Briefly Noted
- On September 9, five Catholic nuns were arrested after entering Peterson Air Force Base,
headquarters of the U.S.
- On September 9, five Catholic nuns were arrested after entering Peterson Air Force Base,
headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, to "disarm" representations of military
hardware by hammering and pouring blood. "All within us and our religious
congregations place our trust and security in the God of creation who made heaven and
earth," said participant Ardeth Platte, OP. "We refuse to allow false gods to be
placed before us."
- In their respective official gatherings, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church
(USA), and the United Methodist Church recently voted in one form or another not to
sanction same-sex unions. All three events were marked by acts of civil disobedience by
Rev. Mel White's gay rights activist group Soulforce. Anti-gay pastor Fred Phelps of
Topeka, Kansas, was also present.
- In 1996, American Lori Berenson was imprisoned in Peru, accused of being a guerrilla
leader. Though she's been granted a new civilian trial, The Washington Post quoted
Berenson's mother Rhoda as saying, "We're certainly glad that Peru finally
recognized that it made a mistake. But we're very unhappy about the prospect of
another trial in a country that every human rights group has said is incapable of giving a
fair trial." Visit www. freelori.org
- Andrés Thomas Conteris began a fast and vigil at the White House on July 25 to protest
the resumption of U.S. Navy bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.
"It is unacceptable that the Navy continues to bomb the populated island of Vieques
and unconscionable that the president refuses to meet with the religious and peace
movement leaders," he said. "We will continue our witness until that meeting
takes place." Thomas Conteris, a United Methodist lay missioner, is a member of the
Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean. See
www.viequesfast.org