,”forms for the blessing of animals, and a liturgy for animal burial.

It also includes a liturgy for covenanting with animals in which the owner promises to care for his or her animal, to be mindful of its”Christ-like vulnerability,”to love and protect the animal so long as it lives, and to be faithful and kind”in good times and bad.” A liturgy for”celebrating the creatures”invites the congregation to rejoice in the other sublime and mysterious worlds God has made:”The world of earthworms burrowing in the ground, the world of skylarks soaring above us, the world of foxes playing around their dens.” It reminds the congregation that all God’s creatures praise him:”The sun setting on the lake, the birds flying upward toward the heavens; the growl of the bear, the darting of the stickleback; the purring of the cat, the wide eyes of the tiger; the swift legs of the cheetah, the dance of the hare; the lapping of the dog, the descent of the dove.” One of three”litanies for animal protection”prays for”all our fellow-creatures that are imprisoned in zoos, transported overseas, hunted for sport, exploited in circuses, dissected in schools, abused in laboratories, forced into factory farms, butchered in abattoirs, trapped for their fur.” However, animal lovers will look in vain for such things as a service of penance for one’s cat when it has succeeded in eating one’s pet canary.

Update:”The Prince of Egypt”proves profitable

(RNS)”The Prince of Egypt,”which some have said would not be a blockbuster, will at least be a profit-maker.

The animated story of the life of Moses that was produced by DreamWorks SKG has grossed more than $90 million in North America, USA Today reported. It cost $75 million to make, plus an undisclosed amount in advertising.

DreamWorks partner Jeffrey Katzenberg had said before the movie opened that if it matched the $84 million made by”The Little Mermaid,”a popular Disney animated feature, he would be satisfied.”From the day it was realized, it’s been the No. 1 family movie,”said Terry Press, director of marketing for DreamWorks.

The much-promoted film continues to play on more than 1,500 screens and sales of related music compact discs have already climbed past 1 million.

DreamWorks’ unusual marketing of the film to secular filmgoers _ emphasizing its action, romance and famous voices _ and to Christian family movie watchers _ focusing on the moral tale and biblical origins _ may have contributed to the profits.

In addition there were special promotions by Christian booksellers and packages sold through Wal-Mart featuring books, music and tickets.

But Press said it’s hard to measure if people entered movie theaters for reasons of faith.”We don’t ask moviegoers, `Are you religious? Why are you here?'”he quipped.

But Bill Anderson, president of CBA, the trade group of Christian booksellers, said retailers were thrilled to have an opportunity to link up with a major movie that brought them music sales.

Christian Coalition praises women’s survey

(RNS) _ The Christian Coalition today praised a new survey that found a growing number of women support its agenda, particularly tighter restrictions on abortion, as proof the organization represents the”mainstream”of America.”This is big news,”said Randy Tate, the coalition’s executive director.”This reaffirms what we have known for a long time, that we’re in the mainstream _ that the pro-family movement appeals to a broad base of Americans.” The results of the poll released last week by the Center for Gender Equality, found 40 percent of women think abortion should only be allowed in cases of rape or incest or to save a woman’s life and 13 percent think it should not be permitted under any circumstance.

That brings the total number of women who hold the most restrictive views on abortion to 53 percent, compared with 45 percent in 1996.

Most women feel a wide range of religious organizations, including Southern Baptists, the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian Coalition, support women’s interests. Specifically, twice as many women (41 percent) think the Christian Coalition works in the interests of women as those who think it is a threat (18 percent).

The poll found that more women are describing themselves as religious and are in general more conservative in their attitudes about social issues. Women also are more accepting of religious involvement in politics.

Center for Gender Equality President Faye Wattleton, the former president of Planned Parenthood, said the results of the poll were”disturbing”and threaten to erase gains in women’s rights achieved over the last 25 years.

The New York-based Center for Gender Equality is a research and education institute founded by Wattleton in 1995.

Pope falls victim to the flu

(RNS) _ Pope John Paul II, who returned Friday from a trip to Mexico City and St. Louis, Mo., has come down with influenza for the second time this winter, the Vatican said Monday (Feb. 1).”Because of an influenza syndrome, the Holy Father is not giving the private audiences scheduled for today,”Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a brief announcement.

The pope, 78 and in failing health, also canceled his appointments on Dec. 18 because of what Navarro-Valls described as a light case of the flu.

As is customary, John Paul appeared at his open study window at noon Sunday to recite the Angelus prayer and speak to pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter’s Square. But the day was one of the coldest of the year, and he cut his appearance short.”Today the pope has a slight cold, and, therefore, his words will be brief,”he said.”I returned three days ago from a pilgrimage to Mexico City and St. Louis in the United States, and I thank God for having granted me this opportunity,”the pope said.” The pope and two young members of the Catholic Action organization of Rome, which has just observed a”Month of Peace,”then released two doves from the window in what John Paul said was”a wish for peace for Rome and the entire world.” Although a chronic ailment believed to be Parkinson’s disease makes it difficult for the pope to walk and to speak clearly, Vatican sources said he has no intention of giving up his foreign travel.

He has scheduled a 10-day trip to his native Poland in June, and the Vatican is attempting to arrange visits to Romania, Vietnam and Iraq before the year of 1999.

Report: Chinese arrest members of underground Catholic Church

(RNS) Two priests and other members of China’s underground Catholic Church have reportedly been arrested as part of Beijing’s ongoing crackdown against dissent.

The Cardinal Kung Foundation, based in Stamford, Conn., said Sunday (Jan. 31) that Rev. Pei Junchao and the Rev. Chen Hekun were arrested Jan. 25 in northern Hebei province. The group said other priests and seminarians were also arrested, but provided no additional details.

In recent weeks, China has arrested a number of political and religious dissidents in an effort to stifle opposition. The Catholics arrested belong to an underground Catholic Church that remains loyal to the Vatican.

In the 1950s, China broke relations with the Vatican and established its own”official”Catholic Church. The official church reportedly has 4 million members. The underground church is said to have twice that number, the Associated Press reported.

Former Assemblies of God leader G. Raymond Carlson dies

(RNS) The Rev. G. Raymond Carlson, former U.S. general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, died Friday (Jan. 29). He was 80.

Carlson, died in Springfield, Mo., after a long illness, the denomination announced.

He served as president from 1986 to 1993, a time of substantial growth for the Pentecostal denomination. Under his leadership, the number of Assemblies of God churches in the United States grew from 10,582 to 11,689. The worldwide constituency of the church increased from 15 million to 25 million adherents.

The author of 15 books, Carlson served on boards and committees of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America, the Pentecostal World Conference, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Religious Alliance Against Pornography.”The Assemblies of God has lost a beloved friend and leader in the homegoing of Dr. G. Raymond Carlson,”said General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask.”He exemplified strength through humility and leadership through servanthood.”

Quote of the day: Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza

(RNS)”It is our fervent hope that any in the international community, including very especially our own government of the United States, will respond appropriately and generously to the real needs of the people in the affected areas.” _ Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a Jan. 28 letter faxed to Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo, president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, expressing the sympathy and support of the U.S. bishops in the wake of the Jan. 25 earthquake that hit Colombia.

DEA END RNS