CHURCHES IN BRIEF" "
CCEE: the Secretaries General in Warsaw The Year of Faith and the tenth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in Europa” will be the main subjects for discussion of Secretaries-General of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe which will meet for the first time in Warsaw June 27 to 30. “We want to look closely at the signs of hope that we so much count on and the challenges that lie ahead for Europe in the context of faith,” said Monsignor Jozef Polak, secretary of the Polish Bishops. The meeting – organized by CCEE – will also touch upon topical issues. The introductory speech by Romanian Bishop Virgil Barcea, Vice-President of COMECE, will be delivered to the presence of the apostolic nuncio in Poland Celestino Migliore, the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference Jozef Michalik, and of representatives of 50 countries, priests and laity. Guests from the Middle East, the Holy Land and bishops of the Bishops’ Conferences of Asia will also take part in the next debate.Romania: church returns to greek-Catholic Eparchy65 years have gone by since the communist regime expropriated the church of the Theological Seminary from the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Oradea Mare in Romania. The parish priest was arrested while he was on the altar and sent to prison, while the sacred building, built in 1858, became the property of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Given the failure of negotiations which began after 1990 with representatives of the local Orthodox Church, the Greek-Catholic Eparchy had to resort to the justice system in 2006 to take back possession of the place of worship. Now, after a final judgment, the church has returned to its rightful owners. As he celebrated the first Mass in the church on Saturday 15 June, the Bishop of Oradea Mare, Virgil Bercea, thanked the local Orthodox Church for their cooperation and expressed the hope that the church of the Seminary become a space of harmony for the two sister churches.Slovakia: testimony of cardinal KorecCardinal Ján Chryzostom Korec, bishop emeritus of Nitra, Slovakia, has recently presented an official testimony about his life and persecution by the communist regime before 1989 for the archives of the Nation´s Memory Institute (NMI). The words of 90-years old cardinal were recorded on video within the framework of a project Oral history” and will be used in documentaries prepared by NMI for future generations. Life of cardinal Korec shows an example of how to understand and perceive the challenges for particular mission in the service to God and the Church in difficult conditions. It bears a testimony and a message of bravery for current and future generations and this is what institutions like Nation´s Memory Institute or Forum of Christian Institutions should realize,” explain initiators of the unique project.Moldova: UGCC bishop Milan visited MoldovaOn 12 June, bishop Joseph Milan, head of the Pastoral-Missionary Department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, arrived in Moldova for a pastoral visit. In Kishinev he met with local Roman Catholic bishop Antoniy Kosheyu to discuss various issues regarding pastoral care for Greek-Catholics in Moldova. They sketched out future directions of development and expanding of services. A day later, the Cathedral of God´s Providence witnessed a consecration of deacon Ihor Plevsky as a bishop who will be in charge of pastoral care for Greek-Catholics on the territory of Moldova. Bishop Milan also met with Ukraine´s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador in Moldova, Sergii Pyrozhkov, and thanked him for the support and cooperation with UGCC.
