c. 2006 Religion News Service

Canadian Catholic Priest Excommunicated Over `Schismatic’ Church

TORONTO (RNS) A Canadian Roman Catholic priest who supports the ordination of women has been excommunicated after he held services in what authorities called a “schismatic church.”

The Palm Sunday service was the second held by the Rev. Ed Cachia at his newly formed Christ the Servant Catholic Church, and was attended by about 250 people who have followed the ousted priest to a rented hall in Cold Springs, a village about 80 miles northeast of Toronto.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough promptly declared it a “schismatic church” and said Cachia had “incurred automatic excommunication by virtue of the law of the church.”

“The Christian faithful should not frequent this breakaway church nor support the disobedience of Father Cachia,” Peterborough Bishop Nicola De Angelis said in a letter read in churches in the diocese Saturday (April 8) and Sunday.

Cachia “excommunicated himself” by celebrating “invalid sacraments (that are) fundamentally at odds with the teaching of the church,” diocese spokesman the Rev. Tom Lynch said in an interview.

Cachia, 56, first ran afoul of the church last July when he applauded the ordination of nine women as “priests” on a boat on the St. Lawrence River.

In October, he was fired as pastor of St. Michael’s Parish in Cobourg, east of Toronto, after he wrote a letter to the local newspaper urging his church to admit women to the priesthood. Reportedly, he also told his bishop that he had celebrated Mass with women priests in the United States.

He told supporters Sunday that he was saddened to be excommunicated during Holy Week. “I never in my whole lifetime ever dreamed it would come to this,” he told a Canadian newspaper.

Lynch said “those who ought to know better” should beware of the consequences of establishing a new church and celebrating sacraments with “invalidly ordained communities.”

_ Ron Csillag

Conservative Episcopalians Launch Separate Clergy Pension Plan

(RNS) Conservative Episcopalians have launched their own clergy pension plan, a further sign that dissidents may be laying the groundwork for a parallel church structure if the Episcopal Church breaks apart.

The Pittsburgh-based Anglican Communion Network, which counts 200,000 members in 800 congregations across 10 U.S. dioceses, said the program is available for clergy who are no longer enrolled in the Episcopal Church plan.

Typically, when an Episcopal priest leaves the denomination, any pension benefits are frozen _ but are not rescinded _ until he or she reaches retirement.

Wicks Stevens, chancellor for the Pittsburgh network, said benefits in the new plan are “transportable,” meaning they can be combined with other retirement plans such as a 401(k), and can follow a priest even after he or she withdraws from the program.

“We are concerned about looking out for people,” Stevens said, “and we are concerned with seeing that they get the benefits they have lost by leaving the Episcopal Church.”

The Network already has its own overseas relief agency and supports two evangelical seminaries. Stevens said his office also hopes to launch property insurance and health insurance programs. Stevens said similar groups, such as the Reformed Episcopal Church, may also be eligible to enroll.

The Network, which opposed the election of the church’s first openly gay bishop, has called for a “re-alignment” of Anglicanism in North America, and critics have accused it of sewing seeds of schism in the U.S. church.

“What all of this will eventually mean, everyone can speculate about,” he said. “We’re not waiting for some future time (to make decisions). Our folks are entitled to benefits and we’re committed to making sure they get them.”

_ Kevin Eckstrom

Jewish Theological Seminary Names President and He’s Not a Rabbi

(RNS) Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, has named a layman as its new chancellor at a time when the movement is at a crossroads.

School officials announced Monday (April 10) that Arnold Eisen, who is currently Koshland Professor of Jewish Culture and Religion at Stanford University, will become the school’s seventh chancellor. He succeeds Ismar Schorsch, who is stepping down after 20 years. Eisen will be the second non-rabbi to serve in this position.

“The appointment of Professor Eisen comes at a moment of transition for the Conservative movement,” Gershon Kekst, chairman of the board of trustees for the school and co-chairman of the search committee, said in a statement. “There is no doubt that the days and years ahead will be exciting, demanding and inspiring.”

Conservative Judaism, once the largest Jewish movement, faces an aging membership and shrinking numbers. In addition, there have been internal divisions between those who advocate total adherence to Jewish law and those who are more liberal. Recently, Conservative Jews have also wrestled with the question of whether to ordain homosexuals as rabbis.

Historically, the head of the New York City seminary has played a significant role in the direction of the movement. Eisen, who is also chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford, is considered an expert in American Judaism.

“By marshalling the resources of one of the greatest institutions in Jewish life, I am convinced that Jewish Theological Seminary can contribute to the revitalization of the Conservative movement and the American Jewish community as a whole,” Eisen said in a statement.

Eisen is the author of several books including, “Rethinking Modern Judaism: Ritual, Commandment, Community,” and co-author of “The Jew Within: Self, Family, and Community in America.”

“This is a movement that needs to rebuild, to attract a new collection of young people,” said Jonathan Sarna, professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. “They’ve found a young, dynamic, brilliant leader who they hope will lead them in a new direction.”

Eisen will serve as chancellor-designate beginning July 1 and will continue to fulfill his teaching duties at Stanford. He will assume the chancellorship on July 1, 2007.

_ Ansley Roan

Methodist Seminary Hires New President After Settling Charges of Racism

(RNS) A United Methodist seminary in Denver has named a new president, nearly two years after it became embroiled in charges of racism after its first-ever Hispanic president abruptly stepped down in 2004.

Iliff School of Theology has named as president the Rev. David G. Trickett, the chairman of the board at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

Trickett, a United Methodist pastor, is also president of the Jefferson Circle, a Virginia-based consulting firm that helps determine “purpose” for individuals, organizations and societies.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Dr. Trickett’s caliber join the Iliff community,” said Suzy Iliff Witzler, chairwoman of the seminary’s board of trustees. “His depth of experience _ as a pastor, faculty member, transformational leader and administrator _ will serve the school well.”

Iliff’s previous president, David Maldonado, abruptly stepped down in May 2004, citing resistance to his leadership from the faculty. He was the only Hispanic to lead a United Methodist seminary.

The Methodists’ Hispanic caucus charged that Maldonado was forced out because of his race, and threatened a boycott of the seminary. Church leaders then issued a “public warning” against the school because of concerns over “perceived racial and cultural insensitivities.”

The warning was removed last July after an investigation concluded the school had handled Maldonado’s departure properly. Last year, the school and Maldonado reconciled in a joint statement and expressed regret over the conflict.

Trickett holds degrees from Louisiana State University and Southern Methodist University (SMU). He has taught at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, Virginia Theological Seminary, Howard University School of Divinity and Catholic University.

_ Kevin Eckstrom

Quote of the Day: American Atheists Spokesman Dave Silverman

(RNS) “We’re just the last group, the `last minority’ to be speaking out. Americans are generally a tolerant group. I think in five or 10 years, studies will show that atheists are being accepted in our culture just like everybody else.”

_ Dave Silverman, communications director for the American Atheists organization, reacting to a University of Minnesota study that shows Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, and gays in “sharing their vision of American society.”

MO/JL END RNS