Thoughts, experiences, projects

Collegiality among European Bishop Conferences, ecumenism, and the relationship between the Church, society and culture remain the major fields of intervention of CCEE (Council of European Bishops Conferences – www.ccee.ch). Following Benedict XVI’s appointment of Msgr. Aldo Giordano as permanent observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Portuguese father padre Duarte Nuño Queiroz de Barros da Cunha was elected new CCEE Secretary General during the Plenary Assembly held past October in Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary). In addition to the plenary (c.f. SIR 66-67/2008), these are the most important events of the last semester of 2008: the European Christian-Muslim Conferences (Brusseles-Malines/Mechelen, Belgium, October 20-23); the Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (COMECE) also in Brussels (November 12-14); the CCEE-Secam Seminar on “Migration: Africa-Europe-Asia” in Liverpool (United Kingdom), November 19-23; the CCEE-CEEC Congress on Catholic Schools in Europe (Rome, Italy, November 30-December 2), and the Catholic-Orthodox Forum in Trent (Italy), December 11-14 2008. Past December 18 CCEE Presidency was granted Papal audience in the Vatican (cf. SIR 88-89/2008). Forthcoming items on the agenda include the meeting of the joint CCEE-CEC Committee in Esztergom (Hungary), on February 19-22 2009; the meeting of the Presidents of South and Eastern Europe in Iskenderun (Turkey) March 3-8; COMECE Plenary Assembly in Brussels March 18-20. Follows a survey of recent initiatives of European Churches. Each issue of SIR Europe devotes ample space to the activities of the Churches in the continent.Albania. On October 6 was consecrated the Cathedral of the diocese of Sapa, devoted to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. On November 8 2008 two diocesan priests were ordained in Rreshen, one of whom is the first native priest of the diocese after the years of Communist persecution. For the Feast of the Holy Family the Bishops’ Conference of Albania published a pastoral Letter on “the Christian family in contemporary Albania”. A number of liturgical, pastoral and cultural initiatives on the missionary activity of the Apostle Paul are currently under way. Belarus. The Government informed the Bishops Conference that starting January 1st 2009 residence permits of a number of foreign priests would no longer be renewed, despite the fact that the number of Belarus’ priests is far lower than their demand. During the 38th Plenary Assembly (December 2008) the bishops endorsed a document regarding the sacrament of Penance. On the occasion of the Pauline Year, a symposium was held in Minsk that was attended also by representatives of the Orthodox and Protestant Churches. The 2nd Pilgrimage of the families of Belarus to the Mother of God Sanctuary in Trokielach (diocese of Grodno) took place in October.Bosnia and Herzegovina. On November 3-5 the 44th Plenary Assembly was held in Sarajevo, where a special reflection on “The family and vocations” was proposed. The Directory for the pastoral of the sacraments of the parish congregation was published. The organising committee of the II Catholic Youth Meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled May 9 and 10 in the diocese of Banjaluka convened in September and December and held a number of meetings with the authorities in charge. The bishop of Banjaluka, Msgr. Franjo Komarica, chairs the Committee. Bulgaria. In the past weeks Msgr. Josef Homeyer, former COMECE president, visited Bulgaria to promote inter-religious dialogue in the Country. On November 20 the General Assembly of the Conferences of major superiors men and women from religious institutions took place in Sofia. Participants elected Salesian father Petar Cvrkal as the new president. On December 16, in Sofia, the special Assembly of the Bishops Conference was held, while Bulgarian-language Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church along with the Pope’s two-volume “Jesus of Nazareth” will soon be published. Croatia. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the beatification of Cardinal Alojzje Stepinac and the visit of Pope John Paul II to Split and Maria Bistrica , Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy See paid a visit to Croatia. In a meeting with Croatian bishops and civil authorities in Zagreb His Eminence blessed the foundations of next seat of the Bishops Conference and the buildings of the Catholic University. Topics addressed by the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops Conference (Šibenik past November 5-7) include: the establishment of the Bishops’ Commission for relations with the European Union, the approval of a program and a handbook devoted to school Catechism, the Church and the Country’s current situation. Greece. During the Autumn Assembly of Greece’ Bishops’ Conference in Athens, Synodal Commissions were reorganised following consultations with the Union of Catholic clergy and the Union of Catholic religious in Greece. Another topic regards the extension of press office responsibilities that include the publication of the newspaper ‘Katholiki’, resumed during Christmas holidays. The forthcoming ordinary Assembly of the Synod will take place May 6-9 2009 in Athens on “The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church”. Lithuania. During the Plenary Assembly of Lithuania’s Bishops’ Conference Msgr. Sigitas Tamkevièius, metropolitan archbishop of Kaunas was re-elected president. Also the vice-president, Cardinal Audrys Jouzas Baèkis, Metropolitan archbishop of Vinius was confirmed. In 2009 the Lithuanian Republic celebrated one thousand years since the first finding of a written document of “Lithuanian” denomination describing the martyrdom of Saint Brunone. For this reason Lithuanian bishops decided to proclaim 2009 as “the Jubilee Year of the Gospel’s Proclamation to Lithuania”. Moldavia. The inauguration of the Cenacle “Regina Pacis”, a centre for formation initiatives erected by the Regina Pacis Foundation jointly with Italy’s archdiocese of Lecce in the heart of Chisinau, took place a few weeks ago. The local Church, supported by all the social work agencies, devoted special attention to the poverty of the Moldavian population, especially after the economic crisis affecting the whole of Europe. Unfortunately, the consequences of the “conflict” between Russia and Ukraine regarding gas supply, put Moldavia in a situation of severe difficulty, the territory of Transnistria in particular. Czech Republic. The bishops of the Czech Republic drew up a Pastoral letter on themes related to human life: abortion, genetic research, infertility treatments, euthanasia, that was read October 26 during Sunday Masses held throughout the Country to “spread information on the above-mentioned issues and the relative doctrine of the Church to as many faithful as possible”. In November Msgr. Jamn Baxant, former dean of the archiepiscopal seminary in Prague, was ordained bishop of Litoměřice. In October, during the 74th Plenary Assembly, the bishops addressed, among various themes, the celebrations of the 1150th Anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Moravia, and the Czech EU presidency semester, begun past January 1st. Slovakia. During the 61st Plenary Assembly of Slovakia’s Bishops’ Conference, a range of topics were addressed that include support to media projects such as the Catholic television network Tv Lux; the Council activity for migrants and in favour of threatened women; the delegation for the World Family Day in Mexico. Past November 7 Msgr. František Tondra, President of Slovakia’s Bishops’ Conference issued a statement with an appeal for peace among Hungarian and Slovakian people, given increased tensions in the political and social communications realms. Ukraine (Byzantines). The Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine (Cgcu) held past September on the topic of evangelisation, was attended by 38 dignitaries from Ukraine and abroad. The Synod saw celebrations for the 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the presbyteral ordination of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar. On November 22 2008, jointly with the other churches and Church communities, the CGCU commemorated the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-33, whose memory was recalled also by Pope Benedict XVI during the Angelus. Ukraine (Latins). Zhytomir hosted the 32ª Plenary Assembly of Ukraine’s Bishops’ Conference of Roman-Catholic rite, during which were elected the new president Msgr. Mieczysław Mokrzycki, Metropolitan archbishop of Lviv and the new vice-president Msgr. Leon Dubrawski, bishop of Kamianec-Podolski. On 28 November 2008 the Catholic bishops of Ukraine of both rites convened in Ukraine to promote cooperation and mutual understanding and to testify the unity of faith regardless of the different rites.Hungary. From September 30 to October 3 the Plenary CCEE Assembly was held in Esztergom. The 20th Meeting of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee (Ilc) of the Holy See Commission for religious relations with the Jews and the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (Ijcic) took place in Budapest the month of November. Past January 9 bishop László Bíró, auxiliary bishop of Kalocsa-Kecskemét, whom Benedict XVI appointed ordinary military for Hungary, took office in the basilica of Saint Stephen. Hungary’s Bishops’ Conference convened in December for the winter session at the end of which a pastoral letter on responsibility for the Creation was issued.