Ireland: card. Brady, “no to the law on civil unions”His Eminence Cardinal Sean Brady, Catholic Primate of Ireland, warned that any project aimed at granting homosexuals and couples living together the same benefits enjoyed by married couples is an attack against marriage. In the Irish Republic, homosexual couples who are living together have no rights. However the government has decided to introduce legislation granting some legal recognition by the end of the year. According to the Cardinal, the State should enact legislation in favor of marriage. “The decision of granting the same or similar rights to other kinds of relations means weakening this basic structure of our society, and impoverishing socially-binding values, thus contradicting the Lord’s revealed truth”, he declared. In the most passionate message urging support to families ever issued by a member of Irish hierarchy, His Eminence declared: “families have natural and inviolable rights. Governments have the duty to legislate for the benefit of strong families based on marriage between man and woman. Nothing can replace marriage and the families as basic social units.” The new law on civil unions, the so-called “Domestic Partnerships Bill”, grants homosexual couples the same rights of heterosexual couples in case of the death of one of the two partners. This decisions sparked off much debate and divisions within the Irish parliament. The new bill is opposed by members of the government’s majority-party Fianna Fail. According to a survey carried out in 2006, 11.6% of all Irish families live together without being married. Croatia: the day of Zagabria’s archdioceseApproximately 60 movements, associations and organizations took part in the third edition of the Day of the Archdiocese, held the past few days in Zagabria. “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the Spirit is the same”, the passage from Saint Paul’s first letters to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12: 4) was chosen as the slogan of the event organized by the Commission for organizations, movements and community of the laity of Croatia’s Bishops Conference, attended by some three-hundred people. The meeting was chaired by the archbishop of Zagabria, Cardinal Josip Bozani?, who recalled the role of the Church, “common home” of the community. “Each movement, association and community gains relevance according to the parish community where it operates”, since, he added, “this is the place where all baptized faithful are called to celebrate the Eucharist”. His Eminence also took part in a round table where he highlighted the different initiatives implemented. He solicited organization members to be “witnesses” of faith and “speak of how beautiful it is to live and speak as Christians”. During the day there was a sharing of experience regarding the activities or the different organizations. A conclusive Mass was celebrated by the auxiliary bishop of Zagabria, Msgr. Vlado Koi?, with a special mention for Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolari Movement, who passed away recently. Germany: youth towards Eastern Europe”Go east”: that’s the name of the joint initiative of the Office for Youth Ministry of the German Bishops’ Conference (AFJ), of the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) and the Catholic charity for Eastern Europe Renovabis. The programme, presented at Freising, is aimed at promoting the exchange of and creation of twinning arrangements between the youth of Germany and of the countries of Eastern Europe. At a press conference, the representatives of the AFJ, BDKJ and Renovabis underlined the need to create links between young people, so that Europe may grow and leave the past behind it. Only thus will it be possible to acquire a sustainable prospect for the future. With “Go east”, the three partners of cooperation intend to furnish new ideas, donations and financial support for the involvement of youth in the field of peace and reconciliation, ecology and responsibility for the creation. To this end, youth meetings will be organized, and joint projects promoted both by German youth and by the youth of Eastern Europe, as well as meetings to create networks and exchanges between experts. Travel and residential costs, as also the running costs of the programme itself, will be funded by the project. In this first phase, “Go east” will have a duration of two years and will be financed by Renovabis, with the option of being prolonged if it proves a success.
