LENT
Germany: meditation with podcast in Hamburg Lent with Podcast. Not only e-mail messages for Lent reflections. Starting on Ash Wednesday and until Easter, the archdiocese of Hamburg will give internauts the possibility to access brief statements by archbishop mons. Werner Thissen. In Germany they can be downloaded with Podcast. “I find this way of proclaiming the Gospel fascinating”, said the prelate past February 6 at the presentation of the service. Free registration is available on the website of the diocese (http://www.erzbistum-hamburg.de). In addition to initiatives for Lent, which in Germany have become traditional, such as “car-fasting”, (using one’s automobile only if strictly necessary), this year the Young German Catholics Federation (Bdkj) and the Pastoral for the youth (kja) of Würzburg’s diocese organized a “Co2-fasting initiative”. During Lent, the youth and persons interested, will be involved in initiatives aimed at reducing Co2 emissions, reducing energy-consumption and limiting the causes of the greenhouse effect. A website has been purposely created, www.co2fasten, with weekly proposals on environmental protection along with new ideas and information. “For us Christians, preserving Creation is a Biblical responsibility. Lent enables us to reflect on our lives and change our harmful habits”, said Thomas Eschenbacher, in charge of the diocese’s Youth Pastoral Care, explaining the motivations of the initiative presented in the past few days. “The CO2 fasting campaign is an important sign, since each one of us can contribute to climate protection”, said Edmund Gumpert in charge of the diocese’s division for the environment. The effects of the initiative aren’t restricted to environmental protection: the savings obtained with the adoption of a sustainable lifestyle will be used to finance the “Solar Energy for Mbinga” project, destined to replace gas oil generators with photovoltaic power systems in the African diocese twinned with Würzburg. Austria: formation while fastingTo “train while fasting”, in order to “accept the remission of death and sin”. This is what Msgr. Ludwig Schwartz declared in a remark on Lent recently published by the Austrian daily “”Oberösterreichischen Nachrichten”. This form of formation envisages primarily “prayer and the reading of the Bible”, indispensable requisites. According to the bishop of Linz, “a responsible approach to eating, drinking and the media consumption is needed”. Lent renounciations, such as renouncing to take the car, open up new prospectives of ourselves and of others, he explained. “In all religious traditions this from of training to fast with the objective of changing one’s perspective and of conversion, has a major role”. “Car-fasting”, an initiative which follows the German example, reached its third “ecumenical” edition in Austria. In fact, the initiative is promoted by the Catholic and Protestant Churches. Also in this case the campaign has its own website at the address www.autofasten.at, for registration and participation to a prize-winning contest to get the “fasting tickets” (free tickets for public transportation), bycicles and free stays at spas. Fasting from one’s car doesn’t necessarily imply forbidding its use, but promoting the diffusion of car-pooling (trasporting more people with one single car).Croatia: with a thought for Congo”Your heartly gift for the heart of Africa – let’s help build and equip schools in Congo”: this is the slogan of the campaign for Lent undertaken by the archdiocese of Zara (Zadar) in Croatia, which this year aims at helping the missionary work of the Franciscan Sisters in Congo. The initiative was presented to the press past February 4 in Zara by the vicar general of the archdiocese Msgr. Ivan Mustac, by Mladen Kaèan, in charge of Missionary work for the archdiocese and by Sister Klara imunovic, provincial representative of the Franciscan order. The campaign is supported by the archbishop of Zara, Msgr. Ivan Prenđa, who sent a letter to all cities, public administration, companies and institutions present in the area of the diocese, to inform on the project and ask support to the initiative.
