CCEE: school and university meeting in Sweden The meeting of the coordination group of the university chaplains of the “catechesis-school-university” commission of the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) is going to be held in Uppsala (Sweden) from 17th to 19th April 2009. The works will be attended by Mgr Marek Jêdraszewski, Vice-president of the Commission, and by Rev Ferenc Janka, CCEE vice-secretary general. The meeting will be opened by Mgr Lorenzo Leuzzi, secretary of the Commission’s University section, by Father Philip Geister, national director for university pastoral care in Sweden, and by Father Emilio Bettini from the university pastoral care’s office of the Rome vicariate. During the talks, the attendees will be briefed on the next European meetings of university students (July 2009) and of national delegates (September 2009). On April 19th, Father Augustin Del Agua, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference national director for university pastoral care, will give a briefing on “the formation of university chaplains: towards the European Seminary in collaboration with the Congregation for Catholic education”. At the end of the works, a Mass will be celebrated by archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, Apostolic Nuncio in Sweden.Italy: Card. Bagnasco amidst Abruzzo earthquake victims On Tuesday April 14 the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, visited the population and the sites hit by the earthquake in Abruzzo. “Your simple and direct words tell us that God, Jesus, the Holy Virgin and the Saints are part of your lives, and the churches in your cities and villages are part of your home”, His Eminence said in the homily during the Mass celebrated in the tents set up in the camp in Piazza D’Armi, in L’Aquila, where he underlined the population’s “authentic and solid faith”. The prelate praised “the sense of unity and concord” of the evacuated families, along with the “great strength of spirit” thanks to which those “who were suddenly stripped of their beloved ones and of their homes, fruit of hard work and sacrifice” did not non turn in upon their pain. They showed their determination to “rebuild and recover, in the name of their own dignity, of their history, of the love for their own land, and in the name of the dead”. The Cardinal equally praised the “solidarity and aid apparatus” set up to face the needs of the population. It is a result “of the efforts of the environmental services, of the many institutions and of numerous volunteer organizations, including the Italian chapter of Caritas and the many diocesan Caritas”, His Eminence declared. The earthquake death toll climbed to 293, it caused 1500 casualties, 100 of whom seriously injured; over 57 000 evacuees, almost 34000 of whom almost 34000 sleep in the tents set up by the environmental services. France: “Sailing off” with the youthThis year, the young people of the Catholic chaplaincies will also take part in the “Edhec” regatta, with three crews. The regatta is starting on Saturday 18 April from La Rochelle, and is ending on 25 April. It will involve 3 thousand young people of over ten 10 nationalities, and 160 craft. The event takes place every year, but this year’s novelty is the participation in the competition of three crews made up of eight students each, from the French Catholic chaplaincies. One crew is made up of women only, and will be led by Sister Nathalie Becquart, from the National Service for the evangelization of the young and the students. She will be the skipper. The other two craft (with mixed crews) are also led by skippers from the chaplaincies, while the other crews employ professionals. The slogan of the initiative, supported by the National Youth Service of the French Bishops’ Conference, is an excerpt from the Gospel of Luca, “Put to sea”, to underline – it is written in a notice – that “courage, bravery, perseverance, solidarity and brotherhood are values in common to the sea experience and the Christian life experience”. On dry land, at the Village of the Regatta, about twenty young people will be involved in the animation of a stand where there will be times for prayer and reflection, as well as a photo exhibition named “The Bible and the Sea”.Luxembourg: women “artisans of peace””Women artisans of peace and coexistence”: this is the theme of the seventh “EcranApart” exhibition, due to be held in Luxembourg from April 28 to May 19. The website of Luxembourg’s Catholic Church reports that the event includes the showing of new films centred on man, his life, his spirituality and his culture. In particular, this year’s movies show women devoted to making a better world by combating injustices, crimes, and difficulties related to the implementation of their activities. The first showing “Texas Kabul” will take place April 28, followed by feature films on temporary female workers in France and on rapes in Congo. EcranApart is jointly organized by numerous associations that depend on the local Church.
