" "Austria

” “A prayer for the Holy Land” “

Respect for the sacred, the Holy Land, elections for the renewal of the parish councils, the “alliance for Sunday as a day of rest”, and ecumenism: these were the main issues on which the Austrian bishops focused their attention at their plenary Assembly held in the Voralberg, in western Austria, from 19 to 21 March, […]

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France: Nanterre, the bishop visits the site of the massacre ” “

“Faced by the madness that has sown death in the town hall of Nanterre, this is not the time for explanations but of compassion”, declared Bishop François Favreau of Nanterre, in an off-the-cuff comment to SIR. Bishop Favreau immediately visited the scene of the massacre. At a quarter past one, on 27 March, at the […]

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Italy: a campaign of Catholic activists ” “

To avert dangers such as “irrelevance”, “insignificance” or the presumed “liquidation” of the Catholic movement in Italy, all Christians must feel as an “urgent appeal” and an “indispensable task” the need to “serve the cause of man in his entirety, recognizing that this cause, for a believer, cannot but be identified with the ‘catholic cause'”. […]

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Eastern Europe: the catacombs of the twentieth century ” “

“Christ in the cold war of Eastern Europe: the catacombs of the twentieth century and the martyrdom of the Church of silence, from the October Revolution to 2000”: that’s the title of the television documentary, produced by the RAI (Italy’s state broadcaster), which will be shown on TV in two instalments, on Good Friday, 29 […]

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Turkey: prayer and solidarity for Easter” “

Easter in Turkey fuses together two dimensions, one contemplative and the other active. During Holy Week Turkish Catholics usually dedicate part of their time to solidarity. The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Istanbul will hand out the traditional Easter parcels to needy families. A prayer retreat on 24 and 25 March prepared for the […]

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Albania: agreement reached with the Holy See ” “

The “ Accord between the Holy See and the Republic of Albania on the regulation of reciprocal relations” was signed in Tirana on 23 March 2002. The document was signed, on behalf of the Holy See, by Msgr. Giovanni Bulaitis, Nuncio Apostolic in Albania, and, on behalf of the Republic of Albania, by Prime Minister […]

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France: Bishop Di Falco, "my name has been besmirched"” “

“My name has been besmirched, while my accuser remains anonymous”. This is the comment of the French bishop, Jean-Michel Di Falco, following the decision taken by the public prosecutor of the French Republic to close his case. The auxiliary bishop of Paris, former spokesman of the French Bishops’ Conference, had been accused of “sexual abuse” […]

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Spain: a year dedicated to Gaudí” “

The Year dedicated to the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí was officially opened in Spain on 20 March. The ceremony in the town hall of Barcelona, which inaugurated the events celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great architect (1852-1926), was attended by Queen Sofia of Spain, the President of Catalogna Jordi Pujol and […]

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ecumenism" "" "

European Convention: KEK and the contribution of the Churches ” “

An appeal to Christians to participate actively in the debate on the future of the European Union and a request to the national governments to involve the Churches in the process of reform, “following the example of countries like Austria, Finland, Ireland and Slovakia”: with this twofold objective, the Conference of the European Churches (KEK) […]

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Holy Land: Lutherans’ letter to Sharon” “

Ishmael Noko, secretary general of the World Lutheran Federation, has “vigorously protested” against the occupation and damage of a Lutheran school and a rehabilitation centre in Bethlehem by Israeli armed forces. In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, Noko has requested the cessation of every military action and the reparation of the damage caused. […]

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