CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Hungary: amendments to church lawThe Hungarian government submitted to parliament on Friday a proposal which would amend church laws so that any religious community could use the term "Church" in its operations, the state secretariat responsible for church affairs at the Human Resources Ministry reported. According to the news agency Magyar Távirati Iroda, minister Zoltan Balog said in the proposal that the constitutional court recently annulled certain passages of the church law, including rules of recognition of status and it declared that church status should be issued under "fair procedures based on objective and rational criteria and that there should be recourse to appeal". The fourth amendment to the constitution passed on 11 March states that parliament has the right to issue church status to religious organisations based on the requirements of long-term operation, wide social support and cooperation in the interest of community aims. Balog said in his proposal that the submitted amendment aims to re-regulate the procedures of church recognition and settles the legal issues of religious communities affected by the constitutional court ruling. Slovakia: pilgrimage of Catholic media to the Holy LandMore than 260 people participated at the first pilgrimage of the Catholic media to the Holy Land that ended on 15 April in Bratislava. During the 8-day stay under the guidance of president of the Council for Social Communications of the Bishops´conference of Slovakia, Mons. Stanislav Zvolenský, the pilgrims visited basilicas, churches and other sacred places associated with life of Jesus Christ in several cities. Supporters of the Catholic media had an opportunity to meet their favourite authors, editors, speakers, TV and radio presenters, as among the participants of the pilgrimige there were representatives of four main Catholic media of the country: Radio Lumen. TV Lux, Catholic Newspaper and Press Office of the Bishops´conference of Slovakia. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was the first of the range of activities aimed to strengthening of mutual relations among employees of the Catholic media, exchange of experiences, and maintaining of direct contact with their audience. It will be followed by the 5th Day of the Catholic Media, due to be celebrated in Bratislava on 11 May.Ukraine: book on chaplaincy in prisonsA publication entitled "Serving Prisoners" of the Department for pastoral care in the Penitentiary System of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) was presented at the Institute of Criminal-Penitentiary Services in Vita Poshtova, Ukraine, on 15 April. The guide offers professional directives for pastoral care in penitentiary institutions and will be useful for seminarians, priests and volunteers working in prisons and detention institutions, as well as for penitentiary services staff. The presentation came on the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Criminal-Penitentiary Services, with presence of Serhiy Zamula, co-author of the book and responsible for the psychology – pedagogy curriculum at Bila Tserkva Institute of Professional Training for State Penitentiary Services of Ukraine.
