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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A visibly tired Pope John Paul told the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday that allowing openly homosexual clergy in the Anglican communion was a "serious difficulty" on the path to Christian unity. The 83-year-old pope had difficulty reading his speech in English at the first visit by Rowan Williams to the Vatican. Williams, who was appointed last year, and the pope met privately for only 10 minutes ahead of the public part of the visit, which was open to a few reporters. The private part was apparently kept short because of the pope's health. According...

27 September 2003 16:13 Bitter Russian Church wants peace with Rome The Russian Orthodox Church ardently desires reconciliation with Roman Catholics to end a 1,000-year rift, even if it is still bitter about perceived insults in recent years, a high official said on Saturday. "Christian unity is important to defend our common values amid the secularisation of society," the Moscow Patriarchate's Secretary for External Relations told Reuters in an interview. "In Catholics we see brethren and share a heritage of sacred tradition. The things which divide us are not so important in comparison," said Archpriest Nikolai Balashov. Balashov is part...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Democrats on Saturday embraced a tricky two-step strategy to deal with the Oct. 7 recall election as Arnold Schwarzenegger exhorted Republicans to unite behind him, declaring himself the political heir of President Ronald Reagan (news - web sites). Reuters Photo   Hundreds of Democrats meeting in Los Angeles agreed unanimously to back Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites) in the recall, calling on Californians to vote no on the question of whether he should be booted from office only 10 months into his second term. The Democrats also voted 85 percent to 14 percent...

MOSCOW - On Tuesday, Russian Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin held talks with his Belarusian counterpart Nikolai Korbut and the Chairman of the National Bank of Belarus, Petr Prokopovich. The introduction of the Russian ruble as the only legal tender in Belarus was discussed at the meeting. Mr. Kudrin is convinced that everything is ready for the signing of the agreement, the Kommersant newspaper reports. For their part, Nikolai Korbut and Petr Prokopovich did not argue about organizational issues, but requested that Mr. Kudrin should address the complaints of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The draft agreement was prepared back on August...

Conservatives, One thing we can agree on is that we want Gray Davis out of office on October 7th. We agree we want a Republican to replace him and not Cruz Bustamante, who is Gray Davis by another name. While we differ on which candidates to support at the moment, we know that unity will be essential to win on Election Day. Should we divide our vote three ways, we will surely lose to the Davis-Bustamante team. Therefore, I am urging all Republicans, no matter who you support, to sign the Unity Pact petition. It is online at: http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/UnityPact ....

Dear all, Canadian Conservatives successfully exposed the amateur and unprofessional efforts of pro-socialist factions within the PC Party of Canada... those commiteed to dealing with socialists but rejecting all forms of cooperation with other fellow Conservatives. The bad news is they have put up ANOTHER poll for some sick twisted reason... help us expose this plot and show that we want to work with conservatives to defeat the Liberals in Canada. Please vote YES to cooperation with fellow Conservatives athttp://www.canadawebdesign.ca/lakelandpc/mainpoll.html

California recall election straining party unity Associated Press Aug. 18, 2003, 11:59AM SAN FRANCISCO -- California's high-stakes recall election is producing fresh cracks in party unity, with the state's second-leading Democrat accusing Gov. Gray Davis of personal disloyalty and two leading Republicans bickering about which one hates taxes more. The new disputes erupted Sunday as the candidates intensified their campaigns for the Oct. 7 election, which will decide if Davis stays in office and who among 135 candidates will replace him if he's ousted. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Los Angeles scheduled a hearing this afternoon on an American Civil...

A new poll in California shows GOP vote is spread among field. Among Democrats, some oppose any candidacy from their party. By Liz Marlantes | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor LOS ANGELES - In the chaotic California recall battle, a fundamental factor is emerging as more significant than either the record of Gov. Gray Davis, or the colorful array of candidates vying to replace him: partisan unity. With a new survey showing Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante running slightly ahead of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger among possible replacement candidates to Mr. Davis - despite a vast deficit in name...

LONDON (AP) — The archbishop of Canterbury said Friday he would summon leaders of the world's Anglican churches to consider the impact of the confirmation of a gay bishop in the United States. Archbishop Rowan Williams said the meeting was planned for London in October, and invitations would be sent this week."I am clear that the anxieties caused by recent developments have reached the point where we will need to sit down and discuss their consequences," Williams said.The U.S. church this week confirmed the election of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, a gay clergyman, as bishop of New Hampshire.The move...

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gov. Gray Davis sought today to downplay Democratic defections from a party strategy of unifying against the recall, insisting, ``Virtually everybody in the Democratic Party has solidly stood behind me.''</p> <p>Meanwhile, attention focused on actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as advisers said the actor is leaning against running and an announcement could be imminent. That would open the door for former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who said he will seriously consider running if Schwarzenegger does not.</p>

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Embattled Gov. Gray Davis rturned to friendly territory today as he tried to galvanize allies against an apparently inevitable recall election.</p> <p>In an afternoon ``unity rally'' here, prominent California Democrats including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi planned to join Davis in attacking the effort as a right-wing power grab.</p>

Friends, In light of recent national and international events, it should be clear to most of you that the Christian underpinnings of western civilization are being knocked out from under our feet. Recent acts of judicial fiat in both Canada and in our own country have made it abundantly clear that the "post-Christian" world envisioned by anti-Christian radicals for centuries now may be close at hand. Rather than continuing to scratch and claw our own eyes out over our differences (which will not, by the way, be resolved on this forum) I suggest that we call a temporary truce. Nearly...

STRATHAM - Hardly predawn, but early for a Sunday morning, a group of approximately 50 people gather at the Stratham Hill Park parking lot. Within the hour most will take part in a unique international spelling bee, one that has gained its reputation for scripting out peace messages with naked bodies, rather than for any aptitude in orthography. There are a few dog walkers and a couple of park workers about. None appear to pay attention to the largely female group. Though many of these women will choose to remain anonymous, their hope is that people will soon pay them...

Focus turns to unity after House revolt GOP, runaway Democrats set to get back to business Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) — Stark battle lines drawn earlier this week seemed to blur a bit Friday on the floor of the Texas House as 55 runaway Democrats reunited with Republicans who've waited anxiously to get back to business. It was hardly business as usual though, as the eyes of the nation were focused on the group that fled the state earlier this week to avert a contentious push by Republicans to redraw the state's congressional districts. Many lawmakers embraced and shook hands,...

Divinity without Dogma A Look at Progressive Churches by Jonn Salovaara Conscious Choice, September 2001 This article looks at groups associated to varying degrees with Christianity. Other articles have featured, and will feature, outposts of other religious traditions. For thousands of years, churches have formally stated and proclaimed "a body of doctrines concerning faith and morals" -- the dictionary definition of "dogma." Institutionalized belief tends to become dogmatic, even when the belief itself begins as an alternative to an earlier dogma. So it was with early Christianity, starting small and in contrast to Judaism and imperial Roman belief and eventually...

Why We Should Be Willing to Accept the Costs of A Difficult War, Including Substantial Numbers of Casualties George W. Bush is deadly serious about protecting America from terrorists and the rogue regimes that support them. Indeed, he took an oath, under the Constitution, to do just that - protect America. The President invoked that oath when he gave a 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam Hussein: "The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as Commander in Chief by the oath I have sworn, by the...

The president of the United States did indeed speak last night. He said Saddam Hussein and his sons have 48 hours to get out of town, and, if they don’t, we’re going to take them down and take down the regime. So, that’s what’s coming, upcoming, folks. And when that happens and when Americans go into battle, it seems to me that the right thing to do for patriots, when American lives are at risk and Americans are dying, is to unite behind the troops until victory is won. Now, on this show, BUCHANAN & PRESS, we’ve had a good...

LOUDOUN COUNTY (VIRGINIA) County Board Tables War Resolution; Burton, Harris Criticize Bush Action by Teresa Brumback (Leesburg Today news) Mar 18, 2003 -- With opposition led by two retired military officers, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Monday postponed action on a resolution that expressed support for the nation's troops in the current crisis in the Gulf. Two supervisors, retired Air Force Col. James Burton (I-Mercer) and retired Army Lt. Col. Charles Harris (D-Broad Run), attacked the Bush administration's 'race to war' but didn't ask for a resolution of board opposition to the war. Instead, they voted with a majority...

March 17th, 2003 Contact Information: Jerri Haaven-Pester, (480) 614-0329 Carole Gibson, (912) 352-3572 For Immediate Release - Freedom's Light (Phoenix, AZ) With war all but inevitable, a group of family and friends who have loved ones presently deployed in the most dangerous places in the world, have launched a project to spread support for the military and denounce terrorism. Liberty Belles of America, announced plans today to launch, "Freedom's Light," set to begin on Friday, March 21st. Americans around the country are asked to send a message of support to the troops by driving with car lights on during the...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the United States moved closer to war Monday, politicians from both parties lined up behind the president as he issued a 48-hour deadline for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to leave power or face military action.</p> <p>Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who earlier in the day had lashed out at President Bush, saying he had "failed so miserably" at diplomacy in the crisis with Iraq that the United States now stands on the brink of war, issued a statement after Bush's televised address assuring the president of congressional unity.</p>