PORTUGAL

A Christian response

A referendum on the de-penalization of the voluntary interruption of abortion will be held in Portugal on 11 February. The Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP) has long been mobilizing in defence of life by publishing a series of statements, texts and documents, and by inviting diocesan bishops to promote initiatives in view of the vote. Abortion […]

di Redazione

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Pillars of the Community

More speeches than legislation; many projects, less concrete decisions: The plenary session of the European Parliament, held in Strasbourg from 15 to 18 January, was characterised by the welcome given to the new MEPs from Bulgaria and Romania, by the election of the President of the EP and by the debate on the programme of […]

di Redazione

Reduction of polluting emissions

The European Commission last week adopted a package of measures “to institute a new energy policy for Europe aimed at combating climate change and reinforcing the energy security and competitiveness of the EU”. The proposal reaffirms the objective spelt out by Brussels at the end of the year to conclude a new international accord between […]

di Redazione

EU action plan for energy efficiency

“Reduction by approximately 13% of its own energy consumption over the present level, with a saving of 100 billion Euros and some 780 million tons of carbon dioxide per year”. That’s the declared objective of the new Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, to remain in force till 2013. It contains some eighty measures aimed at […]

di Redazione

Cleaner fuels

In the framework of the new EU energy policy and the actions linked to it (see above), the European Commission has dedicated a specific Communication to research on the production of sustainable electrical energy from fossil fuels, so as to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (Co2) generated by combustion. The main target of the […]

di Redazione

New impulse for the internal energy market

Technical measures and political initiatives constitute the policy mix contained in the Communication with which Brussels intends to achieve a real internal energy market, defined as a “strategic means to guarantee fair prices for citizens and businesses”. The Executive’s proposals, in the framework of its programme for European energy policy, are aimed at the achievement […]

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European dailies and periodicals

Angela Merkel’s speech to the European Parliament is carefully analysed by German commentators. The FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG (18/1) observes: “ What Mrs. Merkel did in Strasbourg is more that a presentation of her own thoughts on European policy: it marks the beginning of an attempt to reconcile citizens with the work of European unification, the […]

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PRIMA PAGINA

Strana dimenticanza

Nel commentare la triste attualità della Chiesa in Polonia, nel caso creato dalle dimissioni di mons. Stanislaw Wielgus, la stampa laica ha concentrato il tiro esclusivamente sull’atteggiamento della Chiesa, particolarmente dei preti, per sottolineare il collaborazionismo di alcuni (pochissimi in questo grande Paese cattolico, in questa Chiesa spesso eroica, qualcuno dice 10%) con la polizia […]

di Jean-Dominique Durand Università di Lione

ECUMENISMO

Una nuova era?

“Fa sentire i sordi e fa parlare i muti” è il tema della Settimana di preghiera per l’unità dei cristiani che si è aperta ieri, 18 gennaio, e che si concluderà il 25. Quest’anno la ricorrenza segue alcuni momenti ecumenici molto forti e che hanno rilanciato, nel 2006, il dialogo fra le chiese cristiane. In […]

di Redazione

Germania: matrimonio, base della famiglia

La famiglia basata sul matrimonio “è tutt’ora il miglior fondamento per una vita riuscita del rapporto di coppia e nella solidarietà tra generazioni”: lo ha affermato il card. Georg Sterzinsky, intervenuto a Colonia in occasione della Domenica delle famiglie che, la Chiesa cattolica tedesca ha festeggiato il 14 gennaio e che ha segnato l’inizio del […]

di Redazione