European Enterprise Awards to support business

The final verdict of the “European Enterprise Awards” competition is expected to be announced on Thursday 7 December. The awards will be presented to the best projects entered by local authorities in support of business enterprise at the regional level. A statement put out by the European Commission declares that the projects short-listed to enter […]

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Portugal: abortion referendum in February 2007

The President of the Republic of Portugal Aníbal Cavaco Silva has called a referendum on the voluntary interruption of pregnancy for 11 February 2007, considering that “the issue is the object of current debate in Portuguese society, despite the fact that a referendum on the matter was already held in 1998”. Indeed, the problem has […]

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Romania: the Vatican intervenes to save the cathedral

The Holy See has intervened on the controversial construction of a skyscraper bang next to the historic Roman-Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph in Bucharest, and asks “that a rapid and satisfactory solution be found to the thorny question”. In a statement issued on 4 December the Holy See traces the history of the affair, since […]

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POLAND

Law on collaborators of the secret services

The President of the Republic of Poland signed in recent days the new law concerning the vetting of citizens registered by the security services of the Communist regime as collaborators or sources of information of the secret services. The archives of the secret police, now preserved by the National Institute of Memory (IPN), contains files […]

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Only a “verbal” form of anti-Semitism

“Anti-Semitism in Poland springs from certain cultural and historical forms of conditioning, but it remains confined to the verbal sphere. By contrast, in Western Europe we are dealing with a modern and more aggressive anti-Semitism, linked mainly to the situation in the Middle East”: that’s the opinion of Anna Zielinska, of the European Jewish Congress […]

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A law for the better control of minors

Debate on a bill aimed at introducing a curfew for minors recently began in the Polish Parliament. The bill prescribes that, after a certain time, minors shall only be able to frequent public places if accompanied by adults. The introduction of these regulations will be decided by the local authorities that will also have discretionary […]

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60th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council

Celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Ecumenical Council of Poland will begin in Warsaw on 11 December. Founded on 15 November 1946 by the Lutheran pastor, the Rev. Zygmunt Michalis, by representatives of the Evangelical Churches, by the Old Catholic Church and by the Polish national Catholic Church, the Ecumenical […]

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BENEDICT XVI IN TURKEY

A milestone

We saw three quite distinct phases in this event which will remain as a milestone in the history of the dawn of the third millennium: from the tension and anxiety of the days preceding the visit due to the reactions that the Moslem world could create and that the mass media have exploited to the […]

di Rubén Tierrablanca Ecumenical Fraternity of Istanbul

DIALOGUE WITH ISLAM

Vital necessity

Inter-religious and intercultural dialogue as “vital necessity”, and the commitment of Christians and Muslims to recall “the attention of the truth of the sacred character and dignity of the person as the basis of mutual respect and esteem”, were some of the appeals made by the Pope during his recent journey to Turkey. During his […]

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Germany: a document on Christians and Muslims

The Council of the German Evangelical Church (EKD) presented a second document on dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Germany on 28 November. The document is to be considered both “as a tool to guide members of the EKD and public opinion” on the question, and as a “specific contribution to dialogue with Muslims in […]

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