Guilty Verdicts All Around

Nuns guilty of genocide Roman Catholic nuns Sister Gertrude, 42, and Sister Maria Kisito, 36, were convicted of multiple counts of homicide yesterday by a Belgian court. Prosecutors said that the two had driven 7,000 refugees from their convent during the widespread violence between Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis in 1994. The Tutsi asylum seekers were then beaten to death by Hutu gangs. In another instance, 500 Tutsis were burned alive in the convent garage. Of the 55 counts against the nuns, the jury delivered guilty verdicts in 39, not-guilty verdicts in 4, and was unable to decide in 12 (the judge is likely to rule on these instead). Two other defendants, a university professor and a factory owner, were also found guilty of multiple homicide counts.

Four, including priest, convicted of Guatemalan bishop’s murder Retired Gutatemalan army Col. Byron Lima Estrada, his son Byron Lima Oliva, and former presidential bodyguard Jose Obdulio Villanueva were found guilty this morning of murder and each sentenced with 30 years in prison. Roman Catholic priest Mario Orantes was found guilty of being an accessory and was sentenced to 20 years. The four were charged with the April 1998 murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi, a vocal critic of the Guatemalan military. The case itself was marked with violence, as death threats and attacks were made on the trial judges. After the verdict, Oliva accused the judges of taking bribes. Yeah, that’s it. What kind of judge, faced with one side bombing his home while the another side is offering him cash, is going to go with the cash? This was a pretty crazy trial—at one point the late bishop’s dog was arrested as a suspect—but it may not be over. The murderers’ lawyers say they’ll appeal. Meanwhile, the Guatemalan Catholic church is also accusing former president Alvaro Arzu of involvement in Gerardi’s murder.

More on criminal justice:

Child sex offender banned from attending church | Civil rights leaders say judge’s restriction infringes on religious freedom (The Times, London)
Jury convicts priest’s killer of murder | Second-degree verdict a compromise that satisfies neither side (The Washington Post)
Earlier: Foreman casts doubt on juror in priest-killing case | Case raised questions of sexuality, deliberations raising questions of objectivity (WJLA, Washington, D.C.)
2 Greater Ministries elders get prison time | Men had earlier pleaded guilty conspiracy and testified for the prosecution. Five other leaders found guilty in March will be sentenced later (The Tampa Tribune)
Earlier: Jury Convicts Greater Ministries of Fraud | Five leaders face jail time for one of the largest Ponzi operations ever (Mar. 28, 2001)

New Anglican Archbishop of Sydney:

Anglicans pick radical conservative as next archbishop | Peter Jensen, principal of Moore Theological College, is renowned for his unswerving reformed evangelical stance (The Sydney Morning Herald)
God knows you should say sorry, new archbishop tells PM | Peter Jensen, recently appointed to lead Sydney’s Anglicans, says Prime Minister may be “out of step with God” (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Also: PM lands verbal blow against Archbishop | John Howard says Jensen is “presumptuous” to say he knows “the conclusive mind of God.” (AAP)
God’s man is not afraid to call a spade a spade | In describing Jensen’s traits, everyone agrees on “unambiguity” (The Sydney Morning Herald)
What the archbishop thinks of … | Since being named Sydney’s new Anglican archbishop, the Rev Dr Peter Jensen has stated his position on several divisive political issues (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Sydney Anglicans vote for division | Though Peter Jensen was hailed as a leading figure on the world Anglican stage in the election debate, it is an increasingly tiny proportion of Anglicanism he represents. (Muriel Porter, The Age, Melbourne)
Why one woman is walking away from Synod | I’m upset less with the beliefs being debated than the nature of the debate itself (Julia Baird, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Sorry, Tim, but we agree on more than you think | The link between a vibrant personal faith and overcoming social injustice is crucial and unavoidable (Phillip Jensen, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Carnley buries hatchet with Sydney Anglicans | Head of Australian church congratulates Jensen on appointment (The Sydney Morning Herald)
A vital vote for a church at the crossroads | With the church at a crossroads, the election of Sydney’s new archbishop takes on added significance (The Sydney Morning Herald)
The gospel according to the brothers Jensen | The election of a new Anglican Archbishop of Sydney may mean greater division among Australia’s Christian churches. (Tim Costello, The Sydney Morning Herald)

Church and state:

Canada’s Anglican Church says Ottawa bankrupting it | New lawsuits are pouring in at the rate of around 140 a month (Reuters)
Somalian radio accused of propagating Christianity | Attorney-general criticizes Mogadishu station for BBC programs (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network)
Church battle hasn’t a prayer of quick end | Solution to the land use dispute, which has dominated the council’s agenda and attention since February, now seems further away than ever (The Seattle Times)
Church’s sign for pregnancy help can stay for a while | Permit granted after calls for removal (The Dallas Morning News)

Money and business:

Jimmy Swaggart accused in lawsuit of plagiarism | Heirs of the Rev. Finis Jennings Dake and Dake Publishing Inc. say Swaggart stole from his hero. (Bloomberg/Boston Herald)
Detroit ministers sue religious TV channel | Financial dispute with broadcaster has racial undertone (The Detroit News)
God’s business | Where does a priest learn to manage parish finances? (The Guardian, London)
Profit from the prophets | Tapping the market for religious products (U.S. News & World Report)
Church of God group giving investors refunds to satisfy regulators | $7.4 million returning to 370 investors because of securities registration lapse (The Indianapolis Star)

Bible:

Using Bible as self-help manual | The Prayer of Jabez and Secrets of An Irresistible Woman, is part of a major segment of the Christian publishing industry – self-help books that marry Scripture with the marketing pitch of the recovery movement. The goal: sell the Bible as the original self-help book. (Las Vegas Sun)
Bibles go back in two hotels | Australian manager caused ruckus after he moved Scriptures and other religions’ literature to front desk (The Advertiser, Adelaide, Australia)
‘Erotic’ pictures to bring Bible back into fashion | Glossy magazine-style version of the Old Testament will feature leading models pictured by the world’s leading fashion photographers, Claudia Schiffer and Markus Schenkenberg are expected to portray Eve and Adam. (The Daily Telegraph, London)

Other stories of interest:

Online, married priests aid flock at odds with church | The fractured nature of the Roman Catholic Church and the nationwide shortage of priests has made www.rentapriest.com a success. (The New York Times)
German governor allows import of stem cells | Embyro expermimentation especially controversial in Germany (Associated Press)
Pray for ‘Kristin’ | It’s a Christian sitcom. I mean, I think it’s supposed to be Christian. (New York Post)
Missionary group is no stranger to abductions | Kidnapping of Philippine workers is reminder of incidents in Colombia and elsewhere (The Miami Herald)
Anti-SUV query: ‘What would Jesus drive?’ | A Boston-area protest questions the ethics of gas-guzzlers had unusual sponsors: clergy. (The Christian Science Monitor)
Count your blessings | When cyberspace becomes sacred space, we can all benefit (CIO)
Christians gather to mark Holocaust | All Americas Convocation apologizes, works for peace (The Miami Herald)
Missing priest is a found man | Bronx monsignor took trip to Puerto Rico after news of stomach tumor (New York Post)
Earlier: Mystery of missing pastor | A Bronx pastor considered a rising star in the Catholic Church has been missing since Thursday — a day after he underwent a biopsy, police said yesterday. (New York Daily News)
Apocalypse now? | Who will stop the world from sliding back into the depravity from which it had been rescued by Christianity nearly two millennia ago? (Uwe Siemon-Netto, UPI)

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