c. 2003 Religion News Service

Pope: `Repressive and Punitive Operations’ Will Not Defeat Terrorism

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope John Paul II said Tuesday (Dec. 16) that the war against terrorism is necessary but warned it cannot be won by “repressive and punitive operations” alone.

The Roman Catholic pontiff, writing mainly in general terms, examined “the deadly scourge of terrorism” in a message issued in advance for the Catholic Church’s annual observance of World Peace Day on Jan. 1, 2004.

“If it is to be won,” he said, “the fight against terrorism cannot be limited solely to repressive and punitive operations. It is essential that the use of force, even when necessary, be accompanied by a courageous and lucid analysis of the reasons behind terrorist attacks.”

The pope called for political action to eliminate “the underlying causes of situations of injustice,” education “inspired by respect for human life in every situation” and new laws to contain criminality.

“In the necessary fight against terrorism, international law is now called to develop legal instruments provided with effective means for the prevention, monitoring and suppression of crime,” John Paul said.

“In any event,” he said, “democratic governments know well that the use of force against terrorists cannot justify a renunciation of the principles of the rule of law. Political decisions would be unacceptable were they to seek success without consideration for fundamental human rights, since the end never justifies the means.”

Commending the “notable contribution” the United Nations has made to peace, “even with limitations and delays due in great part to the failures of its members,” the pope said reform is needed to allow the world body to function more effectively.

John Paul referred specifically to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which he said can be ended only with forgiveness as well as justice.

“A solution to the grave problems which for too long have caused suffering for the peoples of those regions will not be found until a decision is made to transcend the logic of simple justice and to be open also to the logic of forgiveness.”

The pope said that his “humble appeal” at the beginning of the New Year 2004 was, “Peace remains possible. And if peace is possible it is also a duty.”

At a Vatican news conference on the message, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, welcomed the capture of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein but said he was “pained” to see him “treated like a cow by someone who examined his teeth.”

_ Peggy Polk

Petitioners Seek Withdrawal of Bible School Curriculum

(RNS) About 800 people have signed an online petition seeking the withdrawal of a Southern Baptist curriculum for Vacation Bible Schools that they say is offensive to Asians.

The Rev. Soong-Chan Rah, a Cambridge, Mass., pastor, said the petition’s signatories include Southern Baptists and non-Southern Baptists, as well as Asians and non-Asians.

“This is just within a week and we didn’t publicize it in any significant way,” he said almost a week after he developed the petition on Dec. 9. “There’s already significant response.”

Rah, who pastors a church affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, has led a campaign against the curriculum called “Rickshaw Rally _ Racing to the Son.” He and some other Asian-Americans have criticized the use of the two-wheeled carriage and other symbols _ such as packaging in a “decorative takeout tin” _ as inaccurate depictions of current Japanese culture.

“While an attempt at an Asian-themed VBS may have been noble, the final product reflects an ignorance and insensitivity to the diversity and complexity found in Asian culture,” the petition reads. “Please discontinue the marketing and the distribution of the Rickshaw Rally VBS curriculum.”

One of the first to sign the petition was C. Ben Mitchell, a consultant to the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He told Religion News Service, “My best hope is that Southern Baptists who are considering using this literature will choose other options and that they will avoid it because of the potential damage that it can have in their community.”

A spokesman for LifeWay, the Southern Baptist division responsible for the curriculum, called the “unscientific” petition part of Rah’s “ongoing campaign against LifeWay.”

“It clearly demonstrates to us what we have said all along and that is that he will settle for nothing less than the complete removal of our VBS curriculum, which is totally unreasonable and unnecessary,” said Ron Phillips of LifeWay Christian Resources.

He said 5,000 advance orders had been received before the curriculum was available Dec. 1 and that current sales compare to last year’s sales. Phillips said negative comments received by LifeWay have been “very small in number.”

In a Web site message, LifeWay Christian Resources President James T. Draper Jr. said “I am truly sorry” if anyone has been offended by the materials.

LifeWay officials have made minor changes in the curriculum, including some of its music and a graphic on the Web site.

“We just feel very confident that through the 15 months of research and production, we developed materials that are biblically sound, that lift up another culture in a very positive way and most importantly, let kids know that Jesus loves people everywhere,” Phillips said.

Removing the curriculum _ the only one offered for 2004 by the Southern Baptist Convention _ would potentially affect the 1 million children in 20,000 churches who used LifeWay’s VBS materials last year.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Survey Shows Jewish Disconnect on College Campuses

(RNS) A national survey of Jewish college students revealed that they are slightly less connected with Jewish life than the American Jewish population at large.

The National Jewish Population Survey 2000-2001 (NJPS) released data on college students on Sunday (Dec. 14) at the international staff conference of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

The full NJPS was released in September by the United Jewish Communities. The new data is based on telephone interviews conducted in 2000 and 2001 with 732 Jews ages 18-29. The margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points.

The major finding of the student survey is that Jewish college students report less intense feelings about Jewish peoplehood and emotional attachment to Israel than their parents.

Of the 271,000 Jewish college students that the survey reported on, only 44 percent expressed a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people. This is markedly less than the Jewish population at large, 59 percent of which expressed this view.

However, the Jewish college students were equally as likely as most American Jews to observe Jewish rituals like lighting Hanukkah candles, fasting on Yom Kippur and attending or hosting a Passover seder.

On Israel, 20 percent of Jewish college students express a strong emotional attachment, as compared to 28 percent of the entire Jewish population.

The survey also revealed marked differences between college students with two Jewish parents as compared to one. These groups comprise almost equal percentages of the Jewish college population _ 48 percent of students have two Jewish parents, while 45 percent have one.

Students with two Jewish parents are more likely to affiliate with a particular Jewish denomination or movement, attend religious services regularly, take a Jewish studies course, date only Jews and participate in a Jewish campus group like Hillel, the survey found.

Additionally, Jewish students with two Jewish parents are much more likely to express a strong attachment to Israel. Only 4 percent of students with one Jewish parent expressed this view, as compared to 36 percent of students with two Jewish parents.

The differences with the children of intermarried parents represent a “tremendous challenge” for the Jewish campus community, said Hillel interim international president Avraham Infeld, who said that the goal is to bring deeper Jewish identity to all Jews.

“We cannot be satisfied until we have touched the lives of the vast majority of Jewish students on campus,” he said, “Clearly, we must redouble our efforts among the children of the intermarried.”

_ Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Two Years After Stroke, Mother Angelica Improves Slightly

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) On Christmas Eve two years ago, Mother Angelica suffered a second major stroke, leaving her with partial paralysis and a speech impediment.

As she approaches Christmas this year, the founder of the Irondale, Ala.-based Eternal Word Television Network has improved greatly while taking part in church services and the daily routine of the nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, said Sister Mary Catherine, monastery vicar.

“She has shown tremendous improvement since her stroke, although her verbal communication is still difficult,” she said. “Mother is able to lead prayers and gently encourages her sisters in their daily lives.”

Mother Angelica uses a wheelchair and walker to get around, but has declined to continue rehabilitation and speech therapy.

“Mother Angelica herself decided several months ago to stop her rehabilitation and speech therapy sessions,” Sister Mary Catherine said. “Mother is content living her life in whatever physical condition our Lord wills for her.”

The monastery founder remains active with the nuns in their daily activities.

“Mother is with us at daily Mass, prayers and devotions,” said Sister Mary Catherine. “She is with us for meals and community time. And her sense of humor continues to show itself in unexpected ways.”

Mother Angelica also spends much of each day reading. “She is currently reading a book about the life of St. Benedict,” Sister Mary Catherine said.

Mother Angelica’s taped programs are aired several times each week on EWTN. EWTN Global Catholic Network is available in English and Spanish in more than 85 million households in 110 countries.

_ Greg Garrison

Alabama’s Supreme Court Justices Bow out in Moore Appeal

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (RNS) The Alabama Supreme Court’s eight associate justices stepped down Monday (Dec. 15) from hearing “Ten Commandments Judge” Roy Moore’s appeal of his removal from office as chief justice, and a special seven-member court will be named to decide the case.

In August, the eight justices ordered Moore’s 5,300-pound granite monument to the Ten Commandments removed from the judicial building’s rotunda after Moore refused to obey a federal court order to remove it.

Acting Chief Justice Gorman Houston said Gov. Bob Riley and the Supreme Court jointly will appoint the first seven retired judges and justices willing to serve from a list of 20 names drawn Monday by Supreme Court Clerk Robert Esdale.

Houston said Riley agreed in advance to name the special court from those drawn by Esdale from more than 80 retired judges and justices in the state.

Moore was removed from office on Nov. 13 by the state Court of the Judiciary, which ruled that his refusal to obey the federal order violated the state’s canons of judicial ethics. He is appealing his removal to the state Supreme Court.

Houston earlier denied a request from Moore’s lawyers to step aside and to have nothing to do with appointing a special court because they said Houston’s actions and public statements indicated bias or the appearance of bias against Moore.

Moore’s lawyers said Monday that Houston should not have been involved in naming the special court and that at least two of the first seven named may have to step aside because of bias.

Houston said he could decide Moore’s appeal fairly but decided to step down with the other seven justices “for the sake of unanimity.”

“We’ve been unanimous in everything we’ve done since this tragedy began,” he said.

All eight justices signed an order that said they should step aside from hearing the Moore appeal because they all had been “intimately involved in the events” surrounding the monument.

_ Stan Bailey

Quote of the Day: National Council of Churches

(RNS) “As the next days and weeks unfold, we remind the U.S. government that the world will be watching to see how we treat our adversaries after they are in our custody. … We therefore urge the U.S. government not to give in to the temptation of vengeance or expediency, but to facilitate the prosecution of Hussein in a manner consistent with the highest accepted international standards of justice.”

_ The National Council of Churches USA, in a statement calling the capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein a “teachable moment in Western ideals and democracy.”

KRE END RNS