Bruno Desidera

Peace

“Our Country has a date with history, there is just one last step to go.” Monsignor Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, archbishop of Tunja, president of Colombian bishops, spoke in considered, albeit straightforward terms. He said: “the Church is not behaving like Pontius Pilate” with respect to the referendum on the peace agreement of October 2. […]

The Belgian case

No. We cannot remain indifferent. Nor can we avoid the chill running through our backs before those who in these sad hours are celebrating Belgium as a beacon of civilization for setting the (dismal, extremely sad) record as the first Country that granted euthanasia to a minor. Belgium is the same Country where one in […]

Document

A short document marked by clarity and concreteness and a short answer equally important and incisive owing to its content and author: Pope Francis. The document providing ecclesial keys of interpretation, application and implementation of the recent Pastoral exhortation Amoris Letitia follows the Vatican-Buenos Aires route, starting with the document “Criterios básicos para la aplicación […]

Market distortions

The facts: the European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, from Denmark, has criticized Ireland for providing undue tax benefits to the US company Apple. In short, for years Ireland exempted the US IT giant with registered offices in the emerald island from paying its fiscal contributions. Actually, it did collect taxes, but in such ridiculous […]

The recipe of the Dominican Father

First days of work at the secretariat of the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) for French Dominican Father Olivier Poquillon, elected past March Secretary general of this body, that closely follows the work of EU institutions, by the bishops representing EU Countries. COMECE was first set up in 1980. It has […]

The Church in northern Europe

Next October 31 Pope Francis will be in Lund, Sweden, to attend a commemoration marking the opening of the packed schedule planned at global level in the framework of celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Swedish event is an initiative of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in conjunction with the Pontifical Council […]

La fede d'estate

Arriva il periodo delle vacanze e la domanda che ogni cattolico si pone è sempre la stessa: la fede va in vacanza? I più “fedeli” potrebbero inorridire anche solo all’idea che si possa pensare una cosa simile ma c’è chi, esperto in materia turistica, non si è fermato davanti al senso metaforico della domanda e […]

Sport and integration

While the lights went out on Euro 2016, the “Homeless World Cup” kicked off in Glasgow, 900 Km further north. 64 male and female teams from 52 world countries, 14 European teams present, totaling 512 players. No billionaire football club or skyrocketing salaries for them, but a life on the streets, often in situations of […]

Economy and finance

Pope Francis has decided to centre his pontificate on Church renewal in the spirit of poverty. The Motu Proprio “Fidelis Dispensatur et Prudens”, the Statutes of the three economic bodies (Council for the Economy, Secretariat for the Economy, Auditor General) along with the Motu Proprio “Temporal Goods” of past July 4, should be read through […]

Inside the city

“When a man is tired of London he is tired of life”: we have read it all over the place, on tourist guides, under the Wikipedia’s entry on “London”, as a publicity slogan for summer study courses. The aphorism by Samuel Johnson reflects the optimistic trait of the capital as a digest of opportunities: “for […]