Christian Portal News

The Presbyterian Church of Wales has reiterated its support to further powers for the Welsh Assembly.

The Presbyterian Church of Wales has reiterated its support to further powers for the Welsh Assembly.

In the Church’s annual General Assembly in Lampeter, representatives voted in favour of raising awareness of the upcoming referendum among 30,000 church members and to encourage them to vote in favour of legislative powers.

Days after the Electoral Commission said that the proposed referendum question should be re-worded, the Assembly agreed that the question should be clear and robust “so that people will feel engaged in a significant democratic step affecting the government of Wales and the lives of ordinary people.”

The Presbyterian Church of Wales has been a leading light in the pro-devolution campaign for many years.

“The Presbyterian Church of Wales is a Welsh institution with churches all over Wales and a significant role in Welsh history,” said Mervyn Phillips, Chairman of the Church’s Church and Society Department.

“We’ve spoken out in favour of devolved powers for a long time because it’s important that there is political recognition of Welsh identity, community and history. We’re part of the community and we’re concerned for the sense identity of that community. Having the functions of government nearer to the people is a vital step forward.”

The Presbyterian Church of Wales has around 30,000 members in more than 700 churches, as well as strong links with churches abroad.

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The joint synod of Italy’s Waldensian and Methodist Protestant churches has agreed to authorise the blessing of same-sex couples in church.

The joint synod of Italy’s Waldensian and Methodist Protestant churches has, as the denominations’ highest governing body, agreed to authorise the blessing of same-sex couples in church under certain conditions.

The Synod president, Marco Bouchard, described the 26 August decision as “a clear and firm step forward that needs to be placed into a context that will be better defined, especially the relationship between churches and homosexual couples”.

The synod statement said, “The words and practice of Jesus, as seen in the Gospel, call us to welcome each experience and each choice marked by God’s love, freely and consciously chosen.”

Before the synod, a group of Waldensians including a member of the Italian parliament, Lucio Malan, took out a paid advertisement in the Protestant weekly newspaper Riforma, warning that same-sex blessings risked splitting the churches, and affecting ecumenical relationships.

But a majority of the two Protestant denominations felt that their action is fulfilling the Gospel message.

Meanwhile, in the USA, a retired California Presbyterian minister, rebuked on charges that she violated her ordination vows by marrying same-sex couples, plans to appeal against a ruling that she said sent contradictory messages about the church’s support of gay rights.

“Who does the Presbyterian Church think we are?” said the Rev Jane Adams Spahr, who is a lesbian. “We are they, they are us.”

The 27 August 2010 ruling by a court of the Redwoods Presbytery, a church district of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Napa, California, rebuked Spahr for violating church policy on same-sex marriage by conducting marriage ceremonies for couples between June and November 2008.

Same-sex marriage was already legal in California then. Still, the court commended Spahr for “her prophetic ministry that for 35 years has extended support to ‘people who seek the dignity, freedom and respect that they have been denied’”.

The court called upon the Presbyterian Church “to re-examine our own fear and ignorance that continues to reject … inclusiveness” and it noted that the denomination’s own rules offer “conflicting and even contradictory rules and regulations that are against the Gospel”.

With acknowledgments to ENI – www.eni.ch

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A US inter-church group has met with Colombian church representatives to discuss issues of internally displaced people and regional relations.

An inter-church group from the USA has met with Colombian church representatives to discuss issues of internally displaced people as well as the relationship between the two regions – writes Anna Lemler.

The meeting was hosted by Consejo Latino-Americano de Iglesias, or Latin American Council of Churches. Its staff presented extensive information about the complex social problems in Colombia and ways that the organisation hopes to respond.

During the encounter, representatives from Colombia, including Episcopal Bishop Francisco Duque-Gómez, underscored the social issues facing the country and steps the churches are taking to respond. Challenges of displaced families, human rights, poverty, and Afro-Colombian rights were highlighted.

The Episcopal Church of Colombia was recently honored by the nation’s Senate in recognition of its pastoral care and social development work over the past 50 years.

The diocese was officially constituted as a missionary church by the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in 1963 and has since been committed to outreach ministries to provide health care, food, and education to the most vulnerable groups in its society, especially the displaced, hungry and homeless, children and widows.

The diocese is part of Province IX of the Episcopal Church. With its 21 congregations, it has made strategic alliances with local governments in an effort to maintain and strengthen its aid programs.

After listening to the presentations of the Colombian leaders, the US church leaders responded. The Rev Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and Episcopal Bishop Johncy Itty, chair of the Church World Service’s board of directors, spoke about how their organisations are currently addressing the issues and how they intend to respond in the future.

Kinnamon said that the government and churches in the US have neglected Latin America and that he is committed to ensuring that the region is no longer ignored.

The meeting was the first of its kind. The US group is taking a week to travel to Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador to hear more about the issues and to build stronger relationships.

Anna Lemler is a Young Adult Service Corps volunteer for the Episcopal Church serving in Bogotá, Colombia. With acknowledgments to the Episcopal News Service.

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As key talks loom again, World Council of Churches delegation is travelling to the region to emphasise the need for a “just peace”.

At a time when there are signs of hope emerging from the churches in the Middle East around the conflict in Palestine and Israel, a World Council of Churches delegation led by General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit will be travelling to the region to emphasise the need for a “just peace”.

While planning for the visit was initiated several months ago, it now coincides with the start-up of peace negotiations on 2 September 2010 in Washington DC United States.

“The purpose of this visit is to support the churches in the region and to encourage all actors involved to make needed changes to the situation there,” Tveit said prior to the visit.

The delegation, which includes WCC staff members and the moderator of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, the Rev Kjell Magne Bondevik, will be visiting with WCC member churches, ecumenical partners and leaders from the Jewish and Muslim communities as well as WCC partner agencies and political leaders. The visit is 28 August to 2 September.

“We want to reaffirm that the WCC as a fellowship of churches is working and praying for peace and justice for all people in the Holy Land,” Tveit said. “The conflict in the region requires a political solution. All religious institutions and communities should work together for a just peace. This is essential for a reconciliation and healing process.”

“We are aware of the extreme difficulties facing the negotiations beginning 2 September,” he said. “We pray for those in charge of this important work and believe that the negotiations must be inclusive of all in the region who suffer because of this conflict and be based on principles of international law.”

During the visit ,Tveit will also say that the Kairos Document, which was developed by Palestinian Christians in late 2009, is resonating in WCC member churches around the world.

“The WCC member churches are viewing this document as [a] cry for justice coming from Palestinian Christians, whose human dignity is being diminished and denied,” Tveit said.

The WCC has been encouraging its member churches to develop and coordinate active advocacy plans to address government, international bodies, interfaith partners and churches in the region to end the occupation of Palestinian territories and the suffering of both Israeli and Palestinian people.

The visit is also one part of an overall effort within the WCC leading to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, to be held in Jamaica, May 2011, where nearly one thousand people will gather to move forward the Ecumenical Declaration for Just Peace.

The WCC delegation will visit with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), which is a WCC-sponsored programme that brings people from around the world to Palestine-Israel to provide a protective presence to vulnerable communities. The ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report human rights activities and abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working for peace.

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Africa is facing climate change that will kill more people than traditional causes such as malaria and HIV, says a Ugandan environmental expert.

The continent of Africa is facing a future in which climate change will kill more people than traditional causes such as malaria and HIV, according to a Ugandan environmental expert.

Dr Rose Mwebaza has warned Anglican bishops from Africa who are meeting in Entebbe, that lakes across the continent are shrinking and drying up, crops are failing, deforestation is leading to terrible flooding and, as a result, people are fighting and killing each other over resources.

“Africa is facing several [environmental] challenges,” said Dr Mwebaza, a senior legal advisor on environmental security at Nairobi’s Institute of Security Studies. These include increased droughts and reduced availability of water; desertification – one factor in major flooding – and increased incidents of diseases in previously unaffected areas.

“Lake Chad in 1973 covered several countries,” she said. “It is reduced to a shadow of its former self. It is vanishing from the continent right in front of our eyes.”

The same was true of Mount Kilimanjaro, she said. Once covered with plenty of snow, experts predict that, within 2 to 5 years’ time, there will be none left on that mountain. “These are the things that are happening right in front of our eyes.”

“I think climate change is going to cause more deaths than many of the other traditional causes such as malaria and aids,” she said. “Whenever I say that, people look at me surprised, but it’s true.”

“The Rift Valley used to be a bread basket, a fertile area… it’s now a wasteland. A lot of the rivers are completely dry. What this is leading to is that it has become a security problem. People are literally killing each other over resources.”

“[Governments] are facing the problem of malaria and several other diseases that didn’t exist before or existed only in a few locations…that is adding to the health challenges of those countries.

Against this grim backdrop, Dr Mwebaza told the All Africa Bishops Conference that there were, however, some relatively simple things that churches could do to support communities to mitigate the impact of climate change. She highlighted three things: information, energy projects and reforestation projects.

“If the church provides the community with information centres, either in the parish or diocesan office, you would be amazed at how those information centres can transform communities.” An example of this transformative information includes how to build simple pan dams to capture rainwater for irrigating crops, watering cattle and – together with water purifying techniques – to provide potable water.

A simple energy project that Dr Mwebaza explained had made a major difference in her diocese, is biogas. Turning cow dung into gas that is burned for light and heat is cheap and low-tech, prevents oil smoke-related health issues, allows children to study into the evening and means less deforestation. The church, she said, could help promote such projects in dioceses and parishes.

Finally Dr Mwebaza said that planting trees would have a huge environmental impact and could also make the church considerable sums of money through carbon trading schemes. “The church is the one of the biggest landowners on the continent. If they reforested just a quarter of the land they have they could make a significant difference.”

She gave the example of a government-led reforestation project in Uganda, in Kibaale and Mt Elgon that are projected to amount to 1,500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide worth US$45 million dollars.

The Second All Africa Bishops Conference (AABC) from the 23 – 29 August 2010 is meeting in Entebbe, Uganda. The conference brings together Bishops from 400 dioceses in Burundi, Central Africa, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Seychelles, Mauritius, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania, Egypt and Uganda.

More here: http://www.africanbishops.org

With thanks to the Anglican Communion News Service

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A UN human rights team has confirmed that two armed groups in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo raped more than 150 women.

A United Nations human rights team has confirmed that members of two armed groups in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) raped more than 150 women during an attack on a village in North Kivu province last month, a UN spokesperson said today.

Victims of the attack, which occurred on 30 July 2010 in the village of Bunangiri, which is situated in the Banamukira area of North Kivu, are receiving medical treatment and have also been provided with psycho-social care, the spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General told reporters in New York.

Perpetrators of the attack are said to be insurgents loyal to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group of ethnic Hutu fighters linked to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and their accomplices, believed to be members of a local militia known as the Mai-Mai Cheka.

The UN mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, has a military company based at Kibua, some 30 kilometres east of the scene of the attack, but the assailants blocked the road and prevented villagers from reaching the nearest communication point at the time the crimes were committed.

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 8,000 women were raped by warring factions last year in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

Although members of the FDLR, which who have been active in eastern DRC since 1994, are thought to be responsible for most of the rapes, soldiers serving in the national army have also been implicated in sexual abuse in North and South Kivu provinces, according to UN experts.

In many cases, women are raped when they leave their villages or camps to collect firewood, water and other essentials, reports the UN News Service.

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A senior Church of Scotland minister wants the Scottish government to reject a coal-fired power station at Hunterston on environmental grounds.

One of the most senior Church of Scotland ministers has written to the Scottish Government, urging it to consider carefully the impact plans for a new power station that will, the Kirk claims, undermine the Scottish Government’s plans to reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint.

A planning application to develop a coal-fired power station at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, has been submitted for consideration with a closing date of 20 August 2010 for objections.

The Rev Ian Galloway, Convenor of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, has written on behalf of the Kirk, formally objecting to the development of the proposed coal fired power station at Hunterston, asking Holyrood to reject outright the planning application made by Ayrshire Power.

Mr Galloway is backed by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev John Christie, in objecting to the new power station.

Ayrshire Power Ltd lodged a planning application for an 1852 MW coal and biomass-fuelled power station at Hunterston on 2 June 2010, with the Scottish Government.

The Kirk has concerns about the likely increase in carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the power plant. The church believes that any such increase in emissions will make the national targets of Scotland’s Climate Change Act difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

Mr Galloway said: “We are also aware that local congregations have concerns about the implications of the proposed development and its impact on the local environment.”

He added: “We share those concerns and support the objections of local communities but in our letter of objection, concentrate on the national implications.”

The Church of Scotland is opposed to the proposed development set out in the planning application on the grounds that:

* Any new coal fired power station without a proven and effective system of carbon capture and storage fitted at the outset, will undermine the Scottish Government’s plans to reduce the nation’s carbon footprint.

* The technology is not yet sufficiently well developed or proven to deliver carbon capture and storage in plant of this size; and

* The power station would not only be a huge setback for the Scottish Government but would undermine the role [of] all those individuals and communities across Scotland who are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint.

In 2009 the Church and Society Council’s report to the General Assembly noted climate change as being amongst the most important challenges facing humankind.

It stated: “The Church of Scotland is concerned that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to people everywhere, particularly to the poor of the earth; and that climate change represents a failure in our stewardship of God’s creation. We accept the need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases urgently to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change and to promote a more equitable and sustainable use of energy.”

In tackling the challenge of climate change, the Church of Scotland is active in a number of areas. It assists congregations in helping them to reduce their carbon footprint both in their church buildings and their lives.

The Church of Scotland, the country’s largest Presbyterian denomination, is a supporter of Eco-Congregation Scotland, a Scottish charity with over 250 congregations committed to taking action to care for the earth.

The Kirk also plays a key role in the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition comprising 60 organisations representing 2 million people across Scotland.

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The Church of Pakistan in Peshawar has launched an emergency relief and rescue programme for those affected by recent monsoons and flooding.

The Church of Pakistan in Peshawar has launched an emergency relief and rescue programme for families affected by the recent monsoons and flooding in Pakistan as the death toll from the natural disaster rose above 1,200.

The programme is assisting more than 1,300 Christian and Hindu families, as well as other minorities and some Muslim church workers, according to an e-mail sent from the Peshawar diocese to church partners. The diocese is providing affected families with food.

The United Nations has estimated that almost one million people have been affected by the flooding, 45 bridges destroyed, and thousands of houses swept away.

The diocesan e-mail notes that monsoon rains “have caused havoc all over Pakistan, but the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province has been hit hard by the floods. Thousands of villages are under water and hundreds of people are either dead or missing. All road links within the province have been cut down.”

Several Christian families have been rescued and accommodated at St Mary’s Church and School in Risalpur and at Christ Church and School in Nowshera, the release said. “The diocese is putting all its efforts to reach the unreached caught in the floods.”

The Diocese of Peshawar is part of the Church of Pakistan, a united ecumenical church that was established in 1970 through a union of Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians (Church of Scotland), Methodists and Lutherans.

With acknowledgments to Anglican Communion News Service

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With a growing number of fatalities in Kashmir and Jammu, Amnesty International has called on security forces to show restraint when using live ammunition.

With a growing number of fatalities in recent days in Kashmir and Jammu, Amnesty International today (3 August) called on the security forces in the two Indian states to show restraint when using live ammunition.

At least 14 protesters have been killed in shootings by security forces during protests in Kashmir over the last four days. More than 150 people have been injured, including 22 security personnel. These are some of the most violent clashes between protesters and security forces in recent years in the restive Kashmir valley.

“Some of the recent demonstrations have turned violent” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific Director, “But the security forces should still respect and protect the right to life at all times. The number and circumstances of fatal shootings suggest that this has not always been the case.”

Security forces are encouraged by Amnesty to use firearms only where unavoidable to protect life, and to the minimum extent required. This is in compliance with their own manual and international law and standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.

From Friday 30 July to Sunday 1 August, nine protestors were killed by gunfire from the Jammu and Kashmir state police and the Central Reserve Police Force during demonstrations. Five more deaths were reported yesterday, including one demonstrator who succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained on Saturday.

Violence by protestors in recent demonstrations has included attacks on a train station and three police stations. Four people died in an explosion when a police station in Khrew, near Srinagar, was set on fire by protestors on Sunday.

The latest round of demonstrations began in late May over reported extrajudicial executions of three young men at Machil in Baramulla district. Protests increased after the killing of 17-year old Tufail Mattoo by police in Srinagar on 11 June. They have intensified over repeated cycles of protests and further killings by security forces – 17 protestors were killed between 11 June and 19 July. Over 300 people, including 45 security force personnel, have been injured in the demonstrations to date.

Amnesty International says that the right to freedom of assembly protects only peaceful assembly and that protestors who engage in human rights abuses must be held accountable for their actions. They add that similarly, according to international law, all incidents of police shootings should be investigated promptly, independently, impartially and thoroughly.

Amnesty insists that members of security forces suspected of violating human rights, irrespective of rank, should be prosecuted in proceedings that meet international standards of fairness. Survivors and families of victims should be provided with reparations.

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Interfilm North America, part of a global network which looks at the relationship between spirituality and modern movies, has launched its new website.

Interfilm North America, part of a global network which looks at the relationship between spirituality and modern movies, has launched its new website.

The site had been created to build and strengthen a network of communicators who have an interest in contemporary films which explore social justice, human values, and how religion and spirituality are reflected in cinema.

Interfilm is an international network which brings together interested individuals and institutions concerned with film and theology, church and cinema.

The organisation was founded at the initiative of representatives of German, French, Dutch and Swiss Protestant film work in 1955. It is affiliated to the World Council of Churches. Today, it includes Anglican, Orthodox and Jewish experts as well as other Protestant church denominations.

One of Interfilm’s main tasks is to be present at international film festivals with its own jury. For their awards, the juries select films that stand out due to their artistic quality; that reveal human attitudes or expressions of the Christian message or prompt discussion; and which sensitise viewers to spiritual and social questions and values.

At the 41st General Assembly of Interfilm, held in June 2010 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Philip Lee, the World Association of Christian Communication’s Deputy Director of Programmes, was elected as one of three Vice-Presidents. He will represent the interests of Interfilm North America on Interfilm’s Steering Committee.

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Human rights groups have called on the Kenya to halt forced evictions in a Nairobi settlement that have left hundreds of families homeless.

Human rights groups have called on the Kenyan authorities to halt the forced evictions in a Nairobi settlement which have left hundreds of families homeless and destitute.

A bulldozer from the Nairobi City Council flattened market stalls in Kabete NITD (Native Industrial Training Department) on the night of Tuesday 12 July 2010 for the second time that week. On Saturday, authorities had demolished around 100 homes and 470 market stalls.

Despite rumours in the community that forced evictions were imminent, no official notice was given to residents or traders.

“The residents of Kabete NITD, who were already living in poverty, have seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed without warning – these mass demolitions must end immediately,” said Justus Nyan’aya, Director of Amnesty International Kenya.

When some traders continued to work on the rubble of their former stalls, the bulldozer returned just before midnight on Tuesday to re-flatten the site.

A toilet block that was partially destroyed on Saturday and then re-built by residents was also entirely demolished on Tuesday night. Police and city officials then filled the remaining pit latrines with rubbish so that they could not be used.

Angry residents reportedly clashed with armed police on Wednesday as tensions flared in the settlement.

Many residents were still inside their homes when the bulldozers first arrived, giving them just minutes to evacuate.

“I woke up suddenly and heard the tractor as it was demolishing everything. We’d had no warning they would be evicting us. We tried to salvage some of our things but it all happened so fast. We even lost all of our clothes and bedding. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run to. The government should give us land where we can build,” Beverly, a 61-year-old resident of Kabete NITD said.

The evictions have left hundreds of people, mainly women and children, without shelter. Many are sleeping outdoors without blankets or warm clothes, or money to buy food or other essential items. It is currently winter in Nairobi and cold at night.

Most of the market traders – the majority of them women – lost all their goods and have had their livelihoods destroyed. Residents believe that another part of the settlement is also at risk of being demolished.

“The government is treating us like dogs. They don’t think that we are human beings. They say that they are fighting poverty but really they are promoting it by carrying out evictions in this way,” said Sella, a 78 year-old woman from the part of Kabete NITD under threat of forced eviction.

Kabete NITD was established in 1974 by workers constructing a road. The land is owned by the Veterinary Department of the government of Kenya, although there have been other claims of ownership and repeated threats of forced eviction.

In May 2010, market traders operating from the road reserve in Kangemi were relocated by the provincial administration to unused land in Kabete NITD. The relocation took place after months of consultation and negotiation and was peacefully carried out.

By contrast, the forced evictions from Kabete NITD have been carried out without any such safeguards and completely disregard the relocation plan that had earlier been agreed with the communities.

Under international human rights law, evictions should only be carried out as a last resort and only after all other feasible alternatives to eviction have been explored in genuine consultation with affected communities.

Governments are also obliged to ensure that no one is rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights as a consequence of eviction.

International human rights monitoring bodies and NGOs have for many years highlighted concerns about the pattern of forced evictions and threats of mass forced evictions in Kenya.

In November 2008, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended that protection against forced eviction should be included in Kenya’s new constitution. In 2009 it called for the establishment of a legal framework for eviction based on internationally acceptable guidelines.

The Kenyan government has committed to creating national eviction guidelines that would ensure adequate safeguards are put in place, but it has not yet done so.

In the absence of such guidelines, large-scale forced evictions of people living in informal settlements are regularly carried out in a manner that contravenes international human rights standards.

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With its latest issue, ‘Whosoever’, the leading online magazine for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians, begins its 15th year of publication.

With its latest (July/August 2010) issue, ‘Whosoever’, the leading online magazine for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians, begins its 15th year of publication.

“When we started in 1996, there was nothing on the Internet to assure LGBT Christians that God loved them and created them to live into their sexuality with integrity and joy,” said Candace Chellew-Hodge, founder and editor of ‘Whosoever’.

“‘Whosoever’ began a movement of online support for LGBT Christians and now there are many resources available.”

Whosoever began as a print magazine, and Chellew-Hodge handed out the premier issue at Atlanta’s gay pride back in 1996.

“People weren’t sure what to think and many were suspicious that our agenda was to convert LGBT people,” Chellew-Hodge said. “But, that all changed when they read the magazine.”

The magazine remained in print for four issues (Chellew-Hodge displays three issues in the photo) before becoming an online resource. Over the years, many influential religious figures have appeared within its pages including Bishop John Shelby Spong, Soulforce founder Mel White, and even Evangelical Christian writer Philip Yancey.

The magazine also spawned a book written by Chellew-Hodge called Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, published in 2008 by Jossey-Bass.

White has said of ‘Whosoever’: “Every time I open Whosoever I am amazed at the quality and quantity of work that goes into this magazine for GLBT Christians, their friends and families. I am especially grateful for the information Whosoever provides for that closeted Christian who, after being rejected by his or her church and family, has nowhere to go but the Internet to find someone who understands.”

Chellew-Hodge said she has heard from many such LGBT Christians who have said that ‘Whosoever’ has been a source of hope and healing for them. That hope and healing has a ripple effect, too, on the larger church.

“We see the results of our efforts as mainstream churches begin to open their doors to LGBT people of faith,” Chellew-Hodge said. “We still have a lot of work ahead, but the progress we have seen over the past fifteen years has been astounding and affirming. Whosoever’s contribution to this spiritual revival has been great and will continue to grow in the coming years.”

Visit ‘Whosoever’ at http://www.whosoever.org/index.shtml and read the latest issue at http://www.whosoever.org/v15i1/

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Civil, religious and human rights groups are asking the Iranian authorities not to execute a 43-year-old woman convicted of adultery, following global concern.

Amnesty International has urged the Iranian authorities not to execute by any method a 43-year-old woman convicted of adultery, following an official statement that she will not be executed by stoning.

The Iranian Embassy in London announced on Thursday 8 July 2010 that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani would not be stoned to death. However, fears remain that the mother-of-two could be hanged, as she has been convicted of “adultery while married”.

“We note the Iranian Embassy’s statement on stoning, but a mere change of the method of execution would not address the injustice faced by Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

“The statement does not specify which judicial authorities in Iran have been consulted. Until she and her lawyer have been officially notified otherwise, she could still face execution, including by stoning,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men and received 99 lashes as her sentence. Despite this, she was then also convicted of “adultery while being married”, which she has denied, and sentenced to death by stoning.

She has retracted a “confession” made during interrogation, stating that it was made under duress. However, she was convicted by a majority of three out of five trial judges on the basis of the “knowledge of the judge”.

This is a provision in Iranian law that allows judges to make their own subjective and possibly arbitrary determination of guilt, even in the absence of clear or conclusive evidence.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 27 May 2007. Her case has been sent to the Amnesty and Clemency Commission twice, but her request for clemency was rejected on both occasions.

The judicial authorities in Iran must immediately clarify Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani’s legal status and conduct a thorough review of her case, as well as all other cases where stoning sentences have been passed, Amnesty said yesterday.

“A declaration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is simply not enough to save once and for all the life of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. We fear that this announcement might just be a tactic to deflect criticism,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

“To punish – and in some cases execute – people for being in consenting relationships is no business of the state. Anyone treated as such is a prisoner of conscience,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

The internationally recognised human rights group said it is aware of at least 10 other people (seven women and three men) under sentence of stoning and believes there are likely to be others. Last year, at least three people sentenced to death by stoning were in fact executed by hanging.

“Any form of state killing is unacceptable and inhumane, and Iran must now give assurances that Sakineh – along with the numerous other prisoners on death row in Iran – will not be killed by any means.”

Thursday’s statement said that stoning as a punishment has now been removed from a new draft of Iran’s Penal Code, which is currently under review by Iran’s parliament and is yet to be ratified.

However, it remains to be seen if this decision has been ratified and if it will be implemented.

Amnesty has also called on Iran’s lawmakers to confirm the statement made by the Embassy in London in relation to the banning of the punishment of stoning in the new version of the Penal Code under consideration.

The NGO opposes any criminalisation of consensual sexual relations.

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The Church of England’s General Synod began meeting in York yesterday. An 11-clause measure deals with legal requirements for enabling women bishops.

The Church of England’s General Synod, the church’s main legislative body, began meeting in York yesterday and will run through until 13 July 2010.

At least two full days will be devoted to debating and amending an 11-clause measure dealing with the legal requirements for enabling women bishops and outlines provisions for those who will not accept their episcopal leadership, writes Matthew Davies from the Episcopal News Service.

A measure is a piece of legislation that, once passed by the General Synod, requires approval by the UK Parliament.

Of the 40 or more proposed amendments, the ones which have received the most attention are those submitted jointly by the archbishops of Canterbury and York suggesting arrangements whereby two bishops could exercise episcopal functions within the same jurisdiction.

Their proposals call for “co-ordinating” the ministry of a diocesan bishop with another bishop who would provide episcopal oversight for those opposed to female bishops.

A Lambeth Palace press release says the amendments would preserve a female bishop’s episcopal authority while providing an alternative for those who are “unable to accept the new situation…”

But the archbishops’ proposals have been harshly criticised by supporters of women’s ordination and are widely regarded as concessions to traditionalists.

“If the amendments are passed, the church will be in a position of allowing that it is legally acceptable to recognise that women are bishops – and equally acceptable to insist that they are not,” said Christina Rees, a lay member of Synod.

“The damaging and undermining effect this would have on women’s ministries and on the mission and message of the church overall is incalculable,” said Rees, former chair of campaign group Women and the Church, or WATCH.

The archbishops’ proposals “seem to have been designed to keep a small minority of people in the church rather than to attract those who are not yet part of the church or to do what is right for the church overall at this time.”

General Synod voted in February 2009 to send a draft measure on women bishops to a revision committee so it could rework the legislation.

That draft measure had two principal objectives: “to give the General Synod power to make provision by canon allowing women to be consecrated as bishops; and to set out the legal framework for the arrangements to be made for parishes which, on grounds of theological conviction, feel unable to receive the ministry of women.”

The revision committee met 16 times since May 2009 and considered 114 submissions from members of the General Synod, and a further 183 submissions from others. In May 2010, the committee published its 142-page report, which offers a detailed analysis of the draft legislation.

The Church of England opened the priesthood to women in November 1992, five years after women were first ordained to the diaconate.

In the Anglican Communion, formal discussion and debate on women’s ordained ministry began in 1920 when the Lambeth Conference called for the revival of the deaconess order, saying that it was “the only order of the ministry which we can recommend that our branch of the Catholic Church should recognise and use.”

The first woman priest in the communion, Li Tim-Oi, was ordained in 1944 in Hong Kong. In 1974, there was an “irregular” ordination of 11 women in the US-based Episcopal Church, which officially authorised women’s priestly ordination two years later.

Four provinces of the Anglican Communion currently have women serving as bishops – the US-based Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Australia, and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Episcopal Church of Cuba also has two female bishops. Eleven additional provinces have approved the ordination of women bishops but have yet to appoint or elect one.

Bishop Barbara Harris, now retired suffragan bishop of Massachusetts, became the Anglican Communion’s first woman bishop at her consecration in 1989. The Rev Canon Nerva Cot Aguilera became the first female Anglican bishop in Latin America when she was consecrated bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Church of Cuba in June 2007.

In the Church of England, more than 5,000 women have been ordained as priests since 1994 and today they represent nearly 40 per cent of all clergy.

But Christina Rees lamented that if the legislation passed in General Synod in 1992 “that made it possible for women to be priests had not also explicitly made it illegal for women to be bishops, it is certain that there would have been a number of women serving as bishops in the Church of England for the past decade.”

If General Synod passes the current legislation, in whatever form it finally agrees to, it will refer the measure to diocesan synods for consideration. Diocesan synods cannot further amend it. Should a majority of diocesan synods approve the measure, the legislation will return to General Synod for final approval.

Assuming all stages of the legislative process proceed without delay, “it will be at least another two years before the mind of the Church of England can be determined at the final approval stage,” the Church of England bishops said in a May statement. Since the measure also would require parliamentary approval, the first woman bishop could not be consecrated until at least 2014.

Parliamentary approval is required because the measure effectively changes English law as the Church of England is an Established church with Queen Elizabeth II as its supreme governor.

Throughout the weekend, prayer vigils for the women bishops legislation are being held at cathedrals in Ripon, Newcastle and Guildford bringing together people from across the spectrum of opinion.

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Amnesty has called on the Peruvian government to revoke its decision to expel a British Catholic activist who has been defending the rights of Indigenous people.

Amnesty International has called on the Peruvian government to revoke its decision to expel a British Catholic activist who has spent the past ten years defending the rights of the country’s Indigenous people.

Paul McAuley, who helps local communities protest against the effect of oil, gas and mining exploitation on their environment, is facing deportation today after the authorities said they would cancel his residency permit.

He recently publicly denounced an oil spill into the waters of Amazonian river Marañon, in June 2010.

“The government’s attitude towards Indigenous people and those who work to protect their rights is deeply disturbing,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“This attempt to expel a human rights advocate who has worked tirelessly to protect Amazon communities and their environment is the latest example of the attack on Indigenous People’s rights that is taking place in Peru.”

In a letter to the Interior Minister on 5 July 2010, Amnesty pointed out that the missionary had been given no opportunity to appeal the rejection of his residency permit which was announced on 1 July, when he was given seven days to leave the country and never return.

Paul McAuley has worked to raise awareness amongst the local population about their rights, which are enshrined in international human rights law, while speaking out on the effects of extractive companies.

The Peruvian government has described Paul McAuley’s human rights work as ‘political’, with Prime Minister Javier Velazquez declaring that “foreigners living in Peru are restricted from participating in political activities.”

“Brother Paul”, as he is known amongst the communities he works with, has been awarded an MBE by the Queen for his work, along with The Spanish Order Medal and Prize.

“The government must immediately revoke this expulsion and end its continuing crackdown on Indigenous people as they battle for their human rights,” said Guadalupe Marengo.

In June, President Alan Garcia failed to confirm a law requiring consultation with Indigenous people on matters that affect them that already had been passed by the Peruvian congress.

Indigenous leaders continue to face unsubstantiated charges and no-one has yet been brought to trial for the violence that occurred when police broke up a protest staged by Indigenous people over land and resources at Bagua in June 2009, which left 33 people dead, including 23 police officers.

The protest stemmed from the government’s failure to consult with Indigenous people over a series of decree laws that would have affected their land and resources.

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Amnesty International has accused the Honduran authorities of failing to address serious human rights violations that followed the coup d’etat of 28 June 2009.

Amnesty International has accused the Honduran authorities of failing to address serious human rights violations that followed the coup d’etat of 28 June 2009, when ex-President Manuel Zelaya was forced from power.

Since the new president, Porfirio Lobo, took office in January 2010, police and military officers responsible for mass arrests, beatings and torture in the wake of the coup have not been brought to justice.

Meanwhile, concerns about freedom of expression increased, as seven journalists have been killed in the past three months.

“President Lobo has publicly committed to human rights but has failed to take action to protect them, which is unacceptable. He needs to show he is serious about ending the climate of repression and insecurity in Honduras – otherwise the future stability of the country will remain in jeopardy,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Amnesty’s Americas deputy director.

President Lobo was elected in November last year amid a political crisis that saw President Zelaya ousted by military-backed politicians.

Hundreds of people opposed to the coup were beaten and detained by the security forces as protests erupted during the following months. More than 10 people were reported to have been killed during the unrest. The police and military also widely misused tear gas and other crowd control equipment.

Human rights activists, opposition leaders and judges suffered threats and intimidation, media outlets closed and journalists were censored. There were also reports of security force personnel committing acts of sexual violence against women and girls.

Judges viewed as critical of the coup suffered a series of arbitrary transferrals and unfair disciplinary proceedings. Members of the organisation Judges for Democracy, which promotes principles of fairness and transparency, formed the vast majority of those targeted.

No one has yet been held to account for these abuses and few investigations have been opened. Victims continue to wait for justice and reparation for the abuses they endured.

“It is a sad fact that no redress has been provided to the numerous victims who suffered serious abuses at the hands of the police and military during the de facto government’s time in power,” said Guadalupe Marengo.

“These grave human rights violations must not be forgotten or go unpunished. Victims have the right to truth, justice and reparation,” he added.

Amnesty is also seriously concerned that the number of attacks on journalists has actually risen since the new government came into power. Seven journalists have been killed since March 2010 and many more have suffered threats and harassment.

Meanwhile, four judges were removed from their posts on 1 June 2010, apparently for criticising the coup d’etat – a move that seriously undermines the justice system.

The Honduran government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in April but Amnesty International says it is seriously concerned that its mandate is limited only to establishing the contributing factors to the crisis.

Truth commissions should be one part of a comprehensive national plan devised to protect the rights of victims of human rights violations, the human rights NGO declares. In addition to this, the government must ensure investigation, justice and reparation for victims.

“Honduras’ coup d’état left the country in need of a programme of human rights reconstruction with clear objectives and a timeline for completion – but the commission lacks a proper mandate or capacity to investigate abuses,” said Guadalupe Marengo.

“Our past research shows that when insufficient steps are taken to ensure justice and truth, the wounds do not heal and the cycle of violence and unrest continues.”

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya Rosales was forced from power on 28 June 2009 and expelled from the country by a military-backed group of politicians led by Roberto Micheletti, former president of the national Congress.

According to dozens of testimonies collected by Amnesty’s researchers in Honduras during two visits to the country, human rights abuses spiralled after the coup.

The de facto government headed by Micheletti remained in power until the end of 2009. A new government led by Porfirio Lobo took office on 27 January 2010 on the same day Amnesty International released a report titled ‘Honduras: Recommendations to the new Honduran government following the coup of June 2009′, which documented violations during the coup d’etat

The globally-renowned human rights orgaisation has continued to urge the authorities to address abuses and violations committed after the coup since the new government came to power, as has the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

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The Church of Greece is getting ready to assist the Greek people to face the consequences of tough and unpopular economic measures taken by the government.

The British Humanist Association has responded to a statement made in the Court of Appeal by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey – saying it is offensive to Christians.

European countries must reject the dangerous practice of relying on “no torture” promises from governments with proven records of torture, says Amnesty International.

Amnesty International has strongly urged the Hamas de facto administration in Gaza not to carry out several pending “abhorrent” death sentences.