c. 2005 Religion News Service
Pope Calls for `Emotional and Sexual Maturity’ in Seminaries
VATICAN CITY (RNS) As U.S. bishops met with Vatican officials to review policy on sexually abusive priests, Pope John Paul II urged seminaries Tuesday (Feb. 1) to examine the “emotional and sexual maturity” of all candidates for the priesthood _ including their attitudes toward celibacy.
The pope, who is recovering from the flu, canceled a scheduled audience with members of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education but sent a message containing the admonition to Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the congregation.
The Vatican announced earlier that a delegation from the U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops would meet Monday and Tuesday with Vatican officials “to examine the norms of cases of accusations of sexual abuse of minors.”
The U.S. bishops adopted the rules in 2002 after a scandal of abusive priests rocked the American church. The Vatican, however, feared that the “one strike” policy of removing priests after a single offense might be too harsh and approved the norms only for a two-year trial period, which ends in March.
There was no immediate report on the outcome of the talks.
In his message to the Congregation for Catholic Education, the pope said seminary education must take account of four dimensions in the formation of a priest, “human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral.”
“In the light of present social and cultural changes, it can be useful at times that educators avail themselves of the work of competent specialists to help seminarians understand more basically the needs of the priesthood, recognizing in celibacy a gift of love to the Lord and to brothers,” the pope said.
“Already at the moment of admission of youths to the seminary their suitability to celibate life must be carefully checked so as to arrive, before ordination, at a moral certainty about their emotional and sexual maturity,” he said.
The Vatican Congregations for Catholic Education and for the Clergy were reported some time ago to be working on a document on seminaries, which will deal with the problem of weeding out homosexuals from candidates for the priesthood.
_ Peggy Polk
Pastors Unveil New `Black Contract With America on Moral Values’
LOS ANGELES (RNS) A nationally known African-American pastor launched a coalition Tuesday (Feb. 1) that hopes to redefine the politics of black churches, shifting loyalties from liberal to biblical values.
Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Lanham, Md., introduced the High Impact Leadership Coalition at a press conference here, then held a summit for pastors to discuss his vision for integrating faith and politics. It was the first of seven such conferences scheduled throughout the country this year.
Jackson also unveiled the “Black Contract With America on Moral Values,” a broad agenda that addresses problems in urban communities. The contract includes protecting traditional marriage, creating wealth for minorities and providing health care for the poor.
In the past, the African-American church has been known as morally conservative and politically liberal, Jackson said. But the old monikers of conservative and liberal and “left” versus “right” do not change lives anymore, Jackson said.
“What we really need to do is say, `Let’s start from the Bible and create an environment where folks talk about Bible values,”’ Jackson said. “And people from both the Democratic side and the Republican side can come together and have something to say together.”
Jackson’s new coalition is already controversial, in part because Jackson said he _ like many other black ministers _ supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Jackson’s coalition got a nod of support from the Rev. Lou Sheldon, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition.
But Sylvia Rhue, a lesbian who is director of Equal Partners in Faith and a board member of the National Black Justice Coalition, crashed the press conference Tuesday. Rhue said black pastors are aligning with Bush to procure money through Bush’s “faith-based initiative” and said black Americans are not unanimous in opposing gay marriage.
“I think this is the culture of the purchased pulpit,” she said of the black conservative movement.
Jackson, who is a registered Democrat, said his church receives no money from the federal government. “I’m a free man, I’m my own man, but most importantly I’m God’s man,” Jackson said. “And I’m taking a stand that I believe will rally churches, Christians and long-term I think will save America.”
_ Marshall Allen
Time Magazine Highlights `25 Most Influential Evangelicals’
(RNS) Time magazine released for the first time a list of “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” in time for President Bush’s State of the Union Address on Wednesday (Feb. 2) and the National Prayer Breakfast the following morning.
Among those named is Douglas Coe, 76, head of the Washington-based Fellowship Foundation, which convenes the breakfast. The annual event gives invited religious leaders a chance to speak to politicians and diplomats, and Coe also coordinates hundreds of other events for prayer and conversation with national and international officials.
Others chosen for the distinction exert influence in a variety of positions, from the Rev. Tim LaHaye, 78, author of the “Left Behind” series of novels about end times, to Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., 46, known for his opposition to abortion and gay rights.
Left off the list are the Rev. Jerry Falwell and religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, evangelical leaders who are often in the news.
“Instead, we focus on those whose influence is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role for themselves,” said Steve Koepp, deputy managing editor of Time.
Several of those named played a role in persuading the 78 percent of white evangelical Christians who voted for Bush, according to Time.
Michael Gerson, 40, a White House speechwriter, and the Rev. Richard Neuhaus, a Catholic priest and founder of the New York-based religious journal First Things, are largely responsible for shaping the religious message that characterizes much of Bush’s public talks, the Time article reported.
The cover of Time, on newsstands Monday (Jan. 31), displays a cross with the faces of many of those named and asks, “What Does Bush Owe Them?” and “Do the Democrats Need More Religion?”
Others mentioned in the list include Mark Noll, an evangelical scholar at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.; Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the wildly popular “Purpose Driven Life” book series; evangelist Billy Graham and son Franklin Graham; and Diane Knippers, an Episcopal laywoman who heads the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative think tank.
_ Celeste Kennel-Shank
Salvation Army, Snubbed by Target, Surpasses Kettle Collection Goal
(RNS) Predictions of shortfall have turned to windfall for a Salvation Army that had to manage without a single collection kettle at a Target store last year.
The now-infamous decision of Target to stop providing space in 2004 for traditional bell ringers seems to have actually helped the charity take in a record-setting $95.3 million from other locations.
“From September through Christmas Eve, all I did was talk about Target with the media,” said national spokesman Maj. George Hood. “We logged about 1,500 interviews on that topic. … The American public loves this red kettle, there’s just no question about it, and when they felt it was in jeopardy,” they supported the cause.
Prior to 2004, the Army had counted on kettles placed at Target stores to generate about $9 million between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. But last year, Target announced it would no longer grant the Army an exception to its no-solicitation policy. To help fill the projected revenue gap, Wal-Mart, Big Lots and other retailers trumpeted their support for the kettle drive. The result: a $1.5 million increase over the sum raised in 2003.
Dollars raised in the kettle drive support local Salvation Army relief efforts, from sheltering disaster victims to feeding the hungry and helping the poor pay utility bills. Last year’s donations included $1.4 million raised online, up $500,000 from 2003, Hood said. But the vast majority of new donations seem to have come in the form of old-fashioned coin drops into red metal kettles.
The lesson for retailers considering adjustments to their kettle policy? Said Hood, “Be very careful.”
_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Solution to Wardrobe Malfunction: Change the Channel
WASHINGTON (RNS) For families who want to avoid racy language and wardrobe malfunctions at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a Christian television network has a solution: change the channel.
Direct satellite network Sky Angel will beam a half-hour “alternative” halftime show to satellite dishes nationwide.
The show, to be hosted by Sportsweek’s Tom McGough and former Pittsburgh Steeler Robin Cole, will feature Christian testimonies from sports stars including NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon, former Chicago Cub soon-to-be Baltimore Oriole Sammy Sosa and the Houston Rockets’ Dikembe Mutombo.
“After last year’s halftime show incident, we understand people’s desire for an alternative for their families and church members,” said Kathleen Johnson, Sky Angel’s vice president of programming, in a statement.
It will air on Sky Angel’s special events channel, Angel Two, on Feb. 6.
_ Andrea James
Quote of the Day: Church-State Separationist Barry Lynn
(RNS) “These are dangerous times for the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. Religious advocates of all stripes are applying all kinds of pressure on politicians to start passing laws based on their interpretation of the Bible. From James Dobson to Jim Wallis, evangelicals are goading politicians to couch policy-making in Christian terms. … Politicians are not preachers, and political debate should not be turned into religious conflict.”
_ The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, commenting on recent efforts by a range of evangelical leaders to influence political debate.
KRE/PH END RNS
