CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Switzerland: consecrated life, 24 hours in a convent” For the opening of the year of consecrated life, the monks of the monastery of Einsiedeln, together with the Swiss Bishops’ Conference and the Conference of the Union of men and women religious and secular institutes of Switzerland have called upon all the men and women religious in the Country to take part in a day of prayer and reflection at the Benedictine monastery, Saturday, November 29. The day will begin with a solemn celebration of Mass, presided over by Abbot Urban Feder in the church of the abbey, while father Heiner Wilmer, provincial of the Dehonians in Germany, will deliver the homily. The common lunch will be followed by a meeting and an debate with Father Heiner Wilmer on the theme: “What is our mission?”. The day will conclude with the Community vespers and the Salve Regina. Also for the year of consecrated life, the religious of French-speaking Switzerland belonging to various orders and congregations have launched the initiative “24 hours with us to discover and share the life of a religious community”. The proposal is directed at young people over 16 years who question themselves “about a commitment in the religious life and want to find out how more about the everyday life” of a religious community. Until February 2, 2016 they will have the opportunity to spend a day in a community of their own choice to experience community life, prayer, work, and dedicated meetings. Portugal: Caritas, Christmas campaign: “Ten million stars” Caritas Portugal has formalized its Christmas solidarity campaign, whose main objectives for this year are the fight against child poverty, and support to populations in the Middle East. “The role of Caritas is to give voice to those who do not have it. However, the initiative ’10 Millions of Stars – A gesture for peace’ wants to be something more: we want it to turn into a cry of the entire Portuguese population against indifference. It is a gesture of active solidarity, which, although very simple, is capable of generating communion and citizenship”, said the president Eugénio Fonseca. At the symbolic price of one euro, this year’s initiative announced goal is the sale of more than a million candles, whose revenues will be used in support of two different solidarity causes: 65% will be donated in favour of families and persons in situations of socio-economic difficulties, identified by the diocesan Caritas and parishes, while the remaining 35% will be used to help Middle-Eastern populations. During the same meeting, held last week in Fatima, the General Council of the Catholic Association also approved “the plan of promotion and social transformation for the year 2015”, which will be based on five cornerstones: “to give voice to the poor, the Christian community, the answer to society, the organization and the Caritas network, Caritas staff”. Eugénio Fonseca also indicated the three priorities for the next triennium: “First of all, the close collaboration with the diocesan Caritas, in accordance with their identity and autonomy; the improvement of the organization, and finally, management and financial sustainability of the services, taking as a criterion the skills of people who work therein”. Luxembourg: law on abortion, the Archbishop intervenes For the archbishop of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Hollerich the new draft-law on abortion, up for Parliament vote in the coming weeks, represents a “worrying cultural transformation”. Among its key points the new law envisages the decriminalization of abortion and the removal of the obligation for the mother to undergo a second session of psychosocial counselling, as provided for in current legislation. The law also eliminates the criterion of “difficulty” which was previously required to perform an abortion, while granting greater autonomy to minors who choose to terminate a pregnancy. In a “stance” published a few days ago, the archbishop argued: “There is a difference between decriminalizing an act – considered problematic and therefore inadmissible – and assuming that it is in principle acceptable”, as envisaged in the new law, thereby transforming “voluntary pregnancy interruption in a mere family planning tool”. Full respect of the autonomy of conscience, according to the Church, means “responsibility towards the gifts of creation entrusted to the human person”, of which human life is “the most valuable”, writes the Archbishop, while the bill’s point of departure is “an image of man based on a narrow understanding of autonomy and on a limited concept of the human person”.
