Hungary-Slovakia: prayer of reconciliation

As part of the national year of prayer for reconciliation, called by the Hungarian Bishops’ Conference (HBC), the Slovak and Hungarian bishops concelebrated a liturgy of reconciliation in the basilica of Esztergom on 29 June, with a homily given by Archbishop František Tondra, President of the Slovak Bishops’ Conference. Two brotherly letters on reconciliation signed […]

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Great Britain: abuses on children, 2005 Report

“It’s a report that, together with the three others that have preceded it, paints the picture of the constant and constructive progress being made in so delicate an area of the life of the Church as the abuse of minors”, declared Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham on 3 July. Nichols, chairman of the board of […]

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Poland: the Pope recalls the victims of Poznan (1956)

“The blood spilt on the streets of Poznan not only by workers, but also by women, students and children, was not shed in vain. Indeed it was the seed of the freedom whose fruit was the fall of the Stalinist system years later and the full sovereignty of the nation”: that’s the central past of […]

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TURKEY

The example of don Andrea

Don Andrea Santoro, don Martin Kmetec, Father Hanri Leylek, Father Pierre Brunissen: the list of the Catholic priests killed or attacked in Turkey continues to grow. It’s an escalation that began on 5 February this year, when the Roman priest, don Andrea Santoro, was killed in his parish church at Trabzon by a young fanatic, […]

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ECUMENISM AND DIALOGUE

Moscow: world summit of the great religions

An occasion to “share our common concerns at the start of the third millennium, and re-affirm our common commitment to contribute with renewed vigour and confidence to an intercultural and inter-religious dialogue at the service of an integral humanism”. That, according to Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Councils of Culture and Religious Dialogue, […]

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Saints Peter and Paul, Catholic and Orthodox feast

Benedict XVI received in audience, on 29 June, the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, present in Rome for the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Delegation was led by Ioannis (Zizioulas), Metropolitan of Pergamon, co-chairman of the Mixed International Commission for theological dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, and also composed […]

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DRUGS

Not child’s play

“Our efforts must especially be focused on youth”. To this end we need to “involve and encourage parents and teachers to fully play their role”, said KOFI ANNAN , Secretary General of the United Nations, who seized the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June) to insist on the “educational” […]

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Donation and transplant of human organs

With the aim of reviewing the situation, pooling ideas and projects and finding solutions to existing problems, the Commission launched a public consultation in recent days on the future action of the European Union in the field of organ donation and transplant. The consultation – due to end on 15 September – has been prompted […]

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Greenhouse gases: emissions still too high

European efforts to improve atmospheric pollution have produced mixed results. According to the latest data released by the European Commission, greenhouse gas emissions are in fact slightly increasing, thus making necessary a further effort on the part of member states to implement the measures aimed at counteracting world climate change as defined in the Kyoto […]

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Fishing: new fund for the period 2007-2013

The Agriculture & Fishing Ministers Council has formally adopted the Regulation on the European Fund for Fishing (EFF), which will come into force on 1 January 2007 in replacement of the existing EU financial programme for fishing, The new Fund has five fundamental priorities; “helping the fleet to adjust fishing capacity to available fish resources; […]

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