Spain: a crisis caused by “human errors””The world economic crisis is the consequence of human errors as a result of the violation of moral laws”, said the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, commenting on the Pope’s last encyclical “Caritas in Veritate”. “The crisis and its consequences can be explained not by errors of the economic system – he explained – but by human mistakes and the conduct of people who exceeded the limits of what is morally permissible. The errors in question are attributable to qualified agents and dealers on the financial markets”. In short, if the representatives of the “upright and honest” functioning of the market make mistakes, “there is no possible technical solution”. The cardinal therefore underlined “the ethical character” of the world economic situation, not without pointing his finger at “the speculative tendency” of society. “Money at all costs and the selfish distribution of wealth at all levels” have generated, according to the cardinal, the breeding ground for the current situation of crisis. As a solution, Cardinal Rouco Varela cited the recommendations of Benedict XVI in his recent encyclical which aim at “endowing the economic and financial system with human and existential character”. “The humanism that excludes God is not human”, he pointed out. Lastly the cardinal made “an appeal for the collaboration and solidarity of society to overcome the crisis, through a “renewal” of morality. “We are all indispensable – he concluded – and, if we fail to work together, we will fail to progress”.Germany: the first pilgrimage of Rom and SintiThe Bishop of Hildesheim, the Most Rev. Norbert Trelle, inaugurated the first international pilgrimage of Sinti and Rom to Germershausen on 23 July. The pilgrimage extended to Sunday 26 July. Together with some 80 Sinti and other pilgrims, the bishop celebrated a mass for the pilgrims in the church of Eichsfeld, at the end of which he blessed the caravans of the Sinti families, who mainly came from northern Germany and Holland. Monsignor Trelle, who is also the representative of the German Bishops’ Conference for the pastoral care of Sinti and Rom, spoke of the “value of travelling, also for the people of God on its pilgrimage through life”. “Of course there still exist prejudices against Sinti and Rom, their way of life and their culture”, he admitted, attributing this attitude mainly to preconceptions. The bishop however expressed the hope that the pilgrimage could help dispel these prejudices and close the gap between society and travelling people: “Pilgrimage is the meeting with God and with our fellowmen, and here we have the chance to dialogue together for four days”. From this point of view, Mgr. Trelle expressed his satisfaction about the hospitality extended to Sinti families at Eichsfeld, as also about the particular character of the pilgrimage, animated as it was by Sinti music and the presence of many children. The event was organized by the parish priest Fr. Wolfgang Patzelt, the bishop’s delegate for Catholic Sinti and Rom in the diocese of Hildesheim. In a special Mass, the Sinti and Rom victims of the Nazi regime were also commemorated. According to the estimates of historians, some 500,000 were exterminated, of whom 21,000 were killed in the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau alone.Austria: pilgrimaging with the “indispensible” The Pilgrim’s Way of St. James in Upper Austria was blessed in the little town of Asten on 26 July. The route – which leads from Lower to Upper Austria – has been newly marked and signposted by Ferdinand Reindl and Christine Dittlbacher of the diocese of Linz. The blessing of this new stretch of the Pilgrim’s Way of St. James was imparted by the bishop’s vicar Wilhelm Vieböck, who said during the ceremony: “In the pilgrimage it’s important to take with you just what’s indispensable, leaving all the useless lumber at home and going forward thinking of the goal. The Church too is a pilgrim; Vatican Council II considered it a people of God on the road”. The solemn inauguration took place on 25 July, on the feast of the apostle James, at the parish church of Asten. Then two guided pilgrimages began, first from Asten to Hörsching and then from Asten to Oberhofen. The main route of the Pilgrim’s Way of St. James in Austria begins close to the frontier with Slovakia, at Wolfsthal and ends at Rankweil in Voralberg (the websites www.jakobswege-a.eu, www.pilgerwege.at, www.pilgern.at contain useful information for pilgrims). This stretch of the Pilgrim’s Way was properly signposted between 2008 and 2009 in collaboration with the Land of Upper Austria and the diocese of Linz and comprises a network of hostels for pilgrims. Since the 9th century onwards, the Pilgrim’s Way was travelled by millions of pilgrims from all over Europe, bound for Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The route was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
