38 Albanian martyrs are due beatification
TIRANA , Albania — The Catholic Church in Albania says the Vatican has set Nov. 5 as the day of beatification of 38 Albanian religious martyrs killed by the former communist regime.
In April, Pope Francis officially recognized as martyrs Archbishop Vincens Prenushi and 37 other priests who died in prison or were murdered from 1945 to 1974 by the late communist dictator Enver Hoxha’s regime, the church said Wednesday.
Hoxha banned religion in 1967 and persecuted its leaders and believers.
During Francis’ visit to Tirana in 2014, big posters of the 38 clergy were placed along the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard in the capital.
Francis held up Albania, with a majority of Muslims but also with Orthodox and Catholic communities, as a model for interfaith harmony.
— The Associated Press
Canadian Anglicans OK marriage between gays
TORONTO — A day after the Anglican Church of Canada narrowly voted not to authorize gay unions, questions about the integrity of the voting process emerged Tuesday, leading to a reversal of the result, with the church approving the measure.
More than 200 delegates attending the six-day General Synod 2016 narrowly rejected the resolution Monday night after hearing from more than 60 speakers, most of them in favor of gay marriage.
However, on Tuesday — the last day of the triennial conference — some members stood up to say their ballots had not been recorded during voting, when the resolution failed to pass by a single vote.
Delegates requested a detailed hard copy of the electronic voting records, which lead to a recount. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the church, then declared the resolution in favor of same-sex marriage passed.
The church has three years to consider and comment on this resolution. In 2019, the resolution will undergo a second reading at the General Synod.
To pass, the resolution required two-thirds support from each of three orders — the lay, clergy and bishops.
— The Associated Press
N.Y. Senate hopeful, a Quaker, targeted
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State Police have been asked to investigate threatening online comments directed at state Senate candidate Sara Niccoli, whose Quaker faith prohibits her from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
The comments called for Niccoli’s death or banishment from the United States. They were posted on a Facebook page that criticized her refusal to say the pledge. The page has since been deleted.
Quaker teaching instructs adherents not to swear oaths. Niccoli stands while the pledge is recited but does not participate.
Two local officials from Palatine, Niccoli’s hometown, wrote to the state police and Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday seeking an investigation. The letter from Town Board members Hank Vandenburgh and Niel Yerdon seeks protection for Niccoli and asks that investigators determine who created the Facebook page.
“Due to the heightened political rhetoric and charged atmosphere, these threats must be taken seriously,” the letter reads.
Several Quakers have played significant roles in American politics since before the nation’s founding, including William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania; suffragette Susan B. Anthony; presidents Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon; and Betsy Ross, who is credited with making the first American flag.