c. 2008 Religion News Service

Pelosi counters Catholic prelates’ criticisms on abortion

WASHINGTON (RNS) A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has struck back against criticism from prominent Catholic prelates who accused the California congresswoman of misrepresenting church teachings about abortion.

“While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view,” said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly.

Pelosi, the nation’s highest-ranking Catholic elected official, said on “Meet the Press” last Sunday (Aug. 24) that the question of when life begins is “an issue of controversy” within the church. Her comments drew rebukes from the archbishops of Denver, Washington and New York.

In a statement released Tuesday, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali and Bishop William E. Lori, both high-ranking officials in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pelosi’s argument was inaccurate.

“The church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development,” Rigali and Lori said.

Pelosi, who supports abortion rights, cited the work of St. Augustine, who wrote that life begins three months after conception. Church leaders say medieval teachings were “uninformed and inadequate” in light of modern science, and that the question of when life begins was firmly answered in the middle of the 19th century.

Daly reiterated Pelosi’s position, again citing St. Augustine, while stressing the need for Congress and the church to work together to reduce the number of abortions.

“The speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family. She was raised in a devout Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views,” Daly said.

_ Tim Murphy

Pope expresses solidarity with Christian victims in India

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday (Aug. 27) condemned sectarian violence in India and voiced his “solidarity” with Christian victims there.

Benedict made his remarks during his weekly public audience at the Vatican.

Violence in the east Indian state of Orissa broke out last Saturday (Aug. 23), when gunmen killed Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. Police have blamed the crime on Maoist rebels, but Hindu extremists have retaliated by attacking Christian neighborhoods, including an orphanage. The fighting has left 11 dead.

“While I firmly condemn all attacks against human life, the sacredness of which demands the respect of all, I express my spiritual closeness and solidarity to the brothers and sisters in the faith so hardly tried,” the pope said.

Benedict also appealed to “religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to restore … the peaceful coexistence and harmony which have always been the distinguishing mark of the Indian society.”

_ Francis X. Rocca

Decoded diary shines new light on Methodist pioneer

LONDON (RNS) A secret, coded diary kept by one of Methodism’s founding fathers for 20 years has been deciphered by an Anglican priest in Britain, illuminating historical efforts to keep Methodists in the Church of England.

The task of decoding Charles Wesley’s handwritten 1,000-page journal took the Rev. Kenneth Newport of Liverpool Hope University nine years, he told journalists.

Wesley’s brother, John, founded Methodism. Charles was a prolific hymn writer whose works include “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

Newport said Wesley’s complicated writing omitted vowels and abbreviated consonants in a style ascribed typical of a gentleman and preacher of the 1700s.

Wesley’s journal begins with his trip to America in 1736.

“Charles Wesley has always inspired me, and when I started to study his manuscripts, I kept coming across materials written in what looked like a code of some sort. I was determined to unlock it,” Newport said.

The journal offers an insight into Wesley’s determination to prevent the Methodist Societies from breaking away from the Church of England, according to the Times of London.

It also detailed “disagreements with his more influential brother” John over whether the movement should break with the Church of England.

The two volumes that Newport has translated make up what has been described as the first complete transcription of the text.

_ Al Webb

Christian charities say poverty should be priority for Washington

(RNS) Christian aid organizations are calling on the federal government to make fighting poverty a national priority, in response to new economic data from the Census Bureau.

According to the bureau’s report, released Tuesday (Aug. 26), the percentage of Americans living below the poverty level remained statistically unchanged from 2006 to 2007.

During that same 12-month period the median income increased and the number of Americans without health insurance declined.

The data not take into account the nation’s recent economic downturn.

The Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, called the current poverty level “unacceptable.”

“Let these troubling poverty statistics be a call to action for each of us,” said Snyder. “We must demand that our current and future leaders give a much higher priority to the needs of the poor in their policymaking decisions.”

The Rev. David Beckmann, president of the Christian anti-poverty organization Bread for the World, said the report fails to account for rising transportation and health care expenses.

“The current way we measure poverty in the U.S. is woefully out of date,” Beckmann said. “(It) fails to capture the true extent of the hardship experienced by American families.”

_ Tim Murphy

British court convicts Muslim man for involving teens in violent ritual

LONDON (RNS) A British court has convicted a Muslim man of child cruelty for allowing two teenagers to flog themselves as part of a religious rite.

Prosecutors accused Syed Mustafa Zaidi of ordering the boys to whip themselves with a bundle of chains fitted with curved blades _ a device known as a zanjeer zani flail.

Such self-flagellation was described in court as part of a traditional ceremony commemorating the death in the seventh century of the Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein.

Zaidi, a 44-year-old warehouse supervisor from Pakistan, testified that the youths, ages 15 and 13 at the time, had asked to take part in the ritual and insisted that “no one forced anyone.”

The boys, whose names were not disclosed, said they had participated in such rites in Pakistan since they were 6 years old. Prosecutors argued that British law forbids flagellation by anyone under the age of 16, even if they are doing so willingly.

“In this country,” said prosecutor Andrew Nuttall, “the laws are very different from those in Pakistan.”

Authorities said the youths were taken by their mother to a hospital, where they were treated for multiple slash wounds.

The jury took three hours to convict Zaidi. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 24. He could face up to 10 years in prison.

_ Al Webb

Gay pride advocacy group sues Birmingham mayor

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) A gay rights group has filed a federal lawsuit against the mayor of Birmingham, accusing him of refusing to allow pro-gay banners for religious reasons.

Central Alabama Pride Inc. says there was no rational basis for Mayor Larry Langford to restrict city workers from hanging banners supporting Gay Pride Week on public property.

The city has hung flags or banners in support of many diverse events in Birmingham, according to the lawsuit.

Langford said Wednesday (Aug. 27) that he has not discriminated against anyone and called the suit a publicity stunt. Langford said the city hangs banners for events that the city sponsors.

In May, Langford refused to sign a proclamation for an annual gay pride celebration or allow banners on city property, and said he would not grant the sponsoring group a parade permit.

Langford on Wednesday reiterated his position against signing a proclamation for the event, saying it is inappropriate for a government to endorse a lifestyle that God opposes.

“The bottom line is I don’t condone the lifestyle and what they were asking me to do in my official capacity as mayor was to issue a proclamation which in essence endorsed the gay lifestyle,” Langford said. “If I had issued such a proclamation, I would in essence be saying that God’s position is wrong and I wouldn’t dare take a position against God. So as opposed to suing me, they need to be suing God, and the last time I checked, he can defend himself. End of story.”

David Gespass, a Birmingham lawyer who filed the suit, said the plaintiffs believe the city has no set of objective criteria for banners on city streets and on city property.

The suit contends the group was subjected to religious discrimination in violation of the First Amendment in that Langford sought to establish a particular religious position for the city.

_ Val Walton

Israel authorities begin digital conservation of Dead Sea Scrolls

JERUSALEM (RNS) Sixty years after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Israeli authorities have begun the process of conserving the precious pieces of ancient parchment through digital technology.

Israeli archaeologists said the project, now in its pilot stage, will employ the latest digital camera technology to image the thousands of fragments discovered in the late 1940s. The goal is to better preserve the brittle 2,000-year-old parchments and create an Internet databank accessible to everyone.

Buried deep inside caves in the blisteringly hot, dry Judean Desert for two millennia, the scrolls _ which include the oldest written record of the Old Testament ever found _ were discovered by Bedouin shepherds. Since them, scientists all over the world have worked to decipher the few intact scrolls and thousands of scroll fragments. So far, they have identified about 900 distinct manuscripts.

Imaging the scrolls in color and infrared will allow scholars to read scroll fragments not visible to the naked eye, said the Israel Antiquities Authority. Many of the fragments were found in poor condition; others deteriorated over time.

The preservation project is drawing on the expertise of imaging and database experts, including Greg Bearman, who was until recently the principal scientist at NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory.

_ Michele Chabin

Evangelical leaders say pregnancy doesn’t derail Palin support

(RNS) Evangelical leaders say the announcement that GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter is pregnant will not diminish their support for her candidacy.

Palin, a first-term governor of Alaska, issued a statement with her husband, Todd, saying that they are proud of their daughter Bristol’s “decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson issued a statement within hours of the Monday (Sept. 1) announcement, congratulating the Palins for choosing to continue the pregnancy of a 17-year-old.

“They should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances,” he said.

Evangelical leaders have previously praised the governor for choosing to give birth to her fifth child, Trig, despite his diagnosis with Down syndrome.

Asked Tuesday if the family’s announcement would dampen evangelicals’ general support for McCain’s vice presidential pick, Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, said “absolutely not.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the governor’s daughter is “following her mother and father’s example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation.”

_ Adelle M. Banks

Church of England tells parishes to turn out the lights

LONDON (RNS) The Church of England is telling its members to, yes, let there be light _ just not so much of it.

Reversing an eight-year campaign to brighten up the evenings, the church has come up with new guidelines backed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams urging parishes to cut back on the use of floodlights, in the interest of reducing their carbon footprints.

The move marks a sharp switch in Anglican enthusiasm that received a major boost for exterior lighting eight years ago, when Britain’s Millennium Commission awarded about $4.4 million to install floodlights at some 400 places of worship.

Now, the church’s new guidelines suggest that all this lighting up at night has gone a bit too far in these days of global concern over carbon emissions.

Lighting consultant Roger Gardner, who helped oversee the Anglicans’ Church Floodlighting Trust, told journalists that, in addition to growing concerns over light pollution, “churches are at the mercy of energy companies, like the rest of us.”

London’s Bishop Richard Chartres, a key supporter of the shift against floodlighting, says the guide “offers us not just tips on energy saving, but a reorientation.”

For his part, Williams said, “All Christians have an important role to play in developing their own environmental awareness and encouraging it in others.”

The new guide advises that nightly lighting be reserved for special occasions, such as celebrations of an anniversary.

_ Al Webb

Dalai Lama released from Indian hospital

(RNS) The Dalai Lama left a hospital in India in good spirits Monday (Sept. 1), just days after canceling a Latin American trip for health reasons.

The 73-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate had called off a visit to the Dominican Republic and Mexico and instead underwent testing at a Mumbai hospital. The Dalai Lama had experienced abdominal discomfort and was suffering from exhaustion, according to aides.

“There is nothing to be worried about. The doctors have advised that he take some more rest,” Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, told Agence France-Presse.

It’s not the first time the Dalai Lama has had to cope with exhaustion. Similar symptoms two years ago forced Tibet’s spiritual leader and exiled head of state to cancel a month’s slate of planned activities.

The Dalai Lama keeps a busy schedule from his home base in northern India, traveling the world to speak about Buddhism and advocate for Tibetan self-governance. He has been critical of China’s policy toward Tibet _ a position that has led Chinese authorities to label him a “splittist.”

In July, he toured the United States, addressing crowds in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Before returning to India, he spent 12 days in France, where he met with French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

_ Tim Murphy

Quote of the Week: Megachurch pastor and author Rick Warren

(RNS) “A lot of people hear (about a broader agenda) and they think, `Oh, evangelicals are giving up on believing that life begins at conception.’ They’re not giving up on that at all. Not at all.”

_ Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, speaking to The Wall Street Journal about what he thinks is a misunderstanding by the news media.

DSB/RB END RNS