France: Pax Christi urges a conference on Iraq”A firm condemnation” of the terrorist attacks that on Saturday 20th and Monday 22nd June hit the cities of Kirkuk and Baghdad was expressed by Pax Christi France, in the person of its president, the bishop of Troyes, Marc Stenger, who also would like to hold an international conference on Iraq. “Once again – the prelate states -, the Iraqi people are living days of death and desolation. We firmly condemn this renewed use of violence. We express all our deepest solidarity to this martyr people and we do not forget that we have to take action at all levels to help them build a future of hope, peace and national unity”. In addition, mgr. Stenger urges the French “politicians” to do something “to stop such situations which breach the right to respect people’s integrity, the guarantee to be able to live in peace at home, the possibility of a pluralism of cultures and religious confessions”. “To fight face to face these murderers who kill so many innocent people”, the president of Pax Christi France would like to hold an international conference, on France’s initiative and under the aegis of the European Union and the States of the region, to restore peace and hope for the future of the Iraqi population.Scotland: new permanent deaconsOn Sunday 28 June Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow will ordain twelve permanent deacons who will assist clergy and faithful in their pastoral mission. The ceremony comes hard on the heels of a pastoral letter dedicated to the year of priesthood, which began on 19 June. The archbishop, in his pastoral letter, had tackled the theme of vocations and spoken of the problem of chaplains in hospitals and of the important role of the permanent diaconate at a time when there is a shortage of priests. He had also remarked that not all the parishes that he had hoped to maintain active had, at the present time, a parish priest of their own and that real concerns exist for the future once a large number of priests retire. In this difficult situation, one positive note is the diaconal ordination of two students at Scotus college who are waiting to become priests, and a third who is studying at the Scots College in Rome. Conti urged parishioners to support their priests in every possible way, ranging from practical help to prayer. A programme of training for priests has been organized by the bishops of various dioceses in Scotland and Archbishop Conti asked the faithful to prepare themselves for a day when their parish priests might be absent for some periods in the year and asked them not to burden priests with requests that would make their participation in the programme difficult. Speaking of the work of chaplains in hospitals, Conti asked the faithful to inform their parish priest in good time when a patient has a need for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and recalled that priests have other tasks and ought not to be contacted unless strictly necessary. Holland: “night of the churches”Churches remained open in Holland far into the night on 19 June for the event known as “The Night of the Churches”. Begun in the Netherland in 2007 following the example of similar events in Germany and Austria, it met with considerable success: a total of some 4,000 visitors visited the churches in Utrecht and some 6,000 those in Rotterdam. The 40 churches of Rotterdam were opened till midnight and offered visitors a chance to see the restoration of the cathedral and participate in performances of music, poetry, dance and various cultural events. The evening was concluded with an event held in front of the cathedral of St. Lawrence, at which the mayor Abou Taled and the Most Rev. Adrianus van Luyn, Bishop of Rotterdam, both spoke. The number of visitors registered at Utrecht (some 4,000) was not so high, but still satisfactory in the view of the organizers. The “night of the churches” in Utrecht permitted visits to 21 churches and especially aimed at attracting the young.Belgium: three days to show the face of AfricaThree days to show the different face of the African continent: that’s the aim of the Bishops’ Commission pro migrantibus in Belgium in promoting a meeting on “Africa in Belgium – days of friendship and encounter with Africa” in the basilica of Koekelberg from 26 to 28 June. The programme comprises seminars and reports on African migrations given by experts such as the Jesuit Jean Marie Faux and distinguished university professors such as Georges Ngal (Sorbonne) and J.Y.Carlier (Catholic University in Louvain). There is also scope on the programme for testimonies by representatives of associations and NGOs working in the field of the hospitality and integration of migrants. The end of each day during the meeting will be characterized by a prayer vigil animated by different groups, while the final celebration will be officiated by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles.
