CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Bosnia: “Catholics denied the right to a homeland””In Bosnia the international community is turning a blind eye to serious violations of basic l human rights”. The situation was denounced to ACN by Msgr. Franjo Komarica, bishop of Banja Luka, city of North-East Bosnia. The prelate told the Pontifical body that even today, 15 years since the end of the war, Catholics are prevented from returning to their homes. “”It is a crime against the rights of the individual, who is being denied one of his most elementary rights, namely the right to a homeland”, During the war, in the diocese of Banja Luka alone, over 70,000 Catholics were expelled from their houses and villages, and yet to date just 5,800 have been able to return to their homes. “”In this way the injustice of ‘ethnic cleansing’ is ultimately being tolerated to this day”, said the bishop. This “creeping extinction” of the Catholic minority in the country is confirmed by Valentin Inzko, who since March 2009 has been the High Representative and EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Austrian diplomat underlined that Catholics “face difficulties when dealing with official agencies and feel discriminated against and disadvantaged”. He announced his intention of speaking up for the interests of the Catholic minority with the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as soon as it is actually in office. However, even now, months after the elections of October 2010, the Croat-Muslim Federation is still very far from establishing a joint government. For the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia Erzegovina, Msgr. Alessandro D’Errico, “A decisive factor for the future of the country is an improvement in the social situation. Young people in particular must be given a real hope for the future, otherwise they will simply leave the region”. The Nuncio underlined the importance of the so-called “European Schools” which are open to Christians and Muslims alike and which have a strong focus on reconciliation. In 2010 ACN implemented 600 thousand-euro worth projects across the Country.Scotland: Shetland Island, a century of faithOne hundred years of Gospel celebration in the furthest north island of Great Britain. Last weekend, the parish church of St. Margaret and Sacred Heart in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, (the last Christian outpost in Scottish land) celebrated a century of faith with three bishops from the diocese. Msgr. Mario Conti and Msgr. Peter Moran have been responsible of Aberdeen, in the area of St. Margaret and Sacred Heart, in the past years while Hugh Gilbert is the present bishop. It is possible for everyone to reach this parish in the far north of Great Britain thanks to a one-hour flight. Church services are attended by 400 faithful from various countries including England, Scotland, Ireland, the United States, and Poland, as well as by German, Belgian, Maltese and Philippine faithful. Very few belong to the autochthonous population. Isolation is a problem that is solved with modern media tools. Several parish members became catechists thanks to online courses provided by the “Open University”, linked to the diocesan institute Ogilivie and to the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham. Keeping Catholic faith alive at such a distance from the centre of Europe hasn’t been an easy task. The first resident parish priest arrived in 1953. The parishioners are much more active. In fact, in order to celebrate the centenary of the church’s foundation they collected 5000 pounds, nearly 5500 euro, for the Bala del Kenya orphanage and for the charity “Aid to the church in need”.Portugal: the Church without resources for migrantsIn Portugal, the Church complains of having few resources to aid migrants. This was revealed during the Yearly Meeting of Diocesan Secretariats of Human Mobility and Migrants’ Chantries, organised by the Portuguese Catholic Migration Service (Ocpm) and taking place at Albergaria-a-Velha, in the diocese of Aveiro, until July 8th. The president of the Episcopal Commission for Human Mobility, mgr. António Vitalino, revealed that “the Catholic Church has no human and material resources to help the migrants who come in and out of Portugal: we are facing problems that prevent us giving fair wages to the pastoral agents within the country and to the priests who are close to the Portuguese emigrants”, the bishop of Beja explained. In Portugal, the Church paid “special attention to the immigrants who do not speak Portuguese and are Orthodox, such as Ukrainians, but also to people who come from the former African colonies and to Brazilians, who have lots of problems fitting in with the local communities and need lots of support”, mgr. Vitalino added.
