CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Germany: education and equal opportunitiesMore equality in opportunities: it is the hope of cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, underlining the growing gap dividing the rich and the poor. "School career, market and job opportunities often depend on social background", said on October 17 the archbishop of Berlin, during a conference promoted by the "Marktwirtschaft" Foundation. For Card. Marx, "the conditions for further equal opportunities are first of all education", but it is also necessary "to reflect on the taxation of patrimonies". The cardinal highlighted the importance of "having faith in the opportunity of social growth", through competence and skill. "The promise of achievements through commitment and skills increases the possibility of seizing opportunities for personal development". Moreover, "social recognition encourages the use of individual talents and capabilities for the common good". This is why "individuals should be offered ways for social integration – not once, but always", realizing "equal, dynamic opportunities, which includes the possibilities of failure and change of route".Ukraine: Auccro, amendments to the law on the freedom of worshipA letter of the religious leaders asking to veto alterations to law on freedom of worship and religious organizations was passed to president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, during his meeting with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) on 17 October. "We view the act of the Ministry of Justice and adoption of the bill by the Supreme Council as steps towards destabilization of religious situation in the society, lowering of the level of freedom of confession in Ukraine, putting significant obstacles in the way of spiritual and social ministries of the Churches and religious organizations", reads the letter. According to the hierarchs, the veto is necessary because by this decision the parliamentary majority completely ignored the position of the religious community and the agreements reached between the Council of Churches, author of the bill, permanent representative of the president, Yurii Miroshnychenko, and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. According to the Institute for Religious Freedom, this law "considerably complicates the procedure of assumption of the status of a legal person by religious organizations, as it introduces two unmatched registration procedures, that of statutory documents and state registration". The bill also complicates the procedure of obtaining of permissions by foreign religious ministers to stay in Ukraine required for issuance of visas.Romania: procession for John Paul IIOver 2.000 faithful and 50 Roman and Greek-Catholic priests, accompanied by the Roman-Catholic bishop Cornel Damian, the Greek-Catholic bishop Mihai Fratila and Msgr. Muankembe Baudouin, Councillor at the Apostolic Nunciature in Romania, attended a procession on the streets of Bucharest, on October 22, to commemorate John Paul II on the eve of his liturgical memory. Organized by the archdiocese of Bucharest, the event was held in the memory, which is still strong, of the historical visit of the Polish pope in Romania over ten years ago. The commemoration began with a moment of prayer under the statue of Blessed John Paul II, near the seat of the apostolic Nunciature in Bucharest, that continued along the roads of the Romanian capital until the Cathedral of St. Joseph, where a Mass was celebrated. The Catholics of Bucharest brought in procession an icon of the pope and the reliquary donated last year to the Cathedral of Bucharest by cardinal Stanis³aw Dziwisz. "This day reminds us of the Pope’s visit to our Country and the words he addressed to us on that occasion", said Msgr. Damian, recalling the Mass attended by John Paul II in the Cathedral of Bucarest: "He was bent by the years and by his suffering, but his spirits were still high. Despite his suffering he remained a Rock, following Christ’s will, conforting us in our faith with his example".Czech Republic: ecumenical pilgrimage "for the homeland""A prayer for home" is the title of the traditional ecumenical pilgrimage organized by the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Czech Republic, on the occasion of the Day of Czech Statehood. The 6th edition of the event will take place in Roudnice nad Labem on 28 October. The program will start on its eve – 27 October – with the "ecumenical prayer for the homeland" at the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert in Prague, with a spiritual word pronounced by cardinal Dominik Duka, archbishop of Prague. On Sunday it will be followed by the pilgrimage of children and their parents, including guided tour around historical churches and chapels of Roudnice nad Labem. Among other activities there will be a market of products of special manufactories, concerts, theatre performances and a lecture on "Archeology and the Bible". According to the organizers, all people of good will are invited to the event to "reflect on life in truth", which is the main theme of this year’s meeting. For more information: www.modlitbazadomov.cz.
