Spain, Poland” “

Spain/1 the bishops invite Christians to go to the polls In view of the upcoming elections of the European Parliament – elections in Spain will take place May 25 – the executive Committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE) – recalled the words of the Pope John Paul II spoke in 1982 in Santiago de Compostela: “From Santiago I send you, old Europe, a cry of love, get reacquainted with yourself. Be yourself. Discover your origins. Liven up your roots. Relive those authentic values which made glorious and so beneficent your presence amidst the other continents. Rebuild your spiritual unity in a climate of full respect for other religions along with authentic freedom”. “With special relevance to the historic words of the Polish Pope”, the Spanish bishops invited voters to participate in these elections on the wake of the reflections of the European Bishops of COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community). Referring to the COMECE document, the bishops reaffirmed their “support for the European project” and invited citizens to engage in a “constructive dialogue”, urging those eligible to participate in the voting process. As relates to the ongoing economic and financial downturn, the Spanish Church drew attention on increasing numbers of new poor, thereby urging “every citizen, every community and every EU Member State to set aside particular interests in favor of the pursuit of the common good”. Hence the exhortation that the economy, the political realm and all European citizens “may learn to live with less and ensure better living conditions for the poor”. At the same time, the bishops urged not to sacrifice the principles of subsidiarity, solidarity and local traditions in the name of EU unity. The bishops likewise call for the implementation of a social and economic policy that “highlights a vision of man rooted in the deep respect for human dignity,” while protecting life and family. On the question of migrations the bishops reiterated that “the responsibility of the reception of migrants and asylum-seekers should be equally shared by EU Member Countries”. Another fundamental aspect regards religious freedom, described as “a pillar of a tolerant and open society”. Spain/2 The network of Catholic hospitals in Madrid The network of Catholic hospitals in Madrid, recently set up, is the first private hospitals nonprofit association of the Catholic community in the Spanish capital. The Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio M. Rouco Varela, explained that the “integral good of the human person” is the hallmark of all Catholic initiatives. The Cardinal pointed out that the network of hospitals encompasses seven initiatives of the Catholic Church and institutions of consecrated life, with the purpose of “joining efforts and activities, from the technical, scientific, medical standpoint on healthcare in the history of society”. The seven Madrid hospitals which are part of the network are: “Beata María Ana”, “La Milagrosa”, “Nuestra Señora del Rosario”, “San Francisco de Asís”, “San Rafael”, “Santa Elena” and “Vot de San Francisco de Asís”. The purpose of the network, the prelate pointed out, is “the care of the sick, practicing charity and looking after the needs of others and of the needy”. On this aspect Rouco Varela underlined that they are the needs of the body and those “of the soul”, referring to the transcendent vision of man. The network comprising seven Catholic hospitals in Madrid is the largest in Spain, with a total of 1100 rooms for patients. 2.926 healthcare professionals treat some 70 thousand patients each year. Poland: priests and parishes, growing Churches “The religious sentiment of Polish people is more lively compared to other European countries”: it is the conclusion of the authors of the new statistical Compendium of the Catholic Church in Poland, regarding the years 1991-2011. It is proved by an increasing number of parishes, which increased from 9.089 in 1993 to 10.201 in 2012. Figures refer not only to the Roman Latin rite Church as it also includes Catholic parishes of Byzantine rite, which currently amount to 134. Moreover, diocesan priests grew by 33% in the period 1990-2012, currently amounting to 24.875. The highest numbers of priests (1.523) serve in the diocese of Tarnow, in southeast Poland. Follow the diocese of Krakow with 1.173 priests and that of Katowice (1.069). In 2010 28% of all priests were aged 41-50, while almost 25% were over 60. The authors of the compendium pointed out, analyzing the vocational situation, that since 2006 the numbers of new priests amount to approximately 500 a year.