c. 2006 Religion News Service
China Again Defies Vatican Authority and Names New Bishop
VATICAN CITY (RNS) China consecrated a new bishop in its state-sanctioned Catholic Church on Thursday (Nov. 30), defying the Vatican’s claim to exclusive authority over the appointment of bishops.
Wang Renlei, vicar-general of the Xuzhou diocese in eastern China, was elevated to the rank of bishop in a two-hour ceremony that drew more than a thousand people.
The Vatican could not be reached for comment on China’s move, which came as Pope Benedict XVI was concluding a high-profile visit to Turkey. The consecration threatens to further strain relations between the Vatican and China. The world’s largest church and most populous country have frequently clashed over who ultimately holds the authority to appoint bishops.
When China consecrated two bishops without papal approval last May, the decision shook efforts on both sides to re-establish diplomatic ties, which were severed in 1951.
Five million Chinese Catholics currently belong to a state-controlled “Catholic” church while at least 8 million faithful are believed to belong to an underground church loyal to Rome. Members of the underground church are routinely harassed, beaten and jailed by Chinese authorities.
Liu Bainian, deputy chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which oversees the state-approved church, told the Associated Press that the consecration “should not and will not hurt the relations between China and the Vatican.” Liu added that Wang’s consecration was “fully supported” by the faithful of his diocese.
_ Stacy Meichtry
Progressive Christians Blast Conservatives for Criticism of Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) A group of progressive Christian leaders issued an open letter Thursday (Nov. 30) blasting anti-abortion activists for saying Sen. Barack Obama should not be welcomed at an AIDS summit hosted by megachurch pastor Rick Warren.
“It’s unfortunate that these groups would exploit the Christian faith to advance their divisive agenda _ an agenda that gives almost exclusive attention to a few wedge issues while ignoring the diversity of problems plaguing American communities,” the more than two dozen leaders wrote.
“We also wonder why any organization claiming to represent believers in Jesus Christ would choose to play what amounts to partisan politics instead of encouraging our leaders to address the scourge of AIDS.”
The group was reacting to a statement issued Tuesday by leaders of groups such as the American Family Association and the Pro-Life Action League that condemned Obama’s pro-abortion rights stance.
“If Senator Obama cannot defend the most helpless citizens in our country, he has nothing to say to the AIDS crisis,” they declared. “You cannot fight one evil while justifying another.”
The signers of the open letter rejected “`the creation of an unbiblical litmus test” and said AIDS is not an issue that merits divisiveness.
“In the face of this crisis, it boggles our minds and offends our God-given sense of justice that these groups would choose to attack Senator Obama and Reverend Warren _ Christians both _ for working together to stamp out AIDS.”
Signers included the Rev. Romal Tune, co-chair of FaithfulDemocrats.com; the Rev. James Forbes of New York’s Riverside Church; Bishop Vashti McKenzie of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the Rev. Stephen Thurston, president, National Baptist Convention of America; evangelical speaker Tony Campolo; and authors Randall Balmer of Columbia University and Lauren Winner of Duke Divinity School.
Warren responded to the protest by stating that “the HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be fought by evangelicals alone.” The Democratic senator said he hopes people can “come together” to fight AIDS and poverty despite differing beliefs.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Buddhists Pay $50 Fines for Worshipping in House
HOLLAND, Mich. (RNS) As self-described “peaceful people,” leaders of a Buddhist temple in Olive Township, Mich., were in no mood to fight claims they violated township rules by worshipping in a house.
The seven men pleaded guilty to a township ordinance violation Tuesday (Nov. 28) in Holland District Court and were sentenced to $50 fines.
“We are happy with this,” said Chris Liravongsa, a spokesman for the group and an official with the Wat Siriphanyo Aram-Lao Temple. “We are a peaceful people. We know we violated the ordinance. We don’t want to fight,” he said.
Their legal troubles may be resolved, but uncertainty remains about where the small group of worshippers will meet for the nine major gatherings integral to the Buddhist faith. About 20 families are part of the temple.
Liravongsa did not know whether the Aram Temple would sell the house, bought two years ago, or try to worship at a different location. In the past, worshippers scheduled gatherings at a middle school, but not many people attended because they were uncomfortable being away from the home’s shrines.
The township filed the misdemeanor ordinance violations against temple leaders earlier this fall because the ranch-style home and an adjacent barn were being used for assembly without township approval.
The township also complained worshippers were parking as many as 30 cars at a time on the property, a parcel with neighbors on both sides.
Zoning officials said the Aram Temple must abide by a site plan permit issued in 2005 to build a new 4,000-square-foot building and parking lot, and not worship out of a home that may not be safe from fire hazards for large assemblies. Temple members say they have not raised the funds needed for construction.
Holland District Judge Brad Knoll told temple leaders free expression of religion is an important right.
“It’s not the intent of the court to interfere with your religious practice, but the balance here is you must obey the township zoning ordinance. Unless the provisions of that ordinance are successfully challenged, you must obey them,” he said.
_ John Tunison
New Rabbi Installed 16 Months After Katrina Delay
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Sixteen months and a life-changing storm after he arrived in suburban Metairie to take over his new pulpit, Rabbi Theodore Lichtenfeld was finally installed Nov. 18 as the second rabbi of Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation.
Lichtenfeld’s installation would have occurred months ago, but for Hurricane Katrina.
Lichtenfeld, 36, his pregnant wife, Miriam _ also a rabbi _ and their 2-year-old daughter, Avital, arrived in New Orleans from Pompton Lakes, N.J., Aug. 1, 2005. Shir Chadash, the metro area’s only Conservative congregation, is Lichtenfeld’s second full-time pulpit.
But only four weeks later, they found themselves in Atlanta with thousands of other evacuees, trying to get a grip on what Hurricane Katrina had done to Metairie.
Lichtenfeld faced a peculiar frustration. Like other clergy, he struggled to locate his families by cell phone and e-mail. Unlike them, he had been their leader for only four weeks.
“I still had not placed all the names with all the faces,” he said.
In short order, Lichtenfeld led Rosh Hashana services for displaced New Orleans Jews in Houston. He returned to his damaged but serviceable temple six weeks after Katrina to lead Yom Kippur services on bare concrete floors.
With Tenet Memorial Hospital destroyed, Miriam and Avital temporarily moved to New Jersey until the birth of the couple’s son, Aryeh, in November 2005.
Lichtenfeld shuttled back and forth between his family and his congregation until January, when the family permanently returned to Metairie.
Today, Shir Chadash is largely repaired physically, having absorbed about $500,000 in work, said Lichtenfeld. Its population is down by a quarter, with about 300 families where there used to be 400 families.
Asked what he hoped for the coming year, Lichtenfeld offered two thoughts: “The first hope is not only for this congregation, but that particularly in New Orleans, more things happen to make life more normal and bring hope to this community. I want money that’s supposed to come to us really start coming in . …
“And for our congregation … even before Katrina I wanted to clarify our mission, particularly as the only Conservative synagogue in the New Orleans area.
“I want to keep people here and make them feel good . … I want to think of ways to enhance our services and encourage spirituality, which is even more important now.”
_ Bruce Nolan
Quote of the Day: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
(RNS) “In order to win the fight against AIDS, we must each set aside our differences and join together as human beings from all political, religious and non-religious walks of life, fighting for the lives of people who are suffering and dying. We will not all agree on every issue, but I think we can all agree that the global fight against AIDS is worthy of our cooperation.”
_ Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., responding to anti-abortion critics who protested the scheduled participation of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in an AIDS conference at the megachurch of Pastor Rick Warren. Brownback is scheduled to be on the same panel with Obama on Friday.
KRE/PH END RNS
