“ The Synod listens to the suffering of the world” is the title of the editorial in La Croix (12/10) signed by Isabelle De Gaulmyn, who recalls that “ the intensity of the testimonies of the bishops, in the light of the difficulties being experienced in their own countries, has somewhat upset the Synod’s plan of work”. In the various situations of suffering described to the Synod by scores of bishops from poor or war-torn countries, “ celebrating the Eucharist points out de Gaulmyn is therefore more important than ever … It is especially in a brutalized society reduced to a state of shock that the temptation to have recourse to the sects increases”. The Church therefore “ must make an effort” to respond to these challenges. That includes “ strengthening dialogue with Islam“, towards which “ a greater level of mutual knowledge is needed“. “ It’s true that a widely hoped-for opportunity exists today: all parties will considerably benefit from what is best in Europe, including tolerance and the liberal-democratic tradition, which will finally be able to go hand in hand with what is best in Turkey”, says an editorial with the title “ It’s time to tackle the case of Turkey” in the weekly The Economist (8-14/10). The magazine points out that the positive effects of this proposed accession to the EU would include “ the dynamism of a demographically young nation which makes the land of Europe seem like an indolent zone in comparison with Turkey“. The British press also comments on the German elections. A report in The Times (11/10) speaks of “ One government, one cheer“, even though the subtitle says “ The new German coalition seems doomed“. The comment emphasizes that Angela Merkel, the new Chancellor, “ must prove to the CDU that she has a backbone of steel while her rivals are waiting for her to fall sooner rather than later“. “Should Turkey enter the European Union?” asks the editorial in the Spanish daily El Paìs of 9/10 with the title “The dilemma”. “It is one thing to be neighbours and friends says the writer Luis Goytisolo -, it is quite another thing, and more problematic, for the various peoples to fuse together into a single whole. Europe is not an NGO, still less an exclusive club to which one has to belong at all costs. There are countries very close to Europe in cultural terms, such as Canada or Argentina, to whom it has never occurred to apply for admission”. This suggests the possibility that the entry of Turkey, due to its diversity, “may represent a dilemma for all European citizens. But it is a dilemma or ought to be also for the Turks”. In Spain another issue that bulks large in the press is immigration, due to the dramatic events that occurred on the frontier between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves. According to El Mundo (11/10) “the phenomenon of immigration from sub-Saharan Africa must be tackled in a global manner, also by the EU… What Spain cannot continue to do is subsidize its neighbour to the South, whose monarch is unwilling to renounce part of his wealth for the good of his people”. On the same day El Paìs reports that “Spain could not permit its frontier to be assaulted every night” but “ needed to mitigate this need with humanitarian concerns for the sub-Saharans expelled from the country”. The grand coalition, led by the first ever woman Chancellor in Germany, Angela Merkel, and the exit from the political scene of Schröder, with the announcement that he did not want to participate in the government, are the main questions to which the German press devotes its coverage. “ A grand coalition but ever so small“, headlines the weekly Der Spiegel (10/10): “ A red-black alliance of politicians is taking shape. After the SPD, also the CDU/CSU are shifting their own co-ordinates to the left. Even within the party leaders of the Union, what was the ambitious programme of reforms of Angela Merkel is currently not supported by the majority“. And the magazine says of outgoing Chancellor Schröder: “ Whoever has met the Chancellor in recent days, has met a man characterized by an almost irritating tranquillity. Only the features of his face betray the great efforts of the electoral campaign before 18 September. […] The Chancellor observes with pleasures how the burden of office is being shifted to the shoulders of his rival. The heart of the Christian party is consumed with apprehension and fears. The glittering reform projects of Angela Merkel are for many the ruins of a time that has passed“. Writing in Die Welt (13/10), Peter Dausend comments on Schröder’s announcement, communicated during an address to a trades-union congress in the mining, chemicals and energy sector: “ It is astonishing to see how the trades unions, and especially the SPD, are inflamed with passion for the Chancellor whom they were cursing until a few months ago. For so many Social Democrats Schröder bore sole responsibility for the humiliating defeats in the regional elections, for the poor opinion polls, and for the absence of prospects for their party. […] This consignment of the living Chancellor to history recalls a bit the fate of Helmut Schmidt. When Schmidt was still head of the government, his companions lamented the cold technocrat. Once he had gone, they extolled the ‘great chancellor in the period of crisis'”.———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1422 N.ro relativo : 71 Data pubblicazione : 14/10/05
