Exodus. Numbers. Judges
Perhaps this is a sign of how long the struggles over human sexuality have monopolised our attention. The following note was posted on our blog in 2004. It is still a helpful contribution.

“Exodus. Numbers. Judges. As conservative parishes leave the liberal Episcopal Church, who shall inherit the real estate?”

This is an excellent article from LegalAffairs by Elizabeth Austin. It provides some insight into the role of bishops, hierarchy, and conciliar government in the Episcopal Church. It is a little different in every Anglican province, but Canada will have some similarities. The legal precedents will also be different. In Canada, many of the major legal precedents regarding church property were established following the 1925 church union that resulted in the United Church of Canada.
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Le totem de Bossey retourne à la terre
[Nouvelles de COE] La 6ème Assemblée du COE s’était tenue en 1983 au Canada, à Vancouver. A cette occasion les Églises du Canada avaient offert un totem de 15 mètres de haut, non seulement comme souvenir de cette Assemblée en Amérique du Nord, mais aussi pour promouvoir la voix des peuples indigènes du Canada.

Ramené en Europe, ce totem de cèdre sculpté par les peuples indigènes du Canada avait trouvé sa place dans le parc verdoyant de l’institut œcuménique de Bossey. Avec les intempéries suisses, ce totem avait vieilli et menaçait ces derniers mois de tomber.

Le COE a donc décidé, en concertation avec les donateurs du totem, de le faire reposer désormais à l’horizontal. Cette pratique est en accord avec les traditions indiennes, pour qui un totem n’est évidemment pas considéré comme éternel et doit donc pouvoir retourner à la terre, pour compléter le cycle de la vie.

Dimanche 17 février, un temps de commémoration a été organisé à l’institut de Bossey, durant le comité central du COE, pour marquer ce moment de la “descente du totem” de Vancouver.
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Bossey totem pole returned to the earth
[WCC News] After 25 years standing vigil at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, a totem pole was returned to the soils of the earth Sunday at a ceremony attended by many of those taking part in this week’s Central Committee meetings.

The totem was presented as a gift of the churches of Canada at the WCC’s Sixth Assembly, held in Vancouver, as a way to raise the profile of indigenous people. Time and weather took its toll on the nearly 50 foot-tall totem since its placement at Bossey, and it had become unstable.

Following advice from the First Nations of Canada, the WCC decided to hold a respectful ceremony to remember the gift and the work of those who carved it. Rev. Carmen Lansdowne, a Central Committee member from the United Church of Canada and member of the indigenous people of western Canada, was asked to lead the ceremony. A small, permanent display will continue to tell the totem’s story.
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[CECC Communiqués] Dans un message rendu public aujourd’hui, Mgr V. James Weisgerber, président de la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada, se fait le porte-parole de ses confères évêques en réclamant qu’un réel débat porte sur la présence et la mission canadiennes. Il souhaite que ce débat se concentre sur les enjeux fondamentaux qui affligent le peuple afghan.

Selon lui, les membres du parlement du Canada, au moment de leurs délibérations, devraient toujours garder en tête le souhait le plus cher des Afghans et de toute population : la paix. « Les considérations d’ordre politique ou électoral sont secondaires lorsqu’il s’agit de l’avenir d’un peuple et de vies humaines. Nous invitons les parlementaires à mettre de côté leurs positions préétablies et à reconnaître que la vérité est à rechercher ensemble. La diversité des points de vue doit être accueillie comme une richesse possible pour l’élaboration d’un plan d’action concret et positif, mais dont le but ultime est l’établissement de la paix », a-t-il déclaré.

Se référant au Rapport Manley, le Président de la CECC affirme que les autorités gouvernementales doivent faire preuve d’une plus grande transparence auprès de la population. « Une information plus complète et de meilleure qualité de la part de notre gouvernement permettrait aux citoyens et citoyennes de notre pays de mieux comprendre le but, les enjeux, les modalités du conflit en Afghanistan et de mieux évaluer l’engagement de nos forces armées et des organismes humanitaires canadiens. Cette information est essentielle si l’on veut ensemble prendre des décisions qui permettront de faire progresser une paix réelle et durable dans ce pays. »

S’il avoue que la situation est très complexe, Mgr Weisgerber reprend les propos du pape Benoît XVI afin d’étayer son argumentation : « La guerre est la pire des solutions pour tous. Elle n’apporte rien de bon, pour personne, pas même pour ses apparents vainqueurs. »

Pour le Président de la CECC, la voix que les évêques font entendre aujourd’hui s’appuie sur un riche enseignement de l’Église catholique en matière de doctrine sociale. Il en souligne particulièrement trois éléments : des négociations de paix, réalisées de bonne foi et qui impliquent toutes les parties en présence; une nette distinction entre les opérations militaires et l’aide humanitaire; et, une protection de la dignité humaine des soldats canadiens.

Enfin, c’est aussi par la prière que Mgr Weisgerber enjoint les croyants à se joindre à lui afin « que le peuple afghan retrouve la paix et la sécurité; que les familles des soldats qui ont donné leur vie trouvent la consolation; que nos soldats et leurs familles se retrouvent bientôt rassemblés; que nos dirigeants politiques tiennent un débat sérieux qui permettra aux Canadiens et aux Canadiennes de décider du rôle du Canada en Afghanistan. »

• Message de Mgr V. James Weisegerber « Appel pour un réel processus de paix en Afghanistan » www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/2567/1152/lang,frc/
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[CCCB press release] In a message published today, Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for a serious debate on the Canadian presence and mission in Afghanistan. This debate, he said, should focus on the key issues facing the Afghan people.

As spokesperson for the Bishops of Canada, Archbishop Weisgerber said Canadian members of Parliament should remember that, most of all, the people of Afghanistan want peace. “Political and electoral considerations must take second place when it is a question of human lives and a people’s future,” he said. “We would invite the members of Parliament to put aside any predetermined stances, recognizing that the truth will involve concerted efforts. Diverse points of view need to be welcomed as contributions toward developing a detailed and constructive action plan, with peace as the ultimate goal.”

Referring to the Manley Report, Archbishop Weisgerber added that the Canadian government needs to show greater transparency on the Afghanistan conflict. “More complete and reliable information from the government will help Canadian citizens better understand the objective, the questions and the conditions involved in the Afghanistan conflict, and also how to evaluate the engagement there of Canadian armed forces and humanitarian agencies,” the CCCB President stated. “This information is essential if all Canadians are to be involved in making decisions that can lead to real and lasting peace in that country.”

Although admitting the situation is complex, Archbishop Weisgerber cites Pope Benedict XVI in observing “that war is the worst solution for all sides. It brings no good to anyone, not even to the apparent victors.”

The CCCB President indicated the Bishops want the social teaching of the Catholic Church to be heard, and went on to note three points based on this teaching: peace negotiations, carried out in good faith and involving all the parties concerned; a clear distinction between military operations and humanitarian aid; and safeguarding the human dignity of Canadian soldiers.

Archbishop Weisgerber concludes his message by inviting every person of faith to join him in prayer “that the Afghan people find peace and security; that the families of soldiers who gave their lives find consolation; and that our political leaders engage in a serious debate that will help Canadians decide on Canada’s role in Afghanistan.”

• Message of Archbishop V. James Weisgerber: “Call for true peace process in Afghanistan” www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/2567/1152/
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St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon presents: Winter Refresher from February 10th to 13th, 2008. The theme this year is This Sacred Earth: the ecological challenge to religion with the theme speaker Dr. Heather Eaton.

For registration and information regarding Winter Refresher 2008. For additional information contact St. Andrew’s College: toll free: 877-644-8970; or www.standrews.ca.

Join us for Great Music, Engaging Theology, Stimulating Conversation, and Celebration.
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[Anglican Journal] By a vote of 13 in favour and four against, staff at the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), the relief and development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada, voted on Feb. 8 to unionize and become part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

One staff member, who asked not to be named, said the union was formed “as a mechanism to facilitate staff-management relations.” All 17 staff who were eligible to vote did so.

This is the first attempt to form a union by employees at PWRDF, which in 2001 became separately incorporated from General Synod (the governing body of the Anglican Church of Canada). An earlier attempt by all General Synod employees to unionize failed in 1997.

Staff said the formation of a union by a group associated with a church should not be seen as unusual since similar organizations like Kairos, an ecumenical peace and justice group of which the Anglican Church of Canada is a member, are themselves unionized.

They added that the PWRDF’s work involves working with unions and unionized workers. “In a way, we’re putting our money where our mouth is. We’ve always believed in the rights of workers to organize themselves,” said the staffer in an interview.

PWRDF management did not raise any objections when a notice came from the Ontario Labour Relations Board that employees had made an application to form a union.

Under labour law, an employer is allowed to raise any questions or objections about plans to form a union five days before employees cast their votes.

The quiet campaign to unionize began in mid-fall. “Having looked at various options, it was thought that unionizing was the best,” the staffer added.

CUPE, which has more than 500,000 members across Canada, represents workers in various sectors including healthcare, education, libraries, social services, transportation, and municipalities.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and president of PWRDF’s board of directors, said that he would consult with board members and the fund’s executive director, Cheryl Curtis, before making any comment.

Ms. Curtis was not available for comment.
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[Warsaw] The bishop in charge of recruitment for Poland’s Roman Catholic clergy says he does not believe recent scandals are to blame for a sharp fall in vocations, after the church noted a 24 percent reduction in admissions to the country’s 84 Catholic seminaries.

“Decisions about vocations aren’t taken under the influence of short-term events,” said Bishop Wojciech Polak, who heads the church’s National Council for Vocations Ministry. “Today’s culture discourages firm life-long commitments. But we’re not yet seeing any radical, drastic drain in priestly callings, or feeling any tangible shortage of clergy.”
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Remembering the Children: Aboriginal and Church Leaders prepare for Truth and Reconciliation

Cross-Canada Promotion Tour
Saskatchewan stop is March 9, 2008

Senior aboriginal and church leaders are crossing Canada this March to promote the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which is being set up as part of the healing process set out in the Indian Residential Schools Agreement.

The tour seeks to bring awareness of the TRC to the general public and especially the people of the churches. At the invitation of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Saskatoon will be one of the 4 stops on the tour. The PCE organizing committee is made up of representatives of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, and Presbyterian churches and the Mennonite Central Committee. Other stops are Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver. We asked for the tour to have a Saskatchewan stop because the residential schools issue is so important in our province.

The Saskatoon event is Sunday, March 9 at the Western Development Museum, starting at 3.00 pm, concluding with a feast & round dance.

Assembly of First Nations leaders and Regional Chiefs are part of the tour, along with senior staff from the Office of the Interim Director of the TRC. The other members include the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican National Indigenous Bishop, the Moderator of the United Church of Canada and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Local church and political leaders will offer a word of welcome to the national tour team at the event. The AFN will be in touch with chiefs in the region about this, and the FSIN have been invited to be present

We are excited that this important event is coming to Saskatchewan. This is a public event. We hope you can be there and will tell others about it. There is no charge for the event. A donations basket is available. Pre-registration is strongly advised to help us plan seating, and is ESSENTIAL if you will be staying for the feast. Register by phone (306-653-1633) or email pce [at] ecumenism [dot] net or write to the PCE at 600-45th Street West, Saskatoon, S7L 5W9.

Yours sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Jan Bigland-Pritchard
Executive Director,
Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (for the Restorative Justice Committee)

For background on the TRC go to www.residentialschoolssettlement.ca
The tour website is www.rememberingthechildren.ca
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Communion distributes second draft of proposed ‘covenant’
Design group tries to uphold autonomy of provinces

[Marites N. Sison • Anglican Journal] Addressing concerns raised by several provinces, including Canada, about granting more authority to primates and other Instruments of Unity in the Anglican Communion, an international group has released a second draft of the proposed Anglican Covenant that maintains the body’s current structures.

The St. Andrew’s draft, so-called because the Covenant Design Group met Jan. 28 to Feb. 2 at St. Andrew’s House in London, also offers “a much more carefully-drawn emphasis on provincial autonomy,” said Eileen Scully, co-ordinator for ministry and worship of the Anglican Church of Canada’s faith, worship and ministry department. Ms. Scully represented the Canadian church in the meeting of the group, which the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams appointed in 2007 in response to a request of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates’ Meeting and of the Anglican Consultative Council.

But while underscoring the independence of provinces, a key section of the draft asks provinces to commit to a process by which they can settle disputes over matters that “threaten the unity of the Communion and the effectiveness or credibility of its mission.”

It states that provinces must be “willing to receive from the Instruments of Communion a request to adopt a particular course of action in respect of the matter under dispute.”

(The Anglican Communion is served by four “instruments of communion”: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference of bishops, Primates Meetings and the Anglican Consultative Council.)

The draft notes that, “While the Instruments of Communion have no legislative, executive or judicial authority in our provinces … we recognize them as those bodies by which our common life in Christ is articulated and sustained, and which therefore carry a moral authority which commands our respect.” But it adds, “Any such request would not be binding on a church unless recognized as such by that church.”

The covenant stops short of saying what the consequences might be for a church that refuses to adopt any request, stating only that it constitutes “a relinquishment by that church of the force and meaning of the Covenant’s purpose.”

Ms. Scully acknowledged that this is “really difficult stuff because here is where we’re trying to uphold provincial autonomy and saying that we’re autonomous in Communion … What we set out to do is to offer processes with proper checks and balances that respect the realities of provinces and the Anglican Consultative Council and the limited powers of the primates as a collective, not corporate, body.”

During its meeting, the group reviewed submissions from 13 out of 38 provinces and six extra-provincial churches, plus “a large number of responses” from groups and individuals across the Communion.

The draft will be offered for reflection to the Lambeth Conference, the decennial meeting of bishops scheduled July 16 to Aug. 3 in Canterbury, England, and to the broader Communion, after which the design group will meet anew to prepare another draft. That version will then be sent to the Anglican Consultative Council and the primates’ meeting in March 2009 as well as the provinces. It could take more meetings and more drafts, a process that could take years, before a final document can be presented to provinces for approval, said Ms. Scully.

The establishment of a covenant was one of the key recommendations of the 2004 Windsor Report, a document published by the Lambeth Commission on Communion which was created by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to contain a schism in the Anglican Communion over the issue of sexuality.

The latest draft of the covenant “really reflects a movement away from creating new structures,” said Ms. Scully.

In a commentary, the group noted that since “some comments indicated that the covenant was somehow ‘canonizing’ (the) four instruments of communion that have evolved in a somewhat haphazard way” it amended the text of the first draft “to allow both for the evolution of the Instruments, and to acknowledge the existence of other informal instruments and links.”

The group noted that while the covenant “does not preclude or even seek to limit the possible development of these and other Instruments, we nonetheless believe that the Instruments as now working represent a special means of faithfully maintaining our common life, and ones that need to remain at the center of our common commitments.”

The draft emphasizes that there is no intention to create a “centralized jurisdiction” and that the Instruments of Communion “cannot dictate with juridical force on the internal affairs of any province.”

Ms. Scully also said that several provinces of the Communion, including Canada, “were very key in saying, ‘we are committed to the covenant process if such a covenant enhances our mission; we need to know that this isn’t just going to be something about institutional cohesion.'”

In a commentary on the draft, the group noted the “lack of formal discursive responses from other provinces,” and expressed the hope that it “does not necessarily signal disapproval.” The group, headed by Archbishop Drexel Gomez, primate (national archbishop) of the West Indies, cited the lack of translations of text as a possible factor in the low turnout of responses from provinces.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Covenant Response Group is scheduled to meet in Winnipeg Feb. 7 to 8, to discuss how the Canadian church will respond to this latest draft.

The St. Andrew’s draft is available at www.aco.org/commission/covenant/st_andrews/draft_text.cfm
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It is a source of joy that Catholic pastors may, in particular circumstances, administer the sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick to Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. On such occasions, we acknowledge the importance of the sacrament as a source of grace for all the baptized.

On December 16, 2007, Bishop Albert LeGatt of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon announced the release of Pastoral Directives for Sacramental Sharing between Catholics and Baptized Christians of Other Denominations. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has reviewed the Directives and found them worthy.

The Pastoral Directives were created to bring awareness to both clergy and laypeople of the occasions when sacramental sharing is possible. Bishop LeGatt desires a sound pastoral and consistent response across the diocese to requests for sacramental sharing.

Saskatoon Diocesan Commission for Ecumenism

For further reading and understanding of the Pastoral Directives, please review the following resources:

• Bishop Albert LeGatt’s letter (December 16, 2007)
• Pastoral Directives (revised February 13, 2007) [PDF 99 Kb]
• Directives Pastorales (13 février 2007) [PDF 94 Kb]
• Pastoral Notes (January 31, 2005) [PDF 67 Kb]
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The following commentary on the recent violence in Kenya was written by Giuseppe Caramazza, a Comboni Missionary working in Kenya for 16 years. The article was published in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper, on January 30, 2008. The English translation presented here was prepared by Matthew Sherry for www.Chiesa, a weblog by Sandro Magister of La Repubblica.

The roots of the violence
by Giuseppe Caramazza

In the international press, the violence that is shaking Kenya is still being defined in relation to the electoral upheaval that began in the African country at the end of December. In reality, one should not confuse the political protest with the killings that are taking place above all in the Rift Valley, the region that divides the country in two, from north to south. Nor should one forget the hundreds of persons killed and the more than 250,000 internal refugees, mostly housed by parishes and convents. It is true, however, that there is a connection between the political crisis and the violence.

During the electoral campaign, the political opposition often said that, once it had come to power, it would employ the politics of the majimbo. This is a Swahili word that we can translate as regionalization. The Catholic Church, like other Christian confessions, immediately declared its opposition to this. Why?

In the colonial era, the English divided the country along tribal lines, and not always in keeping with the territories that were truly controlled by the various ethnic groups. This led to a rigid territorial division that was then adopted by the newly created republic of Kenya. It should not be forgotten that when the English took control of Kenya, they wanted to see in African society a reality that had been fixed for centuries, while in fact there were populations on the move, and, in some cases, common territories that were exploited in different ways by two or more ethnic groups.

It should also not be forgotten that two hundred years ago the population of Kenya was a small fraction of what it is now. It would be impossible to propose going back to the former borders today. With independence, the centralized English administration continued, and was even strengthened during the years of the semi-dictatorship of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi.

The proponents of the majimbo want to restore to the regions the right to administrate their own resources. The government has not accepted this idea., and the Churches have aligned themselves against it because it conceals the terrible seed of tribalism.

Already in the past, the former president Moi used this card to reinforce his position among the ethnic groups of the Rift Valley. Every time that he wanted to frighten the residents who were not originally from the region, he threatened them with the majimbo. The message was clear: those who were not originally from a particular place did not have the right to live there or to own property. This goes against the constitutional principle that sees Kenya as a united country and gives Kenyans the right to live anywhere within the borders of the nation. These are principles that are not readily admitted by many who still today perceive as their place of origin the ancestral territory as it was delineated by the colonial administration.

After the disaster of the presidential election last December 27, in various areas of the Rift Valley some members of the local ethnic groups saw the opportunity to drive out the “foreigners” and appropriate their lands and their other belongings. It is clear that the ethnic group hardest hit was that of the Kikuyu. They are the largest ethnic group, their ancestral territory is not sufficient to accommodate all of them, and so many of the Kikuyu have bought land in the Rift Valley and have turned it into model farms.

But it is not a question only of the Kikuyu. The Luya are being targeted in the area of Eldoret, the Kamba near Nakuru, the Kisii in Kipkelion. It could not have been expected that the Kikuyu would stand around twiddling their thumbs, and in fact there has been violence in Nakuru and Naivasha, which are Kikuyu-majority cities.

It should not be forgotten that the worst violence has occurred in the places that have been experiencing insecurity for years. The clashes in Londiani, Molo, and Cherengani today have something sinister about them, since there has been similar violence in these areas almost constantly over the past five years. This is not, therefore, a new outbreak of tension, but the explosion of a violence with ancient roots.

In recent days, moreover, the group Human Rights Watch published a report in which it affirms that the politicians of the Orange Democratic Movement, the opposition party, have fomented ethnic hatred in many areas, have collected money for the purchase of weapons, and have asked residents to expel the members of other ethnic groups from their property. New investigations will shed more light on these accusations. It is clear, however, that the majimbo has been invoked by the opposition, and they are culpably responsible for the violence of recent days.

In Nairobi, the political demonstrations have died down, giving way to various mediation initiatives. The slums, which house the majority of the population on less than ten percent of the urban land, are being kept under control. So far, it has not been possible to bring the government and the opposition to meet at the same table. Former UN secretary Kofi Annan has made concerted efforts in recent days, and has succeeded in making a few small openings for dialogue. The bishops have encouraged Kofi Annan to continue along this path, and have invited President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to make room for dialogue.

Dialogue between the contending parties has always been the solution adopted by Kenyans to address questions between two rivals. Nonetheless, the violence and the public accusations exchanged between the two parties risk blocking the process and clouding the vision of the contending parties. Whatever the political solution, it is clear that the major questions that must be addressed are the ones that went unresolved during the previous government of Kibaki: the fair distribution of land, access for all to the country’s resources, growth of the civic sense of the population and its right to participate in the political debate.
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