children

” “child citizens” “

“The situation of children in the world”, the latest report of UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), also deals with the participation of children in society. According to the report published on 11 December, this participation encourages children to assume ever greater responsibilities as active, tolerant and democratic citizens. The issue was first addressed in […]

di Inès A. Chittilappilly- Geneva" "" "" "

person and family" "

Switzerland: the grey zones of silence” “

“The Church has it profoundly at heart that the witness of its male and female personnel be credible”. To this end, the Swiss Episcopal Conference – at the end of its 258th ordinary assembly – published a document on 5 December with the title “Sexual abuse in the context of pastoral care” which contains a […]

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Great Britain and Ireland: giving voice to the inexpressible” “

“Giving voice to the inexpressible” to help the victims and restore credibility to the Churches. With this aim, “Church together in Britain and Ireland” (CTBI), an ecumenical organization representing all the Christian churches of Great Britain and Ireland, has published a report with the title “Time for Action” on sexual abuse and the involvement of […]

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Belgium: marriage must not be relativized” “

On 28 November the Belgian Senate approved marriage between homosexual couples. The green and socialist senators voted in favour, while the liberals (VLD and MR) and the Flemish christian democrats (CD&V) were divided on the question. The Flemish extreme right (Vlaams Blok) and the French-speaking christian democrats (CDH) voted against it. According to the new […]

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Italy: the Fiat crisis and the concerns of the Church ” “

The Italian bishops are deeply concerned about the grave crisis (-20% of car sales in recent times) which has hit the Fiat Group: it has led to the placing on short time of 5600 workers at various Fiat plants in northern and southern Italy and the prospect of “prolonged mobility” for 8100 employees out of […]

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Austria: a new aid policy requested of the government” “

With a joint conference held in Vienna on Monday 9 December, the authorities of the main Austrian charitable organizations addressed their own requests in terms of aid to the new government. Caritas, the Evangelic organization Diakonie, the Red Cross and the aid organizations Hilfswerk Austria and Volkshilfe pointed out the “shortcomings in the country’s aid […]

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Spain: clarification on the salaries of teachers of religion” “

The information on the salaries of teachers of religion published by the Spanish daily “El Paìs” is “a grave calumny” and “aimed, as part of the current campaign being waged against religion at school, at discrediting the Church and confusing public opinion with falsehoods”. So says the secretariat of the episcopal Commission for teaching and […]

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Dailies and periodicals

The German press dedicates wide coverage to the Iraqi crisis and to EU enlargement. Regarding a possible war in Iraq, Heiko Flottau, writing in the Süddeutsche Zeitung of 9/12, affirms: “ Saddam Hussein has understood that, in contrast to 1991, the USA does not want to conduct a war to maintain the existing order. In […]

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agenda" "

EU legislation” “

In the course of last week the following legislative acts and communications, among others, came into force: · Directive 2002/90/EC of the Council, of 28 November 2002, aimed at defining connivance in illegal entry, transit and residence (OGEC L 328/17, 5/12/2002); · Regulation (EC) no. 2150/2002 of the European Parliament and Council, of 25 November […]

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European Parliament ” “

The European Parliament is meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg from 16 to 19 December 2002. The main points on the agenda are as follows: · The role of regional and local powers in European construction (rapporteur: Napolitano); · Joint discussion – Judicial cooperation; · Campaign against diseases linked to poverty in the developing countries […]

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