CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Ireland: the bishops on the child abuse guidelinesThe Irish Bishops have welcomed the Circular Letter published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 16 May to assist Episcopal Conferences in developing guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual abuses of minors perpetrated by clerics. Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore spoke on behalf of his fellow Irish Bishops: “We welcome in full the important initiative of the Congregation. These guidelines offer assistance in the field of the prevention of sexual abuses and the notification of accusations to the police”. According to the Irish episcopate, the initiative of the Holy See is aimed at “creating a safe environment for children and young people” and to this end – after the shocking cases of paedophilia that emerged from two government inquiries in Ireland – the Irish Church has equipped itself with a network of volunteers to help in the task; they are now present in every parish and ecclesial organization. The publication of the Circular Letter “emphasises the constant commitment of the Catholic Church to tackle the very grave problem of abuses committed on minors”. The Bishops also announced that an independent agency of high quality had also been established in the Irish Church – the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church – which “supports dioceses, religious congregations and missionary societies in their work of monitoring abuses and handling denunciations”. Last week – on 11 May – the National Board presented its annual Report for 2010. From the Report it emerges that between 1st April 2010 and the end of March 2011 a total of 272 new accusations of abuse (physical, emotional and sexual) were presented to the National Board: 166 notifications came from the religious orders and 106 from the dioceses. The Office stated that all 272 charges had been reported to the judicial authorities.Italy: Conference on “Digital Inhabitants”The National Conference on “Digital Inhabitants” is due to open in Macerata on 19 May. Promoted by the National Office for Social Communications (UNICS) and the IT Service of the Italian Episcopal Conference (SICEI), the conference will be opened by Bishop Claudio Giuliodori of Macerata, chairman of the Episcopal Commission for culture and communication, and will end on 21 May. The first day of the meeting will be dedicated to theoretical study with reports from Mgr. Domenico Pompili, Director of UNICS, and Ruggero Eugeni and Massimo Scaglioni of the Catholic University in Milan. On the second day, a “quantitative” research project on “Digital identity: self-development and relational development online and offline” will be presented. “A very interesting aspect that is clearly emerging – says the coordinator of the survey, Chiara Giaccardi, professor of sociology and anthropology at the Catholic University in Milan, in a preview to SIR – is the link observable between the dimension of faith, media practices and relations. In other words, the way of inhabiting the digital space, and of establishing the right balance with the offline dimension of existence, is different, whether one believes in something or not”. Other topics on the agenda include the innovations that the new media can introduce in the field of education (from e-learning to social networks). The final day of the conference will host a round table: “What appeal to the ecclesial media is being made by the opportunities for digital convergence?” in which the participants will include Saverio Simonelli, head of cultural programmes of TV2000; Paolo Bustaffa, Director of the SIR press agency and SIR Europe; Francesco Ognibene, editor in chief of the Catholic daily Avvenire, and Francesco Zanotti, President of the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies.Hungary and Slovakia: together for Cyril and Methodius”With their character and their commitment to the brotherhood of Churches, Saints Cyril and Methodius arouse the desire for communion and unity in every Christian. Being Christian means building communion. That’s why we have a need for understanding, the willingness to cooperate and the mutual exchange of spiritual and cultural values”, said the Military Ordinary in Hungary, Bishop Laszlo Biro, during his meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Bishop Frantisek Rabek. The joint celebration of the memory of the two Saints, who brought the Christian faith to Great Moravia over a thousand years ago, was held on 14 May at Zalavar in the south of Hungary, the region that was the power base of the Slav Prince Pribina in the 9th century. Holy Mass was officiated by the Slovak military ordinary, who in his homily thanked the Hungarian nation for having preserved the memory of the Patrons of Europe. “May the veneration for Saints Cyril and Methodius and their missionary genius and dedication be a vocation for us all to animate and deepen our Christian roots”, urged Mgr. Rabek, who exhorted all believers to follow the truth and love of Christ in full respect for the national and cultural differences between the two nations.
