Convention: results of the plenary session” “

The democratic life of the Union (TitleVI); the Union and the surrounding environment (Title IX) and membership of the Union (Title X): these are the three titles of the draft Constitution debated by the Presidium during the 20th plenary session of the Convention on the future of Europe, held in Brussels on 3-4 April. The […]

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Foreign and security policy” “

The Iraqi conflict and the incapacity of the European Union to express a single position both at the political and the military level have re-ignited the debate on the need to equip the EU with a genuine common foreign and security policy. Alongside this, or perhaps preparatory to it, the European Policy of Security and […]

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constitution" "

Not only article 37″ “

“Recognizing the Christian roots of Europe means guaranteeing the dignity and liberty of each person. Art.37 of the draft Constitution is a significant step in the right direction, but does not exhaust the recognition of the religious experience in the European Constitution”. The point is made in a press communiqué released in Brussels in recent […]

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environment" "

A common "eco-attention"” “

“Eco-efficiency”, “eco-justice”, “eco-sufficiency”: these are the keywords of the final Document of the 5th International Conference on “Ethics and Environmental Policies”, held in Kiev from 2 to 6 April, and promoted by the Lanza Foundation in Padua in collaboration with the National Ecological Centre of the Ukrainian capital. “Eco-efficiency”, “eco-justice”, “eco-sufficiency” are the objectives and […]

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bioethics" "

A step backwards” “

In May this year the European Commissioner for research, Philippe Busquin, will submit to the European Parliament a proposal to fund research projects on stem cells that entail the use of frozen human embryos not destined for reproduction and less that fourteen days old. The proposal would put an end to the moratorium that currently […]

di Marco Doldi" "" "

European Churches" "

Scandinavia: time for conversions” “

Support for the values of life and the family; promotion of vocations; opening to consecrated life; evangelization of culture: these are some of the priorities indicated by John Paul II to the bishops of the five countries of the Scandinavian Episcopal Conference (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland), who were in Rome for their “ad […]

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France: survey on Church and money” “

The economic situation of the Church in France is not sufficiently familiar to the French. However there is “a positive perception of the role of the Church in aid to the more disadvantaged and in the creation of social bonds”. That is what emerges from the findings of a survey, published in recent days by […]

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Croatia: 26th plenary session of the bishops” “

The Pope’s forthcoming visit, the ever growing differences between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia and the use of lay graduates in theology in the day-to-day pastoral ministry: these were some of the issues discussed during the 26th plenary session of the Croatian Episcopal Conference, held in Zagreb from 31 March to 4 […]

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Switzerland: the bishops appeal for an end to the war ” “

An immediate end to the war and the provision of emergency aid to the civilian populations of Iraq: that is the essence of the appeal made on 9 April by the Swiss bishops on their retreat in Wislikofen in preparation for Easter. Recalling the 40th anniversary of the publication of John XXIII’s encyclical “Pacem in […]

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Italy: 20 youth in a peace mission to the Holy Land ” “

“Peace on earth” is the name of the mission to the Holy Land of 20 young people, chosen by the national Service of youth apostolate of the Italian Bishops’ Conference and by the national office for missionary cooperation between the Churches. A mission for peace, explain the organizers, “with the objectives of bearing witness to […]

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