France" "

Renewing a mission” “” “

After various months of preparation, the “assembly of Catholic teaching” was held in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 1st December. Its task, as explained by the assembly’s head of information Gilles du Retail, was to “renew the mission of Catholic schools and formulate a clear and concrete programme of action for implementing it”. Delegations of […]

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refugees" "

Right of asylum: a law for everyone” “” “

“We need to ensure that asylum-seekers do not become the victims of prejudices” linked to the dangers “of terrorism or ‘clandestinity'”. That’s the concern of Ana Liria-Franch, delegate in Italy of the UN High Commission for Refugees, who addressed a conference held in Rome in recent days on the theme: “European Union: towards a common […]

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spirituality" "

“Bistro” with chapel” “” “

The innovative experiences of recent decades also include the new forms of evangelization and “spiritual guidance”, practised in particular by the lay members of associations, groups, communities and movements. The phenomenon is growing strongly. We have gathered some examples present at the European level. “Evangelization on the street” is one of the “specialities”, though not […]

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war and the media" "

New technologies and old dangers” “

A hundred years ago Luigi Barzini travelled forty hours on horseback to ensure that his dispatches on the Russo-Japanese war would get through the censorship and arrive safe and sound at the Corriere della Sera . Today the correspondents posted to Afghanistan only have to lift their satellite phones and in a few minutes the […]

di Silvia Guzzetti - London" "" "

Eastern Europe: 18 million poor children” “

According to the latest report of UNICEF, “Ten years of transition”, published in Geneva on 29 November, child poverty is very widespread in the former Soviet bloc countries of the Community of Independent States (CIS) and in both central and eastern Europe, in spite of the growth being registered by their economies. Families have difficulty […]

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Romania: a campaign against the trade in women ” “

The World Organization for Migrations (WOM) has announced a new campaign against the trade in women in Romania. The WOM in Bucharest has signed an agreement with the Romanian Minister of Education and Research to launch a campaign in secondary schools and colleges throughout the country. The studies conducted by the WOM suggest that the […]

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Switzerland: Caritas supports UN membership” “

“Swissaid”, “Action de Careme, “Pain pour le prochain”, Caritas and “Helvetas” are recommending Swiss citizens to vote yes in the referendum scheduled for 3 March 2002 on whether the Swiss Confederation should join the United Nations Organization. In a press conference held in Bern on 4 December, the representatives of the five charities affirmed that […]

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Germany: new directives for pastoral care” “

“‘That they have life and have it abundantly’: these words of Jesus epitomize the task of the Church”, said Msgr. Ludwig Schick, delegate of the German Episcopal Conference for the pastoral Commission, in announcing, in Fulda on 4 December, the new directives of the German episcopate for the care of souls and for the pastoral […]

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Austria: revival of religious experience” “

“The future of religion, the role of the Churches” is the title of the symposium that ended in Vienna on 6 December. Organized by Paul M. Zulehner, dean of the Institute of pastoral Theology at the University of Vienna, the symposium represents the conclusion of the thirty years’ work begun by Zulehner in 1970 on […]

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United Kingdom: Will Carey retire?” “

The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, Primate of the Church of England, founded by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century, is rumoured to be about to announce his resignation. The disclosure was made in recent days both by the Sunday Telegraph and by the Daily Telegraph, papers traditionally close to the hierarchy of the Church […]

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