The World Monitor

Desperate Roman Catholic Church Trys to Poach Anglicans

2009-10-21T09:21:00.001-07:00

The recent announcements from the Vatican regarding the new policy of accepting disaffected Anglicans into the RC Church, should be viewed for what they are.... POACHING!
We would like to remind our readers that in previous cases, particularly in the USA the RC Church has set up a few congregations in what they have referred to as the "Anglican Rite".
Anglicans beware, there is really only one thing that this offer boils down to...SUBMISSION TO ROME!
Did not the Reformation occur precisely to get away from the corruption of the Papacy?
When you think about this offer.... BEWARE...The Vatican never makes an offer which does not have rich benefits in it for them.

Pope rescinds Austrian bishop's appointment after embarassment

2009-03-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

IN WHAT looks like a further embarrassing setback for Pope Benedict, the Vatican yesterday confirmed that the pope has cancelled the appointment of Austrian Fr Gerhard Maria Wagner as auxiliary Bishop of Linz. In a most unusual step, the pope has effectively backtracked on an appointment, made two months ago, which prompted anger and dismay amongst Austrian Catholics.

Last month, faced with what he called “fierce criticism”, Fr Wagner had asked the pope to withdraw his nomination. In a one-line statement yesterday, the Vatican press office confirmed that the pope had granted Fr Wagner’s request, dispensing him from accepting the office in Linz.

Critics, in Austria and beyond, had complained about various statements made by Fr Wagner, in particular with regard to the Hurricane Katrina disaster which struck New Orleans in 2005. Writing in a parish newsletter, Fr Wagner had said: “The amoral conditions in this town are indescribable. This is not just any city which has been drowned but the people’s dream town with the ‘best brothels and the most beautiful whores’”, wrote Fr Wagner, suggesting that the hurricane had been a punishment from God for the “spiritual pollution” of New Orleans.

Furthermore, Fr Wagner is on record as having labelled the Harry Potter book series as “satanic” and having declared homosexuality to be a curable condition. In his parish in Windischgarsten, he prompted resentment by refusing to allow lay participation in church affairs.

The Complete Story may be found here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0303/1224242151655.html

Theologian Kung Says Roman Catholic Church in Danger of Becoming a Sect

2009-02-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Earth Times Reported Today that:

Tubingen, Germany - The Catholic church was under the increasing threat to deteriorate into a sect under the rule of Pope Benedict XVI, a leading progressive theologian said. Father Hans Kung, an emeritus professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tubingen in southern Germany, said he was "very sad" over the direction where the current church leadership was heading.

Remarks by Kung that the Catholic church under the current pope risked becoming a sect triggered fierce criticism by the Vatican.

After meeting Pope Benedict XVI four years ago he was still optimistic, Kung, whose authority to teach Catholic theology was rescinded by the Vatican over his criticism against papal authority, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"I was hoping that he [Pope Benedict] would show himself as reforming, ecumenical and open for the future. But this hope has been bitterly disappointed," Swiss-born Kung said.

Benedict XVI, formerly cardinal Josef Ratzinger, strained relations with the Protestant churches because of his lack of willingness to engage in ecumenical dialogue. Neither did the pope's dialogue with Islam amount to more than lip service, Kung said.

Furthermore, the German-born pope severely damaged relations with members of the Jewish faith by revoking the excommunication of Richard Williamson, a Holocaust-denying bishop of an arch-conservative Catholic group.

"Pope Benedict XVI seriously angered many faithful Catholics and suffered a severe loss of his credibility. This is sad," Kung said.

The pope should state that the revoking [Williamson's] excommunication without conditions has not been justified, Kung demanded.

The Complete Story may be found here:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/257814,pope-loses-credibility-theologian-hans-kung-says.html

U. S. Criticizes Philippines for Failure to Stop Graft and Corruption

2009-02-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Philippine Inquirer Reported Today that:

MANILA, Philippines—Corruption remains rampant in the Arroyo administration primarily because of its failure to enforce laws penalizing crooked officials and its withholding of information from public inquiries into questionable government transactions, according to the US State Department.

In its “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 2008,” which was released on Wednesday, the US State Department said the culture of corruption in government agencies and the judiciary was among the reasons basic human rights continued to be violated in the Philippines.

“The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials often engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,” the report says.

Right to information

It adds: “The law provides for the right to information on matters of public concern. However, denial of such information often occurred when the information related to an anomaly or irregularity in government transactions. Much government information was not available electronically and was difficult to retrieve.”

But the report also mentions that a number of public officials were prosecuted last year, and that the Sandiganbayan handed down a number of convictions.

Obama’s policy

The report covers 2008, when George W. Bush was still the US president. But its general introduction refers to the policy of President Barack Obama on human rights, which warns against corrupt and suppressive governments.

It was signed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said “the promotion of human rights is an essential piece of [US] foreign policy.”

Predictably, Malacañang on Friday sought to downplay the report.

The Complete Story may be found here:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090228-191520/US-raps-RP-for-failure-to-stop-graft

Vatican Rehabilitated Bishop Ordered to Leave Country by Argentine Government

2009-02-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Reuters reported today that:

A Roman Catholic bishop who caused an international uproar by denying the scale of the Holocaust left Argentina on Tuesday, days after the government ordered him out of the country.

Bishop Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist who headed a seminary near Buenos Aires until earlier this month, said he believes that no more than 300,000 Jews died in Germany's Nazi concentration camps, rather than the 6 million figure that is widely accepted.

Wearing dark sunglasses, a baseball cap and an overcoat, the tall, gray-haired Williamson was seen by a Reuters reporter in Argentina's main international airport as he entered the boarding area.

The bishop did not respond to questions and raised his fist toward the face of a local TV reporter who was trying to get a comment from him as he walked briskly toward his flight.

Argentina's Interior Ministry later confirmed that the cleric departed on a flight bound for London.

The complete story may be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090224/wl_nm/us_argentina_bishop

Army charity hoards millions-Another Government Scandal

2009-02-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

The AP reported today that:

FORT BLISS, Texas – As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax records.

Tax-exempt and legally separate from the military, AER projects a facade of independence but really operates under close Army control. The massive nonprofit — funded predominantly by troops — allows superiors to squeeze soldiers for contributions; forces struggling soldiers to repay loans — sometimes delaying transfers and promotions; and too often violates its own rules by rewarding donors, such as giving free passes from physical training, the AP found.

AER was founded in 1942 to soften the personal financial hardships on soldiers and their families as the country ramped up its fight in World War II.

Today, AER's mission is to ease cash emergencies of active-duty soldiers and retirees, and to provide college scholarships for their families. Its emergency aid covers mortgage payments and food, car repairs, medical bills, travel to family funerals, and the like.

Instead of giving money away, though, the Army charity lent out 91 percent of its emergency aid during the period 2003-2007. For accounting purposes, the loans, dispensed interest-free, are counted as expenses only when they are not paid back.

During that same five-year period, the smaller Navy and Air Force charities both put far more of their own resources into aid than reserves. The Air Force charity kept $24 million in reserves while dispensing $56 million in total aid, which includes grants, scholarships and loans not repaid. The Navy charity put $32 million into reserves and gave out $49 million in total aid.

The complete story may be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090223/ap_on_re_us/army_s_stingy_charity;_ylt=AufBe81Mynblwt3e63rlY18DW7oF

Junkets and First Class Travel by Members of the Government

2009-02-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Recent news reports about the travel habits of some members of Congress and others in the U.S. Government are undoubtedly causing much furor. The World Monitor is currently investigating what the Obama Administration is planning to do to ban the usage of first-class air travel by all levels of the Federal Government, as well as the usage of military aircraft to fly delegations to questionable events or on dubious fact-finding missions.
We will keep our readers updated as we receive responses from the agencies involved.

AP Investigation: Banks sought foreign workers

2009-02-02T03:45:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press Reported today that:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.

The dozen banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.

As the economic collapse worsened last year — with huge numbers of bank employees laid off — the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in the 2007 budget year to 4,163 in fiscal 2008.

The Complete Story May be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090201/ap_on_bi_ge/bailout_foreign_workers

Pope stirs up Jewish fury over bishop

2009-01-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

Vatican is reinstating a British priest who denies millions died at the hands of the Nazis

Tension between the Vatican and Jewish groups looked set to explode yesterday after Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated a British bishop who has claimed no Jews died in gas chambers during the second world war.

Benedict yesterday welcomed back into the Roman Catholic Church Richard Williamson and three other men who were excommunicated in 1988 after being ordained without Vatican permission. The three had been appointed by breakaway French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The Vatican decree issued yesterday spoke of overcoming the "scandal of divisiveness" and seeking reconciliation with Lefebvre's conservative order, the Society of Saint Pius X, which opposes the modernisation of Catholic doctrine.

But Jewish groups have warned the Pope that the decision could damage Catholic-Jewish relations after Williamson claimed in an interview, broadcast last week, that historical evidence "is hugely against six million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler ... I believe there were no gas chambers".

Shimon Samuels, of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Paris, said he understood the German-born pope's desire for Christian unity but said Benedict could have excluded Williamson, whose return to the church will "cost" the Vatican politically.

In an interview taped last November and aired last Wednesday on Swedish television, Williamson said he agreed with the "most serious" revisionist historians of the second world war who had concluded that "between 200,000-300,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by gassing in a gas chamber". Williamson added he realised he could go to jail for Holocaust denial in Germany.

British Jewish groups condemned the decision and said they feared it could damage social cohesion. "The Council of Christians and Jews have said that in recent years there has been a considerable increase in antisemitism from some of the eastern European churches," said Mark Gardner, spokesman for the Community Security Trust which monitors attacks on Jewish people in the UK. Gardner said he hoped the Vatican would make it clear it abhors Williamson's comments about the gas chambers.

The Complete Story May be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/25/pope-benedict-richard-williamson

Vatican attacked for opposing gay decriminalization

2008-12-04T03:35:00.000-08:00

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Gay rights groups and newspaper editorials on Tuesday condemned the Vatican for its decision to oppose a proposed U.N. resolution calling on governments worldwide to de-criminalize homosexuality.

The row erupted after the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations told a French Catholic news agency the Holy See would oppose the resolution, which France is due to propose later this month on behalf of the 27-member European Union.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore said the Vatican opposed the resolution because it would "add new categories of those protected from discrimination" and could lead to reverse discrimination against traditional heterosexual marriage.

"If adopted, they would create new and implacable discriminations," Migliore said. "For example, states which do not recognize same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made an object of pressure," Migliore said.

A strongly worded editorial in Italy's mainstream La Stampa newspaper said the Vatican's reasoning was "grotesque."

Pointing out that homosexuality was still punishable by death in some Islamic countries, the editorial said what the Vatican really feared was a "chain reaction in favor of legally recognized homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation."

Franco Grillini, founder and honorary president of Arcigay, Italy's leading gay rights group, said the Vatican's reasoning smacked of "total idiocy and madness."

"The French resolution, which is supported by all 27 members of the European Union, has nothing to do with gay marriage. It is about stopping jail and the death penalty for homosexuals," Grillini told Reuters.

FRANCE DEFENDS RESOLUTION

The resolution is to be presented by Rama Yade, France's state secretary for human rights. On Tuesday the Paris government defended the resolution.

"France's initiative ... is an initiative that is based on existing texts. The idea is not to create new rights. The idea is ... to make decriminalization possible," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said.

Human rights groups say homosexuality is still punishable by law in more than 85 countries and by death in a number of them, including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen.

Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi said "no one wants the death penalty or jail or fines for homosexuals" but defended Migliore's comments, adding that the Vatican was in the majority on the issue.

"It's not for nothing that fewer than 50 member states of the United Nations have adhered to the proposal in question while more than 150 have not adhered. The Holy See is not alone," Lombardi said.

An editorial in Rome's left-leaning La Repubblica newspaper said the Vatican's position "leaves one dumbstruck." Margherita Boniver, a leading member of the Italy's leftist Democratic Party, called it "alarmingly anachronistic."

Anglican bishops in 'secret meeting' with Vatican over gay priests and women bishops row

2008-07-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

The Daily Mail reported that:

Senior Church of England bishops have held secret talks with Vatican officials over the crisis issue of homosexual priests and women bishops in the Anglican Communion.

The bishops met senior advisers of Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the controversial topic, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The news of the meeting comes ahead of a crucial vote tomorrow at the General Synod, the Church of England's ruling body, on how far to accommodate parishes and clergy who oppose women bishops.

The group of conservative bishops are said to have expressed dismay at the liberal direction of the Church of England and their fears for its future.

They met members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was headed by the Pope before he was elected Pontiff in 2005, it was said.

The meeting was reportedly part of an attempt to build closer ties with the Roman Catholic Church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was not told of the talks, it was reported.

But a Church of England spokesman said: 'This is one of a plethora of stories on the internet and in print ahead of Monday's debate and it will be down to General Synod to determine the way ahead on this issue.'

Up to 600 clergy have written to Dr Williams warning that they might leave the Church if safeguards such as dioceses for opponents of women bishops are not set up.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that in a separate development, three diocesan bishops of the Church of England have written to Dr Williams supporting the threat and another has said he is preparing to leave the Church.

The letter from the Bishops of Chichester, Blackburn and Europe - seen by The Sunday Telegraph - argues that traditionalist clergy will not be able to 'maintain an honoured place' in the Church without sufficient legislation.

The reports come after the creation of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a worldwide network opposed to liberalisation of Church teaching on issues such as homosexuality.

The Lambeth Conference, the 10-yearly meeting of the bishops of the Anglican Communion is also due to meet later this month in Canterbury, Kent.

No-one was available for comment at the Catholic Church of England and Wales.
Lambeth Palace declined to add any more to the statement from the Church of England.

The Rt Rev Kieran Conry, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said: 'A number of Church of England bishops are looking at the options open to them should things go wrong at the Lambeth Conference.'

The complete story may be found here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1032429/Anglican-bishops-secret-meeting-Vatican-gay-priests-women-bishops-row.html?ITO=1490

Egypt: Court Upholds HIV Sentences, Reinforces Intolerance

2008-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Five Convictions in Fear-Driven Crackdown a Blow to Health and Justice

A Cairo appeals court’s decision to uphold the sentences imposed on five men jailed in a crackdown on people living with HIV/AIDS underscores the Egyptian government’s dangerous indifference to public health and justice, Human Rights Watch said today. The May 28 ruling upheld the maximum three-year prison terms for each of the five, following a months-long campaign targeting men with HIV/AIDS. A total of nine men have been sentenced to prison so far.

“To send these men to prison because of their HIV status is inhuman and unjust,” said Joe Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS program at Human Rights Watch. “Police, prosecutors, and doctors have already abused them and violated their most basic rights, and now fear has trumped justice in a court of law.”

On May 7, a court of first instance in Cairo had convicted the five men on charges of “habitual practice of debauchery,” a phrase that in Egyptian law encompasses consensual sexual acts between men.

Before their first trial, a prosecutor told the men’s lawyer that they should not be allowed to “roam the streets freely” because the government considered them “a danger to public health.”

Since October 2007, Cairo police have arrested a dozen men on suspicion of being HIV-positive. The crackdown began when one man, stopped on the street during an altercation, told officers he was HIV-positive. Police arrested him and the man with him, beat and abused them, and interrogated them to name sexual contacts. Police then began picking up others based on information from those interrogations.

On January 14, 2008, a Cairo court sentenced four of those men to one-year prison terms on “debauchery” charges. An appeals court upheld those sentences on February 2. The present five defendants were referred for trial separately in March. Authorities released three other men, who tested negative for HIV, without charge, after months in detention.

While the 12 were in detention, doctors from the Ministry of Health forcibly subjected all of them to HIV tests without their consent. Doctors from Egypt’s Forensic Medical Authority performed abusive anal examinations on the men to “prove” they had had sex with other men. Human Rights Watch has documented that such examinations conducted in detention constitute torture. Police and guards beat several of the men in detention. A prosecutor told one of the men that he had tested positive for HIV by saying, “People like you should be burnt alive. You do not deserve to live.”

The prisoners who tested HIV-positive were chained to their beds in hospitals for months. After a local and international outcry, the Ministry of Health ordered the men unchained on February 25.

“Putting these men in prison serves neither justice nor public health,” Amon said. “The Egyptian government and the country’s medical profession must act to end this campaign of intolerance.”

Excommunication decree for attempted ordination of women

2008-05-31T02:46:00.001-07:00

Vatican, May. 30, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has announced that any Catholic bishop who attempts the ordination of a woman to the priesthood, and any woman who participates in such a ceremony, is subject to automatic excommunication.

The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published in the May 30 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, takes effect immediately and applies throughout the universal Church. The document was signed by Cardinal William Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato, the prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation.

"Both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incurs excommunication latae sententiae."

The Vatican document declares that "he who attempts to confer Holy Orders on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive Holy Orders, incurs excommunication latae sententiae." A latae sententiae penalty is incurred automatically, and no public decree is necessary. Only the Holy See will have the authority to lift that penalty.

The decree cites #1378 of the Code of Canon Law, which prescribes the penalty of excommunication for anyone who simulates a sacrament. That canon specifically mentions only the simulation of Mass and Confession; the May 30 decree extends the scope of the canon to apply to a simulated ordination ceremony as well.

Anti-Torture Activists Convicted, Guantanamo Prison Put on Trial

2008-05-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC - May 29 - Thirty-four Americans arrested at the Supreme Court on January 11, 2008 were found guilty after a three-day trial which began on Tuesday, May 27th in D.C. Superior Court. The defendants represented themselves, mounting a spirited defense of their First Amendment rights to protest the gross injustice of abuse and indefinite detention of men at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.

Charged with "unlawful free speech," the defendants were part of a larger group that appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11—the day marking six years of indefinite detention and torture at Guantanamo. "I knelt and prayed on the steps of the Supreme Court wearing an orange jumpsuit and black hood to be present for Fnu Fazaldad," said Tim Nolan, a nurse practitioner from Asheville, NC who provides health care for people with HIV.

Defendants and witnesses argued that they did not expect to be arrested at the Supreme Court, "an internationally known temple to free speech." Ashley Casale, a student at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, told the court, "I am 19-- the youngest person in this courtroom—and I come on behalf of all the prisoners at Guantanamo who were younger than I am now when they were detained. According to the U.S. Constitution we have a right to petition the government for a redress of grievances and Guantanamo Bay prison is beyond grievous."

Historian Michael S. Foley, a professor at the City University of New York, teaches the U.S. Constitution to undergraduates. He testified that if "you told me that the defendants would be arrested for 'unlawful free speech' just twenty feet from where the Justices decide First Amendment cases, I'd say you were 'crazy.'"

Those who stood trial this week were arrested (along with 43 others) without their identification and taken into custody under the names of Guantanamo prisoners. This twist on traditional protest allowed the defendants to symbolically grant the Guantanamo prisoners the day in court that the Bush administration and the Pentagon have denied them.

"I am not surprised at being convicted," continued Nolan, "but I felt compelled as a medical professional to speak out against torture that is facilitated by medical personnel at Guantanamo. I have to act on my ethical principles every day: if I know child abuse is occurring, I am required to report it. The abuses at Guantanamo must also be acted upon."

The defendants are common citizens: priests and pastors, construction workers and farmers, schoolteachers and professors. They come from Charlottesville, Des Moines, New York City, Scranton, Saratoga, Worcester, and other cities and towns.

Judge Wendell Gardner will sentence the defendants tomorrow (Friday, May 30), in D.C. Superior Court (courtroom 218, 500 Indiana Ave), and has indicated that some are likely to receive prison sentences.

A number of the defendants waived their right to speak during the trial, recognizing the near–total denial of legal and human rights to the Guantanamo detainees. "We could not in conscience exercise our rights," says Matthew Daloisio of this courtroom witness, "when our country continues to deny the rights of others. It was powerful to hold the name of Yasser Al Zahrani in my heart as I sat in a court of law. Yasser was a 22-year-old Yemeni man. He was arrested at 17, and brought to Guantanamo. He was never charged or tried. On June 10th, 2006, he apparently took his own life. He will never have the chance to sit in this court room, and my conviction today seems a small price to pay to bring his name in court."

During the trial, some defendants took the stand to testify to their motivations and intentions in acting on January 11. They argued that they were there to appeal to the Supreme Court Justices to rule against the Bush administration in the cases of Boumediene v. U.S. and Al Odah v. Bush. They contend that after all other remedies had been exhausted; direct action and appeal were the only options.

The judge refused to let Thomas Wilner, a partner at the Washington law firm Shearman and Sterling, who represented twelve Kuwaiti citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay in the case decided in their favor by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, 2004. Wilner's descriptions of the predicaments of his clients, and expressions of horror and dismay at the failure of most Americans to act against the detainees' indefinite detention and torture were part of forming many of the defendants' motivation and intention. After his testimony was deemed "not relevant" and "unnecessary" by Judge Gardner, Wilner addressed defendants and supporters outside the courthouse, saying: "Hopefully, we'll end torture and indefinite detention as a matter of law. And then, we need to work to make sure that hysteria and false facts don't sweep away the soul of the nation again." He then addressed those on trial directly, saying, "You are standing up for the soul of this nation."

In the defendants' first closing statement, Father Emmett Jarrett, an Episcopalian priest from New London, CT, told Judge Wendell Gardner, "we came to the Supreme Court on January 11th with one intention-- to put dramatically before the court—both the Supreme Court and the higher court of public opinion and conscience—the plight of the men and boys detained at Guantanamo. We came to the Supreme Court on January 11th not to protest but to present a letter to the justices, asking them to act on behalf of detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo, to restore their human and legal rights—to give a voice to the voiceless."

Arthur Laffin followed with a closing statement that touched on both legal and moral arguments for the defendants' innocence, and pleaded with the court and the prosecution to join the defendants in "ending the horrors." "The Nuremberg Accords," he asserted, "state that individuals have a duty to prevent crimes against humanity and that if people don't act to prevent such crimes, they are actually complicit in them." He then concluded, "We, who are on trial today, along with many friends, refuse to be complicit in these crimes."

After Laffin finished, Claire Schaffer Duffy, of Worchester, MA stood and stated, "on behalf of Abbas Hasid Rumi Al Naely, I stand by Art's closing statement." And then, one after the other, each pro se defendant also stood, stated their own name, the name of the prisoner at Guantanamo they carried on January 11 and through the trial experience. Many were openly weeping as they stood.

The action on January 11 was organized by Witness Against Torture, a group that formed in 2005 when 25 people walked from Cuba to the U.S. detention facilities to protest conditions there. January 11, 2008 marked six years since the opening of U.S. detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. The Supreme Court demonstrators were joined by protestors in London, Sydney, Edinburgh, Istanbul, Barcelona and throughout the world.

Retired Admiral John D. Hutson, the former judge advocate general of the Navy, said of the Supreme Court demonstrators, "In the military, there is the concept of 'calling in artillery onto your own position.' It refers to heroic action taken in desperate situations for a greater good. That's essentially what these courageous Americans are doing… They accept that there may be an adverse consequence to them personally but they believe drawing attention to the issue is worth the sacrifice."

San Joaquin Episcopalians celebrate new beginning

2008-03-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Jerry Lamb invested as provisional bishop during festive Eucharist

[Episcopal News Service – Lodi, California] A jubilant celebration of Holy Eucharist concluded the March 29 special convention in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and made official Bishop Jerry Lamb's role as provisional bishop.

"What you have been about and what I have been about these last months, weeks, days, even hours is not really about building a new diocesan structure," Lamb said during his sermon. "As I understand it, what we are about is the proclamation of the Good News that Jesus is the Christ and that we do this from within the base of our Episcopal and Anglican tradition because that's who we are: members of the Episcopal Church and members of the Anglican church."

Most of the more than 400 people who attended the convention remained for the Eucharist. Individuals from the Episcopal dioceses of Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, El Camino Real, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Nevada, Northern California, Rio Grande, San Diego and Olympia also attended.

Half of the offertory was assigned to Lamb's discretionary fund and the other half, Lamb told the congregation to loud and sustained applause, would be given to the Diocese of Louisiana, which continues to rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori led Lamb and the congregation through his formal seating as provisional bishop. That part of the service included recognition that Lamb had been duly chosen and accepted by the members of the diocese.

The choice of Lamb came in consultation with the Presiding Bishop, who had recommended him earlier, in accordance with Canon III.13.1. That canon states in part that "a Diocese without a Bishop may, by an act of its Convention, and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop, be placed under the provisional charge and authority of a Bishop of another Diocese or of a resigned Bishop."

Lamb, 67, retired as bishop of the Sacramento-based Diocese of Northern California in 2007 and most recently served as interim bishop in the Diocese of Nevada. Lamb and his wife, Jane, will live in Stockton, the seat of the Diocese of San Joaquin.

Lamb will make his first official diocesan visit March 30 to St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Stockton. Jefferts Schori will participate in Eucharist the same day at St. John's in Lodi. Later in the day she will officiate at Evensong at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in San Andreas.

Lamb also renewed his episcopal ordination vows before he was formally invested and seated at the provisional bishop.

Earlier, during his sermon, Lamb had told the congregation that the work in which they were engaged is "not about who your bishop is."

"It is about how you and I will rebuild this Episcopal diocese so that at its core it will proclaim and live the Gospel or Jesus Christ," he said. "The diocese must have its roots firmly in Christ Jesus and live out the baptismal promises we all have renewed in one way or another this past week."

Lamb acknowledged that "there is no getting around the point that this is a very, very unique situation in the life of the Episcopal Church and in the life of this diocese."

"These past years and months have left hurt and confusion. We came together both last night and today to heal and seek God's will for our next steps in the journey to wholeness in the body of Christ and to answer our call to proclaim the Good News."

Everyone involved heeds "God's presence and grace," Lamb said.

"We also need each other and we also need those who are not here for one reason or another," he added. "Whether they are hurt or confused or fearful, I believe our first obligation is to reach out to others in this diocese and to invite them to come home. And when they do come home, brothers and sisters, they must be welcomed with the love of Christ and into the open arms of the community. And it will not be easy. There is much re-structuring -- re-building -- to be done. We will begin in an attitude of reconciliation."

Lamb urged all the diocese's congregations to build their missionary efforts, looking at evangelism, stewardship, Christian education and seeking out programs from the wider church. to strengthen their efforts. He also praised San Joaquin Episcopalians for their work in worship, pastoral care and outreach, adding "Brothers and sisters, I know these can be strengthened."

Lamb told the congregation that "God will not leave us adrift, but we can turn away from God. We can let hurt, anger, confusion, misunderstandings turn us inward and away from God and the proclamation of the Good News."

Instead, Lamb told the congregation that he believed that God will give "wonderful growth" to "the seeds you and I together plant."

"There will be growth," he said.

The bishop concluded his sermon by suggesting that "A Prayer attributed to St. Francis" (page 833 in The Book of Common Prayer) ought to become "a core prayer for us together" and led the congregation in reciting its call to reconciliation and becoming instruments of God's peace.

Photos courtesy of Episcopal News Service, Mary Frances Schjonberg

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is Episcopal Life Media correspondent for Episcopal Church governance, structure, and trends, as well as news of the dioceses of Province II. She is based in Neptune, New Jersey, and New York City.

American West Heating Nearly Twice as Fast as Rest of World, New Analysis Shows

2008-03-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

Groups Say Western Senators Have Opportunity to Protect Region from Growing Economic Toll

SAN FRANCISCO - March 27 - The American West is heating up more rapidly than the rest of the world, according to a new analysis of the most recent federal government temperature figures. The news is especially bad for some of the nation’s fastest growing cities, which receive water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. The average temperature rise in the Southwest’s largest river basin was more than double the average global increase, likely spelling even more parched conditions.

“Global warming is hitting the West hard,” said Theo Spencer of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “It is already taking an economic toll on the region’s tourism, recreation, skiing, hunting and fishing activities. The speed of warming and mounting economic damage make clear the urgent need to limit global warming pollution.”

For the report, the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) analyzed new temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for 11 western states. For the five-year period 2003-2007 the average temperature in the Colorado River Basin, which stretches from Wyoming to Mexico, was 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the historical average for the 20th Century. The temperature rise was more than twice the global average increase of 1.0 degree during the same period. The average temperature increased 1.7 degrees in the entire 11-state western region.

“We are seeing signs of the economic impacts throughout the West,” said study author Stephen Saunders of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization. “Since 2000 we have seen $2.7 billion in crop loss claims due to drought. Global warming is harming valuable commercial salmon fisheries, reducing hunting activity and revenues, and threatening shorter and less profitable seasons for ski resorts.”

The Colorado River Basin is in the throes of a record drought, shrinking water supplies for upwards of 30 million people in fast-growing Denver, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego. Most of the Colorado River’s flow comes from melting snow in the mountains of Wyoming, Utah and Wyoming. Climate scientists predict even more and drier droughts in the future as hotter temperatures reduce the snowpack and increase evaporation.

To date, the governors of Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington have signed the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), an agreement to reduce global warming pollution through a market-based system, such as cap-and-trade. The WCI calls for states to reduce their global warming emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Conservationists say the states should commit to meeting these targets, and that there should also be a firm target of an 80 percent reduction by 2050.

A growing chorus of leaders across the political and economic spectrum says more aggressive action is needed at the national level. Supporters say the Lieberman-Warner bill, “America’s Climate Security Act” (S. 2191), is the strongest global warming bill moving through Congress. The bipartisan bill is the first climate legislation ever to be passed out of a Senate committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill by summer, by which time supporters are optimistic about strengthening the bill even further.

“We need strong leadership from western senators to pass America’s Climate Security Act,” said Spencer. “The longer we wait to put a concrete cap on global warming pollution, the greater the threat to all Americans.”

The NRDC-RMCO report, “Warming in the West,” analyzed temperature data from Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The report is available online at www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/west/contents.asp.

Congressional Progressives Demand Classified Access to Domestic Spying Program

2008-02-16T02:10:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, DC - February 15 - The Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-9) and Lynn Woolsey (CA-6), today demanded that President Bush provide an opportunity for all Members of Congress to have the same access to classified documents regarding his Administrations domestic spying program. In a letter sent today, the Co-Chairs called on the President to provide House Members with classified access to documents pertaining to the program, access which to this point has been denied. The letter comes as the debate in the House over an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act continues to heat up, and follows a letter signed by 29 House and Senate Members that the Progressives sent to the President last week telling him that they will oppose any legislation that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies who participated in the Administration’s warrantless program. Lee and Woolsey issued the following statements:

“It is imperative that the Bush administration give Members of Congress access to these documents before we take any further votes on this issue,” said Congresswoman Lee, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “After keeping us in the dark about the true extent of this program, it is time for the Bush administration to come clean and level with lawmakers who are concerned about its impact on civil liberties.”

“It’s far past time that President Bush realizes that sometimes he can’t bluster and scare his way into getting what he wants,” Woolsey said. “As a co-equal branch of government this Congress has a responsibility to carefully weigh any decision regarding updating our intelligence laws, and the Congress simply cannot do that without access to the full details of what we’re voting on. The President’s ‘promise’ of this program’s legality is worthless – we are not a rubber stamp. Therefore, we want all Members of Congress to have access to the information regarding this program, and the role that telecom firms played in it.”

Text of Letter

President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
February 14, 2008

Mr. President;

Your Administration recently granted select House Members access to documents related to the scope and prior conduct of telecommunications companies involved in the expanded warrantless domestic surveillance program. As Co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), we are writing to request that every interested House Member be provided with an opportunity to review, in compliance with standards for reviewing classified material, these documents.

Since we are at a critical legislative juncture in voting to provide blanket immunity to dozens of telecommunications companies for their complicity in this secretive and substantially expanded surveillance program, we are now requesting that every Member be provided with immediate access to these documents. Providing blanket retroactive legal immunity to corporations that may have willfully violated fundamental privacy rights of millions of Americans sets a very dangerous precedent.

Additionally, your public acknowledgement of the existence of these warrantless surveillance programs demonstrates that this program is not a covert operation, and the legislative branch's access to documents about these companies' activities should no longer be restricted. As a co-equal branch, Congress must have an opportunity to learn the full extent of these companies' actions before making this decision.

This is simply a fundamental matter of protecting the constitutionally mandated civil liberties of every American and we hope that we can expect your full cooperation in this endeavor. We are committed to protecting the privacy of innocent Americans while providing the necessary tools to safeguard our country.

We look forward to your prompt compliance with our request.

Sincerely,

Barbara Lee Lynn Woolsey

Member of Congress

Saudi Arabia: Halt Woman’s Execution for ‘Witchcraft’

2008-02-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

Fawza Falih’s Case Reveals Deep Flaws in Saudi Justice System

NEW YORK - February 14 - King Abdullah should halt the execution of Fawza Falih and void her conviction for “witchcraft,” Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the Saudi king.

The religious police who arrested and interrogated Fawza Falih and the judges who tried her in the northern town of Quraiyat never gave her the opportunity to prove her innocence against absurd charges that have no basis in law.

“The fact that Saudi judges still conduct trials for unprovable crimes like ‘witchcraft’ underscores their inability to carry out objective criminal investigations,” said Joe Stork, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Fawza Falih’s case is an example of how the authorities failed to comply even with existing safeguards in the Saudi justice system.”

The judges relied on Fawza Falih’s coerced confession and on the statements of witnesses who said she had “bewitched” them to convict her in April 2006. She retracted her confession in court, claiming it was extracted under duress, and that as an illiterate woman she did not understand the document she was forced to fingerprint. She also stated in her appeal that her interrogators beat her during her 35 days in detention at the hands of the religious police. At one point, she had to be hospitalized as a result of the beatings.

The judges never investigated whether her confession was voluntary or reliable or investigated her allegations of torture. They never even made an inquiry as to whether she could have been responsible for allegedly supernatural occurrences, such as the sudden impotence of a man she is said to have “bewitched.” They also broke Saudi law in multiple instances, ignoring legal rules on proper procedures in a trial.

The judges did not sit as a panel of three, as required for cases involving the death penalty. They excluded Fawza Falih from most trial sessions and banned a relative who was acting as her legal representative from attending any session. Earlier, her interrogators blocked her access to a lawyer and the judges, and denied her the right to professional legal representation, thus depriving her of the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses against her. She claims that some of the witnesses were unknown to her and that others had made statements against her only as a result of beatings.

Saudi Arabia does not have a written penal code, and “witchcraft” is not a defined crime. The Law of Criminal Procedure of 2002 grants defendants the right to be tried in person, to have a lawyer present during interrogation and trial, and to cross-examine any prosecution witnesses. The law obliges law enforcement officers to treat detainees humanely.

An appeals court ruled in September 2006 that Fawza Falih could not be sentenced to death for “witchcraft” as a crime against God because she had retracted her confession. The lower court judges then sentenced her to death on a “discretionary” basis, for the benefit of “public interest” and to “protect the creed, souls and property of this country.”

“The judges’ behavior in Fawza Falih’s trial shows they were interested in anything but a quest for the truth,” Stork said. “They completely disregarded legal guarantees that would have demonstrated how ill-founded this whole case was.”

On November 2, Saudi Arabia executed Mustafa Ibrahim for sorcery in Riyadh. Ibrahim, an Egyptian working as a pharmacist in the northern town of `Ar’ar, was found guilty of having tried “through sorcery” to separate a married couple, according to a Ministry of Interior statement.

The National Lawyers Guild Condemns Senate Grant of Immunity to Telecommunications Companies

2008-02-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK - February 14 - Responding to fear-mongering by the Bush administration, the Senate voted on February 12 to give retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies that have turned over our telephone and Internet communications to the government. These companies have violated several laws, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Title III, the Communications Act, and the Stored Communications Act, as well as the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution.

The Bush administration has been illegally engaging in warrantless surveillance since early 2001, through its "Terrorist Surveillance Program." Over 40 lawsuits against the telecommunications companies challenging the legality of the program are pending.

On the eve of Congress's Labor Day recess last year, the Bush administration had rammed that the "Protect America Act" through a Congress still fearful of appearing soft on terror. It was a 6-month fix to the 1978 FISA, which didn't anticipate that foreign intelligence communications would one day run through Internet providers in the United States. But the temporary law went further than simply fixing that glitch in FISA; it granted immunity to telecommunications companies that provided consumer telephone and computer data to the government.

The day before the Senate took up this issue, Vice President Dick Cheney invoked the memory of September 11, 2001 twelve times in his address to the Heritage Foundation, and urged Congress to make the Act permanent. In the face of lawsuits against the telecom companies, Attorney General Michael Mukasey described the need for the companies to defend against litigation as "an enormous burden." Indeed, defending these lawsuits has likely cut in to their enormous profits.

Although President George W. Bush claims that making the Act permanent was critical to keeping us safe, he threatens to veto the bill unless it includes the immunity provision. Apparently protecting corporate profits trumps national security.

The House of Representatives passed a bill without immunity for the telecoms. The two bills will have to be harmonized. The National Lawyers Guild urges Congress to adopt the House version that omits immunity. Litigation against the telecommunications companies is the only remaining avenue of accountability for the administration's lawbreaking.

ACLU in Court Tuesday for Extraordinary Rendition Case Against Boeing Subsidiary

2008-02-01T23:38:00.000-08:00

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - February 1 - The American Civil Liberties Union will argue in federal court next week for the continuation of its case against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. for the company’s role in the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program. The ACLU is opposing the government’s attempt to throw out the case by misusing the “state secrets” privilege in an effort to avoid legal scrutiny of the unlawful and shameful program.

Tuesday’s hearing is part of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of five victims of the rendition program who were kidnapped and secretly transferred to U.S.-run prisons or foreign intelligence agencies overseas where they were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques and torture. The lawsuit charges that Jeppesen knowingly aided the program by providing flight planning and logistical support services for aircraft and crews used by the CIA to transport the victims.

After the lawsuit was filed, the U.S. government intervened to seek its dismissal, contending that further litigation of the case would expose state secrets and be harmful to national security. However, the information needed to pursue the lawsuit, including details about the extraordinary rendition program itself, is already in the public domain.

CCR Says Suspected Use of Torture Undermines Credibility of 9/11 Report

2008-02-01T23:34:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - January 31 - The Center for Constitutional Rights is outraged by new information that reveals that the much of the information contained in the 9/11 Commissions Final Report regarding the planning and execution of the terror attacks on New York and Washington was supported by information gained from torture, including water boarding.

The analysis from NBC News shows that more than one quarter of all footnotes in the 9/11 Commission’s Report refers to controversial interrogation techniques, including information in the Report’s most critical chapters, those on planning and executing the attacks. Remarkably, Commission staffers and Executive Director Philip Zelikow admitted that though they were skeptical of the intelligence reports, they did not make any inquiries regarding cross-examination techniques.

CCR President Michael Ratner expressed shock at the revelations stating, “If the Commission suspected there was torture, they should have realized that as a matter of law, evidence derived from torture is not reliable, in part because of the possibility of false confession…at the very least, they should have added caveats to all those references.”

“The Commission’s heavy reliance on tainted sources reinforces the notion that we as a nation have not yet come to terms with the reality that the U.S. engaged in torture,” he added. “Until we do so, we undermine our credibility in the eyes of the world as a nation of hypocrites.”

CCR is currently seeking to preserve evidence of the torture of their client Majid Khan, a former CIA ghost detainee now held at Guantanamo. While held at a CIA black site, Majid was subject to hours of torture, which only stopped when he agreed to sign a statement that he wasn’t allowed to read.

“The effect of our government’s reliance on secrecy and torture not only shames the U.S. in the eyes of the world, but sacrifices our freedom and security here at home,” said Vincent Warren, the Executive Director of CCR.

European Parliament issues resolution on the arrest of the Chinese dissident Hu Jia

2008-01-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia Pictured Left

January 23rd, 2008

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the human rights situation in China,

– having regard to the latest two rounds of the EU-China Dialogue on Human Rights held in Beijing on 17 October 2007 and in Berlin on 15-16 May 2007,

– having regard to the public hearing held on 26 November 2007 by its Subcommittee on Human Rights concerning Human Rights in China in the run-up to the Olympics,

– having regard to the Olympic Truce called for by the UN General Assembly on 31 October 2007, when it urged UN member states to observe and promote peace during the Olympic Games,

– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the human rights campaigner Hu Jia was taken away from his home in Beijing by police on 27 December 2007 on charges of inciting subversion,

B. whereas Hu Jia and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, have thrown the spotlight on human rights abuses in China over the past few years and spent many periods under house arrest as a result of their campaigning,

C. whereas Hu Jia is in bad health, suffering from a liver disease that obliges him to take medication,

D. whereas in 2006 Time Magazine named Zeng Jinyan one of the world's one hundred 'heroes' and in 2007, together with Hu Jia, she received the Reporters without Borders special 'China' prize and a nomination for the Sakharov Prize,

E. whereas human rights organisations called the arrest another move by the Chinese authorities to silence critics ahead of the Beijing Olympics,

F. whereas 57 intellectuals from China immediately published an open letter calling for the instant release of Hu Jia,

G. whereas the President of the European Parliament published a statement on 31 December 2007 admonishing the Chinese authorities for their detention of Hu Jia and urged them to use the forthcoming Games as 'an opportunity for China to demonstrate that a country hosting the world’s most important sports event is committed to internationally recognised human rights standards, including freedom of expression',

1. Strongly condemns the detention of Hu Jia and demands his prompt release and that of all the dissidents who have been arrested and jailed for crimes of opinion;

2. Urges the Chinese authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr Hu Jia, his relatives and his lawyers;

3. Calls upon China to respect its commitments to human rights and the rule of law, in particular the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, by putting an end to the harassment of Chinese human rights defenders, in order to demonstrate its commitment to human rights in its Olympic year;

4. Urges China not to use the Olympic Games as a pretext to arrest and illegally detain and imprison dissidents, journalists and human rights activists who either report on or demonstrate against human rights abuses;

5. Reiterates its opinion that human rights concerns should receive far more attention in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games, and highlights the need for 'respect for universal fundamental ethical principles' and the promotion of a peaceful society concerned 'with the preservation of human dignity' as enshrined in Articles 1 and 2 of the Olympic Charter;

6. Urges China to reform its criminal law to allow greater freedom of expression to journalists, writers, free-lances, reporters etc., who will report to the world on such an important event as the Olympic Games: considers that this reform will also make it possible to clarify the scope of certain unclear legal provisions (e.g. Article 105 of China's Criminal Code) and give the world a positive signal that the 17th Congress of the CCP paved the way for greater respect for different opinions;

7. Calls on the Chinese authorities to allow Hu Jia and all the other dissidents under arrest to receive medical assistance if necessary, and to bear in mind that detention in inappropriate conditions could damage their health;

8. Urges the Chinese authorities to close the so-called 'black jails', places of detention set up to detain 'troublemakers' in advance of this year's Olympics;

9. Calls on the Council of the European Union to take action in relation to the Chinese authorities regarding the arrest of Hu Jia and the disappearance on 22 September 2007 of Gao Zhisheng, a noted human rights attorney and friend of Hu Jia, who has come to represent the plight of the many thousands of human rights defenders currently imprisoned in China;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the applicant countries, the President and Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China and the International Olympic Committee.

South Carolina consecrates Lawrence as 14th Episcopal bishop

2008-01-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

[Episcopal News Service] The Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul in Charleston, South Carolina, was filled to overflowing January 26 as Mark Joseph Lawrence was consecrated the 14th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. St. Mark’s Episcopal and St. Matthew’s Lutheran churches provided streaming video when the cathedral’s capacity of 1,100 was reached.

Twenty-five bishops from Canada, Dominican Republic, England, Tanzania, and the United States were present.

East Carolina Bishop E. Clifton Daniel, president of the Episcopal Church's Province IV, was the chief consecrator during the service which began at 11 a.m.

Co-consecrating bishops included: Edward L. Salmon Jr., 13th bishop of South Carolina; C. FitzSimons Allison, 12th bishop of South Carolina; Michael Scott-Joynt of Winchester, England; Keith Ackerman of Quincy; and Julio Holguin of the Dominican Republic.

Joined by their five children and six grandchildren, Lawrence and his wife, the former Allison Taylor, received a lengthy standing ovation.

"We thank you and Allison for your strength and perseverance," said Alden Hathaway, retired Bishop of Pittsburgh and preacher for the service. "You inspire us and give us hope."

Lawrence, 57, said he believes a bishop is to be "the shepherd of the shepherds of God" and "the chief shepherd of the diocese."

Lawrence's crozier, the bishop's pastoral staff, was carved from "old growth" redwood from northern California by a carver in South Carolina as a nod to his California roots and his new ministry. His chimere, part of a bishop's vestments, bishop's ring and pectoral cross were gifts of St. Paul's Episcopal Parish in Bakersfield, California, where Lawrence had served as rector since 1997.

Lawrence was first elected September 16, 2006 to be South Carolina's 14th bishop.

In the weeks following that election, questions arose about Lawrence's intentions concerning the diocese's continuing membership in the Episcopal Church. Some diocesan standing committees announced their intention not to consent, and some publicized their decisions.

On March 15, 2007, Jefferts Schori declared that election "null and void," saying that a number of the consent responses did not adhere to canonical requirements and thus Lawrence's election did not receive the consent of the majority of diocesan standing committees.

Lawrence was re-elected as South Carolina's bishop on August 4, 2007 at a special electing convention. He was the only candidate in the election.

Jefferts Schori announced October 29, 2007 that Lawrence had received the consents needed for him to become the next bishop of South Carolina.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Charles Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop, confirmed that Jefferts Schori has been invited to visit the Diocese of South Carolina in February. He added that the agenda was currently being finalized.

The Diocese of South Carolina includes 75 parishes and missions in the lower half of the state of South Carolina.

-- The Rev. Lisa B. Hamilton, Episcopal Life Media's correspondent in the dioceses of Provinces I and IV and the Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg, Episcopal Life Media's correspondent for Episcopal Church governance, structure, and trends, as well as news of the dioceses of Province II, contributed to this report.

Indiana University teams with Church & Dwight to improve the nation’s sexual health

2008-01-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Jan. 28, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- To address critical sexual health issues facing citizens across the United States, the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in Indiana University's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation has entered into a unique 3-year agreement with one of the world's leading sexual health products companies, Church & Dwight, maker of Trojan brand condoms. The agreement establishes the IU center as a strategic research, education and consulting partner with Trojan.

The collaboration will include a range of projects focused on understanding consumer behaviors and those designed to influence the design of products, such as condoms, that sexually active individuals need to use consistently and correctly in order to best protect their own health and the health of their partner. IU will draw upon the sexual health expertise of faculty from various academic units, including HPER, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, the School of Medicine and the Department of Telecommunications.

"This partnership brings together two of the world's leading entities in the area of sexual health, Indiana University and Trojan brand condoms, to address critical knowledge gaps in the manner in which individuals make healthy decisions once they decide to become sexually active," said Michael Reece,(pictured above left) director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. "Given Trojan's significant influence on condom use trends in the United States and the range of sexual health experts on Indiana University's faculty, this partnership truly represents the manner in which academic and corporate entities can come together in a participatory way to have a significant influence on the nation's health."

Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing for Trojan, said the range of expertise at IU makes it a beneficial partner as the company continues its efforts to develop high-quality products and evolve the sexual health of America.

"We want to raise the bar on consumers' definitions of what it means to be sexually healthy and break down the barriers to condom acceptance and usage in the months ahead," he said.

Robert M. Goodman, dean of the School of HPER, said he is "quite pleased that Church & Dwight recognizes the excellence possessed by IU and School of HPER in the area of sexual health. The Center led by Dr. Reece is a fine example of our dedication to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections and other prominent public health concerns. Our working arrangement with Church & Dwight further illustrates how leading universities such as IU can partner with industry for the betterment of the public's health."

The new partnership will be headed by Reece and Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. It also will involve a transdisciplinary team of IU scientists, including Stephanie Sanders, with the Kinsey Institute; Dennis Fortenberry, M.D., IU School of Medicine; Susan Middlestadt and Brian Dodge, Department of Applied Health Science; and Bryant Paul, Department of Telecommunications.

"This partnership is particularly exciting given our teams' shared vision of helping women and men to enhance their sexual lives, to experience sexual pleasure, and to strive toward sexual health in responsible ways," said Herbenick.

NEW RESEARCH FINDS EQUAL LEVEL OF COMMITMENT AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION AMONG SAME-SEX AND HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES

2008-01-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

Findings knock down stereotype that gay relationships are not as healthy and secure as heterosexual marriages

WASHINGTON – Same-sex couples are just as committed in their romantic relationships as heterosexual couples, say researchers who have studied the quality of adult relationships and healthy development. Their finding disputes the stereotype that couples in same-sex relationships are not as committed as their heterosexual counterparts and are therefore not as psychologically healthy.

These results are from two studies featured in the January issue of Developmental Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association. This issue includes a special section that examines sexual orientation across the lifespan.

Both studies compared same-sex couples with opposite-sex couples on a number of developmental and relationship factors. The first study examined whether committed same-sex couples differ from engaged and married opposite-sex couples in how well they interacted and how satisfied they were with their partners. Evidence has shown that positive interactions improve the quality of relationships in ways that foster healthy adult development.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign compared 30 committed gay male and 30 committed lesbian couples with 50 engaged heterosexual couples and 40 older married heterosexual couples, as well as with dating heterosexual couples. All the partners responded to a questionnaire that documented how positively they interacted with one another on a day to day basis. The couples were also observed during a laboratory task and were monitored for distress by skin conductance and heart rate.

Results showed that same-sex relationships were similar to those of opposite-sex couples in many ways. All had positive views of their relationships but those in the more committed relationships (gay and straight) resolved conflict better than the heterosexual dating couples. And lesbian couples worked together especially harmoniously during the laboratory tasks.

The notion that committed same-sex relationships are “atypical, psychologically immature, or malevolent contexts of development was not supported by our findings,” said lead author Glenn I. Roisman, PhD. “Compared with married individuals, committed gay males and lesbians were not less satisfied with their relationships.”

Furthermore, said Roisman, “Gay males and lesbians in this study were generally not different from their committed heterosexual counterparts on how well they interacted with one another, although some evidence emerged the lesbian couples were especially effective at resolving conflict.”

In the second study, researchers from the University of Washington, San Diego State University and the University of Vermont wanted to examine how sexual orientation and legal status affected relationship quality. To do so, they followed 65 male and 138 female same-sex couples with civil unions, 23 male and 61 female same-sex couples not in civil unions and 55 heterosexual married couples over a three-year period. One member of each heterosexual couple was a sibling to a member of a civil union couple.

Both partners in all of the couples answered questions regarding their demographics, status of their relationship, number of children, sexual behavior, frequency of contact with their parents with and without their partners and perceived social support. Partners in same-sex relationships also answered questions regarding disclosure of their sexual orientation to their family, peers and work associates.

The researchers found that same-sex couples were similar to heterosexual couples on most relationships variables, and that the legalized status of a relationship did not seem to be the overriding factor affecting same-sex relationships.

Despite the legal status of their relationships, the civil union couples showed no differences on any of the relationship measures from the same-sex couples who were in committed relationships but not in civil unions. “This may be because those couples in Vermont who sought out the legal protection of a civil union might have legalized their relationship more for symbolic value than for commitment reasons, which did not affect their day-to-day interactions,” said lead author Kimberly F. Balsam, PhD.

However, the same sex-couples who were not in civil unions were more likely to have ended their relationships compared to those couples in same-sex civil unions or heterosexual marriages. This suggests that the protections afforded by a legalized relationship may impact same-sex relationships, something the study's authors plan to follow up on in future research, said Balsam.

The findings also showed that same-sex couples, regardless of civil union status, were more satisfied with their relationships compared to married heterosexual couples. Same-sex couples reported more positive feelings toward their partners and less conflict than heterosexual married couples, said the authors. They theorized that there may be societal pressures and norms, as well as the presence of legal status as a couple, which may contribute to heterosexual couples staying together even when they are not happy. Alternatively, most long-term same-sex couples have to stay together by their own will and hard work since they don't have society's forces on their side, Balsam added.

This was the first study to follow same-sex couples in legalized unions over a period of time. This type of design allows the researchers to monitor changes in the relationships and compare them with changes experienced by both same-sex couples not in civil unions and heterosexual couples. All the couples were comparable with respect to race/ethnicity and age at the time of the study.

STUDY: Adult Romantic Relationships as Contexts of Human Development: A Multimethod Comparison of Same-Sex Couples with Opposite-Sex Dating, Engaged, and Married Dyads,” Glenn I. Roisman, PhD, Eric Clausell, MA, Ashley Holland, MA, Keren Fortuna, MA, and Chryle Elieff, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Developmental Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 1.

Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office or at http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev44191.pdf