A court in Zimbabwe set free on bail recently four American medics who had been arrested for allegedly running an unlicensed clinic and operating without the correct medical licenses.

The judge ruled that six health workers, including one from New Zealand and the other from Zimbabwe, must pay $200 bail, surrender their passports, and return to court on Sept. 27, the AP reported.

The Americans, who are Allen Temple Volunteers, are Dr. Anthony Jones, nurses Gregory Miller and David Greenberg, and administrator Gloria Cox-Crowell of the Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry, CNN said.

The names of the New Zealander and Zimbabwean doctor are not yet confirmed. They were all ordered to stay at the Mother of Peace Orphanage outside Harare pending their trial. They face the possibility of being fined and deported, the AP reported.

They were also accused of treating AIDS patients with improper medical licenses and handing out AIDS medications without the supervision of a pharmacist, according to the AP.

The American medics were sent by the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California. Rev. Theosophous Reagans, who is in charge of global missions told CNN, “We’ve always had a good relationship with authorities and people.”

Reagans told CNN it was likely an issue of miscommunication. This is the first time, after having worked in Zimbabwe for over a decade, that license issues have arisen, according to the AP.

The Allen Temple, a largely African-American church, has since 2000, sent medics to the country thrice yearly to treat patients afflicted with AIDS and to distribute medications, CNN reported.

The medics were sent to work in Harare, the capital city, and at the Mother of Peace Orphanage in Mutoko town. They were arrested last Thursday and had been in jail before their release on bail, CNN said.

The Herald, Zimbabwe’s state-run daily, quoted Detective Inspector Augustine Zimbili as saying the medics were picked up for questioning, and said registration of all medical institutions is necessary to facilitate monitoring. Zimbili told the Herald, “There is a risk of dispensation of expired drugs. When premises are not licensed, it is difficult to check if the act is being complied with,” CNN reported.

The medics have denied all charges, their attorney, Jonathan Samukange told CNN.

For the first time, both the Sistine Chapel tapestries by Raphael and the artist’s cartoons (designs upon which the tapestries were based) will be on exhibition side by side at London’s Victorian and Albert Museum on September.

The tapestries, which were commissioned by Pope Leo X, are 500 years old. They depict scenes from the book of Acts in the lives of Peter and Paul, and are Vatican properties which are displayed at the Arazzi Gallery, the Catholic Herald said.

The cartoons by Raphael are the property of the Queen and have been displayed at the Victorian and Albert Museum since 1865. However for the first time in September, both will be displayed together, which is something the artist himself had never seen, the Catholic Herald said.

The exhibition, slated to run Sept 8 to Oct. 17, will coincide with Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to the UK. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, who initiated the plans for the exhibition, will perform its inauguration on September 6, the Catholic Herald said.

Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel. Credit: Vatican

The tapestries were woven in Brussels before they were sent to Rome. During the Sack of Rome they were sold for one year when the Vatican needed to raise money. They have been brought to different countries and because they contain gold and silver within them, some had tried to extract the metals through burning, the Catholic Herald said.

Six scenes in the life of Paul are illustrated in the tapestries, namely the stoning to death of Stephen (which Paul had ordered), Paul’s conversion, the blinding of Elymas the Sorcerer, sacrifices in Lystra, Paul’s time in prison and his preaching in Athens, the Catholic Herald said.

Four scenes from Peter’s life which are depicted are the handing of the keys to heaven, the draught of fish, healing of the lame man, and the death of Ananias, the Catholic Herald said.

An exhibition like this ordinarily takes two to three years to put together, however this one will be completed within six months. Its potential for bringing together people of varied backgrounds, whether Catholic or not, cannot be overlooked, the Catholic Herald said.

When the tapestries had a one day exhibition at the Sistine Chapel, (they were placed in the parts of the Chapel where they were believed to have been originally situated), one of the visitors was Professor Elizabeth Lev, who teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University, the Catholic Herald said.

Of the exhibit Duquesne said, “Again, art shows itself to be a bridge between people. If we can’t dialogue nicely about Church and state and life issues, let’s start with something we can dialogue about properly: art and beauty – we all love this. For one night we can all have something in common – we can come together and it’s totally non-confrontational,” the Catholic Herald said.

The entrance to the September exhibition at the Victorian and Albert Museum is free, but interested parties are advised to book in advance, the Catholic Herald said.

Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said recently that Christians should get involved in politics, even as he said the fourth of July is “holy,” and urged Americans to thank God for their freedom and for their founding fathers, the Miami Herald said.

Before a 1,800 audience at Charlotte’s First Baptist Church Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher, said evangelical Christians should play a larger role in restoring the country’s moral grounding, the Miami Herald said.

“What America really has is not a money problem, it is a moral problem,” Huckabee said. He also said that since the 2000s, Wall Street became “Las Vegas East, a legitimized casino,” and decried the loss of ethical principles among traders, the Miami Herald said.

Huckabee hosts a weekend TV talk show on Fox News and will soon release a daily news show with Fox this month, the Miami Herald said.

The former presidential candidate said America suffers from a moral problem rather than financial. Noting that the country’s founders envisioned a limited government, Huckabee said America’s failure to be faithful to the vision is because of a failure to adhere to the Golden Rule. “If we all lived by that one … rule, we’d have no need for other laws, and it gets real expensive when we don’t live right,” the Miami Herald said.

During the event Huckabee also signed books and handouts. Rev. Mark Harris, senior pastor of First Baptist said Huckabee fit with the church’s theme that year urging Christians to make a difference. Churches cannot legally endorse candidates, the Miami Herald said.

After Huckabee’s speech Fox News asked his opinion on Charlotte’s recent billboard war. Huckabee said, “If people want to spend their money to tell everyone they don’t believe in God, the joy, beauty, and incredible greatness of America is we let them do it and don’t shoot them for it.  What I would hope is that people who believe in the power of Jesus Christ like I do would put 10 billboards for every one like that,” Fox News reported.

When asked if he would run for the presidency again in 2012 Huckabee said, “Having been there before, I’m not ruling it out, it’s a tough hill to climb.” He added that he would probably dwell on his options after the midterm elections, Fox News said.

Comments he made on other issues:

Gulf oil spill: Huckabee said the BP “deserves a good kick in the rear” but also said President Barack Obama handled the operation like “a college professor” with lack of management experience, the Charlotte Observer said.

On unemployment benefits: Huckabee expressed support for unemployment benefits to a certain level, but not to the point that people already depend on the benefit and no longer want to work, the Charlotte Observer said.