Austria, Italy, Slovakia

Austria: stable numbers of Catholics, less abjurationsAbjurations in the Austrian Catholic Church are on the decrease. It is the most prominent finding of the survey published yesterday by the Austrian Catholic Church for the year 2010 when recorded abjurations amounted to 58.603, 32% less compared to 2009, when 85.960 people abandoned the Church. In 2011, the number of Catholics has remained more less the same. The provisional figures provided by dioceses show are total of 5,41 million Catholics by December 31st 2011, marking a slight 0.86% decrease compared to 2010. “The considerable decrease in abjurations signals that recovery of confidence in the Church”, said Paul Wuthe, media officer for the Bishops’ Conference, commenting on the data issued by Austria’s Catholic news agency Kathpress. “We owe the present trend to the clear words spoken by the Bishops’ Conference coupled by concrete measures against violence and abuse inside the Church”. Such measures have “made the Church stronger, although the disappointment of many faithful is perceivable”. However, the Catholic Church remains “a spiritual homeland for large numbers of Catholics, a place of faith and Christian love for others also and especially given the present hard times”.Italy: the bishops’ message for consecrated life”The proper law (proprium) of consecrated life is the re-proposal of the lifestyle that Jesus embraced and offered to his disciples: the ‘evangelica vivendi forma’”. It is the underlying notion of the “Message of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy and Consecrated life for the 16th World Day of Consecrated Life”, (February 2 2012) released by the Italian Bishops’ Conference on January 11. In Italy there are some 140 thousand religious: 18 thousand men and 122 thousand women. At world level they amount to almost 875 thousand, with 135 thousand men and 740 thousand women. Italian religious represent 16% of all religious. The title chosen for the message is “Self-Cultivation in the Holy Life of Jesus”. In the opening paragraphs the bishops of the Committee highlight the special relationship between the consecrated and the Church’s progress in the field of education over the past decade. “‘Educating to the good life of the Gospel’ – they write – certainly implies formation to the holy life of Jesus. This is the gift and the commitment of all those who wish to be the disciples of Jesus, especially those called to consecrated life”. Four “chapters” underline “life’s coherence with your specific vocation”: “the primacy of God”, “fraternity”, “holy zeal” and “lifestyle”. The first chapter highlights the emphasis placed by Benedict XVI on “the main challenge of the present times”, consisting in secularization. In particular, the consecrated are called to reflect on the fact that “a new evangelization, that puts God’s first Commandment, the confessio Trinitatis and the Word of Salvation – which are part and parcel of your spiritual experience – at the centre, is urgently needed, acting as the pillars of the new evangelization”. The bishops’ message stresses the urgent need for “universal brotherhood” in a world marked by “widespread conflictuality” valuing the “beautiful ecclesial witness” of religious communities along with the “divine zeal” showed by the consecrated. With reference to the last paragraph on “lifestyle”, the bishops address the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience of the religious, which “are based on the role model of Christ and the saints”. For this, “evangelical counsels are a true prophetic witness containing a deep anthropological meaning, which demands a major educational commitment”.Slovakia: Church-State meeting”The Catholic Church underlines the importance of cooperation with all men of good will. Indeed, the meeting with the president of the National Council of the Slovakian Republic can be understood as the expression of good will”. With these words the Catholic military ordinary Msgr. Frantisek Rabek, commented on the New Year meeting of the head of the Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky, with the representatives of the Churches and religious communities in Bratislava on January 10. “We appreciate the interest of public institutions and other political leaders over Church life and activity, as it offers a contribution to the common good of society”, added Milos Klatik, general bishop of the evangelical Church of the Augustan confession. Hrusovsky conveyed his gratitude for the “discrete but significant work” for the diffusion of harmony between citizens of Slovakia, stimulating their conscience and the acknowledgement of moral values. According to the president of the national Council Slovakia represents an exemplary model in the resolution of State-Church relations as relates to the question of the composition and restitution of Church property. “In a responsible dialogue we have found an optimal funding standard”, Hrusovsky said, adding that the State is open to all suggestions regarding possible amendments of the current system through constructive debate, with the goal of favouring all Churches and religious communities.