Belgium, Scotland, Austria

Belgium: unity within Church diversity "To me it makes no difference from which continent he will come. We have to choose the best, and we will seek the best one wherever he is", said Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels in a statement to the press delivered in Brussels on February 27 before his departure for Rome, released by the Belgium Bishops’ Conference. "What are the present needs of the Church?" the cardinal asked. "This should be the object of our reflection when electing the Pope. The Church’s major problem is to preserve unity in diversity in an ever more complex world" and "Peter’s role" will be that of bridging diversities. To this regard, the Belgian cardinal deems it necessary to develop a new status for the Synod, to "provide the Synod with a more deliberative vote, which is not merely consultative". To do so it is necessary to spread a "culture of debate". The new Pope is called to be "a man that sympathizes with the various mentalities and sensitivities of world countries", a man capable of showing "who is man, and the nature of man" before the growing questions of ethical nature. Is it impossible to choose a Pope today? "If we consider the Church a human establishment then it will be very difficult, if not impossible. But the Church is the reality of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. Conversely, the Church would have disappeared a long time ago".Scotland: Msgr. Tartaglia in St. Andrews and Edinburgh In a touching and pained message to the congregation of St. Andrews’ in Edinburgh who "have lost their Cardinal in extremely difficult circumstances", the archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia, accepted from Pope Benedict XVI to be appointed apostolic administrator of the archdiocese that until a few days ago was run by cardinal Keith O’Brien. Archbishop Tartaglia will take care of the 27 parishes of the Scottish capital until a new archbishop is appointed and will be helped by the auxiliary bishop Stephen Robson in the daily running of the archdiocese. "In these hours so painful and difficult for the archdiocese, I too feel pained and worried. With the Grace of God, I will do my best until a new archbishop is appointed. I ask you to pray for me", archbishop Tartaglia said in his message. "You, faithful of the archdiocese – he added -, must face the impact of these sad events while you live your daily chores in your communities and at work. You must reckon with upsetting articles and news from the media and you must answer the unkind questions, the criticism, the comments and the jokes. I want you to know that bishop Robson, the priests of the archdiocese and I fully share your unfortunate circumstances and we thank you for your faithfulness and for your love for the Church. Now more than ever, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ who is our only Saviour, our Good Shepherd and our Comforter". The director of the news office of the Scottish Bishops Conference denied the news about mgr. Tartaglia’s involvement in the Vatican’s investigations into charges made against cardinal O’Brien and adds that cardinal O’Brien, as the emeritus archbishop of Edinburgh, has "no role in the running of the diocese". On February 28 Archbishop Tartaglia celebrated a Mass in St.Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh.Austria: Card. Schönborn to the refugees inside the church Before leaving Vienna to go to Rome on February 26, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn wrote a letter to 40 refugees who have been occupying Votivkirche, Vienna, since mid December, claiming more rights for political refugees. "The Cardinal repeated its concerned request for the refugees to be moved to a better place, asking them to be ready to collaborate with authorities", said the Austrian agency Kathpress, which made known the news this morning. "Please be reasonable, and don’t destroy your real opportunities in Votivkirche, for an illusion". With those words, the Cardinal asked the refugees – who may lose the right to stay in Austria – to follow the procedures imposed by the Austrian law. According to what the site of the refugees says, one of them has been arrested last Friday by the Austrian police, while he was out of the Church. According to Caritas Vienna, "a collective solution cannot be found": every refugee must explain its position. However, Caritas also denounces inequality of Germany and Austria, for instance, in relation to the reception of the Pakistani (18% against 1% in 2012).