Germany, Austria, Spain

Germany: prayer for persecuted Christians On 26th December, the German Catholic Church will be holding a day of prayer for persecuted Christians. It was announced yesterday in a release by the German Bishops Conference (Dbk), telling that, following last year’s decision, from now on the day of prayer will be held in the parishes every year. 26th December has been chosen because on that day the Church celebrates St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. For this year, the secretariat of Dbk has sent posters and pictures to the parishes to encourage people to join in the day of prayer. The celebration is related to the day of prayer for the persecuted Church that had been held in Germany until 1994 for the Christians of the communist countries. With increasing situations of emergency and threat against Christians all over the world, an "initiative for persecuted and oppressed Christians all over the world" was launched in 2003, including the yearly publication of an information leaflet, which every time is about a different country, and a number of meetings and visits to raise the awareness of the German political world and the devotees about persecuted Christians. The country chosen for this year is Egypt and its post-revolution situation.Austria: a nuclear physics award to Helmut RauchIn the main Hall of the archbishopric in Vienna, card. Christoph Schönborn, president of the Austrian Bishops’ conference, handed in on December 15 the Cardinal Innitzer 2012 to the Viennese nuclear physicist Helmut Rauch, in recognition to the carriere of study and research. The cardinal, highlighting the value of this recognition awarded by the Church to men of science, referred to Hildegard of Bingen, mystic and woman of science of the 12th century, who represented a "bridge linking faith and science, sign of courage and of the often controversial relationship between these two areas is not improductive or even counterproductive". Established in 1962, the award bears the memory of a cardinal who lived in most dramatic period of the history of Europe (1875-1955). Card. Schönborn recalled "as a great man of the Church and of science, a courageous man in dramatic times" for its academic activities at the university of Vienna; despite the support given to Hitler at the beginning of the Regime, which he bitterly regretted, Card. Innitzer behind the curtains provided assistance to Viennese Jews (converted and not converted) in his palace in Vienna, during naziism. Also outstanding awards were given to historian Alfred Kohler, biochemist Rudolf Zechner and to journalist Elisabeth Nöstlinger-Jochum, along with other six young researchers. Spain: donating end-year bonus to the poor Donating one’s year-end bonus to the people who are paying the consequences of the economic crisis through the diocesan Caritas. This is the call made by the bishop of Santander (Spain), mgr. Vicente Jiménez Zamora, to his priests and devotees in his pastoral letter for Christmas. In the letter, the bishops mentions that, since the crisis has begun, the ecclesial community "has supported those who suffer most" through multiple charitable and support initiatives, following the events with "deep concern". Mgr. Jiménez explains that this deliberate gesture, donating one’s year-end bonus, "will express our sympathy with those who suffer and will increase our charity and solidarity with the poorer and more needy ones", in resemblance of the Lord. In addition, the bishop stated that such charitable gesture is part of the Year of Faith, established by the Pope, for the "baptised ones, with their testimony and example, to contribute to a new evangelisation in everyday living places". "The Year of Faith – mgr. Jiménez adds – is a good opportunity to upgrade the testimony of charity, since faith and charity are mutually related in Christians, so that they support each other".