CHURCHES IN BRIEF" "
Poland: gay marriage and Pax Christi spiritual exercises”The so-called ‘same-sex marriages’ are a sign of moral degradation” said the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, during his meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, on Tuesday, May 21. The Patriarch noted that “the Church must take the responsibility to say that this is a sin in the eyes of God”, adding he was “shocked” that no one seems to listen to the opinion of millions of French people who are against the legalization of same-sex marriages. In Russia, many civil organizations defend the traditional values. Recently in Moscow a meeting took place in favour of “large families Russia”. The participants expressed their hope that “Russian legislation shall not incorporate rules which are contrary to the values of the family”. During the meeting Jelena Mizulina, chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for the Family, Women and Children, expressed the wish that the Duma “shall never introduce in the national legislation a notion of parenthood not in conformity to the traditional form of mother and father”.Meanwhile, last Saturday Pope Francis, after Archbishop Marian Golebiewski’s resignation for reasons of age, appointed the new Archbishop of Wroclaw, Mgr. Jozef Kupny, who invited us to “be more aware of social issues”. The bishop, while expressing his regret for the decreased interest in the social teaching of the Church, noted that we should look for inspiration in the latter to effectively fight against social injustice, unemployment and various types of exclusion. “Today we must remember that social teaching is an integral part of the Roman Catholic doctrine, and we should do all we can for it to enlighten all of us. This is particularly important in times of crisis “, said the prelate in one of his first interviews. And one more news from Poland: on May 18 through 20, the 22 members of the International Catholic Movement Pax Christi met for a retreat in the Polish town of Oswiecim, very close to the area hosting the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. The retreat ended with a Way of the Cross among the barracks of the former concentration camps with a prayer “for those who cannot pray in Auschwitz” and those “who carelessly look down at the victims in the world”. The exercises were organized as part of a meeting devoted to the “spirituality of peace in the encounter: drawing on history, transforming the present, creating a future of peace”.Ukraine: conclusions of Synod of BishopsThe 60th session of the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) was held on 15-16 May in Zarvanytsia, attended by all Greek-Catholic bishops in Ukraine. During this session the Synod continued to work on the details of the events marking the Year of Faith in the Major-Archbishopric, the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine and the organization of the Pilgrimage to the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, due to take place on 17-18 August this year. The Synod finalized and approved a plan of events to mark the Year of the Deaconate, prepared by its Organizing Committee headed by bishop Mykola Simkaylo, as well as Standard Positions of the Eparchial Commission on Matters of Primary Education, presented by its head, Sr. Khrystofora Bushtyn. In regard to the Year of Faith, the issue of conducting a joint prayer with the Holy Father Francis in all the churches of UGCC Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric on 2 June was discussed and approved. The prelates also focused on preparation for the Joint Church Pilgrimage to Stradcha, during which there will be a solemn proclamation of blessed martyr Volodymyr Pryima as the patron of the laity of the UGCC. The Synod contemplated the issue of commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy and ratified an appropriate decision. The 61st session of the Synod of Bishops of UGCC Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric will be held in November 2013.Czech republic: published first book of pope Francis”Humbleness, a way to God” is a title of the first book of pope Francis published in Czech republic. It’s a brochure written by cardinal J. M. Bergoglio and according to the Pauline Publishing House in Prague, it is “inspired by an ancient spiritual experience of fathers of the desert, mainly by Dorotheus of Gaza, with aim is to introduce to the faithful a way of authentic Christian humbleness that represents a base of every true community”. The Pauline Publishing House has been preparing two other titles written by pope Francis before he was elected a head of the Catholic Church: “Open mind, believing heart” and “Service is a real power”. In the last days of May, a publication entitled “Pope Francis. Life and Challenges” written by Italian journalist Saverio Gaeta will enter the bookshops in a Czech version.
