During an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis authorized the publication of Decrees regarding:
– the martyrdom of the Servant of God Rosario Angelo Livatino, layman; born 3 October 1952 at Canicatti, Italy; killed, in hatred of the faith, on the highway between Canicatti and Agrigento on 21 September 1990;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Vasco de Quiroga, Bishop of Michoacán, Mexico; born around 1470 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Spain; died in Pátzcuaro, Mexico on 14 March 1565;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Bernardino Piccinelli (né Dino), of the Order of the Servants of Mary [Servites], titular Bishop of Gaudiaba and Auxiliary of Ancona; born 24 January 1905 at Madonna dei Fornelli, in the municipality of San Benedetto Val di Sambro, Italy; died at Ancona, Italy on 1 October 1984;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Antonio Vincenzo González Suárez, diocesan Priest; born 5 April 1817 at Agüimes, Spain; died at Las Palmas, Spain, on 22 June 1851;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Antonio Seghezzi, diocesan Priest; born 25 August 1906 in Premolo, Italy; died at Dachau, Germany, on 21 May 1945;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Bernardo Antonini, diocesan Priest; born 20 October 1932 at Cimego, Italy; died at Karganda, Kazakhstan on 27 March 2002;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Ignazio Stuchlý, Priest of the Society of Saint Francs de Sales [Salesians]; born 14 December 1869 in Bolesław, in what is now Poland; died in Lukov, Czech Republic on 17 January 1953;
– the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Rosa Staltari, professed Religious of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Most Holy, Co-Redemptrix; born 3 May 1951 at Antonimina, Italy; died in Palermo, Italy, on 4 January 1974.
The European Union (EU) has signed an additional contribution of EUR 4.6 million to the 2020 Programme Budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to help address the needs of Palestine refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic through its health and relief programmes.
The announcement was made during a virtual meeting on 11 November between UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, and the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi. This contribution comes in addition to the disbursement earlier this year of EUR 82 million to the UNRWA Programme Budget.
The UNRWA Commissioner-General expressed his deep appreciation for the continued EU trust and support: “I am very grateful for the European Union’s partnership with UNRWA and commitment towards Palestine refugees. This additional contribution is highly valued at a time when the Agency is facing an unprecedented financial crisis, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The European Union Representative in Jerusalem, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, said “I’m very pleased that we could pay this additional allocation still this year. 2020 has been a very difficult year for Palestine refugees, who are not only badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and UNRWA’s serious financial crisis but also political tensions and the economic downturn in Palestine. This support will help address the much needed services for Palestinians in refugee camps, and notably in the health sector. UNRWA’s work remains crucial for all Palestinian refugees and the viability of the two-state solution, as well as for the stability and security of the region.”
The partnership between the European Union and UNRWA – which will next year mark its 50th anniversary – has evolved with the EU and its Member States becoming the largest multilateral provider of international assistance to Palestine refugees. This steadfast support has enabled UNRWA to provide frontline services to Palestine refugees across the Middle East, in the absence of a just and lasting solution to the plight of Palestine refugees.
Background Information:
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.7 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
EU AND UNRWA: TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES
Since 1971, the European Union and UNRWA have maintained a strategic partnership governed by the shared objective to support the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and promote stability in the Middle East. Today, the European Union is the largest multilateral provider of international assistance to Palestine refugees. This reliable and predictable support from the European Union enables UNRWA to provide core services to more than 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, including quality education for roughly half a million children and primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients. Collectively, the EU and its Member States are also among the largest contributors to the Agency’s humanitarian emergency appeals and projects in response to various crises and specific needs across the region. The partnership between the European Union and UNRWA has allowed millions of Palestine refugees to be better educated, live healthier lives, access employment opportunities and improve their living conditions, thus contributing to the development of the entire region.
2020 was an unprecedented year for WHO/Europe. COVID-19 dominated WHO’s work around the world, including the European Region, with support and cooperation taking place across countries. Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge was also officially appointed WHO Regional Director for Europe, and at the 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, the European Programme of Work was endorsed by all 53 Member States. We look back on some of the key moments over the past 12 months.
The film industry, for instance, could lose about 10 million jobs this year, while a third of world’s art galleries could cut their staffing by half, data collected by the agency shows. Similarly, a six-month closure could cost the music industry over $10 billion in lost sponsorships, while the global publishing market could shrink by 7.5 per cent.
“The sector, which accounts for 30 million jobs, is struggling to survive and needs our help,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said on Monday.
Culture has helped us out of the crisis. Now we have to help culture and support the diversity to which culture owes its strength – UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay
“Culture has helped us out of the crisis. Now we have to help culture and support the diversity to which culture owes its strength,” she added.
It is not only the sector itself that has been hit hard, people have also lost access to cultural events.
Since COVID-19 hit, concerts, art events and festivals have been taking place online. However almost one in two people globally cannot access them due to issues such as lack of internet connectivity, according to UNESCO estimates.
Targeted policies
In response, UNESCO developed a practical guide to help governments and policy makers address the challenges artists and cultural professionals are facing during the pandemic. Culture in Crisis: A Policy Guide for a Resilient Creative Sector also offers advice on strengthening resilience of the creative industries in the future.
The agency is also urging specific action to address the gender dimensions of COVID-19 impact on the culture sector, as women – who hold a higher proportion of precarious jobs in sector – are particularly vulnerable to social and economic insecurity.
The guide presents three key actions for governments: direct support to artists and cultural professionals; indirect support to cultural and creative industries; and strengthening the competitiveness of cultural and creative industries.
Specific measures outlined in the policy guide include commissioning and purchase of works; providing compensation for loss of income; promoting programmes to develop new skills; providing temporary relief from regulations and tax incentives; promoting national content; stimulating demand; and making available preferential loans.
The guide also includes best practice examples from numerous countries.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has today updated its Questions and Answers on the implementation of investor protection topics under the Market in Financial Instruments Directive and Regulation (MiFID II/ MiFIR).
The Q&As on MiFID II and MiFIR investor protection and intermediaries’ topics includes one new Q&As on ‘Information on costs and charges’ that aim to give guidance on how firms can present ex-post costs and charges information to clients in a fair, clear and not misleading manner.
In particular, the information should be presented:
through a standalone document (which could still be sent together with other periodic documents to clients); or
within a document of wider content, provided that it is given the necessary prominence to allow clients to find it easily.
The purpose of the MiFID II/MiFIR investor protection Q&As is to promote common supervisory approaches and practices in the application of MiFID II and MiFIR.
ESMA will continue to develop this Q&A document on investor protection topics under MiFID II and MiFIR, both adding questions and answers to the topics already covered and introducing new sections for other MiFID II investor protection areas not yet addressed in this Q&A document.
EIB signs €100 million (DKK 745 million) loan with Novozymes A/S to further support its research, development and innovation activities regarding biological solutions
The research focuses on biological solutions that can have a positive climate impact, such as in industrial, household and agrifood applications
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €100 million (DKK 745 million) loan with Novozymes, the Danish-based world leader in biological solutions. The financing will support the company’s R&D investment plans for the coming years, and will mainly benefit R&D activities for discovering and producing enzymes that can be used in both industrial and home activities, reducing the need for traditional chemical products.
Demand for biological solutions is growing due to their potential for replacing less environmentally-friendly chemicals or more energy-intensive processes. They can, for example, be used to wash clothing at lower temperatures, thus saving energy, or reduce CO2 emissions in agriculture by adding enzymes to animal feed.
EIB Vice-President Christian Kettel Thomsen stated: “The EIB and Novozymes go back a long way, and we’re glad to continue our support. By bringing down the climate impact of everyday things, the enzymes that Novozymes researches can open the door to new, more climate friendly ways of going about our lives, something that the EIB – as the EU’s climate bank – supports wholeheartedly. Denmark can be proud of having such a world-leading company, and safeguarding this kind of in-house EU-knowledge is very important for us.”
The research, development and innovation activities supported under this financing will be carried out at Novozymes’ R&D facilities in Bagsværd and Lyngby in Denmark. Since 2004, the European Investment Bank has made available €740 million to support Novozymes’ research and development activities and the previous loan was signed in early 2019.
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Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has fulminated against the European Parliament for failing to adopt resolutions in condemnation of Washington’s economic sanctions against Iran and Europe’s breach of commitments under the Iran nuclear deal.
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<!-- content -->Saeed Khatibzadeh said European lawmakers do not care about human rights violations.
“We believe the European Parliament should have shown earlier that it really cares about human rights. I don’t remember any of the resolutions ever adopted by the European Parliament has condemned the impudent and foul-mouthed US regime for violating the basic principles of human rights, adopting the ‘maximum pressure’ policy against Iranian people and waging an economic war [against Iran.],” he said.
“I don’t remember the European Parliament has ever adopted a resolution which has urged the European governments not to violate the JCPOA under the US pressure and not to get on board with the Trump and not to contribute to efforts that block the path of transfer of medicines and raw materials to Iran,” the spokesman noted.
He said many patients in Iran are suffering due to the United States’ sanctions. “I don’t remember the European Parliament ever adopted a resolution to condemn the US move to prevent the transfer of drugs made by major pharmaceutical companies of Sweden and other countries and needed by ‘butterfly’ patients (those suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB)) and cancer patients in Iran,” he explained.
The spokesman urged European legislators to correct their approach and stop being hypocritical. “Unfortunately, the European sides, especially the European Parliament, have a very dark record. I ask them to set aside hypocrisy and see for themselves which of their responsibilities they have fulfilled,” he noted.
“Adoption of selective resolutions, support for intelligence campaigns against Iran and, accordingly, the adoption of such resolutions are not only not acceptable, but strongly condemned,” he said.
COMMENT |Many years ago, I spoke to Baru Bian, then of PKR, about the role of his religion, Christianity, in his “perjuangan” (mission). I recalled him saying that the Bible taught that its followers should stand up for justice in society, and that is why he decided to help fight court cases where lands of Sarawak natives were being grabbed by powerful politicians and business tycoons (including “Christian” ones from Sibu).
That later naturally led him to politics. After all, if the laws drawn up by those in power favour the strong over the weak, then perhaps we should try to change those laws. However, I remember him telling me back then that his own church was not very comfortable with such advocacy.
There are different views about if, and how much, Christians should be involved in politics. Should they vote? Obviously, yes. How about speaking up for a better country and standing for elections? Some believe that Christians should detach from this world and just focus on “spiritual” matters, such as prayer and preaching, especially since politics is seen as “dirty”. But does that mean that politics should be surrendered to the bad apples?
Baru Bian’s betrayal of the voters’ mandate during the Sheraton Move has, for me, sullied his reputation, though he salvaged matters with a dramatic, last-minute U-turn. However, there were several other “Christian” politicians who had no qualms about being political frogs.
On the other hand, I have utmost respect for DAP leader Hannah Yeoh, in stating clearly that “God wants to reclaim politics and public service in Malaysia” and that Christians can, indeed should, make a positive contribution in this country.
There are some who moan that they have “lost hope” in the country and no longer “feel like voting”. My answer is always, “Sure, not everyone in Pakatan Harapan is good, but have you lost hope in sincere politicians like…
WEIBERN, Austria: As Katharina and Reinhard Bauer show off cosseted turkey chicks they highlight standards that they – and the Austrian government – would like the rest of the EU to adopt as well.
“On our farm the birds have lots of space,” Katharina explains on the organic farm the pair run together in Weibern, northern Austria.
They stress how delicate the business of raising turkey chicks is given their fragile state immediately after hatching.
According to Reinhard they’re “very sensitive, curious and affectionate”.
The couple says the birds, brought to Europe from the Americas by Spanish colonists in the 16th century, must be raised in an environment as close to nature as possible to be fit for Christmas tables.
It’s a view shared by the Austrian government, which is aiming to get EU partners on board in raising standards for turkey farming across the bloc.
Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Koestinger recently boasted that “the ‘World Animal Protection’ organisation has put Austria in first place in its animal welfare rankings, in comparison with 50 countries worldwide”.
In November Green Austrian MEP Sarah Wiener launched a petition, backed by the government, calling for sector regulations at the European level in line with Austrian practices.
Turkey breeder Reinhard Bauer describes the chicks as “very sensitive, curious and affectionate”. (Photo: AFP/JOE KLAMAR)
After chickens and pigs, turkeys are the third most commonly reared animal in the EU, with around 190 million slaughtered annually.
But while the 27-member bloc has set rules and minimum standards for raising chickens and pigs, there is no such set of requirements for turkeys.
Austria’s roughly 120 turkey farms are by and large organised on a more human scale than larger operations found in Germany, Poland or Hungary.
Mostly family-run, Austria’s farms are subject to regular inspections and usually contain no more than 6,000 birds.
With an average of two adult males per square metre, the density they are raised in is the lowest in Europe.
Even on farms with comparatively lower standards, chicks can move freely in daylight and enjoy beds of straw or wood shavings.
Those on farms on the next higher rung have winter gardens, and on organic farms they are raised in the open air.
Better conditions come at a price, however.
An average package of Austrian turkey costs €14 (US$17), as opposed to €8 for imported equivalents.
As a result, domestic turkey only represents 40 per cent of total sales in Austria.
“I would be in favour of all of Europe seeing to it that animals have good conditions,” Katharina says as she gazes at her chirruping chicks.
And the push for higher standards has been taken on by some distributors too.
A few months ago, a major supermarket chain said it would only sell meat raised and slaughtered within Austria.
It set a flat price of €10 per turkey breast, without cutting what it paid farmers.
Austrian turkey breeders and government officials would like their standards adopted across the European Union. (Photo: AFP/JOE KLAMAR)
<p><strong>A FAIR PRICE</strong>
Whether or not the petition pushing for stricter EU regulations succeeds, the conservative-green Austrian coalition government has plans to increase the number of organic turkey producers by subsidising up to 35 per cent of the required investments.
Increasing standards “is the absolute priority for our farmers,” says Georg Strasser from Austria’s Chamber of Agriculture, stressing that animal welfare is a public health concern.
The use of antibiotics on Austrian turkey farms has fallen by 55 per cent between 2011 and 2017, and animal welfare association Vier Pfoten is encouraged by the efforts being made.
“Guaranteeing a fair price for farmers who respect the animals is the key to achieving change,” director Eva Rosenberg says.
The Bauers would not doubt heartily agree – having just upgraded their facilities to provide their flock with supplemental creature comforts.
Josh Packard, executive director of Springtide. Courtesy photo
(RNS) — More than half of teens and young adults who say they are affiliated with an organized religion also say they have little or no trust in organized religion. In other words, they are involved in religious institutions on paper but are disengaged at some level because they don’t trust religious institutions — even the ones they belong to.
And that’s just the roughly 6 in 10 who are still affiliated.
That lack of trust among religiously affiliated teens and young adults is one of many surprises in the “State of Religion and Young People” study released by Springtide Research Institute, which was founded in August 2019. The study surveyed more than 10,000 Americans ages 13 to 25 — the so-called Gen Z generation — about their involvement in, and feelings about, religion.
“They’re checking the box that says they are Jewish or Catholic or whatever, but over half of them are saying, ‘even though I checked the box, I don’t trust organized religion,’” said Josh Packard, a sociologist of religion who is the executive director of Springtide. “This is sort of stunning and not what you would expect from somebody who checked the box.”
More than half of young people who are affiliated with a particular religion don’t trust religious institutions. Springtide Research Institute, 2020
He thinks the study’s findings should complicate, if not make obsolete, the notion that we can use “affiliated” as an easy shorthand for “religious” in America. Other findings in the study bear this out, including that about 1 in 5 Gen Z members who are affiliated with an organized religion also say they are not personally religious.
“The categories that used to be really effective indicators of their faith and spirituality are just not anymore,” Packard said. “You can’t rely on the old metrics like we might have once been able to.”
If the category of “affiliated” no longer lines up perfectly with “active believers,” the category of “unaffiliated” is complicated too.
For example, 60% of teens and young adults who are not involved with an organized religion described themselves as spiritual, and 19% said they attend religious gatherings at least once a month.
One surprising finding was that 60% of young people who are not affiliated with religion said they considered themselves spiritual. Springtide, 2020
In this study of Gen Z, however, the edge among the unaffiliated goes to girls and women, 40% of whom are not involved with an organized religion. This was true of 36% of those who identify as male.
Packard was reluctant to draw definitive conclusions without more data, but he pinpointed many religions’ historical lack of gender equality as a likely factor.
“I would be stunned as a sociologist if it isn’t connected to the greater push that we’ve seen over the last 5 to 10 years for more equality in all facets of life,” he said. And the push may rise over time, as those born in the 1990s and early 2000s have kids of their own and emphasize gender equality at an early age.
Springtide, 2020
For religious leaders and parents who are wringing their hands about how to get young people reengaged in organized religion, Packard worries they’re focusing on the wrong things. Religion has not disappeared; it’s just become more diffuse. What used to happen via programs at churches and synagogues has moved outward into the wider world.
“A declining trust in institutions means the work they used to do falls to others,” the Springtide report suggests. “If the work of meaning making or community building once fell to religious organizations, it is now the domain of groups like Nuns & Nones, The Dinner Party, boutique and garage gyms, or even the workplace. Related to this, with decreased trust in government, a renewed culture of protests, rallies, and petitions has emerged as civilians take social and political matters into their own hands.”
The challenge for religious organizations is to pivot with the times — to stop evaluating their success based on how many young people show up for a pizza party and start establishing small-scale mentoring relationships between committed religious adults and young people who want to have religious conversations.
And there are a lot of these young people, the research shows. They are interested in religious questions but express their beliefs in noninstitutional ways, including everyday moral matters like what they buy. “They’re asking, ‘How am I taking care of the planet with this purchase? Who am I buying it from? Does that company support fair wages? Do they support the causes that I care about?’” Packard said. “These are more than just social justice concerns. Young people talk about these questions in religious language.”
They also respond to “relational authority,” which means authority that is not based on hierarchy or titles so much as a genuine interest in young people as individuals. Four in 5 Gen Z members surveyed said they were likely to take guidance from adults who care about them. The report pinpoints five values that characterize this relational authority: listening, transparency, integrity, care and expertise. (Expertise comes last on the list intentionally, because 65% of young people say an adult’s expertise doesn’t matter unless the adult cares for them. Listening comes first in establishing a genuine, nontransactional relationship.)
Religion outside the box of programs and buildings is a fresh challenge for many religious leaders and teachers, Packard acknowledges. It’s also harder for sociologists to track. “The local chapter of your National Association for Loosely Affiliated People Interested in Vaguely Religious Questions doesn’t meet at Starbucks on a Wednesday,” he joked. But he stresses it’s important to resist the temptation to label teens and young adults.
“This is the most diverse and complex generation that has ever existed,” he said. “Their religious lives are no different.”
