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An essential gift” “

A million and a half donors, with an average offering of 130 euros for a total of 195 million euros collected in 2004: 3.83% more than the previous year. These figures, relating to the “denier de l’Église”, the annual contribution requested of the faithful for the upkeep of the French Church, were announced in Paris […]

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Italy: "bringing joy"” “

“Bringing the joy of the Risen Lord to everyone” is the title of the pastoral aid prepared by the offices and agencies of the Italian Bishops’ Conference for the period of Lent and Easter 2006 and sent to all parishes. Inspired by the First Letter of Peter, which this year is accompanying the journey towards […]

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Portugal: a time for family life” “

“Lent is the time that the Church dedicates to a profound revision of life”, and given that the family is considered a “small domestic church’, this time should be experienced as “renewal of family life”: that is the suggestion made by Father Domingos Paulo Costa Oliveira, of the department of family pastoral care of the […]

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Luxembourg: at the baptismal font” “

The “Pastoral Letter for Lent 2006” written by the Archbishop of Luxembourg Fernand Franck, under the title “Return to the fount: water is life”, is focused on the sacrament of baptism. The archbishop recalls the pastoral project “DraiSchrett” (Three Steps), with which the Church of Luxembourg invites the Catholics of the country to return to […]

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Belgium: "time for prayer"” “

It’s not true that there’s no time for praying. The statistics tell us in fact that “in Belgium people spend on average 3 hours and 45 minutes, almost 4 hours, before the television set everyday”, points out Bishop André-Moutien Léonard of Namur, recalling in his message for Lent that one “of the practices that Jesus […]

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Slovenia: charity at the centre” “

Lenten initiatives are widespread throughout the country and all of them characterised by charity and renunciation. In particular, explains the spokesman of the Bishops’ conference, Msgr. Marian Gavenda, “on the first Sunday of Lent we launched a fund-raising campaign to help alleviate the needs of the poorest families. The sum collected will be divided between […]

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Cyprus: at the side of migrants” “

A brochure with spiritual guidance about how to live to the best the period of Lent and prepare ourselves “worthily” to celebrate Easter: that’s the initiative promoted for Lent by Father Umberto Barato, Latin vicar of Nicosia. “In my parish – he says – I am promoting meetings especially on Sunday, the day on which […]

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Greece: "stations" in the parishes” “

“Stations” in churches and parishes, meditations and actions of charity: Lent in the dioceses of Greece is characterized by a series of meetings between “pastors” and “local churches”, explains the general secretary of the Greek bishops, Msgr. Nikolaos Printezis, archbishop of Naxos-Tinou. “I my diocese I will make a visit (station) to the 30 parishes […]

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Turkey: Reconciliation and sharing ” “

A Lent characterised by prayer and charity began in Turkey on Ash Wednesday, 1st March. “To mark the occasion – explained Msgr. Georges Marovitch, spokesman of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference (TBC), in a briefing to SIR – all the clergy and faithful of Istanbul met in the cathedral to celebrate mass and a penitential liturgy […]

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Ccee: Churches of South-East Europe meet in Corfu” “

The presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of South-Eastern Europe, accompanied by experts, will meet for their sixth meeting in the island of Corfu (Greece) from 3 to 5 March. Six Bishops’ Conferences are represented: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the international Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Serbia and Montenegro – […]

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