Ireland: bishops prepare Pope’s statement An extraordinary meeting of the Irish Bishops’ Conference is taking place today, 22nd January, at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth (near Dublin). During the meeting the bishops will continue the debate already started during the latest meeting on 9 and 10 December, on the investigation made known in the Report on sex abuses committed in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, to the detriment of minors and by religious. At the meeting, the bishops will also debate the preparation of the speech which Pope Benedict XVI will address to Irish believers as "Pastoral Letter". The idea of a pastoral letter emerged last 11 December, at the meeting in Rome of the Pope with the representatives of the Irish Bishops’ Conference and the ministers of the Roman Curia. On that occasion, the Pope had "listened to the concerns" and learnt about the dossier. A press release said that the Holy Father was "deeply upset and shaken up" by the contents of the Report. On reassuring everyone that the Holy See would consider the points in question "very seriously", the Holy Father expressed the desire to send a Pastoral Letter to believers of Ireland, in which he "would clearly point out the initiatives about to be taken" in response to this situation.Spain: pro-life mobilizationThe endorsement of university lecturers and professionals of the "Yes to Life Referendum" initiative, which was launched in Spain in support of life, is increasing all the time. On January 21st, in Madrid, several organisations presented a schedule of international rallies that will be held during the six months of the Spanish presidency of the European Union, a decisive time for the parliamentary debate on this bill of law on abortion. The goal of the rallies, which will be presented today, is to bring to the attention of the European public opinion that the majority of Spanish society rejects that bill of law on abortion, as also substantiated by some surveys, and "the authoritative and antidemocratic attitude of the Government in wanting to impose it without a public consultation", as stated by Ignacio Arsuaga, president of HazteOir.org, one of such pro-life organisations. The "Yes to Life Referendum" initiative has already been endorsed, among others, by the European network of Family Policy Institutes, the Spanish Family Policy Institute, and the Ethics Professionals. A referendum on such bill of law on abortion has also been asked for by Concapa (Catholic Confederation of Pupils’ Parents), the Thomas Moore Legal Centre, and the Archbishop of Toledo.Belgium: RCF programme for Italian community "Another small channel of communication for the Italians living in Brussels", comments the blog of the Italian pastoral ministry in the Belgian capital (www.pastoraleitalianabruxelles.com) in welcoming the new radio programme inaugurated on Tuesday 19 January by RCF (Radio Chretienne Francophone). Based in the premises of the Vicariate in Brussels and supported by listeners, by the structure of the Church of Brussels and by parishes, the weekly programme in Italian will be broadcast each Tuesday at 19.30. "The slot we occupy is thanks to the attention paid by RCF to the life of the foreign communities in Brussels", says the website: "we are following the example and the initiative of the Spanish-speaking community which has had its own programme (‘voces peregrinas’) on the same radio station for several months". "Te voglio bene assai weekly review of Italian life and culture in Belgium" is the title of the broadcast in Italian which will each week comprise two musical pieces, a topic relating to the life of Italians in the world, a feature dedicated to culture and traditions, and some announcements and information of particular interest for the Italian community in Brussels. The broadcast on 19 January included a feature on "Italian youth in Europe and pastoral approach: new year: what expectations?". The programme can be heard on 107.6 FM in Brussels or on the website www.rcf.be.
