An extraordinary assembly of the Slovenian Episcopal Conference (CES) was held at Maribor on 29 September during which Msg. Andrej Glavan was elected as delegate to the Synod of Bishops, due to be held in Rome in October 2005. The CES also approved their answers to a questionnaire on the dissemination of the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa in the Slovenian Church, as requested in preparation for the Synod. Also on the order of the day were John Paul II’s messages for Lent and for World Youth Day (Cologne 16-21 August 2005), which will be translated into Slovenian; the question of sport and the spiritual care of sportsmen and women; and the ethics of tourism and euthanasia. On these matters, the CES intends to promote greater collaboration with the chair of moral theology at the University of Ljubljana. Among other themes considered by the bishops were: the proposal by Minister of Justice Zdenka Cedar concerning the regulation of the juridical status of the gypsy communities present in Slovenia, and the formative process for permanent deacons, including the possibility of them completing their formation with a short degree in theology. On the subject of responsibility for victims of violence during and after the Second World War in Slovenia – an important element in relations between Church and State – the CES emphasised that it was not its job to consider the question, for which there are various civil organisations that undertake direct dialogue with the State. The bishops’ intention is to maintain a “spiritual” role, presiding Eucharistic celebrations in remembrance of the victims at sites where massacres took place, and praying for the reconciliation of the Slovenian people.
