Thomas Jansen

The spirit of Ventotene

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzo did well to invite French president François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit the grave of Altiero Spinelli (1907-1986) on the island of Ventotene, at the end of August, to celebrate his memory along with that of the other thinkers and spiritual pioneers of European unification. The echo […]

Vocational discernment

Pope Francis’ decision to dedicate the 2018 Synod to the theme “Young people, faith and vocational discernment” was welcomed with gratitude and appreciation: “How beautiful… it’s what we needed!” For the next two-year-period the Church will be engaged in listening to and reflecting on the voices of the young. With courage and truth the Church […]

Voices from London

Now not only the sea separates the European continent from the United Kingdom. After the outcome of the Brexit referendum a wall of misunderstandings and retaliation between London and the EU is replacing the bricks. The conservative government headed by Theresa May is considering limiting the entry of EU citizens. Interior Minister Amber Rudd asked […]

UNESCO Heritage site

There are more than forty wooden churches, most of which are Christian churches of the eastern rite, preserved with love and respect throughout Slovakia’s national territory. Most of the churches are located in the eastern part of the Country, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, each one of which is original and unique. […]

Charlie Hebdo and the earthquake

Je suis Charlie. Je ne suis pas Charlie. In a time of uncertainties, of social-network schizophrenia, even the sense of belonging becomes a liquid concept. We no longer know who we are. We rapidly change our skin and our minds. Less than a year ago our closeness to the French satirical magazine had become a […]

Faith at the time of the Internet

Upon the news of the attack in Dallas that left five police officers dead, the bishop of the city, Monsignor Kevin Farrell, posted on Twitter a video-message denouncing this senseless act of violence and inviting the faithful to pray for the victims. A plethora of messages of condolences and hope, as well as pictures, links […]

When the earth shakes

When the earth trembles, people tremble with it. It’s impossible not to be overcome by panic and deep fear. Fear for ourselves, for our dear ones and for the world we built around us with so much effort, which constitutes the womb in which we dwell. The emergency does not consist in anxiety over an […]

Terrorism at home

In the past days Germany has been living under a cotton could. Far from being connected to weather, this image well describes the climate in the country. We lived through days of terror, days of casualties and death. Life has changed in Munich, Cologne and Berlin. Life goes on as always under the cloud, but […]

1.Casa Italia

“You’ve got to have a Country, if only for the pleasure of leaving it behind. A Country means not to be alone; to know that in the people, in the trees, in the earth, there is a part of you, that stays there for you even when you are not around.” (Cesare Pavese, “La Luna […]

Religious

So great was the anticipation, so great the hopes for indications on the incarnated path to which the contemplatives devote their life. Their only life. Why strip it of purpose? Why shouldn’t they respond to what humanity and the whole Church expect from those who felt the calling to follow the Lord, abiding to a […]