In the News, November 4, 2015

November 4, 2015

Today's religious and world affairs news from the United States and around the world: Buddhism and the Myanmar elections, Pope Francis faces resistance within the Vatican, the Vatican financial scandal, and militants target intellectuals in Bangladesh.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Co-resistance Through Civil Initiatives for Peace
by Drew Christiansen and Ra'fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/co-resistance-through-civil-initiatives-peace
Catholics must continue to build religious relations with the Jewish community and stand up with them against anti-Semitism. But not everything which is said to be anti-Semitic is so, and fear of such accusations shouldn't dissuade them from criticism of Israeli policy and the Occupation. Such critique and even opposition is part of the Christian witness to justice for the marginalized and vulnerable Palestinians, who are the recipients of God's love.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fear and Silence in Bangladesh as Militants Target Intellectuals
by Ellen Barry
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/world/asia/bangladesh-terrorism-ansar-al-islam.html?ref=world&_r=0
So far this year, four bloggers and one publisher have been hacked to death in Bangladesh — a tiny number for a country with a population of around 160 million. But anonymous threats are common, and the cumulative psychological effect has been profound, prompting public figures to steer away from discussing the terrorist threat openly. 

Vatican Financial Troubles Run Deep, According to New Book
by Gaia Pianigiani
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/world/europe/vaticans-financial-troubles-run-deep-according-to-new-book.html?ref=world
Pope John Paul I, who died in 1978, still holds more than 110,000 euros, or about $120,000, in a Vatican bank account. The Vatican pension fund is running an €800-million deficit. The Vatican’s real estate holdings total €2.7 billion, seven times more than what is listed on its balance sheets. And the Vatican’s governing body had agreed to push Philip Morris cigarettes, for a fee.

related | Pope Francis Still Faces Stiff Resistance to Reform Vatican, New Books Says
by Philip Pullella
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/04/pope-francis-still-faces-stiff-resistance-to-reform-vatican-new-books-say/
Two new books by Italian journalists depict a Vatican plagued by mismanagement, greed, cronyism and corruption and where Pope Francis still faces stiff resistance from the old guard to his reform agenda. The books, “Merchants in the Temple,” by Gianluigi Nuzzi and “Avarice,” by Emiliano Fittipaldi, which are being released in Italy on Wednesday, have already been condemned by the Vatican. 

Jewish-Arab Friction Runs Raw in the Heart of Hebron
by Luke Baker
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/04/jewish-arab-friction-runs-raw-in-the-heart-of-hebron/
Israel shut down the main radio station in Hebron on Tuesday and turned part of the city in the occupied West Bank into a closed military zone, with troops clamping down on a district that has become the focal point of violent unrest. The city, 30 km (20 miles) south of Jerusalem, is the largest in the West Bank, with a Palestinian population of 200,000, among whom live 1,000 Jewish settlers under close military protection, leaving Hebron split into two zones. 

China to Push Cultural ‘Blending’ in Xinjiang Stability Push
by Ben Blanchard
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/04/china-to-push-cultural-blending-in-xinjiang-stability-push/
China will push the study of Mandarin and the “blending” of different races as part of a new stability push in the troubled far western region of Xinjiang. Hundreds of people have been killed in violence in Xinjiang in the past few years. The government blames the unrest on Islamist militants who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan for minority Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language and hail from Xinjiang. 

Spurred by Myanmar Radicals, Thai Buddhists Push for State Religion Status
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/04/spurred-by-myanmar-radicals-thai-buddhists-push-for-state-religion-status/
A campaign to enshrine Buddhism as Thailand’s state religion has been galvanized by a radical Buddhist movement in neighboring Myanmar that is accused of stoking religious tension, the leader of the Thai bid said. Experts say the campaign could tap into growing anti-Muslim sentiment in a country that prides itself on religious tolerance.
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