CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Ukraine: Christian Churches on religious feastsThe leaders of Christian Churches of Ukraine passed an address regarding the celebration of religious feasts at their meeting on 28 November. According to the document, the customs which are currently being introduced in Ukraine, reduce the celebration of Christmas to "the decoration of a Christmas tree, loud parties – often with heavy drinking – and exchange of presents usually without paying attention to the unprecedented event in the human history", the birth of Jesus Christ. The representatives of the Churches also pointed to a "distorted modern interpretation" of All Saints’ Day, celebrated on 1 November. In recent years, it has been celebrated also in Ukraine as Halloween by many people, "bearing signs of occultism and contradicting the principles of the Gospel". According to the Institute for Religious Freedom, the hierarchs also criticize a commercial aspect of the public celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.France: priests about emergency of the homeless Witty but polite was the answer given by the president of the Conference of priests and nuns of France (Corref) to the controversy sparked off (3 December) by the housing minister Cécile Duflot, who, on the pages of newspaper Le Parisien, announced she would write a letter to the archbishop of Paris. The purpose of the letter would be to ask card. André Vingt-Trois to open the empty churches and religious institutes of the city and put them at the disposal of the homeless in this extremely cold winter season. While waiting for a reply from the Parisian archdiocese, in a press release, fr. Jean-Pierre Longeat, president of Corref, answered the minister’s comments about the nights spent in the cold by hundreds of homeless people in Paris: "Priests and nuns cannot be indifferent to such situations. For some congregations, this is part of the founder’s charisma. We firmly believe that the renewal of social life involves taking care of the poor". "Not all religious institutes can take care of them in the same way but lots of them give them their time and spaces". And, in the release, the priest lists the efforts "the congregations and monasteries make in this priority, often responding very bravely". The list includes the Daughters of Charity who allocate 3 shelters to the homeless in Paris. The Sisters of Saint Charles provide single mothers with a building in Rue Lafayette, for free. And then the Little Sisters of the Poor serve old and sick people; the Missionaries of Charity provide meals and medical care, the Dominican friars and Benedictine nuns join forces with the Secours Catholique. "Lots more examples – fr. Longeat writes – could be mentioned, and we know that a lot more could certainly be done; the congregations are well aware of this, but this does not mean we should give up when faced with something they consider to be extremely important".Slovakia: Bishops for the slovaks living abroad"On the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to our ancestors and the Year of Faith celebrated upon the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI, we intensively appreciate our spiritual and national roots", reads the Advent pastoral letter of the Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia addressed to all fellow countrymen living abroad. The prelates call them "disciples" of the mission of the Thessalonian brothers, because they left their native homes and "testify about their faith built on the true values of the Gospel" in their new permanent or temporary homes. "We are grateful that you were able not only to become useful members of your new community, but also for preservation of living spiritual traditions of your native homeland", write the bishops, inviting the faithful to pray and to renew the unity of their communities with a spirit of "goodwill and forgiveness". "Be always faithful to this heritage. Get to know it more profoundly, in all dimensions of your life, and with all consequences for your personal and social life", concludes the message of the bishops.
