Experiences, ” “commitments, projects” “

Collegiality between the Episcopal Conferences, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, joint commitment to the process of the reunification of Europe and to a greater presence of the Church in culture and society have, as in the past, continued to dominate the agenda of the episcopates of the continent in recent months. The CCEE (Council of the European Episcopal Conferences) is due to take part in three meetings in Rome in the days ahead: on 17 September in the meeting with recently appointed bishops of the European region; on the 18 in the seminar on “Catholic television initiatives in the European countries: situations and prospects” promoted by the CCEE itself in collaboration with the “Communication and Culture” Foundation of the Italian Episcopal Conference; and from 19 to 21 September in the annual meeting of the Commission of the European episcopates for the media (CEEM). The CCEE plenary assembly is due to be held in Vilnius, in Lithuania, from 2 to 5 October, while the autumn plenary assembly of COMECE (Commission of the episcopates of the European Union) will take place in Brussels on 30/31 October. Below we present a brief review of some of the main activities and projects of the various European Churches in recent months. Albania. Caritas Albania celebrated the 10th anniversary of its foundation in May with the participation of representatives of the Holy See, the cardinal archbishop of Bombay, Ivan Dias, and members of the “family” of Caritas Europe. During the celebrations, Caritas Albania received the “special national prize” of the President of the Albanian Republic, named after Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Belarus. The bishops approved the Belorussian translation of the rite of the sacrament of Baptism. It now awaits approval by the Vatican Congregation. Since a Belorussian translation of the Bible approved by the Holy See does not yet exist, a special biblical group is preparing the translation of appropriate texts for the various times of the liturgical year. Bosnia – Herzegovina. The Church celebrated “Catholic Day” in the country at Kupres on 19 July. After Mass, officiated by Cardinal Vinko Puljic in the presence of visiting bishops from Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia, the bishops of Bosnia read out a “Proclamation” on the situation of Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bulgaria. An extraordinary Assembly of the Bulgarian inter-ritual Episcopal Conference was held on 18 July. For the first time, the apostolic nuncio, Msgr. Giuseppe Leanza, was invited to attend. On the assembly’s agenda: the new law on cults, the status of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria, the proposals for the members of the Tribunal, and the activities of Caritas. Greece. The spring meeting of the Greek Episcopal Conference was held in Corfu in May. Among the main issues debated: the situation of the Catholic Church in the country, the life of the clergy and the necessary balance between spirituality and pastoral care, the translation of the new liturgical texts and the choice among them of those to be sent to the Holy See for approval. Lithuania. In the referendum held in May, 91.07% of those who bothered to vote (67.37% of the electorate) expressed their support for membership of the European Union. The Catholic Church in Lithuania, which had expressed its favourable view on the matter in the previous months, deserves credit for the positive outcome of the ballot. After a year’s interruption, the bilateral Commission for the accords between the Holy See and the Lithuanian Republic resumed its work. Many agreements have already been reached; but the questions of the properties of the Church and religious education in state schools still remain open. Portugal. With a view to promoting dialogue between faith and culture, the plenary assembly of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, held in recent months, approved the proposal for the creation of an episcopal Commission for culture. The assembly also approved a draft pastoral letter on social morality, “Solidarity and responsibility for the common good”, and voted in favour of the plan to establish a licence in canon law at the Portuguese Catholic University. Events planned for the near future include a thanksgiving ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II, to be held in Lisbon in October, and a national congress on Catholic schools in November. Poland. The first meeting of the Commission for relations between the Polish Episcopal Conference and the Synod of bishops of the metropolitan area of Kiev-Halicz of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church was held at Lublin in May. Aim of the meeting: to overcome the divisions between the two countries and identify forms and ways of bearing witness to unity. During the 323rd plenary assembly of the Episcopal Conference (Paradyz, 13-15 June), discussion also focused on unemployment and the alarming social situation in the country after the referendum on EU membership. The bishops concluded their work by drafting a pastoral letter with the title “Conscience – man’s guide”. Romania. The possibility of inviting the Pope to the country for a second visit on the occasion of the beatification of the martyrs of Communism, the plan to create a website for the Romanian priests who provide pastoral care to the Romanian emigrant communities scattered all over the world, the approval of new translations of some liturgical texts, and the dramatic situation of the family, were the main themes on the agenda at the spring session of the Bishops’ Conference of Romania, held in May. Scandinavia. The 50th jubilee of the dioceses of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, and the 700th anniversary of the birth of Saint Brigid, co-patron of Europe, are being celebrated in 2003. As part of the celebrations in honour of St. Brigid, sisters and priests from all over the world gathered in Valdstena, cradle of the Order of the Holy Sacrament founded by the saint, in June. On Sunday 14 September Swedes will be called to vote in a referendum on joining the euro; those who say they will vote no are still in the majority. Serbia and Montenegro. A one-day meeting between the Episcopal Conference and the Holy Synod of the Serb Orthodox Church was held in Belgrade in the spring; it was opened by an Orthodox liturgy and concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist. The decisions taken at the meeting included the proposal to repeat it each year, the setting up of a mixed commission to try to resolve current problems in bilateral relations, and the setting up a joint theological commission, whose members shall be designated prior to the next meeting. Slovenia. A solemn commemoration of the victims of the Communist regime in the period subsequent to the second world war was held in the wood of Kocevski Rog, one of the execution sites, on 1st June. The traditional “Meeting of the three peoples”, between the faithful of the dioceses of Udine, Gurk-Klagenfurt and Ljubljana, was held at the Benedictine monastery of St. Georgen am Langsee in Carinthia (Austria) on 21 June. Byzantine Ukraine. The Greek-Catholic bishops issued a pastoral letter on 15 May, urging forgiveness and reconciliation between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples. Various events commemorated, at the ecclesial and political level, the 60th anniversary of the tragic events of the Volinia, theatre of a bloody conflict between the Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish communities on 11 July 1943. To mark the occasion, John Paul II sent a message of encouragement to pursue the path of reconciliation, addressed to Cardinals Józef Glemp, primate of Poland, Lubomyr Husar, archbishop major of Lvov of the Ukrainians, and Marian Jaworski, archbishop of Lvov of the Latins, on 7 July. Latin Ukraine. A bas-relief depicting the Pope, placed on the façade of the Latin cathedral, was recently inaugurated in Lvov, on the second anniversary of the pilgrimage of John Paul II to the country. During the assembly of Ukrainian bishops of Latin rite held in June, discussion focused on the letter of the Ukrainian bishops of Latin and Byzantine rite to the faithful with the title “Towards reconciliation”, and on the preparations for the Congress of the laity scheduled to be held in Kiev in October.