European Churches" "

Holland: relations between Church and State” “

“A central position accorded to respect for the human person” in politics and in future legislation: that’s what the Dutch bishops ask of the government spokespersons Donner and Leijns in a letter released in recent days. “It’s true – write the bishops – that Church and State are separate, but they have much to say […]

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Italy: teaching the values of peace” “

The Italian bishops “not only reaffirm their support for the Pope’s words, but are promoting concrete actions in favour of peace in our communities”, beginning with initiatives of prayer. Describing the final communiqué of the permanent Episcopal Council, held in Rome in recent days, Msgr. Giuseppe Betori, general secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference, in […]

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Poland: socio-political commitment and EU membership” “

In the course of their last plenary assembly, the Polish bishops did not fail to raise their voice in favour of peace. “The bishops – reports Father Adam Schultz, spokesman of the Episcopal Conference – also wished to deal with the internal situation of the country, with a very high unemployment rate (about 19%). Polish […]

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Germany: pro-life week 2003″ “

Therapeutic clones, pre-implant and prenatal diagnosis and active assistance to the dying will be at the centre of the next “Week of Life 2003”, the annual event organized jointly by the German Episcopal Conference and the Council of the Evangelic Churches, due to open in Bayreuth, Germany, on 3 May. “Possibilities and limits of medical […]

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Malta: pastoral letter of the bishops in view of the elections” “

In view of the approaching general elections, to be held on 12 April, Archbishop Joseph Mercieca of Malta and Archbishop Nicholas J. Cauchi of Gozo have addressed a pastoral letter to the faithful, with the title: “Our duty to our nation”. “The Church – write the bishops – has the task of educating and forming […]

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EU-Third World" "

No to "dumping"” “

“Abolishing dumping is good for everyone!”. That’s the slogan that unites many aid organizations in Europe (including the Italian ‘Volunteers in the World-FOCSIV’ and the English ‘CAFOD’) and throughout the world to press for an end to the protectionist regime in agriculture which “is starving two thirds of humanity”. What is curbing the economic growth […]

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Enlargement: presentation of the Kok report” “

The report on the impact and consequences of enlargement, compiled by former Dutch prime minister Wim Kok at the request of Romano Prodi and the Commissioner for enlargement Guenther Verheugen, was presented in Brussels on Wednesday 26 March. The document stresses that the success of enlargement consists especially in the chance it provides of permanently […]

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Economic prospects not brilliant” “

In spite of the upbeat messages that came out of the last Ecofin Council at the end of March on the state of health of EU finances, the European Commissioner for the economy Pedro Solbes de Mira recently declared that the prospects for the economy of the EU countries in the short term “are not […]

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Proposals for the Court of Justice” “

“Number of judges, their appointment, and duration of their term of office”: these are the points touched on by the chairman of the European Convention’s ‘discussion circle’ on the Court of Justice, European Commissioner Antonio Vitorino, in the report he presented to the Convention in recent days. As regards the number of judges, the majority […]

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Dailies and periodicals” “

“Dr. Osama Salé quietly entered the major burns unit in the Kindi hospital and warned us: ‘You’ll now see the world’s greatest tragedy'”. In publishing the shocking photo of a 12-year-old Iraqi boy – who has lost both arms and his whole family (father, mother and two brothers) as a result of the Anglo-American bombing […]

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