Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah PaqelS Wednesday May 29 1991 assassination Commission to hope Bulgarian officials ‘ to clear up dark cloud in Iran SOFIA Bulgaria (UPI) — An international commission headed by an American will investigate anew the assassination attempt 10 years ago against Pope John Paul n officials said Monday TIi unmniiMinn will he headed hy Allen Weinstein director of i By Scripps Howard News Service “The Bulgarian authorities have granted me access to 127 over 30000 pages of information about die volumes Bulgarian investigation of toe assassination attempt against the pope copies of which I will be able to take back with me to die United States" Weinstein said at a news conference Bulgarian officials hope toe new probe will dear 19 once and for Communist regime of it riawra flat that the former hard-liTodor Zhivkov wu involved in the atempt on die life of toe pope and the murder in London of Bulgarian dissident Gcorgi Markov “A dark cloud hangs ovw Bulgaria and I hope that as' a result of this investigation it will disperse'' said Minister of Internal Affairs Christo Daaov He added tint the international oomisrion will hive the foH cooperation of die Ministry of Internal Affairs “The initiative for tois investigation belongs to President Zhelev on many occasions that Bulgaria has die who hu greatest interest in die discovery of die full truth" Stefan Tafrov presidential foreign policy adviser told Journalists Prior to being dotted president last year Zhdu Zhelev wu die leader of toe Union of Democratic Forces — an alliance of nofrTwwmMiie parties and the most political force taken by die name the Socialist the Party Bulgarian opposing Communists prior to die June 1990 multi-part-y parliamentary elections tost they won Weinstein pointed out tiiat he will also ask (he governments of Czechoslovakia Poland' Germany Turkey the Soviet Union and Hungary for pertinent information about die assasination atempt Weinstein expressed hope tost Italy will also have a representative on toe commission Asked if he can be sure that toe documents submited hy toe Bulgarian authorities have not beea tampered with Weinstein said that he hopes not but that it is difficult to judge before detailed MEMPHIS Tens — Southern ‘Baptists have taken a first step in establishing a relationship with Iran where almost no American Christians have beea allowed to operate in a dozen years Volunteers are taking part In an effort to aid Kurdish refugees who have fled persecution in ne 1 Burton who returned home to Memphis this week said it was die first time a grow of evangelical Christians had been allowed to enter the predominantly Islamic country since die revolution of 1979 The project is causing some officials to consider beefing up die Southern Baptist Convention's disaster relief team maybe with its own airplane said Burton 33 one of a dozen volunteers who setup a program May 21 tiiat provided 9500 meals a day at a refugee camp at Dolenavlran “The potential is here for us as Southern Baptists to establish a relationship with a country with which we didn't have a relationship" Burton said The commission will meet for the first time in Washington in late June to set procedures including whether it will publish interim reports on its work which is expected to take six to nine ban's government has asked the Baptists to return said Bob Saul of the! tnwih tist is coordinator Saul of die effort to help die Kurds in which volunteers are ssti&susor r Burton is editor of Missions Today a Southern Baptist magazine for laymen involved in mimrifin woric produced by the Brotherhood Commission The Brotherhood Commission has trained disaster relief volunteers since 1967 hut going to Iran was a first in severalways “What wu unusual was we going into a country where we don't have any and we were going to a country where we dart have diplomatic relations' Burton said The project wu initiated by Iranian Christhe London-base-d tian Fellowship and toe money wu provided by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board fa Richmond Va The Baptists leased a C130 transport plane to fly food and wodld-be'kssan- fii DHIepRoB The investigation will look into the attempt 10 years ago against Pope John Paul By Terry Mattingly Scripps Howard News Service ex-ga- II j t pastor believes gays can be ‘healed Ex-ga- y Colin Cook used to be a sexnally active gay male Today after years of painful struggle he insists that he feels heterosexual desires He believes be and other can help homosexuals be “healed" Aim Open fire Ready They landed in supplies toe nation civil and religious wan are raging Across — 3 and Sanandaj on May homosexual relationships are natural or whether about learned nobody fa Tehran had Cook's word for it The fighting won't Take perverted informed Western Iraq they were soon end anytime f mtning are trying to settle what is 110111181’ or ‘moral’ “People met “local The plane wu hy and with votes opinion polls That rarely works” he said nnHhnwwd soldier or police In public debates the issue is stated in one of two ways: armed with automatic weapons Those on toe left argue that gays and lesbians should and they surrounded the plane the sank civil rights all other Americans have “We rather gingerly came off Most on tiie cultural and religious right argue tiiat tiie plane smiling'' homosexuals already have the same rights other single Eventually toe confusion wu adult Americans The issuo is whether homosexuals ended by a fax from Tehran AnulH have tiie special civil rights status given to The refugee camp wu a members of oppressed minorities four-hoto and the drive dose a Critical questions linger Are persons bom refuSome 10000 border Iraqi toe result of is homosexuals? Or personal homosexuality — a small gees lived there choices about behavior and lifestyle? Can sexual percentage of the estimated 1 million Kurds fleeing Iraq where nrtenfotifflff be changed? Federal courts have said tiiat civil rights are based on rebel efforts were bong quashed fabom or gwMigMhia characteristics The Supreme by Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein Court has said homosexuals are a social group defined by there to “It wu interesting go and see tost toe common man is behavior fascinated with us They showed groups argue tint homosexual orientation is Amertoward no animosity permanentandnot a matter of personal choice icans' Burton said “People need a biological cause for tins behavior so ys u u u ur Gay-righ- ts Farewell for Sister Jo Ann planned A farewell open house for Sister Jo Ann O’Connell will be Sunday fnim 3 to 5 pm at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church 795 N 800 Logan A pastoral associate and involved with campus ministry at St Thomas for tiie past five years O’Connell will be a pastoral msociate fa two parishes near Des Moines Iowa Everyone is welcome Weinstein said tint die investigation hu no legal standing but will have historical value John Paul wu wounded in the attempt on his May 13 1981 and -j spent 11 weeks in aRomehospitaLi wa a fared gunman from Turkey His T The paymasters never were identified although (here were insistent rumors about (he possible implication of the Soviet KGB and die Bulgarian secret police It wu speculated but denied by die Kremlin that (he Soviets wanted to stem toe pope's powerful support of toe Solidarity movement fa Poland The gunman Mehmet All Ages who wu jailed far life fa Italy never gave a clear account of his motives : LDS officials pay respects to Gandhi Saints Two officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y United tiie to India’s ambassador of die Republic recently visited with States and conveyed to toe people of India and tiie family of Rajiv Saints throughout toe world in Gandhi toe condolences of Latter-da- y the wake of tiie former prime minister’s tragic death last week said an LDS news release Russell M Nelson and Dallin H Oaks met with Abid Hussain at the India Embassy “Ambassador Hussain was very gracious and appreciative of this expression of sympathy on behalf of tiie world wide membership of tiie church" Nelson said Oaks noted tiiat “toe spoke with emotion is be said he Across the nation civil and religious wars are raging about whether homosexual relationships are natural or perverted Take Colin Cook's word for it: The fighting wont end anytime sdon that a “child's psychosexual identity is not written unlearned fa tiie genetic code tiie hormonal system or the nervous system at birth' He bis added: “Some people do fa trying' ' So Cook has tried to change be said be feu into “moral As a young for and entered toe as he prepared schizophrenia' as a paster first fa England ministry By day he worked fa York New later and City By night he cruised gay bars bath houses and pomo shops His career crashed fa 1974 when his homosexuality was exposed Four years later he married had children they can turn this into a matter of justice and dvil rights” safa Cook after a recent lecture fa Denver “You need to be able to say tiiat homosexuality is merely toe mirror But Cook's' life crashed again fa 1986' of image of heterosexuality" conducts with questions shout his sexual but tiiat science counselees Today st age SO his marriage is intact and his The media avoids such in '“hormonal" ministry is conducted within a strict system of has linked homosexuality to a accountability to a congregation in Reading Pa “I have learned some hard lessons I know how Cook's bottom line: After 20 or 30 years of research no these issues ire fa real life" said Cook “I complex one has solved toe puzzle of homosexual behavior ill gnd oppose persecution or ridiculing of gay the other tiie or settled one issue is who way says Anyone lesbian women— is out of line “The very people who used to say tiiat homosexuality “But for our government! to give homosexual! some most likely has a genetic cause are now beginning to kind of special status is to hand out civil rights on toe change their tone” he said “They now are talking about basis of faunorelchdces Where win tint course of action nature and nurture tiiat there is a combination of factors lead us?" that must be present for homosexuality to arise a Teny Mafltnflty wa mads and popular oulura Panwar scientific myth Seminary Ha wNn Ma column weeny for tfw SoOppa Howard of toe most widely quoted secular experts John Nawa 8arv(oa non-genit- would convey this expression to toe government of India and to the ' family of tiie former prime minister'’ Mormon Tabernacle Choir to present concert The Mormon Tabernacle Choir under toe direction of Jerald Ottiey will present a preview of their Eastern Europe and Soviet Union concert tour The concert will be held in toe Salt Lake City LDS Tabernacle at 7:30 pm Tuesday June 4 and will include a ic ranging from spirituals to American folk songs variety of toe concerts is limited to those 8 years of kge and older Admission to Episcopalians to convene vision statement blessing and open Consideration of a five-yehouse of new church offices at Tuttie Center and ordination of two men to toe diacanate will highlight the 86to annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah Friday tinough Sunday More than 300 Episcopalians will gather as delegates from congregations around tiie state to conduct church business worship and mrialim at tiie annual meeting held at toe Doubletree Hotel downtown Salt Like City Delegates will consider a “Vision for the Diocese of Utah" which ar al will identify the direction the ministry of the diocese will ifocus on the next five years Included ire areas of evangelism and congregational development education and training service to toe poor and peace and justice issues and incorporation of young people into toe life of toe church The RL Rev Otis Charles former Bishop of Utah and now Dean of toe Episcopal Divinity School fa Cambridge Mass will be keynote speaker at toe 7 pm convention banquet Saturday He will also preach at toe dosing convention Eucharist at 11 am Sunday at toe Cathedral Church of St Mark The Rl Rev George E Bates Bishop of Utah will celebrate toe Holy Eucharist it tost service and preside over the ordinations of Ronald Bcfaap and John Day The Tuttie Center the new dinnemi office complex is located on tiie main floor of the Heber Jacobsen Building 80 S 300 East in Salt Lake City next to tiie cathedral Diocesan staff will conduct tours for the public from 3 to 5 pm Friday and from 1:30 to 3 pm Sunday A barbecue will be served Sunday on toe church grounds between toe cathedral and Tuttle Center The Diocese of Utah is one of 120 Episcopal dioceses in the United States from which approximately 26 million baptized members cany out ministry Utah has 21 Episcopal churches throughout the state 55 ordained clergy and approximately 5000 member I |