chRISTIAN CHURCHES
Anglicans: united in mourning for Shahbaz BhattiAlso the Anglican Church, under shock, mourns the murder of the Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan. “It is with the greatest shock and sorrow that we have heard of the assassination of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Religious Minorities in Pakistan”. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York John Sentamu and the Archbishop of York declared in a joint statement. “This further instance of sectarian bigotry and violence will increase anxiety worldwide about the security of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. We urge that the Government of Pakistan will do all in its power to bring to justice those guilty of such crimes and to give adequate protection to minorities. We assure Mr Bhatti’s family of our prayers and deep sympathy, and promise our continuing support for all those of whatever faiths who are working for justice and stability in Pakistan”, they said in the declaration.Spain: Catholics’ and Anglicans’ joint agreementAnglicans and Catholics in Spain have ratified an agreement providing for the mutual recognition of both confessions’ baptisms, which is valid only in Spain. The epochal agreement was signed in the seat of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference by the Bishop of Almería, by the president of the delegation for Ecumenical Relations of the local episcopate, Msgr. Adolfo González Montes, and by the bishop of Spain’s Episcopal Reformed Church Carlos López Lozano, to the presence of the bishop of Vic, Msgr. Roman Casanova and of a representative of the archbishop of Canterbury. It is a significant fruit borne of ecumenical dialogue, which has “helped strengthen the fundamental importance of baptism in building the Church”. It represents “the fulfillment of the recommendations on the recognition of the sacred nature of baptism and its administration”. The agreement sets the seal on a long process begun in the 1980s. The declaration does not address differences in belief regarding the sacramental nature of confirmation. A thanksgiving ceremony with a solemn “Te Deum” followed in the Anglican Cathedral of the Savior in Madrid.Cyprus: encounter of Middle Eastern ChurchesThe Churches in the Middle East must cooperate so that peace will prevail. Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus conveyed the message in the opening address of the extraordinary meeting of the Steering Committee of the Middle Eastern Churches Council (MECC) held February 18 on the Mediterranean island. “The time has come to join our forces in order to find a solution to the many problems afflicting our region, for the establishment of peace and the eradication of religious fanaticism – Chrysostomos said -. For this, we must be capable of jointly address all issues and overcome our disagreements with Christian love and mutual understanding”. The delegations of the four Christian families represented by MECC took part in the meeting – Byzantine Rite Orthodox Christians, pre-calcedonian Orthodox, Catholics and Protestant – to discuss other themes, namely, the preparations for the next general assembly in August and the popular upheavals in Northern Africa. In fact, due to the turmoil and the related precariousness of the political leadership, Egyptian Churches’ delegates could not attend the meeting. “We’re all in favor of political and economic reforms – pastor Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelican Luteran Church in the Holy Land and Jordan, President of the World Lutheran Federation (WLF), told ENI news agency -. “However, we want the protesters to know that we expect moderation, along with the defense of human rights, freedom of expression and worship. We call upon the population to be motivated not only by frustration but also by wisdom, so as to set the cornerstone of a new society”. The situation in the Middle East, notably the acts of violence in Libya, was addressed by the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) during its meeting in Geneva past February 16-22. In a resolution the WCC expresses its “deep concern about disturbing reports” of the escalation of violence and the killing of hundreds of protestors. “We call all parties to respect the human rights of all people in Libya”, is written in the statement that condemns the use of violence and urges that “ways be found to establish a peaceful dialogue to end the violence”.
