CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Austria: no to bioethanol fuelA NGO coordinators and ecclesial bodies in Austria mobilized against the introduction of "E10", a fuel containing bioethanol. According to Austrian Catholic news agency Kathpress, on March 6 the representatives of organizations against bioethanol (including Dreikönigsaktion, the Coordination Centre of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference for international development and mission and other non-confessional bodies like Greenpeace) presented a petition to the Austrian parliament calling for an EU "moratorium" on the introduction on the market of fuels containing 10% ethanol, urging compliance with minimum standards at ecological and social level". Opposition to the commercialization of such fuel is based on research showing that "biofuel" "harms the environment far more than fossil fuels". "Despite the figures, the EU Commission intends to increase the amount of ethanol contained in fuel to over 10%". Another objective of the initiative "is to provide a full picture of the effects of biofuels on human beings, environment and world nutrition", explained Markus Meister, from the organization "Welthaus Graz" of the diocese of Graz. Meister asked that the results of this evaluation be acknowledged and considered for future decisions. "In the meantime the percentage of bioethanol must not be increased he concluded and Austria must not introduce E10".Poland: students and spiritual exercises for LentSince religious teaching – eliminated by Communist authorities – was reintroduced in schools across Poland in 1992, pupils are entitled to take three days off school activity in the Lenten period to do spiritual exercises. In some cases the days are organized in the school premises with the participation of catechists, parents and teachers, whom the bishop of Radom, responsible for the Pastoral Care of the Young of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Msgr. Henryk Tomasik, describes as "extremely precious". Exercises can be organised also at parish level, and often in cooperation with bordering parish churches. This year exercises for students were preceded by an in-depth debate by catechists and by Msgr. Tomasik, aimed at "finding ways to maximize results in the days of reflection". The time dedicated to catechesis and reflection takes place with different modalities of expression and adapting to local demands. In fact, the days are often enriched with theatre performances, debates, conferences and meetings. Online spiritual exercises are increasingly popular among the youth. F. Jozef Augustyn, at the time of Lent proposes internauts to undertake a conscience examination with the reminder that moral principles are valid also online. "The anonymity of internet users requires moral transparency and pureness of the heart and soul". Successful online initiatives to this regard include "Pray-as-you-go", a website in Polish created over a year ago that mirrors the English website bearing the same name as well as the presently unique proposal of the Benedictines from the historical Tyniec Abbey who uploaded the digital audio version of the entire Bible with the commentaries of the most pre-eminent Biblical scholars. The Bible is also available on Facebook where users are invited to insert comments.Germany: a congress on disability and the ChurchSome 200 experts in theology, social sciences and assistance to the disabled gathered on March 8 in Heidelberg for the meeting "Disability theology Church" organized by the Catholic and Evangelical German Churches. In an interview released on March 7 to KNA news agency, the ethics scholar Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl presented the main themes of the meeting aimed at raising public awareness on the situation of people with disabilities in society and inside the Church. "We want theological reflection to devote further emphasis to the social phenomenon of disabilities", the scholar said, and added: "sometimes we focus too much on medical or bioethical questions". Lob-Hüdepol underlined that the two German Churches are "the main institutions that run structures for the disabled, ranging from kindergartens, schools and education centres. The major task of the Churches consists in promoting the existential world of people with disabilities" by "enabling them to take part in all possible areas of social life". The expert highlighted a "creeping, surging depreciation of people with disabilities. All deviations from the idea of health are perceived as inadequate", he pointed out. For example, he concluded, "in Germany the number of children born with trisomy 21 is near zero as 95% of these children are victims of abortions due to prenatal screening".
