JESUS CHRIST GOES ' KABUKI ' IN JAPAN SUPERSTAR PLAY

TOKYO - A rickshaw, women in elaborate brocade kimonos, the echo of bamboo flutes. And Jesus of Nazareth, his face painted white with the flaring red lines typical of makeup in Japan's kabuki theater.
All share the stage at Gekidan Shiki, one of Japan's best-known theater troupes, in its revival of the hit rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" -- with some very Japanese twists.
First adapted by Shiki founder Keita Asari in 1973 from the original, a 1970 album by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice followed by a 1971 Broadway production, the "Japonesque Version" is one of several local adaptations of the play around the globe. Shiki also does a more conventional "Jerusalem Version."
"There was a New York version, and I thought I should do a kabuki version," Asari said recently, surrounded by cast members after the musical's final dress rehearsal in Tokyo.
"Then later I was told it was too avant-garde, so I made another version, the Jerusalem Version, in response."
"Superstar" depicts the last week of Jesus Christ, including his betrayal by Judas Iscariot, his arrest, his appearance before Pontius Pilate and, finally, his crucifixion.
Asari's production is a powerful, if sometimes disconcerting, blend of Japan and Jerusalem.
Jesus, Judas and the others have faces made up with the ghostly white foundation and flaring lines, in red or black, of kabuki. One woman flaunts a Japanese parasol.
A man wears a version of a sumo wrestler's wrapped mawashi loincloth over white jeans, and some musical numbers include bamboo flutes and Japan's traditional three-stringed shamisen.
JAPAN, JERUSALEM, THE SIXTIES
But Japan really comes to the fore in a surreal scene where Jesus meets King Herod, who appears on stage in a white rickshaw accompanied by two women in kimonos.
Herod, who sings the honkytonk number "King Herod's Song," has elaborate tattoos covering his upper body in the style of Japanese gangsters and wears a garish happi coat.
Adding to the bizarre nature of the production are 1960s touches such as the white jeans worn by all the cast and the long, crocheted vests worn by the otherwise bare-chested Jesus and Judas, who also appears to have an Afro hairdo.
To Toshihide Kaneta, who plays Jesus in the current production, this melange is all part of the appeal.
"Even though over 35 years have gone by since it was first performed, this very original combination of kabuki makeup and jeans still hasn't lost its freshness," he said in a statement.
Inevitably, some poetry is lost in translation.
The line "To conquer death, you only have to die" that Jesus sings in "Poor Jerusalem" becomes the less stirring "to overcome death," while "blood money" in another song is simply "money."
How many of the story's deeper echoes come through in Japan, which has only a small Christian minority, is another question.
Among the more mundane admonitions of Asari's post-rehearsal critique of the cast's performance, such as telling Jesus to "collapse a bit more when you're being held by the soldiers," were urgings for them to "feel awe" as they performed.
"Judas' betrayal was dramatized well, it was easy to understand," said Setsuko, a woman in her 60s who was in the audience and who said she hadn't known the story before.
"You can't think of it as religion. The songs and dances were powerful, it was enjoyable as a play."

FIVE KILLED IN CHRISTIAN - MUSLIM CLASHES IN NIGERIA; PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE....

KANO, Nigeria — Five people were killed and four injured Saturday in sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians over places of worship in northern Nigeria's Bauchi state, residents said.
Government officials, however, blamed the violence on disaffected local politicians and said they had asked troops to take over security duties from the police in the immediate area affected.
Muslim youths attacked Christians and burned churches in reprisals over the burning of two mosques overnight in the state capital Bauchi, which the Muslims blamed on Christians, residents told AFP by telephone from Bauchi, 300 kilometres (200 miles) northeast of Abuja.
"I saw five dead bodies on the streets this morning, one of them was burnt," resident Muazu Hardawa said.
"One of the dead bodies was one of five Muslim youths shot by police deployed to the area to restore calm when a mob insisted on burning a church," he said.
Hardawa said three churches in nearby Kofar Dumi neighbourhood were burnt during the violence.
Bauchi state governor Isa Yuguda said he had ordered troops to be deployed to restore order in the city.
The region was rocked by religious and political violence in November that killed hundreds of people in the central city of Jos.
Tensions have risen in Bauchi since February 13 when members of a pentacostal church opposite a mosque in the area barricaded a pathway outside the church used by Muslims attending Friday prayers, residents said.
A truck had broken down in the middle of the road separating the church and the mosque, blocking the passage and the Muslims had to use a narrow path between the truck and the church, further inflaming tensions, according to resident Babayo Hassan.
He said a police detachment stationed in the area had to intervene by removing the barricades and appealing for calm on both sides.
"Angered by what they saw as provocation, an unprecedented number of Muslims attended the Friday prayers and the congregation overflowed to the church's gate but there was no incident," Hassan said.
"But around 3:00 a.m. two mosques in the area went up in flames. The Muslims accused the members of the church for the arson and enraged Muslim youths went on a rampage," he added.
The Christian-dominated neighbourhood was a centre of bloody sectarian strife in 2004 when Muslim-Christian violence in the town of Tafawa Balewa, some 100 kilometres away spilled over to the city, and houses, mosques and churches were burnt, Hardawa said.
The north of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim, with many states introducing Sharia law, but there are significant Christian communities in the region as well, leading to sectarian tensions and clashes.
The Bauchi state government blamed disgruntled politicians for the latest mayhem.
"This is a crisis fomented by troublemakers intent on causing disaffection in the state," state governor Yuguda said in a broadcast aired on state-owned radio.
"It is fuelled by disgruntled political elements who do not wish the state well and the government will not condone it," he said.
"I have ordered soldiers to take over the restoration of normalcy in the affected area from the police," the governor added.
The police authorities in the city have refused to comment on the violence.

COUNSELLOR SUSPENDED AFTER TEENS HEAR ' CHRISTIAN MUSIC ' IN CALIFORNIA; ACCUSED OF EXPOSING CHILDREN TO UNAPPROVED RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

A Southern California counselor with nearly two decades of experience with foster children is challenging a decision that she be punished after four teens she took on an approved day-long outing encountered a beach festival – and heard Christian music.
The 18-year employee, according to the lawsuit, took four teen girls from the Orangewood Children's Home, which was launched as a private facility but now is owned and run by Orange County. "What happened to this counselor was insane and unjust," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, who is defending the counselor.
"Allowing teenagers to overhear a few minutes of Christian music while at the beach should not result in a six-week suspension," insisted Dacus, who said the counselor's name is not being released.
A county spokeswoman said officials had not seen the complaint. But it was a personnel issue, they said, so there would be no comment.
Pacific Justice said the lawsuit was filed after an extensive course of "administrative remedies" proved fruitless.
The complaint explains the counselor took the four teen girls on the field trip during the summer of 2006, first to a 5 kilometer run and then to the beach.
"At the beach, the group encountered a 'Surf Jam' taking place at the Huntington Beach Pier. The group also overheard Christian music for about 10 minutes while they were eating," the institute said.
After the outing, the counselor was ordered into a "disciplinary meeting" that focused on the inappropriateness of Christian music.
No punishment was imposed immediately, but weeks later after another meeting at which the same subject was reviewed, the counselor was suspended six weeks for "exposing children to unapproved religious activities."
The lawsuit was filed in Orange County Superior Court seeking to recover the financial losses from the suspension and vindicate her constitutional rights, the institute said.
Dacus told WND the circumstances were disturbing.
"It just goes to show how anti-faith some [people] are," he said.

RAY COMFORT Vs RICHARD DAWKINS A $10,OOO CHALLENGE; CHRISTIAN AUTHOR THROWS DOWN GAUNTLET IN CHALLENGING ATHIEST CELEBRITY FOR DEBATE

Ray Comfort, author of the new book, "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think," is challenging celebrity atheist Richard Dawkins to a debate – and sweetening the offer by offering him $10,000, win, lose or draw.
"Richard Dawkins is arguably the most famous living atheist, now that Anthony Flew doubted his doubts and backslid as an atheist," said Comfort, bestselling author and co-host, along with actor Kirk Cameron, of the award-winning TV show "The Way of the Master." "Flew said that he simply followed the evidence. I would like to see Richard Dawkins follow his example."
Comfort has spoken at Yale University on the subject of atheism. In 2001, American Atheists, Inc. flew him from his home in California to Orlando, Fla., to be a platform speaker at its national convention. He debated atheistic evolution on ABC's Nightline in 2007, and early in 2009 debated on the BBC. He is the author of some 60 other books including "God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists," "How to Know God Exists," and "Evolution: the Fairy Tale for Grownups." He is the publisher of "The Evidence Bible" and more recently, "The Atheist Bible (Unauthorized Version)" and, "The Charles Darwin Bible." His booklet, "The Atheist Test" has sold over a million copies.

On Darwin Day (Charles Darwin's 200th birthday – Feb. 12), Comfort's latest, "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can’t Make Him Think," published by WND Books, pushed Dawkins' "The God Delusion" out of the No. 1 spot in the atheist category on Amazon.com.
"One of Dawkins' major gripes is against religion," said Comfort. "I am in total agreement on that one. I abhor religion. It is the opiate of the masses. It has left a bloody trail of destruction and human misery throughout history. Hitler even used it for his own ends. His other big beef is that he believes that the God of the Old Testament is a tyrant. If I had the image of God Dawkins has created in his mind, I, too, would be an atheist. The problem is that the god Mr. Dawkins doesn't believe in, doesn't exist."
Comfort added, "I will donate $10,000 to him, or give it to any children's charity he names. All I ask is that he goes into a studio and gives me 20 minutes on why there is no God and why evolution is scientific. Then I will give 20 minutes on how we can know God exists and why evolution is nothing more than an unsubstantiated and unscientific fairy tale for grownups. Then we both will have 10 minutes to respond.
"Sadly, I have found that even evolution's most staunch believers are afraid to debate, because they know that their case for atheism and evolution is less than extremely weak," Comfort said. "I would be delighted (and honored) if Mr. Dawkins has the courage to debate me, but I'm not holding my breath."
Comfort recently became the "Creationism Examiner" on the website of the secular newspaper, the Examiner.

LUTHERANS IN UNITED STATES CONSIDERING FOR AN ACTIVELY GAY CLERGY; PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.....

America's largest Lutheran body inched closer to ordaining actively gay clergy with a recommendation Thursday that the 4.7-million-member church vote on the matter at its convention this summer.
A 15-member task force of theologians, academics, bishops and laity with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) released in a 17-page statement Thursday afternoon a proposal for delegates to vote on at the ELCA's next convention, Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis. To pass, the proposal needs the support of a simple majority of the delegates representing the ELCA's 65 synods.
According to the proposal, each geographical synod would be allowed to decide whether to “call people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships” to the ministry. Only celibate gay clergy can now serve in any ELCA churches.
Although stressing repeatedly that the ELCA must vote decisively on the matter at its biennial meeting, the task force said a homosexual candidate in a “publicly accountable” relationship may sometimes be the “best-suited” person for a certain church.
The recommendation was accompanied by a 33-page treatise defining human sexuality as a “gift and trust,” along with a series of proposed resolutions for a liturgical rite for divorce, for partners of gay clergy to be included in denominational pension plans, and for sex-education programs in public and private Lutheran schools.
Local Lutheran bishops had mixed reactions.
“I think the church should move toward inclusion, diversity and the maximum amount of flexibility,” said Bishop Richard H. Graham of the 40,000-member Metropolitan Washington Synod. “The question is how fast and to what expense.”
He has one celibate homosexual serving in one of his 130 churches, he added, plus “several people in our candidacy process who are in various stages of coming out publicly.”
Bishop H. Gerald Knoche of the 94,000-member Delaware-Maryland Synod called the series of proposals “a detriment to our church.”
He said, “What they are proposing here is that different synods and churches can handle the problem according to their conscience. That will make it difficult to have clergy mobility in the national church. There will be different standards in different places.”

He added, “my conscience says homosexuality is sinful and we shouldn't be holding it up as a lifestyle.”
While the “recommendations” statement stressed repeatedly that some Lutherans are under “bound conscience” to oppose gay clergy, it called its existing policy mandating that homosexuals stay celibate “undesirable and unrealistic.” The task force said the denomination has studied and debated the matter for seven years and that it already allowed celibate homosexuals in leadership posts.
The task force listed four proposed resolutions to be put to a vote in August. The first would decide whether Lutheran synods and congregations can support monogamous same-sex relationships.
If that passes, a second resolution would ask whether Lutherans would allow someone in such a relationship to join the ranks of Lutheran clergy.
A third would bind Lutherans into “respecting the bound consciences of those with whom they disagree,” presumably those opposed to gay clergy.
A fourth would grant a local option to synods that wish to accept gay ministers.
“Step one is the critical piece,” said Bishop James F. Mauney of the 43,000-member Virginia Synod. “It's like a serve on a tennis rally. What you do with the serve depends on whether you get to the second, third or fourth shot.”
ELCA conventions in 2005 and 2007 “wouldn't budge” on allowing gay clergy, said the bishop, adding that he is not aware of any of any gay clergy in his synod.
“There seems to be a spirit and mind of the assembly that doesn't follow easily what one would assume,” he said.
Lutherans Concerned, a gay advocacy group based in St. Paul, Minn., applauded some features of the “recommendations” statement but said it offered no rite for gay marriage.
Allowing some synods to not ordain homosexuals amounts to “institutionalized discrimination,” it said in a statement.
WordAlone Network, a conservative Lutheran group in New Brighton, Minn., called the recommendations “smoke and mirrors” and promised to work to defeat all the proposed resolutions in August.

JAMES BRADFORD NAMED GENERAL SECRETARY OF ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

James Bradford, pastor of Central Assembly of God in Springfield, is the new general secretary of the Assemblies of God, General Superintendent George O. Wood announced this morning.

Bradford, 56, was unanimously appointed by the Executive Presbytery following the resignation of John M. Palmer Feb. 13 after admitting to ethical misconduct.Bradford will assume the duties of the General Secretary’s office effective immediately. However, he will also continue as pastor of Central Assembly through Easter.

The general secretary maintains information about the denomination's ministers and churches, oversees the chartering of churches and credentialing of ministers and keeps official statistics about the Assemblies of God, which is based in Springfield.Wood said the search for the new general secretary was one “bathed in prayer and conducted with a list of qualities in mind. Included in the list were godly character, respect among ministers and constituency, competency for the office, preaching and communication skills, chemistry with the current executive leadership, ability to connect with young people and leadership skills, among other things — all qualities that were carefully and prayerfully evaluated.”

Bradford, who holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota, grew a small Chi Alpha campus Bible study at the university into a university church. Upon graduation in 1979, he went into full-time ministry with that campus outreach. In 1982, he was ordained by the Minnesota District. He and his family moved to Southern California in 1988 where he pastored Newport-Mesa Christian Center in Orange County. In 2000, the Bradfords moved to Vancouver, B.C., to pastor Broadway Church, and in 2003 he came to Springfield to pastor Central Assembly.

“He is a popular speaker both in the States and abroad,” Wood adds. Bradford works with university student ministries, missionaries and pastoral leadership training. “We pray God’s wisdom and presence on Jim and the family.” Bradford and his wife, Sandi, have two daughters, Meredith and Angeline, both students at Evangel University in Springfield. A video of the chapel introduction of Dr. Bradford as general secretary will be available at http://ag.org/ later this morning.

FAITH BASED SERVICES HURTED BY GOVERMENT CUTBACKS IN UNITED STATES

Faith-based charities, which provide an enormous array of private social services to the nation's sick, elderly and poor, are facing unprecedented cutbacks from one of their biggest funders: the government.

The nation's economic woes have led local and state government agencies across the country to reduce contracts and grants or delay payments to the groups, which have been forced to eliminate programs, lay off staff or try to borrow money in a tight lending market. In the Washington region, where the Maryland, Virginia and District budgets are being developed, faith-based charities from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington to the Salvation Army's National Capital Area Command are freezing job vacancies, postponing initiatives and rallying their religious congregations to dig deeper into their pockets.
Government leaders are also urging the organizations to increase their fundraising, but political leaders and the groups say that the economy is causing deep cuts in private giving. Ken Kozloff, chief executive of the Jewish Social Service Agency, with offices in Montgomery and Fairfax counties, has seen its private donations fall almost 10 percent, but its client roster has grown 35 percent. It gets half of its revenue from federal, state and local governments.

Without government funding, "where are the resources going to come from?" asked Kozloff. "How do we serve people? How do we keep people's lives whole?"
Faith groups elsewhere in the country are feeling the strain. California is soon expected to make its payments to faith groups, and other organizations, as IOUs instead of cash. In Illinois, a local Lutheran social services agency is owed $4 million. A Lutheran social services agency in Minnesota closed four residential facilities for troubled adolescents after the state slashed its funding. And in Newark, New Jersey cut a $1 million contract to the local Catholic Charities, which provided job training and other assistance to 400 mentally ill welfare recipients, forcing it to shut down the program and lay off about a dozen people.
"It's only going to continue to get worse," warned Larry Snyder, chief executive of Catholic Charities USA, one of the country's largest nonprofit organizations, which gets about 65 percent of its revenue from government contracts. "Our folks out in the field are feeling a little overwhelmed because they can't see the end, and all they see are more and more people coming and fewer resources coming their way. And yet we don't have the luxury to say, 'You know what? We're going to close our doors for a while.' "
Faith-based charities' services run the gamut of social programs: They own hospitals and nursing homes, run substance-abuse and foster-care programs, operate homeless shelters and mental health clinics, build affordable housing and distribute food to the needy.
Researchers say it is impossible to calculate what percentage of total social service assistance comes from faith-based organizations, although they agree it is large. One San Jose State University study estimates the value of the social services provided by faith-based charities and other religious organizations across the country at $50 billion a year.
In the Washington area, at least one-third of faith-based charities and congregations get government money, according to a survey by Scott W. Allard, a professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Allard said that estimate is probably low because it misses many smaller congregations and social service organizations that also receive contracts.
But across the country, caring for the poor is growing more and more difficult, faith organization leaders said. The passage of the economic stimulus package is expected to do little to reverse the trend. In Virginia, for example, even with the funds expected from the stimulus package, the budget shortfall is anticipated to be at least $2.7 billion, with cuts for faith-based services all but certain.
In a survey of 50 Catholic Charities affiliates nationwide, about half have experienced cutbacks or unpaid state contracts. The problem appears slightly better locally, but not by much, because state and local governments are finalizing budgets. A survey by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations found that at least one-third of its members experienced a reduction in state funding or anticipate a reduction.
Not long ago, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) met with local nonprofit social service agencies, including a number of faith-based organizations, to warn them to expect significant cuts. "Government's ability and the ability of nonprofits [to respond] becomes more challenging when there is a greater need," Leggett said. "And that's the real irony of what we face."
In normal times, nonprofits can tap into bank credit lines to cover lags in payment. But faced with swelling late payments, many organizations have hit their maximum or struggling banks have cut their lines of credit.
Independent Sector, a coalition of charitable groups that represents nonprofits, estimates that at least $15 billion -- 18 percent of all government funding to nonprofit human service providers -- is delayed or will be delayed if the problem is not addressed.
Nonprofits unsuccessfully lobbied for a $15 billion bridge loan package for human services nonprofits, administered by the federal government, to be included in the fiscal stimulus package.
The charities say the cutbacks will only boomerang on the states. When California slashed more than $300,000 from a contract with Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, it had to cut 70 slots from a program that kept poor elderly people out of nursing homes by providing them with services in their homes.
"Unless their families had some alternative," said Chief Executive Paul Castro, "they undoubtedly ended up in a nursing home," potentially costing California taxpayers even more money.

JADE GOODY ( big brother fame) INFLUENCED BY BIBLE , AS SHE IS TOLD SHE MAY HAVE ONLY WEEKS TO LIVE DUE TO CERVICAL CANCER

Jade Goody is reading the Bible as she comes to terms with her death - and may only have a few weeks left to live.

The 27-year-old has become so influenced by the book and its teachings, she is planning to have her sons Bobby, five, and Freddie, four, Christened before she passes away.
Her publicist Max Clifford also revealed in an exclusive web chat with Sky News Online this lunchtime that a trust is being set up to look after the youngsters after she is gone.
Asked by one Sky reader who would get custody of the two lads, he replied: "She is assembling a memory box for her boys.

"There is a team of trustees - three very close friends - who will be overseeing the interest of her boys in the years ahead."
Her estate will be in her fiancé Jack Tweed's name for seven years to avoid inheritance tax before it passes to her children.
Asked how long Jade had got left to live, he replied: "She was told a week ago that we are talking about months. It could be weeks."
Mr Clifford also spoke of Jade's wedding to 21-year-old Jack this Sunday, and how planning her big day is taking her mind off her excruciating pain.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has lifted Jack's curfew to allow the couple to spend their wedding night together.
"She is being very brave and planning the wedding gives her something positive to look forward to and focus on," Mr Clifford added.
"Jade has a tremendous lift from the vast thousands of messages of love and support she has received from all over Britain."
Her wedding will take place in front of 150 pals - including TV host Jonathan Ross - in Down Hall, Hatfield Heath, Hertfordshire.

"The wedding won't be on live TV. It is being filmed by Living TV, which will bring their contract to an end and will be shown in a couple of weeks time," Mr Clifford said.
"She won't be having a honeymoon - she's not well enough. And she's under constant medical supervision."
Asked whether she had spent too much time in front of the cameras as she battled her disease, Mr Clifford added: "Jade is doing what she wants to do with the time she has left.

"Since she went public with her cervical cancer in August, there has been a huge increase all over Britain in young women having cervical cancer smear tests.
"She will save many lives and Jade is very happy she has achieved that by going public."
A huge media circus is camped outside her mansion in Upshire, Essex. And the reality TV star has sent trays of teas and coffees out to the waiting pack.
Earlier, a nine-year-old girl who met Jade when she was in hospital with leukaemia as a baby, visited the star's house with her family.
Shelby Rolls, from Southgate in north London, brought flowers and a card and congratulated her on her forthcoming wedding.
A delivery man brought an enormous bunch of pink flowers from singer Robbie Williams.

VATICAN IRKED BY ' BLASPHEMOUS' VIRGIN MARY TV SPOOF IN ISRAEL

The Vatican said Friday it has formally complained to the Israeli government about an Israeli TV show that ridiculed Jesus and Mary in an offensive act of intolerance.

The Israeli foreign ministry said the segment wouldn't be shown again and that its host, well-known Israeli comedian Lior Shlein, had apologized. In the program, Shlein sarcastically denied Christian traditions - that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus walked on water - saying he was doing so as a lesson to Christians who deny the Holocaust.
It was a reference to the Vatican's recent lifting of the excommunication of a bishop who denied 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. The rehabilitation sparked outrage among Jews. A statement from the Vatican press office said its representative in Israel complained to the government about the segment, which was broadcast recently on private Channel 10, one of Israel's three main TV stations, during Shlein's late-night comedy talk show. In the clip, the Vatican said, Mary and Joseph were ridiculed with blasphemous words and images that amounted to a vulgar and offensive act of intolerance toward the religious sentiments of the believers in Christ.

In the show, Mary is said to have become pregnant at 15, thanks to a schoolmate. It said Jesus could never have walked on water because he was so fat he was ashamed to leave the house, let alone go to the Sea of Galilee with a bathing suit. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the ministry approached Channel 10 based on the papal nuncio's complaints, and was told the segment would not air again. Palmor said the station's legal adviser had also already sent a letter of apology to an attorney who represents a Christian group who had been offended by the segment. Palmor said Shlein apologized live on Wednesday, and said he didn't mean to offend anyone. The clip was a sarcastic response to the Vatican's rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson, who said in an interview broadcast on Swedish state TV that no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust and that only 200,000 or 300,000 Jews were killed. he Vatican's rehabilitation of Williamson sparked outrage that only abated after Pope Benedict XVI met with Jewish leaders at the Vatican last week. During his audience, the German-born pope issued a strong denunciation of anti-Semitism and said it was unacceptable for anyone - particularly a clergyman - to deny or minimize the Holocaust. The Vatican has demanded that Williamson, a member of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, recant before he can be admitted as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. On Thursday, the government of Argentina, where Williamson had been living, ordered him expelled within 10 days. It cited an immigration problem but also said his comments about the Holocaust had profoundly insulted Argentina, Jews and all of humanity. The British-born Williamson had already been removed as director of the society's La Reja seminary. He has apologized for causing distress to the pope but has not recanted. He has said he would only correct himself if he is satisfied after a review of the evidence, but has said that would take time.