A democracy that no longer looks to rights
- Details
- Hits: 42
An emptied parliament and the risks of a democracy that no longer looks to rights
The approval of the budget law by the Italian Parliament raises very deep concerns because of a legislative process that appears to be compromised and distorted in substance in relation with the provisions of the constitutional order of the Republic. A number of independent institutions, including the Committee for Legislation of the Chamber of Deputies, have found in the structure of the law and in the procedure followed to be profound problematic issues regarding the provisions of our institutional system. Many constitutionalists have pointed out that Article 72 of our Constitution requires the two branches of Parliament to carefully examine the draft laws that are submitted to the attention of parliamentarians, in order to ensure a deliberative process that allows the necessary weighting of those that should become normative texts and to allow a discussion that, through the vehicle of elected representatives, allows the different components of the country to be involved in the political and institutional process. The failure of this process, which is hidden by the urgency of avoiding the temporary exercise of public finances and by the discussion regarding the content of the budget law, is a fact of particular importance and institutional gravity.
Letter to the Christian brothers and sisters on the situation in Catalunya
- Details
- Hits: 20
Dear friends
Those who sign up for this letter, Christians worried about the situation we are living in Catalonia, have believed that it might be a good thing to explain here the way we see the situation, and we see how to look to tackle a way out. Obviously, without any pretense to convince anyone, but only with the desire to publicly make know the various ways of addressing the problem that exists within the Christian community, based on the same faith and the same faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus.
Lay synod of Chile
- Details
- Hits: 56
With the participation of more than 350 people from the Catholic Church, belonging to different instances and networks from all over the country, the first assembly of the so-called Lay Synod of Chile was held in Santiago. The event took place in Santiago and more than 350 people committed to the Catholic Church participated. The organizers informed that in the next few months the final document of this assembly will be released, which will be used for pastoral work.
Final declaration
Welcoming migrants in the diocese of Torino
- Details
- Hits: 49
"I want to declare the willingness of the Church of Turin to welcome some of the families who are on board the ships Sea Watch 3 and Sea Eye": said the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia this morning, during the homily for the traditional People's Day. The diocese had already hosted two migrants from the ship Diciotti last September.
"It is a gesture - continued Nosiglia - that has a symbolic and spiritual meaning and is, at the same time, very concrete.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019
- Details
- Hits: 43
Merry Christmas
Nativité
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted...”
Isaïe 11, 1-4
Let us wish ourselves, as well as our fellow citizens and rulers, to practise these virtues and that this Hope will bring you Peace and Joy!
Happy New Year 2019
El Salvador For one part of Central America
- Details
- Hits: 79
The trip began in Tegucigalpa and ended in Guatemala, but the convocation that gave the initial impulse was in El Salvador, from August 30 to September 2, in the Congress of Amerindia to celebrate the 50 years of the Conference of Medellín.
Honduras was a good start for those two and a half weeks and to fulfill the first objective: to visit Monsignor François Lapierre, former world advisor to the IMCS, bishop emeritus of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, has been living and working for several months in a formation and spirituality centre run by the Catholic University of Honduras. This centre is called Tabor, 17 kms from Tegucigalpa, at a good height; there François has found a beautiful space to continue being a missionary, available for those who ask him for any service, listening to and accompanying many and varied stories of life and faith.
Towards a European community of thinking?
- Details
- Hits: 211
In May 2019 European people will elect the new European parliament and according to many analysts this election is going to be crucial for the future of the European Union. The rising of political parties and movements which consider the EU as the responsible for the economic crisis and for its consequences in terms of social security strongly challenge the very basis of the political project of a Europe unite in the diversity and ruled by democratic and effective institution. This scenario questions the existence of a European political perspective, since an increasing number of member states are ruled by governments which asks for a return to the central role of national state. Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy claim a return to the protection of the “national interest” and relevant political movements in Germany (particularly in Bavaria and East Germany), France and Belgium support this same position.
Strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe
- Details
- Hits: 136
Call on Civil Society to disseminate the recommendation of the Council of Europe on the need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation to member States to take effective measures to protect and promote civil society space. Civil society organizations are invited to bring this recommendation to the attention of national authorities, ask for its translation into the national language and monitor its implementation by their governments.
CoE : "Climate Change and Human Rights"
- Details
- Hits: 108
CoE : Protection and promotion of the civil society space in Europe
- Details
- Hits: 129
Please be informed that the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH), composed of experts representing the forty-seven member States of the Council of Europe, has organised a half-day workshop, on 29 November 2018 afternoon in Strasbourg, entitled “Protection and promotion of the civil society space in Europe”. All relevant information, including the programme of the workshop, are available on our website.
You will find in attachment the Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe.
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 28 November 2018 at the 1330th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)
Latino american encounter Chillan 2018
- Details
- Hits: 175
The national movements of Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, as well as a guest from Argentina, met to review our commitments as professionals in the continent; the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bolivia, Ecuador and Guatemala could not participate.
In continuity with the guidelines of the Lima 2015 meeting, guided by our methodology of revision of life, attentive to the present situation of our peoples and enlightened by the encyclical Laudato Sí, we assume the new challenges that we want to transmit through this document.
"Yes, I am going to create a new heaven and a new earth. [...] The wolf and the lamb will graze together, the lion will eat straw like the ox and the serpent will feed on dust: No harm or ravages will be done in all my holy mountain, says the Lord". (Is. 65, 17a. 25)
CoE : INGO migration task force
- Details
- Hits: 148
Information from the Conference of INGOs migration task force
The Standing Committee has created a migration task force whose presentation can be found on the website of the Conference of INGOs. The main objective of the task force is to integrate the concerns of INGOs working with migrants into the reflections and work of all the entities of the Conference.
To better achieve these objectives, the migration task force invites you to enter into dialogue with it by using the dedicated e-mail address : .
In order to gather some preliminary information on your activities related to migrations, the task force proposes you to fill in the attached form. You should first save the document on your device, then fill it out and return it by email to .
CoE: World Forum for Democracy 2018
- Details
- Hits: 222
Gender Equality : Whose Battle ?
The World forum for democracy 2018 will be dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights. We will focus in particular on women’s public, political and economic participation and on combating violence against women in the wake of #MeToo. The Forum will take place in Strasbourg from 19 to 21 November 2018.
AMECEA Pastoral Department is committed toward supporting Icmica Pax Romana
- Details
- Hits: 193
AMECEA(*) Pastoral Department is committed toward supporting Pax Romana-International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) as it reorganizes its structures to conform with the structures of the Church at all levels - region, Conference and the diocese, says Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo, the Coordinator of AMECEA Pastoral Department.
According to Fr. Chimombo who attended the ICMICA meeting convened in Ivory Coast from 15th to 18th October, 2018 under the theme Catholic Professionals and the Call to Good Citizenship in Africa Today; one of the fundamental resolutions by the meeting which was attended by representatives that came from 17 African countries was to revive their spiritual foundation.
Catholic professional in the electoral process in DRC
- Details
- Hits: 270
ICMICA-Pax Romana is a movement towards action to transform our living environments. I firmly believe that this transformation depends on our transformation as men, as women, as Christians, in order to become effectively the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Testimonies and exchanges about what we are experiencing and what we see are crucial moments in building this social transformation. I sincerely hope that this session will allow us to throw a seed for the improvement of the living conditions of the populations on our continent.
The MCCP Madagascar: a constantly evolving Church movement
- Details
- Hits: 156
The Mouvement Chrétien de Cadres et de Professionnels de Madagascar is made up of members from the liberal professional world and executives from the public service and the private sector. In its thirty years of existence, MCCP Madagascar has gone through different periods, in its life of movement (creation, evolution within the national authority of the Church, geographical extension) but also in the face of all aspects of national socio-political and socio-economic life. Indeed, the socio-economic, cultural or environmental policies applied by the regimes that ruled Madagascar successively, as well as the lessons communicated by the Church through the Popes' encyclicals or the Bishops' letters, have influenced the actions undertaken by the movement.
Questionnaire on the future of work
- Details
- Hits: 184
ILO (International labour organisation) is on its way towards it’s centenary (in 2019), inspired by the theme of “Future of Work”. Besides technological, economical or fair trading aspects, the project « Future of Work ; Labour after Laudato Si » calls for the emergence of ethical and spiritual foundations for building a future of work, authentically humanistic for all.
The questionnaire below can serve as a guide to identify together the specificities, challenges and opportunities to be placed at the heart of the development of a "Future of Work" that truly serves the dignity of women and men, of all ages, nationalities and cultures.
Another narrative is possible
- Details
- Hits: 334
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Mr Orban, has a growing reputation for certain choices made by his government, which give rise to very conflicting reactions, in that they include the restriction of freedom of expression, religious freedom, freedom of association, the rights of minorities and the rights of migrants, and a restriction on the independence of the judiciary. The European Parliament, in a recent resolution, expressed its opposition, because if in the body of Europe is developing a spirit that is so seriously damaging to the democratic principles that we have shared and experienced (despite all the shortcomings) in recent decades, the very idea of Europe risks being compromised. The results of the elections in Sweden, in which xenophobic and sovereign impulses similar to those of other European countries are strongly emerging, have contributed to this conviction.
Communiqué of the Icmica Pax Romana African region
- Details
- Hits: 230
We, Catholic Professionals under the auspices of Pax Romana, decided to assemble here in Ivory Coast, Bingerville from 17 African countries to reflect on the theme ‘Catholic Professionals and the Call to Good Citizenship in Africa Today’. The Catholic Professionals convened from 15 to 18 2018 October to:
- Self-examine ourselves, especially on our role as Catholic Professionals and as agents of change; and
- Develop practical strategies (activities/road map) on ways to ‘organize ourselves’ to confront the socioeconomic and political challenges that pull us back as a continent.
We recognize that the African continent has made great socio-economic and political strides. However, in spite of this progress, the continent still remains held back by many serious challenges- including corruption, poor governance, weak institutions, un employment all of which negatively affect the continent’s socioeconomic and political progress.
Listening to Voices from Around the World. (Young Catholics and the Synod)
- Details
- Hits: 316
Statement to the members, auditors and observers of the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment
Over the past two years, we have been involved in an international research project to study and engage best practices in student and young adult apostolates.[1] We have collected good practices and models of small faith communities[2] of, for, and by Catholic university students from over a dozen countries. Some of these are highlighted in a book, God’s Quad: Small Faith Communities on Campus and Beyond (Orbis Books, 2018). Along with the book, we have held “listening sessions,” most recently in Nairobi, New York, and Rome. Our goal is to engage more voices of young people in the process of the Synod. From these events and our research, six key messages surface.
- 1) We encourage the church to use the final propositions and outcomes of this Synod to spark greater reflections, analysis, and pastoral renewal on the role of young people in the local church.
