Germany: not a Country without God Germany “is not a Country of people who don’t believe in God”, said Msgr. Robert Zollitsch, President of Germany’s Bishops Conference and archbishop of Friburg. In an article published June 16 on Offenburg’s daily “Offenburger Tageblatt”, Msgr. Zollitsch claimed: “the religious market is spreading at a pace never seen before. Spirituality has become a fashionable term. However”, he added, “today many no longer view religiosity in a traditional sense and aren’t only attracted by major Churches”. Zollitsch pointed out that “almost all world religions” can be “encountered today as a direct form of life”. Meeting the faithful of other religions can lead to positive interreligious gatherings and colloquiums. This is to be praised since it enables the uprooting of prejudices and misunderstandings. Even fears are overcome”. However, warned the archbishop, “great caution is needed vis à vis different religious proposals and religious groups”. “Unfortunately still today, people become the victims of self-defined gurus who only wish to do business”. These are situations “where fears are exploited and false promises are made, or there are manipulations which ought to be stigmatised and avoided”, he claimed. “A religion which does not respect the freedom of the individual or that refuses or violates basic democratic rules is a danger which must not be overlooked”, he concluded. England: decisive “no” to “anti-life” cardsThe Bishops Conference of England and Wales recently expressed its concern over the decision of the district of Salford, near Manchester, to issue cards enabling their owners to reject life-saving treatments. The “Mental Capacity Act”, which regulates the problem of cures to terminal patients, enables patients to decide in advance whether they intend to refuse vital treatments. While legislation considers drip-feeding as medical treatments that can be suspended, the Church views these as basic treatment. According to the latter, this decision ought to be first carefully discussed with a physician since it can endanger the patient’s life. “The way in which the cards are being described is misleading”, declared archbishop Peter Smith, President of the Department for Christian responsibility and citizenship for the Bishops Conference of England and Wales. “They betray the legislation’s spirit regarding mental capacity and its balanced approach to crucial life issues”. In a press release, the municipality of Salford defended the initiative and declared that it will protect those who are more vulnerable. But the Movement for Life believes that these cards will pave the way to those who are in favour of euthanasia. “Families who are concerned about the high costs related to keeping in life an elderly person may compel their relatives, once old, to wear the cards. If we these cards ought to be distributed, then we must prepare cards for those in favour of life”, explained Phyllis Bowman, in charge of the “Right to Life” campaigns, representing the pro-life movement.Serbia-Croatia: provisions by Benedict XVIAccording to what the Vatican Press Office referred on June 18th, Benedict XVI took a series of measures concerning a number of parish Councils in the Balkans, Croatia and Serbia. Here, he re-established the diocese of Srijem, which until today was united to that Djakovo (Croatia) appointing, at the same time, the bishop in the person of Msgr. Djuro Gasparovi?, previously auxiliary bishop of Djakovo and general vicar with special assignments for Srijem, who thus becomes a member of the International Bishops’ Conference of the Saints Cyril and Methodius. In Croatia, after the separation of the dioceses of Djakovo and Srijem, the Pope erected the Ecclesial province of Djakovo-Osijek elevating its diocese as metropolitan see. As relates to the name, the title of Bosnia has been eliminated and replaced with Osijek, region capital of Slavonia. The dioceses of Poega and Srijem (Serbia) were added as suffragan to the same diocese, while they were previously included in the ecclesial Province of Zagreb-Croatia-Slavonia. The first Metropolitan archbishop of Djakovo-Osijek is Msgr. Martin Sraki?, who was the bishop of Djakovo and Srijem. Msgr. Sraki? is also the president of Croatia’s Bishops Conference. Lastly, Benedict XVI changed the name of the ecclesial Province of Zagreb-Croazia-Slavonia in Church province of Zagreb, whereby Zagreb is the metropolitan see and Varadin and Krievci its suffragans.
