TURKEY

Fair but firm

The difficult relations with the Republic of Cyprus: the “slowdown in domestic reforms”; the inadequate protection of the freedom of speech, religion and of minorities: in the report on the progress made by the countries eligible for accession to the EU, the Commission finds “many problems and delays” for Turkey. But objections are also raised […]

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ECUMENISM

A day for Sibiu

“Unity among Christians must be promoted in every way: with prayer, with dialogue, with cooperation on the basis of the themes of justice and peace”, said Monsignor JOHN A. RADANO , head of chancery at the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, in introducing the “day of Romanian ecumenical spirituality” on Monday 6 November. Promoted by […]

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TOUSSAINT2006

At the heart of society

“The aim of the congress, to enable the Church to offer her message about the meaning of life to man in our time, was achieved. We showed ourselves to be without complexes and without arrogance, and welcomed at least 50% more people than we had anticipated”, declared the archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal GODFRIED DANNEELS , […]

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Rites for the dead entrusted to laypeople

In a parish of the diocese of Münster, the rites for the dead are now being entrusted to the laity. Since the summer of 2005, Father Hans Gerd Paus, parish priest of the church of Sankt Margareta, has received official permission from his bishop, the Right Rev. Reinhard Lettmann, to commission permanent deacons and pastoral […]

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Care for the sick

“Whoever needs care wishes to be cared for in the family and in his/her own home. So family members that provide care must be able to reduce their own professional activity or interrupt it to dedicate themselves to the care of their loved ones”, said Elisabeth Bußmann, president of the League of Catholic Families, in […]

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GERMANY

Pledge to peace

On 5 November, the representatives of Cologne’s Jews, Christians and Muslims met in the city’s town hall to sign a peace pledge in the presence of over 300 guests and of the Mayor, Fritz Schramma, who sponsored the initiative. The leaders of the three religions declared their opposition to any kind of incitement to violence, […]

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Caritas, the dignity of the homeless

With the approach of winter, Caritas in Poland is preparing to receive an ever-growing number of down-and-outs in its 191 centres. According to the statistics, over 12% of Poles are living below the poverty threshold, and they especially include the inhabitants of the countryside and small rural communities. Each day Polish Caritas helps over one […]

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The conscience of a bishop

On Sunday 5 November the bishop of Tarnow, Wiktor Skworc, spoke to his congregation as follows: “No sins against the Church or against man weigh on my conscience. I can look everyone firmly in the eye””. The bishop said he had always served the Church “with devotion and fidelity” and had only learnt a few […]

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POLAND

The debate on the defence of life

The President of the Chamber of the Polish Parliament Marek Jurek is in favour of the continuation of the debate aimed at introducing into the Polish Constitution the principle of the defence of life from the moment of conception to natural death. This principle, he said, is in conformity with the teaching of Evangelium vitae […]

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Romanian: no to the skyscraper next to the cathedral

“The Romanian authorities continue to give ambiguous replies, declining any responsibility. We wish to stop the destruction of the cathedral of St. Joseph, symbol of Romanian catholicity, and demand the immediate interruption of the building work on the site and the withdrawal of the authorizations given to the construction firm Millennium that are in violation […]

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