“ Together against discrimination” is the title of the editorial in La Croix (23/11), signed by Dominique Quinio, which opens with the following words: “ After the shock of the violence that erupted in some suburbs of the big cities, the time for commitment has come“. Now that the civil unrest seems to be abating, the commentator poses the question: “ Contrary to the method adopted to favour the presence of women in politics, no one seems keen to invoke the need for ‘quotas’ in relation to ethnic origins: it is preferred to insist on a collective conscientious stance, hoping that it may not evaporate with the return of calm“. The problem according to Quinio is of ethical and cultural type: “ Many French people today have the feeling of having fallen short of the fraternity and ideal of integration of which their country had become the ‘champion'”. But concludes the editorialist “ the struggle against discrimination is everyone’s business“. Understandably, the German papers dedicate ample coverage to the voting into office of Angela Merkel as Chancellor. Here’s what the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (23/11) writes: “ The physicist Angela Merkel has been able to observe the growing problems that Germany has inherited from the old federal Republic, ‘sine ira et studio’; she has analysed as a scientist what she has found, and then presented her recommendations on what needs to be done. Her sober style may seem cold to some. But it is suited to the situation of the country. We have had enough of the pathos of ‘I did it my way'” in the Schröder mould. “ As Germany’s first woman Chancellor, Mrs Merkel can be sure of finding a place in the history books. But already as first woman Secretary and first woman President of the CDU she had made it understood that she did not have the sole objective of promoting equality between men and women. “I wish to serve Germany”, the candidate Merkel had said before the elections of the Bundestag. It seemed like an act of thanksgiving for the liberation of sixteen years ago. Now she has sworn her service to her country as Chancellor. May God help her!”. Writing in the Frankfurter Rundschau, Knut Pries points out: “ If the Merkel government succeeds in delivering the desired political and psychological breakthrough, the reservations advanced by some fifty red black sceptics” [the MPs who did not vote for the new Chancellor] “ will be reduced to negligible dimensions. Contrariwise, the coalition is destined to fail”. Andrea Seibel in Die Welt notes: “ The progress of this woman towards the summits of political life has always been described in terms of determination, coldness, sobriety and also strategic obsession. Her victories were allegedly due to emergency or to pure chance, as if her political career has been solely developed in exceptional circumstances: Merkel, the eternal beginner in the jungle of politics. […] Saddled with these negative attributes, a mixture of demonization and defamation, she has been declared a woman without qualities, a neuter, a misguided woman. […] Angela Merkel is to be admired for not having been distracted from her path and for remaining the enigma she is. She has succeeded in assuming a position of power, without cashing in her claim as a woman to have the right to special treatment“. “ The liberation theologians praise Benedict“: that’s the headline chosen by The Catholic Herald (11/05) to describe the curious situation of historic dissidents in the Roman Catholic Church, such as Leonardo Boff or Hans Kung, from whom have come conciliatory statements of the type “ the Pope has laid a sound basis from which to begin”, with specific reference to Ratzinger’s defence “ of the values of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council“. The editorial dedicated to the same question, under the title “ Seeing the light“, mentions, apart from Boff and Kung, also the name of Ute Ranke-Heinemann, emphasizing that what is taking place is “ a shift in liberal Catholic opinion. The question is: will it last?“. Yet notes the paper “ before his election he (Ratzinger) had been seen as an arch-conservative; now he is depicted as more tolerant and with a more open mind that his predecessor“. The surprise is that the dissident theologians “ are saying that Benedict XVI is their Pope“. The recall of Nestlé’s baby milk in Italy, Spain and Portugal is the topic of the day (23/11), also in Spain. Some headlines: “Nestlè withdraws 2.5 million litres of baby milk from the market in Italy, Spain and Portugal” (El Paìs); “Nestlè withdraws baby milk from the Spanish market” (La Razòn); “Nestlè withdraws cartons of baby milk due to chemical residues of the ink used in the packs“ (La Vanguardia); “ Nestlè withdraws baby milk contaminated with ink“ . The Spanish press also continues to comment on the conflict between Church and government on educational reform. La Razon of 22/11 contests the government for “having received a country in a situation of tranquillity, but in just eighteen months it has set all the alarm bells ringing, thrown society into turmoil, filled businessmen with dread, divided the country into 17 regions, disappointed fishermen, farmers, miners and transporters, disinterred the ghosts of the past…. And re-aroused the Church. It would be hard to do worse”. ———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1433 N.ro relativo : 82 Data pubblicazione : 25/11/05
