CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Italy: Lampedusa, from Europe broader answers”The simple and cordial welcome of the people of Lampedusa, made up of concrete gestures, is an example for all, particularly for those who speak much and do little”. Confronted with an emergency “of unprecedented proportions and unpredictable times ahead”, people need “answers” along with “broader and more decisive perspectives”. Card. Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), said, on May 18th, in his homily for the Mass celebrated in the parish of St. Gerland in Lampedusa. “I am pleased and honoured to be in Lampedusa”, Card. Bagnasco said, “I hope you feel the closeness of the Church. She is close to you, so that you can be close to people with the presence of the Saviour. Through the power of the light of Christ, you see in the faces of many of your suffering and desperate brothers the face of God, Creator of the same humanity that unites us and Father of all. I came here to meet your gaze and say thanks for your example of Christian solidarity”. Card. Bagnasco went on to recall that “the boundaries of the states are the boundaries of Europe, and what happens in a place today has repercussions everywhere”. “Europe – he stressed – has the chance to grow in unity, which is stronger than the ways leading to unification. The way of unity shapes the soul of the peoples, makes them share in one destiny”. “We are faced with extreme solutions such as that of many people who flee their own countries in search of a better future – he continued -, which is particularly challenging for Europe”. The CEI President also turned to “the protagonists of this painful exodus”, to which “we extend our fraternal greeting, wishing them a serene, peaceful and fruitful coexistence”. “The Church – he said – wants to serve man and all human beings, in order to help societies and cultures be just and completely humane. Thank you for your example as a living, fraternal and united Christian community. May you continue, in your legitimate personal and social needs, to be a sign of hope for everyone”. Card. Bagnasco concluded with a prayer for the victims of the sea and an appeal for war-torn countries: “may arms become silent and may the path of reconciliation and peace be resumed, as the Pope requested”.Germany: Boom of requests for papal visit ticketsBoom of requests for the tickets of the Pope’s trip to Germany: as reported yesterday by the German Bishops’ Conference, the website www.papst-in-deutschland.de recorded 28,000 requests and 52,000 visits on the first day of distribution. Since the server had problems in managing the data, it became necessary to set up a temporary website. The tickets are handed over to participate in the Mass in front of Berlin’s Charlottenburg Castle on 22 September; in the Marian Vespers in Etzelsbach on 23 September; in the Mass in Erfurt the following day; in the Prayer Vigil with young people in Freiburg; and in the Mass and Angelus scheduled in Freiburg on 25 September. According to the figures released by the Bishops’ Conference, there are more than 160,000 tickets available for the main events organised in Berlin and Freiburg. In the dioceses of Berlin, Freiburg and Erfurt, it is possible to obtain them in the parishes or by phone, without applying online. Organisers intend to conclude the distribution by the end of June.Czech Republic: negotiations State-ChurchArchbishop of Prague, Mons. Dominik Duka, has brought together a team of experts to provide classified advice to the Catholic church in regard to forthcoming negotiations about the property composition between the Government and the Churches in Czech Republic. The decision has been made on the base of the initiative of the Minister of Culture Jiri Besser, according to whose opinion there are several possible ways of solving the situation. The preferred one suggests to restitute maximum of grounds, forests and real estates to the Churches and religious communities. Financial compensation would be considered only in case the restitution of property wouldn’t be executable for some reasons. Persisting problems with property composition are the heritage of the Communist regime that ended in the country in 1989. Expert commission will consist of representatives of various organs of the Catholic church, as well as representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and the Federation of Jewish Communities. First meeting is due to take place on 24 May 2011.
