Iva Mihailova, from Sofia

Bulgaria

Black balloons and a “panichida”, that is, a funeral service. It’s how on April 18 the parents of children with disabilities will welcome EU Ministers of Social Policy, set to convene in Sofia under the Bulgarian presidency. On April 11 hundreds of adults with disabilities staged a protest against reforms in the disability assessment system. […]

Figures speak for themselves

“The EU population is now growing only slowly and is even expected to decline in the longer term,” on the basis of the present trends, and thereby “it represents an ever-shrinking proportion of the world population.” These were the conclusion of the “Demographic outlook for the European Union”, the first in an annual series of […]

Apostolic exhortation

Pope Francis’ third Apostolic Exhortation titled “Gaudete et Exsultate” was released a few days ago. The guiding thread of joy remains the unifying element of Pope Francis’ Magisterium, eliciting Christians’ rejoice in the encounter with the Resurrected Lord, in those who found in Him the secret of a full, accomplished and serene life. “Gaudete et […]

Liturgy

While the Catholic world celebrated Easter on April 1st, in some East European Countries – Greece, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, Ukraine – the Orthodox Church celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus on Sunday April 8. The festivity was experienced intensely also in Orthodox communities of Western Europe. The difference in the date in not […]

Message

Follows the unabridged Message of the Archbishop of L’Aquila Msgr. Giuseppe Petrocchi on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the earthquake that hit the city in central Italy on April 6 2009, leaving 309 dead and over 1600 injured. The clock that keeps track of the passing of time in L’Aquila did not stop […]

Politics

The dispute dates back to 27 years ago, and it remains a bone of contention between Slovenia and Croatia still today. It involves the Gulf of Piran, over which the borders of Ljubljana and Zagreb fail to come to an agreement. In 2017 the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a ruling that was rejected by […]

Protest

(from New York) Two weeks after the March for Our Lives started by the survivors of the mass shooting at the High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, Washington seems to want to forget all about the half million youths, families and teachers who took to the streets demanding tighter gun control legislation. Nor […]

Caritas report

Family indebtedness, lack of housing and lack of structures are among the main problems underlying poverty and social exclusion of young people in the Czech Republic. The recent Report by Caritas Czech Republic does not just point out the difficult situation of young people, it offers guidance aimed at practical solutions, albeit not in the […]

For reflection

As we look forward to Easter, we ask Jesus to allow us to take part in the last supper: we want to sit near the disciples and allow Him to wash our feet. We wish to enter this familiar atmosphere, loaded with faith, with respect, with the welcome that Jesus prepared for his beloved ones […]

Science

There is a place in the world, 1300 kilometers beyond the Arctic Circle, where life is put at dire test, that is home to one of the most precious crates for our survival and that of future generations. It’s the “Global seed vault”, a storage facility that preserves the seeds of over one million plants […]