summer 2004 " "

Sea, mountains and prayer” “

“Only in silence is man able, in the depths of his conscience, to listen to the voice of God that truly makes him free. And holidays may help us to rediscover and cultivate this indispensable interior dimension of human existence”: that’s the message that JOHN PAUL II sent out on 11 July during his brief […]

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International conference on the family” “

“The family is the basic cell of society. Care for its well-being ought to be one of the priorities of any State” and “parents have a greater responsibility than any other person or institution for the education of their children. Any form of sex education and preparation for family life in schools or in other […]

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Accord on ecclesiastical cultural properties” “

The president of the Lithuanian episcopate, Cardinal Audrys Backis, and the Minister of Culture of Lithuania, Roma Zakaitien, signed a special accord in recent days with the aim of preserving the religious artistic heritage for future generations. The protocol is the consequence of the “Accord of cooperation between the Holy See and the Republic of […]

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lithuania " "

Government support for the religious communities” “

The government of Lithuania has allocated 2.875 million litas ( c.0.8 million euros) to the country’s 12 traditional Churches and religious communities and centres in recent weeks. One million litas was allocated to the construction of a spiritual centre at Siluva, in the Catholic archdiocese of Kaunas, and 144,000 litas to the Lithuanian Orthodox archdiocese. […]

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Spain: teachers of Moslem religion in schools ” “

From September Spanish schools will for the first time have teachers of Moslem religion for Moslem pupils, whose numbers are growing. “It seems to me logical and sensible that this should be so”, Carlos de Francisco Vega, head of the Secretariat of Interconfessional Relations of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, explained to SIR. According to De […]

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Ireland: "funds for emigrants abroad increased"” “

The Irish bishops have expressed appreciation and satisfaction about the decision by the Irish government to increase funds for emigrants abroad. Father Alan Hilliard, director of the episcopal Commission for Emigrants, says he is “particularly happy” about the measure, as also about the establishment “of a unit to coordinate aid to the Irish abroad, which […]

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Italy: European youth and the Eucharist” “

“The Eucharist: source and culmination of mission” is the theme of the European meeting of youth groups of eucharistic adoration due to be held in Rome from 6 to 10 October on the initiative of the Youth Pastoral Service of the vicariate of Rome. “The aim of the meeting – explains Father Mauro Parmeggiani, director […]

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Italy: MEPs in a community?” “

The recent inaugural session of the new European Parliament has led Italy’s Emmaus association to repeat a provocative proposal already made by its international president Renzo Fior and the Abbé Pierre at the international Solidarity Fair in Paris on 13 June: “Let MEPs spend at least ten days of experience and formation in one of […]

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England: parachutist monks to save the abbey” “

Launching themselves by parachute from an altitude of over 4267 metres to raise funds for the recovery of an ancient abbey in England: protagonists of this improbable venture are not professional parachutists, but two Benedictine monks, Father Francis Baird and Father Martin McLaughlin, respectively abbot and treasurer of the medieval abbey of Prinknash, in Gloucestershire, […]

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Turkey: railway disaster, condolences of the Church” “

The vicar of Istanbul, Father Lorenzo Piretto, has expressed “condolences and solidarity with the families of the 36 victims and 79 injured” of the railway disaster of 22 July on the Istanbul-Ankara line. “I learnt of the tragedy from the news – he told SIR –; now we wait to find out its causes. From […]

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