Bishops call for a renewed transatlantic partnership ahead of the EU-US Summit
Bishops from both sides of the Atlantic have released on Monday 7 June 2021 a joint declaration towards a renewed transatlantic relationship ahead of the June 2021 EU-US Summit. They encourage European and American policy-makers to work together for a stronger partnership at the service of a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.
In view of the upcoming June 2021 EU-US Summit gathering political leaders from both sides of the Atlantic, H. Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ and H.E. Mgr. José Horacio Gómez, Presidents of COMECE and USCCB respectively, issued a joint statement calling for a renewal of the transatlantic ties rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, justice, and respect for human life.
As many people and families around the world are still facing a time of severe uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Card. Hollerich and Mgr. Gómez, on behalf of EU and US Bishops, express hope that the upcoming Summit will result in redefining common priorities serving “a people-centered and just recovery from the pandemic and its consequences, intensifying common efforts for a more peaceful world, and strengthening the commitment to a better care for our common home”.
While the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is swiftly advancing in the European Union and the United States of America, the Bishops remind political leaders that most of the countries are still far away from the prospect of a post-pandemic world, and encourage them to accelerate their efforts, including through the COVAX Facility, to ensure an equitable access to vaccines for all, especially the most poor and vulnerable.
Entitled “Shared Responsibility for the Whole Human Family” and inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, the declaration exhorts “the EU and the U.S. to be beacons of trust across the global community and engines for a reinvigoration of multilateral cooperation”.
Hearing the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, the Catholic Church also calls on decision-makers to shape the transatlantic partnership according to the concept of integral ecology as outlined in Laudauto Si’, which includes the challenge to address climate change as an opportunity to improve general living conditions, health, transport, energy, and security, and to create new job opportunities.
The statement concludes with prayers of EU and US Bishops for a fruitful and mutually beneficial partnership, “not only for our citizens, but to also at the service of the whole human family. The Church on both sides of the Atlantic stands ready to contribute to these noble efforts of the decision-makers”.
BIC BRUSSELS — Each year, tens of thousands of people from Africa travel to Europe to work alongside a declining national agricultural workforce on farms in EU member states in an industry that is increasingly becoming dependent on migrant seasonal workers.
When the pandemic disrupted international travel in April 2020, the spring harvest throughout Europe was thrown into jeopardy, revealing the extent of the EU’s reliance on seasonal workers and their difficult living conditions. Additionally, the pandemic has brought renewed attention to economic crises, the loss of land by farmers, and other factors that are driving people to leave rural areas in Africa.
“The way that agricultural affairs are organized is not sustainable or equitable, be it in Europe, Africa, or anywhere else in the world. There are fundamental questions that need to be closely examined in the light of principles such as the oneness of humanity,” said Rachel Bayani of the Brussels Office of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) at an online seminar held by the Office last Wednesday.
The gathering is part of a seminar series, co-hosted by the Brussels Office and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which brings together policymakers, academics, and civil society organizations from Europe and Africa to explore the relationship between agriculture, rural sustainability, and migration, particularly in the context of partnerships between the two regions.
Rodrigo de Lapuerta, Director at the Liaison Office in Brussels of the FAO, spoke about the novel approach of the seminars: “FAO estimates that 80% of all moves involve rural areas. Migration and rural transformation, with the sustainability of agri-food systems, are totally interrelated. However, I do not think these two issues have often been treated jointly.”
Attendees at the gatherings have highlighted different aspects of the links between migration and agriculture. “Many factors influence why and how people migrate from rural areas… [but] it is essential that this migration is done out of choice, rather than necessity,” said Mr. Ola Henrickson, Regional Director at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
A particular focus of the most recent seminar was on the viability of EU’s agricultural sector and the need for rethinking production systems.
“We have to remember that our food security depends on the respect of our agri-food workers’ rights,” said Maximo Torero Cullen, the FAO’s Chief Economist, at a recent gathering. “The pandemic has shown us how indispensable migrants are… but it has also rightfully put the spotlight on the poor working and living conditions in the [agricultural] sector and the invisibility of these workers.”
Dr. Torero Cullen and other participants emphasized that policies of African and European states and regional bodies aimed at building sustainable food and agriculture systems need to put at the center the interests, safety, and well-being of agricultural workers.
“Many EU Member States frame their seasonal worker schemes primarily in terms of meeting labor-market needs at home,” said Camille Le Coz of the Migration Policy Institute of Europe. But she highlighted that some countries are looking at other approaches, including framing migration policies around “co-development”—creating arrangements that are beneficial to the sending and receiving countries as well as the workers themselves.
Reflecting on the gathering, Mrs. Bayani states: “Our current economic and agricultural systems and their implications for migration, the environment, nutrition, and livelihoods need to be closely examined. The Bahá’í teachings offer insights that can be helpful in this conversation: that the question of economics should begin with the farmer, because the farmer ‘is the first active agent in human society.’ This idea can allow us to explore possibilities for different ways to look at production systems.”
She continues: “The issues discussed at these seminars reflect only some of the profound questions before humanity. The Bahá’í teachings envisage that every element of society, including economic relations, will have to undergo a profound transformation in the light of the essential principle of the oneness of humanity.”
Future seminars over the coming months will continue to look at agriculture and migration, focusing on topics such as education and the future of villages.
COMECE: “national level is best placed to fight against hate crimes”
In a recent contribution to a public consultation of the European Commission on Fundamental Rights, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) condemns the grave phenomenon of hate crimes and reiterates the Church’s commitment to tackle it with effective policies.
The European Commission has consulted stakeholders on the proposal to extend the crimes on which the EU can legislate, including hate crimes and hate speech.
In its contribution, COMECE underlines that “hate crimes are more and more common and are cause for increasing concern. They are a grave phenomenon to be condemned without reservations. The Church is committed, at the national and global level, to tackle the phenomenon by proposing effective policies”.
While giving policy recommendations, COMECE expressed perplexity on the inclusion of hate crimes and hate speech in the list of “EU crimes”.
Due to concerns related to legal certainty and to a sound protection of Fundamental Rights (e.g. freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of science, freedom of education and of teaching), COMECE considers that “the national level is the appropriate and better placed to address related, highly sensitive questions, in accordance with respective legal traditions and approaches”.
In general, through the criminalisation of hate crimes, criminal sanctions may strike at the mere expression of an idea – or action carried out by the Church in the exercise of its magisterium, -teaching activities – regardless of the intentions of the speaker, the expressions used or the context.
Due to the unsure borders for conduct and expression, COMECE highlighted the risk of a chilling and self-censoring effect on democratic debates and open discussions in society. In this context, the COMECE contribution recalls the reference in the Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti to a “cultural covenant”, “…that respects and acknowledges the different worldviews, cultures and lifestyles that coexist in society”.
Moreover, concerning the online hate crimes and hate speech, COMECE supports the idea that citizens, associations and communities can contribute to create a real “online ecology”.
An eventual inclusion of hate crimes and hate speech in the list of crimes on which the European Union can legislate, should be accompanied by elements such as:
Covering ‘hate crimes’, not ‘hate speech’ – the latter being generic and not being covered by any globally agreed definition in international human rights documents;
Inclusion of robust and not merely symbolic clauses to protect the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and information and to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
Avoiding prioritising certain protected grounds/characteristics over others. Religion must be included among the grounds protected by the relevant EU legislation;
Adopting a terminology that strictly adheres to the formulations of EU primary law;
Establishment of specific aggravating circumstances as a possible, less radical option.
As part of CEC’s monthly Theological Reflections series “Communion in Crisis: The Church during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Dutch theologian Jutta Eilander-van Maaren reflects on Church solidarity, togetherness and Eucharist during the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing practices from the life of the Old-Catholic Church of the Netherlands.
March 2020 saw the start of COVID-19 cases rising rapidly in the Netherlands. The Dutch government ordered an ‘intelligent lockdown’. Schools, shops and restaurants were closed and people needed to stay and work at home. The Old-Catholic Church of the Netherlands (OCCN) chose to close its doors, just as almost every other member of the National Council of Churches. The lockdown took longer than expected; it was June before celebrating the Eucharist with a small group of people was once again possible. In summer, celebrations with a maximum of a 100 people were possible but soon the number had to drop down again, only to end up in a second lockdown in November that lasted until today.
Legally, the government cannot interfere in gatherings of people on the basis of their religion. It can strongly advise the churches, but it is their decision whether or not to follow the advice. From the start, the OCCN chose a clear view on the position of the church regarding the government protocols. The bishops decided that solidarity was their main focus point – solidarity with the people that were ill, solidarity with the society that was grinding to a halt, solidarity with the care workers who did not need any more patients, solidarity with the government protocols. They framed it a ‘voluntary solidarity’, fitting in with the time of Lent.
Although the pandemic has lasted longer than anyone expected, this view on solidarity remains. The churches have stayed closed for as long as it has been necessary, although it pains the hearts of the community. But churches being closed does not mean that the Church is not present. Every Sunday the Eucharist is celebrated and streamed online. At the start of the pandemic, the bishops of both dioceses of the OCCN celebrated together, and then took turns every Sunday, assisted by one of the clergy of the other diocese, thereby underlining the bond between the two dioceses. Since November, every Sunday there has been a livestream of the celebration of the Eucharist from the cathedrals of the dioceses, with only the presiding clergy, acolytes, musicians and technicians present. All the parish churches have remained closed.
This is, in a sense, a strange form of celebrating the Eucharist: ‘the community gathered around the table’ is largely absent. Archbishop-elect Bernd Wallet said: ‘We celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the day of our Lord, but in a way we miss the third component; the communion of the Lord is not present as a whole.’ The pandemic makes the embodied character of Christian faith even more tangible, in the lack of the community. The Church is not only in thought, but also in a very physical sense, the Body of Christ. On the other hand, you can see that (part of) the community is still present online and actively participating in the Eucharist. Via the live chat function of YouTube, people wish each other the Peace of Christ, they comment on the sermon, they add their prayer intentions. A by-product of celebrating online is that people who were not able to come to church before are now able to participate in the celebrations online. They feel part of the community again. Another effect is that more than before people feel themselves being part of the local diocese or the ‘national’ Old-Catholic Church. They see the different clergy preside in the Eucharist, as well as both the bishops, they meet parishioners of all parishes in the live chat. It opens up the sometimes somewhat closed view of the parish and its traditions.
But not all people feel involved in the celebration. To them it is more like watching a TV performance than participating. The liturgy is meant for a community to be involved. By just watching it, it sometimes feels long and slow. Some people stop watching the livestream after the sermon or after the intercessions, saying: ‘We do not feel we can participate in the communion’.
Being church is more than celebrating the Eucharist on Sunday. The focus on solidarity is also present in the parishes. There are a lot of initiatives for being present in the community and society. We have seen this in the diaconal help bringing children’s drawings and presents to the elderly and people in hospital, to online coffee-Zoom-meetings and online quizzes for the teenagers of the parish. A lot of parishes also try to add more to celebrating together. Some celebrate the Prayer of the Hours every day on Facebook, some have a weekly celebration of Compline via Zoom, some stream a small gathering of people of the parish making music, some offer a short sermon and pray as a prelude to Sunday. Essential to all those initiatives is that they try to include the parish as a whole, old and young, and that they try to accentuate the sense of belonging together, the solidarity to each other and towards society. Although flawed, both the online celebrations and the parish initiatives add together to the experience of being church in a pandemic. The Eucharist, in which people come together to celebrate and to participate in the coming of the Reign of God, can be a catalyst in bringing this attitude into the society as a whole. The best way of being church during a pandemic might not have been found yet, but staying together with a focus on solidarity, inside and outside, is a good start.
Suggestions for further reading:
Ploeger Mattjis, ‘A New Sacramental Theology for e-Eucharist?’ in: Yearbook for Ritual and Liturgical Studies, Vol. 36, 2020.
Ploeger Mattjis, Celebrating Church. Ecumenical Contributions to a Liturgical Ecclesiology (Tilburg/Groningen: Instituut voor Liturgiewetenschap Rijksuniversiteit Groningen & Liturgisch Instituut Universiteit van Tilburg, 2008).
Smit Peter-Ben, Old Catholic Theology, An Introduction, (Leiden: Brill, 2019).
About the author:
Jutta Eilander-van Maaren is lecturer in Practical Theology at the Old Catholic Seminary in Utrecht, and a PhD candidate at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She is a member of the clergy of the Old Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht, having been ordained as a priest in 2017.
Disclaimer: The impressions expressed above are the contributions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policies of the Conference of European Churches.
Tripiṭaka , also called Tipiṭaka (Pali), means Three Volumes. It is a compound Sanskrit word of tri (त्रि) meaning three, and piṭaka (पिटक) or piṭa (पिट), meaning “book”.The ‘three baskets’ were originally the receptacles of the palm-leaf manuscripts on which were preserved the Sutta Piṭaka, the Vinaya Piṭaka and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, the three divisions that constitute the Pali Canon.
The Tripiṭaka is composed of three main categories of texts that collectively constitute the Buddhist canon: the Sutra Piṭaka, the Vinaya Piṭaka, and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.The Sūtra Piṭaka is older than the Vinaya Piṭaka, and the Abhidharma Piṭaka represents a later tradition of scholastic analysis and systematization of the contents of the Sutta Piṭaka originating at least two centuries after the other two parts of the canon.
The Vinaya focuses on the rules and regulations, or the morals and ethics,of monastic life that range from dress code and dietary rules to prohibitions of certain personal conducts.
Sutras were the doctrinal teachings in aphoristic or narrative format. The Buddha delivered all of his sermons in Magadhan. These sermons were rehearsed orally during the meeting of the First Buddhist council just after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. The teachings continued to be transmitted orally and written down in the first century BCE.The Abhidharma collections focus on philosophical and psychological analysis and interpretation of Buddhist doctrine.
The Tripitaka Koreana, known as the world’s most comprehensive and oldest surviving version of Buddhist canon housed in the UNESCO-designated Haein Temple in South Gyeongsang Province, will soon be available for public viewing every weekend starting June 19.
This is the first time in its 770-year history, since its creation, that the ancient relic will be accessible to the public after appearing in a series of limited showcases at special Buddhist ceremonies and festivals.
A “tour” of the work, designed to introduce and spread the values of Buddhist cultural assets, will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
“As it was created with a yearning to overcome national crises of the past, we decided that the same message of hope could be applied to our current national plight posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Haein Temple’s Jingak Sunim stated at a press conference held in Jogye Temple in Seoul, Thursday.
The Tripitaka Koreana is a set of 81,352 wooden printing blocks engraved with more than 52 million characters describing Buddhist scripture. Work on it began in 1237 (during the Goryeo Kingdom) and took 12 years to complete. It was believed its production would aid in the protection of the territory following the loss of the original Tripitaka which was lost in a fire during the Mongolian invasion of Goryeo in 1232.
The epitome of an immense national commitment of manpower and resources, the artifact was designated as National Treasure of Korea No. 32 in 1962 and included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2007.
Those who wish to take the tour around the Buddhist temple and the artifact depository can visit the official website of the Haein Temple and make an online reservation, which will close every Monday at noon.
Each visit will last from 40 to 50 minutes. For preservation and safety reasons, each tour will be limited to a maximum number of 20 visitors ― preschoolers are not eligible to participate.
A detailed view of a printing block from the Tripitaka Koreana / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration source — Korea times
GENEVA — UN human rights experts have urged Canadian authorities and the Catholic Church to conduct quick and thorough investigations into the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of over 200 children at a British Columbia ‘residential school’ for indigenous children forcibly taken from their homes.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School, where the children’s remains were found in May, had been run by the Catholic Church between late 19th century and the late 1960s, when the federal government took over until its closure in the 1970s.
It was part of the indigenous residential school system which, between 1831 and 1996, hosted over 150,000 children in 130 schools, many run by the Catholic Church or the federal government.
“The discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of a defunct boarding school in British Columbia has rekindled discussion of a sinister time in Canada’s history,” The New York Times reported June 7.
The government-run boarding schools were set up for the forced assimilation of indigenous children, the BBC reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged the Catholic Church to “take responsibility” for its role in indigenous residential schools.
“As a Catholic, I am deeply disappointed by the position that the Catholic Church has taken now and over the past many years,” Trudeau told reporters.
The 2015 report of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined that Aboriginal children were subjected to abuse, malnutrition and rape, and that at least 4,000 died of disease, neglect, accidents or abuse while at these schools.
“We urge the authorities to conduct full-fledged investigations into the circumstances and responsibilities surrounding these deaths, including forensic examinations of the remains found, and to proceed to the identification and registration of the missing children,” said the UN experts who are appointed by the Human Rights Council.
The UN experts include Fabián Salvioli, Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence; Francisco Cali Tzay, Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples’ rights; Mama Fatima Singhateh, Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children and other experts.
They further called on the Canadian government “to undertake similar investigations in all other Indigenous residential schools in the country.”
They recalled the right of victims to know the full extent of the truth about the violations endured.
‘CONDUCT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATONS’
“The judiciary should conduct criminal investigations into all suspicious death and allegations of torture and sexual violence against children hosted in residential schools, and prosecute and sanction the perpetrators and concealers who may still be alive,” said the experts.
“Large scale human rights violations have been committed against children belonging to indigenous communities, it is inconceivable that Canada and the Holy See would leave such heinous crimes unaccounted for and without full redress.”
The experts called on the Government of Canada to fully implement the recommendations contained in the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of 2015.
“For far too many years, victims and their families have been waiting for justice and remedy. Accountability, comprehensive truth, and full reparation must be urgently pursued,” they said.
The UN experts urged the Catholic Church “to provide full access to judicial authorities to the archives of the residential schools run by the institution, to conduct prompt and thorough internal and judicial investigations into these allegations, and to publicly disclose the result of those investigations.”
The experts have been in contact with Canada and the Vatican concerning the indigenous residential schools.
The discovery of the graves has given new impetus to Canada’s debate on how to atone for its history of exploiting Indigenous people. “Many are asking how so many children could have wound up in that burial space,” said The New York Times.
BERLIN – When Germany’s most prominent Catholic leader offered his resignation to Pope Francis, citing his role in the “catastrophe of sexual abuse by church officials,” he surprised many people.
“I feel that through remaining silent, neglecting to act, and over-focusing on the reputation of the Church, I have made myself personally guilty and responsible,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx wrote to Francis in a lengthy letter published June 4.
The Washington Post commented, “Marx’s offer was unusually public and self-reflective, given the opaque manner in which Catholic prelates usually step down.”
“Still, the offer by itself represents the most significant fallout to date from investigations of abuse within in the German Catholic Church,” the Post reporter commented.
Marx said the Pope is still considering his resignation and that he will continue to fulfill his duties as the Archbishop of Munich and Freissing.
Marx wrote, “My impression is that we are at a dead end which — and this is my paschal hope — also has the potential of becoming a turning point.”
The Catholic Church and other religious, international, and societal institutions have long been plagued by not being able to solve abuse scandals in a manner that brings justice and closure to victims.
ADVISER TO POPE FRANCIS
The 67-year-old cardinal is an adviser to Pope Francis and is a former president of the German Catholic Bishop’s Conference and said he had been considering resignation for the past year.
About a quarter of Germany’s 83 million population are registered as Roman Catholics.
In recent months officials said there have been a spate of German Catholics turning their backs on the church due to its handling of sexual abuse cases.
Marx had gained notice for his forthright comments on social issues over two decades.
Marx had gained notice for his forthright comments on social issues and at times his criticism of the government on socio-ethical issues over two decades.
“In essence, it is important to me to share the responsibility for the catastrophe of the sexual abuse by church officials over the past decades. . . I feel that, through remaining silent, neglecting to act, and over-focusing on the reputation of the Church, I have made myself personally guilty and responsible.”
Marx wrote that the Roman Church in Germany has been in crisis since 2010 over a series of sexual abuse scandals exacerbated by cover-ups and inadequate investigations.
“The investigations and reports of the last ten years have consistently shown that there have been many personal failures and administrative mistakes, but also institutional or systemic failure,” said Marx.
Pope Francis has sent two bishops to Cologne to investigate abuse cases, the BBC reported.
In 2018, a study commissioned by the church found that more than 3,600 children in Germany had been sexually assaulted by Roman Catholic priests between 1946 and 2014.
Only 38 percent of the alleged perpetrators were prosecuted, with most facing only minor disciplinary procedures. About one in six cases involved rape. Most of the victims were boys, and more than half were aged 13 or younger.
REJECTING SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
“The recent debates have shown that some members of the Church refuse to believe that there is a shared responsibility in this respect and that the Church as an institution is hence also to be blamed for what has happened, and therefore disapprove of discussing reforms and renewal in the context of the sexual-abuse crisis,” said the cardinal.
Analysts believe he was especially referring to the handling by Cologne’s Cardinal Woelki of sexual abuse in his diocese and has received criticism for covering up wrongdoings.
Marx serves on Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, known as the C9 advisory council.
“It is an impressive step that finally a bishop in Germany speaks in the first person and takes responsibility,” Matthias Katsch, a spokesperson for German victims’ association Eckiger Tisch, said in a statement.
Marx wrote, “We as bishops have to make clear that we also represent the institution of the Church as a whole.”
He said it is wrong to “simply link these problems largely to past times and former Church officials, thereby ‘burying’ what happened.”
“Only after 2002 and even more since 2010, those affected by sexual abuse have been brought to the fore more consequently, and this change of perspective has not yet been completed,” he said.
“Overlooking and disregarding the victims was certainly our greatest fault of the past.”
The president of the lay-led Central Committee of German Catholics said its members were deeply shaken.
“The wrong one is leaving,” Thomas Sternberg told the regional newspaper Rheinische Post. If the pope accepts the cardinal’s resignation, he said, then an important personality in German Catholicism would be lost, Catholic News Service reported.
A representatives of a victims’ group expressed respect for Cardinal Marx’s action.
(Photo: PRNewsfoto/Grimbergen)Celebrating the opening of the new Grimbergen Abbey Brewery in Belgium are Provisor and Abbey Brewer, Father Karel Stautemas and Master Brewer, Marc-Antoine Sochon (PRNewsfoto/Grimbergen)
Brewers are producing beer for the first time in 200 years at a historic Catholic abbey in Belgium.
The Grimbergen Abbey Brewery opened on May 27 at Grimbergen Abbey near the Belgian capital, Brussels, Catholic News Agency reported.
The town of Grimbergen is known for its delicious and refreshing Belgian-style beers, which are known globally as iconic products.
Grimbergen Abbey Brewery has brought brewing back to where it started when the abbey was founded nearly 900 years ago.
Brewring has begun inside the walls of the abbey, with beer-making ceasing after the building was destroyed during the French Revolution in 1789
The Abbey Brewery was built in a close partnership between the Grimbergen Abbey and the Carlsberg Group.
Father Karel Stautemas, provisor at the Abbey, led the building of the new facility and has joined the brewing team as Abbey Brewer.
When the COVID-19 virus allows, he will complete his brewing qualifications, allowing him and his fellow fathers to continue the legacy of generations of Fathers before him.
“The new microbrewery is a place to reignite past traditions, just like our symbol the Pheonix we always have the strength to rise again, but to add fresh thinking too,”” Karel said.
“We want to combine our experience, nearly nine centuries of it, with innovation in pursuit of the most delicious and unique new brews. I think that the microbrewery allows us to do that, to explore and experiment with styles and ingredients in a really exciting way.”
BRINGING BREWING BACK
The 57-year-old priest was instrumental in bringing beer-making back to the abbey in Grimbergen, a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The abbey is home to 15 members of the Norbertine order, established in 1120.
The order was founded St. Norbert of Xanten at Prémontré, near Laon, France, and is also known as the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré or the Premonstratensians.
Involved in the microbrewery project since its inception in 2016, Stautemas hopes to complete his brewing qualifications as soon as coronavirus restrictions permit.
The abbey allowed a local firm, Maes Brewery, to use the Grimbergen name and phoenix on its beers in 1958. Today the Carlsberg Group, the Danish multinational brewing giant, is the global licensee of Grimbergen.
Father Karel combines his day-to-day monastic life with the running of the Abbey Brewery, supporting Master Brewer Marc-Antoine Sochon, who has also been heavily involved in bringing the new brewery to life.
Sochon, a 28-year-old brewing specialists from France began brewing in his parents’ garage and has since gone on to study both wine making and brewing,
“We are now brewing beer in the abbey for the first time again in over 200 years, a great celebration for the Fathers, for the Grimbergen community and for all those who love Grimbergen beer,” said Sochon.
“We are setting a marker for Belgian beers worldwide. The new brewery allows us to craft batches of delicious beers inspired by new and old brewing techniques to create brand-new sensory experiences.”
EU Bishops address President von der Leyen: “The EU Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion should have adequate resources”
In a letter addressed to EC President von der Leyen on Wednesday 2 June 2021, the Bishops of the European Union recall the need of strengthening the EU Special Envoy of Freedom of Religion or Belief with institutional and financial support. Card. Hollerich: “reasonable and adequate resources are needed to promote this fundamental right under threat in many parts of the world.”
Cardinal Hollerich emphasises the remarkable work done by the EU mechanism since its creation in May 2016. The previous EU Special Envoy addressed challenging situations in many countries where freedom of thought, conscience and religion is seriously threatened or violented, “despite its limited mandate and resources”.
In the letter, Cardinal Hollerich recalls the need of strengthening the EU mechanism, and requests EC President von der Leyen to support it “with reasonable and adequate human and financial resources that enable the EU Special Envoy to carry on his high responsibility, with a more ambitious and defined mandate and capacity”, as expressed by the January 2021 resolution of the European Parliament.
The President of COMECE expresses Bishops’ satisfaction with the recent appointment of Stylianides, whose previous commitment as Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid opened “fresh space for cooperation with Churches and Faith-Based Organisations in humanitarian activities as well as for interreligious dialogue leading to a better protection of human rights and mutual understanding in conflict situations.”
“His appointment – continues the letter – will give voice to the voiceless individuals and communities whose freedom of thought, conscience, and religion are violated, being subject to intolerance, discrimination and, in some cases, even, persecution.”
Mr. Shakti Sinha, Director General, IBC received the donated Ventilators from H.E the Ambassador in a simple ceremony at Vietnam Embassy in New Delhi. In his speech, Mr. Shakti Sinha expressed gratitude on behalf of IBC.
YesterdayInternational Buddhist Confederation (IBC), India received a generous donation of 33 Ventilators from H. E. Mr. Pham Sanh Chau, the Ambassador of Vietnam in India. This critical lifesaving equipment was donated to IBC for its Care with Prayer initiative of Covid Aid to India and Nepal by Giac Ngo temple and Vietnam Buddhist University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam courtesy Most Ven. Thich Nhat Tu, the Abbot and Vice-Rector.
Mr. Shakti Sinha, Director General, IBC received the donated Ventilators from H.E the Ambassador in a simple ceremony at Vietnam Embassy in New Delhi. In his speech, Mr. Shakti Sinha expressed gratitude on behalf of IBC and the beneficiaries of the Aid for the generosity of the Vietnamese people and their solidarity with India in its time of need.
He also mentioned that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has been a pillar of support to IBC since its founding in 2011 and the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch Thich Po Tue is also Patron of IBC. In addition Most Ven Thich Tri Quang, Ven Thich Thien Tam, Most Ven. Thich Duc Thien is among the senior-most in the IBC hierarchy. Ven. Thich Nhat Tu is also a member of the IBCs Empowered Committee and also the founding member of IBC. Ven Thich Nhat Tu has been in its Governing Council ever since.
IBC is receiving 33 Ventilators for its Care with Prayer initiative to help combat the second wave of Covid pandemicin India and Nepal. These Ventilators will now be sent to various hospitals in India and Nepal.
IBC headquarter is in Vigyan Bhawan Annexe, Bldg New Delhi, and is also a grantee body of Ministry of Culture, Govt of India and has a presence in 37 countries and work largest International Buddhist body.
Sisanda Mbambisa, Andrew Manona and Siphosethu Mkalipi. Image: Supplied
Places of worship need to have a better understanding of disabilities. They need to build awareness and treat people the same. ‘Your body doesn’t work because of your faith.’ – Sisanda
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By Aashique HussainNew Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Indresh Kumar on Wednesday said that connecting a disease with religion is inhuman and unconstitutional.
This comes after Samajwadi Party MP from Moradabad ST Hasan claimed that India is facing calamities like the COVID-19 pandemic and cyclones because National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government “interfered with Sharia law”.
Slamming ST Hasan, Kumar said, “The Samajwadi Party MP is an extremist, before being an Indian. He is working to spread riots.”The RSS ideologue said that the people following Islam around the world have also been affected by the global pandemic.
“Relating a disease with religion is inhuman and unconstitutional. This is cheating with the nation and the society,” Kumar said.
He further urged Hasan to help people in the COVID situation.
“He should stop instigating people and come forward to help people as he represents Parliament. Otherwise, people will think that he is neither a true Muslim nor a true Indian,” Kumar said.
Hasan on Wednesday issued a video message where he talked about seven years of the BJP-led Central government and claimed that the country was facing natural calamities due to “discriminations”.
“I believe everyone has a right to pat their backs but in the past seven years, the situation that people faced is not hidden from anyone. The injustice and discrimination that were done to the masses are not hidden from anyone. Be it discrimination in providing jobs or providing license, or interference with Shariyat…Due to these discriminations, we have seen how many calamities are befalling us. There were two cyclones within ten days. We saw what happened to poor people due to corona,” he said. (ANI)
Congratulations to Karen Lehrman Bloch on the launch of her new magazine and on her courage in standing up for liberal values and braving the backlash of illiberalism from the left (“In this age of leftist illiberalism, I’m standing up for the truth,” May 7). She joins Bari Weiss and a select group of writers and reporters of integrity in speaking unpopular truths. The intolerance of the left is no less repressive than that of the right — in the end, both are enemies of freedom.
So I was very interested when my adult son described his method of disposing of old stuff: If he has no plan to ever use it in the future, he holds the item in his hand, takes a photo of it on his phone and places it in a receptacle for things going out. Done. That way, he can remember it and show a photo of it to his kids. But he doesn’t have to store it anymore. Brilliant!
If only I could follow suit! Thanks for your article.
Karen Bergen Sunnyvale
Jews of No Religion are Jews
In the early ’80s I spent two years in the Bay Area as the Young Judaea emissary. Regarding “What it means to be a Jew of No Religion” (May 19), I find it interesting to compare what it means to be Jewish in Northern California with what it means to be Jewish here in Israel.
There is, I think, a rising number of Jews of No Religion among the Jewish population. But in Israel, these Jews of No Religion live very Jewish lives even without the ritual practice of religious Jews. Names of people, streets and cities are Jewish, the “weekend” is Shabbat, and so on.
I would maybe summarize the Jewishness of Israel by paraphrasing our first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion when he famously said, “We will know we have become a normal country when Jewish thieves and Jewish prostitutes conduct their business in Hebrew.”
Avi Gonen Kibbutz Ein Hashofet, Israel
Can’t return to status quo
Unless the U.S. and NATO are going to disarm Hamas (don’t make me laugh) and take responsibility for monitoring incoming armaments, then there can be no directive to halt operations (“Israel and Hamas agree to cease-fire after 11 days of bloodshed,” online, May 20).
Israel is responsible for the safety and well-being of its citizens. There is no daylight among Israel’s leaders, so this is not a dispute between Biden and Netanyahu. The U.S. military is in close coordination with the Israeli military and everyone knows there is information sharing and partnership.
Rockets are launched toward Israel from the Gaza Strip early on May 12, 2021. (Photo/JTA-Abed Rahim Khatib-Flash90)
The real action will be the terms of a cease-fire. Each side wants more than a return to the status quo. That is where Egypt and the U.S. can really make the difference.
What is depressing is that right now the Biden administration is not coming forward with a regional solution that does not just kick the can down the road for the next confrontation. There does not seem to be a U.S.-Israeli game plan to fundamentally change the dynamics in Gaza. That is the real long game.
Jeff Saperstein Mill Valley
Contradictions in conflict
Some bizarre alternate realities with the Israel-Arab conflict:
Arabs want to dictate terms of settlement while vanquished in wars they launched and continue to celebrate as victories.
Israel is accused of genocide or ethnic cleansing against a people whose numbers keep increasing while real genocides and ethnic cleansing elsewhere in the Middle East go pretty much unnoticed or don’t trigger massive uproar despite huge number of casualties.
Millions of people who have never set foot in the Middle East and who couldn’t even place Israel on a map think they can summarize an entire geopolitical imbroglio with an internet meme they post on social media while also thinking they are expert on the topic.
Celebrities, academic institutions, political parties, social organizations, etc., all feel they must take a stand.
Random Jews, Jewish businesses and synagogues are attacked outside Israel (London, Toronto, New York City, L.A., Paris) by anti-Israel thugs who claim that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism.
Laurent Goldsztejn San Francisco
Refusing to be enemies
My Israeli friends are visibly and poignantly opening themselves to Refusing to be Enemies. They’re on the streets together with their Palestinian neighbors and co-workers and lighting candles in each others’ living rooms. My tears are bittersweet and my heart is cracked open and crying out to God to help us see each others’ humanity.
During the pandemic, I participated in a listening circle of Israeli/Palestinian women sharing our everyday lives. Each of us related life struggles, hopes and dreams and our gratitude, and our similarities couldn’t have been more obvious.
Now, every article I read, especially in Jewish publications, starts with the author claiming a side. Oh, how I long to read about being pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian.
Most of us will never have the answers or the directions to finding the path to peace. But we can hold the vision. We can follow our Israeli and Palestinian sisters and brothers and Refuse to be Enemies. And we can set the stage for the negotiators to be inspired.
Nancy Newman Berkeley
Sheikh Jarrah ‘squatters’
One piece of the May 14 J. editorial stated, “Some Israelis assert claim to the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, which Jordan occupied after the 1948 war … The problem is, asserting claims to regions that fell into Arab hands in 1948 is a slippery slope and a dangerous precedent, as are Palestinian claims to land that has been part of Israel since 1948” (“A painful road too often traveled in Israel”).
Your premise that war somehow negates documented Jewish ownership of property — be it real estate or art — is contradicted by dozens of Jewish claims after World War II against Germany, Austria, Poland and many eastern European nations. With clear documentation at hand, Jews have had their paintings (most notably, perhaps, “The Woman in Gold,” a portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by Gustav Klimt) returned to descendants (Adele’s niece and Viennese native Maria Altman).
Israeli security forces clash with demonstrators during a protest against Israel’s plan to evict Palestinians from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on May 10, 2021. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Israeli lawmaker, is at right wearing a white kippah. (Photo/JTA-Olivier Fitoussi-Flash90)
Many Jewish-owned factories across Eastern Europe were either returned to their rightful Jewish owner (or family members) or compensation provided.
Jewish ownership of eastern Jerusalem property, purchased in the mid-19th century, is well documented in the meticulous records of the Ottoman Empire. Jordan’s illegal occupation (1949-1967) of Judea, Samaria and eastern parts of Jerusalem was accompanied by the willful destruction of every synagogue in eastern Jerusalem and the use of Jewish gravestones there to line latrines. No Jewish access to the Western Wall remnant of Temple Mount was permitted.
After 1967, Jerusalem’s Jewish landowners reasserted their property rights. They kindly allowed many Arabs to continue living in several Jewish-owned homes, provided that rent was paid. Sadly, many tenants refused to pay rent for more than 40 years. Such tenants are subject to legal eviction, as squatters, in both Israel and the USA. These were individual lawsuits; Israel’s government had no involvement.
All the psychotherapy and mind-numbing antidepressants in the world aren’t going to undo the damage caused by Jewish parents who thought they were doing their children a favor by espousing left-wing causes.
Just like the rocket barrages in Israel are causing lifelong trauma to Israelis, especially the children, the onslaught in the USA of this violence is going to leave a deep scar. American Jewish parents are going to need to face the fact that the children they thought they were educating to be better human beings will first need to know how to stay alive.
At least Israelis have the Iron Dome. In the USA we aren’t so lucky.
Desmond Tuck San Mateo
Jews need self-defense
While I advocate a two-state solution for Israel, am sympathetic to the plight and oppression of the Palestinians and detest Bibi, I am also concerned about attacks on Jews by some Palestinians, and I encourage Jews to enroll in martial arts schools whenever possible (“Multiple antisemitic incidents reported over the weekend across U.S.,” May 24).
Jews must defend themselves against violent attacks that are based on hate and stupidity. Some stupidity I can forgive. Hate, I cannot.
Herbert J. Weiner San Francisco
‘A travesty of Judaism’
Finally, people of good will are waking up to the fact that taking somebody else’s land and claiming it as your own is not a winnable proposition (“A painful road too often traveled in Israel,” J. editorial, May 14). The people from whom the land was taken are going to fight back, and life for both the takers and their victims will become an endless cycle of violence.
That’s what we are seeing played out in Israel and Palestine. Israel provokes the Palestinians by threatening to evict them from the homes where they have lived for generations, forbids them to enjoy their usual custom of congregating on the plaza in front of the Palestinian portion of Jerusalem’s Old City, and then invades their prayers at a holy site during the most holy time of the Muslim calendar — three times.
And, of course the Palestinians, in this case the Hamas military, responds by sending rockets into Israel, and then Israel has a good reason to bomb Gaza — once again.
The so-called new, more progressive American government does nothing to stop these atrocities. And it even plans to send more weapons to Israel to kill more Palestinians.
But those people of good will I mentioned earlier, which includes many Jews, are seeing that this is not the way for decent human beings to behave.
What has been going on in the Holy Land for the past 73 years has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism, the thing it is supposedly preserving with its enormous military might. It is a travesty of Judaism, a mockery, a hall of mirrors. Judaism has, supposedly, evolved over the millennium. It is, supposedly, a religion that is a “light unto the world,” a force to “make the world a better place.” What is happening in Israel is a dark hole and will turn around to bite the Zionists in the end. Let us hope they will not take the Jews of good will with them.
Lois Pearlman Guerneville
The issue is owners’ rights
Your May 14 editorial (“A painful road too often traveled in Israel”) and, in the same issue, Steve Lipman’s letter (“Why I dislike Jerusalem Day”) on the confrontation over property rights in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood reflect a commendable desire to move beyond conflict to something better.
However, they also suggest the need for some clarification of the controversy and its background.
First the Israeli government has no role in these eviction proceedings. The plaintiffs are private individuals with legal title dating back to the 19th century under Ottoman law. Second, it is occurring now simply because this is where a 40-year legal process is at this time.
When Jordan illegally occupied east Jerusalem in 1948, all of the Jewish residents were driven out. The Arab Legion commander Sir John Bagot Glubb candidly described the expulsion in his memoir “A Soldier for the Arabs.” In the intervening 19 years, Jordanian authorities allowed local Arabs to occupy the vacated apartments and extended title to many but not all of the new residents.
After Israel retook the area in 1967, Israel legislatively validated the Jordanian ownership titles even though the properties had been illegally confiscated from their previous Jewish owners. Title to the remaining properties, however, reverted back to the former owners. Subsequently Israeli courts declared the occupants “protected tenants” prohibiting eviction as long as rent was paid. In the eight properties in question, either the tenancy agreements have expired or the occupants have refused to pay rent. Israeli courts have thus far sided with the owners.
I respect those who argue that sacrifices may be necessary to achieve a lasting peace. (Full disclosure, I once presented a Torah-based case for reconciliation in a Modern Orthodox congregation.) However, in approaching that goal, the better course of wisdom may very well be to insist upon respect for the rights of all of the involved parties.
Steve Astrachan Pleasant Hill
Misinformed Jews in tech
A group of Google employees called “Diaspora Jews in Tech” has sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding that the company express solidarity with the Palestinians and terminate contracts with any entity conducting business with Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (“Jewish employees urge google to support Palestinians,” online only, May 20).
This letter has reminded me of the letters, back in the Soviet Union, from all sorts of professional groups (writers, doctors, composers, you name it) that we were called upon to approve at meetings at our places of work.
There were just two subjects in these letters, condemnation of Zionism and American imperialism. We unanimously voted “Dah,” returned to work until the next letter, and so on.
There, our hearts were aching as our hands were raised in the approving votes, but we understood the lies behind the letters. We listened to foreign broadcasts, between the jammings, and read between the lines of the official media. In short, we searched for truth.
Google headquarters in Mountain View. (Photo/JTA-Wikimedia Commons)
Here, within the walls housing the most powerful search engines, Diaspora Jews in Tech happily follow their hearts without giving a damn about the facts of Jewish history, Israeli history, Israeli peace proposals, IDF unprecedented concern for civilian lives, etc.
All these facts are simply a click away from the desire of truth.
In his latest book “Never Alone,” one of the most famous contemporary Jews, Natan Sharansky, writes: “When leaders go with their hearts so much that it overwrites their brains, they are acting irresponsibly.”
Substitute “leaders” with “people” and you end up with sympathy for Hamas and its supporters in their wars against the Jewish state.
This is a very common topic in the psychological literature. The concept of “self-love” in the sense that modern psychology puts into it is not found anywhere used in a positive context in the patriarchal literature. On the contrary, the holy fathers had a negative view of self-love. For example, St. Caesar of Arelat, who lived in the sixth century, writes:
“As through self-love one destroys oneself, so through self-denial one is saved. Self-love was man’s first fall. “
This thought becomes understandable if we remember the Savior’s words:
“He who loves his soul will lose it; but he that hateth his soul in this world shall keep it unto life eternal ”(John 12:25).
Elsewhere, the Lord calls His disciples:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
That is, the love of one’s own soul (in this case, one’s own life) is condemned by the Lord; we must hate ourselves and deny ourselves in order to follow Christ. What is this really about?
The patriarchal thought usually makes an anthropological distinction between the nature of man and the sinfulness introduced into him. In the quoted passages of the Gospel, where self-hatred and self-denial are spoken of, it is precisely the rejection of sinfulness and vicious passions that is spoken of. Since they are deeply rooted in people, they have become habitual and even seemingly natural (how can we not remember the saying: “Habit is second nature”), getting rid of them requires a lot of effort and radical determination. And although the sinful addition to human nature is cut out, subjectively this process is experienced very painfully, sometimes even as self-destruction, as approaching the edge between life and death.
To theologically justify “self-love” and “healthy selfishness,” psychologists often try to use the gospel words of Christ: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39). This leads to the conclusion that you must first love yourself and only then can you learn to love your neighbor. We will immediately say that nowhere in the holy fathers is such a reading of these gospel words found. This interpretation was introduced into the Christian tradition by psychology, by the neo-Freudian Erich Fromm. In his treatise The Art of Loving (1956) he wrote:
The idea expressed in the biblical “love your neighbor as yourself” implies that respect for one’s own wholeness and uniqueness, love for oneself cannot be separated from respect, understanding and love for the other individual. The love of one’s own self is inextricably linked to the love of every other being. “
An important difference between the views of modern psychologists on this issue from the view of Fromm, who saw love of self and love of neighbor as a whole and indivisible phenomenon (unlike Freud, who believed that these things are opposite and incompatible), is in the fact that now in psychology the opinion dominates that in the beginning you should love yourself, and then learn to love the other, ie. these two aspects of love are placed in chronological order. At the same time, no clear answers are given to the question: when, at what stage of the development of love for oneself is one able to begin to love one’s neighbor? It is also not clear: will not love for oneself become such a fascinating activity that there will simply be no time or energy left for other people? This danger was also noticed by Oscar Wilde: “Self-love is the beginning of a romantic relationship that lasts a lifetime.”
The Assembly of the COMECE Working Group on Ethics met on Tuesday 18 May 2021 to exchange on the new EU Green Digital Certificate, highlighting the need not to exclude anyone from participating in social life.
Members of the COMECE Working Group assessed the EU reactions to the COMECE-FAFCE document “The Elderly and the Future of Europe”, released on December 2020. The group also exchanged views on a new document on Financial Ethics to be published in the next months with the aim of suggesting more ethical national financial responses to the pandemic.
The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the new EU Green Digital Certificate, which intends to reduce the restrictions to travelling imposed by governments to tackle the spread of Coronavirus in the European Union.
The COMECE Working Group on Ethics welcomed this EU initiative and the mechanism that will allow Member States to regulate social responsibility and autonomy of vaccinated and non-vaccinated citizens, without excluding anyone.
Close attention was also paid to the so-called EP ‘Matic Report’ on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU in the frame of women’s health. The Working Group criticized the concept of abortion present in this report which considers it as “an essential health service that should be available to everyone”.
In this context, the participants of the meeting highlighted that “human life, from the beginning, including unborn life, possesses its own dignity, and the right to be protected and neither European Union legislation nor the European Convention on Human Rights provide for a right to abortion”.
The members of the Working Group also discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe, which started on 9th May 2021 and highlighted the importance that COMECE and other Church actors contributed to the conference also on ethical issues based on European values.
The Working Group on Ethics is chaired by COMECE General Secretary Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto and is composed of experts in the field of ethics delegated by the EU Bishops’ Conferences.
DHARAMSHALA, May 31: The newly elected parliamentarians of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) are set to take oath of office from the Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo on June 8. The initial date for the swearing-in ceremony on May 30 was postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 curfew restrictions in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
Due to the resignation of former Speaker Pema Jungney over TSJC-TPiE row, MP Dawa Tsering has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker, in accordance with the Article 47 of the Charter. Dawa Tsering will take oath of office before the Chief Justice Commissioner and will then consequently administer the oath of office to the new members of the parliament.
Last week, some members of the Standing Committee of the TPiE resigned as protest against the resumption of duty by the three judges of the TSJC. The Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok took did not attend the new Sikyong’s swearing-in ceremony, citing the committee’s non-acceptance to the reinstatement of the justices. Eight out of the eleven members of the 16th TPiE’s Standing Committee have tendered their resignation in protest.
MP Serta Tsultrim, one of the committee members who resigned, cautioned against the legitimacy of the Sikyong ceremony from the current Chief Commissioner, and further added that it is an ‘unlawful’ oath-taking ceremony. The judges who resumed their posts on May 24 said that the resolution passed in the parliamentary budget session which saw them impeached is ‘illegitimate’ as the house majority that supported the resolution no longer stands, citing a letter by 21 MPs who supported the withdrawal of the resolution.
Mission: Joy—Finding Happiness in Troubled Times: Featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Dharamshala: Nobel peace laureates and co-authors of the Book of Joy, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be coming together once again to share with the world their joyful insights on overcoming adversities and social injustices.
In a documentary titled ‘Mission: Joy—Finding Happiness in Troubled Times’, award-winning director Louie Psihoyos captures moving conversations between two global icons whose resistance against adversity has marked our modern history.
“Through rare archival footage and affecting animation, the documentary reflects upon their personal hardships as well as the burden both men carry as world leaders dedicated to bringing justice to and fighting authoritarianism in their communities,” says Michelle Hamada, Tribeca Film.
‘Mission: Joy—Finding Happiness in Troubled Times’ is scheduled to premiere via Tribeca Online Premieres starting 12 June in US.
The virtual Assembly of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) concluded this week, addressing the theme “Reconciled with Creation: A Call for Urgent Action on Climate and Biodiversity”. The Assembly was held online from 31 May to 1 June 2021.
The ECEN Assembly brought over 200 participants from Europe and beyond.
The event highlighted responses to climate change and efforts for a sustainable future with an ethical dimension, addressing questions of individual and collective freedom, as well as pursuit of justice and responsibility for the future.
The Assembly also highlighted practices from European churches addressing environmental concerns, and advocating for supportive governance. European Christian youth played a vital role at the assembly, where environmental initiatives from youth were especially honoured.
“Reconciliation with the earth cannot be separated from corporeality and is closely linked to the care of and reverence for life,” said Bishop Jochen Cornelius-Bundschuh from the Protestant Church in Baden, and keynote speaker at the assembly.
“In struggle for reconciliation with the earth, churches are obliged to contribute the theological concept of an interruption of the instrumental, solely purpose-oriented way of thinking and acting. They will advocate long-established social practice of Sunday, which publicly celebrates a good life within the framework of an ‘economy of enough’ namely the recognition of individual dignity, a reconciled and sustainable community and the uplifting care of creation,” he added.
“Orthodox theology calls humanity to develop an ascetic ethos which implies moderation, sobriety and self-control,” said Archbishop Job of Telmessos from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, who reflected from an Orthodox point of view.
“The ascetic way of life promoted by Orthodox theology and spirituality suggests moderation, through the practice of fasting among many other things, as well as by cultivating a sense of solidarity for the entire creation,” added Archbishop Job.
General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen in his greetings reminded participants of the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu “lit by the fire of a ‘green agenda’ making environmental concerns a top priority for the churches. “I wish to highlight the role of churches, of the ecumenical movement, initiating this discourse and insisting on it even before it became everybody’s choice,” he said.
General Secretary of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) Rev. Martin Michalíček expressed appreciation for the ECEN Assembly in contributing towards a sustainable future. “It is my deep wish that this event brings more enthusiasm in the work for harmony between mankind and nature, harmony between us and God, and harmony among all people in building the brotherhood that is rooted in our Creator.”
The assembly also featured panel with open dialogue and sharing with Andy Atkins of A Rocha UK, Sven Giegold, member of European Parliament Germany, András Huszár of the Green Policy Centre, Hungary and Zélie Peppiette from European Commission.
The European Christian Environmental Network provides a Europe-wide platform for cooperation among churches in responding to environmental challenges and protecting the creation. ECEN works closely with the Conference of European Churches, promoting sharing, cooperation, action and theological reflection across different countries and traditions.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on told BRICS leaders that the grouping has come a long way as it is based on the United Nations’ charter that recognizes sovereign equality of all states and respect for their territorial integrity.
“We have come a long way from the first time our foreign ministers met in New York in 2006. But the principles that guide our grouping remain consistent over the years,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks during BRICS foreign ministers meeting chaired by him.
“We strive for a fair, just, inclusive, equitable and representative multi-polar international system. It is one based on international law and the UN Charter, that recognizes the sovereign equality of all states and respects their territorial integrity while displaying mutual respect for interests and concerns of all. It is only by conducting our policies in accordance with these principles that we can expect to bring about the change we desire,” he added.
Foreign ministers of all BRICS countries, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, were present when Jaishankar underlined sovereignty and territorial integrity in his opening remarks.
China and India were engaged in a bitter standoff last year in eastern Ladakh. Soldiers from both sides lost their lives in a bloody escalation in Galwan Valley.
India accused China of violating its territorial integrity. Several meetings between Chinese and Indian defence and diplomatic leadership took place after the clashes and the process of disengagement is still incomplete. However, tensions have relatively eased between the two Asian giants.
Wang Yi said that China is ready to work with BRICS countries to support India as the chair and ensure tangible outcomes in BRICS cooperation.
“I look forward to exchanging views, coordinating positions and building consensus with you on issues of shared interests to help this meeting a success. Together we will take solid steps to deeper BRICS cooperation in the political and security field,” he said.
In his remarks, Jaishankar also said that over the years BRICS has evolved its unique model of engagement that is based on consensus. “Our collective endeavour is also to ensure global decision making reflects contemporary reality. To this end, we have identified four key deliverables for our Chairship – Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter Terrorism Cooperation, Using Digital and Technological Solutions to achieve SDGs, and Enhancing People to People Cooperation.”
Russia echoed India’s remarks and supported a central role for it in the UN.
“We support the initiative by Indian minister. We need to reform multilateral system firmly built-in on international law reiterating the central role of the universal, the most inclusive United nations in the global affairs. There is an unprecdented for for the single voice of BRICS on this,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
South Africa raised the issue of the global vaccine gap and also mentioned the TRIPS waiver issue.
“We have a global dilemma. Millions of people in wealthier nations have been vaccinated while millions of people in poorer countries still wait and vulnerable to infection to disease and death,” South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said.
She said South Africa and India submitted a proposal to the WTO for a temporary waiver of certain aspects of TRIPS to facilitate wider aspects of technology needed to produce vaccines and treatment and diagnosis.
The minister said the agreement will allow intellectual property, sharing of technologies, technology transfer and production of vaccines and wider distribution.
“We must address this global gap of vaccine access,” she said.
All BRICS leaders expressed their sympathy for the loss of lives during the second wave of COVID-19 in India and assured continued support.
The Chinese Foreign Minister said, ” In these trying times China stands in solidarity with India and all BRICS countries and India will certainly overcome pandemic.
While tourism has the potential to strengthen global understanding between cultural traditions, the tourism industry leaves traces of environmental damage, economic hopelessness and the degradation of human life.
The work of the Ecumenical Coalition for Tourism is dedicated to the social and environmental parameters of tourism on the long-term effects of tourism among local communities in order to better inform churches and their partner organizations about the joint responsibility for tourism issues in the context of new vocabularies. fund and paradigms.
Help the biblical light to get inspiration from the Holy Scriptures and give new hope to the people involved in tourism. The stories of Naaman (2 Sam. 5: 1-27), and the transforming role of the prophet (Luke 9: 28-43) reveal to us the need for churches to play a prophetic role in transforming tourism into a true spiritual journey. The general attitude is to affirm the true mission of the ecumenical movement and its use as part of this spiritual journey, during which we speak not “for” or “to” but “with” the churches.
Of great importance is the decision of the World Tourism Organization in September 1999 to adopt a “Global Code of Ethics for Tourism”, but it is still necessary to work together on an acceptable strategy for its implementation.
Code of Ethics for Tourists
1. Travel in a spirit of compassion and a genuine desire to learn more about the people of the host country.
2. Be sensitive to people’s feelings, avoiding behavior that could be interpreted by them as threatening. This is especially true of photography.
3. Cultivate the habit of listening and observing, not just listening and watching.
4. Make sense that often people in the country you have gone to have temporal understandings and conceptual understandings other than your own; this does not make them inferior, but only different.
5. Instead of looking for a “paradise beach”, discover the enriching encounter with the different way of life through the prism of other people’s eyes.
6. Get used to the local customs – people will be happy to help you
7. In place of Western practice to know the answers to all questions, learn to listen.
8. Remember that you are just one of the thousands of tourists visiting this country and do not expect special privileges.
9. If you really want to experience what it’s like to be “away from home”, it’s just stupid to spend your money on travel.
10. When shopping, remember that the “discount” you won was only possible due to the low wage for the manufacturer.
11. Don’t make promises to the people in the host country unless you are ready to keep them until the end.
12. Take some time each day to reflect on the experience in order to understand it in depth. This is in order to make you realize that what enriches you can enslave another.
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