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Castelgandolfo, Jul 23, 2008 / 08:15 pm (CNA).- Having returned from his visit to Australia for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI has moved to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. After three days of rest, he will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki on Friday and travel to the northern Italian town of Bressanone the following day.In Bressanone, a German-speaking town near the Italian border with Germany, the Pope will stay with his brother Father Georg Ratzinger in a medieval seminary from July 28 to August 11. According to ANSA news agency, a grand piano has been...

Cardinal Marc Ouellet faced a daunting task when he became archbishop of Quebec, Canada, in 2003.The province of Quebec, once thoroughly Catholic, with roots in the rich history of French missionaries, had become thoroughly secularized. The 49th International Eucharistic Congress was held in his city June 15-22, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Quebec’s founding, with hopes that it would provide a way to rekindle the spark of faith there. The cardinal, who is also primate of Canada and was once a missionary in Colombia, took advantage of the opportunity. He set out on a program of pastoral renewal centered...

Vatican City, May 19, 2008 / 09:21 am (CNA).- Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has sent a letter to the bishops of the world with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI reaffirming the norms established by the Congregation for Catholic Education in the 2005 document, “Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocation with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders,” as universal and without exceptions.  In the brief “Rescriptum ex audientia” –a written response to various queries—Cardinal Bertone said the norms establishing the selection...

Episcopal Seminaries Struggle With Costs Long-Held Training Model Faces an Uncertain Future By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Religion News Service Saturday, May 17, 2008; B09 In the cloistered world of Episcopal seminaries, time sometimes seems to stand still as clergy-in-training gather in stone chapels to pray in ways familiar to their forebears centuries earlier. But the semblance of timelessness can be deceiving. Some of the 11 seminaries affiliated with the Episcopal Church are slashing core programs, while others report rapid growth in enrollment. Still others are reexamining conventional wisdom about what it takes -- and how much it costs -- to...

Yonkers, NY, Apr 26, 2008 / 03:45 am (CNA).- St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York, has received dozens of applications following Pope Benedict’s visit, the New York Daily News reports."It's been like a tsunami, a good tsunami of interest," said Father Luke Sweeney, the Archdiocese of New York's vocations director.  “I've been meeting people all week and have a lot of e-mails I haven't had the chance yet to respond to. It has been incredible.”For the first time in 108 years, the seminary had been preparing for a year with no students.  Only 23 seminarians are expected to...

This sent to me last night by an overjoyed Megan B., of Hyde Park, New York: "Hello! I’m a long time reader of your blog and I wanted to give you some more details on the papal youth rally, which I was able to attend today. First of all, it was absolutely amazing. It was like a giant 4th of July fireworks event, or county fair (including long lines for food!) One of the things they didn’t show on TV (I don’t know if they mentioned it) was that there was also a prayer chapel and confessions available. The...

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived on the stage at the youth rally at St. Joseph's Seminary at Yonkers, NY.

Your Eminence, Dear Brother Bishops, Dear Young Friends,"Proclaim the Lord Christ … and always have your answer ready for people who ask the reason for the hope that is within you" (1 Pet 3:15). With these words from the First Letter of Peter I greet each of you with heartfelt affection. I thank Cardinal Egan for his kind words of welcome and I also thank the representatives chosen from among you for their gestures of welcome. To Bishop Walsh, Rector of Saint Joseph Seminary, staff and seminarians, I offer my special greetings and gratitude. Young friends, I am very...

Most people agree that the wildly popular Harry Potter series has a religious following. But to what extent are the stories about the fictional boy wizard a religious allegory? Danielle Tumminio, a Yale Divinity School graduate student who instructs a course called "Christian Theology and Harry Potter" at Yale would say, "Yes." Her course uses all seven Potter books to examine Christian themes such as sin, evil and resurrection, reports CNN.

JERUSALEM - Two gunmen infiltrated a rabbinical seminary and opened fire after nightfall Thursday. At least seven people were killed, police and local media said, including at least one of the terrorists. Israeli media said about 35 people were wounded. Ambulances raced to the scene from around the city. The terrorists entered a dining hall where about 80 people were gathered, witnesses said, and opened fire. "There are at least seven killed," said Eli Dein, director of Israel's rescue service.

On December 21, 2007 Ergun Caner sent me an announcement about the name change of Liberty Theological Seminary to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. I gave it only passing notice. From all that I know, Liberty may be the finest Fundamentalist seminary around and I don't care how many times they extract and reinsert the name "Baptist" on their letterhead. When Caner became dean of the seminary in 2004 he took the name "Baptist" out. The rationale given for reinserting it I found mildly amusing, but again, not worth much more than a raised eyebrow. He wrote, [S]ince 2004, much...

John Michels, right, prays during Mass at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. Joining him are Scott Carter and Gachuhi Kamunge. Michels and Carter are seminarians at SJV; Kamunge was a guest at Mass. - Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit Number of men attending St. John Vianney seminary by state location of their diocese. They've increased their housing; they've increased their staff; they've increased the rigor.And the men keep coming. St. John Vianney Seminary's enrollment is at an all-time high, with 154 men from 28 dioceses, which currently gives it the largest college seminary...

Readers may recall my coverage of various goings-on in the Miami archdiocese over the past couple of years. Lo and behold, there is something new to report... St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary recently sent out two vocation-recruiting catalogs to prospective seminarians. One version — which contained only articles and no advertisements — targeted straight men. The other version — which did contain advertisements, including the one pictured below, with two bare-chested men standing next to each other in a hot tub — targeted homosexual men. I have, in my possession, a copy of the latter. (This is addressed to...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A powerful sense of devotion overtook Michael Burbeck in a medieval church in the small Czech town of Cesky Krumlov. The way he describes it, he was praying in the lofty, 125-foot-high sanctuary of St. Vitus Roman Catholic Church, when he looked up at a life-size crucifix and was overwhelmed by a sense of peace and belonging. He realized he would commit the rest of his life to Jesus. "It was like the classic movie scene: Guy sees girl across the room, knows she's the one," Burbeck said. "I had this moment when I realized that (Jesus)...

Metro Atlanta's Roman Catholic churches are keeping their pulpits filled better than many regions of the country.Across the nation there is a shortage of priests, but the Archdiocese of Atlanta's 95 churches and missions have 262 priests and more than 50 seminarians in training. RELATED: • More Atlanta news "We have one of the strongest vocational programs in the country," said Father Luke Ballman, the director of vocations.About 600 Serrans, lay Catholics dedicated to supporting and educating those choosing church vocations, are in Atlanta this weekend for a national conference.Serra clubs across the country raise money for scholarships, organize prayer...

The Rev. Jerry Falwell will be remembered very differently on the religious and political right and on the religious and political left. The current polarization of American religion and society is a product of the mixing of religion and politics that Jerry Falwell advocated. That is his legacy. If you like that polarization, you will remember Rev. Falwell as a pioneer; if you decry that polarization, you will hope that the country repudiates the mixing of religion and politics that he so typified and that he orchestrated so effectively. [snip] The Moral Majority in some ways redefined the word “moral,”...

The nation's first openly gay governor has become an Episcopalian and been accepted into a seminary, according to a published report. Former Gov. James E. McGreevey, who was raised as a Roman Catholic, was officially received into the Episcopal religion on Sunday at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York, said the Rev. Kevin Bean, vicar at the church. McGreevey has been accepted to study at the General Theological Seminary in New York, the oldest in the Episcopal Church, school spokesman Bruce Parker said Wednesday. Parker did not know whether the former governor wants to become a priest. ''Mr. McGreevey has...

A. M. D. G. Father Joseph Carola, S.J.Sermon on Diaconal Ministry at the AltarFor the Third-Year Students of the Pontifical North American CollegeVatican City24 April 2007 John 19: 38-42 Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin which had ruthlessly sought Jesus’ death. But Joseph “was a virtuous and righteous man…who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action” ( Luke 23:50-51). Indeed, he “was himself a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57)—although “secretly…for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). It was he, “a distinguished member of the council who…courageously went...

How mainline seminary education undermines orthodox perspectives by Ryan Travis As I approach the end of my first year of study at what most would regard a typical mainline Protestant seminary, I am increasingly concerned about the future well-being of the church. Many courses designed for the theological and spiritual formation of future pastors employ texts and resources that articulate views that significantly deviate from the historically confessed faith. Below are three different ways some courses I have taken undermine orthodox perspectives. I. They exclude or marginalize orthodox voices. Perhaps the easiest way to undermine orthodox perspectives simply is to...

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Vatican translation of the answers Benedict XVI gave to questions posed by seminarians of the Roman Major Seminary, during the Pope's visit there Feb. 17. Part 1 of the questions and answers was published Thursday. * * * Koicio Dimov, Diocese of Nicopolis, Bulgaria (Second-Year Theology): Most Blessed Father, commenting on the Way of the Cross in 2005, you spoke of the dirt in the Church; and in the Homily for the ordination of the Roman priests last year, you warned us of the risk "of careerism, the attempt to get...

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 1, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Vatican translation of the answers Benedict XVI gave to questions posed by seminarians of the Roman Major Seminary, during the Popes visit there Feb. 17. Part 2 of the questions and answers will be published on Friday. * * * VISIT TO THE COMMUNITY OF THE ROMAN MAJOR SEMINARY ON OCCASION OF THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF TRUST ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI Saturday, 17 February 2007 Gregorpaolo Stano, Diocese of Oria (First-Year Philosophy): Your Holiness, ours is the first of two years dedicated to discernment, during which we...

Pallottine priest Fr. Greg Serwa is Stripes the Clown. And Stripes the Clown provides the cover-story for the Milwaukee Catholic Herald's special Vocations Supplement. "It's interesting being a clown because people don't know who you are necessarily," said Fr. Serwa, who continues to clown at parish festivals. "The same can be said in some ways for priests. You wear a uniform and people identify with that uniform. It can keep people away or invite people in. As a priest, you're always dealing with things that are important to people's lives. You have to be real gentle with people. The...

ROME (CNS) -- Students at Pontifical North American College are among those competing in the first Clericus Cup, a soccer championship exclusively for priests and seminarians in Rome. Seminaries and pontifical universities have fielded 16 teams for the championship series, with 311 players coming from approximately 50 countries. The series is to open Feb. 24 when Pontifical Gregorian University plays Pontifical International College Maria Mater Ecclesiae. The championship game will be in June. North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, plays its first game March 3 against Pontifical Urbanian University, an institution for seminarians from mission countries. North American...

ROME, FEB. 19, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI encouraged seminarians to always be attentive to the Word of God and to be humble in acknowledging sin in the Church and in their lives. The Pope said this on Saturday when visiting the students of the Roman Major Seminary. The occasion was the feast of the seminary's patroness, Our Lady of Confidence. Responding to the questions posed by six students, the Holy Father underlined how important it is to live the Eucharist, and to regard suffering as a teacher. He urged them not to put faith in those who promise a happy...

The meaning of ministry CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 12:35 pm One of the WDTPRS articles I posted today has a paragraph on the issue of ministry. This paragraph aroused a comment from an attentive reader. It is worth our time to tease out that exchange and give it some focus: During my seminary days the more radical of the faculty forbade us from using the “‘p’-word” (“priest”). They insisted we were being formed to be “ordained ministers”. This had the purpose of deemphasizing the distinction between the priest… er um… “ordained minister” and all people… er um…...

From the California Daily Catholic (H/T Denise) about the new rector of the Los Angeles seminary, Cardinal Mahony's enterprise. Seminarians from San Diego also go there. The ones I know did however not drink Mahony's Kool Aid but simply shrugged off the "new age nuns" and such. Now Mahony has a company man in charge who's fond of Mahony's priest-undermining project, aka as "Parish life director", enabling pant suits to take charge. Cox, who holds a canon law degree from the Catholic University of America and teaches canon law at the seminary, is “a company man,” said an archdiocesan...

ROME — Rome’s largest English-speaking national seminaries are detecting an increase in numbers of vocations after a less fruitful period in the early part of the decade.The Pontifical North American College, the Venerable English College and the Pontifical Irish College are all reporting higher numbers of candidates for the priesthood compared to a few years ago. “We’ve seen a steady increase to the diocesan priesthood in the United States, and we are now seeing the benefit of that in the college,” said Father Dennis Gill, media spokesman at the North American College. He noted that vocations to religious orders are...

WASHINGTON (CNS) – A new Program of Priestly Formation has been issued for use in all U.S. Catholic seminaries.It places more emphasis on the human formation of seminarians, and especially on formation for celibacy, than did the fourth edition of the program, which had been in effect since 1992. The 98-page revised version of the program, the fifth edition, has been posted on the Web site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org. The Program of Priestly Formation has governed seminary formation in the United States since the bishops issued the first edition in 1971. The new version, reflecting...

Methodist Activist Reacts to Seminary Hosting Dems' Conference By Jim Brown August 14, 2006 (AgapePress) - A conservative United Methodist activist finds it ironic that a United Methodist seminary in Colorado recently hosted a Democratic party conference on how to attract religious voters. The political summit at Iliff Theological Seminary in Denver drew Democratic Party leaders, academics, pollsters, and members of the clergy. According to Associated Press, some of the participants said Democrats do not need to change their position on abortion or same-sex "marriage," but need only to emphasize the morality of helping the poor or protecting the environment....

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Silently processing out of the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica at 7 a.m. each day, the altar servers look like angels, but the women who cook and clean for them say they are normal boys. Well, maybe not totally normal. After all, these 11- to 18-year-olds live at the Vatican during the school year. During the 2005-06 academic year, 21 of them ate, slept, studied and occasionally created chaos at the St. Pius X Pre-seminary inside the Vatican walls. Father Enrico Radice, rector of the pre-seminary, said four students graduated from high school in June, and...

Msgr. James McDonald is known to his fellow priests as the “vocations pastor.� He was appointed rector of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception earlier this year and presented his first candidates for ordination June 10 at the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.’s St. Agnes Cathedral. Msgr. McDonald, 64, has never taught in a seminary and holds no advanced degrees in theology. But Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy said he tapped the long-time pastor because Msgr. McDonald holds “a doctorate in priesthood,� and is “an extraordinary mentor and leader of the men,� as demonstrated by his tireless recruitment of vocations....

COLORADO SPRINGS ? Big names and big surprises converged before a nationwide audience at the 2006 Pastors Draft on April 27. "I've been waiting a long time for this," said Alvin DeWalt, 26, of Fuller Seminary, pacing his apartment in Pasadena and watching the draft on the Daystar network. His wife had made guacamole, and thirty friends were on hand to see which church picked DeWalt, one of this year's top ranked prospects. In the first round, Geoff Parsons and Rick Benson, of Westminster and Calvin seminaries respectively, went first, as scouts had predicted they would. Parsons heads to a...

We don't just have to fight the enemy without, but, sadly also the enemy within. In the saga of the Austrian deacon whose priestly ordination was cancelled after he'd called for rebellion against Rome (silly boy, doesn't he know a good dissenter waits until AFTER ordination with that? /sarcasm), a chapter has been added. Upon returning to his hometown of Steyregg, Upper Austria, the church was packed and he was celebrated like a hero. I guess he's a moron but he's their moron. This guy entered the seminary when the old bishop was still in power - a horrible man...

Previously I had posted on identical twins Gary and Todd Koenigsknecht who are entering St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Via The World .. IMHO is a story about James and Joseph Cambell who are identical twins and were ordained together as priests on Jun 23rd.Deacons James and Joseph Campbell—twin brothers who will be ordained at St. Peter Cathedral in Erie along with their classmate, Deacon Marc Solomon, on Friday, June 23—hope to be up to the challenge. “We have to enkindle the fire of Christ’s love in the hearts of his people,� says James. The youngest...

The Rev. Yves le Roux, rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, is clear about the role of the Society of St. Pius X, of which he is a member. “We are Roman Catholic,� he said. “We are recognized by Pope Benedict XVI. He is our father, but we are obliged to tell you we do not accept the teachings of Vatican II because it’s not an echo of the traditional church. The Church does not have the ability to teach something new.� St. Thomas Aquinas is one of six seminaries around the world run by the Society of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said May 26 that the Vatican's visitations to U.S. seminaries and houses of formation are nearly complete, and he hopes the resulting reports will be released this fall. "Bottom line, I think this visitation was most successful," Archbishop O'Brien said in a talk to the 2006 Catholic Media Convocation in Nashville. A former head of two seminaries, he was coordinator of the visitations for the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees seminary formation. The objectives of the visitations, which were sparked by the...

God has finally come to US reality television -- and against all guesses, the oddball match has delighted the Roman Catholic Church. "God or the Girl" pits four aspiring young Catholic priests against their libidos during the final four weeks before their decisions to take the church's Holy Orders, with the vow of chastity. The first two episodes, fittingly broadcast on Easter Sunday, showed Joe, Dan, Steve and Mike as they steer between the temptations of secular life, including old girlfriends, and the path toward Catholic robes. The show opens to intensely dramatic music, pictures of a crucifix and a...

It was the non-Catholic responders to yesterday's blog who were most effusive in asking me to share my version of “God or the Girl” — how I came to the decision to choose the priesthood (or “ministry”) over other very good things, including career, marriage, and family life. Your curiosity gives me pause and courage. I tell you my story hesitantly because this blog is not about me, nor is it about my faith. Here we talk about the news and try to understand it in its fullness, unashamed to say ethics and morals matter, and aware that in the...

Vatican City, Feb. 27, 2006 (CNA) - At noon today, Pope Benedict XVI met with a group of priests and seminarians visiting as representatives of the Orthodox Church of Greece. He told them that as the culture of Europe and the world become increasingly hostile to the Christian faith, Catholics and Orthodox must work together to spread the Gospel message. The papal visitors came from the Theological College of "Apostoliki Diakonia", as well as the University of Athens.Following a brief personal meeting, the Pope consigned a written message to the group, in which, he laments that "For we Christians of...

A Vatican-chartered inquiry team began work at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe Monday, part of a study of whether U.S. seminaries are providing proper spiritual, moral and theological training for the priesthood. Two bishops and two priests will spend five days interviewing all 64 candidates for priesthood and all regular faculty. All graduates of the past three years have been invited to meet with the team or to offer signed comments in writing. Identical studies are being done at all 229 Catholic seminaries in the United States. SS. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary on the North Side was among...

Hi everyone, I need some informational help in regards to conservative seminaries, preferably in the New Jersey area, but anywhere in the US is fine. I was hoping that some of my fellow Catholics here would be able to provide me with the info I need.

Despite 9/11 and the almost numbing frequency of suicide bombings in Iraq, Israel, London. Madrid, Istanbul, Bali, and elsewhere, some people continue pedaling two discredited arguments: 1) that blame for these attacks ultimately lies with the policies or mere existence of the victims’ governments; and 2) that we must listen and can learn something of value from the terrorists themselves. Most Americans realize that "it’s not us, it’s them," in other words, it is the terrorists, not the victims of terrorism, who are to blame. Accordingly, it is the terrorists, not us, who need to change or to be stopped....

Reporting that almost a third of the 229 seminaries and formation programs have undergone their apostolic visitation, the NCR's John Allen gives an account of the process so far. Ominously, the buzz-word is "cordial." [M]ost bishops who have led visitation teams say they see the process as a matter of "fine-tuning," rather than remedying systemic problems. Several bishops have likened the visitation to an academic accreditation process, helping institutions to build on strengths and correct weaknesses. Right. That's doubtless why the Holy See called the U.S. cardinals together in April of 2002 and insisted on a "new and serious" visitation:...

The pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church has sent a letter to Chicago's 50 aldermen formally distancing himself from the decision of a denomination leader to meet with representatives of Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli group with terrorist ties. The City Council last week passed a resolution condemning the meeting and expressing "dismay" with Rev. Bob Reynolds, head of the Chicago Presbytery. Reynolds was part of a church group that met with Hezbollah leaders during a trip to the Middle East last month. During the debate on the resolution, two aldermen also threatened to oppose a zoning change sought by Fourth Presbyterian Church...

Hezbollah official Nabil Qawuq is undoubtedly a busy man. As Hezbollah’s commander in Southern Lebanon, Qawuq is responsible for leading the bulk of the Shi’ite terrorist group’s combat forces, while frequently overseeing attacks on Israeli positions and attempts to kidnap Israeli soldiers or civilians. A confidante of Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah, Qawuq is also a fixture on Al-Jazeera and Lebanese television, his appearances generously mottled with calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Nevertheless, Qawuq recently found the time in his busy schedule to meet with -- of all things -- a church group. On October 20th, a...

Teacher burns student with hot iron From our correspondent 18 December 2005 LAHORE — A 12-year-old student in Multan, Mohammad Asif, was burnt with hot iron for refusing to have alleged physical relations with his teacher, Abdul Rashid. The teacher, in a fit of anger, had injured Asif’s body parts. “We have registered a case against Abdul Rashid on the complaint of Asif’s grand father for allegedly scarring the boy’s body with a hot iron,” said Multan DPO Munir Ahmad Chishti. He said the incident occurred on December 11 in a religious seminary in Hazoriwala where Asif stayed in boarding....

Collegeville, Minn. -- A priest at St. John's University said he was resigning his leadership position because of the Vatican's latest statement that homosexuals should be barred from entering the Roman Catholic priesthood. "Because I can no longer honestly represent, explain and defend the church's teaching on homosexuality, I feel I must resign," the Rev. Bob Pierson said in an e-mail Wednesday to administrators and students at St. John's and the nearby College of St. Benedict. The Vatican announced last month that it was toughening its stand against gay candidates for the priesthood, advising that men with "deep-seated" gay tendencies...

First rule of getting out of a hole: quit digging. Now that Jewish groups have stepped up their criticism of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick has been forced to defend the denomination in the wake of its latest delegation to visit Hizballah. ironically enough, on the front of the PCUSA website is an article for the "Say NO to torture" Epiphany gathering and an article where Kirkpatrick restates PC(USA)'s opposition to capital punishment. However, the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States can only find weasel words to condemn a foreign terrorist organization with an unambiguous track...

The Democratic National Committee came out against efforts to divest from Israel or the Palestinian areas. The DNC executive, meeting Monday in Phoenix, passed a resolution declaring “its opposition to efforts to boycott, divest from, or otherwise single out companies for their work in Israel or the Palestinian Authority, and commends members of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faiths who courageously continue to work together to attain a peaceful negotiated settlement to any conflict in the Middle East.” The resolution called efforts to divest from Israel “counterproductive.” Susan Turnbull, a DNC vice-chairwoman, told JTA that the initiative arose out...

In a letter to presbyteries and synods, Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick contends that a Presbyterian delegation that met recently with Hezbollah, a terrorist group, was not sanctioned by the Presbyterian Church (USA). "We have been in contact with the leaders of the trip and have learned that it was not a delegation representing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but rather a study trip for individuals, under the auspices of the Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery," Kirkpatrick said. Kirkpatrick did not mention that Nuhad Tomeh, the regional liaison of the PCUSA for Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Gulf, helped arrange...