front page" "

A vital space” “

Receiving in audience on 1st December eleven new ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, including those of Finland, Denmark and Andorra, Benedict XVI also spoke on the theme of Europe. We propose the “European thoughts” of the Pope, excerpted from the speeches he addressed to each of the three diplomats. “The Holy See has followed […]

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ccee" "

Thoughts, experiences, projects” “

The most significant event in the life of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) over the last three months was World Youth Day in Cologne (17-21 August 2005) with the meeting with Benedict XVI. The plenary assembly of the CCEE (Rome, 29 September – 2 October 2005) reflected on the indications and results of this […]

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Holland: the first Catholic Youth Day” “

“Lucid” was the keyword of the first national Catholic Youth Day in Holland, held at Niewegein, not far from Utrecht, on 27 November. Several thousand young people took part in it. They were welcomed by a message from the Pope. The organizational support of the Day was handled by the Bishops’ Conference of Holland, with […]

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Germany: norms on seminaries” “

With a communiqué issued on 23 November, the German Bishops’ Conference, through its President Cardinal Karl Lehmann, has commented on the document “Instructions and norms for seminaries”, issued by the Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education and containing instructions for criteria for admission to seminaries. Recalling that “numerous guidelines on the formation of priests” have […]

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Bulgaria: Vatican diplomacy and the countries of Eastern Europe” “

“The power of God is far greater than the power of the dictators of this world”, declared Monsignor Justo Mullor Garcia, president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, who visited Bulgaria in recent days. “In all the countries of Eastern Europe – he said in a statement to SIR – there is nostalgia for the dictators […]

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france" "

Overcoming emptiness” “

“Our society, strongly characterised by all the means of communication, is, paradoxically, a society in which genuine human relations are becoming ever more difficult”. This observation, contained in the message sent by Benedict XVI, was taken on board by the 3800 participants at the 80th Semaine Sociale in France, held in Paris from 25 to […]

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slovenia" "

After the injustice and damages” “

The Slovene Bishops’ Council (SBC) met for its plenary assembly in Ljubljana on 28-29 November 2005. In the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Slovenia, Monsignor Abril y Castelló Santos, the assembly opened with some reports from delegates who had participated in various international meetings, in particular the 11th Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist […]

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Bishops call for remission of debts” “

The Church in Spain supports the campaign for the remission of foreign debt and presents itself as a “ferment of solidarity and concord”, declares Bishop Ricardo Blázquez Perez of Bilbao, President of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, in a statement issued today on the conclusion of the General Assembly of Spanish bishops held in Madrid. The […]

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Euromed, religions and peace” “

The Euromed summit that brought together 35 heads of state and of government in Barcelona in recent days also served to “enhance the role of religions in the construction of Mediterranean Europe”, said Fr. Antoni Matabosch, president of the Joan Maragall Foundation (www.fundaciojoanmaragall.org) for faith and culture of the archdiocese of Barcelona, in a briefing […]

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environment" "

Rising temperatures” “

Taxing pollution instead of labour: that is one of the suggestions made by the European Environmental Agency (EEA). It has also proposed some recipes to combat smog, which is threatening people’s health and having a negative impact on nature. The occasion for it to make specific proposals in this field occurred on Tuesday, 29 November, […]

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