ImageImage copyright: Alice van Kempen, Well with Nature /EEA
A moody shot of a windswept lighthouse in an approaching storm on the Dutch coast, which won the Public Choice Award, headlines this year’s winners of the EEA’s ‘Well with Nature’ photo competition announced today. The 2022 competition was the EEA’s largest ever, drawing a record 5236 entries from across Europe.
Other winners included a dramatic closeup shot of two great crested grebes in a courting ritual exchanging plastic instead of seaweed on Lake Garda, a wide and dusty view of Turkish herders moving their cattle, a person becoming ‘one with nature’ with a downed tree trunk, a butterfly pausing on a person’s hand to rest and a firefighter looking at the destruction caused by a still smouldering forest fire in Istanbul.
The aim of the ‘Well with Nature’ competition was to highlight our connection to nature, how much we care for it and how it it affects our emotional and physical wellbeing. It aims to raise awareness about the benefits we can all receive by taking action towards zero pollution.
Environmental communication experts from the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) and the public selected the winners in four categories from a shortlisted 50 finalists. The four thematic categories were air, water, land, and sound. There were an additional two categories including the public choice award and best youth photo.
The winner of each thematic category will receive a cash prize of EUR 1,000. Additional prizes of EUR 500 are awarded to the best youth entry as well as the public’s favourite photo. This year’s contest received the highest number of photo submissions ever. Water was the biggest category followed by land.
Winners by category:
Air: The dusty journey of the herds in the wind in Bitlis, by Ali ihsan Öztürk, Türkiye
Water: The plastic gift, by Roberto Melotti, Italy
Land: One with nature, by Gert Lammerts, The Netherlands
Sound: Fire, by Onur Doğman, Türkiye
Youth Award: Calm Butterfly, by Patryk Stefaniak, Poland
Public Choice Award: Summer in Zeeland, by Alice van Kempen, The Netherlands
The parties are still far from concluding negotiations at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, Reuters reports.
The agency added that the hosts “urged negotiators to resolve their differences before the weekend deadline”.
She continues: According to the special representative of the Egyptian presidency of COP27, Wael Abulmagd, “deep divisions remain in the negotiation rooms in Egypt”. He quoted Abulmagd as saying: “I think we have a larger than usual number of outstanding issues… We would hope under the current circumstances to see more willingness to cooperate and accommodate than we are seeing.”
The news outlet quoted an “official close to the negotiations” as saying, “There is concern about how we will get to the end, and there is concern because we are talking about the biggest problem facing humanity.”
He continued: “Negotiations remained thorny over the issue of ‘loss and damage’, or how to help countries hit by huge economic losses from climate-related disasters, with countries divided over whether and when to create fund and who should pay into it.
On Wednesday, however, negotiators scored a small victory by agreeing to create the so-called Santiago Network, a body to offer technical assistance to countries in need of disaster recovery.
Rich countries continue to resist reaching an agreement this year on the creation of a special loss and damage fund.”
Five key takeaways from the COP27 climate meeting in Egypt
Reviews in the world media are mixed, although there are enough positive reviews
Several media outlets list what they consider to be the most notable outcomes of COP27.
BBC News lists five, including the loss and damage fund, which it asks if it is “the biggest climate victory since Paris?”.
But the paper also said that the wording in the cost-covering decision was “seen as a missed opportunity in the fight against climate change”, particularly the “low emissions and renewable energy” wording, which was seen as a significant loophole that could allowed the development of additional gas resources because gas produces less emissions than coal”.
The Guardian cites World Bank reform and wording on “tipping points and health” as notable “key outcomes”.
Reuters highlighted “Brazil is back” and “US-China relations are rekindling” among the “key results”.
Climate Home News points to, among others, the Bridgetown Program, which is the effort pushed by Mia Motley of Barbados to shift trillions of dollars into green and sustainable investments: “However, Motley’s flagship proposal to use IMF relief known such as special drawing rights (SDRs) to finance projects to reduce carbon emissions does not appear in the text.
Discussions will continue at the spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Among the main conclusions of “Independent” is a doubling of funding for adaptation.
Separately, the Guardian published an article reporting how key players reacted to the end of COP27, including Vanessa Nakate, a climate justice activist from Uganda. She stated: “COP27 was supposed to be the ‘African agenda’ but the needs of the African people have been thwarted all along”.
Europe’s temperatures are rising more than twice as fast as the global average with more and more extreme heatwaves being recorded. The demand for sustainable cooling in buildings is increasing and, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, there is a need for buildings that are energy efficient, use passive cooling solutions and can protect people from heatwaves and contribute to human health and well-being.
The EEA briefing ‘Cooling buildings sustainably in Europe’ analyses how to best alleviate heat stress in buildings and its potential impacts on vulnerable groups, health and inequalities and at same time decrease the energy use.
Heatwaves, urbanisation and ageing populations can prompt a heavy use of active cooling in buildings, which is inefficient, socially inequitable and increases energy use. Prioritising passive cooling solutions, improving energy efficiency of buildings, communicating on individual good practices and promoting urban cooling solutions, such as green and blue public spaces, are more sustainable solutions to address heat stress, the EEA briefing states.
Moreover, targeting vulnerable groups would minimise negative health impacts from heat stress and reduce inequalities and energy poverty. When active cooling is necessary, cooling systems should be as efficient as possible, low carbon and equitably accessible by vulnerable and other groups. According to the EEA briefing, current EU policies development and the renovation wave offer key opportunities to ensure low-carbon cooling solutions that are socially just and strengthen societal resilience.
Castelldefels/Barcelona, SPAIN. Under the theme “Social Inclusion in Cities – Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Bring Communities into Dialogue”, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), the Blanquerna Observatory for Media, Culture and Religion, the European Council for Religious Leaders (ECRL/RfP Europe), the Higher Institute for Religious Sciences of Barcelona (ISCREB) and the KAICIID-supported “Network for Dialogue” have launched today the “4th European Policy Dialogue Forum” in Castelldefels / Barcelona. The forum is supported by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and participating was its Head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department Dr. Kishan Manocha.
Once every year, this unique event serves as a platform for civil society actors, policymakers, representatives of faith-based organizations and academic experts who come together to discuss the most pressing issues related to the inclusion of refugees and migrants across Europe. The 4th edition of the forum is being attended by more than 100 participants from over 30 different countries and multiple faiths among them Christians, Muslims, Hindues, Buddhists, Baha’is, Scientology and others.
Thematically, this year’s gathering is explore the role of the media in countering hate speech as well as the importance of forging multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the social inclusion of migrants and refugees in European cities. Participants jointly discuss the roles of different stakeholders – from journalists to policymakers and religious communities – and the importance of them working together towards more inclusive societies for all.
“Governments and multilateral actors cannot alone galvanize the commitment to foster social inclusion across European cities. To tackle this huge task, we also need broad collaboration with and between the religious communities, civil society representatives and grassroots activists. Through the European Policy Dialogue Forum, we seek to increase engagement between all these stakeholders, make their voices heard, share all the different perspectives and discuss ways to cooperate more effectively”,KAICIID’s Secretary-General, Zuhair Alharthi, said about the event.
“The high number of people arriving on the European continent fleeing situations of poverty, war, violence or lack of security makes integration a crucial issue. The European Policy Dialogue Forum is a key space in this regard, as it brings together actors from different fields with the common goal of migrants integration. This year’s edition, focused on the role of the media, is highly appropriate as migrants’ contact with the world’s citizens takes place mainly through these spaces and is the journalists responsibility to present and describe these groups beyond labels”.Miriam Díez-Bosch, from Blanquerna Observatory stated
Among the speakers and panellists at this year’s 4th Policy Dialogue Forum are:
Sónia Pereira, High Commissioner for Migration of the Republic of Portugal
Kishan Manocha, Head of Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Míriam Díez Bosch, Director of the Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Culture and Religion, University Ramon Llull
Rev. Dr. Thomas Wipf, President of the European Council for Religious Leaders Religions for Peace Europe
Metropolitan Emmanuel, Metropolitan Elder of Chalcedon and member of KAICIID´s Board of Directors
Milica Pešić, Executive Director, Media Diversity Institute
Lakshmi Vyas, President of the Hindu Forum Europe
Thomas Andersson, Chair of the Current Affairs Committee to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
About KAICIID
The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is an intergovernmental organization that promotes dialogue to build peace in conflict areas. It does this by enhancing understanding and cooperation between people of different cultures and followers of different religions. Its Board of Directors comprises prominent representatives from five major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism). KAICIID’s vision is a world where there is respect, understanding, and cooperation among people, justice, peace and reconciliation, and an end to the abuse of religion to justify oppression, violence, and conflict.
About the Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Culture and Religion
The Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture is an interdisciplinary space for research and dissemination of information and activities on communication and religion. The Observatory follows trends in religious information, the presence of religion in the media, communication and new technologies, and the latest news on the right to freedom of religion and belief. It also researches the links between popular culture and the spiritual aspects of society. All this, prioritising research, training, dissemination, publication and internationalisation of the religious phenomenon. It participates in activities that link the religious side with social cohesion, freedom of expression and the naturalisation of the religious fact in increasingly complex societies.
About the Network for Dialogue
The Network for Dialogue is a European-wide platform established to bring faith and civil society actors together to promote the use of dialogue and develop more effective recommendations for social inclusion policies for migrants and refugees in Europe. Established with the support of KAICIID, the Network currently has 25 members from 15 different countries.
Unprecedented heatwaves — as seen this year — are the greatest direct climate-related health threat to Europe’s population. Heatwaves already account for numerous deaths and illnesses. This burden is set to increase without more climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. Heat-health action plans, urban greening, better building design and adjusting working times can contribute to better protect the most vulnerable groups in society, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today.
The EEA report focuses on the impact high temperatures are having on the population, which leads to the largest number of fatalities associated with natural hazards in Europe. Due to climate change, these fatalities are projected to increase substantially unless adaptation measures are taken. Climate-sensitive infectious diseases — another emerging threat — are projected to further spread northwards and cause a higher disease burden in Europe. The report draws on knowledge developed for the European Climate and Health Observatory, which provides access to a wide range of relevant data, tools, publications and other resources informing about climate change impacts for human health.
Increasingly frequent, long and intense heatwaves in combination with an ageing population and growing urbanisation mean that more vulnerable populations are exposed to high temperatures, particularly in southern and central Europe. The location of many schools and hospitals in areas experiencing the urban heat island effect, further exacerbating high temperatures, calls for urgent adaptation of those facilities. The rise in temperatures also affect occupational health and safety, resulting in an average annual loss of 16 hours per worker in highly exposed sectors, with the largest losses in southern Europe.
Reducing the health impacts of heat requires implementing a wide range of solutions, including effective heat health action plans, creating more green and shaded areas in cities, appropriate building design and construction, and adjusting working times and conditions so people are less exposed.
Climate conditions more welcoming to infectious diseases
Changing climate conditions are becoming more suitable for the emergence and transmission of climate-sensitive infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever or West Nile fever, also expanding the risk of transmission to previously unaffected areas of Europe, like northern regions. The projected lengthening of the transmission season and wider distribution of mosquito species that act as carriers for malaria and dengue, combined with the growing number of travel-imported disease cases, increases the likelihood of local outbreaks.
People working in agriculture, forestry, or emergency services may be at higher risk of catching one of these diseases, while the elderly, young children and those with compromised immune systems may suffer more if they catch a disease.
Warming sea waters are also increasingly suitable for the dangerous Vibrio bacteria found in fish and shellfish, in particular along the Baltic Sea coastline. Exposure to the bacteria can cause serious illness. Effective monitoring of species that carry or transmit these diseases and disease surveillance would help the development of early warnings and better targeted control of carrier species or vaccination.
Prevention, coordination is crucial
Monitoring and surveillance of climate-related threats is an effective measure and the most frequently mentioned in national health or climate adaptation strategies. It is essential to develop early warnings: swift, well-organised and effective actions as part of heat health action plans and providing appropriate information to the public can reduce the risk of disease transmission.
At the local level, the engagement of health and social care providers with climate change adaptation planning remains low across Europe. Adapting to the existing and emerging health threats arising from climate change requires better preparedness of the health sector through increasing awareness, improving knowledge and widening engagement of public health and healthcare professionals, the EEA report says. Improving the resilience of healthcare facilities to extreme weather and ensuring that health systems have the capacity to respond to increased demand for patient care or diagnostics will also help.
Alexander De Croo called on the younger generation, Tuesday at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, “to be part of the solution” in the fight against global warming, as the actions of climate activists multiply across the world. Europe, aiming at iconic buildings or works of art.
Belgium image
On 11/8/2022 at 3:31 p.m. Updated on 08/11/2022 at 22:05
In his speech on Tuesday afternoon, on the occasion of the summit of Heads of State and Government at COP27, Mr. De Croo addressed young people in particular: “Be part of the solution with us. We need you. Go study science and above all: build coalitions, build partnerships. Get in touch with people with different ideas, because that’s when the real change happens,” suggested the Belgian Prime Minister.
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Building bridges between business and civil society
Alexander de Croo met young Belgian activists at COP27 on Monday “who know they have to look beyond slogans”, he explained. Young people who understand that government cannot act alone. “That progress is not imposed from top to bottom but co-created between partners. Between governments and the private sector. Between business and civil society. »
Moreover, Belgium came to this COP “with a large delegation from the private sector” because companies “are putting great solutions on the table”, in terms of offshore wind power, green energy, “to protect us against rising sea levels” and even “to turn the driest desert back into an oasis”, continued the Prime Minister.
“Fight for our survival”
According to Mr. De Croo, the fight against climate change is “a fight for our survival but also for the safeguard of social cohesion”. “The last thing we need in the fight against climate change is more polarization,” he said, deeming it necessary to be ambitious but also “to keep everyone on board” as the consequences of the Climate change and the policies to deal with it affect certain categories of the population more, such as farmers, less isolated apartment tenants or small family businesses.
“He always and easy to destroy. Building and cherishing is much more difficult,” concluded the Belgian Prime Minister, quoting the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Martin Ralchevski was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 4, 1974. He graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridsky” majoring in Theology and Geography. He started writing after his return from Mexico in 2003, where he had spent three months acting in the feature film Troy, as an extra. In this special and mystical place, in the town of Cabo San Lucas, California, he talked to the local people and listened to their numerous unique stories and experiences. “There, I felt that I wanted to write a book and tell these hitherto unrecorded mystical stories that I had heard from them”, he would say. And that’s how his first book “Endless Night” came to fruition. In all his books hope, faith and positivity are leading themes. Soon after, he got married and in the following years became a father of three. “Inevitably, since then, I’ve written ten more books”, he says. All were published by the major Bulgarian publishing houses and there was and continues to be a dedicated and loyal cult readership. Ralchevski commented on this himself: “That’s very likely the reason why, over the years, I’ve been encouraged by my publishers, readers and some directors to also write several screenplays for feature films based on my novels. I listened to these suggestions and to date, in addition to the books, I have also written five screenplays for feature films, which I hope will soon be realized.”
Martin Ralchevski’s published books to date are ‘Endless Night’, ‘Forest Spirit’, ‘Demigoddess’, ‘30 Pounds’, ‘Fraud’, ‘Emigrant’, ‘Antichrist’, ‘Soul’, ‘The Meaning of Life’, ‘Eternity’, and ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’. His last book was extremely well-received by literary critics and readers. It received very positive reviews from various people involved in literature, as well as numerous awards and accolades. “This encouraged me to believe that this book would also be of interest to a U.S. readership. That’s why I decided to apply for this competition, to publish a Bulgarian book in the English language, precisely with this novel”, says Ralchevski.
Synopsis of the novel “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Martin Ralchevski
A large part of the novel is based on the little-known legend of the Strandja mountain, which today is remembered only by the elderly residents of the area and by the older local population in the towns surrounding the black sea. Legend has it that in the early eighties of the last century, a young man named Peter from the city of Ahtopol experienced a terrible personal drama.
Peter is notorious in the small town for his intellectual disability. His parents, Ivan and Stanka, have to go to work in Burgas (a nearby big city) and leave their ten-year-old daughter, Ivana, in his care. Peter was then eighteen years old. It is autumn, but the weather was warm for that time of year, and Peter decides to take Ivana to the sea for a swim. They go to a remote rocky beach to avoid being seen by anybody. He falls asleep on the beach, and she goes into the sea. However, the weather suddenly deteriorates, large waves appear, and Ivana drowns.
When their parents return and learn about what happened, they are enraged with wrath. In his anger, Ivan (Peter’s father) chases him down to try and kill him. Peter runs to Strandja and gets lost. A national manhunt is announced, although nobody can find him. He is hidden by a local shepherd in the mountains, who briefly takes care of him. After some time, Peter ended up in the Bachkovo monastery. There, a year later, he accepted monkhood and lived a strict monastic life, hidden from the eyes of people, in the basement of the monastery, constantly repeating through tears: “God, please, do not count this sin against me.” This is his secret prayer; with which he repents for the death of his sister. His hiding is dictated by the real fear that if caught, he will be sent to prison. Thus, in weeping, self-reproach and fasting, with the assistance of the older monks, he spends another year in isolation and seclusion. Following an anonymous tip-off, a State Security team arrived at the Holy Monastery and began a search of all the premises in the monastery. Peter is forced to flee to avoid detection. He goes east. He runs at night and hides during the day. Thus, after a long and exhausting expedition, he reaches again the most remote and deserted part of Strandja Mountain. There he settles in a hollow tree and begins to lead an ascetic life, never ceasing to repeat his penitential prayer. In this way, he gradually transformed from an ordinary monk into a hermit-miracle-worker.
A new chapter follows, in which the action moves to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. In the foreground we have a young priest named Paul. He has a twin sister named Nikolina who is terminally ill with stomach cancer. Nikolina is lying at home, on life support. Since Pavel and Nikolina are twins, the relationship between them is extremely strong. Therefore, Pavel cannot accept that he will lose her. He prays almost around the clock, holding his sister’s hand as he repeats: “Don’t close your eyes! You will live. Don’t close your eyes!” But nevertheless, Nikolina’s chances of survival decrease with every passing day.
The action moves back to Ahtopol. There, in the yard of the house, are Peter’s elderly parents—Ivan and Stanka. For many years, Ivan regrets that he sent his son away and cannot stop tormenting himself. A young man suddenly arrives to them, who tells them that hunters have seen their son Peter deep in the Strandja mountain. His parents are amazed. They immediately leave by car for the mountain. Stanka becomes nauseous from anticipation. The car stops and Ivan continues alone. Ivan reaches the area where Peter was spotted and starts shouting: “Son…Peter. Show yourself… Please.” And Peter appears. The meeting between father and son is poignant. Ivan is a decrepit old man, he is 83 years old, and Peter is gray and tired from his difficult lifestyle. He is 60 years old. Peter tells his father, “You didn’t give up after all, and you finally found me. But I… can’t bring Ivana back from the dead.” Peter is devastated. He lies down on the ground, crosses his arms and mutters to his father: “Forgive me! For everything. Here I am! Kill me.” The old Ivan knelt before him and repented. “It’s my fault. You must forgive me, son,” he wails. Peter rises. The scene is sublime. They hug and say goodbye.
The action returns to Sofia again. The painful feeling of impending death is already hovering around the sick Nikolina. Father Pavel cries and prays incessantly. One evening, a close friend of Pavel confides in him about the mysterious hermit monk who lives somewhere in Strandja Mountain. Pavel thinks that this is a legend, but nevertheless decides to try to find this hermit anyway. During this period, his sister Nikolina rests. Then, in his despair, Pavel entrusts her lifeless body to their mother and leaves for Strandja Mountain. At this moment the mother reproachfully calls after him that he has said this prayer for his sister for so long, “Please don’t close your eyes,” and yet now she is dead, and now what will he say? How will he continue to pray? Then Paul stops, cries, and replies that there is no power to stop him and that he will continue to believe that there is hope for her to live. The mother thinks her son has lost his mind and begins to mourn him. Then Paul thinks on what his mother told him and begins to pray like this: “No, I will not give up. You will live. Please, open your eyes!” From that moment Paul began to repeat incessantly instead of the prayer “Do not close your eyes” its opposite, namely: “Open your eyes! Please, open your eyes!”
With this new prayer at the tip of his tongue, and after considerable difficulties, he manages to find the hermit in the mountain. The meeting between the two is shocking. Paul notices Peter first and silently approaches him. The holy man is kneeling with his hands raised to heaven and through tears repeats: “God, please count this sin against me…” Paul immediately understands that this is not a proper prayer. Because no normal person would pray to have his sin imputed to him, but on the contrary, to be forgiven. It is implied to the reader that this replacement was brought about because of the hermit’s mental deficiency and ignorance. Thus, his original prayer: “God, please do not count this sin against me” gradually, over the years, turned into “God, count this sin against me.” Pavel does not know that the hermit is illiterate and that he has almost gone wild in this desolate and inhospitable place. But when the two meet eye to eye, Paul realizes that he is facing a saint. Ignorant, uneducated, mentally slow, and yet a saint! The wrong prayer shows Paul that God does not look at our face, but at our heart. Pavel cries in front of Peter and tells him that his sister Nikolina had died earlier that day and that he had come all the way from Sofia to ask for his prayers. Then, to Paul’s horror, Peter says that there is no point in praying because God will not hear his petitions. However, Paul does not give in, but continues to beg him, in spite of everything, to pray for his deceased sister that she will come to life. But Peter remains adamant. Finally, in his anguish and helplessness, Paul swears to him like this: “If you had a sister who loved as I love my sister and could bring her back from the other world, you would understand me and help me!” These words shake Peter. He remembers the death of his little sister Ivana and understands that God, through this encounter, after so many years of repentance, is finally trying to exonerate him. Then Peter falls to his knees and cries out to God to perform a miracle and bring back the soul of Paul’s sister to the world of the living. This happens around four-thirty in the afternoon. Pavel thanks him and leaves the Strandja Mountain.
On the way to Sofia, Father Pavel could not contact his mother because the battery of his phone had died, and he, in his haste, forgot to take a charger with him. He arrives in Sofia in the early hours of the next day. When he comes home to Sofia, he is quiet, but he is also so exhausted that he collapses in the corridor and has no will to enter his sister’s room. Finally, he gets scared, goes in and finds Nikolina’s bed empty. Then he starts crying. Soon after, the door opens and his mother walks in and joins him in the room. He is surprised because he thought he was alone in the apartment. “After your sister died and you left,” his mother tells him, trembling, “I called 911. A doctor came and determined the death and wrote the death certificate. However, I did not leave her and continued to hold her hand as if she were still alive. She wasn’t breathing and I knew what I was doing was crazy, but I stood by her side. I was telling her that I love her and that you love her too. It was a little after four-thirty when it felt as if someone was telling me to pick her up. I obeyed and lifted her slightly, and she…she…opened her eyes! do you understand? She had died, the doctor had confirmed it, but she came back to life!”
Pavel can’t believe it. He asks where Nikolina is. His mother tells him that she is in the kitchen. Pavel storms into the kitchen, and sees Nikolina sitting in front of the table drinking tea.
After the themes of “ecumenism of the heart” and unity to be consolidated and expanded, here is the word “pilgrimage” which I would like to deepen in connection with the 11th assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) held in Karlsruhe (Germany) last September.
The theme of “pilgrimage” was taken as a paradigm for the WCC’s work, following its 10th Assembly in Busan, Korea, in 2013. Since then, the “Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace” has visited many places of suffering and injustice. For Orthodox theologian Fr Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the WCC, “the image of the pilgrimage refers to our identity. We are a movement, not a static institution. The first Christians were called ‘people of the road’ (Acts 9:2)”.
To the pilgrimage of justice and peace have been added reconciliation and unity. This is what the love of Christ calls us to, as the final lines of the Assembly’s final message state: “The love of Christ, which is open to all people… can lead us on a pilgrimage of justice, reconciliation and unity and empower us to act through him”. https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/message-of-the-wcc-11th-assembly-a-call-to-act-together
Prior to the assembly, WCC delegations visited some of the bloody wounds in the world today, including Ukraine and the Middle East. The pilgrimage of justice and peace traversed the “dark valleys” of humanity where Christ awaits us and calls us to live out his love, such as climate issues, economic injustices, violence against women, marginalization of people living with disabilities, the damage of colonization and exclusion of indigenous peoples, and many others.
Jesus was outraged by anything that denies human dignity, and following his lead, the Church must boldly speak the truth about the injustices that exist within itself and in society and commit itself to new relationships. To be credible agents of reconciliation, moved by the love of Christ, we must begin by acknowledging our complicity in the perpetuation of injustices.
With many “mea culpas”, a sense of humility permeated the prayer life of the assembly. Christians from war-torn countries, those suffering from famine, injustice, climate disasters were able to express their suffering and their appeals were heard!
The Church must challenge exclusionary practices that perpetuate stigma, racism and xenophobia. Christ’s love liberates us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 5). In this way we will move with one another towards reconciliation and unity.
The assembly also gave voice to witnesses and proposed concrete steps in each area, such as the Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network. https://www.oikoumene.org/what-we-do/edan ). In a plenary session on justice, Cuban reformed theologian Dora Arce Valentin said that violence against women has claimed more victims than the Coronavirus during the pandemic. For Adele Halliday of the United Church of Canada, indigenous people whose rights have been denied need not only an apology but also reparations. With Christ, reconciliation is possible, but it takes time for those on the periphery.
Samson Waweru Njoki, from the Orthodox Church in Kenya, is blind. He speaks out against misconceptions about disability: “Everyone can succeed because they have the same brain. God created human beings as co-creators, including the disabled. Our vocation as Christians is to include them… But when we don’t see the person in need next to us, we too are blind”.
Jørgen Skov Sørensen, from the Conference of European Churches, asks how wars are possible. As Europeans we like the idea of progress, so this question is difficult for secularized people. But as Christians we have an answer: war is possible because we know that we are broken beings. We do the evil that we do not want to do, as Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 7, so timely, says. The Church’s response to any war is to be animated by the love of Christ. It’s a worldwide community of mutual encouragement. This is his preferred definition of the Church.
The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace will continue to be an “integrative strategic direction”. Its name is now “Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity”. If there can be no peace and unity without justice, it is also true that there can be no justice without forgiveness and healing of hearts through the love of Christ.
All issues where churches and societies are divided must be addressed in this spirit of pilgrimage. The WCC calls for a deeper “theology of companionship”. (1) This should be lived out in particular with young people: walking with them to prepare, for example, “Ecumenical World Youth Days”, as in the Catholic Church (a proposal of the American Reformed pastor Wesley Granberg).
A pilgrimage of reconciliation and unity
Justice and peace issues have always been high on the WCC agenda. Today, climate-related issues are added. This was also reflected in the assembly. The Orthodox and Catholics feel that issues of Christian unity are not given enough emphasis. Full eucharistic communion should be the primary goal of the WCC, they say. And those concerned with evangelization believe that everything should lead to a response to Jesus’ prayer: “That they may be one, so that the world may believe“. And that this dimension is not sufficiently considered.
These various dimensions of the Ecumenical Council should not be set against each other, but rather articulated, remembering that the richness of the ecumenical movement would be lost if we were to confine ourselves to one area. Because the eternal Son of God became incarnate, he has taken on all the realities of our world. To reject the realities of the world would be to reject the incarnation. In principle there should be no tension between “Faith & Order” and “Life and Work”, although it is not easy to keep these two areas in balance.
Doctrinal and moral questions must also be discussed in this spirit of pilgrimage. Pilgrims have time: their temporality is not that of society, where immediate answers must be given. For example, on the theme of sexuality, a document invites to a “Conversation on the Pilgrimage Way: Journeying Together on Issues of Human Sexuality”. (2) I participated in an “ecumenical conversation” and a “workshop” on this controversial topic and will speak about it later.
On theological issues, Fr Ioan Sauca recognizes that there is a tendency today to emphasize the experience of ecumenism rather than formal agreements and to recognize that when we walk together we are also led to reflect together on questions of faith and truth.
This is how Pope Francis understands ecumenism. At each assembly, the “Joint Working Group” between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC issues its report. It is always awaited with interest by “ecumenists”. This year’s report is entitled “Walking, Praying and Working Together: An Ecumenical Pilgrimage”. (3) This title is based on the meditation given by Pope Francis during his visit to the WCC in Geneva in June 2018. https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/speech-of-the-pope-francis-during-the-ecumenical-meeting-at-the-wcc
The latter has often said: “Ecumenism is made on the way… Unity will not come as a miracle at the end: unity comes in the journey; it is the Holy Spirit who makes it in the journey”. (4)
A pilgrimage to vast horizons
This pilgrimage takes on much wider dimensions than simply ecclesial. Two testimonies were given. At the evening event organized by the inviting churches, the Franco-German reconciliation was discussed. “We must tell our stories of reconciliation… The Alemannic dialect unites Baden, Alsace and Switzerland. But here we all speak the language of Christ’s love,” says Bishop Heike Springhart of the Church of Baden-Württemberg. “If there was reconciliation between Germans and French in the aftermath of the war, there is hope for Russians and Ukrainians when the guns have fallen silent,” adds the president of the Union of Protestant Churches in Alsace and Lorraine.
The second testimony came from the surprising Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, who received the only standing ovation during the assembly. According to her, politicians have a great responsibility, but religious leaders have much greater challenges to face. She would like to kneel down, if she could, to ask the question: “Is the love of Christ only for Christians? I firmly believe that his love is also for me, a Muslim. Unity among Christians is not enough. Our world is much bigger and deserves the love of Christ”!
She then asks the assembly to work not only for unity among Christians but also among all. She calls on the assembly to be the conscience of the political establishment and to fight against all feelings of superiority, exclusion and the idea that war is a valid option.
William Wilson, president of the Pentecostal World Fellowship, believes that unity must first be lived out in our relationships with each other and then in our mission to witness to reconciliation in Christ. As a collaborator in the ecumenical initiative JC2033, I was pleased that he invited the assembly to keep the horizon of 2033 in mind. “In that year we will celebrate 2000 years of Christ’s Resurrection. Can we share the love of Christ together? Let us make the next ten years a decade of reconciliation”! After his speech, we had an influx of visitors to our stand! https://jc2033.org/en
Let us not put off walking on these paths where the Risen One goes before us. This is the appeal of Ruth Mathen, delegate of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church (India), who says that above all we need a “metanoia” (a change of attitude). We do not need to understand more, because we know enough. We need to engage in the deep compassion of Christ. Enough talk, let’s do it!
To conclude, I would like to quote the prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict which says: ” “Let us walk in the paths of the Lord by the guidance of the Gospel”! And let us give a great place to the Risen One among us by welcoming one another! It is he who will enlighten us, unite us and send us out to this world that needs reconciliation and unity. This is what this pilgrimage through the dark valleys inspires me.
1. See the book Towards an Ecumenical Theology of companionship (WCC, Geneva, 2022) https://www.oikoumene.org/fr/node/73099.
2. “Conversation on the pilgrim way: invitation to journey together on matters of human sexuality. WCC, Geneva, 2022. https://www.oikoumene.org/fr/node/73043.
3. Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches, Walking, Praying, and Working Together: An Ecumenical Pilgrimage, Tenth Report 2014 – 2022, WCC publications Geneva-Rome, 2022.
4. Cf. Homily of Pope Francis, Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls 25th January 2014: “Unity will not come about as a miracle at the very end. Rather, unity comes about in journeying; the Holy Spirit does this on the journey. If we do not walk together, if we do not pray for one another, if we do not collaborate in the many ways that we can in this world for the People of God, then unity will not come about ! But it will happen on this journey, in each step we take. And it is not we who are doing this, but rather the Holy Spirit, who sees our goodwill”. Vatican website.
Over the last two decades the demand and supply for illicit drugs have dramatically increased as evidenced by the huge quantities seized in 2020 according to the European Drug Report: 739tons of cannabis, 213 tons of cocaine, 21.2 tons of amphetamines, 5.1 tons of heroin, 2.2 tons of methamphetamine, 1 ton of MDMA (ecstasy). Among the illicit drugs are not only found the traditional ones but also mixtures of illicit drugs, adulteration with other chemicals, newly synthetized drugs (as the NPS: New Psychoactive Substances: 5.1 tons seized) developed in clandestine laboratories, and finally the misuse and abuse of prescriptions drugs.
The young generations, in search of thrills, experiences and for recreational purposes have today easy access to a wide range of these illicit psychotropic drugs via dealers, shops and also on the web (the darknet). To counter the diversity of abuses and the real danger they represent for young consumers, in the UNGASS Resolution April 2016 A/S-30/L.1 Final Document, is already mentioned in the Prevention of Drug Abuse, paragraph (a) to:
“Take effective and practical primary prevention measures that protect people, in particular children and youth, from drug use initiation by providing them with accurate information about the risks of drug abuse, by promoting skills and opportunities to choose healthy lifestyles and develop supportive parenting and healthy social environments and by ensuring equal access to education and vocational training.”
Some six years later by listening, across Europe, to the parents, the children and even to teachers themselves, none or only a little progress is made in this field despite its crucial health, social and economic importance.
On the contrary, under lobbyists and companies’ pressures or sinking into corruption or by hidden vested interests some governments are refusing to see the previous human damages caused by the most used psychoactive drugs: alcohol and increasingly by cannabis. During the last decades, we have been witnessing real pressure to decriminalize or legalize the use of the drug cannabis. After long World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) experts studies and debates, this resulted in December 2020, the declassification of cannabis in the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from Schedule IV (drugs having ‘particularly dangerous properties’ so under the strictess control measures as for opioids and heroin) to Schedule I (available only for medical and research purposes). Still aware that “ poorly regulated medical cannabis programmes could step-up the ‘recreational use’ of the drug while diminishing public concern over its harmful effects” (News UN, 2020)
Based on Eurostat statistics 2020, 447.3 million of people are living in Europe and there are 73.6 million of young people aged 15-29 year-olds.
In 2019, for the aged 15 and over, one in twelve people consumed alcohol on a daily basis and one in five of these consumers have monthly an episode of heavy drinking (more than 60 gm of pure ethanol on a single occasion).
The average of alcohol consumption is 10 liters of pure alcohol per adult (2018) and it is responsible for some 255,000 to 290,000 deaths each year (World Health Organization, 2019). The proportion of 15 year-olds reporting drunkenness has declined in most EU countries between 1998 and 2018 from 41% to 24% for boys and 29% to 20% for girls.
The EMCDDA reports that the prevalence for the cannabis use among the young people (15-34 y.o.) is 15.5%. In 2020, 46% of European cannabis users are using it daily and 21% are using it between two and six days a week.
86,600 cannabis users entered in treatment last year, the source of referral being: self-referred (42%), from criminal justice (28%) and health-care system (22%).
The overall illicit trade in drugs is associated with violence, corruption of lawyers and officials, kidnappings, intimidation and homicide, as in July 2021 the drug-related shooting to death of a Dutch journalist exposing the drug lords. Also, the current increasing trend of dealings in open spaces is compromising the neighborhood safety.
“The trade in illegal drugs continues to dominate serious and organized crime in the EU, and nearly 40% of the criminal networks operating at the international level reported to Europol are active in drug trafficking. Fighting this illegal trade is a key priority for Europol and the EU” stated the Europol’s Executive Director (2022).
The illicit drug are big business market with an income of at least Euros 30 billion a year (EMCDDA & Europol 2019). This is a main source of income for the EU organized crime groups. The illicit drug use has also detrimental effects on the communities due to: dependency and shooting rooms, treatments, infectious diseases, deaths (8,300 overdoses), with a social cost representing up to 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country.
The use of psychoactive substances was well evidenced after the neolithic revolution in 10,000 BC with settlment and development of agriculture and rituals. Thus, the cannabis plant usage was found in 8,100 BC in Asia; the alcohol which is produced by the natural yeast fermentation of sugars from fruits, vegetables, and grains, is also used by some animals.The earliest human made alcohol comes from 7,000 BC in China, then in Caucasus (6,000 BC), followed by Sumerians (3,000 BC with beer) and Aztecs (pulque). The cocaine was already used in 6,000 BC and the opium in 5,700 BC, and many more kind of vegetables after them. This was the human migration which started to spread the discovery and then the use of these substances.
In 2,700 BC in China the Emperor Shen Nung wrote a compendium of medicinal plants, describing 365 medications and many are still in use today. The first prescriptions appears in 2,600 BC in Sumerian cuneiform writing on clay tablets. This is also the time where the first apothecary shops where found in Baghdad, mainly providing plants, assisting the priests and the physicians in their needs in regard to the patient care. In India starting as far as 2,000 BC the basic text of the traditional Ayurveda (science of life) has an holistic approach. It described some 700 medicinal plants and more than 1,000 diseases that can be effectively treated. Later in Ancient Egypt in 1,500 BC the Ebers Papyrus mentioned no less than 700 different plant species used for healing. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates (460-370 BC), developed a more rational medicine and described some 300 medicinal plants and bequeathed to the posterity of medical doctors his famous Oath.
Meanwhile, in China from 168 BC lists of prescriptions were found and on first century AD, during the Han dynasty was compiled a ‘divine’ herbal manual. Galen (129-201 AD), a Greek anatomist devotee of Asclepius (the God of healing art), created the Theriac: an herbal recipe of some 60 ingredients. The physician and botanist Dioscorides (circa 30-90 AD) wrote De materia medica, a widely used encyclopedia about herbal medicine that was later developed during the 8th to 14th century, the Middle Eastern Islamic Golden Age, by scientists such as in the famous Canon of Medicine of Ibn Sina known as Avicenna (980-1037). There were also the important works in Latin of Al-Maridini and Ibn al-Wafid.
In the 10th century Al-Muwaffaq wrote The Foundations of the True Properties of Remedies. In the course of the 11th century these writings were more widely known in Europe due to the Muslim part of Spain and the translation of Arabic books in Latin by the Italian medical professor Pietro d’Abano and by Constantinos, a Salerno scholar of Italy. There are also the works of Paracelsus (1493-1541) a medical iconoclast Swiss German author of the maxim: “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison”. The English classic herbalist Culpeper (1616-1654) was the author of the A Complete Herbal catalog. To name a few of them! (For more, refer to Wikipedia.org)
The word ‘drug’ appeared in the 14th century from old French ‘drogue’ (still in use) deriving from old Dutch ‘droge’ meaning ‘dry’ and referring to dry medicinal plants that were prepared and sold initially by apothecaries (from the Greek ‘apotheke’ meaning storage). The first apothecary profession and shop has been traced back in B.C. time in Babylon and expanded toward western countries. They were found in Europe during the years 1,100-1,200 and many countries have kept until today the appelation of ‘Apothecary’.
The pharmacy history develops in parallel with the history of medicine but as separated professions. ‘Pharmacy’ derives from the Greek ‘pharmakeia’: use of drugs, potions, poisoning, remedy, cure. The first world’s oldest pharmacy was established in 1,221 in the ornate designs and decorations of the Chapel of San Nicolo in the Santa Maria Novella Basilica of Florence (see here).
Nowadays, a drug as medicine can be defined as any chemical substance of known structure, other than a nutrient or dietary ingredient, intended for preventing, diagnosing, treating, curing or to relief an illness or an anomalous state.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the development of the chemistry began to modify the landscape of the pharmaceutical industry. Many of the drugs that were obtained from plants and animals are now chemically synthesized in laboratories as well as new substances. Often the Sixties are considered as the ‘pharmaceutical decade of the pharmaceutical century’ due to the amount of drugs available.
At international level the drugs are classified based on the three United Nations Conventions of 1961, 1971 and 1988. In the European Union the drug regulations defining classes of precursors are derived from the EU objectives of free movements of goods. They are the Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 amended by the Regulation (EU) No1258/2013 for the intra-Community trade and the Council Regulation (EC) No111/2005 amended by the Regulation (EU) No 1259/2013 (see EMCDDA-Classification of controlled drugs).
The drugs are usually classified according to their physiological effects. Thus they can be listed, with some examples, as:
-Anesthetics & Dissociatives: Nitrous oxide (NO2-propellant used as “laughing gaz”), Ketamine, Methoxetamine (MXE), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate also known as “rape drug”) and its precursor GBL (gamma-butyrolactone, an industrial solvent). The hallucinogens/psychedelics alter the mental state of the person and have a powerful effect on the mind such as hallucinations, euphoria, emotional disorders: Ibogaine, LSA (ergine), LSD, Mescaline, Peyotl, Ayahuasca, PCP (phencyclidine, the “Angel Dust”), …
-Cannabinoids: THC (Delta 9 TetraHydroCannabinol), Haschisch (resine), Butane hash oil (BHO), interferring with the physiology of the very important Endocannabinoid System. It had been also demonstrated (John Merrick et al, 2016) that the CBD or Cannabidiol in an acidic medium, as in the stomach, transforms slowly in the psychotrope THC (Delta 9 and Delta 8 TetraHydroCannabinols).
The synthetic cannabinoids (as Spice, K2, Black Mamba) much appreciated by the younger generations since the 2000’s are more dangerous and addictive than THC. They continue to emerge on the European market and are often mixed to the natural cannabis without consumer knowledge. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) highlighted that the adulteration of products with synthetic cannabinoids has been confirmed in France, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden (2021).
-Deliriants & Entactogens/Empathogens: Betel nut, Muscimol (Amanita muscaria), Saponins (oneirogenic), Scopolamine and Atropine from the Belladona plant, …
-Depressants: the action on the Central Nervous System (CNS) provides a feeling of relaxation, slowing reflexes, acting on sleep and for pain reduction: Alcohol, Barbiturates (Phenobarbital); they also include the opioids as the natural opium derivatives (or opiates): Opium, Morphine, Codeine, Heroin, and the semi- or synthetic opioids: Oxycodone, Tramadol, Fentanyl, the Methadone and Buprenorphine used against opioid dependence but also misused,…
-Psychiatric drugs: Atomoxetine (Strattera), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Haloperidol (Haldol), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Paroxetine (Paxil), Sertraline (Zoloft), Ritaline (to treat the ‘hyperactivity’ of the children),…
-Benzodiazepines (psychiatric sedatives): Xanax (Alprazolam), Valium (Diazepam), Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam),…when combined with opioids they increased the risk of fatal overdose.
synthetic: amphetamines, methamphetamine (highly addictive), MDMA (ecstasy), 2C-B (phenethylamine), the cathinones 3-MMC (new cheap alternative to cocaine) and 4-MMC (mephedrone). The synthetic cathinones in Europe are the second most common new psychoactive substances (NPS) after the synthetic cannabinoids. They have also a wide range of adverse effects.
“The continued escalation of synthetic drug production in the European Union shows us the hard work of organized crime groups to profit from the illegal drug trade…” said Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs (EMCDDA Drug Report-2022):
All these drugs have the particularity to be psychoactive, generally rapidly addictives and toxic. Their main characteristics are the alteration of the neuronal activities, perceptions, ability to think and memory. So, when illegally used they are becoming rapidly harmful and potentially fatal for the individual health.
Another key point to consider is the drug accessibility, mainly for alcohol and more and more for cannabis, to the teenagers and adolescents. Indeed, their brain having not yet reached its full maturity with an immature limbic system (the reward center) and prefrontal cortex (cognitive and executive functions), the youth are still very vulnerable facing the peers pressure, the media, the marketing, without an education guidance and in lack of factual information on this subject. And this is especially true for the adolescents, that J. Kessel (in Mermoz, 1938) defined as “the age when the need for exchange, for confidence, becomes almost tragic by dint of its acuteness. Muted forces, a confuse and powerful hope and anxiety, exalt and weigh down the heart in turn. They have to be said, to be shared.”
According to the European School Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) Report 2019 and concerning the 16-year-old European students:
the alcoholic beverages are the psychoactive substances the more popular and easy to get. 35% of European students have consumed at least 5 glasses of alcohol on the same occasion with significant toxicity results;
the cannabis is the most widely distributed illicit substance consumed by the European youth, the average being 7.1% and according to the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), one in three users would be at high risk of problematic use or dependence, which could be physical or/and mental.
among other illicit drugs: ecstasy is the most frequently tested (2.3%), followed by LSD and other hallucinogens (2.1%), cocaine (1.9%) and amphetamines (1.7%). The methamphetamines, crack cocaine and heroin affect only one in every 100 adolescents.
“Education is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance” William J. Durant (1885-1981). For centuries the schools were a place preparing for life with learning, establishing rules for citizenship, building a unity in the population and providing a qualification. But since the 1970s with the changing modern society and the fast spreading drug among the European juveniles, the traditional curricula became inadapted and the schools became also of a space of physical and psychological violences for the most vulnerable. Indeed, for the “Impact on communities” (European Commission, 2022) “Drug use is also considered a cause of youth crime by 72%, stealing, theft or burglary (66%) and violent crime or murder (58%) as well as of corruption (39%)”. Adding to a possible community and family role of protective factors, the educational authorities developed new educational schemes including the knowledge of drug phenomenon. And this is how many non-governmental organizations as the Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe, came to assist the officials ones in the arduous, thankless but needed task of prevention as described in the International and European Conventions on the Rights of the Child and thus,
“Together, we can pursue more effective prevention and protection, to build resilience as we build back better, and leave no one behind.”(UNODC, 2020)
Last Tuesday, the United States National Security Council confirmed that the United States is in constant contact with Saudi Arabia to deal with threats from Iran. A spokesperson for the United States National Security Council said the United States was concerned about Iran’s threats against Saudi Arabia and would not hesitate to respond if necessary. “We are concerned about the threats and we remain in constant contact with Saudi Arabia through military and intelligence channels… We will not hesitate to act to defend our interests and our partners in the region,” added the spokesperson. Last Monday, the US envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, confirmed that Washington supports peaceful protests in Iran. And he added: “When (US) President Joe Biden appointed me to my post, the objective was to unify the European position on Iran and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. » He stressed that “Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon will make the world less secure.” While stressing that Biden “prefers diplomacy” with Iran, “but he will discuss the military option if diplomacy fails to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons”.
