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A p r il 13, 2005
R eligion
Differences Put Aside for Pope’s Funeral
Warring leaders
shake hands
(A P)— Israel’s president shook
hands and chatted briefly with the
leaders o f the Jewish state’s great
enemies, Syria and Iran, during Pope
John Paul H’s funeral on Friday.
P r e s id e n t M o sh e K a tsa v
greeted Syrian President Bashar
A ssad, w ho sat one row behind
him during the service, and the
Iranian-born Katsav said he spoke
in F a rsi to I r a n ’s P re s id e n t
M oham m ed K hatam i, ju st tw o
chairs away as dignitaries gath­
ered for the funeral w ere seated
alphabetically.
The gestures were among sev­
eral chance encounters as nearly
200 world leaders and other digni­
taries gathered in front of the marble
facade of St. Peter’s Basilica for the
fice later stressed he considers
M ugabe’s regim e “abhorrent.”
French President Jacques Chirac,
who led the opposition to the U.S.-
led war in Iraq, also shook hands
with President Bush - of the Etats-
Unis - and bowed to kiss the hand
of Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, who smiled broadly.
Katsav said he first shook hands
with Assad after turning to greet
the nearby Swiss leader. “The Syr­
ian president also stood there. We
ex c h a n g e d sm ile s and shook
hands,” Katsav told the Web site
of the Maariv daily.
He said a second handshake
occurred during Christian prayers
when Assad “extended his hand to
me and we again shook hands.”
Syrian officials in Damascus re­
fused to comment. But the Arab
satellite station A l-A rabiya re­
ported that a member of A ssad’s
Israe li President
M oshe Katzav
(from left), Iran 's
President
M oham m ad
Khatam i, King
Abdullah o f
Jordan, (le ft back
to camera) and
Syria's President
B ashar al-Assad,
a tte n d a funeral
m ass for Pope
John Paul II. (AP
photo)
funeral, seated alphabetically ac­
cording to the names of their coun­
tries in French, the language of
diplomacy.
The seating order took on spe-
Britain’s Prince Charles, forex-
cial significance toward the end of
the Mass when congregants were ample, took the outstretched hand
asked to greet each other in a Catho­ o f Z im babw e’s President Robert
lic tradition known as the “sign of M ugabe, w idely criticized for
rights abuses, although his o f­
peace.”
The House of Prayer
Unjust IRS Church Probes Alleged
Congressman says black
church groups targeted
Voicing concerns that outside
groups may be specifically target­
ing black and otherethnic churches
by triggering federal investigations,
a African-American Congressman
has asked the IRS to make public
the number o f predominantly black,
Caucasian, Hispanic, and other eth­
nic churches that are presently the
subject of Internal Revenue Ser­
vice investigations into their tax
exempt status.
“Concerns have been raised that
black churches in Florida have been
unfairly and disproportionately
singled out or targeted for govern­
ment scrutiny because of routine
church activities that have been a
part of the African American com­
munity for generations,” U.S. Rep.
Kenrick B. Meek said.
Meek said a letter from the IRS
can have a chilling effect on
churches.
“We need to be sure that the
power of the government is being
properly directed and not used to
harass or intimidate,” he said.
Under federal law, churches are
tax exempt and therefore not per­
mitted to participate in partisan
political activities. It was recently
reported that Friendship Baptist
Church in Miami, FL is under inves­
tigation by the IRS because of a
4936 N.E. Skidmore
Portland, OR 97218
visit by Sen. John Kerry along with
black leaders, including Meek, last
fall.
The First Baptist Church of Col­
lege Hill in Tampa, was also under
investigation for a visit by 2002
Florida gubernatorial candidate
Janet Reno. Both churches serve
primarily African American congre­
gations. The IRS is also investigat­
ing the National Association for
the A dvancem ent o f C olored
People because of a July 2004
speech given by the group’s chair­
man, Julian Bond.
Take N.E. Prescott,
Heading East (toward 60th) to
N.E. 49th and Turn Right,
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Sunday School
Sunday Morning Service
Wednesday Prayer
Wednesday Evening
I T old
M ountain
'<’Movt
i a R aybon
9:30 am
11:00 am
12:00 Noon
7:00 pm
Everyone
is Welcome!
Journalist Learns Prayer Can Move Mountains
Patricia R aybon faced a
mountain o f discord: a strained
25-year marriage, conflict with
two grown daughters, alien­
ation from her aging mother and
a troubling distance from a si­
lent God.
Beset by such family and
spiritual struggles, the author
and journalist decided to enroll
in the school o f prayer. Her new
book, “I Told the Mountain to
Move,” chronicles a life-chang-
i ng education that takes her from
the rote prayers of childhood to
a mature understanding of her
R \i
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1\IV
faith.
Patricia Raybon
Her husband’s sudden ill­
n e ss w as th e c a ta ly s t fo r
Raybon's quest, but it was just one o f several of secrets from her own past.
Raybon, 55, the daughter of devout Chris­
trials she faced. Others included her youngest
daughter’s conversion to Islam and the burden tians who raised her in a vibrant African-Ameri-
delegation confirmed the hand­
shake, though he also denied any
political meaning.
Iranian officials also declined to
discuss the reported encounter
between Katsav, who was bom in
central Iran, and Khatami.
Katsav, who decided at the last
minute to attend the funeral and
upgrade Israel’s representation,
said that as he was leaving, “the
Iranian president held his hand out
to me. I shook his hand and greeted
him in Farsi.”
The men, who are roughly the
same age, conversed about Yazd,
the region where they were bom, he
told the television station.
V atican officials, m eanw hile,
said they were satisfied at the mix
o f princes and presidents, saying
the dignitaries clearly felt com ­
fortable in a nonpolitical atm o­
sphere.
can church, had been going
through the motions for years.
Her prayers met with silence:
“ G od
w as
my
D eus
Absconditus the God who is
hidden,” she writes, “cold and
distant, and as soundless as
the grave.”
So, R a y b o n vow ed to
learn to pray.
“ But w hat did I know of
the secrets o f prayer?” she
said. A form er reporter, she
was now a journalism pro­
fessor at a state university,
where the idea o f praying to
an unseen God “could get
me laughed o ff cam pus, if
not out o f a jo b .”
In her book, Raybon offers 24 lessons,
such as Tell the Hard Truth and Serve with
Love, that trace her transform ation.
Pastor Marcia L. Taylor
Founder/Counselor
Tel: (503) 284-9959
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