> Frater: This should surprise no one. In a nation that is almost 100.000%
Islamic (I used to know a priest in San Francisco who worked for the
State Dept. and he told me that he had said Mass in the 1 Church in
Afghanistan and that was in an Embassy in Kabul. He said that anything
else was beyond even imagination. I doubt that will change.             
                                                                
President Karsai has his hands full as it is and will do nothing to
upset things, esp. after that business 2 yrs ago with those two girls
who were distributing Fundamentalist nonsense and got into all sorts of
difficulty. Those who wish to know about Christianity have our prayers-
the wireless -( Vatican Radio broadcasts to the region in several
'lingua franca' regularly). Please pray for the repose of the soul of
Donald R Behm+ (A graduate of Kenyon and Seabury Western). Canon Behm
gave almost 50 years of priestly service and was found dead of a heart
attack in his residence. Let us also remember 'ad altare dei' the soul
of the 1st Bishop of Ebbsfleet (+JohnRichards) who has died. He was the
first PEV. My people in the UK thought highly of his apostolate.
Blessings. GDVW+
> Draft of Afghan Constitution Does Not Address Religious Freedom
>
> Analysis of Proposed Text
>
> KABUL, Afghanistan, NOV. 20, 2003 (Zenit.org).
>
> - The draft Afghan Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion
> and makes no reference to freedom of worship for other confessions.
>
> This is reflected in Article 2, which has caused wide public debate. The
> document, which faces a vote in Parliament next month, shows that
> religious freedom in the new Afghanistan will not be very different from
> the past.
>
> "It is necessary to see what is understood by freedom of worship and if
> the interpretation of that article will be restrictive or if the
> authorities will permit, for example, the construction of a church
> outside an embassy," Italian Father Giuseppe Moretti, superior of the
> mission "sui iuris" (in its own right) in Afghanistan, told the Vatican
> agency Fides.
>
> Father Moretti added that "in the draft Constitution, freedom of worship
> is conceived in relation to what the Shariah [Islamic law] establishes;
> therefore, it does not admit the possibility to evangelize or to engage
> in conversations."
>
> Observers and experts who have analyzed the draft state that it has a
> markedly Islamic connotation. In fact, the date on the cover, "year
> 1382," follows the Islamic calendar, adopted officially by the state, as
> Article 18 establishes.
>
> Moreover, the draft highlights the duty of the state to institute and
> organize mosques and Islamic religious centers.
>
> Article 35 stipulates that the social and political organization,
> political parties and associations that Afghan citizens are "free to
> create," must be constituted in keeping with the principles of Islam.
>
> These dispositions are in contrast to other points of the Constitution
> which affirm that the state has the duty to respect and protect the
> freedom and dignity of every human being (Article 22), and to create "a
> society based on social justice, the protection of human rights, the
> establishment of democracy, and the ensuring of national unity and the
> equality of all ethnic groups" (Article 6).
>
> However, there is hope as regards the construction of the new
> Afghanistan and relations with Muslim religious leaders, Father Moretti
> said.
>
> "Relations have yet to be built, but some Muslim leaders have already
> shown sympathy for interreligious dialogue, in particular, Mullah Fazul
> Shinwari, head of the Afghan Supreme Court, appointed Minister of
> Justice, who attended the inauguration of the 'sui iuris' mission, and
> has expressed his desire to meet with the Holy Father," the priest
> added.
>
> Nevertheless, Shinwari is known by international public opinion for his
> public statements in favor of establishing the Shariah as the
> fundamental law of the state.
>
> The mission was established officially on Aug. 6. It is the first
> circumscription established by the Catholic Church in Afghanistan in the
> post-Taliban era.
>
> Father Moretti, a Barnabite, was named the mission's superior. The
> Barnabites have been in the country since 1933.
>
>
>
>
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