CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Portugal: an appeal to bishops’ solidarity On December 11, in Fatima, the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP) made an appeal to communion with the poor, with a Christian message for "wishes of solidarity and hope". "We hope the gestures of mutual assistance, solidarity and sharing increase. The true joy of Good Holidays is found in generous and altruistic offering", wrote the bishops gathered in their permanent Council. The Pastoral Note acknowledges that the "social situation, marked by a lack of jobs and material goods, does not prompt a festive climate". The bishops suggest that the traditional exchange of gifts be directed "at the purchase of offerings for those who are most in need". The bishops invite the faithful "to overcome egoistic comforts and habits", in order to "place the other at the centre of attention and service: only those who offer Christmas to others can say they live their own Christmas". The CEP document underlines the role of the family, pointing out that "in times of crisis, family solidarity, welcome, and help to those who are most in need, are even more essential and precious". "There is an urgent need to strengthen family bonds as well as relations and sodality networks. Our communication with God, that in Jesus incarnates our closest fellow other, is fundamental". The Portuguese bishops concluded their pastoral note describing Christmas as a special festivity for the whole family: "All that can be done to strengthen family relations will be equally noteworthy are appreciated by God, who, with his birth, has become our universal brother".Germany: alarm for arm export Weapons don’t bring stability: it was the cry of alarm launched by the Church and Development Conference (GKKE), which, on December 10 in Berlin, presented the findings of the report on the 2012 arms exports. In 2011,exports of authorized warlike equipment were 42% of all exports. "Exception seems to have become the rule", said Karl Jüsten, Catholic president of GKKE. Jüsten underlined that "the number of countries importing weapons from Germany, where the situation of human rights is considered worrying, has reached 64, compared to 48 in 2010". The report by the federal government, he continued, "gives the idea of a praxis that is not guided by restricted criteria and subordinates the respect of human rights to other interests – that goes against the declarations expressed by the Federal Government". Bernhard Felmberg, Evangelical president of GKKE, opposed the government’s thesis according to which the supply of warlike equipment creates stability in regions involved in armed conflicts. "The respect of the Rule of the Law is a preliminary condition for sustainable development and for the advancement of peace, much more than more tanks and weapons". England and Wales: no to a law on gay marriages Strong opposition to the law, announced on December 11 by David Cameron’s government, which would authorise gay marriage in Great Britain as from 2015, has been expressed by the Catholic primate, Vincent Nichols, and by the archbishop Peter Smith, at the head of the Department of Citizenship an Christian Responsibility of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, in which the law-making process was defined as "chaotic". The archbishop of Westminster and the archbishop of Southwark explain that, by deciding to go on with gay marriage, "the government decided to disregard the opinions of 600 thousand people who signed a petition because they want the current definition of marriage to stay". The "Coalition for marriage", a lobbying group set up by the Christian churches and other religions to collect signatures against the new law announced by Cameron, was founded a few months ago. Civil unions are already permitted in Great Britain, giving the two partners the same rights as a husband and wife, but some typical parts of marriage are left out of the ceremony. According to archbishops Nichols and Smith, "it is not too late to stop this law", and that’s why "we call anyone, who has at heart the defence of the meaning of marriage in civil law, to make their opinion known to their MPs, clearly, calmly and firmly". The Catholic primate and the archbishop of Southwark point out that the intention to introduce gay marriage seems to have come out of the blue, since it was not contained in the Conservative party’s electoral manifesto and was not addressed by the law-making process. They ask that the MPs be granted free vote on the matter. Yesterday, Cameron’s government announced that the Church of England and Wales will not be legally entitled to celebrate gay marriages, while other religious organisations may decide whether to host them or not. Culture Minister Maria Miller explained in a release that "no religious organisation will ever be forced to hold any gay marriage" and "European law already protects religious freedom beyond any doubt". An opinion that is not shared by "Coalition for Marriage", according to which, if the European Court supports gay marriage, which seems inevitable, millions of people might be discriminated against if they say they are against the change made to such institution.
