France: prison chaplains against the detention bill of lawThe French prison chaplains from different religious confessions (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim) sent a joint message yesterday, in which they distance themselves from the security bill of law which would lay down stricter punishments, especially for habitual offenders. “We too are convinced – write the chaplains – that the fact “of re-punishing offenders who have finished paying society for their crimes raises a few problems”. “It is also our job to patiently raise the offenders’ awareness of the sufferings they inflict on their victims”. But – they add – “the stakes are too high for it to be considered a matter of urgency”. “For us, the meaning of punishment lies in these terms: making a sentenced individual responsible for the management of his own punishment and starting, if needed, some medical treatment, educational work or even spiritual guidance if they want to”. Therefore, the chaplains ask that the next penal act should include, in the part that concerns how to execute a punishment, the need and the actual possibility for the convicts to face their psychological or psychiatric problems with the help of specialists and to include rehabilitation measures for when they have expiated their faults.Ukraine: the Episcopal Exarchate of Lutsk has been builtCard. Lubomyr Husar, High Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyè, with the agreement of the Synod of the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, in compliance with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, appointed the Episcopal Exarchate of Lutsk of the Ukrainians (Ukraine). The news was given today by the Vatican newsroom, specifying that the Pope gave “his consent” to the Synod’s appointment of Reverend Josaphat Oleg Hovera, currently the Rector of the High Seminary of Ternopil-Zboriv, as the first Exarch of such Ecclesiastic District, giving him the titular see of Cesariana. The Episcopal Exarchate of Lutsk of the Ukrainians (Ukraine) is located in north-west Ukraine. In this area, that covers the regions of Volinia and Rivne, the Greek Catholic devotees, grouped into 14 parishes, are approximately 4,000. In Lutsk, where the Exarchate is based, there is a monastery of Basilian Priests. Reverend Josaphat Oleg Hovera was born on 12th September 1963 at Ivano-Frankivsk, in Ukraine. He studied at the Technical Medical School of Lviv (1984-1986), while covertly attending the seminary until 1990. He is currently the Rector of such Seminary. He speaks Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and Italian.England: “Education Sunday”During the Week for the Unity of Christians, the Catholic Church of England and Wales celebrates its schools and states, once again, that it is important to join forces with other religious confessions in the education of the young. “Education Sunday” will be celebrated in all the parishes of England and Wales on January 20th at a time in which the Catholic schools of the country are accused of segregation. One third of the public schools of the United Kingdom are run by the Christian churches – approximately 6,850 schools out of about 21,000 and two private schools out of five are religious schools. The English Government has always appreciated the importance of these schools, which score highest in the public success-rate lists. In a last year’s document, called “Faith in the system”, the Labour Government stated that a mixed educational system, with religious schools assisted by public schools, is an excellent solution for the educational requirements of the country. A perspective that is not shared by the Labour Party member Barry Sheerman, president of the Inter-parliamentary Commission on children, schools and families, who accused the Catholic Church of promoting a fundamentalist religious approach and asked the Church leaders to appear in front of the Commission chaired by him.
