Switzerland: the Bishops on their visit ad limina

Secularisation, the crisis of the family, the liturgy, the sacrament of reconciliation, the relation between priests and lay people, vocations, ecumenism: it was a far-ranging reflection, the one offered by Benedict XVI to the Swiss Bishops received in audience in the Vatican on November 7th. The meeting with the Pontiff and some delegates from the […]

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The Netherlands: a boom in Catholic publications

“Deus caritas est”, Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, is the best-selling Papal writing in the Netherlands. During this second week of November, the Pope’s bestseller will be reprinted for the fourth time and will exceed the limit of 10,000 copies, according to the Secretariat of the Rooms-Katholiek Kerkegenootschap (Catholic church association of the Netherlands). So far, […]

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Ireland: “no” to the death sentence for Saddam

An appeal to a double prayer “for the victims of this conflict, on both sides, and for a quick, satisfactory conclusion of armed hostilities in the region” is launched by the Irish Bishops Conference, following Saddam Hussein’s sentence to be hanged. Bishop Raymond Field, president of the Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (Icjsa), expresses […]

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France: Legion of Honour for Patriarch Sabbah

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, has been awarded the title of Grand Official of the Legion of Honour. The decree of the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, is dated 18th April, but the honour was awarded on 6th November. Expressing his gratitude for the honour to President Chirac and Foreign Minister […]

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Italy: professional training and immigrants

“Transmitting a Christian view of life and of work” to the foreign youth who are taking educational or training courses in our country: that is the main aim of the course of formation for professionals in the sector promoted by the Office for social and labour problems of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), in liaison […]

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Belgium: a chapel for Europe

“Our mission is to pray and celebrate, but we also propose moments of reflection on European issues”, said Sister Dominique Sadoux, religious of the order of the Sacred Heart, describing the activities of the chapel of the Resurrection in Brussels in the running of which she is involved. The chapel was the venue in recent […]

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Romanian: no to the skyscraper next to the cathedral

“The Romanian authorities continue to give ambiguous replies, declining any responsibility. We wish to stop the destruction of the cathedral of St. Joseph, symbol of Romanian catholicity, and demand the immediate interruption of the building work on the site and the withdrawal of the authorizations given to the construction firm Millennium that are in violation […]

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POLAND

The debate on the defence of life

The President of the Chamber of the Polish Parliament Marek Jurek is in favour of the continuation of the debate aimed at introducing into the Polish Constitution the principle of the defence of life from the moment of conception to natural death. This principle, he said, is in conformity with the teaching of Evangelium vitae […]

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The conscience of a bishop

On Sunday 5 November the bishop of Tarnow, Wiktor Skworc, spoke to his congregation as follows: “No sins against the Church or against man weigh on my conscience. I can look everyone firmly in the eye””. The bishop said he had always served the Church “with devotion and fidelity” and had only learnt a few […]

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Caritas, the dignity of the homeless

With the approach of winter, Caritas in Poland is preparing to receive an ever-growing number of down-and-outs in its 191 centres. According to the statistics, over 12% of Poles are living below the poverty threshold, and they especially include the inhabitants of the countryside and small rural communities. Each day Polish Caritas helps over one […]

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