A firm condemnation "of every violent deed committed in the name of religion", with a "deeply-felt thought for the victims of the seriously violent demonstrations in Nigeria, Liberia and Iraq", comes from the Swiss bishops at the end of the ordinary assembly that took place from February 27th to March 1st in Villars-sur-Glâne (Freiburg). Last month, the Swiss bishops had already passed their judgement about the cartoons of Muhammad, and now they "support Benedict XVI’s invitation to pray for peace at this time of Lent". The focus of the assembly was the reorganisation of the work of the General Secretariat (by appointing the new secretary general, abbot Felix Gmür, currently deputy rector of the Seminar of Lucerne, who will take office in July 2006) and of the Bishops’ Conferences, that have been divided into four new departments: "Faith, announcement and education", "Ministries and services of the Church"; "Pastoral", "Church and world". The principles for the establishment of a joint Planning and Funding Committee have been approved, and the guidelines for the "ordination of the virgins" have been laid down, since "an increasing number of women explain the Swiss bishops in the final release choose this walk of life", which is officially recognised by the Church. A guide to help the pastoral assistance work to those who suffer abortions or antenatal deaths will be published in July in German. The bishops also approved the Pastoral Letter for the National Fasting Day 2006, about: "Insofar as you have done it to the least of my brothers, you will have done it to me", which places emphasis on social assistance work in Switzerland.” “
