Germany: the new horizons of mission On June 29 the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and Sankt Georgen Higher School of Theology and Philosophy inaugurated in Frankfurt am Main the Universal Church and Mission School. The academic institution will be run by DBK, by the Higher School and by the Jesuit religious order. Researchers and professors are tasked with delving into the universal and missionary role of the Church with a systematic approach and cooperate with scientific partners. During the solemn opening ceremony, Msgr. Ludwig Schick, archbishop of Bamberg and President of the DBK Commission for the Universal Church said, “For German bishops it’s important that the Church’s universal and missionary dimension be hinged to the contemporary scientific realm with a renewed approach”. Msgr. Schick said he hopes “the Institution will prod the international engagements of dioceses, charity works and religious orders. For this purpose, the Institute is tasked with the formation of those working in universal Church establishment contributing also with refresher courses”. The bishop of Limburg, Msgr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, President of the sub-commission for questions linked to the missions, underlined, “the horizon in which the mission is currently conceived is determined by economic, media and cultural globalization and by an ever closer world network involving all sectors. Europeans ought to learn from the experiences of the Church in Africa, Asia and Latin America”, he added. “Indeed, local Churches are bound to the treasure of experiences of the Churches in Europe”. Holland: a place for gypsies’ prayers On May 19 1944 245 gipsies, Sinti and Roma people -including 147 children- living in Holland, were deported to Westerbork and then to Auschwitz camps. These and other similar episodes are reported in the publication “Donkere Dagen. Uit het leven van Sinti, Roma en woonwagenbewoners” (“Dark days. The lives of Sinti, Roma and migrants”), issued by the Department for the Pastoral Care of migrants, Sinti and Roma people in the Netherlands (Pwn) on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the event. This tool is addressed to chaplains, pastoral workers, deacons, volunteers and faithful across 650 parishes where migrants, Sinti and Roma people live. The purpose of the document is to raise awareness on their tragic past of these populations promoting mutual understanding and preventing prejudice. Since the end of the Second War, a lot has been said regarding the genocide of gipsy peoples but little has been done, states the Report. Not until the year 2000 did the Dutch government allocate the needed funds to render justice also of the cold and unconcerned treatment of the gispies in the post-war period. Projects were thus undertaken to concretize this “memory operation” whose concrete objective is “the realization of documentaries and reports”, and an annual journey “to Auschwitz for the families of survivors”. On its part PWN has been committed in the integration project since 1982 with its annual international pilgrimage to Roermond, aimed at providing Sinti survivors with a place to pray and preserve the memory of their dear ones. In the past decades first and second-generation survivors took part in four trips to Auschwitz, attended also by increasing numbers of third generation youth that “visited their past sepulchre”, as one of the participants said. Spain: 600thousand enjoyed Caritas assistance in 2008 In 2008, Spain’s Caritas charity network supported almost 600thousand people whom the economic crisis left with no means of sustenance. These are the most dramatic figures of the past 40 years. Compared to 2007, sustenance requests raised by almost 200,000 units, amounting to approximately 50% increase reaching 70% in a number of dioceses. Data was provided by Spain’s Caritas Secretary general Silvio Agea. Aid was mostly requested by youth aged 20-40 with small children, who lost their jobs in the building and services sectors, by single women with dependant families, single men without a home, elderly women living on social benefits and illegal migrants. According to the report “Caritas ante la crisis. Impacto, diagnostico y propuestas” (“Caritas before the crisis. Impact, diagnosis and proposals), support is needed to cope with basic necessities. Silvio Agea highlighted the lack of response on the part of public services before the ongoing crisis. Indeed, 52% of those receiving Caritas support were readdressed by the social services, primarily due to lack of finances. This state of affairs prompted the urgent request of a state agreement providing charity structures with sufficient resources to respond to the crisis.
