>> abernethy: coming up, eye clinic where, for morehan thirty years, some othe world's poorest peoplhave been getting first-class medil care free of chae. its founder called the clin "divinely inspired." and, the oftenumiliating experiences of people wi sabilities and their familis, en they go to houses of worip. captioning spsored by theilly endowment

>> abernethy: welcome i'm bob ernethy. it's go to have you with us. in iran, aer weeks of protest, thcountry's religious auority validated the disputed predential election and widened effts to quash dissent. the guardiacouncil, a body of clerics and islamic w experts, this wk formally certified president mahmoudhmadinejad as thwinner after a partial ballot recount meanwhile, a senior cleric atollah ahmed khatami, said the presters were "at war with god"nd should be "dealt with without mercy." he said iran's supreme leade rules by god's design d should not be defied. riverside churcin new york cit one of the nation's best-

known congregions, has accepted the resignation o senior minister brad braon two months after his instlation. lky severson reports. reporter: braxton was controversial from the star some congregants cplained that is compensation package was excsive. others, that his evanlical prehing style made em ncomfortable. >> fear not, fearot. m gonna preach it until the holy ghost tells me to stop >> reporter: some sd he was moving rirside away from its progressive tradition osocial jusce. >> the dection of the church with e new leadership is or has straye or is straying from e mission of the church, whi is open, affirmng and inclusive, interracial interdenominational and intnational. >> rerter: riverside church is

adjacent to coluia university, in rlem, which is largely afican-american. over the yrs, its congregation has gone from predinantly white to predominantlblack. >> one of t things that some people are afraid of ishat the urch will turn black. and you kn, i really resent that. >> reporter: braxt did not discount race as a factor ihis resnation, but acknowledged thatis preaching and leadershistyle had caused friction. >> some serious conversaon needs occur about what it means to invite a leadera ptoral leader, into this comnity. is this conegation really ready for, d interested in, a pastoral leer who actually wants to lead? >> reporter: in accepting braxton's resignion, the chch cited the need for some "deep soulearching" that woulallow it to move forward as a "strger, more unied congregation." for "religion & ethics

newsweey," this is lucky severson. >> aberneth in other news, predent barack obama hosted gay rights activistst the white house to celeate gay pride month. durg the gathering, the presidentaid his administration is workinhard change what he called the "wornrguments and old titudes" in the gay rights dete. said he wants to end the "n't ask, don't tell" policy on gs in the military. he also said congre should repeal the defense of maiage act, whch defines marriage as the legal union of a m and a man. mainline proteant denominations a the catholic church have been pushi the obama ministration to lift the nearly 50-year-old ade embarg with cuba. this week, a prominentuban ecumenic leader said he lieves the time is now right to do that. reverend francisco rrero gutierrez, he of the presbyteriareformed church in cuba, is on a rare vis to the

us to meet chur leaders here. he said cubanhurches are playing a grter role in their society and need stronger ti with u.s. christians. >> ( anslated ): i do think that there's a new eneration here, a new potical generation that opens the way tre- enunter. >> abernet: we have a special report today on a hospita system iindia that provides world class carfor the blind- both the well-off and very or- at azingly low cost. it's called the aravi center, and it was founde by a pioneeri deeply spiritual hiu eye surgeon who believed thatood ideas and compsionate healing have their origins in the divine. fred de sam lazaro rorts.

>>eporter: aravind is the world's laest eye care center, a e-stop shop that even makes many of the lenses and instruments used by its surgeons. it looks ke any of india's gh-tech centers where rich diansnd medical tourists can get first-world care at thir world prices. the surgical errorate is as low heres any place in america. the big differee at aravind is that its patits are among the rld's poorest people. 20 years ago, i visid aravind's founde dr. govindappa venkatswamy. everybody called him r. v." he had retired froa government hospital in 76 and set out to tackle "needlesblindness." worldwide, 45 million peop still suffer from preventle or eversible blindness. 12 million are in india alon where the extreme sun a a genetic predissition are blamed. many people lose theisight and livelihood by tir early 50s. >>here is nothing which

dibles a man more than cataract and poor eyesig, and there is nothing moreasier than mend it. you just do small operation.9j06 >> reporte dr. v began with a sime idea in a sparse 11-bed hoital with four doctors, three from hiown family. it would rve patients who could pay, b the profits wouldun afford ee care to the many more people who couldn't afford even the bus fare. so, avind set out to find patients, mainly throh screening camps in surrnding ruraareas. for those needing surry, groups li the lions club prvided buses to the hospita where they entered a isk assembly line opering room. d v's business role model was the arican chain store. >> in america,ou have models, whether it is sears stores mcdonald hamburgers. you are able to open a chainof stores, restaunts, hotels, and

you arable to organize them efficiely. >> you spoke to m here. you were sitting here, and was sitting there and talkg about donald's. >> reporter: dr. v died i2005, but hioffice is ft untouched as a shrine him. his nephew, ophalmologist aravind srinivasan, manages a system thas grown to five regional hpitals and5 satellitclinics. this was the first one >> thiss a 32-year-old hospital, so we are pbably geared to see about 700 pients a day. today, we are seeing out 1,500 to 2,0 patients a day. >> reporte each pays about $1 for a doctor's appotment. that hel fund an equal number opatients w go next door to free eye hospital. there's not much profit mgin, a heavy volume of paying patients-- satiied patients-- is crical. efficiencys also critical >> we call this a clic scoring sheet. >> reporter: dr. avind, who so has an m.b.a. from the unirsity of michigan, has

ntinuous productivity ports at his fingertips. >> this statisticalks about >> reporte patients are promised a completed appoinent in two hours. a brochure details wt they can expect. >> registration takeabout five minutes, vision test abouten minutes, refracon check about ten minutes. >> reporterthis is sort of a patients bill of rigs almost? >> exactly, so they unrstand what's happening >>reporter: aravind's reputation drawing patients frm farther and farther away. >> ( translated whenever you say "eyoperations," everyone says"go to madurai." >> reporter: 55-year-olk.g. angeneyulu hadeen in a three- year depreion that started when catacts began clouding his vision. he becamcompletely blind three nths ago. angeneyulu a his wife shobha enured a two-day train journey to get he. >> translated ): i wa a sportsman. i used swim. aer the cataract, i could no nger move around. i got stuck at home, and started eating. then, a l injury made me even morimmobile.

i had proble being overweight, an i developed high blood pressu. >> porter: by 9:00 the morning after arring here, he was being prepared fosurgery. already, dozens of patients had gone ahead of him. so,ou've been going for two hours and done6 surgeries? >> yes. >> reporter: d aravind and surgeonin several other operatintheaters, or o.t.s, re first working the routine mostly catara cases. >> the oer o.t.s are not primily cataract surgeons. they are pririly doing either glaucoma or cornea, anthey also do some cataract contbute to the main volume. so, ware able to identify those cases that ne a little extra attention are gregated fr the pool. >> reporter: angeyulu was a high-isk case, given his hypeension and obesity. >> you st have a margin is about five to ten nutes to get theurgery done. >> reporter: about ten nvous minutes later, dr. aravi had remod a particularly tough, leatheryataract. the cataract was a little obstinate, but ings went on

well. he'll get abt 95% vision tomoow. so, when you see him torrow, you'll s a very different man, more confident. >> reporter: by the enof this day, dr. aravindnd his colleagues did about 300 rgeries, about half of them ee of charge. increasingly, however, patnts e seen outside the hospital. telemedicineonnects doctors to satellite clinic and today's eye camps fer much more on site, om grinding eye glass lenses digital scans. ar the camp, a satellite tru beamed hh resolution images to ecialists at theospital. technology has improved car and it has also brght down costs, notly for the intraocularenses which are implanteduring cataract surgery. they used to be imported. avind began making its own intraocular lenses backn the early 1990s. theused to cost between $50 and $100 each. today, they are made ithis ftory for as little as a

piece. aravind lenses arexported to 120 cotries, and they own 8% of the global markein intraocur lenses. th factory is an example of how aravindurned a supply problem into an opportunit it's not just business acumen that drives the mission, but also a firm spiritual bas, inspired by the teachings osri robindo, a mid-20th century spiritual leer. he believ that good work and good ideas are a mafestation of t divine. >> part of tt is to recognize that whater ideas you get, it's not really your ideas; ey are dine ideas. so, how do you kind oact on it but are n taking the egoistic ownership to those eas, like "i have done it"? sohow do you train yourself to open up >> reporter: o way aravind has oped up, or shared its ideas,

is by training some 250 hospitals in 40 nations todopt itsethods. it's the ethos set by h uncle. dr. v, w was single, never took a saly. in ft, he mortgaged his home to sta aravind, and he also cxed or inspired 34 members o his extended family to work here, starting in 19 with his sister natchr and her husband. both left surcal careers in america to wo here for about $20 a mont >> today, ohmy god, we are very, very happy. inact, at that time in '80s, we re not happy, even though dr. v was happy. in the family, like me and m husband, two children, it as not easy for s. we could n even buy a cycle. at that time, we didn't appreciate his far sion. >> god bless you, madam. >> god bless m god bls the surgeon. >> report: she says the

satisfaction of seeingatients like anneyulu restored to full lives makes up f any material privatio although, over the years, salaries have grely improved for the 220 ctors and some 200 other aravind staff. >> my cldren are starting school on the firstso i want get going. >> ( anslated ): we'll give you some dark glasse just like a hollywood act. >> reporterhe's one of 27 million pients who've been treated at arind and 3.4 million who've had surger over the next 20 year the goal is to raise that nuer ten- fold. that's a measuref how ambitus the aravind people are. it's also measure of how many people remainlind in the world whose visi can easily be restore for "religion & eths newsweey," this is fred de sam lazaro in maduraiindia. >>bernethy: as officials in washington wrese with how to reform this coury's health system, they mht want to note

the lessons of the aravi hospitals, where good managent and comtment to service make possible expert care frefor allho are poor, and-- for the who can pay-- a doctor's vis for one dollar and subsidized cataract surge for 12. there is an issue man coregations are debating:ow to welcome at worship svices people with disabilities especlly children. filmmakerlana trachtman visited seral christian, jewish and muslim placesf worship that are tryi to open their oors to everyone. shlistened to the stories of children, parents and cley. >> in every faith commity there is a scripturabasis for wecome and hospitality. but you've also got congregations who livin cultures wherpeople with sabilities have been hidd and ostracized and devalued lots of ways.

and tooften faith communities sanctified prejudes in the community ratr than challenge hem. it shouldn't be sier to get inta bar than a church. >> when think back as a child, i don remember seeing anyone like sufyaan at the mose. no one- ion remember any children or adults le sufyaan attending the mosqu >> and i don't tnk that was by mistake i thi that, we parents, look ait as, um, not just a distraction but an embarrassmen but he deserves pray. he has a right toaith too. well, the first time that sufyaan attendethe mosque, not only was he talking o loud and using his hand motio, but he

was runni in and out of the rows. >> it wasn't recved well... there re whispers, there were talk. "he's-- he a bad kid. hobviously wasn't raised right. that's bad parenting" >> i tnk the primary challenge is a lack of knowledg because somimes families conceal te information thathey have faily members that have disabilities. sister safiyyah mummed has made us aware of hesons dability in terms of autism. she's made it almostike a quest for our community to become more knowledgeablabout it >> when the kuran refers to he believers it doesn't say, the believers expt for the insane. love for yr brother what you want for youelf. and sufyaan, autism or notis considered a other to another person who does t have autism.

>> i'vhad families say to me "i've fought all week to gemy kid included in a school whatever. i shouldn't-- i don't want t ve to fight when it comes t sundamorning or saturday." >> are you guys ready to go? in otheramilies that i've talked to, there'been numerous instances of "we dot know what to with your kind" or "please n't come back". >> o that looks good. >> katie's going to defitely do theign language. >> hello. >> you look nicin your white p. >>hy thank you. >> how you been? >> weoticed that people with sabilities were missing fro commities of faith. it wasn that people with disabilities didn't ist; they just weren't beg invited and welcomed into their hses of worshi

>> i carry theanners that like, kind of like, ki of like a spirit does o. d um, the gospel, i have to read the gospel, i havto study for it, then we read the gosl. weegin in the name of the fath, and of the son, and of the holy spirit ar lord, everything's presented in a wayhat is much mo interactive. whether they'rin the choir, whther they're part of th skit, whether they' doing readingsand so, um, everybody gets to e their gifts and get involved. >> i'reaching up to the lord becae of my voice. i can sing unto his aise.

>> frkly, i would not feel comfortable just walking io any church for a service cause of the noiness and uh... we usually make some kind of scene- like we are right now, pulli hair-- um, where here, you kn, we really don't have to worry out it. a lot otimes when we're out in public, joshua does eerience a lot of stares en we go into restaants and things. swe find that we really do't go to a lot of the pubc places. this is wonderful becauseot only does he getime to come and be exsed to worship, but i get to me back to churctoo. >> when see individuals of all abilities feeling freeo be themselves and to worip as god has intended them to bi-- i feel the holy spirit mong within everne. >> faith communities have gone from doing nothingo doing

special things for peop with this sort of special rvices for special pple and special religious educations. tohen hearing families and others say "don do anything special for us. just ilude us." >> several famili moved to this communy because we make it an inclusive commity. i don't want a sagogue that doesn't t jews in. isaac was blind, in mo synagogues he couldn't fd his way ound. moses stutted, in most synagoguehe couldn't read from the torah that's called t books of moses. so, you g to create the environmenthere everybody has a placand, everything flows from there. >> we were at a different synagogue. sam's autism, you know, outbursts ocsionally was really not terated. so we ce here immediately for synagogue aepted us, and arned hebrew, and loves toe

on the bema. >>o when i come back in the summer, august, we can study together? >> not many deaf people read the torah. my dad always said me i am better readg in hebrew than english. >> we have a repution that we are special needs communityhen in fact that probay only makes a small percentage of the active community the sygogue. i think it defines the synague beuse it simply doesn't hapn elsewhee. >> i happeno be married to a gentleman who's a qdriplegic and in a power whe chair. there'lots of ways of creating access to the bema. but whas really special to him s that everyone uses the ram that's t first time that he's felt, when hs been in a synagogue,ccessible or not, that he's fe there's true inclusion.

>> there areeats that can accommodate wheelchrs in a row, syou're not stuck in an aisle separate from erybody else. the are large print prayer books, brail prer books. most synagogues ha pillars usually higheryou have to lean forward intit. by having them free-hanng like this, anyone can roll up lirally in a wheelchair, take the pillar, lift it and ce out with it. >> what would happen to tse kids if a synagogue like thi wasn't around? >> if everybody is created in the image of god, then our community should be a refleion of the diversity and t wonder of god's crtion. >> i met so many peoplover the years y it feels like they're part of a real livg community as opposedo an artificial community whe only perfect people are sitting re.

>> some people woulsay "what is he tting out of it. why is he here? he's a diraction. we need prayer re than he does". buthe fact is, who's to determine w gets more blessgs and who doesn't. >> ernethy: the council on american-lamic relations has kicked off a new oject to distribute a 100,000 freeopies of the qun to us legislators, educators, and others whhelp shape public policy d opinion. he group says it wants to follow up on presidt obama's recent speech to the islami world by helping amerans betternderstand islam. pope bedict the sixteenth says science mayave helped to verify the final resting ace of the astle paul. the pope said carbon dating confirmed that bone fragmets found in sarcophagus near rome de from the first or second century.

according to trition, that sarcophagus is e tomb of paul. it is located unr the basilica of st. pauoutside the walls of rome. and final, many protestants arod the world are preparing to celebrate the 500 annersary f the birth of john calvin. the rermation leader was born on july 10, 1509, in geva. calvist theology remains one of the mosinfluential streamsá1 of protestantism and caln will behonored throughout the year with a series of ltures, conferences, d other events. tt's our program for now. i'm bobbernethy. there's ch more on our web site. dio and video podcasts are also available. join us at ps.org. ase leave you this fourth of july weekend, t mormon tabernae choir performs" america the beautiful."

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