Anglican Primate writes to PM on capital punishment
[ACC News - January 30, 2008] What follows is the text of a letter written by Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, to Prime Minister Stephen Harper dealing with the federal government's stance on Canadians sentenced to death in foreign jurisdictions.
29 January, 2008
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2
Dear Mr. Prime Minister
On behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada, we write to express our grave concern regarding the decision of the Government of Canada to accept the imposition of the death penalty on Canadians under the jurisdictions of other countries.
We refer to the case of Ronald Allen Smith, a Canadian citizen on death row in the state of Montana, USA, and to the November 1, 2007 statement made by Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day to the House of Commons, that this government “will not actively pursue bringing back to Canada murderers who have been tried in a democratic country that supports the rule of law.”
This decision constitutes a serious departure from Canada’s historic efforts to seek clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty in foreign countries.
The Anglican Church of Canada stands with the worldwide Anglican Communion against any government who practises capital punishment, and in favour of seeking alternative ways to sentence offenders so that the divine dignity of every human being is respected and yet justice is pursued (Lambeth 1988).
The Anglican Church of Canada affirms the sacredness of all human life as God’s gift to creation. We believe every human being is made in God’s image, regardless of the degree to which it has been distorted. We oppose the death penalty in every circumstance as an act of violence in response to violence – an act which strikes at the very heart of society (House of Bishops 1984).
Therefore, we call on the Government of Canada to reverse its present stance and to intervene strenuously with other governments when Canadians face a sentence of execution, as has been the practice in the past.
We respectfully request a reply to this letter stating the reasons for this policy reversal and indicating your future intentions.
Sincerely,
+Fred
The Most Reverend Fred J. Hiltz,
Archbishop and Primate
The Anglican Church of Canada
Copied to:
The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P.,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Posted: January 30, 2008Transmis : 30 janvier, 2008 • TagsMots clés : canadaanglicancapital punishmentstephen harper
Christian youth movements call for signs of unity
[WCC News] A number of major international Christian youth movements and organizations called for stronger efforts towards unity in a joint statement issued on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Addressed to the heads of the Roman Catholic Church, the World Council of Churches, Christian World Communions and Regional Ecumenical Organizations, the statement asks them to "share ecumenical dialogue with young people" and expresses the commitment of the signatories to "raise awareness of the importance of Christian unity among young people".
Catholic bishops publish protocols for preventing sexual abuse
[CCCB press release] The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is pursuing the work it began nearly 20 years ago on sexual abuse by publishing Orientations for diocesan sexual abuse protocols.
The document is intended to assist Catholic dioceses in Canada in updating their diocesan protocols for the prevention of sexual abuse and for their pastoral response to complaints about possible sexual abuse of minors by clergy or other personnel under diocesan responsibility.
By publishing the Orientations, the CCCB is supporting the work of the Bishops who continue to ensure appropriate measures in their respective dioceses, so children can be in a safe pastoral environment.
The Orientations repeat, clarify and reinforce the recommendations in From Pain to Hope which has been an indispensable reference since its publication in 1992 by the Catholic Bishops of Canada.
The Orientations are the result of extensive consultations – including with victims – and a long, though necessary and fruitful reflection and analysis. Lay experts were also consulted, including specialists in child psychology and others working with young adults and children on a regular basis. The expertise of dioceses, religious organizations and other institutions such as community groups, schools, and sports clubs was also sought out so their experiences as well as research helped to shape the document being made public today.
"These new orientations add to the wide array of resources which the dioceses already have to help improve their diocesan protocols for sexual abuse. The priority is to prevent abuse of any kind, respond to complaints, offer full collaboration with civil authorities, and reduce the risk of sexual abuse," stated Most Reverend V. James Weisgerber, Archbishop of Winnipeg and President of the CCCB.
Because each diocesan Bishop is autonomous, each is responsible for adopting a diocesan protocol, as well as initiating, supporting and maintaining the means for preventing sexual abuse, and also for responding to abuse complaints in the diocese.
[Kersten Storch • COE] Bien que la prière soit sans nul doute au coeur de la vie chrétienne, prier ensemble n'est pas une tâche facile pour les Eglises qui forment la chrétienté mondiale. Même aujourd'hui, les prières communes sont des événements exceptionnels plutôt qu'une partie de la vie quotidienne des Eglises. Mais au moins une fois par an, il est devenu "normal" pour beaucoup d'Eglises et de communautés de prier ensemble lors de la célébration annuelle de la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens. En 2008, le 100e anniversaire de cette initiative oecuménique hautement significative est célébré partout dans le monde.
Les origines de la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens remontent au début du 19e siècle. Des initiatives impliquant la prière pour l'unité aux côtés de chrétiens d'autres dénominations se développaient en divers endroits depuis plus d'un siècle quand, en 1908, un prêtre et une soeur, tous deux membres de l'Eglise épiscopale (anglicane), célébrèrent publiquement pour la première fois une Octave de prière pour l'unité de l'Eglise du 18 au 25 janvier à Graymoor, Garrison, New York. Le père Paul Wattson et mère Lurana White, cofondateurs d'une petite communauté religieuse dans la tradition franciscaine connue sous le nom de Society of Atonement, choisirent pour l'octave les jours s'étendant entre ce qu'on appelait à l'époque dans le calendrier catholique romain la "fête de la chaire de Pierre" et la "fête de la conversion de Paul".
En célébrant son 100e anniversaire, la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens de cette année renvoie à ce jalon historique dans lequel on voit le moment de sa fondation. Mais il est clair que beaucoup de choses ont changé dans le paysage oecuménique au cours du siècle écoulé.
L'Octave de prière pour l'unité de l'Eglise de cette époque était basée sur une conception de l'unité en tant que réunion de la chrétienté sous l'autorité du pape. Pour cette raison, l'octave n'était ni attirante ni théologiquement acceptable pour les chrétiens et Eglises n'appartenant pas à l'Eglise catholique romaine, à l'exception de quelques anglicans favorables à l'idée d'une réunion de Cantorbéry avec Rome - comme Paul Wattson et Lurana White, qui sont eux-mêmes devenus membres de l'Eglise catholique romaine. Même si, très vite, elle fut largement observée dans l'Eglise catholique romaine, l'octave n'était en aucune manière la seule initiative de prière pour l'unité de l'Eglise à l'époque.
Bien avant 1908, l'Alliance évangélique mondiale, la Fédération universelle des associations chrétiennes d'étudiants, les Unions chrétiennes de jeunes gens et les Unions chrétiennes féminines avaient lancé dans le monde des semaines ou journées annuelles de prière dans lesquelles l'aspect de l'unité jouait un rôle important.
En 1907 déjà, le Times, basé à Londres, publia une lettre signée par un nombre impressionnant de hauts responsables d'Eglise appartenant à différentes dénominations, qui appelait "tous les ministres de la religion chrétienne en Angleterre [...] à préparer leurs paroisses à une prière commune [...] pour la réunion des chrétiens, le dimanche de la Pentecôte". Les signataires soulignaient que cette prière ne devrait pas mettre en question les convictions d'une confession quelle qu'elle soit, mais être centrée sur la volonté divine d'unité de tous. Les responsables ecclésiastiques déclaraient sobrement que le temps n'était pas encore venu de mettre en place de vastes programmes de réunification institutionnelle, mais que les Eglises devraient s'unir dans la repentance et la prière: repentance de leurs divisions, et prière pour ouvrir leurs esprits à la volonté divine d'unité.
La "volonté divine que tous soient un" devint en quelque sorte le leitmotiv de la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens au fil des années. Des textes datant des débuts du mouvement de Foi et constitution sur la prière et l'unité se réfèrent à ce concept. Des décennies plus tard, cette formule permit de prier pour l'unité aux côtés de l'Eglise catholique romaine d'une manière qui ne blesse pas les convictions dénominationnelles d'autres Chrétiens. Encore aujourd'hui, elle rappelle aux chrétiens et aux Eglises que la quête de l'unité n'est pas liée à des conceptions doctrinales différentes de l'unité et ne se fonde pas sur elles: l'unité est la volonté de Dieu pour la création tout entière.
Depuis le milieu des années 1960, après le Concile Vatican II, la Commission de Foi et constitution du Conseil oecuménique des Eglises et le Secrétariat pour l'unité des chrétiens de l'Eglise catholique romaine [aujourd'hui Conseil pontifical pour la promotion de l'unité des chrétiens] préparent ensemble les matériels liturgiques pour la Semaine de prière.
La célébration cette année du 100e anniversaire de la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens sera l'occasion de rendre grâce à Dieu pour l'unité, aussi provisoire qu'elle soit, que les Eglises ont déjà et qu'elles vivent concrètement, et dans laquelle la Semaine de prière a certainement sa part.
A Jérusalem - l'un des lieux où les divisions entre chrétiens se manifestent souvent de manière particulièrement affligeante -, l'effet exercé par la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens sur la vie des Eglises apparaît dans la multiplication presque spontanée des efforts de prière commune, tout spécialement les prières oecuméniques pour la paix, car l'unité des chrétiens et la paix sont des préoccupations inséparables pour les chrétiens du Moyen-Orient.
C'est la tradition de la préparation commune de la Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens qui a conduit les Eglises de Slovaquie à l'idée de préparer une célébration oecuménique spéciale quand le pays est entré dans l'Union européenne en 2004. En Slovaquie, la Semaine de prière est observée dans tout le pays, tant au niveau le plus élevé de l'Eglise qu'à la base.
On pourrait multiplier les exemples du monde entier. Le thème de cette année - Priez sans cesse (1 Th 5,17) - met en lumière le fait que les chrétiens et les Eglises ne peuvent cesser de prier pour l'unité de tous. Les divisions qui demeurent une réalité entre les Eglises et en leur sein ne suivent pas simplement des lignes dénominationnelles. Elles sont souvent - tout au moins dans une certaine mesure - enracinées dans l'identité ethnique ou nationale, dans les questions de race, de statut social, de genre ou de sexualité, dans l'exclusion des personnes handicapées ou de celles qui vivent avec le VIH et le SIDA.
La Semaine de prière pour l'unité des chrétiens ne peut fournir une solution à tous ces problèmes. Mais sa célébration chaque année est une victoire sur les divisions parce qu'elle exprime l'unité que les chrétiens ont réellement en Christ.
Kersten Storch, pasteure luthérienne allemande, est membre du personnel exécutif de la Commission de Foi et constitution du Conseil oecuménique des Eglises; elle participe à la préparation des matériels liturgiques de la Semaine de prière depuis six ans.Posted: January 15, 2008Transmis : 15 janvier, 2008 • TagsMots clés : oecuménismeprièreunité chrétienne
Praying together for Christian unity throughout a century of changes
[Kersten Storch • WCC News] Although prayer is certainly at the heart of Christian life, praying together is not an easy exercise for churches within worldwide Christendom. Even today, common prayers are exceptional events rather than part of the daily life of the churches. But at least once a year it has become "normal" for many churches and congregations to pray together during the annual celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 2008, the 100th anniversary of this most meaningful ecumenical initiative is being celebrated around the globe.
The roots of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity can be traced back to the beginning of the 19th century. Initiatives involving praying for unity together with Christians from other denominations had been taking place here and there for over a century when, in 1908, a priest and a sister, both Episcopalians, publicly celebrated for the first time an Octave of Prayer for Church Unity from 18-25 January in Graymoor, Garrison, New York. The Rev. Paul Wattson and Mother Lurana White, co-founders of a small religious community in the Franciscan tradition known as the Society of the Atonement, chose for the octave the days spanning from what was at that time in the Roman Catholic calendar the "feast of the Chair of Peter", to the "feast of the conversion of Paul".
In celebrating its 100th anniversary, this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity points to that historical milestone as its foundational moment. But it is clear that a lot has changed in the ecumenical landscape over the last century.
The Octave of Prayer for Church Unity of those days was based on a concept of unity as re-union of Christendom under the Pope's authority. For that reason, the octave was neither appealing nor theologically acceptable for Christians and churches outside the Roman Catholic Church, except for some Anglicans who were sympathetic to the idea of a reunion of Canterbury with Rome – like Wattson and White, who joined the Roman Catholic Church themselves. While it soon became widely observed in the Roman Catholic Church, the octave was by no means the only initiative of prayer for church unity at that time.
Well before 1908, the World Evangelical Alliance, the World Student Christian Federation, the Young Men's Christian Association together with the Young Women's Christian Association, had already all launched worldwide annual weeks or days of prayer in which the aspect of unity played an important role.
As early as 1907 the London-based Times published a letter signed by an impressive list of high-ranking church leaders from different denominations, who called on "all the Christian ministers of religion in England [...] to prepare their congregations for a united effort of prayer on Whitsunday [...] for the reunion of Christians". They underlined that those prayers should not compromise the beliefs of any confession but should focus on God's will for the unity of all. The church leaders soberly declared that it was not yet the time for large schemes of corporate reunion but that churches should unite in penitence and prayer: penitence for their divisions and prayer for opening their minds to God's will for unity.
"God's will for the unity of all" became something like the leitmotif of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity through the years. Early writings of the Faith and Order movement on prayer and unity refer to that concept. Decades later, that formula made it possible to pray for unity within the Roman Catholic Church in a way that would not hurt denominational loyalties of other Christians. And even today it is a reminder to Christians and churches everywhere that the quest for the unity of all does not depend nor is it based on different doctrinal concepts of unity; it is rather God's will for the entire creation.
Since the mid 1960's, after the Second Vatican Council, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church [today's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity] have prepared the liturgical materials for the Week of Prayer together
Celebrating this year the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be an occasion to give thanks for the unity, however provisional it may be, that churches already do have and live, and in which the Week of Prayer certainly has its share.
In Jerusalem – one of the places where the divisions within Christianity have often become visible in the most distressing ways – the impact of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on the life of the churches is confirmed by the fact that opportunities for common prayer multiply almost spontaneously. This is especially true for ecumenical prayers for peace, as Christian unity and peace are inseparable concerns for the Christians in the Middle East.
It was the tradition of preparing together for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which led churches in Slovakia to the idea of preparing a special ecumenical celebration when the country entered into the European Union in 2004. The Week of Prayer is observed nationwide in Slovakia, both at the top church level as well as at the grass-roots.
Examples from all over the world could be multiplied. This year's theme – Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) – highlights the fact that Christians and churches cannot cease to pray for the unity of all. The divisions, which are still a reality between and within the churches, do not simply follow denominational lines. They are often – at least to some extent – rooted in ethnic or national identities, in issues of race, social status, gender or sexuality, exclusion of people with disabilities or of those living with HIV/AIDS.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity cannot provide a solution to all these problems. But its celebration every year is a victory over divisions because it expresses the unity which Christians do have in Christ.
Kersten Storch, a German Lutheran pastor, is executive staff of the World Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission and has been involved in the preparation of the Week of Prayer's liturgical materials over the last six years.Posted: January 14, 2008Transmis : 14 janvier, 2008 • TagsMots clés : prayerecumenismchristian unity
100 years in search of Christian unity
[Michael Swan, The Catholic Register] If you pray for something for 100 years you might find the prayer refines itself in the light of new realities, and then perhaps the prayer itself deepens your understanding and broadens your horizon. For 100 years Christians have been formally setting aside seven or eight days in January to pray with Christ for unity. "It's really about being on our knees together and praying for the unity that is willed by God, in the way God wants, when God wants," [Marianist] Father Luis Melo told The Catholic Register.
...
After 100 years of acknowledging Jesus' last will and testament in prayer, the theme for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is "Pray Without Ceasing." "We've come to a new level of maturity in terms of ecumenical activity," said Atonement Friar Father Damian MacPherson, ecumenical and interfaith affairs officer for the archdiocese of Toronto. "Perhaps that's why it's becoming more difficult."
Glib talk of an easy and obvious unity among Christians may have been common in the first decade or more after the Second Vatican Council, but as churches make substantial progress -- the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Lutheran World Federation and the 1965 rescinding of the excommunications of 1054 between Orthodox and Catholic Churches -- ecumenists begin to see how long the road to unity might be. "We cannot be looking for giant steps. It's painfully slow, painfully slow," said MacPherson. "Patience is the hallmark of the good ecumenist."
Click here to read the complete Catholic Register article.
Posted: January 11, 2008Transmis : 11 janvier, 2008 • TagsMots clés : prayerecumenism
Donate now through CanadaHelps.org
