The LambethDaily ISSUE No.10 THURSDAY JULY 30 1998 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE 1998 LAMBETH CONFERENCE TODAY’S KEY EVENTS Lambeth Daily to join Vigil African spouses tell 7.15am Eucharist More scenes Next issue set for Monday 9.30 - 11.00am Morning Prayer and Bible In solidarity with today’s all-Conference Vigil, 11.30 - 1.00pm Sections the Lambeth Daily will join the Conference of hope amid pain 3.30pm VIGIL led by Jean Vanier from London Day Communications Centre in suspending oper- Address on Holiness and Responses ations this afternoon.Therefore, there will be Page 4 Service of Light • Service of Reconciliation Page 4 no paper on Friday. Publication will resume Liturgy of Foot-washing • Night Watch with Monday’s edition. Plenary focuses on Christian-Muslim relations Stories reveal Silence please interfaith tension and as Conference cooperation by E.T. Malone, Jr observes vigil he diversity of Christian-Muslim Trelations was emphasised by stories Lambeth goes with flow by David Skidmore These responses will be followed of tension and cooperation from Africa, by a mime performance by L’Arche Asia, Britain and the Middle East in he silence of an all-night vigil Community of Canterbury,and the Monday’s interfaith plenary. Twill descend on the Confer- Service of Light. Participants will Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali ence from 3.30pm today as bishops, then break for dinner at their (Rochester, England) opened the ple- spouses and staff take a recess from assigned dining halls.The meal will nary with news of the killing of three workshops, section meetings and be simple, in keeping with the vigil. Roman Catholic nuns in the Yemen, administrative tasks. The vigil will resume at 8.30pm reportedly by Islamic extremists.Later he Led by Jean Vanier, founder and with the Service of Reconciliation. reminded the Conference that the director of the L’Arche network of Mr Vanier will give the homily and Prophet himself “had very close relation- communities for people with join the chaplaincy team in the ships with Christians and Jews. Some learning and other disabilities, the foot-washing liturgy. were among his closest friends and col- Bishops, spouses and friends enjoy a bracing ride on the river, en route vigil will feature three meditations, All those participating in the leagues...What then has gone wrong?” to the Thames Barrier on Tuesday evening. a Service of Light, and a Service of Please see Vigil page 4 Bishop Tilewa Johnson (the Gam- Reconciliation which includes a bia) described his overwhelmingly liturgy of foot-washing. Muslim country-95 percent Muslim, the extended family there can be both part in religion classes and acquiring a The vigil will be held in the three percent Christian–as a country of religious communities,” he said. “All knowledge of the Bible and a deep main plenary halls, concluding with tolerance and openness, in sharp con- state functions are preceded with understanding of the Christian tradition.” the 7.15am Eucharist tomorrow. trast to the tales Bishop Josiah Idowu- prayers by leaders of both religious Christians may not have the same It begins with the Archbishop of Fearon (Kaduna, Nigeria) told 20 min- communities.” depth of understanding of Islam.Bishop Canterbury introducing Mr Vanier utes later. Christians and Muslims collaborate Johnson pointed out that “experience who will give a “holiness” reflection Bishop Johnson described his coun- on social concerns and in development has shown it is essential to have a and address.Three bishops will then try as a secular state “with freedom of work,he added.“A social priority of the knowledge of Islam in order to share respond: Bishop David Andres religion enshrined in the constitution,” Christian missions has been the estab- the Christian faith effectively with Alvarez-Velazquez (Puerto Rico, where “Christians and Muslims attend lishment of schools. Muslims.” US),Bishop Barnabas Dwijen Mon- each other’s weddings and funerals.” “Therefore, many Muslims have He admitted that genuine conver- dal (Dhaka, Bangladesh) and Bishop Photo: Anglican World Intermarriage occurs, and “within passed through Christian schools, taking Please see interfaith page 2 Thomas Shaw (Massachusetts, US). Jean Vanier Spouses seek cures Tomorrow: Euthanasia looms as critical for health crises plenary on Youth issue for Section One by Roland Ashby by Lisa Barrowclough wenty-eight thousand children rayer, praise, celebratory song by Margaret Rodgers sanctity of human life that is a gift euthanasia groups in a number of Tdie each day from largely pre- Pand champion cheerleaders from God, and the divinely man- states in Australia to achieve legisla- ventable diseases. Every minute of promise an energetic “Youth” ple- o you have the impression dated stewardship of the created tion. Only the Northern Territory every day eight babies die following nary tomorrow morning. Dthat Section One is talking order. It also emphasises the pastoral government successfully passed leg- pregnancy, and one woman dies The Ascension Eagles, a team of only about human sexuality and nature of the issue. islation to allow doctors to inter- from pregnancy-related complica- European champion cheerleaders international debt? They are just “Everyone wants a good death,” vene to end or to assist someone to tions. from inner-city London will start two of a wide range of justice and Archbishop Peter Hollingworth of end their life. This legislation, the Dr Yuji Kawaguchi, of the World their demonstration at 11:15 a.m. social issues the section participants Brisbane (Australia) says. “As the first of its kind in the world, was Health Organisation, related these precisely. are addressing. Euthanasia, a critical Lambeth Conference of Bishops, overturned by the Australian and other startling figures in a “The Connected Generation,” a issue for many parts of the Com- we must emphasise that God works national Parliament.” major presentation to the Spouses’ video about youth culture, and munion, is another important sub- redemptively through suffering. All dioceses of the Anglican Programme on July 22. “Speak Out,” a video on youth theme. Those who advocate euthanasia Church of Australia were active in Speaking on the theme “A ministries in challenging situations, The sub- show little awareness of the Christ- the Euthanasia No! Campaign. In Healthy World? Strategies for will set the scene for a series of dis- section bases ian experience that people may be the Northern Territory Bishop Hope,” Dr Kawaguchi and other cussions with youth workers. First, its theological- redeemed and transfigured through Richard Appleby played a leading experts addressed key health issues however, Dean Borgman, professor ethical reason- their suffering. part in the ecumenical and inter- facing the world. of youth ministries at an evangelical Photo: Anglican World/Lynn Ross ing on the “Euthanasia, understood as faith action against the law. In 1997, 5.8 million people were seminary in the United States and doctrine of the active medical intervention to end “We were united in our opposi- newly infected with HIV, and 2.3 consultant to Section Two, will sovereignty of a life, is still of urgent, critical con- tion,” Bishop Appleby said. “Apart million people died from AIDS, Dr share his vision of “incarnational, God, its under- cern for our nation,” he added. from our ethical and moral objec- Kawaguchi said. contextual youth ministry.” Peter Hollingworth standing of the “Attempts were made by pro- Please see Euthanasia page 4 Please see Spouses page 4 Please see Youth page 4 2 The LambethDaily THURSDAY JULY 30 1998 the middle part of the country...We’ve pageant.“We do not impose it.We share the Christian village of Shantinagar by a ernment targets a minority group and lost over 10,000 lives in the name of it in the spirit of truth and love, and we mob of 30,000 incensed over the vil- wishes to dissolve that group,” and the religion and more thousands have been do not compromise our conviction.” lage’s reported desecration of the concept of troubles and difficulties displaced...and millions of dollars of Bishop Alexander John Malik Qur’an. which “are started by blinkered individ- property lost.” (Lahore, Pakistan) pointed out that reli- “The most noticable expression of uals or fanatic Islamists with closed The 2,000-year presence of Arab gious pluralism is not a welcome con- Islam in the present-day world is the minds.” Photo: Anglican World/JRosenthal Christians in the Holy Land is “nothing cept in most Muslim circles in Pakistan. rejection of Western civilisation and The latter, said Bishop Malik,“I per- less than an awesome achievement,” While a Muslim man can marry a culture,”Bishop Malik said.This may be sonally do not call persecution.” He Bishop Riah Abu el-Assal (Jerusalem) Christian woman, the reverse is out of because the West is seen as too Christ- drew attention to events of the past few told the plenary. But after 150 years of the question for a Christian man and a ian and because of the overwhelming years when “churches were burnt living under “a superimposed Western Muslim woman. It is okay for a Christ- secular influence in most Western soci- down, Christians were killed, Christian veneer,”Arab Christians number barely ian to convert to Islam, but not for a eties. “On this, the educated Muslim is shops were raided and burgled,” when 1.5 percent of the population of Pales- Muslim to become a Christian.“Apos- really torn,”he said. claims of persecution were made. But tine and Israel, he noted. tasy in Islam is a grave sin and an apos- Bishop Malik cautioned against “this was not a direct attack against the “Our mere physical presence is at tate is liable to be killed,”Bishop Malik addressing Islam from a fixed or stereo- Christians for their own sake, but an stake,” he said, a situation that demands said.