DOCSLIB.ORG

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity VA – 00120 Vatican City

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity VA – 00120 Vatican City Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity N. 141 (2013/I) N. 145 (2015/I) TABLE OF CONTENTS POPE FRANCIS AND ECUMENISM (January-June 2015) Audiences with ecumenical delegations ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Messages of Pope Francis ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (6 June 2015) ................................................... 9 Pastoral Visit of Pope Francis to Turin (22 June 2015) ......................................................................................................... 10 Other statements by Pope Francis ............................................................................................................................................. 11 CELEBRATION IN ROME FOR THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2015 (18-25 January 2015) ...................... 14 COMMEMORATION OF THE MARTYRDOM OF ARMENIANS Greeting of Pope Francis before Mass in St Peter’s in commemoration of the martyrdom of Armenians (12 April 2015) ............................................................................................................................... 16 Message of Pope Francis on the proclamation of St Gregory of Narek as a Doctor of the Church (12 April 2015) .............................................................................................................................. 16 VISIT TO ROME OF HIS HOLINESS MOR IGNATIUS APHREM II, PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH AND ALL THE EAST (17-20 June 2015) Address of Pope Francis (19 June 2015) .................................................................................................................................. 19 Address of His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II (19 June 2015) ...................................................................................... 20 ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME The existential dimension of ecumenism – Comment by Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamon ................... 22 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JOINT WORKING GROUP BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (23 June 2015) ......................................................................................................................... 25 VISIT TO ROME OF A DELEGATION FROM THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE FOR THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL (26–29 June 2015)................................................................................................................................. 47 ECUMENICAL NEWS International Reformed-Catholic Dialogue, Ghent, Belgium, (22-28 February 2015)....................................................... 49 Malines Conversations Group Meeting, Chestnut Hill (MA), USA (22-26 March 2015) ................................................. 49 Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) Villa Palazzola, Province of Rome (28 April–4 May 2015) .................................................................................................................................................................. 50 Catholics and Disciples of Christ Commission for Dialogue, Bethany (WV), USA (19-24 June 2015) ......................... 51 COMMISSION FOR RELIGIOUS RELATIONS WITH THE JEWS ...................................................................................................... 53 DOCUMENTATION SUPPLEMENT Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Letter of the PCPCU’s Secretary ................................................................................................................................................ 56 Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2016 ................................................................................................. 57 OFFICE: Via della Conciliazione 5 – 00193 Rome (Italy) Tel: +39–06–698 83568 (Editorial Office) Fax: +39–06–698 85365 – Email: [email protected] EDITOR Reverend Father Hyacinthe Destivelle, OP ADDRESS FOR ALL CORRESPONDENCE Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity VA – 00120 Vatican City Back copies: €7 (US$9) The material in this Information Service is not copyright, but we would appreciate a copy of any publication which includes extensive quotation from it. POPE FRANCIS AND ECUMENISM January – June 2015 AUDIENCES WITH ECUMENICAL gifts transform those who receive them, making them DELEGATIONS witnesses to the true life that is in him alone (cf. Jn 4:39). As the Gospel tells us, many Samaritans believed TO AN ECUMENICAL DELEGATION OF THE in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony. As you, LUTHERAN CHURCH OF FINLAND Bishop Vikstrom, have said, there is so much that Catholics and Lutherans can do together to bear 22 January 2015 witness to God’s mercy in our societies. A shared “A shared Christian witness is very much needed in the face of Christian witness is very much needed in the face of the mistrust, insecurity, persecution, pain and suffering the mistrust, insecurity, persecution, pain and suffering experienced so widely in today’s world”. Pope Francis said this experienced so widely in today’s world. on Thursday, 22 January, to an ecumenical delegation of the This common witness can be sustained and Lutheran Church of Finland, which came to Rome on an annual encouraged by progress in theological dialogue between pilgrimage on the Feast of their patron St Henrik, also the Churches. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of coinciding with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Here Justification, which was solemnly signed some fifteen below we publish the Pope’s text followed by the address of H.E. years ago between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church, can produce further fruits of Björn Vikström, Bishop of Porvoo. reconciliation and cooperation between us. The Nordic ADDRESS OF POPE FRANCIS Lutheran–Catholic dialogue in Finland and Sweden, under the related theme Justification in the Life of the Dear Bishops, Dear Friends, Church, has been reflecting on important questions deriving from the Joint Declaration. Let us hope that It is with joy that I welcome you, on the occasion of further convergence will emerge from that dialogue on your annual ecumenical pilgrimage to Rome to the concept of the Church, the sign and instrument of celebrate the feast of Saint Henrik, the patron of your the salvation brought to us in Jesus Christ. country. This annual event has proven to be a truly It is my prayer that your visit to Rome will spiritual and ecumenical meeting between Catholics contribute to strengthening further the ecumenical and Lutherans, a tradition dating back thirty years. relations between Lutherans and Catholics in Finland, Saint Pope John Paul II addressed the which have been so positive for many years. May the members of the first Finnish ecumenical delegation Lord send upon us the Spirit of truth, to guide us which had come to Rome thirty years ago in these towards ever greater love and unity. words: “The fact that you come here together is itself a witness to the importance of efforts for unity. The fact ORE, 30 January 2015 that you pray together is a witness to our belief that only through the grace of God can that unity be ADDRESS OF BISHOP BJÖRN VIKSTRÖM achieved. The fact that you recite the Creed together is a witness to the one common faith of the whole of Your Holiness, and your Excellences and Eminences! Christianity”. At that time, the first important steps had already been taken on a common ecumenical journey It’s a great honor and joy for me to have been given towards full, visible unity of the Christians. In these this opportunity to bring You greetings from the intervening years much has been done and, I am Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and from my certain, will continue to be done in Finland to make own diocese, the diocese of Porvoo. Porvoo is a small “the partial communion existing between Christians town in the south of Finland, who, mostly by grow toward full communion in truth and charity” coincidence, has given the name to the so called (John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint, 14). Porvoo-agreement between, among others, the Your visit comes within the Week of Prayer Scandinavian Lutheran churches and the Anglican for Christian Unity. This year our reflection is based on church. The Diocese of Porvoo is the diocese for the Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well: Swedish speaking minority in the Evangelical Lutheran «Give me to drink» (Jn 4:1-42). We are reminded that church of Finland. the source of all grace is the Lord himself, and that his _____________________________ It has been a tradition for exactly 30 years that * Sources of the texts are designated as follows: OR: L’Osservatore Romano, the bishop of the Catholic diocese in Finland and one daily edition in Italian; ORE: L’Osservatore Romano, weekly edition in English. of the Lutheran bishops come here to Rome to If texts come from sources other than L’Osservatore Romano, this will be noted. When translation is undertaken by the Information Service it is celebrate together the memory of St Henrik, the patron indicated by the abbreviation: IS. saint of Finland. As we move closer to the commemoration of the 500 years of the Lutheran 1 reformation, it is more important than ever to Eminence Anba Bishoy, Co-President of the underscore our common
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Newsletter Sunday 28Th February 2021
    28 February 2021 Mount Argus Bulletin The Parish of St Paul of the Cross and Shrine of St Charles of Mount Argus -- Saint Paul’s Retreat, Mount Argus, Dublin 6W (Eircode: D6W XR66) -- Phone: 01 4992000 Email: [email protected] Website (including Bulletin online): www.mountargusparish.ie Facebook Page: Mount Argus – The Shrine of Saint Charles Masses at Mount Argus – All Masses on Webcam only The Church is open for personal prayer Sunday: 8.00 am, 11.00 am, 4.00 pm Sunday: 12.00 noon to 3.00 pm Monday to Friday: 10.00 am, 6.15 pm Monday to Friday: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm Saturdays: 11.00 am, 6.15 (Vigil Mass) Saturday: 12.00 noon to 5.00 pm Working Holydays 6.15 pm Vigil, 10.00 am, 6.15 pm Blessing with the Relic of St Charles on Webcam Sacrament of Reconciliation Monday to Friday after 10.00 am Mass There are no Confessions in the church Saturday after 11.00 am Mass until further notice Sunday after 11.00 am and 4.00 pm Mass Eucharistic Adoration St Charles Novena Mass: Saturday, 11.00 am Is suspended while we are at Level 5 Today is the Second Sunday of Lent Venerable Ignatius Spencer C.P. On Saturday, 20 February, Pope Francis approved the decree recognising the heroic virtues of Father Ignatius Spencer, a Passionist priest who ministered at Mount Argus and died in Scotland in 1864. Father Ignatius was the first Passionist to give a retreat in Ireland; this was a retreat to the students of Carlow College in 1848.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining Nostra Aetate After 40 Years: Catholic-Jewish Relations in Our Time / Edited by Anthony J
    EXAMINING NOSTRA AETATE AFTER 40 YEARS EXAMINING NOSTRA AETATE AFTER 40 YEARS Catholic-Jewish Relations in Our Time Edited by Anthony J. Cernera SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY PRESS FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT 2007 Copyright 2007 by the Sacred Heart University Press All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, contact the Sacred Heart University Press, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, Connecticut 06825 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Examining Nostra Aetate after 40 Years: Catholic-Jewish Relations in our time / edited by Anthony J. Cernera. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-888112-15-3 1. Judaism–Relations–Catholic Church. 2. Catholic Church– Relations–Judaism. 3. Vatican Council (2nd: 1962-1965). Declaratio de ecclesiae habitudine ad religiones non-Christianas. I. Cernera, Anthony J., 1950- BM535. E936 2007 261.2’6–dc22 2007026523 Contents Preface vii Nostra Aetate Revisited Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy 1 The Teaching of the Second Vatican Council on Jews and Judaism Lawrence E. Frizzell 35 A Bridge to New Christian-Jewish Understanding: Nostra Aetate at 40 John T. Pawlikowski 57 Progress in Jewish-Christian Dialogue Mordecai Waxman 78 Landmarks and Landmines in Jewish-Christian Relations Judith Hershcopf Banki 95 Catholics and Jews: Twenty Centuries and Counting Eugene Fisher 106 The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University:
    [Show full text]
  • Archdiocesan News Evangelization Marriage, Family & Life NEW ITEMS
    Weekly News Bulletin September 11, 2018 Subscribe to the weekly bulletin, click here. Take a moment to visit and ‘Like’ our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ArchSaintBoniface. NEW ITEMS Archdiocesan News *NOTICE* Employment Opportunity: Revised Job Description - Communications Coordinator The Archdiocese of Saint Boniface is recruiting for the full-time position of Communications Coordinator. The Communications Office is a ministry which serves the Archbishop, priests, parishes, offices and agencies within the Archdiocese of Saint Boniface. Through various media, this office focuses on effectively communicating the work of the Archdiocese to the parishes, the faithful and the general public. It also works to help meet the approved communications needs of the parishes. The Communications Coordinator’s main purpose is to oversee all aspects of this function. To view the revised full job description, learn how to apply or for more information, please visit our website at: https://www.archsaintboniface.ca/main.php?p=424 or contact [email protected]. Closing deadline for submissions is Monday, September 24, 2018. Evangelization *NEW* SAVE THE DATE: New Evangelization Summit – May 4 & 5, 2019 The 2019 New Evangelization Summit (NES) will be held on May 4 & 5th at St. Bernadette Parish, 820 Cottonwood, Winnipeg. For more information: Jasmine Lusty, St. Bernadette Parish: [email protected]. Also view upcoming information on the diocesan website: https://www.archsaintboniface.ca/main.php?p=821. View the promotional video. Marriage, Family & Life *NEW* Marriage, Family and Life Service – Interim Coordinator With Sophie Freynet-Agossa being on maternity leave this pastoral year, Marie Brunet has been hired as Interim Coordinator of the Marriage, Family and Life Service until June of 2019.
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Church in the Czech Republic
    The Catholic Church in the Czech Republic Dear Readers, The publication on the Ro- man Catholic Church which you are holding in your hands may strike you as history that belongs in a museum. How- ever, if you leaf through it and look around our beauti- ful country, you may discover that it belongs to the present as well. Many changes have taken place. The history of the Church in this country is also the history of this nation. And the history of the nation, of the country’s inhabitants, always has been and still is the history of the Church. The Church’s mission is to serve mankind, and we want to fulfil Jesus’s call: “I did not come to be served but to serve.” The beautiful and unique pastoral constitution of Vatican Coun- cil II, the document “Joy and Hope” begins with the words: “The joys and the hopes, the grief and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the grief and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” This is the task that hundreds of thousands of men and women in this country strive to carry out. According to expert statistical estimates, approximately three million Roman Catholics live in our country along with almost twenty thousand of our Eastern broth- ers and sisters in the Greek Catholic Church, with whom we are in full communion. There are an additional million Christians who belong to a variety of other Churches. Ecumenical cooperation, which was strengthened by decades of persecution and bullying of the Church, is flourishing remarkably in this country.
    [Show full text]
  • THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Department for External Church Relations
    THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Department for External Church Relations His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with President of the Latvian Republic Valdis Zatlers On 20 December 2010, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the President of the Latvian Republic, Valdis Zatlers. The meeting took place at the Patriarch's working residence in Chisty sidestreet, Moscow. The Latvian President was accompanied by his wife Ms. Lilita Zatlers; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Latvian Republic to the Russian Federation Edgars Skuja; head of the President's Chancery Edgars Rinkevichs; state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andris Teikmanis; Riga Mayor Nil Ushakov; foreign relations advisor to the President, Andris Pelsh; and advisor to the President, Vasily Melnik. Taking part in the meeting were also Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan Alexander of Riga and All Lat via; and Bishop Alexander of Daugavpils. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Latvian Republic A. Veshnyakov and the third secretary of the Second European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs S. Abramkin represented the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia cordially greeted the President of Latvia and his suite, expressing his hope for the first visit of Valdis Zatlers to Moscow to serve to the strengthening of friendly relations between people of the two countries. His Holiness noted with appreciation the high level of relations between the Latvian Republic and the Russian Orthodox Church. "It is an encouraging fact that the Law on the Latvian Orthodox Church has come into force in Latvia in 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • Catholic Archives 2002 to Completion - Hence 'Introductory Notes'
    Catholic Archives i 2002 Number 22 THE JOURNAL OF The Catholic Archives Society CATHOLIC ARCHIVES NO 22 CONTENTS 2002 Introductory Notes New CAS Patrons 3 Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives J. SHARP 6 From Sight to Sound: Archival Evidence for English Catholic Music T.E. MUIR 10 The Archives of the Catholic Lay Societies II R. GARD 26 Dominican Congregation of St Catherine of Siena of Newcastle Natal S Africa Sr. E MURPHY O.P. 35 Oakford Domincans in England Sr. C. BROKAMP O.P. 40 The Congregation of the Sisters of St Anne Sr E. HUDSON S.S.A. 47 Archives of Holy Cross Abbey, Whitland, SA34 OGX, Wales, Cistercian Nuns Sr J. MOOR OSCO 52 Homily Idelivered at Hornby, July 15th 2001, on the occasion of the 150 Anniversary of the death of John Lingard P. PHILIPPS 54 Book Reviews 57 The Catholic Archives Society Conference, 2001 64 1 Introductory Notes Traditionally this page has been entitled 'Editorial notes'. Un­ fortunately the Editor has been unable to see Catholic Archives 2002 to completion - hence 'Introductory Notes'. Last year, Father Foster pointed out that he was presenting the first part of Father Joseph Fleming's study on archival theory and standards and promised the second part this year. This has been held over once again, this time not for reasons of space but for reasons of time. With the Editor unavailable, it was not possible for others to edit in such a way as to synchronise with the first part before sending the draft journal to the printers. Catholic Archives 2002 offers T.
    [Show full text]
  • SAMPLE His Priests from Ever Entering a Synagogue.” I Was Amazed and Crushed
    Introduction Gilbert S. Rosenthal I was a young and callow rabbi serving a congregation in New Jersey about forty miles from New York City. The year was 1960, and Thanks- giving was approaching. I had an inspirational idea: My synagogue was literally across the road from a Roman Catholic church. Why not invite the priest and his flock to join my congregation in a program—not a wor- ship service—of thanksgiving for the blessings of freedom in this blessed land? So I called the priest whom I had never met and enthusiastically told him of my idea, stressing that this would be a program without any liturgical content, confident that he would accept my invitation. I was quite wrong: The priest responded, “Rabbi, I should very much like to take you up on your offer but I cannot. You see, my bishop, Bishop Ahr of Trenton, prohibitsSAMPLE his priests from ever entering a synagogue.” I was amazed and crushed. The fact that I vividly remember that conversation after over fifty years have elapsed underscores my sense of despair and the lasting impression it made on me. Imagine that a scant fifteen years after the Shoah—the Holocaust that destroyed six million Jews in Christian Europe—and the Catholic Church would not even talk to Jews or enter their houses of worship! We were just across the road from each other, but we might as well have been on other sides of the world. Perhaps that episode was the catalyst of my commitment to interreligious dialogue throughout my long rabbinic career.
    [Show full text]
  • Marketing Fragment 6 X 10.Long.T65
    Cambridge University Press 0521667380 - An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches John Binns Index More information Index Abgar the Black, king of Edessa, 98, 144 Anba Bishoy, monastery, 112 Abraham of Kashkar, 117, 149 Andrassy, Julius, 182 abu ’Ali Mansur al-Hakim, 174 Andreah, Patriarch of Antioch, 219 abu Ja’far al-Mansur, 174 Andrew of Crete, 51, 117 Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 205 Andrew, St, Biblical Theology Institute, Aedesius, of Ethiopia, 145–6 Moscow, 248 Afanas’ev, Nikolai, 42 Andronicus I, Byzantine emperor, 165 Ahmed ibn Ibrahim el-Ghazi or Granj, 34 Anna Comnena, Byzantine empress, 74 Aimilianos, of Simonopetra, 243 Anselm of Canterbury, 206, 209 Akoimetoi, monastery of, 117 Anthimus, Patriarch of Constantinople, 5 Aksentejevi´c,Pavle, 105 Antioch, 1–3, 9, 14–15, 40, 43–4, 143, Alaska, 152, 154–6 148, 203, 207, 220 Albania, Church in, 17, 157, 159 Antonii Khrapovitskii, 25 Alexander, prince of Bulgaria, 183 Antony of Egypt, 108–10, 114, 119 Alexander II, Tsar of Russia, 154 Antony Bloom, Metropolitan of Sourozh, Alexander Paulus, Metropolitan of 234 Estonia, 187 Aphrahat, ‘Persian sage’, 49 Alexandria, 14, 43, 63, 71–2, 115, 144, Aquinas, Thomas, 91 146–7, 158, 169 Arabs, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 28, 33, 66, 70, 169, Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow, 105, 238 173, 176, 190, 204; Arab Christianity, Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine emperor, 15, 55, 79, 146–7, 172 206–7 Armenia, Church in, 30–1, 145, 190, Alexius IV, Byzantine emperor, 207 192, 219 Alexius V, Byzantine emperor, 207 Arseniev, N., 225 al-Harith, 147 Arsenius,
    [Show full text]
  • Martyrs, Saints & Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox
    Martyrs, Saints & Prelates of The Syriac Orthodox Church Volume I Fr. K. Mani Rajan, M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D. The Travancore Syriac Orthodox Publishers Kottayam - 686 004 Kerala, India. 2007 1 Martyrs, Saints & Prelates of The Syriac Orthodox Church (Volume I) By Fr. K. Mani Rajan, M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D. First Edition 2007 Copyright Reserved All rights reserved. No reproduction or translation in whole or part is allowed without written permission from the author. Price Rs. 100.00 U.S. $ 10.00 Typesetting and Cover Design by: M/s Vijaya Book House, M.G.University, Athirampuzha Printed at: Dona Colour Graphs, Kottayam Published By: The Travancore Syriac Orthodox Publishers Kottayam - 686 004 Kerala, India. Phone: +91 481 3100179, +91 94473 15914 E-mail: [email protected] Copies: 1000 2 Contents Preface Apostolic Bull of H. H. Patriarch Abbreviations used 1. St. John, the Baptist .................................................. 2. S t . S t e p h e n , t h e Martyr ................................................................................ 3. St. James, the Disciple ............................................... 4. St. James, the First Archbishop of Jerusalem ............ 5. King Abgar V of Urhoy ................................................ 6. St. Mary, the Mother of God ....................................... 7. St. Peter, the Disciple ................................................. 8. St. Paul, the Disciple .............................................................................. 9. St. Mark, the Evangelist ............................................
    [Show full text]
  • Canon Law of Eastern Churches
    KB- KBZ Religious Legal Systems KBR-KBX Law of Christian Denominations KBR History of Canon Law KBS Canon Law of Eastern Churches Class here works on Eastern canon law in general, and further, on the law governing the Orthodox Eastern Church, the East Syrian Churches, and the pre- Chalcedonean Churches For canon law of Eastern Rite Churches in Communion with the Holy See of Rome, see KBT Bibliography Including international and national bibliography 3 General bibliography 7 Personal bibliography. Writers on canon law. Canonists (Collective or individual) Periodicals, see KB46-67 (Christian legal periodicals) For periodicals (Collective and general), see BX100 For periodicals of a particular church, see that church in BX, e.g. BX120, Armenian Church For periodicals of the local government of a church, see that church in KBS Annuals. Yearbooks, see BX100 Official gazettes, see the particular church in KBS Official acts. Documents For acts and documents of a particular church, see that church in KBS, e.g. KBS465, Russian Orthodox Church Collections. Compilations. Selections For sources before 1054 (Great Schism), see KBR195+ For sources from ca.1054 on, see KBS270-300 For canonical collections of early councils and synods, both ecumenical/general and provincial, see KBR205+ For document collections of episcopal councils/synods and diocesan councils and synods (Collected and individual), see the church in KBS 30.5 Indexes. Registers. Digests 31 General and comprehensive) Including councils and synods 42 Decisions of ecclesiastical tribunals and courts (Collective) Including related materials For decisions of ecclesiastical tribunals and courts of a particular church, see that church in KBS Encyclopedias.
    [Show full text]
  • Italy 2017 International Religious Freedom Report
    ITALY 2017 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution protects freedom of religion and the right of religious communities to establish their own institutions. The constitution specifies the state and the Catholic Church are independent, their relations governed by treaties, which include a concordat granting the Church a number of privileges and benefits, as well as financial support. Other religious groups must register to receive tax and other benefits. Registered groups may request an accord with the state that provides most of the same benefits granted the Catholic Church. Muslims continued to report difficulties in acquiring permission from local governments to construct mosques or keep them open. In February the Ministry of Interior (MOI) signed an agreement with the country’s largest Muslim organization with the stated purpose of preventing radicalization and promoting the training of imams to manage funds transparently and deliver sermons in Italian. Following the ruling, Milan municipal officials continued to withhold authorization to build two new mosques and a Protestant church, citing limited capability to identify proper venues as required by the law. Local governments closed Bangladeshi informal “garage” mosques in Mestre and in Rome, and a group sought a referendum to block a new mosque in Pisa. In separate rulings, a Lazio court ordered authorities to reopen the five garage mosques that Rome officials had closed down in 2016. There were anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents, including threats, hate speech, graffiti, and vandalism. In 2016, the most recent year for which data were available, the quasi-governmental National Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) reported 240 cases of discrimination based on religion, compared with 28 the previous year.
    [Show full text]
  • Winnipeg Regional Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue
    Minutes Winnipeg Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue, Meeting No. 32 Meeting held on 19 January 2011 at the Fort Garry Mennonite Church Present: Paul Doerksen, Michelle Gallant, Helmut Harder, Richard Lebrun, John Long, Luis Melo, Ron Penner, Donna Peters-Small, Lynda Trenholm, and Nancy Wood. 1. Introduction – Helmut began by welcoming new participants to the dialogue and reporting that Adolf Ens, Henry Loewen, Janet Kozak, and Joe Langan have dropped out of the group since our last meeting, and noted that Dora Dueck, an ongoing member was away visiting family. He then gave a brief explanation of the history of the group. Round of Introductions: Helmut noted that he and Luis had “invented” the group ten years ago. He had been involved in the international Catholic-Mennonite dialogue, through which he had gotten to know James Puglisi, S.A. (who was involved with Luis’ doctoral thesis in Rome). Thinking that he should be doing something about Mennonite Catholic dialogue in Winnipeg, he contacted Luis. Helmut said that he was from southern Ontario, that he had taught at the Canadian Mennonite Bible College (now Canadian Mennonite University), served as general secretary of Mennonite Church Canada, and that his wife is a musician. They had one daughter who passed away, and two married sons. Richard is a retired prof (history, University of Manitoba, St. Paul’s College), married more than 56 years, with six children, nine grandchildren (one deceased), and nine great- grandchildren. He has also been a member of this group since the beginning, and is active in St. Ignatius Parish. Lynda is a pastoral associate at St.
    [Show full text]