Austria: Sunday alliance The EU’s Working Time Directive does not envisage the protection of Sunday rest. On December 18 Fr. Piotr Mazurkiewicz, COMECE Secretary General, voiced his disappointment: “Sunday as the privileged weekly rest is not mentioned in the new Directive, although the reconciliation of work and family life is the explicit aim of this Directive”. He said the “provision is incoherent” and “a missed opportunity when we consider how much European citizens expect today in a Social Europe which protects workers and their families”. “Considering the mobilization achieved on the Sunday issue for the vote on the Working Time Directive, it is important for Churches, Trade Unions and civil society organizations to continue to stay mobilized and to speak out with one voice on this fundamental social issue”, Fr. Mazurkiewicz declared. As reported by Kathpress Austrian Catholic news agency, also Msgr. Ludwig Schwarz, Bishop of Linz, expressed his “disappointment” for excluding the protection of Sunday. Msgr. Schwarz – in charge of social questions for Austria’s Bishops’ Conference – ensured that the Association “Allianz für den freien Sonntag” (Alliance for work-free Sunday) would continue its public-awareness activity on the issue. “The fact that Sunday-rest is being debated by the EU is a small step in this direction”, remarked Gabriele Kienesberger, from the Association. The Work-Free Sunday Alliance is active in Austria, Poland and Germany. Over 50 organizations linked to the Church, Unions and economic environments are members of Austria’s Association.Czech Republic: the topical relevance of Wenceslas On December 18 the exhibition dedicated to St. Wenceslas, Patron Saint of Bohemia, opened in Prague. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop of Prague, inaugurated the exhibition organized by the Archdiocese of Prague in cooperation with the National Gallery, to the presence of the Minister of Culture Vaclav Jehlicka, of Mayor Petr Hejma and numerous guests. The exhibition marks the conclusion of celebrations for the Year of Wenceslas, on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the Saint’s birth. The exhibition at the Convent of Saint Agnes of Bohemia is open until March 2009. A number of parallel events will contribute to the diffusion of the personality and tradition of Saint Wenceslas. From January 17 to February 14, the Churches of St. Wenceslas and Stara Boleslav in Prague will be open on Saturday. Guided tours to the Chapel devoted to St. Wenceslas inside the St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral are also part of the program, while a number of seminars held by experts have been organized for the occasion. Card. Vlk’s foreword in the exhibition’s catalogue describes the initiative as “a beautiful example of the joint effort of the Church and the State institutions that govern inestimable and precious cultural sites “. “This exhibition reminds us that we ought to introduce in our lives and into society those necessary spiritual values whose lack prevent the positive evolution of nations and societies, for the good of each person and of the nation as a whole”. Poland: life with the Bible For Polish Catholics the Bible plays a vital role in moral and spiritual life. These are the findings of a survey regarding the presence and reading of the Bible throughout the country’s households promoted by the Catholic weekly “Niedziela”. Fides international news agency, reported that the survey carried out by the Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church under the direction of father Witold Zdaniewicz, revealed that 98.9% of interviewees have a Bible at home. 25.3% of Polish Catholics said they read the Sacred Scriptures every day, 33.2 % read the Bible a few times a week, 15.4 % read it a few times during the month and 16% a few times a year. Furthermore, 56.3% deem conferences and catechesis necessary for a greater understanding of the Bible. The survey equally highlighted the importance of homily in order to dwell into the significance of the Holy Scripture. 66.8 % state that only “at times” do homilies explain passages from the Holy Scripture; 19.4% said it happens “rarely” while for 13.4% the homily “always” explains readings from the Liturgy of the Word. From 2007, the weekly promotes the initiative “The Bible in the family” and each month the magazine includes one of the New Testament Books to its issues. To date, some 1,500,000 copies of the New Testament Books have been published.
