Spain: priorities of the diocese of Valencia

The archdiocese of Valencia has published its “Pastoral Priorities” for the pastoral year 2007-2008. They include the need to reinforce the “centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Christian community” and the family’s transmission of faith to the younger generations. The publication contains some proposals aimed at all the parishes and Christian communities: […]

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Poland: 68th anniversary of Soviet occupation

The 68th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s aggression on Poland, which took place only a few days after the German invasion on 1st September 1939, will be marked on 17 September. “In the territories occupied by Soviet troops the Catholic Church suffered a real Golgotha. In the years 1939-1941 over a million Catholics perished, or […]

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GERMANY

From video to faces

www.kummernetz.de: that’s the website founded by the deacon of Würzburg, UWE HOLSCHUH , at the end of 1996 with a simple web page and e-mail address. Now some fifty volunteers are providing their services as part of a platform of communication and advice for adults, teenagers and children in difficult situations.NETWORK OF TROUBLES. The data […]

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YOUTH

Dialogue and forgiveness

A week of exchange and reflection on the Gospel Beatitude “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”: that was the experience shared by some 70 delegates from 25 countries who participated in the 6th meeting of Mediterranean youth held at Loreto (Italy) until Sunday 9 September, under the auspices of the […]

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CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

Romania: new Orthodox Patriarch elected

Forty days after the death of Patriarch Teoctist, the Orthodox Church of Romania elected Metropolitan Daniel of Moldavia and Bukovina as its new Patriarch on Tuesday, 12 September. The Metropolitan obtained the votes of 95 members of the ecclesiastical electoral college out of the 161 present. “I am grateful – declared the Metropolitan – to […]

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A pact for the environment launched in Greenland

The 7th Symposium entitled ‘Arctic: mirror of life’, promoted by the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I in collaboration with the NGO “Religion, Science and Environment, ended on 12 September. The uniqueness of the Symposium was that it was held on board a ship, which hosted some 150 delegates for a week, including religious leaders, scientists, […]

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Ecumenical Patriarchate: widening solidarity

Ever more voices are being expressed in support of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, after the recent sentence of the Appeal Court in Turkey that challenged the ecumenical status of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Messages of support have come from the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the World Council of Churches (WCC) and […]

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EU

In good health

The “fundamentals” that measure the state of health of the real economy are sound; the international context is favourable (the USA is slowing down, but China and India are accelerating rapidly); the financial crisis generated by subprime American mortgages has eroded but not destroyed confidence. All things considered, growth is set to continue, even if […]

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Initiative for the southern Mediterranean

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) last week announced it was joining the strategic Partnership in favour of the South of the Mediterranean basin with the objective of “establishing a favourable climate for the private sector in the Middle East and the countries of North Africa”. The World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the […]

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Digital professional skills

To respond to the “shortage of qualified professionals in the sector of TIC, the new technologies of information and communication” and the consequent “slowdown in the application of the TIC in the EU economy”, the European Commission last Friday proposed the adoption of a long-term programme and a series of measures in the field of […]

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