Germany: meeting of German Catholics (ZDK)” “

The ecumenical day of German Catholics, reforms, Christians and Europe, and the need to abandon the market ideology: these are some of the issues discussed by the plenary assembly of the ZDK (Central Committee of German Catholics), held in Bonn on 19-20 November. Commenting on the German economic situation, Hermann Kues, ZDK spokesman for economic […]

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Holland: to WYD in Cologne by boat” “

Three ships, with a thousand youngsters on board, bound for the World Youth Day in Cologne: this original idea was devised by the diocese of Rotterdam, whose bishop, Msgr. Adrianus van Luyn, explains to SIR: “No sooner had the venue of the next World Youth Day been fixed than we began thinking about whether it […]

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armenian churches" "

Example of fidelity” “

“To the Armenian people I want especially to express my gratitude for their long history of fidelity to Christ, for which they have suffered persecution and martyrdom. If today the West may freely profess its own faith, that is due to those who sacrificed themselves, turning their bodies into a bulwark of the Christian world”. […]

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great britain" "

England and Wales: bishops’ assembly” “

The future of Iraq, peace in the Holy Land and Europe were among the main issues discussed by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales during their plenary assembly held in Cardiff, capital of Wales, from 17 to 20 November. The meeting opened with a prayer for and a commemoration of Margaret Hassan, the aid […]

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Scotland: Catholic victims of violence and verbal abuse” “

63% of the victims of verbal abuse and insults due to religious faith are Catholics, while 29% are Protestants. This emerges from some statistics published by the Crown Office concerning offences linked to verbal violence against religious minorities. “Dreadful figures”, commented Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell, who in a communiqué of the Scottish Catholic Church […]

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Ecumenism" "

Ecumenical conference with Bartholomew I” “

Diversity of ecclesiastical traditions is no obstacle to Christian unity, said ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on opening, on 24 November, the annual conference of friendly bishops of the Focolare Movement now underway in Istanbul. The conference is bringing together 52 bishops from 23 countries and various Churches of East and West: Orthodox, Syro-Orthodox, Apostolic Armenians, […]

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Christians against the trafficking in women” “

“We have seen the impact of the faith in action”: that’s the comment of Sister Lynda Dearlove, of the Sisters of Mercy, after the recent visit of an ecumenical delegation to the Ukraine, where it discussed various measures aimed at curbing the trafficking of women in the country. During its visit the ecumenical group, formed […]

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Against violence on women and children” “

“On the wings of the dove: against violence on women and children” is the slogan of the campaign launched in Geneva on 24 November by the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Lutheran World Federation. Up till 10 December all the […]

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drug addiction" "

Continuing emergency” “

Heroin in decline, consumption of cocaine on the increase, while cannabis is “making a breakthrough” among teenagers. Less people are dying of drug overdoses, but the dangers of HIV infection are growing. And the youth sector of the population continues to be the one most at risk. These are some of the conclusions reached by […]

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International dailies and periodicals” “

The question of the Ukraine, its crisis due to the contested results of the general elections and the risk of civil war, monopolises the attention of the main international dailies. “The pro-Russian candidate proclaimed victor in Ukraine”, is for example the headline in the Herald Tribune (25/11). “Snubbing Western leaders and the popular protest which […]

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