Greece: awaiting EasterAlso this year Greek Catholics celebrate Easter with the Orthodox Church on April 19. “This concession granted by Paul VI in 1968, enables our small local Church to celebrate Easter and the Resurrection in a truly Pascal atmosphere”, Msgr. Francesco Papamanolis, President of the Greek Bishops’ Conference, told SIR. Easter is felt very deeply – the bishop remarked -. In fact, during the Holy Week people greet each other in the streets by saying ‘Good Resurrection’. From Easter eve, their salute is ‘Cristós Anesti’ (Resurrected Christ) the reply to which is “Alithós anesti o Kirios” (the Lord is truly Resurrected). This is also the opening greeting of all television programs. However, it cannot be denied that the fact that Easter is not celebrated in conjunction with the Church of Rome and with all our brothers in faith, is reason for distress. We pray and hope that Christianity will bring Easter and pass from dispersion to unity”. Also the Chaldean community in Greece will celebrate Easter on April 19. “Since the Church of Mater Misericordiae in Athens was canonically erected as Chaldean parish at the Greek Catholic Byzantine exarchate, it always followed the Calendar of the Greek-Orthodox Church, which is the Country’s majority Church”, commented Father Philip Najim, Chaldean procurator at the Holy See and Apostolic visitor for Europe on the website Baghdadhope. “This is due to the yearning for fraternity and ecumenism shared by the entire Christian community. There is but a small Chaldean community in Greece – 2500/3000 faithful – and if different dates had been preserved there wouldn’t have been integration, since it would have been isolated from the atmosphere of joy and spirituality that is felt across the Country during major Christian celebrations”. “The Greek-Catholic exarchate is headed not only by the Chaldean community but also by a small community of Catholic Ukrainians and Rumanians – states Najim -. Thus the rites will be celebrated according to the three different traditions. The three communities will gather for Good Friday celebrations. After having performed separate liturgical celebrations, attendants will gather around the Exarch of Greece of the faithful of Byzantine rite, Msgr. Dimitrios Salachas, while a procession will commence with the prayers and chants pertaining to the three different traditions”.France: Patriarch Bartholomew in ParisAfter arriving in France for the inauguration of the exhibition on “Mount Athos and the Byzantine Empire, treasures of the Holy Mount”, at the Petit Palais in Paris, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I was received by Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and President of the French Bishops’ Conference. “In a lay society such as ours – the Cardinal said in his greeting – culture in general and figurative arts in particular often enabled generations who were distant from evangelization to discover the beauty of Christian art and to learn more about the enlightening divine message they drew inspiration from”. “I therefore wish – added the archbishop – that this exhibition may bring Frenchmen closer to the spiritual reality of Orthodoxy and to the richness of its experience and its monastic patrimony”. The Patriarch underlined the ongoing cooperation between the Catholic Church in France and France’s Assembly of Orthodox bishops presided by Metropolitan bishop Emmanuel. “It’s crucial to inscribe this fraternal collaboration and ecumenical commitment in the pastoral work of our respective Churches in order to show that we don’t only have the will to develop ecumenical dialogue, but that together we have committed ourselves to be joint testimonies as sister Churches. I firmly believe that the message we will bring to the world will be more credible if we will speak with one voice”, the archbishop remarked. Belgium: message to Arcelor-Mittal labour-workers Arcelor-Mittal iron-and-steel multinational announced the closing down of the plant in Liegi and the dismissal of 1000 workers. The decision falls within the “drastic reduction” plan the company will carry out by the end of 2009. The bishop of Liegi, Msgr. Aloys Jousten, sent a message of solidarity to the workers. “The consequences of this decision will seriously affect you and your families. I share your pain, your questions and the concern for the present and future developments”. The bishop said he hopes that “trade-union representatives and politicians may reach joint solutions to this crisis”.
