Spain: the State cannot become a moral educatorThe 212th meeting of the permanent Commission of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE) was held in Madrid from 17-18 February. Various questions were discussed: the 50th anniversary of the association ‘Mani Unite’ (Joined Hands), the protection of Sunday as a day of rest, the death of 25 immigrants off the coast of Lanzarote, the sentence of the Supreme Court on four appeals lodged by parents against the new subject on the school curriculum, "Education in Citizenship", and a letter of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone to the President of the CEE, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela. As for the initiative presented to the European Parliament for the protection of Sunday as a day of rest, the permanent Commission supports the petition to member states and to the institutions of the European Union because "Sunday as a day of rest represents a fundamental pillar of the European social model and forms part of our common cultural heritage". On the sentences concerning Education in Citizenship, the bishops point out that the fundamental criteria established in the statements of the permanent Commission in February and June 2007 on the question are as relevant as ever. In particular, recalling the declaration of June 2007, the bishops reaffirm that "the State cannot supplant society as educator of the moral conscience. It is the State’s task, instead, to promote and guarantee the exercise of the right to education".French overseas territories: the strength of hope Internal social conflicts, the need for the commitment of everyone, including Christians, in society, and the forthcoming European elections "as challenge for the overseas populations that form part of ultra-peripheral regions (RUP)", were at the centre of the meeting of bishops from the four French overseas territories, held at the headquarters of the French Bishops’ Conference in Paris in recent days. The representatives of the troubled French islands in the Caribbean, Bishop Emmanuel Lafont of Cayenne (Guyana), Father Jean Hamot, diocesan administrator of Guadalupe, Bishop Gilbert Aubry of Saint-Denis de la Réunion, and Father Jean-Max Renard, representing Archbishop Michel Meranville of Saint-Pierre and Fort-de-France (Martinique), were welcomed by Archbishop Hippolyte Simon of Clermont, Vice-President of the French Bishops. During the meeting, decided at the plenary of the French episcopate at Lourdes last November, the bishops affirmed: "The economic and financial crisis is having tragic consequences in our regions due to very difficult social situations and costs of living that have become insupportably expensive". The bishops therefore appeal to "all leaders to listen to the cry for help that is rising [from these regions] and to take it seriously". At the end of their meeting the bishops issued a joint statement with the title "The strength of hope". "Conscious of our pastoral responsibility says the statement we turn an eye of hope on the current situation and the debates now underway to appeal to everyone to play their part". "We believe continue the bishops that the current unrest urges us to apply more effectively the principle of subsidiarity already being implemented at the European level: that means directly managing everything possible at the local level without any systematic recourse to higher authorities. This leads us to envisage new relations between our respective regions, metropolitan France and the European Union". France: survey on homiliesThe majority of French Catholics follow with close attention the homily given by the priest during mass. They consider it the most interesting part of the Mass, although they say that some improvements are needed, especially to make sermons more appealing to the young. These are some of the findings of a survey on the question conducted by the French Catholic weekly "Pèlerin" which tested the opinions of 3,400 readers. While some think that sermons could be improved in many respects, the vast majority (i.e. 90% of those interviewed) say they are interested in this "important" part of the Mass and this concludes the magazine "is the main lesson that can be drawn from the survey". 68% of those interviewed found homilies "interesting", 54% underline the "close rapport" of what is said in sermons with their personal life, but only 45% recall the message offered in them. Moreover, over half those interviewed recognize that homilies deal with people’s real problems, while only 2 out of 10 say they are confident they can attract the young. One parishioner affirms: "I would like priests to be able to translate the Gospel into our everyday life". This opinion was shared by 52% of those interviewed. The problem, stresses the weekly, is that only a small majority of believers (53%) feel themselves personally involved in a process of reflection. And this is shown by the fact that at the end of mass 55% of those interviewed admit they have already forgotten what they had heard in the sermon.
