Austria, Poland, Germany

Austria: sustainable businesses and social doctrine The Zimmermann enterprise in Tyrol, manufacturer of environmentally sustainable buildings, received the Jakob-Gapp Award directly from the hands of the bishop of Innsbruck Manfred Scheuer. The Prize was established in 2005 by the same bishop, the decoration in memory of Saint Jakob Gapp di Watten (1897-1943) is awarded to enterprises that distinguish themselves for drawing inspiration from the principles of Church Social Doctrine. Catholic News Agency Kathpress made known that "Franz Wechselberger, president of the Movement of entrepreneurs from Tyrol (KAB), and the members of the jury, decided to award the Zimmerman firm for the atmosphere of cooperation characterizing the business, along with the efforts made for sustainable green economy". "The enterprise managers and workers are seriously committed to assuming their share of social responsibility" even with "their dialogical commitment, their team work, the family atmosphere, appropriate social benefits, exemplary apprenticeships, a good level of involvement in local associations for workers and for employers". Bishop Scheuer presented the Prize at the end of a solemn Mass in Watten, on January 26. Jakob Watt, beheaded by the Nazis in 1943, "has lived in first person the Church’s recognition of rights, the solidarity with the poor and support to the weak". The bishop said: "Also today people are hurt in their dignity, sometimes also in tragic ways".Poland: true marriage is between a man and a woman Over the past days Poland has been marked by Parliamentary debates on various projects aimed at legalizing de facto unions. Ensuing parliamentary rejection of three draft laws aimed at redefining the juridical framework of de facto unions on January 25, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, Archbishop of Warsaw, conveyed his appreciation as, he said, the outcome of the voting is "the victory of all those who have at heart true marriage, and the family as a whole". The prelate underlined that the strategy designed to "undermine the status of marriage, understood as a union between man and woman" begins with the request to legalize de facto unions, but they are followed by "requests to recognize the status of homosexual couples and the right of adoption of minors". Cardinal Nycz said he believes that the situation in Poland is incomparable to France, but we ought to "remain vigil" before the "idea of marriage based on natural law" is challenged. The archbishop, who does not oppose the debate on de facto couples, pointed out that the issue should in fact be addressed from an ethical, cultural and moral perspective. It is too complex and consequential to be adopted with a mere parliamentary vote, His Eminence said. Msgr. Henryk Hoser, Archbishop of Warsaw-Prague (the area of the city bordering on the eastern shore of the Vistula river), is aware that the question of de facto unions "will return as a boomerang" as "it falls within a global strategy aimed at revolutionizing customs, imposed with relevant means, forces, methods and international organizations". "The public opinion manipulated by the media doesn’t realize that the matter at stake involves fundamental questions that represent the founding pillars of all societies", cautioned the prelate, who added: "a redefinition of marriage and the family in the name of a supposed fight on stereotypes is a mockery of common sense and of collective memory". Germany: news on the pastoral care of disabled persons The pastoral care of persons with disabilities will soon be coordinated by the Secretariat of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) at federal level across the Germany territory. It was announced on January 30 by DBK in a release that reiterates that pastoral care for the disabled is a major theme of the DBK Committee for pastoral care. "We devote great consideration to the commitment of the pastoral care for the disabled and we seek to combine it with other areas of pastoral care", said Msgr. Otto Georgens, DBK delegate for the pastoral care of people with disabilities. "We intend to raise public awareness on the ongoing questions in this area of pastoral care and coordinate the initiatives already under way", he said. The activity will be supported also by the new Council of the DBK Committee for the pastoral care of people with disabilities launched yesterday, active at federal level. The tasks of the new body include "issued related to the organization of major events such as the Day of Catholics or the Eucharistic Congress in Cologne, that will take into account the needs of people with disabilities". Several initiatives at federal level seek to raise public opinion’s awareness on the rights of people with disabilities and the elimination of architectural barriers. "People with disabilities are part of our society. The Church is especially aware of her task and of the commitment towards these people", concluded Msgr. Georgens.