Felix Gmür is the new secretary general of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (CES), to whom the current secretary, Agnell Rickenmann, will give his mandate in the next month of July. It was decided by the Swiss bishops in the last few days, during their ordinary assembly in Einsiedeln. Moreover, during the meeting the bishops also decided to organize a new workshop on religions (Other religions), which would accompany the current “Islam” group. The change of the “Women of the Church” commission (CFE) into a consulting group, made up of the women that are already part of CFE, was also approved. They will have the task of supplying CES with “womanly” indications and points of view. The bishops confirmed their disapproval for the negative effects deriving from the exacerbation of the asylum law. They also disapproved the revision of the law on foreign people. Both those laws will be put to referendum next September 24. They pointed out that “dignity and support of the neighbour remain a crucial commitment for every Christian”. As for the above, the Swiss Bishops’ Conference will soon make known its considerations. Msgr. Amédée Grab, president of CES and of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, made known that the official Catholic representatives taking part in the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3) in Sibiu (4-9 September 2007) are 25.
