ECUMENISM AND DIALOGUE

Ireland: handshake between Paisley and Brady

The meeting between the Protestant leader of Northern Ireland’s radical DUP party and Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Primate of the Irish Catholic Church, ended on a positive note with a handshake between the two. The meeting can be considered historic, because it could lead to negotiations for a deal between the DUP, the most […]

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Bulgaria: the relics of St. George arrive from Rome

The relics of St. George, the gift of the Vicariate of Rome, arrived in Bulgaria on Sunday 8 October. The relics were received by the Metropolitan of the city of Russe, Neophit. On the previous day a Bulgarian delegation composed of representatives of the Churches and local authorities had returned from Rome, where it had […]

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France: against abuses

“The pretext of the fight against terrorism to justify special tribunals, the exploitation of the fear of the population, violence and arbitrary powers in some areas of the planet, where no real rule of law exists, seem to us very worrying developments”, warns the Council of the Christian Churches of France. In a joint statement […]

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Holland: seeking inspiration from Christians

“Seeking inspiration from Christians in their way of reacting to attacks against their own religion”: that’s the recommendation made by Yusuf Altuntas, spokesman of the Islamic organization ‘Milli-Görüs’, in calling for a more “judicious and pondered” manner of responding to the criticisms made against a religious faith. “At times the equivalent of a kick in […]

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Scotland: the Bishop of Edinburgh to Catholic lawyers

“Recent legislative measures adopted in the country have recklessly jeopardized family life”, charged Bishop Philip Tartaglia of Edinburgh. In a homily pronounced in St. Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday 8 October, during the annual “Red Mass” that inaugurates the legal year, the bishop, addressing his remarks to the members of the legal profession present, advocates and […]

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Ireland: appeal for Liberia

An appeal for Liberia, the African country suffering from a grave humanitarian crisis, has been made in recent days by the Irish Bishops’ Conference during its plenary assembly. 450 Irish troops have been deployed in Liberia since 2003 as part of the UN peacekeeping force (a contingent of 15,000 men), whose task it is to […]

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Portugal: referendum on abortion

“It’s clear that abortion is not a question that can be reduced just to the intimacy of a person’s religious belief”, declared José Paulo Carvalho, MP of the CDS/PP party and President of the Portuguese Pro-Life Federation, commenting on some interpretations given to the words of Cardinal José Policarpo, Patriarch of Lisbon, on the referendum […]

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MEDIA

The gospel message on Tv

Television “reaches countless people, cultures and nations”, and can be “an occasion to defend the dignity of each person, and to promote peace, solidarity and communion within the human family”, said Cardinal TARCISIO BERTONE , Vatican Secretary of State, in a message sent on behalf of Benedict XVI to the World Congress of Catholic TV […]

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

No to the North Korean folly

“Firm condemnation” of the North Korean nuclear test that “represents a threat to international security and stability”. Preparations for the informal summit at Lahti (Finland) on 20 October, at which the heads of state and of government of the 25 will discuss immigration, energy policy and competitiveness. Lastly, a “pause for reflection” on the establishment […]

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European dailies and periodicals

The German press too is busily analysing developments regarding the atomic experiments in North Korea. Writing in Die Welt, Torsten Krauel (12/10) points out: “… It’s not a question of imposing a UN ceasefire on an aggressor. It’s a grey zone in the legislation of the UNO, that of how to define the hitherto unregulated […]

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