comece" "

La speranza si fa strada” “

Sono 300 i pellegrini provenienti da 25 Paesi europei che insieme ai loro vescovi sono partiti il 17 aprile da Madrid per il pellegrinaggio “Sulla strada della speranza” verso Santiago di Compostela, passando per Burgos, Leòn, Ponferrada e altre località. È l’iniziativa organizzata dalla Comece, la Commissione degli episcopati della Comunità europea per celebrare l’allargamento […]

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Brussels, 1st May: open doors” “

The day dedicated to citizens has by now become a tradition in Brussels. The European Council, in collaboration with Parliament and Commission, promotes this “open doors” day aimed at celebrating the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950, starting point of the process of European integration). This year the day is being brought forward […]

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Football in the Council of Europe” “

Safety in the stadia, the prevention of incidents, but also respect for individual freedoms, are at the centre of a meeting to be held in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Thursday 22 April. The organization, which comprises 45 countries throughout the continent, has organized a debate between the Portuguese security forces, the UEFA […]

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No to child soldiers” “

The European Union and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) States have joined ranks in defence of the children who, in various countries, are forced to carry arms and used as conscripts in military actions. Vitaliano Gemelli, chairman of the Commission for the petitions of the Parliament in Strasbourg, has described to SIR the content […]

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Romania: the Churches against "Big Brother"” “

The Christian Churches of Romania have adopted a common position of strong disapproval of the television programme “Big Brother”, which one of the country’s commercial TV channels began to transmit a few weeks ago. Opposition to the programme was endorsed by the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of […]

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Russia: when will there be a meeting between the Pope and Alexis II?” “

The Russian Orthodox Church does not exclude the possibility of a meeting between the Pope and Patriarch Alexis II, and has spelt out the conditions that could make it possible. Mikhail Dudkò, secretary of the Department for foreign relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, said he “hoped a great deal” in a resumption of the […]

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ecumenism " "

Constantinople: a Europe with two lungs ” “

“Western and Eastern Europe must stop considering each other as aliens”. The Union that is preparing to welcome ten new member states has a need for the “common witness of Christianity”. So said Patriarch Bartholomew I, on receiving a delegation of French bishops in Istanbul. The bishops had come to Turkey to participate in the […]

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lithuania" "

The example of Casimir” “

An independent democratic Republic since 11 March 1990, and member of NATO since 2 April, Lithuania is the only Baltic State with a Catholic majority. In 1387 king Jogaila promulgated the decree for the foundation of the diocese of Vilnius and so set in motion a systematic campaign of baptism among the population. When the […]

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enlargement" "

Hopes and fears” “

The enlargement, or if you prefer the “re-unification”, of Europe is imminent. And as happens on the eve of historic events, intellectuals are busily pointing out the positive, but also the negative factors that the transformations taking place bring with them. With regard to the enlargement of the frontiers of the EU to ten new […]

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greece" "

The ‘bridge’ to the East” “

The Hellenic peninsula, due to its geographical position and culture, has always been a crossroads between North and South and between West and East. Here was born, and from here spread, the philosophic speculation that supported the birth of democracy. These questions and concepts are more than ever relevant as Europe prepares for two imminent […]

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