University of Athens” “

“The value of the European Constitution will especially be an educational one”, in the sense that it “will permit the sentiments of unity to be fostered and have a strong symbolic value”. That’s the view of Theodore Fortsakis, professor of law at the national University of Athens, who also emphasizes the importance of unity “between […]

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University of Lyons” “

“Europe has a need for a Constitution, but time is needed; we cannot force the pace”. So says Francois Pierre Boursier of the Catholic University of Lyons. He invites a reflection on the populist wave that is characterizing Europe in this period. It is – in Boursier’s view – the manifestation of a “basic anxiety”. […]

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University of Leuven” “

“We especially need another mentality. No European community can exist if we don’t construct it”. The importance of the role of civil society in the construction of Europe is recalled in these terms by Johan Verstraeten, of the University of Leuven (Louvain) in Belgium, according to whom we first need to “develop a European civil […]

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University of Warsaw” “

The “keystone” of the new Europe consists “in fostering the different identities and in ensuring the primacy of the person”. That’s the opinion expressed by Piotr Mazurkiewicz, priest and professor of political sciences at the “Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski” University in Warsaw. “First – he explains – come the centrality and dignity of the human person; […]

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women" "

Parity denied” “

“The social services are women’s best friends”: that’s the view of Raija Rimpilainen, general secretary of the Finnish Social Democratic Party, whose intervention was followed with considerable attention by the participants in the conference “Women: only electors?” held in recent days at Ancona and promoted by Italy’s national Commission for Equal Opportunities and by the […]

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” “France: the Churches in support of the victims of torture ” “

Prayer vigils, film projections, themed testimonies and meetings. But especially a campaign to raise awareness about and to denounce the crimes committed by the Russian military forces in Chechenia. It’s all happening in France where the Churches have pulled together to promote an ecumenical mobilization for the international Day in support of the victims of […]

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United Kingdom: Carey’s visit to the Pope, "a touching meeting"” “

“I am deeply touched by my last meeting with His Holiness John Paul II. The force of his words, and the authority with which he pronounced them, give me great hope for the continuation of the ecumenical process to which we are both very committed”. That’s how the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, commented […]

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Switzerland: how to communicate with people” “

The Commission of the media of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference will this year award the “Catholic Prize for Communication” to the journalist and theologian Josef Osterwalder, who has been editor of the Swiss daily, the “St.Galler Tagblatt”, for two decades. The prize is awarded to those who succeed in transmitting “the Gospel hope to a […]

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Austria: a pastoral letter written with children ” “

“Where there’s God, there’s heaven” – “Almost always the bishops write pastoral letters for adults. Today I want to write one addressed to children”. That’s how Alois Kothgasser, bishop of Innsbruck, introduced the first pastoral ever to be written in Austria with the contribution of children. It was read out and distributed throughout the diocese […]

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Italy: appeal of the Catholic organization to the G8 ” “

“The poor cannot be taken for a ride. The poor can no longer wait!” That’s the appeal made by over 50 Italian Catholic associations belonging to the umbrella organization “Sentinels of the morning” (including Acli, Italian Catholic Action, Focolari, Volonteers in the world-Focsiv, Agesci, etc.), who outlined their concerns and presented their proposals to the […]

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