Treaty, a significant step”A great success” but also criticism. This was the evaluation by Cardinal Karl Lehmann, bishop of Magonza and President of the German Bishops Conference on the future treaty of the European Union, expressed in the past days in Magonza at St. Martnsemfgang, the traditional annual meeting of the bishops of Renania Paltinato with representatives of the Land government, of the Parliament, and with social groups of the Land. According to Lehmann, the treaty represented ” a significant step towards a functioning internal order” of the EU. However, the Cardinal vouched his “disappointment” for the fact that the Treaty “does not refer to God”. Cardinal Lehmann deplored the fact that “in the preamble of the Treaty it was not possible to find a formulation that would adequately consider the history of Europe and recognize Christianity as the most significant religious root of the Continent”. “The cultural, religious and Humanistic heritage of Europe”, he added, “is unconceivable without the Contribution of Christianity. It is hard to understand why the religious tradition of Europe is not accounted for with a specific reference to Christianity. We would have appreciated a reference to God in the preamble”, he underlined. Cardinal Lehmann ensured that “the Church will follow European unification process also in the future with a critical but also constructive approach. Since we have at heart European integration, we will continue supporting the construction and the development of the common European home in the framework of our commitments and our possibilities”. The Cardinal equally pointed out that the Churches already promoted the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty in the Member States of the European Union. “We will continue our commitment for the enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty”, he concluded.Ulm, ten peace days”Recognising the other is the key to peace”: claimed the bishop of Rottemburg, Johannes Kreidler on November 10 on the occasion of the inauguration of the ‘ten peace days’ in Ulm’s Cathedral. The motto of this year’s ecumenical event is “to respect others”: this is true for individuals who have the right to “be the bearers of different values and other cultures”, the bishop said. “We are deeply united by the fact that we are all different”, he added. The bishop acknowledged the difficulties of peace. “Elicitation makes individuals intolerant and leads to conflict”, he claimed, expressing his disconcertment for the frequent aggressions in Germany against people of different race and nationality. “A radical inner conversion is needed in order to start thinking from the viewpoint of the other, to seriously accept the other and his world seeking to understand his culture”, added bishop Kreidler. “Those who take this slogan seriously from a political viewpoint, consider some of the present strategies unacceptable. Terms such as ‘war’ or even ‘third world war’ often recur in political debate”, deplored the bishop. “War is not a political means to solve conflicts. It is a matter of practicing peace, doing everything possible to build faith and eliminate fear. Undertaking the path of peace means taking other cultures seriously and respecting them, and especially fighting for justice”, he underlined. “The value of ‘security’ is still very important from the geo-political angle. While the fact that “justice is the fundamental basis for greater security is ignored”, he concluded.Against euthanasiaCardinal Georg Sterzinsky from Berlin vouched his dissent against the pro-euthanasia association “Dignitas”. “If it were legally possible these kinds of associations would have to be forbidden”, he declared on the Rbb Berlin radio on November 10. The Cardinal criticized Dignitas which aims at legalizing active euthanasia in Germany with the objective of legally reconsidering euthanasia effected with the aid of a volunteer. In the month of October the organization launched an appeal to find a person willing to die in the area of Berlin. With a legal precedent the Association would achieve depenalization of euthanasia and the introduction in the Country of sodium pentobarbital the substance used in Switzerland to practice euthanasia. “Dignitas hopes that judges in our region will be more ‘open’ towards euthanasia, compared to the Southern region”, Cardinal Sterzinsky affirmed. “The supporters of active euthanasia aim at a rapid death. This, says the Cardinal, “is a tragedy, since the desire of incurable patients is not to die, but not to suffer. They are afraid of pain and don’t want to be alone in the last phases of their lives. Those who are committed in pastoral work in the hospitals and in hospices confirms what I say. A consolidated palliative medicine so that our society may succeed in leading patients towards death in a painless and dignified way, in a familiar environment, with loving and professionals”, he concluded.
