Albania: the Church and the political and social situationAn “appeal on the social and political situation of Albania” to the highest institutional and political leaders of the country and “to all the people of good will” was published on May 5 by the Bishops of the Catholic Church of Albania, gathered in Tirana for their yearly general assembly (May 4-5). The reason for such message is “the crisis that is getting worse day after day” for which “our people are suffering”. “The Catholic Church of Albania, at difficult times in the history of the country – the bishops recall -, has not remained indifferent, it has always encouraged fraternity and has worked for the common good and for a better future for our country. The Catholic community in Albania has given its contribution with many priests and lay people killed, persecuted and exiled in the years of the communist regime because of their faith. Even now, Catholics work for the common good and for the building of the country in peace and justice”. Because of this, the Albanian Bishops go on, “following with concern the development of the situation, ten months after the election, we feel it is our duty, as the pastors of the Catholic Church, to work to improve the situation”. The population, they write, “is suffering”, while it would be entitled to have “a more fraternal and peaceful society”. “Our country – the bishops denounce – is making a very bad impression on the world at this moment in history in which it is a NATO member and is asking for the free flow of its citizens that has been denied for decades and for accession to the European Union”. Hence an invitation to politicians, “so that they will conscientiously and responsibly pursue the common good rather than any party or personal interest, and will go for the way of an open dialogue without prejudice, a way for which there is always room, so as to move towards a worthier, fairer solution, always bearing in the heart and mind the interest of our people who are suffering a lot”.Spain: “XTANTOS” 2010 CampaignThe Secretariat for the Support to the Church of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference has launched the 2010 Income Tax Returns Campaign inviting Catholic and non-Catholic citizens who appreciate the Church’s commitment, to opt for deductible contribution to the Church in their returns. The campaign was presented May 5th in a press conference attended by the bishop of Ciudad Real, Msgr. Antonio Algora Hernando, chair of the aforementioned Secretariat, along with the CES vice-secretary for economic affairs Fernando Giménez Barriocanal. In continuity with the campaigns of the previous years, the slogan “XTANTOS” recaps the Church message: the compensatory feature of work and the need for the workers to help the many persons in need. Promotional advertisements on the press and on television will circulate from May 17 to June 13. The campaign also envisages classifieds on the press, digital media and radio, along with posters affixed across the main cities. As was done last year, the magazine “XTANTOS” reports on the economic aid to the Church with articles, news items, and reportages. 950.000 copies of the issue have been published, which are available in the parishes of the dioceses. Information can be found also at www.portantos.es. From 2008 Church funding depends on Catholic faithful and on taxpayers that acknowledge her commitment by placing their signature for deductible donations to the Catholic Church in their tax return forms. By doing so, 0.7% of taxes will be devolved to the Church without additional costs for the taxpayers. France: Assumption, an “enriching” pause “From morning to evening we are pervaded by ephemeral commercials. The Assumption is a formidable cultural and spiritual event”. The “great recurrence of the Christian calendar, between Easter and Pentecost, which recalls the last encounter between resurrected Jesus and the Apostles”, which this year will be celebrated Tuesday May 13, was highlighted by father Bernard Podvin, spokesperson of the French Bishops’ Conference. In a note published May 5 on the website of the Catholic Church in France, father Podvin explains, “for the believers, ascending to the heavens means reaching the realm of God. It is neither magic nor a spectacular performance”. “Does the celebration of the Assumption” risk drifting us away from “society and reality?” asks father Podvin. “On the contrary! While we spend every day in an atmosphere of remarkably aggressive and unprincipled visibility, the Assumption proposes the right distance, the respect of intimacy, the respectful invisibility of man”. The Assumption “tells us that man goes beyond man”. This religious feast, recognized in France with the Concordat between Bonaparte and Pius VII along with Christmas, the Assumption and all Saints’ Day, “for many is a synonym of bridges and spring outings in the country”. But in the “framework of a society that is seeking its points of reference – states father Podvin – it can become a source rich in resources. It is not an escape in time; it offers a new vision of the world”.
