WORLD - international Christian news

National Catholic Reporter, Dec 24, 1999 by Matt Kantz

The opening ceremony Sunday night marked the decision of Albania to do away with capital punishment. Forty spotlights placed inside the Colosseum cast a golden glow into the nighttime sky.

The pope, an outspoken opponent of capital punishment, commended the project,

called "The Colosseum Illuminates Life," earlier Dec. 12 when he spoke to pilgrims from his study window above St. Peter's Square after midday prayers.

He said Holy Year 2000 is the perfect occasion to "promote throughout the world more mature forms of respect for life and the dignity of every person."

"I therefore renew my appeal to all leaden to reach an international consensus on the abolition of the death penalty," he said.

Priests, nun rescued after flood in Mary's tomb

Five priests and at least one nun were rescued when a combination of rain water and sewage came rushing into the Tomb of the Virgin next to the Basilica of Gethsemane during the first big winter rain Dec. 13.

Israeli police and soldiers were called to the scene, and special army scuba divers were sent in to search for anyone else in the 49 feet of water after the priests and nun were rescued.

The site, which tradition holds is the burial site of the Virgin Mary, includes a small Franciscan grotto on ground level; the Armenians and Greek Orthodox share control over the structure where the tomb is located, some 56 feet underground. It was this area that was flooded by the water rushing down from the Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus and the Arab neighborhood of Wadi Joz.

While there have been occasional problems with water seepage, there has not been a flood of such proportions since 1972, said Fr. Maurice Dignard, superior of the Franciscan monastery at the basilica. "I've never seen water like this. The water was coming down so fast you can't imagine. It reminded me of Niagara Falls," said Dignard, a native of Canada.

Firemen were still pumping out the water several hours after the flooding began in the morning. Israel radio reported that the flood had been caused by clogged drainage pipes at the tomb.

Russian religious groups face registration deadline

Thousands of religious communities across Russia will be in legal limbo after Dec. 31 with the passing of a deadline for re-registration under a controversial religion law, according to an expert on the law.

"In legal terms, they become no one," said Moscow lawyer Yekaterina Smyslova, adding that she is working with 12 Protestant congregations in Russia on the problem.

The State Duma, or lower house of parliament, had been expected to extend the deadline before closing earlier this month to prepare for elections set for Dec. 19.

That leaves an estimated 14,000 religious communities, most of them Russian Orthodox, on shaky legal ground. What this means in practical terms is unclear and may vary considerably among Russia's 89 regions and from faith to faith.

Religious groups remain unregistered for a variety of reasons, including the inefficient state bureaucracy and groups' failure to apply.