Archives

By Mary Ann Mueller VOL Special Correspondent www.virtueonline.org February 26, 2026   It does not matter if a person is born in Washington State or Washington, DC or Washington, England; Christchurch, Virginia or Christchurch, New Zealand; Moscow, Russia or Moscow, Idaho; Johannesburg, South Africa or Johannesburg, California; Paris, Wisconsin or Paris, France; THE Bethlehem or Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Nogales, Arizona or Nogales, Mexico; Sault Ste. Marie, Canada or Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; San Antonio, Texas or San Antonio, El Salvador, or San Antonio, Florida or San Antonio, Italy, or San Antonio, Colorado, or San Antonio, Venezuela, or San Antonio, Missouri or San Antonio, Nicaragua, or San Antonio, New Mexico or San Antonio, Puerto Rico …   The Washingtonians, the Christchurchers, the Muscovites, the Johannesburgers, the Parisians, the Bethlehemites, the Nogalense, the Saultites, and the San Antonians all have one thing in common — they are created by God.   No matter where they were born or where they now live they cannot escape the omnipresent God. They need to stay connected with HIM for their soul’s sake.   The Americans, the New Zealanders, the Eurasians, the Africans, the Europeans, the Middle Easterners, the Mexicans, the Canadians, the Central and South Americans, the Caribbeans are loved by God. And Jesus was born to die for them on the Cross.    But if Jesus Christ were walking in the flesh on earth today, since He was born in historic ancient Bethlehem, He, too, could be scooped up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement colloquially known as ICE. He'd be classified as a foreigner. His foreign-born priests – Catholic and Episcopal – are not immune, neither would He.   He would walk in their faltering footsteps. But Jesus has been arrested once before in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He died on the Cross. Not by ICE but by a cohort of Roman soldiers and Temple guards sent by the Sanhedrin. He was not deported – He met death! A cruel crucifixion – an agonizing death on a cross.   But nowadays ICE steps in to try and foil clergy from fulfilling their God-given mission to minister to God's beloved by standing in the way of them providing the Word and Sacrament, much needed encouragement during very trying times when the foreign-born are ripped from their families and forcefully detained with the threat of being removed from American soil. The clergy are denied from offering the touch of humanity and the comfort of prayer.   CLERGY GO TO COURT The clergy are fighting back. Not only on their knees in prayer, but in the courts.   On Monday (February 23) a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ; and the Rev. Fr. Christopher Collins, the Jesuit parochial administrator (vicar) at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in St. Paul.   The Minnesota clergy are claiming that ICE’s practice of restricting pastors from visiting with detainees deprives them of their First Amendment right to practice their faith.   The lawsuit came after ICE prevented the pastors and priests and other clergy from providing pastoral care for detainees – “to care for those most in need at their darkest hours.”   The defendants named in the lawsuit include: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem; acting ICE Director Todd Lyons; and David Easterwood, ICE’s acting field director in St. Paul. (Easterwood is listed as a pastor at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators disrupted a church service in January.)   The Minneapolis clergy conflict has gone on since December 4, 2025 when the Trump Administration escalated ICE enforcement in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) when it unleashed Operation Metro Surge. Upwards to 3,000 federal and ICE agents flooded the snow packed streets working out of the Whipple Federal Building which became the base of operations for the surge of ICE agents into Minnesota.   But it came to a head on Ash Wednesday when clergy were forbidden from entering the Whipple Federal Building for the imposition of ashes. A traditional Ash Wednesday practice where Christians stop to recalibrate their faith walk with Jesus leading up to Easter.   “The filing lists numerous instances of pastors being denied access to detainees over the past few months, including at least four pastors who sought to impose ashes on Ash Wednesday,” KSPT reports.   The litany of blocking clergy from ministering to ICE detainees include: On Dec. 12, (the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe) when Fr. Collins attempted to enter Whipple to pray for a detained mother of a local student.   December 12 is a special day of joy for the Latinos who celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe.   “But when he arrived, he was blocked from even entering the parking lot to Whipple,” Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reports. “He was prevented entirely from accessing the building and from ministering to those believed to be inside the building.”   A month later, the United Church of Christ (UCC) ministers the Revs. Susan Hayward and Rebecca Voelkel were also barred from entering the Whipple building by Homeland Security officials, preventing the UCC ministers from providing any spiritual guidance or care to the ICE detainees.   Then on Feb. 18, Lutheran Pastor Melissa Gonzalez said that a DHS staff member sent her to a waiting room, but ultimately blocked her from visiting detainees on Ash Wednesday. She was told that the clergywoman would not be permitted access to detainees for “security and safety reasons.”   “Spiritual care delayed is often spiritual care denied,” the lawsuit explains. “especially where detainees may be transferred without notice.”   Ash Wednesday is not a high holy day of obligation but it is a culturally significant day when people flood to the church for the imposition of ashes.   Not only are the churches filled but clergy – including Episcopalians – go out into the streets to impose ashes and even set up drive through locations, so a person can get their foreheads ashed without leaving their car or hearing the Word of God proclaimed.   In the Land of Lincoln, the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) filed a lawsuit in November 2025 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging that ICE unlawfully blocked clergy from providing pastoral care.     ILLINOIS COURT ISSUES PARTIAL RULING However, just in time for Ash Wednesday, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Robert Gettleman issued a preliminary injunction on Feb. 13, 2026 ordering ICE to allow Catholic clergy, including nuns, to provide Communion and the imposition of ashes to detainees at the ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois. Ash Wednesday was on Feb. 18.   The Illinois judge found that blocking these religious actions violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) which prevents federal agencies – including ICE – from "substantially burdening" a person's exercise of religion unless they use the least restrictive means to further a compelling interest. The RFRA restored strict scrutiny for religious freedom.   Judge Gettleman ruled that with proper safety, security, and notice allowing the religious visits does not impose undue hardship on the government.   Although Judge Gentleman's ruling does not impact ICE detention at the Whipple Federal Building on the outskirts of Minneapolis.   EPISCOPAL HISTORY WITH FEDERAL BUILDING The Episcopal Church has a long-storied history with the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at One Federal Drive in Fort Snelling near the airport and within view of the river which separates Minnesota from Wisconsin.   The seven thousand square foot, seven storey building is named for Episcopal Bishop Henry Whipple, the founding bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota.   Minnesota was initially a part of the missionary territory of the famed Episcopal Bishop Jackson Kemper who was instrumental in founding Nashotah House in Wisconsin. He was tasked by the 1838 General Convention to be the missionary Bishop for the “Territories of Wisconsin and Iowa and in all other parts of the United States north of latitude 36½⁰ (36⁰30’) where the Church is as yet unorganized.” This would ultimately include Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas and Minnesota as westward expansion spread across the American frontier.   In 1859 Minnesota became a standalone Episcopal diocese when Henry Whipple became its first bishop. He held that post for forty-two years until he died in 1901. He was consecrated by Bishop Kemper, who at the time was the founding bishop of the original Diocese of Wisconsin.   Eventually, as the State of Wisconsin grew, the historic Diocese of Wisconsin was split into the dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee. It was not until 2024 that the Diocese of Wisconsin was reconstituted with the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac Matthew Alan Gunter becoming the fourth Bishop of Wisconsin.   The Minneapolis area federal building was built in 1965 and named for the Minnesota Episcopal bishop. It currently houses the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE operations.   Bishop Whipple was noted for his defense, humanitarianism and advocacy for the American Indian particularly with the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes of Minnesota.   He felt that the federal policy coming out of Washington, DC towards Native Americans was corrupt and abusive.   BISHOP WHIPPLE'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE DAKOTA WAR The Dakota War of 1862 saw the Minnesota Dakota tribes were exiled from their homelands and forcibly sent to reservations in the Nebraska and Dakota territories. Then the State of Minnesota confiscated and sold all their remaining land in the state. In 1862 Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey called for the Dakota peoples to "be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the State."   After leaving office Gov. Ramsey was elected US Senator and eventually he was appointed the Secretary of War under President Rutherford B. Hayes.   Bishop Whipple was horrified by what he saw. He personally appealed to President Abraham Lincoln for the lives of the Dakota who were imprisoned at Fort Snelling, where approximately 2,000 Dakota surrendered or were taken into custody.   A military commission decreed that 303 Dakota should be hanged for killing innocent farmers. Bishop Whipple went to Washington to see President Lincoln to plead for their lives.   Abraham Lincoln is reported as saying that Bishop Whipple’s passionate testimony on behalf of the Dakota had "shaken him down to his boots," thus heavily influencing him to commute the capital sentence hanging over the heads of most of the accused Dakota warriors who were condemned to die by the military commission.   After meeting with the Minnesota Episcopal bishop the President of the United States commuted the death sentence for all but 39 Dakota. However, in the end 38 Indians were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota in December 1862. One condemned Indian prisoner received a reprieve. The Dakota deaths was the largest one-day mass execution in American history.   Following the event President Lincoln called on Congress to reform the Bureau of Indian Affairs and federal Indian policy.   Bishop Whipple intervention with President Lincoln was not well received by the Minnesotans. He received several death threats for his actions on behalf of the Indian tribes.   WHIPPLE FEDERAL BUILDING PROTESTS Through the years Bishop Whipple's namesake building has been the site of several protests and demonstrations against ICE.   In 2016, activists rallied for the release of eight Cambodian-American refugees who had been detained by ICE.    In 2018, eighteen protestors were arrested during a demonstration that had blocked the light rail tracks adjacent to the building.   In July 2019, a "Lights for Liberty" vigil was held in front of the building ahead of the deployment of ICE raids in several cities. In addition, 200 mostly-Jewish activists protested at the building against ICE polices.   In October 2019, protestors led by Minnesota Episcopal Church gathered at the building to demand its name be changed.   WCCO reported that “the protest was led by leaders of the Minnesota Episcopal Church, and there were some tense moments as protesters made an attempt to visit ICE detainees and serve them Communion.”   So denying clergy access to Minneapolis area ICE detainees for Sacramental care has been an ongoing issue for several years.   "The current practices and actions taking place within Bishop Henry Whipple Building are contrary to the belief, policy, values, and practices of the Episcopal Church and people of faith," said Bishop Brian Prior (IX Minnesota) who spoke at the 2019 protest.   The protesters issued an ultimatum. They said that if Bishop Whipple’s name is not removed from the building, they wanted ICE evicted from its offices there.   However, it would take an act of Congress to erase Bishop Whipple's name from the Fort Snelling federal building and rename it.   The protesters feel that it is dishonoring the early Minnesota Episcopal bishop who was so committed to advocating for American Indian rights during the brewing tensions between the red man and the white men on the expanding American frontier.   Most recently, last October and before the unleashing of Operation Metro Surge, a large protest was held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a visit by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.   Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.

Seizure by US Non-Profit Org. to grab UK ministry declared illegitimate. Report includes unfounded claims of spiritual abuse SPECIAL REPORT By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org February 26, 2026 British lawyers investigating the recent “takeover” of Barnabas Aid, an international aid agency founded in 1993 by Patrick Sookhdeo focusing on supporting Christians facing persecution due to their faith, say that it was an illegal, illegitimate seizure of the organization. The lawyers who conducted the independent investigation, Camerons Solicitors LLP, were appointed and paid by KAF Kiti Almond Foundation, not by Barnabas Aid. Their report, published in January 2026, indicates that a 2024 investigation by another law firm under the supervision of Colin Bloom, the British politician who has controlled Barnabas Aid since the “takeover” in 2024, may have been misused as a tactical pretext rather than a genuine inquiry. Patrick and Rosemary Sookhdeo and Caroline Kerslake (a long-term employee), voluntarily agreed to take a leave of absence from the ministry in April 2024 while their ministry was under investigation. The solicitors contend that Nexcus International, which conducted the “takeover”, is a US 501©3 organization, and its actions in seizing control of Barnabas Aid are legally invalid. They maintain that an English registered charity cannot lawfully subordinate its governance to a foreign, unregulated corporation, as this violates fundamental principles of charity law! The Charity Commission for England and Wales, a statutory regulator body, maintains "The Essential Trustee," mandates that trustees must act personally and cannot delegate their ultimate responsibility or fetter their discretion to a third party like Nexcus. A CRITIQUE OF THE CROWELL & MORING REPORT The Camerons 2026 report examines the 2024 report by London law firm Crowell & Moring. The Crowell investigation was prompted by a sudden spate of anonymous whistleblower complaints and was led, according to his own admittance, by Colin Bloom, the CEO of Nexcus International. Camerons delivers a scathing critique of the Crowell report, questioning its independence, impartiality, and integrity—the three pillars of a fair judicial process. Key criticisms include: It ignored its own findings on Noel Frost, a South African lawyer who has been struck off for stealing from clients. Frost oversaw the flow of tens of millions of dollars worth of donations as the international CEO of Barnabas Aid, but he was later dismissed for stealing from Barnabas Aid. Despite concluding that Frost was dishonest and had orchestrated the whistleblower complaints against the founders, Crowell’s main analysis of the founders’ conduct completely ignores this context. This was described as “willful blindness.” Presenting uncorroborated and sensational allegations as fact: The Camerons report highlights several new, extreme allegations inserted into the final version of the Crowell report (e.g., physical bullying, spiritual abuse, seeking corrupt payments) that are based on hearsay, lack evidence, and appear designed to smear the founders without a fair hearing. Failing to consider exculpatory context: For instance, complaints about the founders' travel or management style are presented without acknowledging the health issues of the Sookhdeos, now aged 78 and 82 and facing terminal illnesses, their strategic (not operational) roles, or the fact that many staff had little direct contact with them due to Frost’s efforts to isolate them. BIAS DEMONSTRATED The Camerons report notes that Crowell accepted the authority of the Nexcus/Barnabas MOU without questioning its legality under charity law. A key pillar of the report’s argument is that the entire crisis was orchestrated by Noel Frost, Barnabas’s former CEO. The solicitors present evidence, including from the Crowell report itself, that Frost systematically isolated the founders (Patrick and Rosemary Sookhdeo and Caroline Kerslake) from staff, recruited a loyalist team, and actively encouraged a campaign of anonymous whistle-blower complaints to engineer their removal. His motive was apparently to seize control of the organization and its resources. The report details Frost’s serious personal misconduct, which it argues fatally undermines the legitimacy of the takeover he prepared, a takeover which Colin Bloom continued to its conclusion after Frost was suspended. This includes a South African High Court judgment that struck Frost off the legal rolls for being a “grossly dishonest individual” who stole client funds and forged documents. Camerons solicitors are critical of Crowell for giving this judgment only muted attention and for initially asking Barnabas not to report it to the Charity Commission. The numerous allegations against the founders are systematically challenged in the Crowell report. The solicitors argue that Crowell’s claims of a "hostile environment" and "spiritual abuse" are either unsubstantiated, taken out of context, or were the direct result of Frost’s manipulations. There is not a shred of evidence of “spiritual abuse”, nor any complaints claiming such, even though Crowell devoted a section to this subject in their report. Camerons assert that many staff had little to no interaction with the founders due to Frost’s isolation tactics, making staff complaints about management style implausible. Specific new allegations in Crowell’s final report, such as Patrick Sookhdeo seeking a corrupt payment, are dismissed as uncorroborated hearsay that should never have been included. Regarding financial allegations, the Camerons report provides detailed, legitimate explanations for all payments to the founders, refuting claims of impropriety. Payments totaling over £1.3 million ($1.8 million) are shown to be from three main sources: the sale of a property left to them in trust, long-standing personal support donations from a Bahamian church ("living by faith" contributions), and gifts from a major donor channeled through a separate trust for their personal support. These were not illicit benefits but properly documented and trustee-approved arrangements consistent with the founders’ lifelong commitment to unsalaried ministry. The report concludes that the actions of Nexcus since April 2024—including locking out the majority Barnabas trustees from offices and records, and preventing access to Barnabas bank accounts—have been unlawful. The solicitors express deep concern that a foreign corporation, acting on the machinations of a "grossly dishonest" individual, has been allowed to dismantle a major UK charity with apparent impunity, causing significant reputational damage and the loss of three-quarters of its staff. END

Hamas, Not Israel, Bears Responsibility for Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis, Argue Critics Canadian Anglican Archbishop Shane Parker By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org February 25, 2026   Archbishop Shane Parker, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, recently visited the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. During his trip, he expressed strong concern for Palestinians in Gaza, describing the situation as "the squeezing out of a people, the crushing of a people." While he did not explicitly assign blame, his remarks were widely interpreted as critical of Israel. However, critics argue that Parker's assessment overlooks crucial context. They contend that Hamas—not Israel—is primarily responsible for the ongoing suffering in Gaza. If Hamas were to lay down its arms and surrender, they note, the war would end immediately. Yet Hamas has repeatedly rejected ceasefire terms, including key provisions of former President Trump's proposed peace plan, and has affirmed it will not relinquish control of Gaza or its weapons. Humanitarian Concerns and Competing Narratives During his visit, Archbishop Parker described dire conditions near Gaza: "It was cold and wet, the nights were long and dark… people were living in meagre tents and children were dying from exposure. It's appalling. It is a true humanitarian crisis, and the solution is within reach—but the forces at play are simply not engaging." Critics respond that this crisis stems not from Israeli policy but from Hamas's governance and the 2005 electoral choice by Gazans to support a group whose charter calls for Israel's destruction. They argue that humanitarian conditions would improve significantly if Hamas ceased hostilities and prioritized civilian welfare. Aid, Access, and UNRWA Parker called for: Lifting blockades on humanitarian aid to Gaza Ending impunity for settler violence in the West Bank Reaffirming support for UNRWA's relief efforts Ensuring Gaza's reconstruction upholds "dignity, equity, and self-determination" Yet he did not address concerns about UNRWA's operational integrity. A UN Watch report has documented how Hamas and Islamic Jihad have allegedly influenced the agency's decision-making—a factor cited by Israel in restricting UNRWA's activities within its borders. Regarding aid delivery, critics note that Israel has facilitated the entry of substantial humanitarian supplies since the conflict began: over 1.9 million tons of aid, nearly 100,000 truckloads, including food, medical equipment, and more than 4,000 tons of baby formula. Israel states it coordinates closely with international partners to ensure aid reaches civilians while preventing diversion to militant groups. Medical Cooperation and Security Realities Contrary to narratives of total isolation, Israel provides significant medical support to Palestinians. According to Project Rozana, nearly 100,000 Palestinian patients—including children requiring chemotherapy or dialysis—receive specialized care in Israeli and East Jerusalem hospitals annually. Six Palestinian-administered hospitals in East Jerusalem offer advanced treatments unavailable in the West Bank or Gaza. Parker acknowledged he could not enter Gaza, citing security concerns. The IDF has stated it cannot guarantee visitor safety in active conflict zones—a reality that complicates humanitarian access and external observation. On Pilgrimages, Infrastructure, and Arms When asked about changes since his last visit, Parker noted a sharp decline in religious pilgrimages, with economic consequences for local Christian communities. He also referenced "micro and macro pressures" on Palestinians, including infrastructure projects like new highways in the West Bank. Critics counter that such infrastructure serves legitimate security needs. Facing threats from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, ISIS in Syria, and Iran's substantial military presence—all of which have publicly called for Israel's destruction—Israel argues that strategic transportation networks are essential for national defense, much as the U.S. interstate system was originally justified under President Eisenhower. On the question of arms shipments to Israel, Parker offered a measured response: "People need to inform themselves and follow their conscience. If those hearing my remarks have connections or can make decisions that might effect change, then they should make them." Critics interpret this as an implicit call to halt military support for Israel—a move they warn could leave Israel vulnerable to escalation. A Call for Balance—and Accountability Parker concluded by affirming: "Neither they nor we want to be construed as anti-Israel. Israel has a right to exist. Its citizens have a right to live without fear of terrorism or war. The people of Palestine have an equal right to live without fear, without violence or deprivation of human rights." Yet critics note a persistent omission: the role of Hamas and other militant groups in perpetuating civilian suffering. They argue that lasting peace requires not only humanitarian aid and diplomatic engagement but also the dismantling of terrorist governance in Gaza. In summary: While Archbishop Parker's concerns for Palestinian civilians are shared by many, critics contend that a complete account of the crisis must include Hamas's responsibility for initiating and prolonging the conflict—and that sustainable solutions depend on addressing that reality.

From David W. Virtue, DD February 24, 2026 When the duly mandated banker of a non-profit company in South Africa (an “NPC”) recently found that his access to the bank accounts of the NPC had been blocked after illegal termination of his banking mandate, it opened a Pandora’s box. The NPC, which is registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission of South Africa (CIPC) as St Barnabas Aid, was incorporated by the Barnabas founders in 2017 as a partner entity to undertake charitable work in South Africa. The Barnabas founders have served as directors of the NPC uninterruptedly from inception until recently when they were fraudulently removed. Investigation has shown that the Barnabas founders were removed as directors of the NPC early in December 2025 through an elaborate web of deceit engineered by the same individuals who have been attempting to discredit the Barnabas founders with the Charities Commission for England and Wales. The deceit, perpetrated over an extended period of time, commenced by the blocking of communication between the CIPC and the Barnabas founders, unbeknown to the CIPC who were unaware that their routine communications did not reach the Barnabas founders. In due course the CIPC was thus brought under the impression that the Barnabas founders were delinquent directors, which resulted in the CIPC commencing steps to deregister the CIPC. The perpetrators of the deceit were directors of a USA company, known since 2022 as Nexcus International until it was recently renamed Barnabas Aid International (BAI), in August 2025 - the legal validity of the name change being open to question. Soon thereafter directors of BAI attempted to coerce the directors of the South African non-profit company, St Barnabas Aid NPC, to resign as directors of that company, on the basis that they were supposedly delinquent directors. The directors who had founded St Barnabas Aid NPC were, however, not prepared to oblige them. BAI, a USA company, has no legal right to exercise control over the South African non-profit company or interfere with its governance. The NPC is an independent legal entity in a different country. Although BAI has registered itself with Companies House in the UK as an overseas company “for charitable purposes', it is not registered with the Charities Commission. It must be stressed that notwithstanding the transparent stratagem of certain Nexcus International directors to rename the company Barnabas Aid International (BAI) recently, BAI is not the charity Barnabas Aid. It is also certainly not the apex “Barnabas” entity in the worldwide Barnabas network of charities, as it has held itself out to be. It has now come to light that directors of Barnabas Aid International procured the illegal removal of the Barnabas founders as directors of the NPC on 3 December 2025 through nefarious means, and substituted themselves as directors of the NPC in the founders’ stead. Since it has been effected by means of, inter alia, fraudulent use of the original directors' email addresses and substituting other email addresses for them with the CIPC, it constitutes not only a case of 'business fraud' but also one of cyber identity theft. The history of St Barnabas Aid NPC as recorded in the CIPC registry, including details of changes made over time, is a matter of public record that can be seen on the CIPC website with a free search. A criminal charge has accordingly been laid with the SA Police arising from the events outlined above, and a case has been formally opened. This matter is now under investigation by the SA Police. The founding directors of St Barnabas Aid NPC released this under legal advice, after fraud charges had been laid. Further inquiries can be directed to: StBA2017@mail.com" ***** Majority of Christian charity’s staff resign amid ongoing dispute From Civil Society Most employees at Barnabas Aid have resigned amid a dispute with its linked international organisation and ongoing investigations, according to recently filed documents. Barnabas Aid’s latest accounts state that “about three-quarters of the payroll” left the Christian charity between April 2024 and November last year. Some 25 staff were employed by Barnabas Aid in the year ending 31 August 2024, before the departures, the report states. The trustees criticised “obstruction and delays caused to the audit” by staff at Nexcus International, Barnabas Aid’s global wing, which has reportedly claimed the charity owes it £6.4m. Their report alleges that Nexcus International has “day-to-day control” of Barnabas Aid’s finances, refusing access to its bank accounts and information about staff. Nexcus International, which has since rebranded as Barnabas Aid International and is described as a “non-profit corporation in Virginia, USA”, said the report “contains a number of inaccurate or misleading statements”. Income decline Barnabas Aid’s income, most of which is from donations and legacies, declined from £19.5m in 2022-23 to £16.5m in 2023-24. It reported a deficit of £297,000 for the year 2023-24, with its charitable expenditure standing at £16.6m. The report says a loss of income due to reputational damage and change of ethos and values were the “greatest risk facing the charity” since 23 April 2024. It adds that the “steady” loss of staff was compounded by dwindling “personal relationships with supporters” which were previously a “high priority” for the charity. Despite the declines, the report says: “The trustees believe the statement of financial affairs shows a strong performance by Barnabas Aid in the context of a difficult economic environment.” The trustees claimed that the UK charity was unable to control its cash reserves, which were valued at £9.7m at the end of 2023-24, a decrease from £12.5m a year earlier. Global organisation claims report inaccurate In September 2024, the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into allegations of authorised payments to trustees and related parties at Barnabas Aid. A month later, it restricted Barnabas Aid’s ability to spend money, with any payment over £4,000 now requiring the regulator’s approval. Then in November 2024, two people were arrested as part of a police investigation into fraud and money laundering allegations at a linked “Barnabas family” charity. The following month, the commission announced it was investigating four “Barnabas family” charities - the Oxford Centre for Religion in Public Life plus the Wiltshire-based TBF Trust, Reconciliation Trust and Servants Fellowship International. A commission spokesperson today said: "All the inquiries remain ongoing". The report states that, since April 2024, Nexcus has “prevented the majority of the trustees from accessing the charity’s bank accounts”. Trustees expressed concerns that “some funds donated to the charity have not been used by Nexcus for the purposes for which the donors gave them”. They also said that Nexcus International’s name change to Barnabas Aid International had caused confusion to the supporters of the charity “and possible inadvertent deflection of their giving”. In response to the claims, a Barnabas Aid International spokesperson said: “Sadly, the trustees’ report contains a number of inaccurate or misleading statements by the trustees, which the leadership of Barnabas Aid [International] were not privy to before publication. “The role of the auditors is not to check the factual accuracy of every statement in the trustees’ report. “Their responsibility is limited to ensuring the information shared in the report is materially consistent with the financial statements.” The spokesperson added that they were supporting the Charity Commission with its investigation. Contact us Civil Society Media Limited 15 Prescott Place London SW4 6BS United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 7819 1200 Fax +44 (0)20 7819 1210 newsdesk@civilsociety.co.uk info@civilsociety.co.uk Co. Reg: 2855714 VAT reg no: GB 629 3702 31 Statutory inquiry and police investigation ‘ongoing’ The trustees’ report states that the commission’s statutory inquiry has been damaging to the charity’s reputation. A commission spokesperson confirmed that its inquiry was ongoing and would not comment on whether spending restrictions were still in place. The accounts state that the arrests made by Wiltshire Police involved a trustee and senior executive following an investigation “which commenced in April 2024 by a law firm, appointed by Nexcus International, which was not chosen or approved by the majority of the charity's trustees”. Wiltshire Police confirmed that the two people arrested in connection to fraud and money laundering at a “Barnabas family” charity have since been released under investigation. END

Letter to all Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States From: The Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb | Diocese of Northern California | July 7, 2004   Dear Sisters and Brothers:   More and more of the churches in the Diocese of Northern California are adopting the custom of Open Communion or as our Task Force describes it, "Administering the Sacrament of the Eucharist to Those Who Have Not Been Baptized." I have been issuing a carefully worded open invitation at Confirmations and other major events in the Diocese. At our last Diocesan Convention in November of 2003, a Resolution was put forth to prohibit this custom.   The motion was ultimately defeated after a number of supplemental resolutions were introduced. I agreed at that Convention to appoint a Task Force to review this practice and make a report to the Diocesan Convention in 2006.   If you will recall this issue did come up before the House of Bishops while we were in Minneapolis, and I believe it was tabled or sent on to the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops for further reflection.   There is a very short survey attached to this letter, and I ask that you or one of your staff fill it out and mail it back in the envelope that is provided. Your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated, and the Task Force of this Diocese will be sending on its findings to any group looking at this question on the National Church level.   I pray that you have a wonderful summer and that you may find these months to be a time of rest and renewal. In Peace, +Jerry A. Lamb SURVEY ON OPEN COMMUNION Are any of your congregations regularly practicing the custom of Open Communion?           Yes ☐          No ☐          Unknown ☐   Have you issued any statements regarding this practice of Open Communion?           Yes ☐          No ☐ (If yes, would you please attach the statement that you have made.)   Do you have a Task Force to review this practice in your Diocese?           Yes ☐          No ☐ (If yes, please give names, address, e-mail of the Chair of the Task Force) Have you taken any disciplinary action against any clergy who have violated Canon 1.17.8 that states, "No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church."           Yes ☐          No ☐   Is there any further information you would like to share with the Task Force regarding Open Communion in the Diocese of Northern California?   Again, thank you for filling out this survey.

Splinter group, most from Wauwatosa church, rejects gay bishop   By Tom Heinen | The Journal Sentinel | July 18, 2004   A Milwaukee priest has joined the global upheaval over the Episcopal Church's approval of an openly gay bishop and the blessing of same-sex unions by forming the first known splinter congregation in Wisconsin: Light Of Christ Church.   The Rev. Tere Wilson is renting the Hall of Fame room at the Pettit National Ice Center to hold Sunday services for what he calls "Light of Christ Church, an emerging Anglican mission."   "There was a group of people who have felt abandoned by the Episcopal Church, as I do," said Wilson, who had been filling in for parish priests. "I am part time, but we needed to start something permanent to get people an alternative.   "I don't care what the package looks like. I'm much more concerned with the present inside. The Episcopal Church seems to have kept the trappings, the package, but they've thrown out Jesus and the Bible, as far as what I can see."   Milwaukee Bishop Steven A. Miller called the splinter congregation "a very small group of people who have chosen to worship together."   The new congregation is symbolic of larger, continuing challenges for the Episcopal Church, which represents the worldwide Anglican Communion in the United States. There are questions about whether the 2.3-million-member Episcopal Church might face schism here and/or be ejected from the 77-million-member communion. At least nine of the nation's 107 Episcopal dioceses and dozens of individual congregations have joined the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, a conservative group that was formed at a January meeting in Texas to oppose the national church's decisions on homosexuality.   The network has made it clear that it intends to operate within the Episcopal Church, and the archbishop of Canterbury's interpretation is that the network is not a rival denomination to the Episcopal Church in the United States, Robert Williams, a spokesperson for the denomination in New York, said Friday. Eighteen Anglican archbishops, most from Africa and Asia, released a letter in May calling for the Episcopal Church to be expelled from the Anglican Communion if it does not "repent" and revoke the consecration of gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.   Last month, orthodox Episcopalians formed what is believed to be the first breakaway congregation in Illinois in a rented church in Evanston.   In the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, which covers about the southern third of Wisconsin, a task force on human sexuality appointed by Miller has been meeting to find common ground.   A 17-member Lambeth Commission appointed by the archbishop of Canterbury and led by Ireland's Archbishop Robin Eames is seeking a solution. It is expected to complete its report in October.   Robinson, who is divorced and living with a male partner, made international news last year when his diocese elected him a bishop. The controversy intensified last August when the Episcopal Church's national governing body, its General Convention, at its meeting in Minneapolis, approved of both his election and of the blessing of same-sex unions.   Miller said his job as bishop "is to foster dialogue and to be a pastor to people on both sides of the issue so that, together, we can discern and learn what the Spirit is saying to the church.   "I would say that we have people on both sides of this issue who are seeking to be faithful to God as God reveals himself to them in Christ Jesus, and that we have a majority of people who want to get on with the business of the church, which is to reconcile and restore to unity all people to God in Christ." Wilson has about 30 people in his congregation; average Sunday attendance is about 18 adults and children.   Most came from Trinity Episcopal Church in Wauwatosa, where heated disputes last year over the national church's actions resulted in the departure of about 30 parishioners from what continues to be one of the largest Episcopal congregations in Wisconsin, according to Wilson and Bill Robison, Trinity's current senior warden. Some are known to have gone to other Episcopal churches, to Wilson's church, or to other denominations.   Although Miller had called for a year of study and prayer, dissidents at Trinity pushed for and nearly succeeded in getting a vote on the national church's decisions. Participants described an intense and angry meeting of the vestry, or parish governing body, immediately before a heated meeting of about 200 congregation members on Dec. 7, 2003.   Miller, whom Robison described as angry, attended at the request of a majority of the vestry. After Miller strongly opposed a vote as divisive, a motion to table it for a year passed by a large majority.   Robison thought those who supported or were willing to live with the national church's action would have won a vote by a wide margin. Gregg Bridge, a member of the vestry who later left and now attends a Catholic church, thought the opponents would have won a vote. "Many of us were looking to know where we stood with this church," said Bridge, who remains highly critical of the bishop's interventions. "If I feel I'm in a minority in a group that really wants to go in a different direction, I want to know so I can choose where to worship."   At the time, Trinity was searching for a permanent priest. More controversy arose when most of the vestry, concerned that the internal division would carry over into that effort, asked the bishop to intervene. The search was suspended, diocesan staff recommended candidates to serve the church as a vicar, or bishop's representative, and the vestry selected the Rev. Gary Manning of Norfolk, Va., who presided at his first service Sunday.   The Episcopal Church's General Convention last year highlighted a growing ideological division within the church on a variety of questions, from human sexuality to the relationship between the authority of scripture and what people understand about God from modern culture, said Robert Bruce Mullin, professor of history at General Theological Seminary in New York.   "The interesting thing is, going on 30 years ago, in the last big fight in the Episcopal Church — the question of the ordination of women — the church in Wisconsin was really one of the leaders (against it)," Mullin said.   Mullin says the votes at the convention indicated that about two-thirds of the dioceses were at least able to live with New Hampshire's right to choose Robinson, even if they weren't comfortable with it. And he thinks that a significant number of dissidents who are pushing to break up the church are newcomers who are not comfortable with a long-standing Anglican tradition of living with ambiguity.   "My sense is that there's still a lot of anger, frustration and ill will, but the thing you have to understand about the Episcopal Church is that it has been remarkably resilient and has suffered very few divisions in its long history," Mullin said.   "They all sort of know where the line is, and can get very close to it and yell and wave hands and all that. . . . As angry as they get at each other, when the question comes to either live together or leave, they tend to side toward living together. My sense is that's probably going to triumph in the United States. Whether it triumphs in the larger Anglican Communion, I'm not so sure of."

By David W. Virtue | Philadelphia, PA — July 19, 2004   Charles Bennison, Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, has rightly earned his reputation throughout the world as an apostate and heretical bishop, as well as being a liar.   His "theology" has been deemed so crazy that people find it difficult to believe that a bishop could say and affirm the things that he does and still remain a bishop. He has said Jesus was a sinner who forgave himself and he has changed the marriage ceremony to a Visigoth rite for same-sex blessings and much more. He cannot be trusted to keep his promises. When he ran for the office of Bishop Coadjutor, he promised to keep the Parsons Plan for Forward in Faith traditionalist parishes in the diocese. Following his election, he broke that promise.   He wrote a "Pastoral Direction" to Fr. David Moyer, Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, stating that the priest would receive a trial if the demands were not met. He lied; he never intended to give Fr. Moyer a trial. More recently Virtuosity reported the conclusions of a "whistleblower" over massive financial irregularities in the Diocese. Now, in addition to all this, there is something else — a sadistic "dark side" to Bishop Bennison in which he takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others.   When Bennison "inhibited" and then "deposed" Fr. Moyer, he issued public statements about how this "pained" him and "grieved" him. But the "real" Charles Bennison was revealed on the day of Fr. Moyer's "deposition." The "deposition" was intended by Bennison to expel Fr. Moyer from his church and from his home — and to prevent the traditionalist priest, and the national leader of Forward in Faith NA from being a priest anywhere in the Anglican Communion.   The deposition followed with six months of severe emotional distress for the Anglo-Catholic priest who had been prevented by Bennison from functioning as a priest because of the "inhibition" laid on him. When the "deposition day" came around it should have been a solemn and sad occasion. Not for Charles Bennison. He summoned two priests to witness him signing the sentence of "deposition." To get them in the mood, he began to tell jokes. When all three were smiling, a photographer was summoned to take a picture of the smiling Charles Bennison signing the "deposition."   When Fr. Moyer's lawyers demanded to see the picture, Bennison responded by saying that the picture was "destroyed or was irretrievably lost" and that Bennison did "not recall with specificity the substance of the joke(s)."   As an indication of the state of the diocese, Bennison admitted recently to another orthodox priest that there had been a major reduction in pledges throughout the diocese, and that some 70 out of 159 parishes had serious financial problems. He also said that the Diocese of Pennsylvania is "over churched in terms of buildings since many parishes were built before modern transportation." He indicated that 40 parishes now have less than 40 members.

News Analysis | By David W. Virtue Bill Clinton's former Labor Secretary Robert Reich predicts there will be a religious war in America. Writing for the liberal magazine The American Prospect, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich calls for a war against conservative (read Evangelical) religious believers. "The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief," he writes. "The true battle will be between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority; between those who give priority to life in this world and those who believe that human life is mere preparation for an existence beyond life; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma. Terrorism will disrupt and destroy lives. But terrorism itself is not the greatest danger we face." Reich has been calling for — or at least predicting — this war for a long time. In the past, his use of war language has seemed rhetorical and metaphoric, but now it seems we should take him literally if not seriously. Mr. Reich has it all wrong. There is indeed a serious culture war going on in America, a culture war that was started by those dissenting from absolute moral norms that have been the staple of Western Civilization for more than 2,000 years. Our understanding of the family, marriage, law, what is right and wrong have been shaped by the West's reading of the Bible, its understanding of the ancient Mosaic texts, reflected further in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It is the abandonment and violation of these laws that has brought about the current culture wars in the West, the infiltration of which has permeated not only society but the historic mainline Christian churches as well. Mr. Reich says that the outcome of the 2004 presidential election will depend partly on what happens between now and Election Day in Iraq and to the U.S. economy. "It will also turn on the religious wars — fueled by evangelical Protestants, the ground troops of the Republican Party," he wrote in December. It is apparent Mr. Reich doesn't know very much about Evangelicals in America. Evangelicals are not a homogenous group; they are as diverse as any group could be. Jerry Falwell (a Republican) calls himself an Evangelical and so does Jimmy Carter (a Democrat). In fact Carter gave cache to the term "born again" when he became president. Billy Graham is an Evangelical and so is Dr. C. FitzSimons Allison a retired Episcopal Bishop. Furthermore there is a whole history of left wing Evangelicalism in America found in such persons as Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine, Dr. Tony Campolo, a former professor at Eastern University and chaplain to Clinton, and Dr. Ron Sider who heads Evangelicals for Social Action. They are all left of center Evangelicals and you can be assured they will vote for the Democratic Party in November. There is of course, a right wing Evangelicalism in America that will, of course, vote for George W. Bush. That is their right. I also know a dozen religion writers, columnists and editors who would describe themselves as evangelicals but they won't necessarily be voting for George W. Bush in November. For Mr. Reich to cast "Evangelical Protestants" as the "ground troops of the Republican Party" is just plain nonsense. Millions of Southern Baptists are Democrats. They are not uniformly Republican. Writes Reich: "Democrats, he says, can hold their own in these wars — if they respond vigorously to the coming assault. Democrats should call all this for what it is — a clear and present danger to religious liberty in America. For more than three hundred years, the liberal tradition has sought to free people from the tyranny of religious doctrines that would otherwise be imposed on them. Today's evangelical right detests that tradition and seeks nothing short of a state-sponsored religion. But maintaining the separation of church and state is a necessary precondition of liberty. … The religious wars aren't pretty. Religious wars never are. But Democrats should mount a firm and clear counter-assault. In the months leading up to Election Day, when Republicans are screaming about God and accusing the Democrats of siding with sexual deviants and baby killers, Democrats should remind Americans that however important religion is to our spiritual lives, there is no room for liberty in a theocracy." This statement is not only inflammatory it is wrong. Many Evangelicals now believe that THEIR liberties are under assault by the tyranny of liberals and the abandonment of once held cherished beliefs and the Federal Marriage Amendment Act is a case in point. The tyranny of activist homosexualists in this country has reduced everyone to such fear that even to say the behavior is wrong can get you jail time. Just ask a Canadian and a Swedish pastor who are both serving time in jail for saying homosexual behavior can kill you. Will that time come in the US? Religious liberties are under assault in the State of PA where laws are in place to slap anyone in jail who opposes sodomy. The clergy are fighting back. Mr. Reich says evangelicals want a "state sponsored religion" or a theocracy. That's nonsense. No Evangelical or Evangelical publication that I know of, including Christianity Today, WORLD, Charisma, even Focus on the Family has ever called for a theocracy. All Evangelicals want is the right to call SIN by its name and call people to repentance, and increasingly that option is being taken away from them by the left who are promoting sodomy in schools through GLSEN and demanding laws that proscribe any talk of sodomy as "homophobic" and more. Furthermore to call Evangelicals "anti-modernists" is arrant nonsense. Evangelicals have been in the forefront of science, business, the environment, foundations, and a care for the poor that makes liberal efforts pale by comparison. Liberal church organizations have got nothing to compare with movements like the Salvation Army, World Vision Int., Food for the Poor and a whole array of institutions, schools and universities begun by evangelicals including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and more. Reich talks rubbish about Evangelicals. In the Episcopal Church, for example, Evangelicals have, for more than 40 years backed away from advances made by liberals in theological and moral innovation drawing more lines in the sands than rings around Uranus. Today they stand with their backs to the wall as revisionist bishops beat orthodox rectors into the ground, inhibiting, deposing and taking their parishes from them and more in the name of their "liberal" revisionist god. The truth is the emerging tyranny is coming from the left not the right. Is opposing gay marriage, abortion and the free exercise of religion in public schools and elsewhere (three issues that Reich specifically mentions) so terribly un-American? Will such opposition promote a revolution? "Democrats should be clear that the issues of abortion and stem-cell research are about religious liberty," Reich says. If either of these is limited in any way, he suggests, America becomes a theocracy, regardless of whether it officially sponsors a specific religion. And that, the logic necessarily follows, demands a revolution. And will the Roman Catholic Church which opposes abortion and has told John Kerry in some dioceses that he cannot receive Communion, be part of the coming religious war in America? Reich doesn't say so. Can Reich really mean what he says, asks Ramesh Ponnuru in National Review Online. "His most recent column is a denunciation — as a graver threat than terrorists — of people who believe that the world to come is more important than this world, or that all human beings owe their allegiance to God. Many millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other religious believers will reject Reich's witless rhetorical oppositions. One can believe in the political 'primacy of the individual,' the obligation of all people to answer to God, and the wrongness of any governmental attempt to make them answer to Him, all at the same time. But if our choice is between the primacy of individuals and the primacy of God — if, that is, we are to choose between individual human beings and God — then the vast majority of traditional religious believers would have to choose God. I certainly would. That would be the case for plenty of believers who are not sure what they think about abortion law, or want a higher minimum wage. All of us, for Reich, are the enemy." The deeper truth is that if a war is coming it will be between Islam and a morally bankrupt West that Islam sees as weak and therefore vulnerable. If that is true then Mr. Reich may well be grateful for "Evangelical Protestants" when that time comes, because it will be they who will be the nation's storm-troopers as the West fights for its very soul.

Seabury, other churches troubled by their leader's support of gay bishop By Bethne Dufresne | General Assignment Reporter/Columnist | THE DAY 7/17/2004 NEW LONDON, CT 7/17/2004 — Power, not sex, is the crux of a dispute within America's Episcopal Church over the consecration of the church's first openly gay bishop. So said a spokesman Friday for six churches, including Bishop Seabury in Groton, that are seeking to be led by a bishop other than the head of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, who supported the consecration. The six churches are the only ones among the state's 178 Episcopal congregations to apply for what is called "Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight." But the Rev. Mark Hansen of St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol said it won't remove them from Smith's jurisdiction. A major concern, said Hansen, is the selection of future pastors. Church tradition says the presiding bishop must approve the parish's selection. Hansen and his group want written assurance that parishioners can "call" pastors without fear of veto by a bishop, such as Smith, who doesn't share their opposition to gay clergy. "Not one of us intends to leave the church," assured the Rev. Ronald A. Gauss of Bishop Seabury, who is on vacation and spoke via phone from Kentucky. But parishioners are "very worried," he said. "If I were to retire," he explained, "the church might not be able to call up the person they want." The global Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church here is a part, has been deeply divided over the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, a divorced man who lives openly with his gay partner. Church leaders in some nations have gone so far as to suggest that the American church be thrown out of the Anglican Communion. Many in the Episcopal Church have embraced the decision to ordain Robinson, and most appear to have accepted it. But a number of orthodox Anglican parishes, including Groton's Bishop Seabury, have joined the American Anglican Council, not a breakaway church but formed in opposition to the U.S. church's liberal direction. To keep the Anglican Communion whole while a commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury studies the fissures, global primates mandated "adequate or alternative Episcopal pastoral oversight." This, said Hansen, would allow "biblically orthodox" parishes like his to report to a bishop in line with their thinking. But "through a sleight of hand," said Hansen, the American House of Bishops changed "alternative" to "delegated." Smith acknowledged that the two are "fundamentally different." But "we have our own policy, our own church canons," he said. "Other provinces have different procedures." Alternative oversight places a church "under the jurisdiction of another bishop entirely," said Smith. "Delegated means the diocesan bishop remains the bishop of all the parishes, but certain functions can be delegated to another bishop." As Smith struggles to keep the Connecticut diocese united, dissenting churches are seeking as much distance as possible. The group also includes Christ Church in Watertown, St. Paul's Church in Darien, Trinity Church in Bristol and Christ & The Epiphany Church in East Haven. Pastors of the six churches asked to meet with Smith as a group, but he has insisted on meeting with each individually. Hansen said this a "divide and conquer" tactic. Smith said it's his duty to treat each parish as a unique unit. "Each parish is very different," he said, and one other bishop might not be able to meet all their needs. "This is one of the things I want to talk about," he said. Smith ignored the group's request that he apologize for his vote in favor of Robinson, and their request for "written assurance that you and the Diocese of Connecticut will not foster a ministerial environment that is hostile to our parishes' mission and ministries." Hansen will meet with Smith later this month, but Gauss said vacations — his and Smith's — might keep them from meeting until the end of August. Gauss said he was in no rush, that these things take time. Hansen was offended by Smith's terse July 9 letter to him that began, "In my capacity as canonical overseer I issue to you a Pastoral Direction." Smith went on, in three sentences, to tell Hansen when and where they would meet one-on-one. Hansen, echoing the sentiments of another of the six pastors, said it sounded like he was being "served with a subpoena." But Smith made no apologies for his directive. "It is what it is," he said. "I don't know why he (Smith) won't meet with us as a group," said Gauss. "But I will obey his directive. He is still my bishop."

By Frances Grandy Taylor, Staff Writer THE COURANT HARTFORD, July 16, 2004 In the latest sign of the stresses tearing at a variety of denominations over social issues, six Episcopal parishes are seeking to remove their churches from the control of Bishop Andrew D. Smith, who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. The parishes want to become aligned with a bishop outside the state, one who is part of a network of conservative Episcopal churches that have come together in opposition to the consecration last year of the church's first openly gay bishop. This week, priests from the six churches - Christ Church in Watertown, St. John's Church in Bristol, St. Paul's Church in Darien, Trinity Church in Bristol, Christ & The Epiphany Church in East Haven, and Bishop of Seabury Church in Groton - each received a "pastoral directive" and were summoned by registered letter to meet with Smith. "At first, I thought I was being subpoenaed. It turned out to be a letter from my bishop commanding that I meet with him," said the Rev. Christopher Leighton, pastor of St. Paul's Church in Darien. Leighton said being summoned to a compulsory meeting with Smith was a tactic that added more tension to an increasingly strained relationship. In March, the U.S. Episcopal bishops created a framework for the kind of alternative oversight the six churches are seeking. Called "Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight," the procedure was designed to allow churches that refuse to accept the consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to become aligned with another bishop, "who neither supported the election [of Robinson] nor supports the ordination of homosexuals to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church." Robinson's consecration a year ago, which was supported by a majority of Episcopal bishops, including Smith, has brought the U.S. Episcopal Church to the brink of schism with the worldwide Anglican Communion. Smith said Thursday he expects the six churches will get another bishop to oversee them, though many details still need to be worked out. "I want the delegated oversight to be implemented," Smith said. "It's something that is offered in the church, that respects and accommodates the views of those who have petitioned for it." So far, only one parish church, in Newark, N.J., has been granted delegated oversight. Under a DEPO agreement, Smith would voluntarily relinquish many activities at the six churches, such as performing confirmations, baptisms and rites of initiation. At the same time, Smith would retain constitutional and canonical jurisdiction over the congregations, and the parishes would pledge funds to the diocese at a level that is agreed upon. Leighton said St. Paul's Church has stopped contributing to the diocese and instead sends its money to other Episcopal ministries. "We have felt led by God to continue to give our money - not to a bureaucracy filled with error - but to people who need help," Leighton said. The rectors of the six churches wanted to undergo the DEPO process as a group, but several said Smith has insisted that they do so as individual churches, which has put the process at something of an impasse. Smith declined to express his personal feelings about the quest of the six parishes, except to say "we worked very long and hard at the bishops meeting to create DEPO, recognizing that it would meet the pastoral needs." "It's the [Episcopal] Church's attempt to accommodate the pastoral needs of our parishes and to maintain our unity," he said. The Rev. Allan Benedict, rector of Christ Church in Watertown, said the process could take months, since the bishop who would be chosen for oversight must be acceptable both to Smith and the churches. But, Benedict added, that will not stop the crisis facing the Episcopal Church. "I believe that ultimately, the worldwide communion will take action against the U.S. Episcopal Church," Benedict said. "They will either have to reverse their decision [on Robinson] or go their own way." The Rev. Mark Hansen is rector of St. John's Church in Bristol, which in the wake of Robinson's approval voted in February to affiliate with the Anglican Network, a new group of "biblically orthodox" parishes. Hansen criticized the designated oversight plan as inadequate and said it unilaterally imposes a take-it-or-leave-it approach. He said a number of specifics still need to be worked out - such as future succession of clergy at parishes under delegated oversight, which is not spelled out in the DEPO framework. Further, it "keeps all the power in the hands of an existing bishop," Hansen said. "[Smith] doesn't relinquish one iota of power." The bishops of the U.S. Episcopal Church are refusing to see that "reality has been radically and irrevocably altered," Hansen said. "A tectonic shift is going on, and they are trying to manage it in a business-as-usual way. ... There is a power struggle going on that transcends Bristol, a drama being played on the global stage."

By Anthony Browne THE SPECTATOR There's no plot, says Anthony Browne: Islam really does want to conquer the world. That's because Muslims, unlike many Christians, actually believe they are right, and that their religion is the path to salvation for all. A year ago I had lunch with an eminent figure who asked if I thought she was mad. 'No,' I said politely, while thinking, 'Yup.' She had said she thought there was a secret plot by Muslims to take over the West. I have never been into conspiracy theories, and this one was definitely of the little-green-men variety. It is the sort of thing BNP thugs claim to justify their racial hatred. Obviously, we all know about Osama bin Laden's ambitions. And we are all aware of the loons of al-Muhajiroun waving placards saying 'Islam is the future of Britain'. But these are all on the extremist fringe, representative of no one but themselves. Surely no one in Islam takes this sort of thing seriously? I started surfing the Islamic media. Take Dr Al-Qaradawi, the controversial Egyptian imam who was recently fawned over by the Mayor of London even though he promotes the execution of homosexuals, the right of men to indulge in domestic violence, and the murder of innocent Jews. During the brouhaha it went unnoticed that he also wants to conquer Europe. Don't take my word for it, just listen to him on his popular al-Jazeera TV show, Sharia and Life. 'Islam will return to Europe. The conquest need not necessarily be by the sword. Perhaps we will conquer these lands without armies. We want an army of preachers and teachers who will present Islam in all languages and in all dialects,' he broadcast in 1999, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which translates his programmes. On another programme he declared, 'Europe will see that it suffers from a materialist culture, and it will seek a way out, it will seek a lifeboat. It will seek no life-saver but the message of Islam.' Far from being on the fringe, his immensely popular programmes are watched by millions across the Middle East and Europe. The BBC cooed that he has 'star' status among the world's Muslims. Dr Al-Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar, is also the spiritual guide of the hardline Muslim Brotherhood, which is growing across Europe, and whose leader Muhammad Mahdi Othman 'Akef declared recently, 'I have complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America, because Islam has logic and a mission.' In the most sacred mosque in Islam, Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Sudais of the Grand Mosque in Mecca uses his sermons to call for Jews to be 'annihilated' and to urge the overthrow of Western civilisation. 'The most noble civilisation ever known to mankind is our Islamic civilisation. Today, Western civilisation is nothing more than the product of its encounter with our Islamic civilisation in Andalusia [mediaeval Spain]. The reason for [Western civilisation's] bankruptcy is its reliance on the materialistic approach, and its detachment from religion and values. [This approach] has been one reason for the misery of the human race, for the proliferation of suicide, mental problems and for moral perversion. Only one nation is capable of resuscitating global civilisation, and that is the nation [of Islam].' Al-Sudais is the highest imam appointed by our Saudi government ally, and his sermons are widely listened to across the Middle East. When he came to the UK in June to open the London Islamic Centre, thousands of British Muslims flocked to see him, our so-called race relations minister Fiona Mactaggart shared the platform, and Prince Charles sent a video message. He is probably the closest thing in Islam to the Pope, but I haven't recently heard the Pope call for the overthrow of all other faiths. Saudi Arabia, whose flag shows a sword, seems unabashed about its desire for Islam to take over the world. Its embassy in Washington recommends the home page of its Islamic affairs department, where it declares, 'The Muslims are required to raise the banner of jihad in order to make the Word of Allah supreme in this world.' Saudi Arabia has used billions of its petrodollars to export its particularly harsh form of Islam, Wahabism, paying for mosques and Islamic schools across the West. About 80 per cent of the US's mosques are thought to be under Wahabi control. Saudi Arabia's education ministry encourages schoolchildren to despise Christianity and Judaism. A new schoolbook in the kingdom's curriculum tells six-year-olds: 'All religions other than Islam are false.' A note for teachers says they should 'ensure to explain' this point. In Egypt, the schoolbook Studies in Theology: Traditions and Morals explains that a particularly 'noble' bit of the Koran is 'encouraging the faithful to perform jihad in God's cause, to behead the infidels, take them prisoner, break their power -- all that in a style which contains the highest examples of urging to fight'. A popular topic for discussion on Arabic TV channels is the best strategy for conquering the West. It seems to be agreed that since the West has overwhelming economic, military and scientific power, it could take some time, and a full frontal assault could prove counterproductive. Muslim immigration and conversion are seen as the best path. Saudi Professor Nasser bin Suleiman al-Omar declared on al-Majd TV last month, 'Islam is advancing according to a steady plan, to the point that tens of thousands of Muslims have joined the American army and Islam is the second largest religion in America. America will be destroyed. But we must be patient.' Islam is now the second religion not just in the US but in Europe and Australia. Europe has 15 million Muslims, accounting for one in ten of the population in France, where the government now estimates 50,000 Christians are converting to Islam every year. In Brussels, Mohammed has been the most popular name for boy babies for the last four years. In Britain, attendance at mosques is now higher than it is in the Church of England. Al-Qa'eda is criticised for being impatient, and waking the West up. Saudi preacher Sheikh Said al-Qahtani said on the Iqraa TV satellite channel, 'We did not occupy the US, with eight million Muslims, using bombings. Had we been patient and let time take its course, instead of the eight million there could have been 80 million [Muslims], and 50 years later perhaps the US would have become Muslim.' It is difficult to brush this off as an aberration of Islam, which is normally just tickety-boo letting the rest of the world indulge in its false beliefs. Dr Zaki Badawi, the moderate former director of the Islamic Cultural Centre in London, admitted, 'Islam endeavours to expand in Britain. Islam is a universal religion. It aims to bring its message to all corners of the earth. It hopes that one day the whole of humanity will be one Muslim community.' In Muslim tradition, the world is divided into Dar al-Islam, where Muslims rule, and Dar al-Harb, the 'field of war' where the infidels live. 'The presumption is that the duty of jihad will continue, interrupted only by truces, until all the world either adopts the Muslim faith or submits to Muslim rule,' wrote Professor Bernard Lewis in his bestseller The Crisis of Islam. The first jihad was in AD 630, when Mohammed led his army to conquer Mecca. He made a prediction that Islam would conquer the two most powerful Christian centres at the time, Constantinople and Rome. Within 100 years of his death, Muslim armies had conquered the previously Christian provinces of Syria, Palestine, Egypt and the rest of North Africa, as well as Spain, Portugal and southern Italy, until they were stopped at Poitiers in central France in AD 732. Muslim armies overthrew the ancient Zoroastrian empire of Persia, and conquered much of central Asia and Hindu India. Ibn Warraq, a Pakistani who lost his Islamic faith, wrote in his book Why I am not a Muslim, 'Although Europeans are constantly castigated for having imposed their insidious decadent values, culture and language on the Third World, no one cares to point out that Islam colonised lands that were the homes of advanced and ancient civilisations.' It took 700 years for the Spanish to get their country back in the prolonged 'Reconquista'. In the meantime the Turks, a central Asian people, had been converted to Islam and had conquered the ancient Christian land of Anatolia (now called Turkey). In 1453 they captured Constantinople -- fulfilling Mohammed's first prediction -- which was the centre of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The glorious Hagia Sophia, which had been one of the most important churches in Christendom for nearly 1,000 years after it was built in AD 537, was turned into a mosque, and minarets were added. The Turks went on to occupy Greece and much of the Balkans for four centuries, turning the Parthenon into a mosque and besieging Vienna, before retreating as their power waned. In the Middle East, there are regular calls for Mohammed's second prediction to come true. Sheikh Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman al-'Arifi, imam of the mosque of the Saudi government's King Fahd Defence Academy, wrote recently, 'We will control the land of the Vatican; we will control Rome and introduce Islam in it.' Not all conversion has been by the sword. Muslim traders peaceably converted Indonesia, now the most populous Islamic nation. But nor have the conquests stopped. Islam has continued spreading in sub-Saharan Africa, most notably in Nigeria and Sudan. Abyssinia -- Ethiopia -- is an ancient Christian land where Muslims have come to outnumber Christians only in the last 100 years. Just 50 years ago, Lebanon was still predominantly Christian; it is now predominantly Muslim. Of course, Christianity has been just as much a conquering religion. Spanish armies ruthlessly destroyed ancient civilisations in Central and South America to spread the message of love. Christians colonised the Americas and Australia, committing genocide as they went, while missionaries such as Livingstone converted most of Africa. But the difference is that Christendom has -- by and large -- stopped conquering and converting, and indeed in Europe simply stopped believing. Even President Bush's most trenchant critics don't believe he conquered Afghanistan and Iraq to spread the word of Jesus. It is ironic that by deposing Saddam, who ran the most secular of Arab regimes, the US actually transferred power to the imams. I believe in a free market in religions, and it is inevitable that if you believe your religion is true, then you believe others are false. But this market is seriously rigged. In Saudi Arabia the government bans all churches, while in Europe governments pay to build Islamic cultural centres. While in many Islamic countries preaching Christianity is banned, in Western Christian countries the right to preach Islam is enshrined in law. Christians are free to convert to Islam, while Muslims who convert to Christianity can expect either death threats or a death sentence. The Pope keeps apologising for the Crusades (even though they were just attempts to get back former Christian lands) while his opposite numbers call for the overthrow of Christendom. In Christian countries, those who warn about Islamification, such as the film star Brigitte Bardot, are prosecuted, while in Muslim countries those who call for the Islamification of the world are turned into TV celebrities. In the West, schools teach comparative religion, while in Muslim countries schools teach that Islam is the only true faith. David Blunkett in effect wants to ban criticism of Islam, a protection not enjoyed by Christianity in Muslim countries. Millions of Muslims move to Christian countries, but virtually no Christians move to Muslim ones. In the last century some Christians justified the persecution and mass murder of Jews by claiming that Jews wanted to take over the world. But these fascist fantasies were based on deliberate lies, such as the notorious fake book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Now, many in the Muslim world are open about their desire for Islam to conquer the West. Anthony Browne is Europe correspondent for the Times. (c) 2001 The Spectator.co.uk

The Telegraph DUBLIN, 7/16/2004 A major international conference of world leaders of the Anglican Church under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is scheduled to meet in Northern Ireland next February. The Belfast Telegraph has learned that primates from all 38 provinces of the Communion will meet in Newcastle, Co Down, to make crucial decisions on the future of the worldwide Church following the report of the Anglican Commission on the divisions caused over sexual issues within Anglicanism. The historic Primates Meeting in Newcastle is likely to be one of the most significant Church gatherings to take place in Northern Ireland, with its outcome charting the way forward for the future of the entire Anglican Church, which has some 70 million members around the world. The current Commission on Anglican Structures, headed by the Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Robin Eames, is scheduled to deliver its highly significant report in October to Dr Williams. This was set up by Dr Williams after the international upheaval within Anglicanism in the wake of the appointment of the openly homosexual Dr Gene Robinson as a bishop in New Hampshire last year. It is understood that once the report is delivered to Dr Williams it will be analysed in depth within the Communion in order to help the primates come to definitive decisions about the way forward for the Church as a whole at their meeting in Newcastle next February. The fact that this historic meeting is coming to Ulster is a reflection of the high standing within worldwide Anglicanism of Archbishop Eames. He is senior primate in the Church and previously chaired with success two other important Anglican commissions - on women's ordination and also on theological issues. He told the Belfast Telegraph: "I am very pleased that the Primates Meeting will be coming here in February. A number of venues were considered and Northern Ireland was deemed to be the most suitable on this occasion."