Germany: “contribution to reconciliation”

The German bishops, too, consider the Pope’s Motu Proprio a contribution to the reconciliation of the Church”, declared Cardinal Karl Lehmann, President of the German Bishops’ Conference in Freising on 7 July. “The German bishops hope that the new rules will have a unifying effect”. Lehmann expressed this hope with reference to the Catholics who […]

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Oland: “a deep reflection”

“First of all, it is a deep and mature spiritual reflection on the tradition of the celebrating Church praising and thanking God”: with those words, the Dutch bishops commented Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” by Benedict XVI. “It is no rejection of the liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, since the two forms are manifestations of […]

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France: “the pope’s passion for the communion”

“Benedict XVI takes care of the unity of the Catholics; he wants to encourage their reconciliation, and at the same time, reconcile the Church with its liturgical past. It is a gesture for the followers of Msgr. Lefebvre, but the Pope knows that the differences are not just liturgical”. Those words were spoken by the […]

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England: “to celebrate the mass in unity”

In a note made known today, the bishops of England and Wales thank the Pope for the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, issued on July 7th, and whose rules will come into force next September 14th. In particular, the bishops welcome the Papal emphasis “of the importance of unity within the Church, in the celebration of […]

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Austria:”to overcome divisions”

In furtherance of “cohabitation in truth and love”, this is the judgement passed by the Austrian Bishops Conference (Cea), about the Pope’s Motu Proprio, “Summorum Pontificum”, in a release dated July 8th. “From the orderly cohabitation of the two characteristics of the Roman rite, the Pope expects a contribution to overcome divisions within the Church. […]

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IN BRIEF

Portugal: EU Presidency, priorities for Catholics

Coinciding with the start of the six months’ Portuguese Presidency of the EU, various Catholic personalities have called for a strong commitment of the European Union in the search for solutions to the most urgent humanitarian challenges of our time. Mons. Carlos Azevedo, secretary of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference, believes that the Portuguese Presidency could […]

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Spain: road education for children

On the occasion of the national Day of Responsibility in Traffic 2007, celebrated on 1st July, the Spanish bishop responsible for the pastoral care of the highways, the Right Rev. Carmelo Echenagusía, auxiliary bishop of Bilbao, issued a message with the title “Responsible as children”. “Children – writes the bishop – have the right to […]

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Belarus: national Marian pilgrimage

The national pilgrimage to the national sanctuary of Our Lady of Budslav – the great Marian shrine of Belarus – was held in recent days (30 June-1 July). Over 30,000 pilgrims converged on Budslav from all over the country and also from neighbouring countries; most of them arrived on foot and some had walked for […]

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SREBRENICA

Then the lights went out

It all began on 11 July 1995. 12 years have passed since then. The massacre of Srebrenica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) is considered one of the bloodiest mass exterminations to have happened in Europe since the Second World War. A genocide and war crime, consisting of the massacre of thousands of Bosnians by the Bosnian Serb troops led […]

di Elvira Mujcic

SCOUTING

One world, one promise

This year marks the centenary of the scouting movement; it’s an anniversary that the 28 million scouts and girl guides present in 216 countries throughout the world will celebrate on 1st August, the day on which, in 1907, the British Robert Baden Powell held the first scout camp on the island of Brownsea. The centenary […]

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