May 23, 2013
Christian presence and witness in the Middle East
Notre-Dame du Mont Monastery, near Beirut, Lebanon
21-25 May 2013The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal ChurchThe ongoing tragedy of conflict throughout the Middle East challenges people of faith throughout the world. As Christians, we share a vision of a healed world where no one lives in fear of death or...
[World Council of Churches -- Press Release] In an international conference on the situation of Christians in the Middle East, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), highlighted the significance of the cross as a symbol of hope for the global church in solidarity with Christians in the Arab world.
“We are called to carry our cross as disciples, but we must also carry one another’s cross, showing how we share this cross as a...
May 22, 2013
This week, the Senate considers a five-year Farm Bill that will have profound implications for hungry and malnourished people in the United States and around the world.
Despite promising improvements in the Millennium Development Goals, an estimated one billion people still live on less than $1.25 each day, 870 million people are chronically undernourished, and 2.6 million young children die each year from malnutrition. Meanwhile, extreme poverty is growing in the United...
May 21, 2013
[Episcopal Public Policy Network] Family unity has long been a driver of immigration and a cornerstone of our immigration system. Despite this prioritization of family, however, lengthy backlogs, inadequate country caps, and preference categories have meant that our immigration system often keeps families apart for decades.
Through pastoral care to members of our congregations and our ministry to resettle refugees, Episcopalians across the country bear daily witness to...
May 17, 2013
[Religion News Service – Washington, D.C.] Twenty-five top Christian leaders gathered in the U.S. city with perhaps the worst reputation for civil discourse May 15 and committed themselves to elevating the level of public conversation.
Meeting in a row house three blocks from the U.S. Capitol, the group spanned the Christian spectrum, and included officials from liberal churches and the most conservative of interest groups.
“The ground of our spiritual...
[Episcopal Public Policy Network] “A few years ago, government authorities in Turkmenistan persecuted a woman and her son because they had converted to Christianity. The son was tortured to death. The woman was twice detained and tortured. She fled to the United States, where, suffering from panic attacks and depression, she tried to kill herself. Later, after stabilizing, she learned about political asylum and applied for it. But the U.S. government rejected her request...
May 15, 2013
[Anglican Peace and Justice Network -- Press Release] The Anglican Communion’s Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) has launched a worldwide survey to gather the experience of Anglicans and Episcopalians who have taken part in national or local truth and reconciliation commissions.
The aim is to learn from Anglican contributions to past and present truth and reconciliation processes. The information received will be used to create resources and mechanisms to support...
May 9, 2013
[Episcopal Public Policy Network] On May 7, 301 amendments to the Senate immigration bill were filed by nearly every Senator on the Judiciary Committee, which will begin hearing amendments tomorrow at 9:30 am. As you can imagine, this volume of amendments touches nearly every piece of the bill and, if enacted, could change the bill in any number of ways.
Some amendments would make the pathway to citizenship more inclusive by allowing immigrants who arrived after...
May 8, 2013
[Anglican Communion News Service] The president of South Sudan has appointed the archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan to chair the national reconciliation committee “trying to heal the mental wounds”’ in the world’s newest nation after 40 years of war.
Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul was appointed by Salva Kiir, who was facing many questions from the public and the media about why the he had earlier suspended the “much-needed” national reconciliation...
April 15, 2013
[Episcopal Church Office of Communication] As people gathered for the Second Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference, beginning April 16, a day-long tour provided time to get to know, learn and become acquainted with the host city, Okinawa.
The weather was a delightful 71 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny with a light breeze. Okinawa, an important port for incoming goods, consists of 160 islands with 1.4 million people, reflecting 1 percent of the population of Japan. From the...