World briefs December

Global South: Postpone Lambeth!
Global South Archbishops have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to postpone next year’s Lambeth Conference. The statement saying ‘true collegiality’ was not possible was signed by nine Primates, including Nigeria’s Peter Akinola, South-East Asia’s John Chew and Uganda’s Luke Orombi.

Canadians muddle on gay blessings
Canadian Anglicans are in a muddle over blessing same-sex unions after their bishops agreed to continue a moratorium on same-sex marriages. It’s unclear what impact this has on Ottawa and Montreal dioceses who approved the blessings last month.

Persecution Watch: Burma
Population: 43 million
Religious adherence:
89% Buddhist
4% Christian
4% Muslim
Anti-evangelism laws: Foreign missionaries are banned. The government, seeking to uphold Buddhism, prohibits clergy from evangelising in some areas. Some ministers had their residency permits denied to stop them moving into a new township.
Church closures: House churches, as well as a 1000-member Baptist church, were forced to close in the capital Rangoon last year because they lacked authorisation.
Bible ban: Importation of Christian books is very difficult. It is illegal to import translations of the Bible in indigenous languages.
Forced conversions: In the recent past, the government has forced Christians to convert to Buddhism at gunpoint. Financial inducements continue to be offered.
Sources: CIA factbook and the US Government’s International Religious Freedom Report 2007

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