, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201211IPR93621/
Colombian Bishop decries desecration of Catholic church – Vatican News
By Devin Watkins
On the night of 12 December, a group of unidentified vandals entered the Church of Our Lady of Valvanera, in the city of Pitalito, in the southeastern part of Colombia.
They broke open the Tabernacle, and stole the ciborium and monstrance, along with several other religious objects. The thieves also threw the consecrated hosts on the floor.
Attack on mystery of faith
In response, the Bishop of Garzón, Fabio Duque Jaramillo, released a statement on Tuesday decrying the desecration of the Eucharist.
“In the name of the Catholic Church, I raise my voice in protest and condemnation for the desecration of the church and the Tabernacle,” he said, calling it “an act which wounds all Catholics of the Diocese of Garzón and the universal Church, because we see the central mystery of our faith under attack: the Eucharist, the presence of God in our midst and the extension of the mystery of human redemption.”
Rights trampled upon
The Bishop added that the event represented a “serious violation of the people’s religious rights.”
He urged civil authorities to investigate the incident.
“Government authorities and civil representatives should not underestimate the damage these attacks have on the feelings and faith of Catholics,” he said. “When the rights of God are trampled upon with impunity, our human rights are also in danger.”
Excommunication and repentance
Bishop Duque reminded the perpetrators that, according to Canon Law (§1367), they have automatically been sanctioned with excommunication, so that they might be provoked to repent.
He also invited the faithful of Colombia to express their solidarity with the Catholic community of Pitalito.
“It is our duty, as Catholics,” he said, “to repudiate acts such as these.”
Mass of Reparation
The Church of Our Lady of Valvanera will remain closed for 15 days.
On 28 December, Bishop Duque will celebrate a Mass of Reparation, in response to this act of desecration.
Quality and Sustainability: Why Colombia could become the next exporting giant
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Colombia is set to become one of the world’s largest food exporters. If it succeeds, Europe will be seeing more Colombian produce on its supermarket shelves than ever before.
Colombia, with its Caribbean coastline, soaring Andean peaks and lush Amazonian jungle, is best known around the world for its specialty coffee. The sweet and floral Arabica bean, which has been cultivated in Colombia’s mist-shrouded Zona Cafetera since the 16th century, is today the country’s largest export. Arabica coffee is Colombia’s most decorated product, too, boasting several international certifications such as UTZ, organic, RainForest, 4C, and FairTrade.
But a great cup of joe isn’t the only thing South America’s fourth-largest country has to offer. Located close to the equatorial border, Colombia is home to some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, including rainforest, moorland, dessert, and savannah. From the tropical grasslands to the east of the Andes to the high-altitude plains and glaciers near Bogota, Colombia’s varied landscape, as well as its non-seasonal climate and ample water resources, make it an agricultural paradise. Experts from the FAO say that, with further funding and the right measures in place, Colombia has the potential to produce a variety of high-quality products year-round, and in large quantities.
But for a country that for so long has focused largely on coffee exports, there are challenges ahead. The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, a non-profit organization at the forefront of promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Colombia, has been a key player in diversifying Colombia’s export offering. In recent years, the Federation has launched a programme to encourage Colombian coffee growers to cultivate alternative food products, such as avocados, sugar cane, and passionfruit, alongside the Arabica coffee bean. This will not only help Colombia grow as a mass exporter of organic foods, but could also give thousands of coffee-growing families, who are often at the mercy of fluctuating coffee prices, additional sources of income.
While coffee remains Colombia’s most in-demand product, the country is experiencing a boom in fresh fruit exports. In 2019, 2.1 million tonnes of fresh fruit was sold internationally, with bananas, avocado and plantain being the most popular, particularly in Europe. According to the European Commission report EU Imports of Organic Agri-Food Products, Colombia’s organic product exports to the EU rose from 63,114 tons in 2018 to 87,341 tons in 2019. After coffee and fresh flowers, bananas, which generated 862.1 million in revenue for the country in 2019, are now Colombia’s largest export. Avocados, too, are Colombia’s fastest-growing product, their value now 42% higher than it was in 2018.
According to ProColombia, a government agency in charge of the development of Colombia’s non-traditional exports, part of Colombia’s success in exporting fresh fruit is due to two things: quality and commitment to sustainability. As of 2019, 700 avocado farms had been certified by GlobalG.A.P, a figure that ProColombia said is only set to grow. “International markets are increasingly interested in sustainable fruit practices, so more farms will continue to work towards these social and environmental certifications,” says ProColombia. For the banana industry, on the other hand, ProColombia says there is a strong commitment to workers’ rights. “Unions in the sector, especially in Urubá, ensure that working conditions are good and that workers have access to healthcare and education,” says ProColombia. “Pay is also 45% higher than the minimum wage.”
While bananas and avocados are Colombia’s star sellers, the country hopes to export a larger variety of fruits to Europe in the coming years. During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, ProColombia reported that more people in Europe were buying vitamin C-rich fruits, such as oranges and lemons, to strengthen their immune system. This, ProColombia says, could open doors for Colombia’s lesser-known products, such as pitaya, tamarillo, and soursop. “This is a very good opportunity for exotic Colombian fruits to increase their presence in the European market,” said ProColombia.
Whether Colombia’s more exotic fruits like the pink pitaya and orange tamarillo are a hit with European consumers remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: products of Colombian origin could soon become staples of Europe’s fresh fruit pantry.
It is also worth mentioning that Colombia is one of the most important suppliers of palm oil in America, and the fourth largest producer worldwide. In this context, the country is making steady progress in its intention to consolidate itself as an international leader in sustainable production. It aims to reach zero deforestation in the coming years and to be a world leader in the best production practices to take advantage of the more than 5.2 million hectares that it has with high potential for planting and exporting.
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The COMECE Working Group on Migration assesses the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum
COMECE assesses the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum:
“put Human dignity and Common Good at the centre of the future negotiations”
In view of the International Migrants Day, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) calls upon the EU and its Member States to put the human dignity and the common good at the centre of the future negotiations on the recently proposed EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The statement, published on Wednesday 16 December 2020, includes policy recommendations elaborated by the COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum.
Following the analysis of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, proposed by the European Commission on 23 September 2020, the COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum expresses its concerns about the effectiveness of the Pact to alleviate the difficult situation, aggravated by COVID-19, in which migrants and refugees find themselves.
While recognizing the efforts of the European Commission to set out a new and comprehensive framework aimed to create a fair and predictable migration management mechanism, COMECE urges all negotiating actors to promote a welcoming context as well as a fair and just approach to those in need.
The COMECE document also proposes a series of concrete policy recommendations toward a multi-level solidarity mechanism, external relations based on reciprocity and fair partnerships, and an integrated management of external borders, that would protect and promote the human rights rooted in human dignity of all individuals and families arriving in the EU.
Especially in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic, “which exacerbated the poverty, social exclusion and stigmatization of migrants, asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking, […] the Pact should create a sustainable and human system of solidarity and responsibility sharing that recognizes the mutual advantages of migration and protects refugees” – reads the statement.
The contribution is the result of the multiple online meetings of the COMECE Working Group ants its experts, who also contributed to the Public consultation on the future of EU legal migration aiming to identify areas of improvement of the EU framework on legal migration.
Already on 16 October 2020 COMECE contributed to the Public Consultation on the integration and inclusion, highlighting the importance of Church based organizations in the process of integration and the need for these organizations to be recognized and be included in future funding.
Photo: © 2016 Catholic News Service
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Turkey’s Erdogan, EU’s Michel discussed EU summit in call
President Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel in a call that Turkey wants to build its future with the EU, calling for Ankara and the bloc to move on from a “vicious cycle” in ties, the Turkish presidency said late on Tuesday.
At a summit on Friday, EU leaders agreed to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over a row with members Greece and Cyprus over Ankara’s illegal hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. But, they have postponed discussions on any harsher steps until March.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit that EU leaders planned to discuss weapons exports to Turkey with NATO allies following a Greek push for an arms embargo on Ankara.
The Turkish presidency said that Erdogan urged Michel to take a more constructive approach toward Turkey.
“During the call, President Erdogan stated that Turkey aimed to build its future with the EU, and that they considered every positive step in Turkey-EU ties as a window of opportunity,” the presidency said.
Erdogan also reiterated that Turkey was ready to launch bilateral talks with Greece on their maritime claims, but accused Athens of “running from talks”. He repeated a call for a regional east Mediterranean conference.
Turkey sent a seismic exploration vessel into waters within Greece’s EEZ in August, stoking tensions.
The EU, led by Germany, has sought without success to resolve the dispute while Turkey has repeatedly accused the bloc of being biased.
(Reuters)
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, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20201210STO93502/
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, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201211IPR93622/