Ukraine: a measure in favour of ChurchesThe Lviv City Council has adopted in time for Christmas a measure in favour of the Churches present in this Ukrainian region. In December 2011, the deputies passed a resolution to discharge religious organizations and educational institutions of an obligation to pay rent for the land and the land tax in 2012. The decision has been made on the base of the petition submitted by religious organizations and institutions, asking for benefits in regard to the rentals. In the light of the fact that they are non-profit organizations, the council released them from the payments. According to the Ukrainian news website www.zaxid.net, the resolution refers to eight religious organizations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Kyivan Orthodox Patriarchate.Hungary: new church bill submitted by FideszNew church bill submitted by Fidesz caucus leader Janos Lazar to Hungarian Parliament before Christmas stipulates that only the Churches with at least 100 years of international operations can be recognised by the state. The legislation has been presented as a private member’s bill, meaning that it can be passed without consultation with affected parties and with limited parliamentary debate. The new bill stipulates that Parliament’s religious committee, rather than a cabinet minister, will assess requests for official church status, from 1 January 2012. 72 religious communities have submitted such requests so far. Fidesz MP Gergely Gulyas said that about 12 new Churches could be recognized by late February.Germany: funds for abuse victims now availableThe funds for the victims of abuse perpetrated in German orphanages between 1949 and 1975 were made available yesterday, the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) announced in a statement. DBK president, Mgr. Robert Zollitsch, “praised” the fact that “these funds” are now available for the victims who can access them to “meet their fundamental needs: need to speak, desire to be recognised, counselling, as well as therapeutic and financial assistance”, as wished for by the DBK. The fund, of 120 million, entered into force on 1st January 2012. It was established in collaboration with the Federation, some Länder, the Evangelical Church, Catholic dioceses, the Conference of Superiors of Religious Orders, Caritas and its Evangelical counterpart Diakonie. All concerned people who live in the Länder of the former Western Germany can apply to receive counselling and assistance by 31 December 2014. Similar rules and procedures will also enter into force in the Länder of the former DDR by summer”.Czech Republic: support to the service in hospital”Service of hospital chaplains is very necessary and important not only for the patients and their families but also for the hospital personnel”, said minister of health of Czech republic, Leos Heger, during his meeting with archbishop of Prague and president of the Bishops´conference, Mons. Dominik Duka and president of Ecumenical Council of Churches, Joel Ruml, in late December. Participants have agreed that the health care resort would assume an official patronage over the spiritual service in hospitals and health-care institutions in the country. In cooperation with Churches the Ministry of Health will elaborate legal frame covering the presence and work of the chaplains. So far, their service has been provided on the base of the Treaty on pastoral care in health care resort signed among the Czech bishops’ conference and Ecumenical Council of Churches in 2006.Latvia: title of the “European of the Year 2011″On December 29, 2011, according to the public vote, the title of the “European of the Year 2011 in Latvia” was awarded to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan see of Riga Zbigòevs Stankeviès. The vote was organized by the European Movement – Latvia. Prof. Skaidrite Lasmane, the leading researcher of the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute, Social Sciences Faculty of the University of Latvia, in her laudation for the European of the Year 2011 in Latvia said: “The correspondence of Zbigòevs Stankeviès is proved by his comprehensive education, broadness of his thought, openness and responsibility. He can encourage people in favor of self-development and changing the society in accordance with the high intellectual and moral fundamental values of Europe”. Archbishop of the Metropolitan see of Riga Zbigòevs Stankeviès in his speech on the occasion of receiving the title admitted the necessity to renew awareness of human dignity as a value in nowadays Europe: “The prime origin of human dignity is the apprehension that man is created according to God’s image and likeness”. He also stressed that “the future of Europe depends on its capability to regain balance among the spiritual, soulful and material dimensions”.
