CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Portugal: the bishops on the “dictatorship” of capitals”Hope in a time of crisis”: this is the title of the next pastoral note of the Portuguese Bishops (Cep), who are in Fatima for their plenary assembly. According to the Secretary General of Cep, mgr. Manuel Morujão, who gave the announcement, the note reflects on the fact that “the political forces are themselves subordinate to the dictatorship of the capital, that prevails over freedom of choice, eventually affecting most those who are socially more fragile”. “If there are tax havens, it means there are also hells of poverty and injustice that must be eradicated”, added the spokesman of Cep, who explained that the document does not intend to accuse anyone in particular but just denounce “the dark games of power, especially economic power, and those faceless people who are somehow responsible for economic dictatorships that everyone is forced to suffer”. The pastoral note contains a “brief and affectionate message” which, according to the bishops, aims to “keep them close to and sympathetic with the people who suffer. Hope must not be limited to words or be an abstract idea, it must materialise in the daily actions of the Catholic institutions”. During the plenary assembly, the presidents of the Bishops Committees (reduced from nine to seven, with new names) have been appointed, and the two delegates who will take part in the Synod about the “New Evangelisation” convened by Benedict XVI in October 2012 have been appointed as well: they are the bishop of Porto, mgr. Manuel Clemente, and the auxiliary bishop of Braga, mgr. António Couto. In addition, the Portuguese bishops decided to cooperate with the new government in the productive recovery of the country, by allowing it the chance to “cancel” two midweek religious festivities, that will be celebrated on the following Sunday, subject to the approval of the Holy See.Ukraine: the Youth Film Festival in KievFrom October 22 to October 30 Kiev staged “Molodist”, the International Youth Film Festival for beginners, with the participation of over 250 films, including shorts and full-length films. The jurors panel included representatives of the ecumenical jury panel set up in 1999, when Signis (International Catholic Films association) and Interfilm (International Organization Interchurch Film) jointly took part in the International Film Festival “Molodist”. Christina Nadvorna, Signis representative for the Ukrainian Catholic-medial Centre said, “the films considered the most deserving by the jury must be capable of depicting human experiences that convey spiritual, human, and social values and problems”. That’s why in the shorts category, Nadvorna explains, the ecumenical jury awarded “Protecting the nation” by Candice Reisser, (South Africa – Germany 2010) “for having raised fundamental human questions and having shown the faith of the young generations”. The Croatian movie “View from a well”, by Ivona Juka (Croatia, 2011) received special mention by the jury for having tackled “the painful theme of the decision of giving birth to a child with Down’s syndrome, that leads a married couple to a serious conflict”. “A Small Room” by Stefani Shua and Veronika Reimond (Switzerland 2010) was awarded best feature movie for the “incredible story on the force of love and the need to accept death”.Slovakia: national Catholic youth meeting”We have come to the roots of faith”. Hundreds of university students of Slovakia will gather to reflect on this theme on 11-13 November on the premises of Catholic University of Ruzomberok. 20th edition of the national meeting of Catholic youth “Academ 2011” is organized by more than ten university pastoral centres from all corners of the country. “Main aim of the event is to enter into communication – with one another, with our own spiritual side, with God, taking into account that the symbol of this communication is the Cross”, explained Robert Slotka, chaplain of Catholic University. The programme will consist of lectures, workshops, concerts, competitions, moments of prayer and liturgical celebrations, and will stand at the beginning of the Week of the Church for youth in Slovakia (12-20 November), sponsored by the Council for Youth and Universities of the Bishops´Conference. National meeting of youth takes place once a year, symbolically in November, to recall the events of 1989 and the role of students and young people in so called “velvet revolution”, associated with the fall of communism in Slovakia and neighbouring countries.
