churches in brief
Austria, Czech, Slovakia: Night of churches 2011″Long night of churches” is the name of an initiative that started in the Archdiocese of Vienna in 2005. Back then no one reckoned its example would influence not only other dioceses in Austria but also abroad. More than 350.000 visitors all over the country entered the gates of 744 churches administered by 14 Christian churches last year, attracted by special programme consisting of exhibitions, shows, concerts and various kinds of performances. This year´s event will take part on 27 May and organisers believe it could be even more succesfull, as it doesn´t have strictly religious character but reaches out to all areas of cultural life of the society. Detailed information can be found on an internet page: www.langenachtderkirchen.at. On 27 May 2011 Czech republic will open gates of its churches for the third time. The Night of churches has an ecumenical dimension and over the years it became favoured by thousands of visitors. “We can enter places that have formed our religious, cultural and social history. Every person has an eternal value here, the value testified by Jesus Christ on the Cross”, says the message of one of the main sponsors of the event, President of the Czech bishops´conference Mgr. Dominik Duka. The Night of the churches is not only supported by the representatives of Christian churches in the country, but also by the mayors and other leaders of local governments. Although Czech republic is seen as one of the most secular countries in Europe, this initiative seems to be very succesful in bringing down the barriers between believers and non-believers. “History of our nation is connected with Christian faith more than contemporary society is willing to admit”, says Milan Chovanec, the representative of an ancient city Pilsen which aspires to become the European capital of culture 2015.”The Night of churches wants to light up Europe… It´s a chance for the people to realize they need light in their lives” – with these words archbishop of Trnava Mgr. Róbert Bezák invited parishes in his archdiocese and all over Slovakia to participate in the project due to take place on 27 May this year. Inspired by the example of Czech republic and Austria where the “Night of churches”, has already been running for several years, slovak believers for the first time want to keep the gates of more than 65 churches open from 6 p.m. until midnight for everyone who wants to experience an extraordinary event, full of cultural performances – all of them free of charge. Main purpose of the initiative is to introduce Christianism in a popular form to all levels of society. One month before the Night of churches – on 28 April – the Gallery of the Archdiocese of Trnava will open an exhibition of the pictures of Trnava´s churches, gestioned by the Institute of Christian culture of the Trnava University.Czech republic: dialogue with Islam and EuropePresident of the Czech bishops´conference Mgr. Dominik Duka and the apostolic nuncio Mgr. Diego Causero were among the guests at the lunch with ambassadors of islamic countries in Czech republic at the invitation of the indonesian ambassador Emeria Siregar. The event took place on 7 april. Representatives of the Catholic church were greeted by the ambassador of Syria Nadra Sayaf who declared that “the real face of Islam is represented by love and tolerance, justice and peacefulness, and the deeds of several fanatics don´t reflect the real spirit of Islam. “Archbishop Duka´s speech illustrated the relationship between the Catholic church and Islam according to the documents of the Second Vatican Council. He also appealed to islamic countries to condemn any fundamentalistic expressions of violence on the base of faith and persecution of Christians. According to the statement of the press office of the bishops´conference the meeting was marked by mutual respect and cordial atmosphere. On the weekend of 15-17 April 2011, the twentieth annual Czech-German.conference entitled “Dialogue in Central Europe” will take place in Brno, Czech republic, this time focusing on the question “What brings and holds European societies together?” According to the organizers, the twentieth anniversary provides an occasion for reflecting the Czech-German Declaration of 1997 in the context of current mid-European relationships among the nations. The event is organized by the Bernard Bolzano Society of Prague and the Ackermann-Gemeinde of Munich in cooperation with the corporate town of Brno and the Southmoravian Region. Other partners are the Polish Fundacja Kryzowa and the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. Pontifical mass for the participants of the conference will be celebrated by the bishop of the Diocese of Brno Mgr. Vojtech Cikrle in the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on 16 April.
