Associated Press correspondent Nicole Winfield reports:

The Vatican told bishops around the world Monday that it is important to cooperate with police in reporting priests who rape and molest children and said they should develop guidelines for preventing sex abuse by next year.

But the suggestions in the letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are vague and nonbinding, and they contain no enforcement mechanisms to ensure bishops actually draft the guidelines or follow them.

That is a significant omission given that the latest scandal in the United States involves allegations Philadelphia's archbishop left accused priests in ministry despite purportedly tough U.S. guidelines, and evidence that Irish bishops were stonewalling an independent board overseeing compliance with the guidelines of the church in Ireland.

The document marks the latest effort by the Vatican to show it's serious about rooting out priestly pedophiles and preventing abuse following the eruption on a global scale of the abuse scandal last year with thousands of victims coming forward.

But it failed to impress advocates for victims who have long blamed the power of bishops bent on protecting the church and its priests for fueling the scandal. Without fear of punishment themselves, bishops frequently moved pedophile priests from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police or punishing them under church law.

"There's nothing that will make a child safer today or tomorrow or next month or next year," said Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the main U.S. victims group Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests.

Critically, the letter reinforces bishops' exclusive authority in dealing with abuse cases. It says independent lay review boards that have been created in some countries to oversee the church's child protection policies and ensure compliance "cannot substitute" for bishops' judgment and power.

Recently, such lay review committees in the U.S. and Ireland have reported that some bishops "failed miserably" in following their own guidelines and had thwarted the boards' work by withholding information and by enacting legal hurdles that made ensuring compliance impossible.

"Our central concern is that bishops and religious leaders retain enormous discretionary powers to decide if an allegation is credible," said Maeve Lewis, executive director of the Irish victims group One in Four.

"Clergymen do not have the skills or expertise to make sound decisions in this regard: that is a matter for law enforcement and child protection specialists," Lewis said, calling the Vatican letter "dangerously flawed."

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the document's emphasis on the central authority of bishops was not a negative commentary on the role of lay review boards but rather a reminder of the "great responsibility" bishops have in dealing with abuse cases as heads of their dioceses.

In the letter, the Vatican told the bishops "it is important to cooperate" with civil law enforcement authorities and follow civil reporting requirements, though it doesn't make such reporting mandatory. The Vatican has said such a binding rule would be problematic for priests working in countries with repressive regimes.

The letter told the bishops' conferences to draft guidelines for preventing abuse and caring for victims and report them back to the Congregation by May 2012, and to consult with superiors of religious orders to do so. It said bishops should be prepared to listen to victims, to create "safe environment" programs for minors and to better screen seminarians and ensure they receive proper training about celibacy and the damage done to victims of sex abuse.

It did not mention possible financial compensation for victims.

Lombardi stressed that such measures are to be taken up in individual bishops' conferences, noting that in many case payments are decided by civil courts anyway.

He emphasized that the letter issued Monday was never designed to offer specific, binding recommendations to bishops since their situations are all different. Rather the aim is to offer a "common, substantial denominator of fundamental principles and observations that everyone can take into account in making policies that are adapted for their situations."

Many bishops' conferences have already drafted guidelines; one glaring example of a country that hasn't is Italy, home of the Vatican, where just Sunday the country's top cardinal informed the faithful of his diocese that their longtime pastor had been jailed for allegedly abusing a 16-year-old boy and giving him drugs.

Lombardi said he expected the Italian bishops' conference to now come up with conference-wide guidelines.

The letter stresses that accused priests are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

That, too, is the case of the U.S. norms, which were enacted after the abuse scandal exploded in Boston in 2002. But the U.S. norms bar credibly accused priests from any public church work, if sufficient evidence is found that they abused a minor. Clergy found guilty are permanently barred from public ministry and, in some cases, ousted from the priesthood.

The guidance given to bishops in the letter Monday makes no mention of removing priests but reminds bishops that they are "always able to limit the exercise of the cleric's ministry until the accusations are clarified."

The U.S. norms were approved by the Vatican and are church law in the United States. The Vatican said Monday that the other bishops' conferences could seek Vatican approval as well, though Lombardi suggested that some bishops' conferences may find they can be more flexible and responsive to changing needs, if the norms don't go through the tedious process of being approved by the Vatican as church law.

The letter is being issued at a time when the U.S. norms have been put into question after a Philadelphia grand jury earlier this year indicted a high-ranking church official on child endangerment charges for allegedly transferring predator priests. Four co-defendants — two priests, an ex-priest and a former Catholic school teacher — are charged with raping children.

The grand jury found "substantial evidence of abuse" committed by at least 37 other priests who remained in active ministry at the time of the report. Philadelphia's archbishop, Cardinal Justin Rigali, initially insisted that no archdiocesan priests in ministry had an "admitted or established allegation" against them. But he later suspended two dozen of the 37 priests.

The scandal exposed some of the loopholes in the Vatican-approved U.S. norms that leave it entirely up to bishops to determine the credibility of allegations; the new Vatican instruction confirms that by both reinforcing bishops' responsibility and authority and seemingly diminishing the importance of lay review boards in checking their compliance.

Last week, the head of the Philadelphia archdiocese's lay review board publicly accused Rigali and his bishops of having "failed miserably at being open and transparent" because they prescreened which cases the board reviewed and left out crucial information for some priests they did review.

And last week, Ireland's National Board for Safeguarding Children, a church-appointed independent panel overseeing compliance with Ireland's guidelines, said it had been prevented from fulfilling its mandate to review diocesan responses to abuse cases by bishops' legal concerns about the priests' privacy.

On Friday, Amnesty International listed the Vatican in its annual report of global human rights abuses, citing revelations of clerical abuse around the world and the "enduring failure" of the church to address the crimes properly.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Associated Press writer Julie Pace reports:

President Barack Obama says those opposing a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. shouldn't have amnesia about how the country began. He says America is a nation of immigrants.

Speaking at an annual Hispanic prayer breakfast in Washington, Obama also recalled times past when religious communities helped change the country. He talked about Episcopalians in Boston, where early patriots planned the Revolution, and Baptist churches in the South that sparked the civil rights movement.

Obama says he'll keep pushing and trying to work with Congress on the immigration issue. But he said again that building a widespread movement is the only way to get a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Associated Press religion writer Rachel Zoll reports:

After decades of debate, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Tuesday struck down a barrier to ordaining gays, ratifying a proposal that removes the celibacy requirement for unmarried clergy, in the latest mainline Protestant move toward accepting gay relationships.

The change was endorsed last year by the Presbyterian national assembly, but required approval by a majority of the denomination's 173 presbyteries, or regional church bodies.

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, based in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., cast the deciding 87th vote Tuesday night. Sixty-two presbyteries have voted against the measure and balloting will continue, but the majority needed for ratification was secured in Minnesota.

"It's a thrilling day," said Sylvia Thorson-Smith, an elder at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Ariz., whose family advocates for gays and lesbians in the church. She invited 40 people to her house for a party after the vote was announced. "I can't help but think of those who have worked and suffered and endured and hoped for this. Some have not lived to see it."

Differences over the Bible and homosexuality have split Protestant groups nationally and worldwide for years. Within the Presbyterian Church, about 100 of the 11,000 congregations had already broken away ahead of the vote, but a group of large theologically conservative congregations, which calls itself Fellowship, has decided to remain in the denomination for now.

Top Presbyterian executives issued a statement to the church acknowledging that "some will rejoice while others will weep," at the decision.

"However, as Presbyterians, we believe that the only way we will find God's will for the church is by seeking it together — worshipping, praying, thinking and serving alongside one another," the executives wrote.

The measure approved Tuesday eliminates language in the church constitution requiring that clergy live "in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." The new provision instead requires ministers to "submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life."

Each regional body will decide who it should ordain, and some districts are expected to continue to reject gay and lesbian candidates.

Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas will send a letter to its nearly 5,000 members reaffirming the congregation's commitment to traditional marriage and celibacy for unmarried clergy. The church has formed a task force to study the impact of the new policy.

"While this change is deeply troubling, it does not change (Highland Park church)," the Highland Park senior pastor and elders wrote in the letter. "We have the freedom and the responsibility to continue upholding biblical standards for church officers."

The 2.1 million-member denomination, based in Louisville, Ky., is the latest mainline Protestant group to move toward accepting same-gender relationships.

In 2003, The Episcopal Church caused an uproar in the global Anglican fellowship by consecrating the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran group in the country, liberalized its policy toward gay clergy two years ago. The United Church of Christ started ordaining openly gay clergy in 1972, and more recently endorsed same-sex marriage.

The nation's largest mainline group, the United Methodist Church, which has just under 8 million U.S. members, retains its celibacy mandate for unmarried clergy.

In the Presbyterian Church, regional bodies had rejected similar amendments in three previous votes on ordaining gays since 1998. In this latest round of balloting, 19 presbyteries switched their vote in favor of ordaining openly gay and lesbian candidates for ministry.

Among the reasons cited by activists on all sides of the issue: the change in broader American society toward accepting same-sex relationships, weariness of the debate, and the departure of some conservative churches from presbyteries, which changed the balance of votes in some regions.

The new policy will take effect on July 10, after all presbyteries complete their voting.

The much smaller Presbyterian Church in America, a separate denomination, bars ordination for women and openly gay clergy candidates.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Presbyterianism, Sexuality
        

The Associated Press reports:

A Georgia judge has reversed a decision that blocked a Muslim man from his courtroom because he was wearing religious headwear.

Henry County State Court Judge James Chafin said he found "through his own research that there is a basis in the Quran for both men and women to cover their heads as a religious observance."

Three separate times, the judge had blocked Troy "Tariq" Montgomery from entering his courtroom to dispute a traffic ticket because he was wearing a kufi, a traditional Muslim head covering. Montgomery said he was surprised by the decision but hopeful no other Muslims will have to face similar objections.

The Judicial Council of Georgia decided in July 2009 to allow headwear that is worn for religious or medical reasons after a similar dispute.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Associated Press correspondent Selcan Hacaoglu reports:

Turkey has launched a project to conserve an ancient Armenian cathedral and church in what is seen as a gesture of reconciliation toward its neighbor.

Turkey and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute for decades over the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Efforts to normalize relations have been dealt a setback by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is a close Muslim ally of Turkey.

Turkey, however, says it is committed to improving ties with Armenia, and has already restored the 10th century Akdamar church, perched on a rocky island in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. It has also allowed once-yearly worship at the site as a gesture to Armenia and its own ethnic Armenian minority.

Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay said Tuesday the new project was being launched in partnership with the World Monuments Fund to conserve the remains of the cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior in Ani, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the eastern Turkish city of Kars.

According to the New York-based World Monuments Fund, Ani — "one of the world's great cities in the 10th century" — was once the site of hundreds of religious buildings, palaces, fortifications, and other structures. Today it stands abandoned, and the remnants of its celebrated buildings are in a precarious state.

The site, in an earthquake-prone area, has been listed on the World Monuments Watch since 1996.

"Ani, which is of global significance, presents particularly complicated challenges," Gunay said. "We hope that giving new life to the remains of once-splendid buildings, such as the Ani Cathedral and church, will bring new economic opportunities to the region."

The Turkish government recently completed restoration of the Church of Tigran Honents' and the Mosque of Manucehr, converted from a church by invading Seljuk Turks at Ani, which is situated right on the Turkish-Armenian border.

The area was long off-limits in a militarized area, which has been gradually demilitarized since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, it attracts tourists from around the world.

The new conservation work will primarily aim to strengthen the Ani Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior against temblors, said Bonnie Burnham, the president of WMF.

The cathedral, designed by Trdat — the chief architect of the Bagratuni kings of Armenia who rebuilt the dome of Istanbul's huge Hagia Sophia church following an earthquake in the late 10th century — is considered to be a masterpiece of medieval Armenian architecture, the fund says. Earthquakes have completely collapsed the building's central dome as well as its northwest corner.

Like the cathedral, the church also suffered severe quake damage and a 1930 lightning strike collapsed the southeast side of the building, Burnham said in a statement.

Rainwater and melting snow has seeped through the collapsed dome of the cathedral and the damaged church, washing away biblical frescoes from one of the finest surviving monuments of ancient Armenian culture. A steel structure prevents the cracked sandstone walls of the cathedral from collapsing.

However, some of the elaborate reliefs remain, projecting from the cathedral's rust-colored walls. Some depict biblical stories; others show lions, birds and other animals to remind worshippers that the church is an image of paradise.

"There has long been international concern about the fragile condition of the many extraordinary ruins at Ani," said Burnham. "We hope that this work will usher in a new era in the life of this important site."

According to the fund, Ani reached its cultural golden age in the second half of the 10th century, when it became the political and commercial center of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom. At its height, its population exceeded 100,000 people, the fund said. By the mid-11th century, the city began to decline due to internal strife, earthquakes and invasions by various groups, including Seljuk Turks.

The culture minister did not say whether Turkey would also allow prayers at Ani once the restoration is complete. The ministry on Wednesday would not reveal the estimated cost of the project, which is also supported by the U.S. Department of State's Ambassadors Fund as well as the WMF.

Osman Kavala, head of the Anadolu Kultur, a non-governmental culture organization that helps coordinate the partnership with the WMF, said preparations for the actual restoration work are expected to cost US$1 million (euro672,000) alone. He said the restoration is likely to start as early as 2012 and is expected to take four years.

"This project is significant to protect the world's cultural heritage," Kavala said Wednesday. "But being on the border, it might also serve as a bridge to improve relations between Turkey and Armenia."

Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, which they call the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey disputes this, saying the death toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Associated Press reports:

An Australian bishop who was fired by Pope Benedict XVI after suggesting the church consider ordaining women and married men says the Vatican is becoming increasingly authoritarian.

The Vatican said Monday that Bishop William Morris of the Toowoomba diocese, west of Brisbane, had been "removed from pastoral care."

Morris says he was removed because of a letter he wrote to his parish in 2006 that suggested the church consider ordaining women and married men to help solve priest shortages. Currently, only celibate men can be ordained in the Roman Catholic church.

On Tuesday, Morris told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the Vatican has become increasingly authoritarian and dismissive of local bishops.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Associated Press drama writer Mark Kennedy reports:

"The Book of Mormon" nabbed a leading 14 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, earning the profane musical one nod short of the record for most nominations and putting it in the driver's seat when the awards are handed out next month.

An unlikely hit about two Mormon missionaries who find more than they bargained for in Africa, the musical was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of Comedy Central's irreverent "South Park," and Robert Lopez, co-creator of the equally irreverent Tony Award-winning musical "Avenue Q." All got nominations.

"The Book of Mormon" has been a critical and box-office darling even without big-name stars and has tapped into a decidedly un-Broadway vein with songs about AIDS and one man's loud lament about having maggots in his scrotum.

"This is a brand of humor that very much existed in our culture — on television and films," said Andrew Rannells, who won a best leading actor in a musical nomination. "It was just not reflected on Broadway. Obviously, there's a huge audience for this so why shouldn't it be a musical?"

On the animated series "South Park," about a group of potty-mouthed school kids in Colorado, Parker and Stone have lampooned everything and everybody from Jesus to Saddam Hussein to Barbra Streisand to Scientology to Tiger Woods to New Jersey. And they've mocked The Church of Latter-day Saints on the Comedy Central TV show, too, mostly by showing Mormons as relentlessly cheery.

"This is dangerous in the best sense. People are excited when they sit down in those seats because they don't know what's going to happen," said Rory O'Malley, who won a nomination for best actor in a featured role for "Mormon."

As for the Mormons, the church would not add to the comment they first issued when the musical opened: "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

The second-highest nominations went to "The Scottsboro Boys," a searing tale of 1930s injustice framed as a minstrel show. Though it closed abruptly after playing just 49 performances and 29 previews, it received 12 nominations, including best musical, best book of a musical, best original score as well as a leading actor and two featured actor nods. It marked the final collaboration of songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb.

"Mormon" and "Scottsboro" face competition from "Catch Me If You Can" and "Sister Act" for best musical. The plays that were nominated include the heartwarming human-puppet hybrid "War Horse," David Lindsay-Abaire's "Good People," Jez Butterworth's "Jerusalem" and Stephen Adly Guirgis' "The Motherf---- With the Hat."

"It's a good morning," said Lindsay-Abaire. "I was already so thrilled and honored to be part of such an extraordinary season, to get Tony nominations is the cherry on the sundae."

Among individual actors who earned nominations were Al Pacino, who played Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice," Vanessa Redgrave in "Driving Miss Daisy," Edie Falco in "The House of Blue Leaves" and Ellen Barkin in "The Normal Heart."

"I am deeply honored to have been acknowledged in this way — for theater in New York City — this is a very big thrill for me," said Falco, who found out she had been nominated while waiting for a book fair to begin at her son's school.

Falco next faces off in the featured actress category against Ellen Barkin for "The Normal Heart," Elizabeth Rodriguez for "The Motherf---- With the Hat," Joanna Lumley in "La Bete" and Judith Light for "Lombardi."

"I was hoping and praying for this, but you never know for sure," said Light, who earned a best featured actress nomination for playing the wife of football coach Vince Lombardi. "I feel so grateful and blessed to get to do the work that I so love."

Some notable snubs included James Earl Jones in "Driving Miss Daisy," Daniel Radcliffe in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and Aaron Tveit from "Catch Me If You Can."

The Cole Porter comedy "Anything Goes" was nominated for nine awards, including best revival, best leading actress for Sutton Foster, a best featured role nomination for Adam Godley, best scenic and costume design.

"I'm very happy. I'm thrilled for our show," said Kathleen Marshall, who picked up her career sixth and seventh nominations for directing "Anything Goes" as well as being its choreographer. "'Anything Goes' is one of those shows that is there to delight and entertain and transport the audience."

Foster will now face-off against Patina Miller for "Sister Act," Donna Murphy from "The People in the Picture and Beth Leavel for "Baby It's You!" Foster, who already has a Tony, found out she'd earned her fifth nominations by getting several text messages while still in bed. She has little time to enjoy the moment, though: Foster was preparing for Tuesday night's performance. "It never stops," she said, laughing.

Miller, who stepped into Whoopi Goldberg's role from the 1992 movie, said "Sister Act" is close to her heart. "It was meant for me," she said. "I hoped and prayed I would get the opportunity. So when the opportunity came, I just went with it."

Murphy got the good news only a few days after her show opened. "I am thrilled," she said. "To wake up to a lot of emails and call from friends and colleagues and ... being acknowledged for something I'm proud of is pretty good stuff."

The category for best actor in a play has Pacino, Brian Bedford in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Bobby Cannavale in "The Motherf---- With the Hat," Joe Mantello in "The Normal Heart" and Mark Rylance in "Jerusalem."

Bedford, who plays the fearsome Lady Bracknell in the Oscar Wilde comedy, had one small regret — that he also didn't pick up a nomination for best director. "But that seems a bit greedy," he said with a laugh.

Instead, director nods went to Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris for "War Horse," Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe for "The Normal Heart," Anna D. Shapiro for "The Motherf---- With the Hat" and Daniel Sullivan for "The Merchant of Venice."

The best director nominations in a musical went to Rob Ashford for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Marshall for "Anything Goes," Nicholaw and Parker for "Mormon," and Susan Stroman for "The Scottsboro Boys."

With 14 nominations, "The Book of Mormon" takes its place among Broadway musicals with the most Tony nominations, just below "The Producers" and "Billy Elliot," which each won 15 nominations.

"I never expect to be honored for anything, and it's extremely humbling to get so many nominations for this show," said Lopez. "The way it's been received has boggled my mind."

"The Book of Mormon" won nominations for best direction, and Casey Nicholaw won a best choreography nomination and shared honors with Parker for best direction of a musical. "Mormon" also earned its two missionaries — Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells — acting nominations, as well as Nikki M. James for featured actress, best book of a musical and best original score.

"I had no idea that it would be this big. The show continues to surprise even me with how well received it is," said Gad. The competition for best leading actor in a musical will pit Gad and Rannells against Norbert Leo Butz from "Catch Me If You Can," Joshua Henry from "The Scottsboro Boys" and Tony Sheldon, "Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical "

Sheldon's nomination was one of two that "Priscilla" picked up — the other being for the lavish fantasy costumes by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner. "Just to be playing it on Broadway is reward enough without this sort of icing on the cake," said Sheldon.

The awards will be handed out June 12 at the Beacon Theatre, broadcast live by CBS.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Associated Press reports:

Peruvian President Alan Garcia says Pope John Paul II should get credit for the death of Osama bin Laden.

The late pope was beatified on Sunday and Garcia says: "His first miracle was to remove from the world the incarnation of evil, the demonic incarnation of crime and hatred, giving us the news that the person who blew up towers and buildings is no longer."

Garcia made the comment Monday as he inaugurated a hydroelectric power station.

Garcia also says bin Laden's death also vindicates President George W. Bush's decision "to punish Bin Laden and patiently continue this work that has born fruit."

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (140)
        

The Associated Press reports:

Sarah Palin will share the stage in Colorado with a former senior military intelligence official who disparaged Islam while helping to lead the war on terror after Sept. 11.

Monday evening's speech was already scheduled before Sunday's killing of Osama bin Laden. The Republican former vice presidential candidate is speaking at a fundraiser at Colorado Christian University with Retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin.

He said that America's enemy was Satan and that one Muslim Somali warlord was an idol worshipper. Boykin later apologized and said he did not mean to insult Islam. He retired in 2007.

The event in the Denver suburb of Lakewood raises money for a charity for families of fallen service members, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Associated Press correspondent Hamza Hendawi reports:

Muslim clerics said Monday that Osama bin Laden's burial at sea was a violation of Islamic tradition that may further provoke militant calls for revenge attacks against American targets.

Although there appears to be some room for debate over the burial — as with many issues within the faith — a wide range of Islamic scholars interpreted it as a humiliating disregard for the standard Muslim practice of placing the body in a grave with the head pointed toward the holy city of Mecca.

Sea burials can be allowed, they said, but only in special cases where the death occurred aboard a ship.

"The Americans want to humiliate Muslims through this burial, and I don't think this is in the interest of the U.S. administration," said Omar Bakri Mohammed, a radical cleric in Lebanon.

A U.S. official said the burial decision was made after concluding that it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. There was also speculation about worry that a grave site could have become a rallying point for militants.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters.

President Barack Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial, and the Pentagon later said the body was placed into the waters of the northern Arabian Sea after adhering to traditional Islamic procedures — including washing the corpse — aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

But the Lebanese cleric Mohammed called it a "strategic mistake" that was bound to stoke rage.

In Washington, CIA director Leon Panetta warned that "terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge" the killing of the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Bin Laden is dead," Panetta wrote in a memo to CIA staff. "Al-Qaida is not."

According to Islamic teachings, the highest honor to be bestowed on the dead is giving the deceased a swift burial, preferably before sunset. Those who die while traveling at sea can have their bodies committed to the bottom of the ocean if they are far off the coast, according to Islamic tradition.

"They can say they buried him at sea, but they cannot say they did it according to Islam," Mohammed al-Qubaisi, Dubai's grand mufti, said about bin Laden's burial. "If the family does not want him, it's really simple in Islam: You dig up a grave anywhere, even on a remote island, you say the prayers and that's it."

"Sea burials are permissible for Muslims in extraordinary circumstances," he added. "This is not one of them."

But Mohammed Qudah, a professor of Islamic law at the University of Jordan, said burying the Saudi-born bin Laden at sea was not forbidden if there was nobody to receive the body and provide a Muslim burial.

"The land and the sea belong to God, who is able to protect and raise the dead at the end of times for Judgment Day," he said. "It's neither true nor correct to claim that there was nobody in the Muslim world ready to receive bin Laden's body."

Clerics in Iraq — where an offshoot of al-Qaida is blamed for the death of thousands of people since 2003 — also criticized the U.S. action. One said it only benefited fish.

"If a man dies on a ship that is a long distance from land, then the dead man should be buried at the sea," said Shiite cleric Ibrahim al-Jabari. "But if he dies on land, then he should be buried in the ground, not to be thrown into the sea. Otherwise, this would be only inviting fish to a banquet."

The Islamic tradition of a quick burial was the subject of intense debate in Iraq in 2003 when U.S. forces embalmed the bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons after they were killed in a firefight. Their bodies were later shown to media.

"What was done by the Americans is forbidden by Islam and might provoke some Muslims," said another Islamic scholar from Iraq, Abdul-Sattar al-Janabi, who preaches at Baghdad's famous Abu Hanifa mosque. "It is not acceptable and it is almost a crime to throw the body of a Muslim man into the sea. The body of bin Laden should have been handed over to his family to look for a country or land to bury him."

Prominent Egyptian Islamic analyst and lawyer Montasser el-Zayat said bin Laden's sea burial was designed to prevent his grave from becoming a shrine. But an option was an unmarked grave.

"They don't want to see him become a symbol, but he is already a symbol in people's hearts."

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim advocacy group, has issued a statement welcoming the 'elimination' of Osama bin Laden on Sunday by a team of Navy Seals in Pakistan Sunday:

"We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel. As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. We also reiterate President Obama's clear statement tonight that the United States is not at war with Islam."

CAIR issued the statement at 1:17 a.m., less than two hours after Obama began his announcement.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)