“Dimanche Express”, the new Catholic weekly that replaces the previous “Dimanche”, a magazine with over half a century of history in French-speaking Belgium, was launched on 22 September: 47,000 copies of number zero, totally revamped in format and content, will be distributed gratis in the parishes that have requested them. “There is a serious shortage of religious information in Belgium; a market gap that the new weekly will try to fill. It is founded on an experience extending over almost 60 years and on a new and dynamic editorial policy that will permit it to remain firmly focused on current issues”, said its editor, Father Charles Delhez during the presentation of “Dimanche Express”. “Religious information he added deserves professionals and adequate supports”. Not only the magazine’s format and editorial policy, but also its distribution system are new: from 26 October the weekly will also be available on newsstands and in bookshops. “Showing that the Church is not a sect, fostering dialogue with the outside world, having a message to spread within our society”; in short, “making the voice of the gospel heard” with “a hand stretched out to ecumenism”: that, explains Father Delhez, is the new weekly’s objective. An interview with the archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal Gotfried Danneels, is contained in number zero. Other issues treated: religion at school and the opinion of Protestants, the extension of the vote to foreigners, economic growth, the meeting for peace in Aachen, and the Christians of Iraq.
