MIDEAST-POPE
Prayers and protests precede pope’s Holy Land pilgrimage
JERUSALEM (AP) β Israelis and Palestinians are making final preparations for Pope Francis’s arrival in the Holy Land Saturday for a three-day visit.
Some ultra-Orthodox Jews are protesting plans for Francis to say Mass in the Upper Room where Jesus is believed to have gathered his apostles for the Last Supper before his crucifixion. They object to the Catholic ritual there because it’s believed to be over King David’s tomb.
Francis also plans to visit Jesus’s birthplace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, much of which is surrounded by an Israeli security barrier.
Members of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation have been hammering chips out of that wall to form a cross they plan to give him. Foundation spokesman John Hanna says the cross will symbolize the presence of Christians there “since the beginning” and the cross that he says Palestinian Christians and Muslims are forced to bear.
Francis also plans to visit a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, but said Wednesday that his pilgrimage will be “strictly religious,” tempering expectations that he might take sides in the Mideast conflict.
Sound:
236-a-11-(Judith Mushi, Christian pilgrim from Tanzania, in AP interview)-“going to Bethlehem”-Judith Mushi, a Christian pilgrim from Tanzania, says the Holy Land will be blessed by Pope Francis’s visit. (22 May 2014)
< 234-a-08-(Rabbi Isaac Goldstein, ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbi, in AP interview)-“above other religions”-Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Goldstein says Israel shouldn’t let Pope Francis say Mass above what’s believed to be the tomb of King David. (22 May 2014) < 238-r-03-(Members of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, hammering chips out of Israel’s wall around Bethlehem)–Sound of members of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation hammering chips out of Israel’s wall around Bethlehem. (22 May 2014) < 235-a-06-(Michele Benham, souvenir shop owner, in AP interview)-“peace, justice, reconciliation”-Michele Benham, who owns a souvenir shop in Jerusalem, hopes Pope Francis brings people together during his visit. (22 May 2014) < 237-a-14-(John Hanna, spokesman for the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, in AP interview)-“bear as Palestinians”-John Hanna, a spokesman for the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, says chips hammered out of Israel’s barrier around Bethlehem will be formed into a gift for Pope Francis. (22 May 2014) < US-CHINA-PERSECUTION China cited for growing religious crackdown WASHINGTON (AP) β The minister who heads U.S.-based China Aid says Chinese officials have demolished or stripped the crosses from more than 60 churches in recent weeks as part of a growing crackdown on religion. The Rev. Bob Fu also told a congressional hearing on persecution that Chinese Christians are being jailed for gathering to worship or possessing religious literature. Robert George, who chairs the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, called China an “equal opportunity abuser” of religions that could become an alternate source of authority, threatening the regime. George predicted there won’t be any “progress toward democratization and true respect for human rights in China until we address the religious freedom violations.” Sound: 310-a-13-(The Rev. Bob Fu, president of China Aid, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“being forcefully removed”-The Rev. Bob Fu, president of China Aid, says a Chinese crackdown on Christians has intensified in recent weeks. (22 May 2014) < 313-a-10-(Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“religious freedom violations”-Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says persecution undergirds China’s authoritarian regime. (22 May 2014) < 312-a-18-(Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“oppressive undemocratic regime”-Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says Chinese officials believe religion threatens their regime. (22 May 2014) < 311-a-11-(Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“not trample upon”-Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says Chinese officials persecute Christians, Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners. (22 May 2014) < ROBERTSON-DUCK DYNASTY New anti-gay remarks by ‘Duck Dynasty’ star emerge NEW YORK (AP) β The A&E network has declined to comment on new video of “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson reviving past anti-gay remarks. His comments are included in a sermon delivered at his church in West Monroe, Louisiana, on Easter Sunday. Robertson includes homosexuals with other groups such as thieves and adulterers as sinners. Robertson is the bearded patriarch of a clan that manufactures duck calls and became reality-TV stars. In December he set off a firestorm after GQ magazine quoted him disparaging homosexual acts. He also made comments that were viewed as racist. A&E suspended him for nine days. Robertson issued an apology. The video was posted Thursday by RadarOnline. It was posted to YouTube by the Whites Ferry Road Church on April 21. “Duck Dynasty” is scheduled to begin its sixth season on June 11. BOY SCOUTS-GATES Boy Scouts formally confirms Gates as president DALLAS (AP) β Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been confirmed as the Boy Scouts of America’s new president, taking over one of the nation’s largest youth organizations as it fights a membership decline and continuing controversy over its policy toward gays. As defense secretary, Gates oversaw the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy excluding openly gay soldiers. The Boy Scouts voted last year to welcome openly gay boys while continuing to exclude openly gay adult leaders, a compromise that continues to entangle the group in controversy. The organization’s expulsion of a gay Seattle-area Scoutmaster drew national headlines, and some gay-rights advocates are still urging sponsors to drop the Scouts. The change also has led some conservatives to leave Scouting altogether. Some ex-Scouts formed Trail Life USA, which touts itself as a Christian-based alternative to Scouting and has signed up hundreds of units nationwide. CREATION MUSEUM-ALLOSAURUS Dino skeleton to go on display at Creation Museum PETERSBURG, Ky. (AP) β A new exhibit of a 30-foot-long fossil skeleton of an Allosaurus, which resembles a Tyrannosaurus rex, is set to open Saturday at a Kentucky museum that asserts dinosaurs lived alongside humans a few thousand years ago. A release from Answers in Genesis, the Christian ministry that owns the Creation Museum, says about 50 percent of the skeleton’s bones were recovered when it was found in Colorado over a decade ago. Keeping with its Bible-themed approach, the Creation Museum says the dinosaur died in a worldwide flood about 4,300 years ago. Most scientists say the last dinosaurs roamed the earth more than 60 million years ago, but museum founder Ken Ham says the new exhibit will help “defend the book of Genesis and expose the scientific problems with evolution.” SIOUX CITY PARK Group decries Iowa funding for Bible-themed park SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) β The Freedom From Religion Foundation says Iowa shouldn’t help fund a planned Christian-themed park in Sioux City and should take back a $140,000 grant. The Wisconsin-based group said in a letter to Iowa officials that giving grant money to The Shepherd’s Garden violates the U.S. and Iowa constitutions. Plans for the park include a stone path with Bible verses, a “Walk of Faith” walkway and several prayer spaces. A fundraising brochure for the park describes the project as a “non-traditional entry point into the Christian religion” and says it was inspired by “concern over the retreat of Christianity from the public square.” It also says the purpose is to develop “a permanent Christian green space” for Sioux City. Iowa Economic Development Authority spokeswoman Tina Hoffman said state money would pay only for green space at the park and not for any religious elements. CHICAGO CARDINAL Chicago cardinal successor to be chosen in fall CHICAGO (AP) β The Archdiocese of Chicago says a successor to ailing Cardinal Francis George should be chosen this fall. The archdiocese put out a statement Thursday. It says Archbishop Carlo Maria ViganΓ², Papal Nuncio to the United States, has informed George that he has started the consulting process to identify the cardinal’s successor. The archdiocese says the process is expected to be completed in late fall. The 77-year-old George has recently undergone chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer near his right kidney. He was hospitalized earlier this year and his doctors advised him to skip a trip to Rome last month for the canonizations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. Cardinal George is spiritual leader of the Chicago area’s more than 2 million Roman Catholics. VATICAN-EXCOMMUNICATION Austrian couple excommunicated for saying Mass VATICAN CITY (AP) β The Vatican says an Austrian woman who defied church teaching by celebrating Mass has been excommunicated. Vatican Radio said Thursday that Martha Heizer, a founder of the progressive We Are Church movement, was notified Wednesday by Innsbruck Bishop Manfred Scheuer (SHOY’-ur) that she and her husband, Gert, were excommunicated. Celebrating Mass at their apartment defied church teaching that only a priest can celebrate Mass and that only a male can become a priest. Heizer advocates ending mandatory celibacy for priests and allowing women to become priests. The Vatican quoted Scheuer as describing the couple’s refusal to renounce the practice as “not a victory for the church but rather a defeat.” The radio said Martha Heizer went on TV Wednesday to say she rejected the decision. RELIGIOUS DIVORCE-COERCION Orthodox rabbis charged in religious divorce plot NEWARK, N.J. (AP) β Federal authorities in New Jersey say four Orthodox Jewish rabbis and one of their sons have been indicted on charges they conspired to kidnap and force Jewish men into granting their wives religious divorces. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman says a grand jury handed up the indictment on Thursday in New Jersey. Several of the defendants were among a larger group previously charged. Rabbi Mendel Epstein and his son, David Epstein, both of Lakewood, New Jersey, Rabbi Martin Wolmark of Monsey, New York, and Rabbis Jay Goldstein and Binyamin Stimler, both of Brooklyn, New York, are charged with kidnapping conspiracy and related charges. Attorneys for Goldstein, Wolmark and Stimler say their clients deny the charges. Messages left for attorneys representing Mendel Epstein and David Epstein were not immediately returned. RELIGIOUS-DISCRIMINATION-FOOD Court: Airport workers can sue over lunch menus SEATTLE (AP) β Washington state’s Supreme Court says workers who help prepare meals for flights at Seattle Tacoma International Airport can pursue their claims that the lunches their company provides them violate their religious beliefs. Due to security concerns, the workers at Gate Gourmet can’t bring their own lunches to work. Nor can they leave work on their 30-minute lunch breaks. Instead, the company provides their lunches. While there are ostensibly vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, the workers say the vegetarian options include animal by-products and allege the company switched from turkey meatballs to beef-and-pork meatballs without telling them. A lower court held that Washington’s anti-discrimination law doesn’t allow people to sue when private employers fail to provide reasonable accommodations for the religious practices of their workers. In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the high court disagreed, and said that duty is implied in the law.
