Spain: priests “tax” themselves for Caritas Gestures of solidarity are being made by the Spanish Church to combat the economic crisis: an example comes from the priests of Mallorca, where diocesan Caritas has benefited from the self-sacrifice of its priests in helping to alleviate the needs of the poor. Bishop Jesús Murgui of Mallorca established “rules of generosity” at the start of the year to help those who are most suffering from the crisis and handed over to diocesan Caritas a sum of 2,000 euro to cover the costs for the celebration of his name day, but then reallocated to Caritas after cancelling the reception he usually offers to mark the occasion. After this first example of solidarity, the bishop, together with the diocesan Council, proposed to all the presbyters of Mallorca that they should voluntary offer part of their income for July as a gesture of solidarity with individuals and families most badly hit by the economic downturn. The result was that over 24,000 euros were raised from the clergy of the island and donated to Caritas Mallorca to finance projects to alleviate the most vulnerable and the most badly hit by the crisis. Caritas publicly expressed its thanks for this gesture made by diocesan priests, which is an “expression of commitment to the needs of the poor today” and “gives dignity to a ministry that often works silently at the service of charity”.Romania: alarms for the cathedral of Bucharest The Association of Catholic Families “Vladimir Ghika”, involved in the campaign “Save the places of the spirit – Protect St. Iosif’s Cathedral and the historical monuments of our heritage”, held a press conference in recent days as a mark of solidarity with the initiatives to save the cathedral of Bucharest promoted by the Roman-Catholic archdiocese. The objective was to bring to the attention of public opinion the report of a survey conducted by the “Andrea Bina” seismic observatory in Perugia (Italy), with the aim of gauging the impact of the construction of the high-rise Cathedral Plaza in the immediate vicinity of the Catholic cathedral. Ignored by the Romanian authorities, the report demonstrates that, in the event of an earthquake of a magnitude higher than 5 degrees on the Richter scale, the stability of the cathedral would be seriously jeopardized by the 20-storey building being built just 8 metres away. The various initiatives to save the cathedral also include the nine days of perpetual adoration just concluded, promoted by the archdiocese. Mgr. Cornel Damian, Auxiliary Bishop of Bucharest, declares: “While our faith in human justice is dwindling, we have not lost our deep trust in Providence and Divine Justice”. Ukraine: commemorating Slipyj in RomeFor the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine (UGCC) the autumn of 2009 will be marked by various anniversaries: the 40th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral of Santa Sofia in Rome and the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Institute of Santa Pokrova; the 65th anniversary of the death of Metropolitan Andrej Sheptytskyj, and the 25th of the death of the Archbishop Major of Lviv of the Ukrainians and Servant of God Josyf Slipyj. These anniversaries will also be celebrated by a national pilgrimage which, with the blessing of the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, will be held in Rome, in the church of Santa Sofia, from 9 to 12 October. “Wisdom has built a home for itself”, recall the organizers of the pilgrimage, was the slogan of Archbishop Slipyj who, after various sentences to forced labour in Siberia, was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1963. In exile in Rome, before his death at the age of 92 on 7 September 1984, Slipyj presided over the construction of the cathedral of Santa Sofia and the Ukrainian Catholic University, successfully campaigned to have ownership of the pilgrims’ hospice in Piazza Madonna dei Monti returned to his Church and founded the “Santa Sofia” Association. In 1971, during the Synod of Bishops, he had denounced the persecution of the Church under the Communist regime. In 1976 he appealed to the United Nations on behalf of the persecuted and in the following year testified to the Sakharov Tribunal in Rome.Bulgaria: the relics of an “unknown saint” The relics of a probably early medieval saint were discovered last week at Perperikon, in the Rodopi mountains, in southern Bulgaria. During archaeological excavations in two of the ancient churches of Perperikon two bronze crosses were found; one of them contained fragments of human bone. The larger of the crosses, dating to the tenth or eleventh century, contains a representation of Christ crucified on the front and an image of the praying Virgin Mary on the rear side. The second cross, decorated with geometric motifs and dated to the fifth to seventh century, is the one containing the relics. Professor Ovcharov, in charge of the archaeological team, says that “the bones in question are heavily fragmented and decayed; so we will never be able to determine to what saint they belonged, especially as there are no signs or inscriptions”. It was also Prof. Ovcharov who on the basis of the archaeological evidence spoke of “a saint”, emphasizing the fact that Perperikon, ancient city of Thrace, became one of the most important centres of Christianity. One of the two churches discovered at Perperikon is in fact the oldest in the region: it was built in the fourth to fifth century during the mission of Bishop Niketa, who began to convert the population of the Rodopi mountains to Christianity. The relics of the “unknown saint” have been donated to the church of the Assumption of Mary in the city of Kardzali, situated close to Perperikon. Since 2003 this church has also housed a precious relic of fragments of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
