Ireland: a day in memory of the great famine Irish Bishops welcomed the government’s decision to institute an annual “National Famine Commemoration Day”, that will be celebrated May 17, marking the memorial of the past and representing an occasion for reflection on the themes of hunger and famine in the contemporary world. “The Great Famine”, also called “The Great Hunger”, hit the island of Ireland between 1845 and 1849. It was caused by a number of factors that include Britain’s economic politicies, the conditions of Ireland’s agriculture and the rapid demographic increase. But most notably a fungus caused a third of the potato crop to fall in the autumn of 1845, and destroyed the entire crop yields in 1846. Irish bishops called upon Catholic communities to call to mind that “a million people died and approximately two million were forced to emigrate during the famine and shortly afterwards”. In addition, stated the bishops, “many people gave their lives in loving service to the sick. This event resulted in countless personal tragedies, and shaped our collective history as a people. It deserves to be remembered with due solemnity”. In addressing contemporary society the Irish episcopate declared, “We find ourselves in a world which is still ravaged by the effects of famine and hunger. Indeed, hunger and famine affects even more people today”. “Over 963 million people do not have enough to eat each day; one child dies every six seconds from malnutrition and related causes; tens of thousands of people are still forced to become refugees each year as a result of hunger”. “For Christians, remembering is not simply about the past”. It entails seeking “to build a better future”. And it is “the best possible memorial to those who died”, the Bishops concluded.France: the bishops on the Pope’s visit The French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) closely followed the apostolic journey of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land, devoting much emphasis to the event on CEF’s official website with news items, excerpts from the Pope’s addresses, comments by bishops and interviews. During a press conference in Paris Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris and President of the Bishops’ Conference in France, underlined the importance of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI “pilgrim of peace in the Holy Land”. His Eminence recalled that this is the third visit by a Pope to the Holy Land. “It has almost become a tradition for popes to visit the Holy Land, and Benedict XVI expressed his wish of undertaking this apostolic journey upon his papal election “. The cardinal deems this visit especially important due to “the fragility of Christian communities in the Middle East, and especially in the Holy Land, marked by high emigration rates”. “Christians’ presence – the archbishop declared – is crucial for the religious significance of the Holy Land. It is therefore important to encourage Christians to remain in spite of difficulties”. A more theological reading of the Papal visit was conveyed by the bishop of Albi, Msgr. Pierre-Marie Carré. “The Holy Land is like the fifth gospel – he wrote -. These are the sites where God spoke to his prophets and where Jesus walked. They are the crucial places of religious belief, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem passing from Nazareth up to the Galilee Sea”. “The pilgrimage of Pope Benedict – added the bishop – calls us to discover the land of promises and the place of God’s gift”. Father Christophe Roucou, director of Sri (National service for relations with the Muslims) focused on relations with Islam. “In a moment when there are little hopes for peace, Muslims and Christians look up to the Pope’s words on justice and peace”. Belgium: an ignominious cover Cardinal Godfried Danneels and the Flemish bishops expressed their firm disapprobation of the latest issue of the Flemish review “Goedele”, whose cover portrays false wafers bearing the image of the writer Goedele Liekens and the slogan “Take and eat; this is My body”. Hans Geybels, Cardinal Danneels’ spokesperson, sent a letter to Goedele Liekens and to the editor of the magazine on behalf of the bishops underlining that to Catholics the abusive use of wafers, “however false”, is “offensive” and “unacceptable”. “These are religious symbols that are crucial to Catholic faith and liturgy”. “Our era and our society – states the communiqué – deserve mutual respect. What is valid for us is valid for all religious and philosophical beliefs”.
