POLICE SHOOTING-MISSOURI
Churchgoers pray for peace in Ferguson, Missouri.
ST. LOUIS (AP) β The uncle of police shooting victim Michael Brown says his nephew would oppose the violence that’s been plaguing Ferguson, Missouri.
Pastor Charles Ewing told Sunday worshippers at Jennings Mason Temple Church what he believes his nephew was thinking before he was shot: “I believe in God. I got my hands up. I surrender.”
Ewing said Brown was “gunned down,” but their family is appealing for peace in the community.
Ewing told his St. Louis congregation, “Rioting and looting is not the way, but Jesus is the way.”
Sound:
164-a-08-(The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and uncle of Michael Brown, preaching at Sunday service)-“was gunned down”-The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and the uncle of Michael Brown, describes his nephew’s attitude before he was shot. (17 Aug 2014)
< 163-a-10-(The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and uncle of Michael Brown, preaching at Sunday service)-“and the looting”-The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and the uncle of Michael Brown, says his nephew wouldn’t want violence in the community. (17 Aug 2014) < 165-a-09-(The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and uncle of Michael Brown, preaching at Sunday service)-“the way. Amen (applause fades)”-The Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and the uncle of Michael Brown, says his family doesn’t want violent protests. (17 Aug 2014) < 162-w-25-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with the Reverend Charles Ewing, pastor of Jennings Mason Temple Church and uncle of Michael Brown)–The uncle of police shooting victim Michael Brown says his nephew would oppose the violence that’s been plaguing Ferguson, Missouri. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports (17 Aug 2014) < IRAQ Islamic fighters kill scores of Yazidi men in Iraq IRBIL, Iraq (AP) β Witnesses say Islamic extremists shot scores of Yazidi men to death in Iraq, lining them up in small groups and opening fire with assault rifles before abducting their wives and children. Islamic State fighters had surrounded the village of Kocho two weeks ago and demanded that its Yazidi residents convert to Islam or die. On Friday, they moved in. The militants separated the men from the women and children under 12 years old. They took men and male teens away in groups of a few dozen each and shot them on the edge of the village, according to a wounded man who escaped by feigning death. A spokesman for Kurdish security forces said the militants took the women and children of Kocho to a nearby city. The Yazidis are a religious minority viewed as apostates by the Islamic State militants. Sound: 012-c-20-(Jon Gambrell (gam-BREHL’), AP correspondent)-“a nearby city”-AP correspondent Jon Gambrell reports witnesses say Islamic extremists executed dozens of Yazidi men after attacking the village of Kocho in northern Iraq. (17 Aug 2014) < SKOREA-POPE Pope urges ‘fraternal’ dialogue with China SEOUL, South Korea (AP) β Pope Francis has made a new gesture of outreach to China, saying he “earnestly” hopes to improve relations with Beijing. Francis outlined his priorities for the Catholic Church in Asia during a meeting of the region’s bishops Sunday, urging them to listen to people of different cultures while remaining true to their Catholic identity. In a clear reference to China, he said: “In this spirit of openness to others, I earnestly hope that those countries of your continent with whom the Holy See does not yet enjoy a full relationship may not hesitate to further a dialogue for the benefit of all.” He added that he wasn’t talking about political dialogue but “fraternal” relations. Francis’ final event Sunday was to close the Asian Youth Day festival with a Mass in a 15th century fortress southwest of Seoul, where some 132 Korean martyrs were tortured and killed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sound: 087-a-19-(Pope Francis, at Holy Mass at the closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day)-“into Christian hope”-Pope Francis says that the Catholic youth of the region should use their strong beliefs and vigor for the greater good. ((note cut length)) (17 Aug 2014) < 086-a-03-(Pope Francis, at Holy Mass at the closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day)-“youth, wake up!”-Pope Francis pointedly encourages the young people of Asia to turn their energy into moral virtue, their good will into self-sacrifice. ((note cut length)) (17 Aug 2014) < 052-r-29-(Sound of female voices singing in Korean in a choir, then male voices join in, at Holy Mass at the closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day)–Sound of females voices in a South Korean choir, joined by male voices at the Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day near Seoul. (17 Aug 2014) < 051-r-26-(Sound of Pope Francis, speaking Latin, followed by bong of a small gong, at Holy Mass at the closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day)–Sound of Pope Francis, speaking Latin while offering Communion for thousands, followed by the sound of a small gong, at the Holy Mass closing the 6th Asian Youth Day. (17 Aug 2014) < 053-a-16-(Unidentified Catholic male, reading a prayer in English, at Holy Mass at the closing of the 6th Asian Youth Day)-“and mutual respect”-An unidentified young Catholic man, one of several youthful prayer leaders reading in different languages, offers a prayer calling for reconciliation and brotherhood worldwide. (17 Aug 2014) < SKOREA-POPE-ABORTION Pope makes strong, silent anti-abortion statement SEOUL, South Korea (AP) β Pope Francis has generally avoided hot-button “culture war” issues like abortion, arguing that the church’s doctrine on the sanctity of life is well-known and that he’d rather emphasize other aspects of church teaching. But he made a strong, albeit silent anti-abortion statement Saturday during his visit to South Korea, stopping to pray at a monument for aborted babies in a community dedicated to caring for people with the sort of severe genetic disabilities that are often used to justify abortions. Francis bowed his head in prayer before the monument β a garden strewn with simple white wooden crosses β and spoke with an anti-abortion activist with no arms and no legs. He also spent an hour blessing and caressing dozens of disabled Koreans who live in the community. CARLOS SLIM-CATHOLIC CONFERENCE Mexican billionaire offers advice for Latinos HOUSTON (AP) β Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has told religious and community leaders that increasing workers’ earning power and offering Latino-owned companies easier access to funding for growth and expansion can help improve the social and economic status of Latinos in the U.S. and throughout Latin America. During a speech Sunday in Houston at the annual conference of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, Slim spoke for more than an hour on how to better the plight of Latino workers and Latino-owned businesses. Slim, a telecom magnate who this year was ranked by Forbes magazine as the world’s second-richest person, suggested establishing an investment firm or company dedicated to working with small- and medium-sized Latino businesses in need of financing. CHURCH-GAY PASTOR 100-year-old Ohio church installs gay pastor CANTON, Ohio (AP) β An Ohio church marking its 100th anniversary this year has installed its first openly gay pastor. The Congregational United Church of Christ in Plain Township, north of Canton, made the Rev. Dennis Coy its pastor in a formal ceremony Sunday. Coy said part of the ceremony included the congregation forming a circle around him and singing as a demonstration of love and support. Coy said that revealing his homosexuality in 2012 was a difficult decision for him that included ending his 10-year marriage to his wife. He said he was inspired to come out after attending a church event led by an openly gay United Church of Christ pastor. Coy said he believes scriptures used to condemn homosexuality have been “grossly misinterpreted.” PRISONS-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Inmate religious ceremonies lawsuit gets new look LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) β Three Kentucky death row inmates will get another chance to show they have a right to a sweat lodge, pow wow and traditional foods to conduct Native American religious ceremonies behind bars at the prison. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has ordered part of a lawsuit brought by those inmates to be reinstated after concluding that state officials failed to show compelling reasons for denying their requests. The appeals court also turned away a related bid by two condemned inmates to get monetary damages from prison officials for changing the rules on visits from pastors to those on death row. Federal Judge Thomas Russell ruled in 2013 that the prison’s rejection of the requests was necessary for the security of inmates and others. BIBLE SCHOOL-CHARITY CHALLENGE Bible school students take up charity challenge NORTHPORT, Ala. (AP) β An Alabama charity that provides temporary lodging for parents of sick infants is getting some help from Bible school children. The Tuscaloosa News reports that children attending Bible school at Tabernacle Free Will Baptist Church in Northport filled paper bags with nonperishable food, cleaning products, paper plates and travel-sized toiletries to donate to Brayden House. The charity provides a place to stay for parents whose newborns and infants are being treated at nearby hospitals. The children also collected $756 in cash to donate to Brayden House along with the goods they collected. Bible school volunteer Emily Tucker says children collected the supplies as part of an annual competition between boys and girls to see who can donate the most. CAR CRASH-BUDDHIST TEMPLE Car crashes into Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) β A car has crashed into the Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple and Zen Center. No one was seriously hurt in the wreck that happened at about 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Grand Rapids Press reports that authorities are checking the structural soundness of the building. According to the newspaper, a convertible driver hit the Buddhist Temple after another car clipped hers and the brakes on her car stopped working.
