Biden apology to Native Americans welcomed
THE Episcopal Church in the United States has welcomed a formal apology by President Biden to Native Americans for the suffering and death of Native American children in government-run boarding schools in the US. President Biden said last Friday: “After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the programme, but the federal government has never formally apologised for what happened, until today. I formally apologise as President of the United States of America for what we did.” A statement co-signed by the Presiding Bishop, the Most Revd Michael Curry; the Missioner for Indigenous Ministries, the Revd Dr Bradley Hauff; and the co-chairs of the A127 Commission, among others, was issued on the same day. It says: “The Episcopal Church welcomes President Biden’s apology today while recognizing that our own journey of truth-telling and reconciliation continues.” The Episcopal Church has acknowledged its past complicity in the federal boarding-school system (News, 11 February 2022).
Compensation agreed for Mariana Dam victims
MINING companies have signed a $29.85-billion compensation agreement with the government of Brazil, nine years after 19 people were killed and hundreds were made homeless when the Fundão Dam, near the city of Mariana, in the south-western state of Minas Gerais, collapsed, Vatican News reports. The iron-ore mine beside the dam was owned by Samarco in a joint venture with Vale and BHP. The flooding spread across three states, polluting rivers as far as the Atlantic Ocean. The Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, ordered that the first instalment of $878 million be paid in the next 30 days, and the rest over the next 20 years. “I hope the mining companies have learned their lesson,” he said. “We’re fixing a disaster which could have been avoided but wasn’t.”
Clerical-collar incident in Massachusetts resolved
THE Title IV complaint filed against the Bishop of Massachusetts, the Rt Revd Alan M. Gates, after he removed the clerical collar of a priest, the Revd Tamra Tucker, during an Easter vigil (News, 7 June), has been closed after a conciliation process. The Bishop apologised at the time, describing the incident as “misguided mischief”. An update on the US Episcopal Church website says that the Rt Revd Mary Gray-Reeves, as the Presiding Bishop’s designate in the case, “issued concluding pastoral direction” on 8 October. On the same day, the reference panel issued a determination, “concluding matter with pastoral response”.
WCC publishes anti-racism material for churches
THE World Council of Churches (WCC) has published two books of resources to combat racism and bias. Ecumenical Anti-Racism, Anti-Xenophobia, and Anti-Discrimination Contextual Bible Studies, by Professor Eric Nii Bortey Anum and Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda, and Anti-Bias Churches: An ecumenical anti-(un)conscious bias toolkit unlearning — undoing — relearning — redoing, by Dr Elaine Brown Spencer and Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda, were released last Friday. The WCC’s general secretary, the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, writes in the foreword: “We call on all Christians to explore these sins and sinful practices in their own communities and begin to take decisive actions empowered by the word of God. We believe we can overcome because the holy triune God is with us.”