IGIHE

Category: Religion

  • Ugandan-born Bishop Dropped for Canterbury Archbishop

    {{Ugandan-born Archbishop of York John Sentamu will not become Archbishop of Canterbury, with the post going to Justin Welby according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.}}

    Welby, a former oil company executive, accepted the post, the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

    Welby, the Bishop of Durham, will take over from current incumbent Rowan Williams when he retires next month, revealed the paper.

    The appointment of the 56-year-old, who was educated at Britain’s exclusive Eton College, could come as early as Friday after the Crown Nominations Commission put his name forward to Prime Minister David Cameron, according to the online report.

    Sources close to the selection process told the paper that Welby had emerged as “the outstanding candidate” despite being a bishop for only a year.

    The Church refused to confirm Welby’s appointment.

    John Sentamu, who the British press ocassionally refers to as ‘charismatic’ was an early favourite to replace Rowan Williams, but later fell out of contention because, apparently, he lacks the necessary diplomatic skills required for the post.

    Welby faces a huge task in healing deep schisms among tens of millions of Anglicans worldwide over female and gay bishops.

    The decision must be signed off by Cameron and officially approved by Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England as well as the British head of state.

    The selection commission has 16 voting members including both senior clerics and lay members and is chaired by a former British arts minister, Richard Luce.

    Other contenders for the post included veteran churchmen such as Sentamu, 63, Bishop of London Richard Chartres, 65, and Bishop of Norwich Graham James, 61.

    Williams, now 61, was appointed the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, replacing George Carey.

  • Egypt’s Coptic Christians Have New Pope

    {{Bishop Tawadros has been chosen as the new pope of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, becoming the leader of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.}}

    His name was selected from a bowl by a blindfolded boy at a ceremony in Cairo’s St Mark’s Cathedral. Three candidates had been shortlisted.

    The 60-year-old succeeds Pope Shenouda III, who died in March aged 88.

    Attacks on Copts are on the increase, and many Copts say they fear the country’s new Islamist leaders.

    The other two candidates were Bishop Raphael and Father Raphael Ava Mina. They were chosen in a ballot by a council of some 2,400 Church and community officials in October.

    Their names were written on pieces of paper and put in crystal balls sealed with wax on the church altar.

    A blindfolded boy – one of 12 shortlisted children – then drew out the name of Bishop Tawadros.

    Strict measures were in place to make sure there is no foul play during the televised ceremony: the three pieces of paper with candidates’ names were all the same size and tied up the same way.

    Copts say this process ensures the selection is in God’s hands.

    Bishop Tawadros will be enthroned in a ceremony on 18 November.

  • ADPR Church Refuses to Wed Couple

    {{A couple in Rusizi district has been denied a chance to be wedded at ADEPR church.}}

    The Church claimed that the woman was pregnant something considered as a sin in the ADEPR faith.

    However, the couple said they had fulfilled all the requirements to be wedded.

    In protest, the couple decided to leave ADPR church and joined the Neo Apostolique church which wedded the couple.

    Pastor Philippe Murindabigwi of Mashesha Parish/ADEPR Rusizi explained that the girl in question was suspected to be pregnant and that the Parish cannot allow them to enter holly matrimony.

  • Al-Shabaab Stone Woman to Death Over Sex Crime

    {{A young woman was stoned to death Thursday in Somalia after being convicted of engaging in out-of-marriage sex, reports say.}}

    Residents of Jamama town, 425km south of Mogadishu in Lower Juba region, said that militants loyal to Al-Shabaab carried out the stoning at the town’s main square in late afternoon.

    “Many residents were called to attend the execution of the punishment,” a resident who requested anonymity for own safety told Kulmiye, an independent broadcaster in Mogadishu.

    He added that Al-Shabaab officials in the town witnessed the stoning.

    “The woman admitted having out-of-marriage sex,” said an Islamist official who talked to the crowd after the stoning was completed.

    “This type of punishments that are compatible with Sharia (Islamic laws) will be administered,” said the official

    According to residents, the young woman was picked up from one of the neighbourhoods of the town, but there was no trace of the man partner involved in the alleged offence.

    The judicial system of the Al-Shabaab is often criticised by rights groups for lack defence attorneys, proper evidences and harsh punishment, hastily meted out.

  • Important Tips About Eid al-Adha

    {{1. Considered one of Islam’s revered observances, the four-day religious holiday corresponds with the height of the Hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that annually draws 2 million Muslims.}}

    2. Eid al-Adha commemorates when God appeared to Abraham — known as Ibrahim to Muslims — in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience. As Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to kill in place of his son. A version of the story also appears in the Torah and in the Bible’s Old Testament.

    3. Pronounced EED al-UHD-huh, the holiday begins Friday and ends Monday — the last day of the Hajj. Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Greater Eid. It is the longer of two Eid holidays observed by Muslims. Eid al-Fitr — or Little Eid — follows the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan.

    4. During Eid al-Adha, many Muslim families sacrifice a sheep and share the meat with the poor. They also are required to donate to charities that benefit the poor. Muslims also routinely exchange presents during the holiday.

    5. Eid Mubarak (pronounced EED muh-BAR-ack) and Eid Saeed are routine greetings used during the observance to offer best wishes.

  • Pope Names first Native American saint

    {{Pope Benedict XVI will name 17th century Mohawk Kateri Tekakwitha the first Native American saint.}}

    Another newly named saint is Marianne Cope, a German-born woman who emigrated to the United States as a child, became a nun and went on to devote 30 years of her life helping lepers in Hawaii.

    Their canonization, along with that of five other saints, will be celebrated at a special Mass in St. Peter’s Square Sunday morning.

    “This is a great weekend for America in the Vatican, and it’s really a great weekend for Native Americans. Sainthood is the guarantee that this person is close to God,” said Vatican senior communications adviser Greg Burke.

    “There’s a vast history of people the Catholic Church has made saints over the centuries. Holiness is absolutely a matter of equal opportunity, but this certainly is special because it marks the first time a Native American becomes a saint.”

    Kateri Tekakwitha’s canonization follows what has been judged a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church in the 2006 case of an American boy with a flesh-eating bug.

    Jake Finkbonner was only 5 when he became infected by the bacterium after falling down while playing basketball, CNN affiliate King 5 News in Seattle reported. The infection spread quickly through the tissue of his face, with drugs and surgeries apparently powerless to stop its progress.

    “It was dire,” his mother, Elsa Finkbonner, told the network. “He was air-lifted to children’s hospital, and he was fighting for his life at that point.”

  • Pastors Warned Against Mixing Politics & Religion

    {{A French Missionary Emmanuel Rapold has asked evangelical pastors operating in the great Lakes region to avoid mixing politics with religious matters.}}

    Emmanuel told pastors to spread word of God and not support activities aiming at destabilizing their countries sovereignty.

    Rapold said since the region is increasingly facing political instability, pastors should not be among people standing for conflicts, but, teach members of their church how to solve conflicts within the region.

    Pastors who were gathered in Rusizi District came from Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • Tanzanian Moslems Attack Churches

    {{Violence has erupted in Tanzania after a 14 year boy urinated on the Quran-the holy book of Islam.}}

    The incidence took place in Dar es Salaam’s Mbagala suburb Friday forcing moslems to attack a police station demanding that a 14-year-old boy be handed over to them.

    In the aftermath of the confrontation, at least five churches were attacked, several car windows smashed and passersby injured as the angry mob moved from street to street at Mbagala Kizuiani protesting the desecration of the holy book.

    Dar es Salaam Chief Sheikh Alhad Mussa Salum urged Muslims not to pursue the issue out of proportion, adding that there wasn’t ample grounds to mess up national security.

    “The incident doesn’t need emotions in dealing with. Islam means peace; we can deal with such issues peacefully. This matter involved children. Islam considers age; it shouldn’t lead to a breach of peace in our country,” said Sheikh Salum.

    He added that attacking churches would mean the boy was sent by Christians to desecrate the Quran, which he said he believed wasn’t the case.

    Police used teargas canisters and water cannons to quell the unrest and open up Kilwa road as the protesters hurled stones and burned tyres to block the road.

    Police were still engaging the demonstrators at Mbagala Zakhem late in the evening as the attacks on churches continued to rage.

    The clashes could be traced back five days to an incident in which a Christian and Muslim boy got into an argument over the power of the Quran to turn anyone who defiled it into a snake.

    According to those reports, the Christian boy swore he would not be harmed if he played with the Quran while his Muslim friend maintained that he would turn into a snake or run mad if did so.

    The Christian boy then urinated on the book—and set off a chain of events that would turn the area into a battleground for what the Muslims described as a defence of their faith.

    The protesting group initially arrested the boy at around 9am on Monday and took him to a police station.

    The incident turned deadly after the angry Muslims mobilised more support during Friday prayers, reportedly in an attempt to grab the boy from the police station and behead him.

  • Pope Prays in Arabic For First Time

    {{Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday pronounced a blessing in Arabic at his weekly audience in front of 20,000 pilgrims on St Peter’s Square — the first time the language has been used at such an event.}}

    “The pope prays for all Arabic speakers. May God bless you all!” the pope said in Arabic at the audience, after a bishop read out an Arabic translation of the pope’s comments praising the results of the Second Vatican Council.

    The landmark Council, which began 50 years ago this week, is a “compass” for the Catholic Church “in the middle of the storms”, the pope said.

    As a young reformer, the then Joseph Ratzinger took part in the Council, better known as Vatican II, which revolutionised Catholic rituals.

    The Council brought together 2,250 bishops and lasted from 1962 until 1965.

    The pope has always defended the 15 “constitutions” adopted by the Council despite complaints from traditionalists in the Church over several reforms.

    Benedict will celebrate mass on St Peter’s Square on Thursday to launch a “Year of Faith” on the exact anniversary of the start of Vatican II.

  • Religious Leaders Condemn Test Tube Babies

    {{In Tanzania, there is an increased demand for test tube babies scientifically refered to as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

    It is a service sought by couples that are unable to naturally get pregnant.}}

    Last week we had reported that over 80% Tanzanian men are unable to impregnate a woman which has forced most tanzanian females across Kenya seeking artificial means to enable and or enhance pregnancy at fertility clinics.

    Now this has taken a new twist. Tanzanian religious leaders have comeout strongly and condemned the artificial acts and practices of making babies through ‘test tubes’ which they say is against the will of God.

    They said In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) technology was wrong because according to the Creator, a child should be obtained through an act of sex between husband and wife.

    The bishop of Africa Inland Church, Peter Kitula says that the procedure is not recommended in the Christian faith since people are married to reproduce themselves by way of consummating their marriage and not through some artificial processes.

    “This is well understood and we preach it persistently, that a child must be a result of the sex act between husband and wife, who have been joined in a holy matrimony.”

    He said women should shun the IVF alternative even after failing get a child naturally “since everything that happens to us is part God’s plan.”

    “If the Almighty God has not blessed you with a child, you should simply accept the situation because that would be a test to your perseverance… you must keep on praying,” he advised.

    Commenting on the matter, an expert in Biblical Language and Interpretation at Bugema University, Professor Reuben Mugerwa, said there is the concern that a test tube baby may not receive warm love from parents, having not been conceived naturally.

    Prof Mugerwa said: “God intended sexual intercourse to be the only avenue of bringing forth children because of the intense love couples experience in the process of making a child in a natural way.”

    Sheikh Musa Kundecha of Dar es Salaam noted that under Islam, the method would be alright if a couple were confirmed unable to get a baby naturally.

    He said it would be a sin if a couple would opt the method while they were capable of obtaining a child through sex.

    “We consider a baby obtained through the test tube while a couple is still biologically capable of naturally reproducing as haram (unclean),” he said.