Portugal: pastoral note on euthanasia At the end of the Plenary Assembly held in Fatina November 9-12, Portuguese bishops addressed the question of euthanasia and the forthcoming papal visit in Portugal, due to take place in May 2010. In a meeting with the press the Secretary of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP), father Manuel Morujão, said that the Pastoral Note on euthanasia and living will titled “Protecting life until its termination”, is intended as a “contribution for an ethical reflection on death, as an inevitable reality often unspoken of that needs to be addressed with serenity and with a pedagogical approach”. “Legalizing Euthanasia – he added – means placing a sword of Damocles on the terminal patients, who are likely to consider themselves a burden for their families, and therefore experience this possibilities in a psychological obligation”. “Euthanasia is viewed as an act of freedom. But in reality it represents the suppression of will, that is unacceptable both for anthropological and for faith-related reasons. Palliative treatment and accompaniment to death are the only fair solutions to hopeless diseases”, he said. As relates to the upcoming Papal visit, Msgr. Morujão explained, “the ceremonial program is remitted to the Pope’s decision. Data so far is that the Holy Father will arrive in Lisbon on the evening of May 11, his departure to Rome is scheduled on the 14th”. “The Sanctuary of Fatima will receive Benedict XVI for the anniversary celebrations of May 12-13, and perhaps meetings with the Portuguese bishops will be included in the program along with a visit to the city of Porto, warmly encouraged by Msgr. Manuel Clemente”. “The Bishops confide that the Papal visit will represent an occasion for the reinforcement of faith, bound to expressions of charity and justice, along with the commitment to put into practice the important messages that the Holy Father will pass down to Portuguese Christians”.Austria: solidarity to East-European Churches In a note issued November 10 Father Leo Maasburg, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Works (Missio Austria) underlined that twenty years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, East-European churches continue needing the support of the West. With the “Missio-ProEuropa”, the Austrian Church wishes to provide support to the Churches of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, from Albania to Ukraine, giving a sign of solidarity and mitigating material and spiritual emergencies. In these States the Catholic Church performs “important pastoral and social services and contributes to stepping up the young democratic society”, Maasburg said. Support to projects includes the construction of the “Mother Theresa Cathedral” with a centre for pastoral care in the capital of Kosovo, Pristine. The building is due to be finished in 2010, on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Mother Theresa. Another project regards the “Europa-Schulen”, the European schools in Bosnia. The purpose of these schools, which enjoy the financial support of the Catholic Church, is to promote reconciliation, extending beyond ethnic and religious borders. “Missio ProEuropa” brings forth the long tradition of activities promoted by the Austrian bishops’ Conferences established in 1956 with Hungary’s support .The Netherlands: IV Catholic Youth Days Over 2000 people attended the IV Dutch Catholic Youth Day 2009. The event was held a few days ago in Den Bosch and ended with a Eucharistic celebration officiated by the bishop of Breda Msgr. Hans van den Hende, and by Msgr. Everard de Jong, in charge of youth pastoral care (KJD) for Dutch bishops. The celebration of the event was transmitted on Katholieknederland.nl. “The courage of living” was the theme of this year’s edition. For Wim Velzeboer, KJD coordinator, it is a rather peculiar statement, that triggers the question “Do I live well?” and recalls the words of Jesus when he said “I have come to bring life its fulfillment”, that continues, “only when you will have the courage to live in compliance with God’s expectations will your life be fulfilled”. Bishop de Jong, hitch-hiked to Den Bosch to bring the message that life is a trip with unknown destination. “It is possible to have faith in people”, De Jong said, and added that even though he had never hitch-hiked before, he enjoyed the experience as it “gives the possibility of meeting different people, each with their own story”. Finally, Eric Jacquinet, coordinator of the youth department of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, called upon participants to attend the 2011 WYD in Madrid.
