England: athletes are human beings The 2010 world cup is around the corner, the 2012 Olympic games are less than three years away and the rugby world cup is due to be held in 2015. UK sport chaplains’ annual meeting closed a few days ago, whilst preparing for the upcoming events. Over seventy pastors and priests members of “SCORE” – “Sports chaplains offering resources and encouragement” – a charity founded in 1991, drew a balance of their engagement that provides spiritual and psychological support to athletes. “Score” counts over 170 priests and ensured the presence and support of the chaplains at the most important sport events in the past years such as the world final of the 2000 rugby championship and the Commonwealth games in 2002. At present some 70% athletes of the football league and athletes in different sports can count on the spiritual assistance of chaplains and priests. “SCORE” is renown in the UK where its representatives attend sport and media events. “The teams and their clubs put pressure on professional athletes and their families in need, just like any other human being, of a solid support that will enable them to give their best as God wills”, remarked Father Steven Billington, Catholic chaplain of “Leeds United FC”, parish priest of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Seacroft, Leeds, and member of “Score”.Germany: assistance to people who are not self-sufficient A few days ago the Catholic Family Federation in Berlin hailed against privatizing healthcare for people who are not self-sufficient ensuing the proposals of the new Merkel government intended to replace public health subsidies to non-self-sufficient patients with a lump sum by workers. “In this way families would undergo a more severe burden, which opposes the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court and the promises of the coalition parties”, declared Elisabeth Bußmann, President of the organization, who explained that the proposed lump sum contribution would no longer envisage the worker’s income and the number of family members that depend on it “. Bußmann guarded against questioning the “fundamental pillars of equality and solidarity in social security systems”, since it would “endanger social peace in Germany”. Furthermore, equal health and social insurance benefits are the joint responsibility of employers and trade unions towards workers’ health status”. “Granting assistance to an increasing number of people is a challenge for the whole of society and cannot become a burden for a population bracket only. It’s not fair that the families become the nation’s beasts of burden”, Bußmann declared, who proposed social security contribution improvement for all incomes. Ireland: good integration policies needed Good integration policies are vital for Ireland, said Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, founder of the “Immigrant Council of Ireland”, that since 2001 has been in charge of promoting pro-immigrant policies. Sister Kennedy commented on recent data showing that Ireland has become an emigration country. “It would be wrong to think that social integration is no longer an issue. Effective migration policies are crucial in a time of recession such as ours. If language and education barriers that trigger exclusion and racism are not removed, the country’s own social cohesion will be harmed”, she claimed. According to the “Immigrant Council of Ireland” the victims of human trafficking that are brought to Ireland are not adequately protected from “incrimination for crimes such as prostitution which the trafficking Mob force them into”. Speaking at the Conference “Human trafficking: psychologically destroyed and prisoners of a legal mire”, lawyer Hilkka Becker criticized the present system which envisages that residence permits for humanitarian reasons cannot be obtained unless the victim is on the point of being deported. Becker expressed appreciation of the government’s initiative included in the “National Plan to prevent and combat human trafficking in Ireland 2009-2012” but underlined that compensations to trafficking victims are “inadequate and fail to respond to international law criteria”.
