A response of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church to an expressed need of the Church Editor’s note: This is a pastoral letter responding to the need for alternative pastoral oversight in some dioceses of the Episcopal Church USA. Four important points should be noted: 1) the Bishops distinguish between pastoral oversight and
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During 2003, the Courts of Appeal in Ontario and British Columbia ruled that restricting marriage to couples of opposite sexes is discriminatory under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms equality provisions. As a result of the court decisions, marriage between same-sex couples in these two provinces became legal. The federal government has chosen not to appeal these rulings. Instead, the Chrétien government announced its intention to introduce new legislation in Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage across Canada and to ensure that the Charter provisions are respected. A reference was sent to the Supreme Court of Canada seeking clarification on a number of issues. In January 2004, the new Martin government affirmed its intention to reform the law, and asked the Supreme Court to respond as soon as possible. There will likely be a federal general election before any response from the Supreme Court is available.
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Le mariage est une structure fondamentale de toutes les sociétés humaines. Indépendamment des perspectives religieuses ou culturelles, chaque communauté humaine a reconnu, encouragé, et célébré le mariage. Les liens matrimonials et familials garantissent la stabilité et l’ordre social. Dans beaucoup de sociétés, les privilèges légaux résultant du mariage assurent et protègent l’héritage et le soin des enfants et des personnes âgées.

Les chrétiens considèrent que le mariage est plus qu’une institution humaine. Dieu nous a donné des partenaires. Nous sommes créés à l’image de Dieu, comme communauté des personnes dans l’amour réciproque et l’appui mutuel. « C’est pourquoi un homme se séparera de son père et de sa mère et s’attachera à sa femme, et les deux ne feront plus qu’un. » (Gen. 2.24) Cependant, les pratiques matrimoniales ne sont pas les mêmes dans chaque culture. Les églises chrétiennes ont lutté avec des pratiques tels que la polygamie, le mariage arrangé, les dots, et les accords pré-nuptiaux. Est-ce que toutes ces pratiques reflètent l’image de l’amour trinitaire ?
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Marriage is a fundamental structure of all human societies. Regardless of religious or cultural perspectives, every human community has recognised, encouraged, and celebrated marriage. Marital and familial bonds provide stability and social order. In many societies, the legal privileges resulting from marriage ensure and protect inheritance and the care of children and the elderly.

Christians consider marriage to be more than a human institution. God has given us partners. We are made in the image of God, a community of persons in mutual love and support. “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24) However, marital practices are not the same in every culture. Christian churches have struggled with practices such as polygamy, arranged marriage, dowries, bridal prices, and pre-nuptial agreements. Do all of these practices reflect the image of trinitarian love?
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Next week Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, is due to travel to Russia to meet the Patriarch in the highest-level visit by Vatican officials in four years. The aim of the five-day trip (due to start on Monday) is to improve relations between Rome and Moscow, which are at their lowest point since before the Second Vatican Council. Two years ago a visit by the cardinal was cancelled by the Moscow Patriarchate, outraged by what it described as aggressive Catholic missionary activity in its “canonical territory”.
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« Avec foi, les femmes façonnent l’avenir », Journée mondiale de la prière, du 5 mars 2004

Chrétiennes et chrétiens de partout à travers le monde vont prier pour le Panama lors de la prochaine Journée mondiale de la prière le 5 mars 2004. La célébration de la Journée mondiale de la prière de cette année, composée par les femmes du Panama, a pour thème « Avec foi, les femmes façonnent l’avenir ».

Le Panama est l’un des pays du monde qui présentent la plus grande diversité ethnique, et son climat tropical favorise une faune et une flore abondantes. C’est aussi l’un des pays où l’écart entre riches et pauvres est le plus marqué. Une grande partie de l’économie et de la richesse est concentrée dans le secteur des services autour du Canal de Panama, alors qu’on observe une extrême pauvreté dans les regions isolées et au sein des collectivités autochtones.
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“In Faith, Women Shape the Future”, World Day of Prayer, March 5, 2004

Christians around the world will be focusing on the country of Panama during the annual World Day of Prayer service on March 5, 2004. This year’s World Day of Prayer service, written by the women of Panama, reflects on the theme “In Faith, Women Shape the Future.”

Panama is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and its fertile tropical climate supports an abundance of plants and birdlife. It is also one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of the disparity between rich and poor. Much of the economy and wealth is concentrated in the services sector that supports the Panama Canal, while much of the extreme poverty is found in isolated areas of the country and in Indigenous communities.
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