CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Slovakia “The courage to defend life”. “Have courage to try new initiatives to support and respect human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Have courage to guarantee just and affordable health care for everyone and refuse discrimination of the weak and the poor. Be servants of life on all levels of society”. This was the message of the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care to Slovak health care workers during his visit to the country on 2-4 June. Mons. Zygmunt Zimowski has made several recommendations regarding health pastoral care in Slovakia in the area of cooperation with International institute for pastoral health theology – Camillianum in Rome and institutions in other European countries. He praised work of the Subcomission for bioethic of the Bishops’ Conference. Visit of Mons. Zimowski was positively valued also by the Minister of Health of Slovak republic, Ivan Uhliarik, with whom the archbishop discussed possibilities of future close cooperation between the Vatican dicastery and the Ministry. Before departure for Italy the President of Pontifical Council delivered lecture at the international conference “Ethics in the health system” at Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology of Cyril and Methodius at Comenius University in Bratislava.Czech RepublicNew network of websites dealing with charity. Charity of Czech Republic has established the “family” of new websites of all local institutions working under its supervision. The net consists of 66 separate but visually integral internet pages with about 60 more to come. They have similar system of administration, complete directory of services, actual information – all aiming to create an effective communication strategy of the Charity of Czech republic and make its social and medical services clear and visible for everyone”. The preparation of new system took three years and new presentation is intended for potential clients, public, donors, sponsors, media and cooperating institutions. The beginning of June will be marked by the competition aimed to inspire all administrators to be creative and improve quality of their websites. Results will be announced by the end of this year. More information can be found on www.charita.cz. New website about theology of the body and vocation to love. Underline the contribution of blessed John Paul II to protection of family and understanding of vocation to love for every human being – this is the aim of the new website www.teologietela.paulinky.cz. The initiative was introduced at the end of May by the publishing house of the religious community Daughters of St. Paul in Prague, inspired by the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May, the World Family Day celebrated on 15 May and the feast of the Czech saint Zdislava of Lemberk, patroness of families (30 May). The website offers complete information “regarding the human body and its ability to express love” and deals with topics like premarital purity, spirituality of marriage and responsible parenthood. Special attention is paid to the Church documents and materials for deeper study of the issue.HungaryNew apostolic nuncio. Benedict XVI has nominated as apostolic nuncio in Hungary Mgr. Alberto Bottari de Castello, titular archbishop of Oderzo, hitherto apostolic nuncio in Japan, a post to which he was called in April 2005. He succeeds the previous nuncio in Budapest, Mgr. Juliusz Janusz, who on 10 February was called to head the Nunciature in Slovenia, combined with the post of apostolic delegate for Kosovo. Copy of the Sindone in permanent display in the cathedral of Debrecen. Since 1st June a life-size copy, certified as authentic, of the Santa Sindone, the Holy Shroud, in Turin has been visible on permanent display in St. Anne’s Cathedral in Debrecen, Hungary. During the ceremony of inauguration, the Bishop of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza, Mgr. Nándor Bosák, blessed the large cloth, with the likeness of Christ imprinted on it. At the end of the ceremony, Gyula Pályi, professor of Chemistry at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, author of a study on the Sindone in Turin, published in Hungary in 2010, gave a lecture. The copy exhibited at Debrecen was realized on a cloth of similar weave as the original, on the basis of the photos taken on the occasion of its last public display in 2010, by the official photographer of the Sindone, Gian Carlo Durante, and thanks to a special digital printing process.
