Italian bishops" "

An "international" assembly” “

The steps forward of the Churches, the pastoral difficulties and social problems of their respective countries: just some of the themes posed to the attention of the recent general Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (Rome, 20-24 May) by the fifteen bishops representing the foreign Episcopal Conferences invited to participate. For example… The political situation […]

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Jewish communities" "

A demonstration for peace” “

A pan-European demonstration in support of the State of Israel and for peace in the Middle East took place in the streets of Brussels on 29 May. The event, sponsored by the European Jewish Congress, in collaboration with the Coordination of European Jewish communities and the Association of the Jews of Belgium, attracted thousands of […]

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Auschwitz: Jews and Christians write a book together” “

A booklet called “Auschwitz – history and thought” was presented in Berlin on 28 May. It’s the first joint Christian and Jewish stance on Auschwitz in Germany, after the Holocaust. According to Hans Joachim Meyer, president of the ZdK (“Central Committee of Catholics”), speaking at the book launch, “the book is intended to make a […]

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Germany: ” “training ” “for the caring profession” “

“Contributing to the development and reorganization of the training those who provide assistance to the elderly, the sick and, in particular, sick children” is, in the view of German Caritas, a central commitment and “a particular responsibility”. “The strategic objective” according to Caritas is “to develop the quality of training for the caring profession”. To […]

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Italy: new ” “translation ” “of the Bible” “

Remaining “faithful” to the biblical text, but at the same time trying to translate it “into a language more consonant to that in use today”.These, declared Cardinal Camillo Ruini, were the two “imperatives” adopted by the 250 bishops present at the 49th general assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, held in the Vatican from 20 […]

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United Kingdom: ” “reform ” “of the seminaries” “

A radical reform of the seven seminaries (four in the UK and three abroad) which could lead to the closure of some of them and a radical shake-up of the rest: this might be the road to follow after six months of exhaustive assessment of the formation of priests, conducted by a special commission set […]

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Church and Europe: some proposals” “

“Dialoguing with the elected members of parliament” about the work of the Convention for the future of Europe; “stimulating the Italian theological faculties to pay greater attention to European problems”; giving a higher profile to the “question of the Christian identity of Europe” in the curricula of Catholic schools; indicating European themes as “a perspective […]

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European Union" "

Russia enters NATO…” “

The Heads of State and of Government of the 19 countries of NATO, together with the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, signed, at a ceremony in Rome on 28 May, the “joint Declaration” that creates the joint NATO-Russia Council and permits Russia to participate, with full right, in the work of the Atlantic […]

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…but the question of Kaliningrad remains open” “

The summit between Russia and the European Union took place in Moscow on 29 May. During the summit, Vladimir Putin, José Maria Aznar and Romano Prodi tackled the issues of the security of the European continent, the fight against international terrorism, economic and commercial relations and the reinforcement of reciprocal cooperation on energy matters. All […]

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The Convention listens to ” “civil society” “

“Consolidating the European model of sustainable development at the economic and social level; realizing a space of security, freedom and justice; and becoming a major power”: these are the future priorities of the Union enunciated by the EU Commissioner for institutional questions, Michel Barnier, in the course of the 4th plenary session of the Convention […]

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