Germany: the media and EasterMsgr. Gebhard Fürst, chairman of the Media Commission of Germany’s Bishops Conference, criticized Germany’s private channels’ palimpsest for Easter. “Comedy, action and horror movies that have nothing to do with Easter festivity are broadcast in peak viewing-time”, wrote Msgr. Fürst in an article published on March 17 by the weekly “Neue Bildpost”. Although he describes himself “realistic” as relates to “the plurality of social values”, the bishop defined this trend “deplorable”. Msgr. Fürst did however express his positive judgement on the palimpsest of public national television: “Ard and Zdf’s choice of introducing Christian themes is based on the awareness that many people have drawn increasingly closer to the religious dimension”, he claimed. Since many spectators long for spirituality, he concluded, “it is necessary they be nourished also through the media”.Portugal: against “electronic” divorcePortuguese bishops voiced their concern for the introduction of “electronic divorce”. The service was put on-line free of cost by the government to simplify trial proceedings duration. It is directed to simple cases involving couples with no shared property, nor children. The service will enable internet divorce to take place within 4-20 minutes, provided all the needed information is supplied. Msgr. Jorge Ortiga declared that the provision “is unacceptable for the Church, since it promotes and leads to the breaking-up of the marriage bond in few minutes’ time; almost a real and true divorce promotion”. “Nobody denies that conjugal life is marked by moments of happiness and joy alternated with moments of difficulty”, added the President of Portugal’s Bishops Conference (Cep). “There is no love without suffering and pain. It’s utopian to expect for love to be free from all complications”. “Reflection, patience and dialogue are basic virtues for the safeguard of marriage”. “Divorce should in no way be promoted, encouraging people to seek immediate pleasures. On the contrary, difficulties make love more adult and aware. In its evangelizing role, the Church cannot refrain from recalling that love can develop also in moments of suffering, to which divorce is never the best and only solution”, Msgr. Ortiga concludedIreland: 2008-2009, the Year of vocationsA year devoted to vocations; concerns regarding immigrant legislation detrimental to the family life of the divorced along with an appeal to schedule sport events on Sunday afternoons leaving morning time to going to Church and being with the family. These were the most important issues addressed by Catholic Irish bishops during their tri-monthly meeting which concluded last week in Maynooth, County Clare. Environmental protection is another important issue on the agenda. Bishops are preparing a pastoral letter, which is due to be published in forthcoming months with the referendum on the new treaty of the European Union. Between April 13 2008 – the Sunday devoted to vocations- and May 3rd 2009, a team headed by the national vocations chairman father Paddy Rushe and by Brenda Drumm, will coordinate various initiatives celebrating the different forms of vocation including ‘singles’ lives. On April 13, the Year of Vocations will be launched on the website www.yourvocation.ie by the archbishop of Dublin Msgr. Diarmuid Martin. Irish bishops anticipated a communiqué on the Lisbon Treaty, to be distributed as soon as the government announces the date of the referendum. The Bishops Conference expressed concern regarding the immigration and political asylum bill, presently undergoing parliamentary debate. The immigrants’ right to be joined by their families is not fully envisaged and the victims of human trafficking should have the right to provisional residence permits -at least six months- as established by the Council of Europe’s Convention against human trafficking, not yet ratified by Ireland.
