ecumenism" "

World Council of Churches and the "road map"” “

In the view of Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the “road map”, the peace plan worked out jointly by the UNO, USA, European Union and Russia to try to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “is certainly not ideal; it is flawed by its grave absence of details, […]

di Redazione

Protestant and Orthodox Churches on post-war Iraq” “

The representatives of the various Protestant and Orthodox Churches met in Paris in recent days to discuss the role of the United Nations and respect for international law in the aftermath of the war in Iraq. The meeting took place at the beginning of the work of the WCC’s Commission of the Churches for International […]

di Redazione

The excuses of the metropolitan Athanasius” “

The Orthodox metropolitan Athanasius of Rustavi, in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, has met the president of the Union of Evangelical Baptists in the country, Malkhaz Songulashvili, and presented him with his personal apologies for having exhorted Orthodox believers, during a television broadcast, to “combat and kill” the members of the minority Churches: Baptists, […]

di Redazione

Eu in brief" "

The priorities of the six months’ Italian Presidency” “

As the beginning of the next revolving Presidency of the EU (July-December 2003) approaches, the priorities of the Italian government for a crucial six months in the process of European integration are being defined. Institutional reforms: The Convention on the future of Europe will present its draft Constitution during the Salonica Summit on 20 June, […]

di Redazione

European missions in the Middle East” “

In spite of the formal adoption at Sharm-El-Sheik last week of the peace plan for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (the so-called Road Map, presented by the Quartet composed of the USA, UNO, EU and Russia), the violence continues. Over the last few days, over thirty people, most of them civilians, have been killed […]

di Redazione

Press review" "

Dailies and periodicals” “” “

The new terrorist attacks in the Middle East, a week after the Aqaba summit, monopolise the attention of the American dailies, in the aftermath of the declarations of President Bush, who made an appeal to world leaders to help the USA in peacefully resolving the conflict in the Holy Land and in the fight against […]

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editorial" "

Cancelled words” “” “

The great Molière created, in one of his best known comedies, the famous Tartuffe, who has become a synonym of the impostor in French. Molière’s famous dramatic character once again sprang to mind in reading the draft preamble of the future European Constitution before the unexpected cancellation of any reference to the century of the […]

di Jean-Dominique Durand" "University of lyon " "" "

COMECE" "

The task of Christians” “

The Presidium of the Convention on the future of Europe has drafted a new version of the Preamble of the future European Constitution in recent days. In contrast to the first draft, the new text cancels both any explicit reference to the Greco-Roman tradition and to the philosophy of the Enlightenment. What’s innovative in the […]

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European Union" "

Not only the Constitution” “” “

The Summit of Heads of State and of Government that ends the Greek Presidency of the Union is to be held in Salonica (Greece) on 20 and 21 June. The fundamental point on the Agenda consists in the official presentation of the draft Constitution drawn up by the Convention on the future of Europe: but […]

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Poland" "

A "yes" with head held high ” “

The sixth of the ten candidate countries to go to the polls for its referendum on EU membership, Poland voted ‘yes’ to entry into the EU: 77.5% voted in favour. The voters formed 58.8% of the electorate; the opponents were 22.5%. SirEurope sounded out the views of the spokesman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Father […]

di Redazione