And ethics newsweekly is provided by the lilly endowment, an indianapolis based private Family Foundation dedicated to its founders interest in religion, community development, and education. Additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why were your retirement company. And the corporation for public broadcasting. Welcome. Im kim lawton, sitting in for bob abernethy. Thank you for joining us. Interfaith leaders offered prayers and support as israeli and palestinian negotiators came to washington this week to open the first middle east peace talks in years. State Department Officials say they will negotiate for at least nine months. There are many tough issues on the table, including jewish settlements, the return of palestinian refugees, and the status of jerusalem. Meanwhile, the state department has Just Launched a project that could help. Christian ethicist and wesley Theological Seminary professor shaun casey is heading a new office that will try to engage religious leaders and the Faith Community in u. S. Foreign policy. Widespread International Concern this week over the disappearance of a prominent italian priest inside syria. Father Paolo Dall Oglio lived in syria for three decades and promoted interfaith dialogue at an ancient monastery there. The Syrian Government exiled him last year because of his support for the opposition. Dalloglio had reportedly returned to help those affected by the fighting. Some sources said he was kidnapped by an islamist group. The vatican was unable to immediately confirm those reports. Pope francis continued to generate discussion this week after his visit to brazil, where more than 3 Million People turned out for his final mass. On the return trip, francis held an unprecedented 80minute long press conference where he addressed several controversial issues, including gays. He said, quote, a gay person who is seeking god who is of good will, well, who am i to judge him . Although no Church Policy was changed by the statement, catholics and noncatholics alike debated the implications, with many seeing it as a significant shift in rhetoric. Francis also called for more theological work on the role of women, although he reaffirmed the ban on female priests. Vandals defaced a sikh house of worship in riverside, california, this week, spray painting the word terrorist around the complex. The incident comes as u. S. Sikhs are marking the oneyear anniversary of the mass shooting at a temple in oak creek, wisconsin, where six worshippers were killed. Special days of prayer and Community Service are planned in remembrance. There was also vandalism at Washingtons National cathedral, when green paint was thrown in the historic Bethlehem Chapel and the childrens chapel. Cathedral Officials Say cleanup and restoration will cost 15,000. Green paint was also splattered on a statue of Martin Luther at a downtown lutheran church, the lincoln memorial, and other d. C. Sites. Domestic violence, both physical and emotional, is a problem that touches millions, yet many pastors never talk about it in front of their congregations. A Catholic Priest in chicago is leading a campaign to do something about it. The vast majority of Domestic Violence victims are women, and father charles dahm wants the church to be a place of refuge for them. Judy valente has our story. Reporter father charles dahm has come to a parish on chicagos north side to deliver the kind of homily the parishioners have probably never heard before, one which will make some of them uncomfortable. How many of you have ever heard a sermon about Domestic Violence . Raise your hand. See, no one. Dough tess mick violence is often unnoticed, hidden from our eyes, but actually it is rampant in our society and in our communities. Reporter one in four women will be abused sometime in her lifetime. Rita smith, director of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, says the problem of abuse also imposes a significant cost to society. Lost time at work, decreased productivity at work, Health Care Costs related to injuries as a result of abuse, Response Time and cost for Law Enforcement to go to calls when someone is being battered. Reporter but so often the problem lies hidden. Ive been a priest for 48 years. I didnt see it until i hired a pastoral counselor and one day she said, father, you know, almost all my clients from the parish are women who are victims of Domestic Violence. And i didnt know it. And i knew many of those women. Reporter father dahm was surprised by the extent of Domestic Violence within the families he served. When he realized there was no official Church Outreach to abuse victims, he decided to start his own ministry. Priests generally do not talk about it. And most dioceses in the United States have no services, or very limited services, for victims of Domestic Violence. Reporter he goes to parishes where he is invited. So far he has traveled to some 30 parishes in the chicago area. He has no budget and a limited staff of volunteers to focus attention on the problem. Were here tonight because we want to serve, especially those people who suffer violence in their own homes. Reporter after talking about Domestic Violence at mass, father dahm invites parishioners to meet with him to discuss how their church might help those who are suffering abuse. On this night, six people came. Some had been victims, others simply wanted to help. I come from an abusive home, and its led me to get into abusive relationships. Im divorced also because i divorced my abuser, but i was about to marry another abuser. So this is the cycle that continues unless you get help. I left a Domestic Violence relationship almost 35 years ago, myself and my four kids. The sad news is not very much has changed as far as men who batter and women who struggle to get out of the relationship. Reporter father dahm tells them a first step is to establish a support group so that women who are battered know they have a safe place to tell their stories. The parish can then work to connect them with agencies that can help. Parish volunteers also need to be trained so they know how to respond to pleas for help. One day i ended up in the hospital because i had bruises on my face. He kicked me and hit me in my face many times. Reporter women often stay for years in abusive relationships, for a variety of reasons. You think you love the person, that god wants you to be in the relationship because it was the man of your life, because hes the father of your daughter. So you belong there. So many of the women ive worked with over all these years are practicing catholics, and they cannot comprehend the idea that it would be acceptable if they were to leave and get divorced, so your message is like something i didnt think id be hearing in my lifetime. Whats one of the worst things you can do for your children is to let them grow up in a home where theres violence. Because your daughters are learning how to be submissive to this abuse, and your sons are learning how to be abusive, and they may enter into marriages that are just like yours. Do you want that . Reporter the u. S. Conference of catholic bishops has said no person is expected to stay in an abusive marriage, adding, we encourage abused persons who have divorced to investigate the possibility of seeking an annulment. Valerie yokie is a director with mary kay cosmetics. She says she first became aware of the extent of Domestic Abuse by talking to her customers. At one point, she served on an Advisory Board to chicagos Cardinal Francis george. She brought the issue of Domestic Violence to his attention, forcefully, she recalls. Your eminence, we dont talk about it in our churches, we are not supporting women, and our church would be nowhere if it werent for women. Reporter about 25 people showed up for a meeting on Domestic Violence at yokies church after father dahm spoke at the masses. Yokie believes churches are one of the best settings in which to address the problem. Its the one place where you have the perpetrator, the victim, and the witnesses, the kids, hearing the message that its wrong, that god loves you, were here to support you, you dont have to put up with it. Reporter men can also be victims of Domestic Abuse, often in samesex relationships, but that number is small compared to women. And Domestic Violence can be other than physical. Emotional or psychological violence is much more difficult to detect, but its also more frequent, the belittling, demeaning, the insults. That was the case with elia and roman carreon. The first 20 years of their marriage were marked by frequent periods of emotional trauma. The verbal abuse, the silent treatment, the humiliation of the words. He would call me names, he would call me crazy. Every time i would bring up counseling, he would say, you go to counseling, youre the one thats crazy. To me i was a nice man. Thats what i saw about me. I never hit anybody. I wasnt doing anything wrong. I was just actually i thought of myself as actually doing Something Better than most of my family. Reporter finally, with father dahms help, they entered counseling. I would hear other men telling their story. And i would say, you know, as they were saying their story, i would say how come youre not expecting to get in trouble with the things youre doing . Thats wrong. But then after a little while i realized, geez, thats what i do. Reporter how would you describe your marriage now . Healthy. If i had to choose one word, its healthy. Not only are we healthier, we are more in love. Reporter reported incidents of Domestic Abuse nationwide are down. But father dahm says its difficult to measure success because no one knows how many women who need help arent coming forward. A woman might leave an abusive partner as many as seven times before she finally makes the break. And the abusers dont change easily. Father dahm says they have to be confronted and held accountable. The good news about Domestic Violence is that it is learned behavior. Its not something we inherit in our genes. We learn it from somebody, someplace. That means it can be unlearned. Ive seen it with abusers whove converted and now have turned their lives around. Theyre super active in our parish. I went 20 years of my marriage without knowing all this. So i did a lot of things that now i regret. But thank god, you know, i can live the rest of my life with my wife without violence. Reporter which is why father dahm will continue visiting parishes, delivering a homily that will be news to some. For others, its a message that may change their lives. For religion and ethics newsweekly, im judy valente in chicago. Although peace negotiations have started up again, many wonder whether israelis and palestinians will ever be able to let go of their animosities. During my trip to the holy land almost two years ago, i visited an interfaith village in israel where jews and Israeli Arabs intentionally live together as a witness, they say, for peace. Reporter nestled in the hills between tel aviv and jerusalem is a small village called the oasis for peace, in hebrew, neve shalom and in arabic, wahat alsalam. While the middle east conflict continues to churn all around, here they are trying to create a different reality, one that says israelis and arabs can live sidebyside in peace. Its possible. We need to learn how to make the impossible possible. We dont take in our consideration impossible. Its possible, lets do it now. Reporter Neve Shalom Wahat alsalam was founded more than 30 years ago by an egyptianborn dominican monk, father bruno hussar, who died in 1996. He wanted to create a place where jews, muslims, and christians intentionally lived together in Mutual Understanding and respect. Abdessalam najjar is an arab muslim from the galilee region of israel. He was part of the first group to move here 33 years ago. Reporter why did you want to do this . Why did you want to be part of this . You ask me a very difficult question. You assume that i know the answer. I dont know. For me, i said, ah, its a way that we can deal with the conflict in an alternative way. Cooperation instead of confrontation. Dialogue instead of fight. Reporter in neveshalom wahat alsalam, theres a big emphasis on education, not just for those who live here, but for the Greater Community as well. The bilingual hebrew Arabic Primary School has 200 students, the vast majority from outside the village. And theres Adult Education as well. Nava zonenshein directs programs at the school for peace, which sponsors encounter groups and conflictresolution seminars. People have to learn history they didnt know of the other side, learn power relations and how to share more equally, learn how to change the images that they have of the other side. So these are challenges we have to deal all the time with. Reporter zonenshein, who is jewish, also moved to the village more than 30 years ago. She raised her three children here. They dont see the other as an enemy. Everywhere they go they will fight for equality, for justice, so its something very deep in their experience, not just they heard about it but they lived this. Reporter at neve shalem wahat alsalam many say spirituality is also a key part of building the framework for peace. I believe, and there are some others believe, that Peace Education and the peace actions in the absence of the spiritual factor will be not complete. Reporter here there are many places where people of all faiths, and those of no faiths, can pray or meditate. One of the most unusual spots is called the space of silence. You can meditate as muslim, christian, jewish, buddhist, anything, but everything should be in silence. Reporter here there are no walls and no sharp edges. Najjar says the founder, father bruno, believed you cant talk to others until you talk to god and yourself. His vision was that by pursuing peace, people are doing gods work, whatever their belief system may be. This is the most important thing, the outcome, the results. If the results is what god wants from us to do, we do it, everybody with his own way. Reporter and thats the work they intend to continue and expand, no matter what happens in the political world outside. For mormons, a hilltop in upstate new york is sacred ground. It was there, they believe, that an angel appeared to the founder of their faith, joseph smith, and helped him find the golden plates that became the book of mormon. Every july, members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints celebrate their history with a spectacular pageant in palmyra. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the production. Artistic director brent hanson guided us through it. The hill cumorah pageant is a volunteer operation. All the actors and Staff Members are here out of the goodness of their hearts because they believe in the cause and theyre excited to be participants in it. Its the first time ive ever been this part. So i get married on stage and then i travel through the wilderness before they have the boat scene. And thats probably one of my favorite things to do. This year the cast has 750 people in it. And thats part of the excitement of the show, its just plain big. The cast members are from across the United States, 30some states this year, several International Families participating. The pageant is loaded with costumes, special effect the soundtrack has been recorded by the mormon tabernacle choir. This site in the palmyra, new york, area is really the cradle of our faith. Its where joseph smith lived when he first began to receive revelations from our father in heaven. This is the site where the book of mormon was translated largely and where it was eventually published. That was in 1830. And it is exciting to be in the actual place where some of these events which are so special to us as members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints took place, theres a sense of coming home. A sense in some ways of a pilgrimage, although thats not a tenet of our faith exactly. The story starts out in the book of mormon with a group of people who leave jerusalem. Theyre led by a man whos had revelations from god. The lord spoke to me in a dream last night. He told me to take my family and go into the wilderness. Leave jerusalem . Those people are eventually led to the american continent. Its their new Promised Land. After they arrive, they have problems. There are brothers who dont get along, who have different ideas about how things should be run. And eventually they split into two groups of people and they have ongoing conflict for centuries. The book of mormon was written by those ancient prophets in america, and as their civilization deteriorated, the last