CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Slovakia: referendum on the family, letter of the bishops “The children are the hope of our future”, write Slovakian bishops in their pastoral letter, calling upon the faithful and people of good will to take part in the referendum on the protection of the family and of children scheduled for February 7. “Our future – continue the bishops – depends on the family in which children grow up and on the incitements they receive in the surrounding environment.” “The fact that future generations are educated by well-balanced and morally mature persons or, conversely, by persons disheartened since their childhood years, incapable of creating stable relations, is no trivial matter”, reads the letter. For the prelate, “we are all invited to be the witnesses of truth and dignity” of the human person. “Not all generations have the opportunity to decide the future of their homeland. We are facing a challenge that requires us to express our approach towards life’s fundamental questions. Don’t hesitate to encourage your families – the bishops add – and your friends to participate in the referendum for the good and for the future of Slovakia.” Portugal: Algarve, involving the diocese ahead of the Synod On the occasion of the Day of updates for the clergy of the dioceses of the South, on January 29, the bishop of Algarve said that the preparation course ahead of the next assembly of the Synod on the family should “involve all Catholic communities, in a strongly inclusive dynamics.” “We’re proposing many themes and many questions, and we intend to collect all the responses to the analysis of the preparatory document at parish and vicar level”, said Msgr. Manuel Quintas. From this perspective, the bishop assured that the diocese will seek to further the development of “an attitude of welcome and inclusion in all areas that involve the family” in the attempt to set aside prejudices that linger on in the Church and within family units. “All the baptised are members of the Church”, even if they take part in Christian life according to their personal, different condition. “At pastoral level, the watchword must thus be inclusion in all situations, in order to avoid all forms of social exclusion.” All Portuguese bishops are collecting data and suggestions resulting from the questionnaires disseminated in parishes with the purpose of presenting a final report to the Holy See during the ad Limina visit planned for September 2015. Lithuania: “ad limina” visit. The Pope highlights “an adult faith” “While for a long time the Church in your country was oppressed by regimes founded on ideologies contrary to human dignity and freedom, now you are faced with other dangers, such as secularism and relativism”, the Pope told the Bishops of Lithuania during their Ad Limina visit on February 2. “Together with the inexhaustible announcement of the Gospel and Christian values, do not forget a constructive dialogue with all, even with those who do not belong to the Church or are far from the religious experience. Take care that the Christian communities may always be welcoming places, in an open and constructive way, as a stimulus for the whole society in the pursuit of the common good”, the Pope continued, calling upon the prelates to form “convinced lay people, capable of assuming their own responsibilities within the ecclesial community and give a valid Christian contribution to civil society”, in order to be present “with an adult faith, in a civil, cultural, political, and social environment.” Germany: Meppen, towards those in need “Kim – Kirche in Meppen” is the new project of the “Church of Meppen”, a city in the diocese of Osnabrück, in Lower-Saxony. It’s an initiative of social ministry, a simpler volunteering ministry: through a house-shop in the center of town, and a bike-cart, the Kim-Mobil, to reach anyone in need of help, comfort, or just a service linked to voluntary activity, such as handmade greeting cards. All volunteers are pensioners who have decided to share their experience: “We want to be like a box of living suggestions,” said Martha Ortmann, one of the organizers. The store will offer a welcoming environment: a room for breastfeeding, a room to sip coffee and read a good book, a kitchen with a refrigerator always supplied with fresh food available to the community: a tradition that has become increasingly widespread in Germany. Kim’s rooms will be open in the morning and in the afternoon, while the location, close to one of the bus stops, will also allow a different way of spending time while waiting for public transport. In fact, the initiatives envisage lectures and debates, family information courses and a news service on concerts, theatrical performances and Mass service. A well-stocked library with a periodicals section is also being set up.
