CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Austria: the bishops for parish councils renewalIn a pastoral letter that read in parishes across Austria on January 8 during Mass, the bishops called upon the faithful to take part in the election of the parish boards due to take place on March 18th. The parish boards of over 3,000 Austrian parishes will be renewed: an institution which “plays a special role and has a special task for a lively Christian community” as a “central board in charge of the life and development of the parish”, the document reads. The bishops also pointed out that the involvement of lay women and men in parish life, in support of the parish priest, is “the embodiment of the shared responsibility of all devotees”. The pastoral letter calls to actively take part in the election by finding the nominees and by voting and praying. However, the bishops said that the parish board cannot be solely responsible for the way the community operates: the devotees too must become aware of their role and of the need to actively cooperate, because “lots of members of the parish community must support and be jointly responsible for the community’s activities”.Germany: the Arab spring and IslamizationAccording to Obiora Ike, theologian, human rights expert from Nigeria, interviewed by the German network “Deutschlandfunk”, the Arab spring originates Islamization. Ike, general vicar of the diocese of Enugu, called for greater commitment on the part of European countries in demanding the enforcement of religious freedom and human rights in Arab countries and in Nigeria. The theologian criticized Europeans for having “substantially” misunderstood the consequences of the Arab spring. “All of Islamic North-Africa is introducing Islamic state law”, Ike said, namely, “an anti-Christian, anti-Western movement” and “a campaign against world Christians”. “What Europeans do not understand”, he continued, “is that the Arab spring is not aimed at a Westernization process”. Ike gave the example of Nigeria, whose president Goodluck Jonathan “does much too little to combat terrorism”. “Moreover, there are countless radical Muslims in the police and in the army, which turn a blind eye when facing attacks on Christians, sometimes reaching the point of defending the guilty”, whose activity is often supported “by extremists providing army supplies” from abroad”. “Christians in Nigeria feel increasingly abandoned also by the political realm and by the police”, he added. “It is not by chance that they have decided to patrol the streets”, since “self-defense is a natural right”. Nonetheless, “interreligious dialogue must continue”, Ike warned, and he drew attention to the need “to combat extremisms jointly with liberal Muslims” on the grounds of mutual dialogue and understanding.Portugal: European year against active ageingCatholic associations leaders welcomed the proclamation of 2012 as “the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations” established by EU institutions. According to the chairman of the Federation of Third Age Institutions (FITI), the event could bring about “a crucial change as relates to the societal role of senior citizens”. “We hope that society as a whole acknowledges intergenerational solidarity as a means to ensure the quality of life of ageing population and their active participation, optimizing their safety and health services”, said José Carlos Batalha. Élio Abreu, national director of “Ascending Life”, hopes the European Year will help understand that “reaching pension age is only another step in life, which must be appreciated and organized as such”. The responsible of the Christian Pensioners Movement highlighted the need to put an end to political, theoretical or demagogical discourse, so as to “finally address directly and concretely the difficult problems affecting families with elderly family members in need of special assistance”. The president of the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission Manuel Oliveira de Sousa, finally remarked that the European initiative is an “unquestionable occasion to reflect on the effects of population ageing to raise public and political awareness on sectors such as employment, health services, social services, adult formation, volunteering, housing, new technologies and social mobility”.
