14/08/2012 08:15
GIAPPONE - RUSSIA
Terremoto 7.7 nel nord-est del Pacifico. Nessun pericolo di tsunami
La scossa è stata percepita nell'isola di Sakhalin e in alcune aree dell'Hokkaido e dell'Honshu. Per ora non si registrano vittime o danni apprezzabili.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agenzie) - Una scossa di intensità 7.7 localizzata nel nord-est dell'oceano Pacifico ha investito l'estremo oriente russo e il Giappone. Finora non si registrano vittime o danni e nessun allarme tsunami è stato diramato.
Il terremoto è avvento verso l'una del pomeriggio (ora locale). Il suo epicentro era a 160 km dalla città russa di Poronaysk, a una profondità di oltre 632 km.
L'ufficio meteo di Tokyo ha garantito che non vi è rischio tsunami. Il sisma è stato avvertito con una magnitudo 3 in alcune zone dell'Hokkaido e dell'Honshu (Iwate e Aomori). Per la Russia è stata colpita l'isola di Sakhalin.
(Foto: Google map)
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08/14/2012 09:21
JAPAN - RUSSIA
7.7 earthquake in the northeast Pacific. No danger of tsunami
The quake was felt in the island of Sakhalin and in some areas of Hokkaido and Honshu. So far no reports of casualties or serious damage.
Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck was registered in the north-east Pacific Ocean hitting the Russian Far East and Japan. So far there were no reports of casualties or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The earthquake struck at one o'clock in the afternoon (local time). Its epicenter was 160 km from the Russian city of Poronaysk, at a depth of over 632 km.
The Tokyo Met Office has guaranteed that there is no risk of a tsunami. The earthquake was felt with a magnitude of 3 in some areas of Hokkaido and Honshu (Aomori and Iwate). The Russian island of Sakhalin was also hit.
(Photo: Google map)
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14/08/2012 08:32
RUSSIA
Ex ideologo del putinismo torna alla guida degli Affari religiosi
di Nina Achmatova
Surkov nominato a capo della commissione governativa per i rapporti con le religioni. L'approvazione del Patriarcato. Esperti: Mosca intende prendere decisioni radicali sulle questioni che riguardano le relazioni interreligiose.
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Mosca (AsiaNews) - La Chiesa russa ortodossa ha espresso soddisfazione per il ritorno dell'ex ideologo del Cremlino, il vice premier Vladislav Surkov, a capo della commissione Affari religiosi presso il governo russo.
"Vladislav Yuryevich è un intellettuale di livello ed è interessante e piacevole lavorare con lui", ha commentato l'arciprete Vsevolod Chaplin, capo del Dipartimento sinodale per le relazioni tra Chiesa e società dopo la notizia della nomina arrivata il 13 agosto.
Teorico della 'democrazia sovrana' di Vladimir Putin (con cui si giustificano le violazioni delle norme democratiche in nome della sovranità nazionale), Surkov si occuperà per conto del governo di Dmitri Medvedev degli affari religiosi, settore al momento sotto forte pressione per il caso delle Pussy Riot, la band femminile che rischia il carcere per aver intonato una preghiera punk contro Putin nella cattedrale di Cristo Salvatore a Mosca.
Quarantasette anni, Surkov era stato allontanato dal suo posto di primo vice capo di gabinetto della presidenza russa a dicembre, dopo le proteste di piazza conto Putin. Quest'ultimo, ancora premier ma già candidato favorito alle presidenziali, l'aveva allora chiamato nel suo esecutivo per affidargli proprio la guida della commissione affari religiosi, posto mantenuto fino a giugno, quando il nuovo premier Medvedev l'aveva sostituito con Olga Gorodets.
Secondo il quotidiano economico Vedomosti, il ritorno di Surkov alla gestione dei rapporti con le organizzazioni religiose corrisponde alla "difficile situazione relativa alla leadership delle religioni tradizionali". Il patriarca di Mosca Kirill è stato oggetto di una serie di scandali che lo hanno ritratto come un uomo che vive nel lusso e nell'agio. Kirill è stato poi fortemente criticato dalla società civile e dagli stessi fedeli per la sua posizione troppo dura contro le ragazze delle Pussy Riot, per le quali non ha mai espresso parole di misericordia.
Ma non è solo l'ortodossia a vivere un momento di forti tensioni. Anche l'islam, seconda religione in Russia, sta combattendo con l'estremismo in una zona finora esempio di convivenza pacifica come il Tatarstan. In questa repubblica autonoma nel sud del Paese un duplice attentato contro religiosi musulmani moderati, il mese scorso, ha fatto scattare l'allerta per il diffondersi del wahhabismo proveniente dal Caucaso settentrionale.
Anche il mufti di Cecenia, Sultana Mirzayev, ha espresso soddisfazione per il ritorno di Surkov agli Affari religiosi. "Si tratta di una persona responsabile e di un politico saggio - ha commentato a Interfax - conosce bene la materia e la sua nomina fa capire che il governo intende prendere decisioni radicali sulle questioni che riguardano le relazioni interreligiose".
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08/14/2012 10:09
RUSSIA
Former Putin ideologue back to the leadership of Religious Affairs
by Nina Achmatova
Surkov appointed head of the governmental commission for relations with other religions. The approval of the Patriarchate. Experts: Moscow intends to take radical decisions on issues that affect interfaith relations.
Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Russian Orthodox Church has welcomed the return of former Kremlin ideologist, Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov to head of the Russian government's Religious Affairs Committee.
"Vladislav Yuryevich is an intellectual and it is interesting and a pleasure to work with him," said Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Department for relations between the Church and State after the news arrived of the appointment on August 13.
Theorist of a Vladimir Putin 'sovereign democracy' (with which they justify violations of democratic norms in the name of national sovereignty), on behalf of the government of Dmitri Medvedev Surkov will be in charge of the field of Religious Affairs, at an intense moment given the case of Pussy Riot, the girl band that risks jail time for having chanted a punk prayer against Putin at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
Surkov, 47, was removed from his post as first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidency in December after street protests against Putin. The latter, still prime minister but already favored candidate for president, then called him to the executive entrusting him the leadership of the Committee on Religious Affairs, a post he held until June, when the new Prime Minister Medvedev replaced him with Olga Gorodets.
According to business daily Vedomosti, Surkov's return to managing relations with religious organizations is due to the "difficult situation of the leadership of traditional religions." Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has been the subject of a series of scandals that have portrayed him as a man who lives in luxury and in comfort. Kirill was also strongly criticized by civil society and by the faithful themselves for his overly harsh position against the Pussy Riot girls and lack of mercy.
But the Orthodox Church is not the only religion under pressure. Even Islam, second largest religion in Russia, is struggling with extremism in a region that has always been a model of peaceful coexistence, Tatarstan. In this autonomous republic in the south a double attack on Muslim moderates, last month, has triggered the alert for the spread of Wahhabism from the North Caucasus.
Even the Mufti of Chechnya, Sultana Mirzayev, welcomed the return of Surkov to Religious Affairs. "This is a responsible and politically wise person - he said to Interfax - he knows the area well and his appointment suggests that the government intends to take radical decisions on issues that affect interfaith relations."
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ISLAM - CHRISTIANITY
A Muslim convert talks about Christ
by Bernardo Cervellera
By coming out openly on TV, with the danger of recognition and persecution for 'apostasy,' Mohammed Christophe reasserted the importance of conversion and baptism. In Muslim nations, various bishops and priests refuse to baptise Muslims who want to become Christian. Yet, conversion means a revolution in the relationship with God, the father, and Jesus, who gave his life, for one gives up everything putting one's life at risk.
Rome (AsiaNews) - A few days ago, the website of Notre Dame de Kabylie posted a tape in which a former Muslim, Mohammed Christophe Bilek, talked about his conversion to Christianity. The original broadcast, which focused on the persecution of Christians, first appeared in 'Dieu Merci' (Thank God), a show that deals with religion on Direct 8, a French TV channel.
Mohammed Christophe Bilek was born in Algeria in 1950 and has lived in France since 1961. He is the author of two books: Un algérien pas très catholique (A not very Catholic Algerian), published by Cerf (1999) and Saint Augustin raconté à ma fille (Saint Augustine as told to my daughter), published by Éditions Qabel (2011). In the 1990s, he founded the Notre Dame de Kabylie (in French), a website devoted to evangelisation among Muslims and Muslim-Christian dialogue.
In the video, Bilek highlights the risk Muslim converts face when accused of apostasy, an offence that can be punished by death. Nevertheless, he insists on the importance of baptism, the encounter with Jesus Christ and affiliation with the Church.
His views go against those of priests and bishops in Muslim countries, who prefer to dissuade or even deny baptism to Muslims who want to convert out of fear for the consequences they and Christian communities might face.
Is baptising banned?
A few weeks ago, a bishop in an Arab country in the Middle East told me that police threatened to close one of his communities because members had advertised a Christian-Muslim meeting on dialogue. Police were concerned that this might be the first step towards so-called proselytising and apostasy. "If this is the reaction to a meeting on dialogue, imagine what it would be if we had a conversion," an embittered bishop said.
It is no wonder then that the prelate is against conversions and baptisms for only this seems to be the way to preserve the little freedom of worship that exists in the country in question.
In places like Morocco, and until recently Algeria, the situation is such that dioceses were instructed not to baptise Muslims who want to convert to Catholicism because "local laws ban it."
Fr Samir Khalil remembers that a few years ago, he met a Muslim whose request for baptism was rejected for 13 years. Baptism, he was told, would bring him a lot of trouble, force him to emigrate to avoid being executed for apostasy, and endanger the priest performing the baptism. And yet, for all this time, the would-be convert studied the Gospels and the catechism on his own and led a life of prayers.
In Egypt, the Christian clergy also tends to avoid baptising Muslims; only a few priests have done so in secret. Speaking to AsiaNews, a religious who has been in Egypt for decades, said that baptising at any cost "is against the Second Vatican Council because the Council said that non-Christians can also find salvation outside the Church." Implicitly, this means that baptism is unnecessary and that people find salvation according to their circumstances.
This is not the place to start a theological debate about the faith in Christ and the salvation of non-Christians. Suffices it to say, that both Dominus Iesus and theDoctrinal note on some aspects of evangelization reiterate the importance of a 'visible' and socially relevant affiliation to Christ and the Church.
What is more, baptism is a life-changing experience, one that alters the convert's perception of life. Changes occur in the here and now, not in some future 'eternal' life after death. For this reason, offering others the baptism is not a superficial deed but a gift of life and hope in the present. Being baptised or not being baptised are not equivalent.
Christians' 'solar' God vs the Qur'an's 'lunar' God
Faith changes the present in a profound and meaningful way. On Notre Dame de Kabylie, Mohammed Christophe explains his conversion by stressing his new understanding of God.
"If the God of the Qur'an is the same as that of the Christians, why did I, Mohammed, become Christophe," he asked himself. "Having lived in Islam, practiced its precepts among people who are still Muslim (his family still is), I continue to be dazzled by the discovery of the Gospel," he said by way of answer.
"The light that comes from the Gospel suggests a comparison, one based on a certain premise. Anyone who wants to talk about the God of Islam must refer to Qur'an. If we replace the word 'God' with 'light', the light of the Qur'an is lunar, that of the Gospel is solar."
"Whether God is one, i.e. the creator, whatever the name we might have given him, is something I can accept. If we stuck to this premise, it would not be necessary to leave Islam and become Christian."
"Yet, Jesus came to reveal, first to the Jews, then to all men, that 'God is your Father, that God loves you and wants you with Him to give you His life!' Upon such words, I do not hesitate one moment. I accept the offer, not once, but twice. I know that the Qur'an makes an offer in which I may deserve (but that is not certain) a carnal and materialist heaven (Sura 38, 50-52) that reminds me more of ads for vacation spots to idle away the time under the tropical sun than of the certainty of 'knowing' my God and Lord."
What about the images we have of Christ and Mohammed? Two quotes say it all for Mohammed Christophe. In one case, Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep," whilst in the other, Mohammed is told "O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses" (Sura 33, 50)."
"Let us be serious. It is one thing to say 'there is but one God for all;' it is another to say that He is interested in me, insignificant worm, to the extent that he 'deifies' me in Jesus. [. . .] Such revelation was my calling."
Jesus, man's freedom without submission
Mohammed Christophe also speaks about apostasy and the possibility of death that comes from following him.
Christ says, "Are you ready to follow me and leave everything for me? When one realises what Jesus asks, out of love, we can see how difficult it is to follow him. It is also one thing to say 'yes' with one's lips; it is another to leave everything behind for Him.
"For those of us who come from Islam, this means breaking with one's past, family and community as well as one's moral or spiritual certainties."
"I say it is much easier to remain a Muslim, not take a stance (since we have the same God). There are many easy excuses not to make the break, not to accept this transformation, not to die in oneself and not to follow Christ. Conversion is demanding and cannot be done without his help."
"This is what the rich youth in the Gospel could not do, because, at least at the start, one must freely agree. Jesus does not impose on me any "submission" but only the freedom to love him."
"This is an important difference. Does God create us as free men or slaves? Depending on our answer, God is not the same. In one case, I risk the punishment reserved for apostates or unbelievers; in the other, I am the prodigal son expected by his father, who calls all his servants as soon he sees him on the horizon."
"Leaving Islam is dangerous. It is done at the risk of one's life. Thus, dear brothers and sisters in the West, welcome and help those who do it."
"I insist. I am not talking about the God of the Muslims but of the God of the Qur'an. Muslims are my brothers; perhaps one day, they may be my brothers and sisters in Christ."
"Since the 1990s, this has not only been a hope but it has also been a reality that has made me rejoice and praise the Lord. Alleluia! Jesus has come to save all men, Muslims included."
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