Governor divests California fromt he Sudan

Published in Glendale Newspress and Burbank Leader during the week of September 25, 2006 http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2006/09/26/politics/gnp-governor26.prt Politics Governor visits the area, signs two bills Schwarzenegger lashes out at Sudan, signs legislation that will end government investment there. By Chris Wiebe BURBANK AIRPORT DISTRICT — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the Hilton Burbank Airport and Convention Center on Monday to sign two pieces of legislation intended to put pressure on leaders in Sudan to halt government-sponsored genocide in the Darfur region. The first law, Assembly Bill 2941, will prohibit the state's pension programs — the California Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System — from making investments in corporations with business ties to Sudan. "This is an action that says we do not cooperate with them in the horrors of Darfur," he said. "We will not pay for it; we will not support it and we will not enable it." The second piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 2179, provides legal safeguards for the University of California against potential liability issues that could stem from state divestiture of funds from companies with interests in Sudan, he said. Joining Schwarzenegger for the bill-signing ceremony on Monday were former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, celebrity activists Don Cheadle and George Clooney and Assemblymen Tim Leslie and Paul Koretz, who wrote the bills. Also in attendance was Father Vazken Movsesian, a parish priest at St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale and director of In His Shoes Ministries, which lobbied heavily for the legislation, raising money and collecting petition signatures. "It's our way of saying that we're walking in the shoes of the people of Darfur, just as we've gone through our own genocide," Movsesian said. "It's sending a loud, clear signal that genocide will not be tolerated in the modern world. The one weapon that we have is money. It costs money to run a genocide and by California — the world's fifth-largest economy — divesting from Sudan, it's sending a signal that if you continue it, you're out of money. Without picking up any guns, without killing anybody, we're making a difference." The Sudanese genocide, which began in 2003, has resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children and left millions homeless, Schwarzenegger said. "No one is being spared, and even if the violence would stop today, the country would still have deep scars for many generations to come," he said. The governor also signed a bill on Monday that permits California residents affected by the Armenian Genocide to pursue legal challenges against financial institutions that withhold deposited or looted assets, extending the statute of limitations to Dec. 31, 2016. Schwarzenegger has signed Armenian Genocide Commemoration bills every year since he took office in 2003.

Clergy Recruitment on the Decline

Published September 23, 2006 - Glendale News Press - Los Angeles Time IN THEORY Clergy Recruitment on the Decline Q: The percentage of new clergy younger than 35, across mainline denominations, including Prodestant and Catholic, is reportedly dropping, according to a recent study by the Lewis Center for Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary. Are you seeing a drop in your faith? If so, what do you think is driving it? Are you concerned? A: The Armenian Church suffers a tremendous clergy shortage. Before the Armenian Genocide (pre-1915) the ratio of clergy to souls was 1:140. The Turkish plan of Genocide began with an assault directly on the church. The seventy years of Soviet atheism that followed prevented a few generations of priests from rising. Today the ratio of clergy to laity stands at 1:25,000. Among the youth today, I am witnessing a new sense of commitment to higher ideals and a romantic view of serving the collective. I believe this is a direct reaction to the events in the world, including the war, the violence that is all around them and intolerance by the fanatic religious minorities. I don't believe, however, that their passion will translate into service through the Church. Inherent in the problem of attracting youth to church vocations, is the very structure of the church. It is perceived as an institution that has failed in bringing the message of love, charity, tolerance, ecology and peace to the world. Have we forgotten the lesson we learned from the Da Vinci code, just a few months ago? People are ready to believe in cover-ups and covert activity, because the goals of the institution are not being achieved, that is, we have a world where religion fuels hatred, bigotry and ultimately, wars. This is diametrically opposed to the message that Jesus brought to the world through his teaching and his example. The challenge for the church is to translate youthful idealism and romantic activism into a career of service to people. The church has all the elements necessary for youth to find a home and a vocation. It is the guardian of faith, hope and love. I believe if youth can see church leadership living these virtues and not merely preserving them, they will be inclined to dedicate their lives to this calling. Fr. Vazken Movsesian Armenian Church In His Shoes Ministries

What Jesus looks like

Published September 8, 2006 IN THEORY What Jesus looks like Q: Pope Benedict last week visited Veronica's Veil, which some Christians say was used to wipe the blood and sweat off of Jesus' face on his way to his crucifixion. It was a pope's first visit to the shrine in Manoppello, Italy, where the veil is said to bear the true likeness of Christ's face — a likeness that reportedly resembles the likeness on the Shroud of Turin. The pope stopped short of endorsing the image as that of Christ.But do you believe this likeness and others, like the shroud, are true depictions of Christ? What are your thoughts on what Christ looked like? A: Jesus had long hair, a beard and eyes that pulled you in. He had soft but strong features; handsome but not seductive and he donned a perpetual look of contentment. At least, that's how Hollywood has presented him to us and that Jesus has found his way into many of our churches. A quick glance at the ethnic churches will paint a bit different picture. In our Armenian Church, his eyebrows and beard may be a bit more pronounced. In the African church his coloring is much darker, just as he's much fairer on the walls of a Russian church. And the beauty of all the art is that each of these depictions is an exact rendering of Jesus. According to our faith, Jesus is God personified, that is, Love incarnate. Love does not have a face, but a heart. It is in the expressions of the heart, through helping, caring, healing and living that we witness God. And that is what Jesus looks like. For 2,000 years, people have been picking up cloths, veils and other objects trying to identify the Christ. And I imagine the search for a connection to the historical Jesus will continue. The real search begins by looking within and seeing the image of Christ etched on our hearts waiting to be released in our love and care for others. FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN Armenian Church In His Shoes Ministries