SUDAN
Sudan release woman on death row for apostasy
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Supporters of a Sudanese woman who was convicted of apostasy say she’s out of prison after an appeals court canceled her death sentence.
Her lawyer says 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim was released from prison in Sudan Monday and is with her husband and two small children. Her 18-month-old son had been with her in jail, where she gave birth last month to a baby girl.
Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother, was convicted of adultery and apostasy for marrying a Christian and had been sentenced to be whipped and then hanged.
Other Sudanese have been convicted of apostasy in recent years, but they all escaped execution by renouncing their faith.
Ibrahim’s husband is an American citizen, so supporters are calling for the family to be flown to safety in the United States.
Sound:
212-a-09-(U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in AP interview)-“American as well”-New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith says Meriam Ibrahim and her family should be flown to the United States soon. (23 Jun 2014)
< 214-a-10-(U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in AP interview)-“practiced her faith”-New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith says he hopes Ibrahim’s case will lead to policies that respect religious freedom in Sudan. (23 Jun 2014) < 213-a-08-(U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in AP interview)-“of the country”-New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith says Meriam Ibrahim, her husband and children are in a safe house in Sudan for now. (23 Jun 2014) < 211-a-08-(U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in AP interview)-“on her behalf”-New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith says Meriam Ibrahim’s release is an answer to many prayers and appeals. (23 Jun 2014) < 196-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf)–The lawyer for a Sudanese woman who was convicted of apostasy says she’s out of prison after an appeals court canceled her death sentence. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (23 Jun 2014) < 189-a-05-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“Meriam Yahya Ibrahim”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the U.S. is pleased that a woman facing a death sentence for apostasy has been freed. (23 Jun 2014) < 190-a-07-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“conversion to Christianity”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the U.S. welcomes a Sudanese court’s decision to release Meriam Ibrahim. (23 Jun 2014) < 191-a-05-(Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, at briefing)-“to many Americans”-State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says Meriam Ibrahim’s death sentence for apostasy drew widespread condemnation. (23 Jun 2014) < MORMON EXCOMMUNICATION Mormon church excommunicates women’s group founder SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church has excommunicated the prominent founder of a Mormon women’s group. The group, Ordain Women, announced Monday afternoon that Kate Kelly’s former church leaders in Virginia notified her of the decision. Kelly’s former leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had weighed the high-profile decision overnight. She did not attend the disciplinary hearing but instead held a vigil in Salt Lake City with about 200 supporters. As the leader of Ordain Women, Kelly is accused of apostasy, which is repeated and public advocacy of positions that oppose church teachings. Mormon officials aren’t discussing Kelly’s case, but say disciplinary hearings are held when members’ actions contradict church doctrine and lead others astray. DATING WEBSITE RAPIST San Diego man guilty of raping 2 women met online SAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego County man has been convicted of raping two women he met through the online dating sites ChristianMingle and Match.com. Thirty-eight-year-old Sean Banks was found guilty Monday of five charges, including rape and burglary. He could face 44 years to life in prison. At trial, one woman said the Del Mar man forced himself on her during their first date, although she told him to stop. She testified that she met Banks through the website ChristianMingle in order to find a mate who attended church and believed in God. A second victim who met Banks on Match.com also testified. The defense argued that Banks, a computer technician and former Navy lieutenant, stopped his sexual advances when the women asked him. COLUMBUS-PERSONHOOD RALLY SUIT Columbus seeks dismissal of law over rally arrest OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — The city of Columbus, Mississippi, is asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by a local minister who argues he was unlawfully arrested during a personhood amendment rally in 2011. Stephen Joiner, the pastor at First Church of the Nazarene, sued the city in U.S. District Court in May. Police say Joiner was arrested for “failure to obey a police officer” during the March 30, 2011 rally held to build support for a proposed “Personhood Amendment,” which would have declared “personhood” begins at fertilization. Joiner argues his arrest was “unconstitutional” and violated his right to freedom of speech. He is asking for, among other things, compensatory damages and for the charge to be expunged from his record. The Commercial Dispatch reports that the city, in a response to the lawsuit filed this past week, denies the allegations and asks a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. EPISCOPAL SPLIT-NEW ARCHBISHOP Southern US cleric named new Anglican archbishop LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — A southern cleric has been picked as the new archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. The bishops of the conservative denomination voted Sunday to elevate the Rev. Foley Beach to the position at a conclave in Pennsylvania. Beach has been bishop of the church’s Diocese of the South, which includes 42 parishes in 10 Southern states. As archbishop, Beach will lead more than 112,000 Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Beach succeeds Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, who became the church’s first archbishop in 2009, a year after the Anglican Church in North America broke away from the Episcopal Church. The denominations parted ways amid disagreements over the authority of the Bible, the nature and divinity of Jesus Christ and other differences that came to a head after the 2003 ordination of the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop. GAY ASSOCIATE PASTOR Gay woman voted as church’s associate pastor WYOMISSING, Pa. (AP) — The congregation of a historic Lutheran church in eastern Pennsylvania has voted to name a woman who is in a same-sex marriage to serve as its associate pastor. The Reading Eagle reports that 27-year-old Julie Recher received more than the required two-thirds majority Sunday from members of Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The denomination decided in 2009 to allow the ordination of men and women in committed same-sex relationships. As associate pastor, Recher will work with the church’s youth ministries and small groups. Atonement Lutheran Church is 104 years old and has about 1,700 members. PRIEST-NUN SLAYING Nuns willing to care for priest who killed nun TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest convicted of killing a nun is asking a federal judge in Ohio to let him spend his final days at a nursing home run by nuns. Attorneys for the Rev. Gerald Robinson say he is near death and want him released from a prison hospice unit in Columbus. A motion filed in federal court Friday says it’s seeking “an act of grace for a dying man.” Robinson’s attorney says the Little Sisters of the Poor run a home for the elderly and dying near the priest’s hometown of Toledo and have agreed to care for him. His brother also has offered to take him in. Robinson is serving 15 years to life after being convicted in 2006 of killing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl in 1980. PRIESTS ATTACKED Court appearance delayed for man in priest attacks PHOENIX (AP) — A court hearing has been canceled for a homeless ex-convict who police say beat a Catholic priest with a metal rod and fatally shot another priest in their Phoenix church. Gary Michael Moran is held on $1 million bond. He is charged with first-degree murder, burglary and armed robbery, among other charges. He has not yet entered a plea and was set for court Monday morning. The appearance was canceled for unspecified reasons. He is due back in court Thursday. Authorities say Moran attacked the Rev. Joseph Terra with a metal rod at the Mother of Mercy Mission on June 11. Police say he then fatally shot the Rev. Kenneth Walker with Terra’s gun. Moran was arrested June 15 after police say his DNA matched forensic evidence collected from the scene. VATICAN-ANGLICAN TOUR Cricket pitch to strengthen Vatican-Anglican ties VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s new cricket team is going on tour, playing an Anglican squad at the Kent County Cricket Club and the royal household’s team at Windsor. The Sept. 12-20 “Light of Faith Tour” aims to forge greater ties between the Catholic and Anglican churches, which split in 1534 after English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. A half millennium later, the two churches remain divided on a host of issues, including female bishops. On the field, though, the teams will play for a common cause: to raise money for an interfaith initiative to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery. The Vatican formed its team last year, tapping mostly Indian and Sri Lankan priests, deacons and seminarians studying in Rome. MALAYSIA-ALLAH-DISPUTE Malaysia court upholds ‘Allah’ ban for non-Muslims KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s top court has weighed in on the country’s longstanding fight over the word “Allah,” saying non-Muslims cannot use it to refer to God. But the government said hours later the judgment applied only to one newspaper at the center of the case, adding still more confusion to a divisive debate over religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. In a 4-3 ruling, the Federal Court upheld a government ban on the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims in a case against The Herald, a Catholic Malay-language weekly. The court did not elaborate on its ruling, but the government issued a statement saying it only applied to The Herald and that Malaysian Christians can still use the word Allah in churches. Earlier this year, 300 Malay-language Bibles containing the word Allah were seized by Islamic authorities from the office of a Christian group. An umbrella group of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches in Malaysia said Christians will continue to use the word Allah in their Bibles and worship.
