c. 2008 Religion News Service
Bush’s conservative liaison resigns after plagiarism charge
WASHINGTON (RNS) Tim Goeglein, a key liaison between the White House and conservative Christians, resigned Friday (Feb. 29) after plagiarism charges surfaced against him, the White House announced.
In a blog earlier that day, Nancy Nall, a former columnist for The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind., noted similarities between a recent Goeglein column in that paper and a writer for the Dartmouth Review.
In a statement Friday, the White House announced that President Bush had accepted Goeglein’s resignation.
“Today, Tim accepted responsibility for the columns published under his name in his local newspaper, and has apologized for not upholding the standards expected by the president,” the White House said. “The president was disappointed to learn of the matter, and he was saddened for Tim and his family. He has long appreciated Tim’s service, and he knows him to be a good person who is committed to his country.”
The News-Sentinel investigated the matter and found that Goeglein has plagiarized 20 of 38 columns the paper published under his name since 2000. The newspaper said he once used Pope John Paul II’s words as his own.
“We truly apologize to you for this breach of trust in the accuracy and honesty of what you read in this newspaper,” Kerry Hubartt, editor of The News-Sentinel, wrote to readers.
The newspaper said Goeglein also apologized. “Please know how deeply sorry I am,” he wrote to Editorial Page Editor Leo Morris, the paper reported.
Goeglein often stood in the pulpits of churches and the podiums of religious events, speaking on Bush’s behalf. He attended last May’s funeral of the Rev. Jerry Falwell and spoke to annual gatherings of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The White House said Goeglein had worked for Bush for more than seven years, helping establish the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives and playing a key role in the confirmations of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Sikhs opt out of papal meeting because of dagger dispute
WASHINGTON (RNS) The World Sikh Council-America Region said its members will not attend an interfaith gathering with Pope Benedict XVI next month because the Secret Service will not allow their ceremonial daggers.
The interreligious meeting is scheduled for April 17, during Benedict’s inaugural U.S. trip as pope, and will be held at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington.
Despite a cooperative effort with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who asked the Secret Service to provide security for the papal visit, Sikhs could not obtain permission to carry kirpans, or small ceremonial daggers, to the meeting.
The kirpan, which means “bringer of mercy,” is one five articles of faith required of formally initiated Sikhs, according to the World Sikh Council-America Region. It symbolizes a dedication to fighting injustice and oppression.
“We have to respect the sanctity of the kirpan, especially in such interreligious gatherings,” said Anahat Kaur, secretary general of the Sikh council’s American arm. “We cannot undermine the rights and freedom of religion in the name of security.”
This is not the first time Sikhs ceremonial garb has brushed with civil authorities. In 2004, a Sikh leader declined an invitation to the White House after he asked to “compromise observance of his faith,” according to the Sikh group.
Also, Sikhs wearing kirpans and traditional turbans have had trouble passing through security in airports. The Transportation Security Administration and Sikh leaders brokered a deal on security screenings last October, but complaints of discrimination continue.
In 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that a Sikh boy from Montreal should be allowed to bring his 4-inch-long kirpan to school.
_ Daniel Burke
`Living goddess’ of Nepal gives up divine role
CHENNAI, India (RNS) A young Nepali girl who is worshipped by many Buddhists and Hindus as a kumari, or “living goddess,” has renounced her divine role following a request from her family, an official in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, said Sunday (March 2).
Sajani Shakya, 11, who was revered for nine years as the kumari of the ancient temple town of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu, “is no more a kumari,” said Dipak Pandey, a senior official of the state-run corporation that oversees cultural affairs.
Pandey said Sajani’s family wanted to perform their own religious rituals, which required her to give up her divine position and rejoin the family.
Sajani, one of the three most respected kumaris in Nepal, made international headlines last year when she paid a 39-day visit to the United States, mainly to promote a British-made documentary about the living goddesses. She toured Washington, D.C., met Nepalis living in the U.S., toured a school and met some American children _ the first kumari to do so.
Some religious authorities in Nepal criticized Sajani’s U.S. trip, saying it was against tradition. They even threatened to strip her of her title, but the threat was later withdrawn after she agreed to undergo a “cleansing” ceremony.
Kumaris are selected from the Buddhist Shakya family and must follow certain set rules. The young girls live in seclusion in temples, and return to normal life when they reach puberty. In return, they get allowances and a monthly pension after retirement.
Human rights activists, however, say the tradition constitutes child abuse. In November 2006, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered an inquiry into whether the tradition has led to the exploitation of young girls.
_ Achal Narayanan
Canadian court sides with breakaway parishes
TORONTO (RNS) A Canadian court has ruled in favor of two conservative congregations that broke away from the Anglican Church of Canada, stating they have exclusive use of their church buildings _ at least for now.
A judge in Hamilton, Ontario, granted the interim order on Friday (Feb. 29) that allows the two breakaway churches to hold Sunday services without having to share the facilities with members who wish to remain with the national church.
The decision means that at least until next Sunday (March 9), services at St. George’s church in Lowville and St. Hilda’s in Oakville are under the auspices of the Anglican Network in Canada, a traditionalist group.
The breakaway group opposes the decision last November by the Niagara diocese to adopt the so-called local option that allows clergy “whose conscience permits” to bless gay marriages.
To date, 10 Canadian parishes have voted to join the Anglican Network, and an additional 15 have placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the conservative Anglican Province of the Southern Cone in South America.
Soon after the two Ontario churches voted on Feb. 17 to join the network, the Diocese of Niagara threatened legal action to retain the property, and demanded that the rebel congregations share the buildings with those congregants who sided with the national church. The diocese envisioned separate services.
“It seems to us only fair and equitable that the diocese be able to have access,” diocese lawyer John Page told the court. “Can’t Christians and Anglicans share? We’re prepared to share. We’re not asserting any entitlements.”
But Judge James Ramsay likened the idea of sharing a church to a divorcing couple being forced to share the matrimonial home. The two sides return to court on March 20 to sort out a longer-term arrangement, but it’s expected to be some time before the matter is resolved.
_ Ron Csillag
Quote of the Day: Mayor Shirley Gibson of Miami Gardens, Fla.
(RNS) “Having a church on your main thoroughfare won’t attract businesses. If you come to church, your mind-set is you’re coming to worship and that’s it. You’re not coming to shop, or go to the movies. There are enough churches to serve our spiritual needs and not enough places serving our other needs.”
_ Mayor Shirley Gibson of Miami Gardens, Fla., quoted in The Miami Herald, about the number of churches in a strip mall in the city. The city has 120 houses of worship, or about six per square mile.
KRE/CM END RNS
