coming up, a new campaign to support christians in the holy land. also, a surprise in utah, the usually conservative mormon church lobbies hard and successfully for a liberal law on immigration. >> the church has become a worldwide church, and its interests now extend far beyond utah. and an irish monastery where through prayer and simple work, these women seek to become close to god. major funding for "religion & ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolis-based private family foundation dedicated to

its founders' interest in religion, community development, and education. additional funding by mutual of america, designing and customizing individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting. welcome, i'm bob abernethy and it is good to have you with us. africa is now facing one of the worst food crises in more than 50 years. the united nations this week said that tens of thousands of people are believed to have died in somalia alone. many more have fled to neighboring countries, kenya, and ethiopia where drought has caused life-threatening food caused shortages as well. international relief and faith-based groups have issued urgent pleas for more funds. religious leaders, including

pope benedict xvith havecalled on the international community to respond to the disaster. the pentagon announced the week that it has agreed to end "don't ask, don't tell." the ban on gays. serving openly in the military. congress voted to overturn the policy in december, but the military chiefs also had to weigh in before the ban was officially lifted. on friday, secretary of defense leon panetta said removing "don't ask, don't tell" would not affect military readiness. as negotiations continued over a deal to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the federal deficit, a coalition of religion leaders met with the president and urged him not to cut programs that help the poor. in a private meeting at the white house conference of catholic bishops, the national council of churches and other

faith-based groups said lawmakers must protect the most vulnerable, according to the reports the president acknowledged the needs of the least of these. meanwhile, a group of religious conservatives has come out in support of substantial cuts and a cap on federal spending. memb members of the southern baptist convention, the family research council and others said the debt hurts the post most of all. eight top roman catholic and aningly can leaders from around the world this week launched a new effort to support christians in the holy land who are caught in the ongoing conflict between israelis and palestinians. they also called on politicians to jump start the stalled middle east peace process. the new campaign got under way at a high-level meeting in london. kyung lahton was there.

>> reporter: christian leaders have europe, north america and the middle east gathered at the historic lambeth palace. residence of the anglican ar, bishop of canterbury, rowan williams. the meeting was co-hosted by williams and the roman catholic ar, bishop of westminster, vincent nichols. >> we cannot wait for the politicians to sort of out before we as civil society, as active agents as people of faith get on with making the differences we can make. >> reporter: a main focus was how to shore up the minority christian community in israel and the palestinian territories, because of emigration and low birthra birthrates, christians now make up less than 2% of the population there. >> that's the very specific and the very practical challenge,

have these people a future in the ancestral home. we hope and pray they do. >> the holy land and the holy sites could have become something like the coliseum, you know, the remnants of something that is of the great historical interest and maybe of cultural interest, but not lived in, not living and breathing centers of life and prayer. >> reporter: the leaders discussed concrete ways to help christian community, such as financial support, building more relationships between congregations and increasing public policy advocacy. as part of that, the group specifically called for an end to security restrictions that prevent local people of faith from visiting their holy sites. conference organizers denied criticism from some quarters that supporting palestinian christians makes one anti-israel.

>> what we want is to be in pro christian and is also being pro israeli and pro-peace. >> reporter: the group heard from a variety of voices. including jews and muslims. participants all agreed that working for an end to the israeli-palestinian conflicts would be of the biggest help of all. >> bishop gerald kikanas says that ultimately, what we need is a two-state solution where these two peoples can live together in peace, each in their own sovereign states respecting the boundaries and respect iing the rights of those states. but we're not there yet. >> reporter: the leaders said the convention was valuable, but as always the big challenge will be turning talk into action. i'm kyung lahton at lam best

palace in london. >> kim will have a special report from the holy land next week. in alabama, faith-based groups are among those challenging a new immigration law scheduled to take effect in september. the new state law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop for another violation. it will be a crime to knowiny transport or house an illegal immigra immigrant. some churches are helping to educate the community about the new legislation those who fear they could be deported are for the care of their children in case they are forced to leave the country. and if i could go to washington, i would say let my people stay. this is the land of flowing with milk and honey, they came from misery and slavery to a place where they could earn a living for their family and they ve

hope for their children, and to send them back is not right. >> other states are also adopting tough immigration laws, but in usually conservative utah the legislation has passed a liberal immigration bill with the help of the mormon church. lucky severson reports. >> reporter: it was a huge surprise when the legislature of one of the most conservative states, passed one of the more liberal immigration laws in the country. an even bigger surprise was how it angered so many members of the utah's predominant faith and church of jesus christ of latter day saints, otherwise known as the mormons or lds, even though it was the church that pushed through the legislation. this is the utahtate senator curt bramble, a republican and mormon who helped craft the bill. >> personally, i have not seen the lds church lobby any issue harder than they're actively on

the house bill 116, the immigration legislation. >> reporter: i jokingly said you know, they may as well pitched a tent in the back halls. >> reporter: ron mortensen is a career foreign service officer and a former mormon missionary who founded the utah coalition against illegal immigration and he's not too happy with his church. >> reporter: they had full access, the church lobbyists had u full access where normal people can't go, in the back halls and through all of the back alleyways and they were all full time this seion. >> reporter: and the result was legislation that would allow undocumented immigrant families to continue living and working in the state, providing among other things, they have no criminal record and pay a fine for being in the country illegally. >> reporter: originally the

legislature was only going to pass an enforcement bill similar to the controversial one in arizona until a compact of commerce asked for a additional bill with a more compassionate approach. >> reporter: critics like representative chris herrod, a republican and former missionary, say the bill was forced on the legislature. >> i've never in five years seen a bill passed in the fashion that that was passed. because of the church? well, some could argue that, but again, that doesn't make it right. >> reporter: tim sham bles, is a professor with the hinkley institute of political science at the university of utah. >> we do know that the utah state legislature is unique because of the 91% of the 104 members of the utah state ledge

chur self-identity as lds. and each, almost each member would say they're a good church member. they're a member of the rep party, and they're a good church member, and they're very divided on this issue. >> reporter: at first, it was not widely known how hard the church lobbied for a guest worker law. so why did it? the church says it was the christian thing to do, and that the bedrock moral issue is how we treat each other as children of god. quin monson is a political science professor at brigham young university. >> there is an approach that church has been supporting that allows people to square themselves with the law it's allowing people to live without fear, to stay with their families, to pay a fine and come out of the shadows. >> reporter: but in the view of legislations opponents, it

provides amnesty for lawbreakers and goes squarely against the 12th, and one of the church's 13 articles of faith. >> reporter: it basically says that we honor, obey and sustain the law of the land and that's something that all of the children learn when they're growing up and especially the older generation. it was something that was drummed into you and that was just like one of the ten commandments, and so when people see people not complying with the law, that makes them nervous and raises questions. >> reporter: ron mortensen doesn't argue with the compassion of his church, but he thinks that the bigger reason for the legislation is that the church has grown far beyond the u.s. borders. >> in my opinion, the church has become a worldwide church far beyond utah, and it is worldwide audience and a very large audience in latin america. >> reporter: the church has over

14 million members worldwide with more than half residingout side of the united states. the population of mormons in mexico is hundreds of thousands if not over a million. there are at least a dozen temples of the church in mexico and hundreds of chapels so it is a big population and it is big throughout latin america. >> the church is concerned that anything that hurts the missionary effort is going to be something that may be the church would not support. >> utah is very cleanly connected with the church in a lot of people's mind, outside of utah and outside of the united states. and so if utah is enacting some draconian restrictive immigration law, you can sort of imagine the reaction that when the blame that might be placed on the church for allowing it to happen. i can see that that might have been a motivating factor in to getting involved and asking the

legislation to dial it back. >> there's been pretty credible stories about withholding visas for missionaries in order to bring pressure on the church, so they're praying in ing -- play very international arena. it's no longer what's necessarily good for utah, it's what's good for the worldwide. >> mortensen says it might surprise some members of to learn that the church sends undocumented members that live in the u.s. on stateside missions. >> it's been a policy of the church to allow undocumented members to have temple priesthood, and it's up to the bishops to decide if the they're worthy of that or not. >> undocumented missionaries have been deported and recently two minor church officials and their families were exexcelled from the country because they

were here illegally. the churchsays it discourages members from entering any country without legal documentation. >> for those who argue that a guest worker law violates federal law, other like senator curt bramble refer to a higher law, and uses the harboring of run away slaves as an example. >> during the 1860, before the civil war, members of the church that harbored slaves because slavery was immorale, and was a violation of the law. we can talk throughout the history on the books or laws that someone is demanding you follow result in a outcome that in and of itself is a violation of the higher law. >> mortensen says that the churches view of the law may be changing because he thinks the church, itself, is changing. >> the lds church seems to be

moving towards a more social justice position and away from the conservatism where it's traditionally been. in other news, the vatican has named denver's ar, bishop charles chaput to be the new ar, bishop of philadelphia. chaput is an outspoken conservative who has been criticized catholic politicians who support abortion rights. chaput succeeds cardinal justin rigali, who is at retirement age, 76. ri sgally was at the censer of

the controversy earlier this year when a philadelphia grand jury accused church officials of covering up sex abuse allegations against dozens of priests. in dublin, strong words against the vatican from the irish government, which accused the holy see of being, quote, entirely unhelpful to irish bishops trying to deal with the predator priests. just last week, the so-called cloyne report three years ago an irish church official with strong ties to the vatican had failed to report charges of sex abuse to civil authorities. the cloyne report excavates the dysfunction, the disconnection and the elitism that dominate the culture of the vatan today. the rape and torture of children were downplayed or managed to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power,

standing and reputation. >> ireland overwhelmingly catholic, at least in name, but even before the scandals, the devotion of the irish people to their church had been declining, and yet a profound sense of faith still burns in many quarters of that country. it is nowhere more evidence than in the life and religious practice of the women of st. mary's abby in county waterford. deborah potter reports. >> reporter: the bells of st. mary's set the rhythm of life at the abby at glencairn. sounding the call to worship. >> on this day, sister michelle rings double bells for the feast of ascencion. >> it has the knack to do it, and one or two of us have the knack, so that's why i was ringing the double bells.

>> from the young age, i had a yearning to be a none, in my teens, so it was part of my journey in seeking a life where i felt i could be as close or seek god as much as possible. >> life here is all about seeking god. this is ireland's only cistercian monastery for women, founded in 1932. >> it's a place where god is loved and worshipped, and it's a place where we pray for humanity. we're conscious of interceding before god for people. and it's a place of conversatic where we constantly try to become who we are meant to be as fully human persons and overcome to demons and the less positive aspects of our life. >> in some ways life here is the

same as it's always been, governed by the rule of st. benedict. seven times a day, the nuns gather for prayer, starting well before down. they spend hours in church and in lectio divina, reading the bible and other sacred texts. >> the first word of the rule is listen, and in that sense you learn to listen to how god is speaking to you, and to the holy spirit in your daily life and how you gradually more attune yourself to his grace. and it takes a lifetime to sustain that. and in the sense you learn to love, and love your sisters as they are, and where they are. and it's a sense of freedom. >> most of the day is spent in silence. its peaceful. most of the time. >> the abby is also a working farm with 80 head of cattle. >> takes energy to keep up!

>> for four hours a day, every nun works, as they always have. it's what they work at that's changed. and that blue part on top of the head. >> computers an automation have come to the convent. in addition to the small greeting card business, a bakery produces eucharist bread that's sold to churches across irelan the oldest nones help with the shipping. >> we live by the work of our hands and also to have some left to help those out less fortunate. that's a big part of helping our brothers and sisters in need. work is creative. part of it needs creative expression, and you can't spend all the time praying and reading. it's very important to have a balance. >> the balance of life here is

partly what drew sister fiachra who used to run aarden center. >> you know what they say about weeds? they're like the poor, they're always with us. >> she entered the convert five years ago and expects to make her solemn profession next year. committing to live the rest of her life as a cloistered nun. >> i felt i needed space to be with god. and that's not very easy i've found for me to be in the outside world, because i am quite an extrovert, and i get involved in awful lot of things, so enclose sure was important to me, but at the same time i have a horror of restriction, as in claustrophobia. so here we are absolutely truly blessed, we have 200 acres

within which to wander, you know, so that is a huge factor for me. but also the enormous welcome and warmth i felt with the community on my very first visit. that was just so wonderle. >> we're not completely silent. we value communication and communication is important to maintain good relationships. >> 37 women now live in the abby and unlike the past when all they would have been irish, today, the sisters from india, nigeria and the philippines. they're also older. one-third are well above retirement age. the oldest is 93. >> in the past decade, a dozen nuns have died. like most of the monastic communities, glencairn is smaller than it used to be. >> but six women are in formation, on the path to becoming nuns, far more than might be expected. only nine women entered

religious orders in all of ireland in 2006, according to the most recent survey. >> i knew that people wouldn't be rushing in the door, but i am surprised at how occupied i am actually with inquiries from people of all different ages. people from 20 to late 60s, so is, and there are a steady flow of inquiries about this kind of life. >> several times a year the abby hosts monastic experience weekends for women of all ages who want to try it out. and they share the experience in more modern ways, too, on their web page, and even on facebook where they have picked up more than 400 fans. i feel the monastic life has an enduring kind of appeal. i don't see it as part of the traditional catholicism that is in demise, if you like. i see it as lasting. >> for those who really live

here, what makes it really unique and special? >> i think the opportunity to live close to god and close to one's self and have time for prayer and have time for leisurely walks and good reading and reflection on god's word and i think living at a deeper level. >> as the world outside cloister becomes ever more phren etic, the sisters of st. mary's live a simple life in communion with each other and with god. >> kris jesus intercedes for us before the father, and with him we pray. >> for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm deborah potter county waterford, ireland. for the eighth time since he was sworn in, president obama went to church last sunday with his family. they attended services at st john's episcopal church, a block from the white house. according to a new poll, 40% of americans say they don't know what the president's religion is. 18% say they believe he is a muslim. the president is a christian.

finally, a victory, at least temporarily, for 16 hindus in edison, new jersey. a state court of appeals ruled the hindus can go ahead with their lawsuit against a restaurant that served them non-vegetarian food after assuring them their meal was meatless. the hindus want the restaurant to pay them sufficient damages to cover trips to india so they can purify themselves in the ganges river. >> that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook, find us on youtube, and watch us anytime, anywhere on smart phones and iphones. there's also much more on our web site. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. & ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolis-based private family foundation dedicated to its founders' interest in religion, community development, d education. additional funding by mutual of america, designing and customizing individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting. u forget it. yourself, so don't fall.

u forget it. now he tells us. how far am i off the floor? about twelve inches. twelve whole inches?