Italy: the tragedy of ViareggioA freight train was derailed on June 29 at 23:53 near the station of Viareggio (Italy), causing five cistern wagons transporting liquefied gas to explode. To date, 17 people are confirmed as having died and 50 were injured, some of whom critical, while several hundreds were left without a home. In the Holy Father’s name Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sent a telegram of condolences to the archbishop of Lucca, Msgr. Italo Castellani. In the note, Benedict XVI conveyed “his heartfelt participation” in the “suffering that has affected the city of Viareggio” and “While giving assurances of his fervent prayers for the souls of those who have so tragically died”, he “invokes from the Lord a speedy recovery for the injured and, entrusting those affected by this dramatic event to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary”, “sends a special and comforting apostolic blessing”. The Church of Lucca conveyed her “profound gratitude” to the Holy Father in “acknowledgement” of his words in a message to Cardinal Bertone signed by Msgr. Castellani. “In this moment of sorrow for the deceased and anxious about the state of the many injured, we feel more than ever the need for the paternal closeness of the His Holiness Benedict XVI and the comforting support of his prayers”, wrote the prelate, who presided over a prayer vigil for the victims in the Saint Pauline Church in Viareggio on July 1st. The previous day, paying visit to the places of the tragedy, Msgr. Castellani invited the authorities “not to overlook anything so that a clear assessment of events may soon be established”. The prelate conveyed his personal “human and spiritual vicinity, and that of the entire Church of Lucca”, to the population of Viareggio. Msgr. Castellani called for solidarity expressed “through concrete actions” that will “involve the cities’ parish churches in agreement with the city’s authorities”. Czech Republic: meeting in VehleradOn July 2-4 the bishops of the Czech Republic, along with religious orders representatives will convene in Vehlerad for the 77th plenary meeting. On July 5 the bishops will attend the Mass celebrated on the occasion of the National Pilgrimage of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the city. The Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Jozef Tomko. Items on the agenda include: the situation of the Church in contemporary society and the preparations for the apostolic visit of Benedict XVI to the Czech Republic, scheduled for September 26-28. The bishops will also be attending numerous meetings organized for July 4-5 in Vehlerad on the occasion of the “Days for the people of good will”, marking solemn celebrations of the Saints Cyril and Methodius. Scheduled events include a concert and a conference on “Parishes and new communication technologies”. The archbishop of Olomouc Msgr. Jan Graubner, and dignitaries from Slovakia’s Catholic world, notably Msgr. Marian Gavenda from Slovakia’s Bishops’ Conference, figure among the participants. The celebration of a liturgy in Byzantine rite is scheduled for July 5. Portugal: volunteers in summer missionIn a communiqué the Evangelization and Culture Foundation (FEC), made known that 381 volunteers will be leaving in the summer of 2009 headed towards missionary activity, representing a 35% increase compared to last year. The document makes clear that “this gesture of gratuitous and voluntary self-donation boosts the long-dated commitment of missionaries abroad, thus providing a crucial contribution to the development of the local communities where their missions are located”. Projects are primarily addressed to Portuguese-speaking countries. Mozambique is the primary destination (208 departures), followed by Angola (59) and Cape Verde (41), while considerably lower numbers of volunteers will leave for Guinea Bissau, the São Tomé and Príncipe islands, Brasil and Timor Est. In the note, FEC underlined, “missionary activity is an enhancing experience, as shown in the high number of those who decided to repeat it”. “While until a few years ago missionary volunteer work was mostly carried out by university students, today, although they still represent the majority (59%), the overall picture has changed and this commitment is marked by increasing adult participation (44%), some of whom decide to suspend their professional careers by asking for non-paid periods of leave (13%), while others even decide to quit their jobs (16%). Missionary activity is also carried out by retired workers (10%) who put their skills to the service of the local populations, while the number of unemployed is residual (6%)”. FEC acts as a Platform of Missionary activity since 2003, and collects statistic data on the missionary activity undergoing constant progress over past 21 years. Namely, since John Paul II launched the appeal, “Portugal, I call you for a mission” in 1998.
