Thoughts, experiences, projects

Collegiality among European Bishops Conferences, ecumenism, the relationship between the Church, culture and society remain the major spheres of action of the CCEE (the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences). Past June 7 Benedict XVI appointed Msgr. Aldo Giordano as Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Msgr. Giordano took office past September 1st. Among the most important events of the past months figure the meetings held past June in Rome, and in Cavadogna (Spain), respectively of press officers and spokespersons, and of the secretaries general of European Bishops Conferences. In the ecumenical environment two specific events were held for CCEE and CEC secretariats (in Berna past May and in Sibiu in July). The study group on the environment convened in San Gallo, while the delegates of the European vocations service held their meeting in Oporto. Forthcoming events include: CCEE’s Plenary Assembly to be held in Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary) from September 30th to October 3rd 2008, the Christian-Muslim European Conference (Bruxelles-Malines/Mechelen, Belgium, October 20-23) along with the CCEE-CEEC Congress on Catholic Schools in Europe scheduled for November 30 – December 2 2008 in Rome. CCEE has renewed its homepage (www.ccee.ch). Follows a survey of the more recent initiatives of European Churches. Each issue of SirEurope dedicates an article to the activities of the Continent’s Churches. Belarus. Past June, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone made an official visit to the Country where he met with political authorities to discuss Church-State cooperation. During his meeting with His Eminence, the President of the Republic Alexsandr Lukashenko, , invited Benedict XVI in Belarus. Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the course of the 43rd ordinary session of the CE BiH, held in the month of July, the delegates of Croatia’s Bishops Conference, of the International Saints Cyril and Methodius and of the Slovenian Conference, met the apostolic nuncio of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Pauline Year, the Pastoral of the Sacraments in Parish Communities, the three-year program 2006-2009 for Family Spiritual Counseling were among the major topics addressed during the Conference. During the congress, a seminar was held on "The Family – community of love", at the end of which the Bishops’ Conference document on this issue was presented. Croatia. On July 9 the Parliament approved an anti-discrimination bill against that the Church defined "shameful" since "the pretext of conforming national legislation to European legislation", conceals the provision’s "broad definition of discrimination to include categories such as sexual orientation and gender identity". According to the new bill, each person can choose to change his sex also many times in the course of his life. The Catholic Church, along with the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Church of the Reformation, the Muslim Community in Croatia and many civil associations, views this bill as "a real threat to the family". Lithuania. Among the issues addressed in the past months in Vilnius by the Plenary Assembly of the Lithuanian Bishops Conference figure: the operativeness and the future strategies of the national departments of the Bishops Conference (Catechesis, youth pastoral care, the family, caritas, information of the Church) and of the secretariat of the Conference along with training strategies of religion teachers in the Country. The Lithuanian parliament approved the document "State Family Policy Concept" whereby the family is viewed as the marital union of a man and a woman together with their children. Thanks to the active commitment of the various Christian organizations in the debates that preceded the document’s publication, the Christian concept of the Family was upheld. Malta. Activities for the Pauline Year were inaugurated with a Message of the Maltese bishops. In August the prelates published a statement addressing the present situation following the latest general elections regarding the legalization of divorce. Reiterating the position of the Church, firm in her belief that marriage and the family grant basic benefits to individuals and society as a whole, bishops encourage the Christian community to give its contribution to the debate under way, and overcome the fear of criticism while committing itself, according to the respective responsibilities, to openly contribute to the benefit of marriage and of the family. Moldavia. Past August, Msgr. Anton Cosa presided over the Eucharistic celebration for the opening of the old church of Orhei after a long restoration process. Catholic worship was restored to the church after long negotiations with the local authorities. The Orthodox Church received an important support in this process of dialogue with the institutions. For financial reasons, no youth from Moldavia was able to take part in the WYD. However, the youth convened on various prayer and catechesis events in Rascov (Transnistria) that were held simultaneously with Sydney’s event. Russia. On July 3 -21 young representatives of Russia’s Bishops Conference took part in Sydney’s WYD. On August 11 the President of the Bishops Conference of the Russian Federation, Msgr. Joseph Werth, delivered an appeal regarding the conflict in Southern Ossetia. Also in August, the Russian Bishops Conference held a meeting on youth pastoral care in Saratov, led by the ordinary bishop of the diocese of Saint Clement Klemens Pickel. On August 29, the Catholic Exaltation Church of the Holy Cross was consecrated in Kazan, to the presence of Cardinal Angelo Sodano. Scandinavia. In the month of June, Msgr. Georg Müller, bishop of Trondheim and Secretary General of Scandinavia’ Bishops Conference, took part in the meeting of CCEE Secretaries General in Scandinavia. Msgr. Józef Wróbel left his post as bishop in Helsinki and on July 1st returned to Poland, after having lived seven years in the Finnish capital city. Bishop Wróbel was given new responsibilities in his capacities as auxiliary bishop of the Archbishopric of Lublin. Father Teemo Sippo was elected new diocesan administrator in Helsinki. Scotland. Scottish bishops have had ongoing contacts with the members of the British parliament regarding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The prelates conveyed their concern over parts of the bill that pose a threat to human life and to family dignity. The bishops also prepared a brief report that will be submitted, along with many other projects, during the next Synod of Bishops on the Word, planned in Rome in the month of October. Faithful in many Christian communities voiced a special interest over this subject. Slovakia. On May 4 for the first time the first Catholic television network TV LUX (www.tvlux.sk) was broadcast in Slovakia. On July 1-2 the Social Commission of Slovakia’s Bishops Conference (CES) presented the Slovakian translation of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, delivered the allocution. On July 18-20, 2500 Slovakian youth convened in Velehrad (Czech Republic) to celebrate Active 8 – the meeting of Czech and Slovakian youth organized simultaneously with Sydney’s World Youth Day. The event was promoted by the Czech Bishops Conference in collaboration with CES. 220 Slovakian youth and two bishops attended the event in Sydney. Slovenia. The Meeting of the Three Peoples of the dioceses of Udine, Gurk and Ljubljana was held August 23-26 in this year dedicated to the bimillenary of the birth of the apostle Paul. CES Justice and Peace Commission, in cooperation with the Council of Lay Catholics and the Slovenian Caritas offices, issued the paper: "Responsible for the life and the future of Slovenia". The document, which was also translated into English, presents the basic Christian values, to the light of which current problems of Slovenia’s society are examined (http://pravicnost-mir.rkc.si/?id=82). In the month of August the translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published, in its editio typical updated version. Ukraine (Byzantines). On July 27 the 1020th anniversary of the baptism of the Rus’ of Kyiv was celebrated with a Holy Liturgy presided over by Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of Ukraine’s Greek-Catholic Church in Kyiv’s Cathedral of the Resurrection of Our Lord. At the end of the celebration a blessing was said over the waters of the Dnipro River where in 988 the Grand Duke of Kyiv San Volodymyr had baptized his people. The event was followed by public celebrations led by Ukranian President Viktor Yushchenko to the presence of the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew. Ukraine (Latins). During the 31st Plenary Assembly of the Bishops Conference in Lviv, the bishops approved the Pastoral Letter for the faithful that was written on the occasion of the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Russia, today’s Ukraine. The letter was read in all parishes on July 27. On May 24 the beatification of Sister Martha Wiecka, from the Congregation of Saint Vincenzo de’ Paoli was celebrated in Lviv, chaired by the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. The following day His Eminence had an official meeting with the President of Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko. Hungary. Simultaneously with Australia’s WYD, the Bishops’ Conference organized "Hungary’s Sydney" in Eger, attended by thousands of youth who followed the live satellite broadcast of the WYD’s major events. On August 3-9 the XIII° International Congress of Medieval Canon Law was held in Esztergom. The Congress was attended by 150 delegates from 20 different Countries. In the month of June, on the occasion of the Year of the Holy Scripture, Cardinal Péter Erdö jointly with representatives of the Calvinist and Lutheran communities, distributed Bibles in Parliament to MEPs who appreciated the gift.