SUPREME COURT-GAY MARRIAGE
Gay marriage opponents weigh response to court ruling
WASHINGTON (AP) β Some prominent religious conservatives say they won’t comply with a Supreme Court ruling that would force them to violate what they call a “biblical understanding of marriage” as the union of a man and a woman.
Their “Open Letter to the Supreme Court” was published as a full-page ad in Wednesday’s Washington Post. The more than 60 signatories include the Rev. Franklin Graham, Dr. James Dobson, Hispanic evangelical leader Samuel Rodriguez and the Rev. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Echoing the civil rights leader’s letter from the Birmingham jail, they declare that “any judicial opinion which purports to redefine marriage will constitute an unjust law.”
Quoting Scripture, they conclude, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Kenneth Blackwell of the Family Research Council says religious resistance to same-sex marriage should be non-violent and prayerful. But Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier says Christians should be prepared to go to jail if that’s what it takes to be faithful.
Sound:
245-v-31-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–Some prominent religious conservatives say they won’t comply with a Supreme Court ruling that would force them to violate what they call a “biblical understanding of marriage” as the union of a man and a woman. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (10 Jun 2015)
< 246-a-05-(Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier, chairman of the Common Good Foundation, in panel discussion)-“laws of God”-Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier, chairman of the Common Good Foundation, says he and other signatories of an open letter to the Supreme Court make an appeal to the justices. (10 Jun 2015) < 249-a-12-(The Reverend Alveda King, niece of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Junior, in panel discussion)-“things are possible”-The Reverend Alveda King, niece of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Junior, says the Supreme Court shouldn’t declare a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. (10 Jun 2015) < 248-a-08-(Ken Blackwell, senior fellow, Family Research Council, in panel discussion)-“do it prayerfully”-Ken Blackwell, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, says religious conservatives will resist a Supreme Court decision establishing same-sex marriage. (10 Jun 2015) < 247-a-05-(Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier, chairman of the Common Good Foundation, in panel discussion)-“rather than men”-Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier, chairman of the Common Good Foundation, says believers in traditional marriage may have to go to jail. (10 Jun 2015) < SOUTHERN BAPTISTS-MEMBERSHIP Southern Baptists see 8th year of membership decline NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β The Southern Baptist Convention lost more than 200,000 members in 2014 and saw the lowest number of baptisms since 1947. Total membership in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination was just under 15.5 million last year, according to an annual report by Lifeway Christian Resources, the denomination’s publishing arm. That’s down from 15.7 million in 2013. It also marks the eighth straight year of declining membership. The number of baptisms has declined in eight of the past 10 years, according to the denomination. In 2014, baptisms declined by more than 5,000 to just over 305,000. Baptisms are an important measure for the denomination because of its strong commitment to evangelism. The statistics were released on Wednesday just ahead of the group’s annual meeting next week in Columbus, Ohio. Sound: 244-v-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–The Southern Baptist Convention says it lost more than 200,000 members in 2014 and saw the lowest number of baptisms since 1947. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (10 Jun 2015) < CATHOLIC BISHOPS-CLIMATE CHANGE Pope’s plans on abuse, environment shape US bishops’ meeting ST. LOUIS (AP) β The U.S. bishops’ point-person on the environment is defending Pope Francis’ plan to issue a high-level teaching document next week on ecology and climate change, saying global warming is the result of moral failings that the Catholic Church has a duty to address. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, head of the bishops’ committee on justice and human development, said Wednesday he has heard the comments from critics that the church should leave the debate to scientists. Wenski said the science is clear enough that global warming is occurring and that some leadership is needed to move beyond the ideological divisions that have plagued public discussion. The highly anticipated papal teaching document, or encyclical, will be released June 18. CATHOLIC BISHOPS-RACISM US Catholic bishops condemn racism at St. Louis meeting ST. LOUIS (AP) β Roman Catholic bishops are condemning racism in the U.S. in light of national tensions over police treatment of African-Americans. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, made the statement Wednesday at the start of an assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in St. Louis. Kurtz is the president of the bishops’ conference. Kurtz noted that the bishops are meeting near Ferguson. Protests and unrest erupted in predominantly black Ferguson last year after the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, inspiring the national “Black Lives Matter” movement. Kurtz said all people deserve to be treated with dignity. He urged parishes to work toward and pray for racial reconciliation. The U.S. bishops plan in the coming months to issue a teaching document highlighting how racism damages families and the country. VATICAN-CHURCH ABUSE Pope creates tribunal to hear bishop child abuse cases VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has created a new Vatican tribunal section to hear cases of bishops who fail to protect children from sexually abusive priests. The move marks the biggest step yet the Vatican has taken to hold bishops accountable. No bishop has ever been forcibly removed for covering up for guilty clergy, although in April, Francis accepted the resignation of a U.S. bishop who had been convicted of failing to report a suspected child abuser. The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis has approved proposals made by his sexual abuse advisory board. They create a mechanism by which the Vatican can examine complaints of abuse of office by bishops and adjudicate them. It calls for the creation of a special judicial section inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. POPE-PUTIN Pope tells Putin: ‘Sincere’ peace efforts needed for Ukraine VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has met privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said their talks Wednesday concentrated on the Ukraine conflict and the Middle East, where the Holy See is worried about the fate of the Christian minority. Lombardi said Francis called for a sincere effort to bring peace to Ukraine through dialogue and implementation of the Minsk accords. Francis also urged access for humanitarian aid. While the pope has deplored the loss of life in Ukraine and called for all sides to respect the cease-fire, he has not publicly placed blame on Russia in an apparent bid to not upset Vatican relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and in hopes of engaging Russia’s help to confront the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. CHURCH CLOSING DISPUTE Judge lets protesters remain in long-closed Catholic church BOSTON (AP) β Parishioners illegally occupying a Catholic church south of Boston for nearly 11 years have been given a reprieve. A Massachusetts appeals judge on Wednesday allowed the Friends of St. Frances X. Cabrini Church to continue their round-the-clock vigil while they appeal a lower court ruling that ordered them to vacate earlier this month. A three-panel judge will next consider their bid to have the eviction order thrown out altogether. That will come at a later date. Judge Judd Carhart heard arguments in the case Wednesday morning in a brief hearing packed with protesters. The group’s lawyer argued that the lower court judge made legal errors in reaching his decision. The archdiocese cited the cost of maintaining the church building and its liability if someone is injured there. ISRAEL-ANCIENT CHURCH Highway expansion work in Israel reveals ancient church JERUSALEM (AP) β Workers widening the main highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have stumbled upon the remnants of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine church. The site’s excavation director, Annette Nagar, said Wednesday that the church outside Jerusalem served as way station for travelers en route from the Mediterranean coast. Mosaics, ceramic lamps and a baptismal site were uncovered. Israel’s antiquities authority says the site will be preserved in consultation with the highway company. Sound: 138-a-12-(Annette Nagar, archaeological site’s excavation director, in AP interview)-“the Byzantine period”-Archaeologist Annette Nagar says workers widening the main highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv stumbled upon the remnants of a 1,500-year-old church. (10 Jun 2015) < 139-a-13-(Annette Nagar, archaeological site’s excavation director, in AP interview)-“he is born”-Archaeologist Annette Nagar says mosaics, ceramic lamps and a Baptism site called baptisterium have been uncovered at the ancient church. (10 Jun 2015) < CIRCUMCISION-ORAL SUCTION NY health board to consider oral suction circumcision rule NEW YORK (AP) β New York City’s Board of Health has voted to consider the mayor’s plan to resolve a dispute with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community over a tradition known as oral suction circumcision. Health officials have linked 17 cases of infant herpes to the ancient ritual of sucking blood from the wounds on infants’ penises. Herpes can lead to brain damage or death. Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) has said circumcisers should no longer be required to obtain signed consent forms. His administration will ask hospitals, obstetricians and pediatricians to distribute information about health risks. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration instituted the consent rule. Rabbis opposed it. Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Travis Bassett says the “well-meaning rule” has had a polarizing effect and is difficult to implement. The health board will hold a public comment period. AFGHANISTAN-SIKHS UNDER PRESSURE Afghanistan’s Sikhs feel alienated, pressured to leave KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) β Afghanistan’s once-thriving Sikh community is dwindling fast as many choose to leave the country of their birth to escape what they say is growing intolerance and discrimination. Once boasting as many as 100,000 members in the 1990s, Afghanistan’s Sikh population, according to community leaders, has fallen to an estimated 2,500. They blame endemic societal discrimination in the majority Muslim country and an inability to reclaim Sikh homes, businesses and houses of worship that were illegally seized years ago. Hindus in Afghanistan have faced similar persecution. Sikhism and Hinduism are distinct religions, but many Afghans view both communities as non-Muslim foreigners. At times these tensions have boiled over into violent attacks β especially at funerals, as the Sikh and Hindu tradition of cremation is frowned upon by Muslims in Afghanistan. Even today funeral processions are regularly jeered and stoned.
