EUROPEAN CHURCHES
Austria: “Church reform comes from the Gospel”The bishops of Öbk – Austrian Bishops’ Conference – gave positive evaluations at the meetings with Pope Francis during their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit last week at the Vatican. The themes addressed focused on the 34 thousand questionnaires handed out with a view to the bishops’ synod scheduled for the coming fall. In a long interview to Catholic press agency Kathpress, Cardinal archbishop of Vienna Christoph Schönborn, Öbk president, pointed out that the Pope gave the bishops a veritable “road map for the Austrian Church: Church reform comes from the Gospel and by those who put it into their lives and irradiate its joy, and this is perceivable”. The Cardinal highlighted an atmosphere of familiarity characterising the meetings: “The Pope expressed satisfaction, and shared with us the concerns and the joy” regarding the various themes ranging from the problem of the family to the decrease in the number of priests, to economic problems. The bishop of Innsbruck, Msgr. Manfred Scheuer, said he was “reassured and encouraged” while underlying concerns over “the young generations’ relationship with the Church”. Also the future of parish life presents signs for concern, Scheuer said. Divorced and remarried faithful is an equally important. For Msgr. Klaus Küng, pastoral delegate for the family, the fact that the Pope has put the family at the centre of pastoral care should make us reflect on the theme of the accomplishment and difficulties of married life. Portugal, rethinking consecrated life Today the Institutes of consecrated life are facing two challenges: to reconsider the realm of missionary activity, bearing in mind the current problems of society, whilst changing the mode of communication, to show and propose to the youth a life experience. In the framework of the Week of the consecrated people, the Provincial of the Portuguese Consolata Missionaries underlined the need “to totally reconsider the modes of Christ proclamation to communities along with the very criteria of the mission”. Conversely from what has happened in the past, when the mission was conceived as a departure for Africa or Latin America, “today there is the need to devote greater attention to other realities that are much closer to us”, said father António Fernandes. “Although Portugal has always been considered a deeply Catholic country, expressed in ways of living, in the structure and the building of society, Christian culture is no longer as visible”. Commenting the theme of the Week of the consecrated, “Transformed in Gospel joy”, Fr Fernandes added that this joy must be transmitted to our fellow other and to society as a whole. For this to happen it is necessary that religious Institutions open their homes clearing them of all that is less appealing or negative”. “There was a period when the religious were hidden, when the absoluteness of God was shown in an intimate manner”, Fr Fernandes pointed out. Russia: the Orthodox celebrate Patriarch Kirill On Saturday February 1st the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the fifth anniversary of the enthronement of Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and of All Russia, with a divine liturgy officiated in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, attended also by representatives of the orthodox Churches of Alexandria, Antiochia, Jerusalem and Bulgaria. “You Holiness, I am sure that the past five years have been like a day for you, because you are always near the people, not only carrying out religious services, but also working, fully involved in social activity”, said Russian president Vladimir Putin in a meeting with the Patriarch after the celebration. The Holy Synod elected patriarch Kirill, 68, on January 27 2009 with 508 votes over 702, succeeding Alexis II. Former Metropolitan bishop of Smolensk, from 1989 to 2009 he was at the head of the Department for external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, a role that today is carried out by Metropolitan bishop Ilarion Alfeev. “In five years a lot has been done, but the course of history goes on, and many developments lie ahead in the framework of external relations”, said Metropolitan Ilarion during a round table dedicated to the Patriarch, in which he also referred to the meeting of the Primates of the orthodox Churches, called by Patriarch Bartholomew, “unfortunately during the Week of Lent, an inconvenient time for the primates, that would be forced to leave their churches, when instead a patriarch always prays with his people”.
