Latest news with #Religious
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Cook Islands Rejects Push to Enshrine Christianity in Constitution
The discovery of the presence of a mosque in Rarotonga, which had been quietly operating for seven years, has set off a major debate about the status of the Cook Islands as a 'Christian nation.' It culminated this week in a parliamentary committee refusing to formally embed the country's religious affiliation by amending the constitution. The Masjid Fatimah Rarotonga quietly opened its doors to the local Islamic community in 2018. Situated within a family home in Titikaveka, on the southeast side of Rarotonga, it operated without incident until publicity about its existence last year led to heated debate and calls for the country's constitution to be amended to bar non-Christian religions. The Religious Organisation Restrictions Act, passed in 1975, limits the introduction of new religions to only the four authorised in the Act: The Cook Islands Christian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The constitution currently allows anyone to practice their religious faith, but if they want to establish a church, they must apply to the Religious Authority Council. There are three pending applications before the Council. Last year Mohammed Azam, leader of the Muslim community in Rarotonga, told the Cook Islands News that the facility accommodated hundreds of Muslims on the island, including Indonesians, Filipinos, Indians, and some Cook Islanders, as well as visiting Muslim tourists. Related Stories 3/14/2025 2/19/2025 'We do prayers five times a day every day, and there's nothing else we do besides that,' he said. Churches Have Significant Influence But the country's other churches reacted strongly against the news, and began pushing for the country to be declared a Christian nation and for other religions to be outlawed. The influence of the church in the Cook Islands is such that Parliament responded by establishing a Religious Organisations Special Select Committee, which heard submissions on Rarotonga and visited the outer islands. Opposition was headed by the Cook Islands Christian Church, which proposed a constitutional amendment to enshrine 'the protection and promotion of the Christian faith as the basis for the laws and governance of the country.' Churches in the Pacific nation are traditionally very conservative and decided to use the consultation process to also propose reversing a 2023 law that legalised same-sex relations. Cook Islands Christian Movement interim secretary William Framheim said this was a 'Western concept' that may be acceptable elsewhere, but not in the Cooks. In a letter to the editor, Rarotonga Muslim community spokesperson Tatiana Kautai questioned the 'love and compassion' of the Movement, alluding to comments from its interim vice president, Pastor Clerk Turua, who said its purpose was 'to unite believers and serve the community with love and compassion.' From the outset, the government appeared reluctant to restrict freedom of worship, noting that to do so would breach several international treaties to which the Cook Islands was a signatory, while opposition MPs supported further restrictions. Rejected as Discriminatory This week, the committee rejected the proposal, saying it would be discriminatory and a violation of fundamental human rights and would breach the country's constitution. And—in a move certain to foment more opposition from the established churches—recommended Parliament repeal the Religious Organisations Restrictions Act. In its report, the committee agreed with the Cook Islands Law Society that laws must be applied fairly, equally, and without discrimination to all people regardless of their religious beliefs. 'The committee is compelled to adopt measures that uphold inclusivity, equality, and fundamental freedoms, ensuring alignment with both domestic and international standards,' the report said. The report also pointed out that the Religious Advisory Council (RAC) had been 'mistakenly' accepted as having an advisory role to the government on matters such as the regulation of churches and even immigration and seabed mining. 'However, the problem is that RAC is not a legally incorporated body and therefore has no formal or legal status,' the report said. The committee said it believed that the preamble of the Constitution sufficiently captured the significance of Christian principles in the Cook Islands. It reads: 'In the Holy Name of God, The Almighty, The Everloving, And The Everlasting. We, the people of the Cook Islands, recognising the heritage of Christian principles, Cook Islands Custom, and the rule of law, remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day, being that day of the week which, according to a person's belief and conscience, is the Sabbath of the Lord.'
Chicago Tribune
12-03-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Around the Southland: Tootsie Roll Drive nets $60K, prescribed burns at Midewin, more
Perez KOC donates $60K from Tootsie Roll Drive Father Perez Knights of Columbus Council 1444 in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood gave away $60,000 during a recent celebration of the community's support of its residents with intellectual disabilities. The money was raised through its 2024 Tootsie Roll Drive. Co-chairmen Bill Donnelly and Brian Larkin served as emcees during the event, and representatives of nine of the 11 area groups accepted their donation and detailed how the money will help with transportation, equipment, training and other ways. Donations this year went to Mount Greenwood Park Special Recreation, Chicago Public Schools Stevenson School Special Olympics, Misercordia Heart of Mercy Home, West Pullman Park Therapeutic Recreation, Covenant Ability Network, Brother Rice High School Mount Sion, Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences, Good Shepherd Center, and the Special Religious Education programs at the Archdiocese of Chicago, St. Cajetan and St. Mary Magdalene. Grand Knight Ed Finneran thanked the co-chairmen as well as the generous community and volunteers. This year's Tootsie Roll Drive will be Sept. 19-21. Prescribed burns planned at Midewin Prescribed burns will take place this spring with the U.S. Forest Service, starting as early as mid-March, throughout Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington. Exact sites will depend on temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and smoke dispersion. Some residents and visitors may see or smell smoke; the burn sites will be monitored carefully and local authorities will be notified in advance. The welcome center and trailhead kiosks will have specific information on where burning will happen. Prescribed burns help reduce hazardous fuels, enhance and stimulate native vegetation, reduce woody vegetation encroachment and prepare sites for restoration. Pfeiffer Road extension project earns public works award The village of Frankfort's Pfeiffer Road extension project received the 2025 American Public Works Association Award – Southwest Branch Public Works Project of the Year in the Transportation category for projects that cost less than $5 million. Mayor Keith Igle received the award during a recent ceremony at the Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet. Igle said in a news release 'the project reflects our dedication to investing in Frankfort's infrastructure and improving the quality of life for our residents.' The $3.75 million project extends a two-lane urban roadway with a landscaped median, new sidewalk, expanded multi-use path, street lighting system and 12th water main. It also modernized traffic lights at U.S. 30 and Priffer Road in Frankfort. The project was founded by the village, Rebuild Illinois Funds and a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. Four D230 students named National Merit Finalists Consolidated High School District 230 has announced its four National Merit Finalists, who are among top academic achievers having ranked in the top .5% of U.S. high school seniors. At stake are more than 6,800 scholarships totaling nearly $26 million, which are awarded in the spring. Stagg High School senior Adrian Gunka plays flute in the marching band, was a member of Model United Nations and is a Stagg mathlete. He has taken 11 Advanced Placement classes and passed the high school graduation exam at Jan Karski Polish School. The five-time camp counselor at Camp Vista in Wisconsin volunteers at Charger Learning Center and the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn. Sandburg High School senior Brandon Torres is among the top 20 players in Scholastic Bowl and is an executive board member. He helped automate the bowl's season tournament schedule and created a spreadsheet to track more than 9,000 tutoring hours as president of Mu Alpha Theta. An AP Scholar with Distinction, Torres is a former Mathlete and ACES member. Sandburg senior Jocelyn Chan co-founded the school's Dungeons & Dragons Club, is lead programmer and competition team driver for the robotics team, on the Superintendent Student Advisory Committee and an award-winning member of the badminton team, Scholastic Bowl, Mathletes and SkillsUSA. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction, completed 14 AP classes and is a Mu Alpha Theta and national Spanish Honors Society member. Stagg senior Grant Saunders is a member of Mathletes, Scholastic Bowl and Model UN and plays tuba in marching band. He volunteers through his scouting troop and is an academic mentor at Stagg. Program in South Holland honors 19th Amendment's 100 years Hindsight in 2020: The Long Road to Universal Suffrage will be presented at 7 p.m. March 18 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 651 E. 166th St., South Holland. Illinois Road Scholar Jeanne Schultz Angel will give a presentation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The free event, open to all, will explore where the country stands and where it's going related to universal suffrage. It's hosted by Heritage Quilters Guild of South Suburbia and co-presented by the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau. Information is at or by emailing heritagequilters@ Caregiver group learns about memory loss patient wandering Smith Village's Caregiver Support Group meets at 6:30 p.m. March 18 at 2320 W. 113th Place, Chicago, to talk about how to mitigate wandering by people with dementia. Attendees will learn what causes people with memory loss to wander and how to decrease it. Alice Kean, a Smith Village resident trained by the Alzheimer's Association to lead the support group, noted it's important to understand risks and triggers of wandering and strategies to prevent it. She'll be joined by co-presenter Bridget Murphy, Smith Village's life enrichment director, who also was trained by the association. The group, which meets monthly, allows caregivers to share experiences, learn from one another and connect with others. To reserve a spot, call 773-474-7302.
