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A Pilgrimage through the Dark Valleys

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A Pilgrimage through the Dark Valleys

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

A pilgrimage of justice and peace

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.

The strength of the Ecumenical Council is also to give voice to the voiceless and the forgotten in the medias, such as the terrible war in Ethiopia where 12 million children are at risk of dying (The various statements on current issues can be found here. https://www.oikoumene.org/about-the-wcc/organizational-structure/assembly#speeches-statements

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.

Some Dope* on Drugs… and European Youth

By
Christian Mirre
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Photo by Mikail Duran
Photo by Mikail Duran

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.

-Stimulants of the mind and body:

         natural: caffeine, coca, khat, nicotine, theine, theobromine (of cacao) , …

         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)

U.S. Urgent Announcement Regarding Confronting Iran’s Threats to Target Bases in Saudi Arabia

By
Lahcen Hammouch
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Saudi Arabia and America
Saudi Arabia and America

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”.

Hammouch lahcen

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Interview: “Religion on Fire”, Russia is ruining cultural and spiritual heritage

By
Jan Leonid Bornstein
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Interview: “Religion on Fire”, Russia is ruining cultural and spiritual heritage

We have just had the opportunity to interview two of the academics working on the Ukrainian project “Religion on Fire”, Anna Mariya Basauri Ziuzina and Lillia Pidgorna, a project described in the article “Russia is destroying primarily its own Churches in Ukraine“.

LB: What is the purpose of « Religion on Fire » and what do you expect from it?

AMBZ and LP: The main purpose of the project “Religion on Fire” is to document Russia’s war crimes against buildings dedicated to religion, as well as against religious leaders of various denominations. In order to bring those responsible for war crimes to justice, documenting and collecting evidence of the crimes is crucial. Keeping that in mind, our team cooperates with lawyers and we hope that data collected by us will be used in Ukrainian and international courts as evidence of war crimes. Apart from such dramatic violations of international humanitarian law like killing and kidnapping religious personnel and destroying religious facilities, we also document the cases of looting religious objects and their usage with military aim, which are also examples of violations of the law by the Russian forces. The materials we collect can be also used in future studies of the war’s impact on the religious communities of Ukraine, in preparing reports for local and international organizations, and as a proof that Russia doesn’t attack only military objects as their officials often declare.

Being a group of academics, who devoted our life to studying and teaching about the religious diversity in Ukraine, we will use – and are using now – the collected materials to educate people about the damage this war is giving to various religious communities of Ukraine. We are analyzing the collected materials and suggesting ways how Ukraine could restore its rich religious life after our victory.

LB: Why and how do you think that the findings of your project are helpful in establishing that the Russian Federation is guilty of war crimes? How do you establish the intention when you document the attacks on religious facilities and personnel?

AMBZ and LP: We strongly believe that documenting the war crimes helps to ensure that all people responsible for them will be brought to justice, and justice for the victims and survivors of the atrocities will be secured. While documenting any particular case related to the damage and destruction of religious buildings, we try to analyze the type of the bombardment using all the data we have and collect all the evidence of deliberate attacks. Though the official results of the investigation of attacks on religious facilities have not been published yet, we know about at least 5 religious objects that were special targets and thus were deliberately destroyed by the Russian army. For establishing deliberate attacks, we analyze the following factors:

  1. testimonies of eyewitnesses, both published and collected during our own field investigations in Kyiv region. Such testimonies prove that e.g. St. George church in the village of Zavorychy (Kyiv region), historical landmark of the XIX century, was destroyed on March 7, 2022 by targeted fire.
  2. the fact that a religious building was shelled with a machine gun, especially at point blank range. This fact proves that the religious facility was a target, that’s the case for St. Paraskeva church in Druzhnya village (Kyiv region), where a roadside chapel was shelled with a machine gun.
  3. the fact that a religious object was fired from inside. That’s the case for St. Dymytrii Rostovsky church in Makariv (Kyiv region), where interior icons were fired.

We’d like to outline that any attacks on religious buildings result in ruining cultural and spiritual heritage and restrict religious freedom, that is prohibited by international humanitarian law.

Wilful killing and taking of hostages of civilians are considered to be grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. For now we know about at least 26 cases when religious personnel has been killed by bombings, shot with automatic weapons or kidnapped. One of the most well-known cases of wilful killing of the priest is the killing of Fr. Rostyslav Dudarenko on March 5, 2022 in Yasnohorodka village (Kyiv region). According to numerous evidence of eyewitnesses, he was shot dead by the Russian soldiers when they were invading the village, and unarmed Fr. Rostyslav raised a cross over his head, trying to come up to them.

As far as we are concerned, we can not establish the intention to commit a crime, this is done by the court. But we can provide lawyers with maximum information about a specific case, sticking to the facts, provided by reliable sources and eyewitnesses, which can be used for proving this intention.

LB: What would you like the European states to do about this situation specifically? What’s your call?

AMBZ and LP: We experience constant help and support from European countries and we’re immensely grateful for that. And in order to set justice, we’d like the European States, first, to keep the focus on the war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, to spread truthful and evidence-based information about their violations of international humanitarian law.

Second, to advocate for sanctions against Russian religious figures who play an important role in the war by supporting it, calling for continuation of hostilities, and often, using their influence on masses, encourage them to participate in the war promising reward in heaven. And we call on European countries to continue to support Ukraine. We understand that with time it becomes more difficult to do it, we see the sacrifice Europe is making to support Ukraine and we are thankful for that. But we will repeat again and again: Russia is committing war crimes against religions in Ukraine and we need all your support to stop it. We need all the support to fight for freedom and democracy, because religious diversity is a foundation of democratic society.

How the anticult FECRIS tries to escape the blame

By
Jan Leonid Bornstein
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How the anticult FECRIS tries to escape the blame

FECRIS (European Federation of Centers for Research and Information on Sects and Cults), an umbrella organization funded by the French government, that gathers and coordinates “anti-cult” organizations throughout Europe and beyond, has been the subject of several of our articles recently, for their support to the Russian propaganda, which had started far before the current invasion of Ukraine, but recently culminated through their Russian representatives.

As FECRIS is a French registered organization, whose president André Frédéric is a Belgian member of the Parliament of Wallonia (one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium) and a Belgian Senator, when they felt they were in the spotlight, they also felt they should react to avoid becoming labelled as enemy agents by the French authorities. So instead of clearly distancing themselves from their Russian members, whose hate speeches and violent statements against Ukraine are now very well documented, they recently decided to publish a kind of counterattack on their website.

FECRIS claims to be falsely labelled “pro-Russian”

They claim that they are “systematically attacked by an organised movement that supports cultish/sectarian organisations”, and falsely labelled as “pro-Russian”, and they advance a weird argument that they expect would vindicate them: “FECRIS counts Ukrainian associations among its members.”

Whilst that does not change anything to the fact that they have been working with the Kremlin for years and have supported incredible anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian statements and acts during this time, we thought that we should dig into their claim to have “Ukrainian members”. And what we found is interesting.

On their website, they feature two Ukrainian member associations. One is “Dneprpetrovsk City Center for the help to Victims of Destructive Cults – Dialogue”, which in fact has not published one line on their website since 2011. It looks like this member association stopped its activity more than 10 years ago but still remains on the FECRIS website to increase the number of members.

FECRIS Ukrainian rep in “Defense of Orthodoxy from infidels”

The second one is “F.P.P.S. – Family and Personality Protection Society”. Whilst their website is not active since 2014 (which means since the Maidan revolution), we found that one of their members, which was speaking during the last event they organized in Odessa on February 21, 2014, less than a week before the Russian invasion began, was Vladimir Nikolaevich Rogatin, a Ukrainian scholar who is board member of the All-Ukrainian Apologetic Center in the name of St. John Chrysostom (Moscow Patriarchate), and teaches at the Kazan Federal University, in Russia. The All-Ukrainian Apologetic Center in the name of St. John Chrysostom’s activities are “Defense of Orthodoxy from infidels, non- Orthodox, pagan, occult and godless delusions”. Aims that tell the whole story.

Vladimir Rogatin - How the anticult FECRIS tries to escape the blame
Vladimir Rogatin – FECRIS Ukrainian Representative

Rogatin is an interesting character. He almost uniformly introduces himself as the Ukrainian representative of FECRIS, and in fact is very “pro-Russian”. Since 2010 he wrote about the impact of “cults” and non-Orthodox religions on the contemporary Ukraine. And since the “Euromaidan”.[1] , he wrote a series of articles to show how the changes in Ukraine were led by new religious movements (“cults”, in his mind) as well as Muslims, and how the Russian Orthodox Church would have been persecuted under the new governance bodies, pointing what he called “the legal nihilism on the part of the authorities in relation to Orthodox believers”.

FECRIS rep: Ukraine plagued by Satanism

In 2014, he started to attribute the cause of the Euromaidan to the harmful influence of new religious movements. He added that those were already behind what had happened in Ukraine in 2004 (orange revolution).[2] That was completely aligned with the Vice-president of FECRIS Alexander Dvorkin who did the same at the same period.

In July 2014, he was also one of the first, if not the first, to spread the idea that Ukraine was plagued by Satanism, which he linked to Nazism. In an interview with bankfax.ru:

“There is an increase in the influence and presence of various kinds of satanic cults in Ukraine, said Volodymyr Rogatin, corresponding member of the European Federation of Centers for Research and Information on Sectarianism (FECRIS). According to various estimates, there are more than a hundred satanic groups operating in our country, with a total of about 2,000 adherents.”

Few months later, he developed in another interview in a Russian Newspaper:

“According to Vladimir Rogatin, a correspondent member of the European Federation of Centers for Research and Information on Sectarianism, living in Nikolaev, ‘for at least three years, graffiti has been updated in front of the wooden (symbols of WotanJugend). This neo-Nazi group, which has existed in Russia and Ukraine for several years, proclaims the worship of the god Wotan (Odin). Judging by the messages on the group's Internet resources, its members took an active part in the events on the Independence Square in Kyiv’. According to Rogatin, ‘after they returned from the Maidan, they painted the whole city with their graffiti.’ Some of the WotanJugend members then joined the ranks of the Azov Battalion.”
Rogatin Moscow - How the anticult FECRIS tries to escape the blame
Vladimir Rogatin in Moscow

In January 2015, he participated with other representatives of FECRIS to a huge Russian Orthodox event in Moscow, the XXIII International Christmas Educational Readings, where he explained how the “neo-pagan cults” were operating in Ukraine.

Since, he continued to publish about cults and satanism in Ukraine, adding the participation of Ukrainian Muslims to his rhetoric about the causes of the (not beloved) Euromaidan.

FECRIS inspiring Kremlin’s apparatchiks

It’s interesting to note that this rhetoric of satanism plaguing Ukraine and being the cause of Euromaidan hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. Indeed, it’s today a real trend for high-ranking Russian government leaders to use it and justify the war by the necessity to “de-satanize” Ukraine. Number 2 of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Alexei Pavlov recently declared: “I believe that with the continuation of the ‘special military operation’ it becomes more and more urgent to carry out the de-Satanization of Ukraine, or, as the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov aptly put it, its ‘complete de-Shaitanization2’”. He added that “hundreds of sects are operating in Ukraine, trained for a specific purpose and flock.” Pavlov mentioned the “Church of Satan”, which allegedly “spread across Ukraine”. “Using network manipulation and psychotechnologies, the new government turned Ukraine from a state into a totalitarian hypersect,” Pavlov said.

Even the French President Macron has been called a “pitiful and shabby little satanist” by TV presenter Vladimir Soloviev (On Rossiya 1, the main TV Chanel in Russia). And Putin himself, on September 30, portrayed the annexation as a holy war against the West, which is helping Ukraine to defend itself, justified because “They [the West] are moving toward open satanism”. So well done FECRIS, you’re a hit!

Was it a decent defense?

So finally, while we are not saying that all Ukrainians associated with FECRIS are pro-Russian, and while we agree that FECRIS has indeed Ukrainian members, we notice that one of the two Ukrainian FECRIS member associations is dead for more than 10 years, and the second one has been associated with and represented by one of the most pro-Russian Ukrainians, who has been pushing (and inspiring) the Kremlin’s propaganda (as every Russian FECRIS member) against Ukraine since 2014.

So, was that a decent defense to argue that FECRIS had Ukrainian members?

[1] Euromaidan is the name given to the pro-European protests protests were sparked by the Ukrainian government’s sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia. Ukraine’s parliament had overwhelmingly approved of finalizing the Agreement with the EU, while Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it.

[2] Vladimir Nikolaevich Rogatin, 2014, “Features Of The Research Approaches In The Study Of New Religious Movements In Contemporary Ukraine”, QUID: Investigación, Ciencia y Tecnología, 1401-1406

[3] Shaitanization: Shaitan, Sheitan is an Arabic word that means devil. In a broader sense, sheitan can mean: demon, perverse spirit. This term is etymologically derived from Aramaic and Hebrew: satan

Indexation of rents, energy contracts, meal vouchers…: Here is everything that changes this November 1

By
Lahcen Hammouch
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November is coming and, with it, a whole series of new measures. Here is what is changing in Belgium this Tuesday, November 1.

On 1/11/2022 at 10:00. Updated on 01/11/2022 at 3:39 p.m.

Something new for Walloon rents

I’indexation of rents will be limited in the Walloon Region from 1 November, depending on the EPB certificate housing. The system will be applied for a period of one year, possibly renewable. It is a response to inflation and the energy crisis.

Buildings with a PEB A, B and C certificate will not be affected by the indexation limitation. The owners of those benefiting from a PEB D and E certificate will have to limit themselves to an indexation of respectively 75% and 50% maximum. Finally, the rents of the buildings of PEB F and G, as well as those of the buildings not provided with the certificate, cannot be indexed.

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The Walloon government evokes a “balanced solution” which takes into account the constraints of owners and tenants. The measure also aims to encourage owners to insulate their homes and put an end to energy sieves in the context of exploding energy prices and the fight against global warming.

According to the regional Housing Minister Christophe Collignon, nearly 75% of Walloon households will benefit from the modulation of the indexation of rents.

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READ ALSOLast deadline for the heating bonus! When and how to obtain all the aid available in the face of the crisis?

Meal vouchers extend

THE military will receive meal vouchers from November 1st. This new measure was validated by the Council of Ministers last February.

The nine months or so between the decision and the application of the measure were to allow the final stages to be finalized before the publication of the royal decree concerned in the Belgian Official Gazette and to finalize the public contract to designate the external partner for the granting of the meal vouchers.

Change at Google

From November 1, the Google Hangouts messaging application will no longer be accessible. The American company will carry out the final changeover to Google Chat. Google Chat is a communication software developed by Google. It’s designed for teams and offers collaborative messaging, similar to competitors Slack and Microsoft Teams.

End of fixed contracts at Ecopower

From 1 November, the energy cooperative Ecopower, which supplies green electricity in Flanders, is also abandoning fixed-price energy contracts.

In an email addressed to its approximately 56,000 cooperators, the energy supplier indicated that it had to increase its prices and adjust its fee schedule to current market conditions. From 1 November, cooperators will pay a rate calculated on the basis of fixed parameters on the one hand, and variables on the other.

In recent months, several other energy suppliers, including Engie and Eneco, have announced that they no longer offer fixed-price contracts.

Winter tyres: penalties postponed

It is a measure which was to come into force on November 1st but it will ultimately be nothing for the moment.

A year ago, the “mountain” law came into force in France. This obliges motorists to equip themselves with snow tires, four seasons or chains to travel in the high mountain regions of France, in winter. From November 1, 2022, motorists in violation should have been exposed to penalties, but this will not ultimately be the case before the end of 2022.

READ ALSOWhy will tire prices drastically increase this winter?

There grace period which existed in order to allow time for road users to make their arrangements is therefore extended until the adoption of the decree establishing the sanctions. Motorists who have forgotten their winter tires in the areas concerned will therefore not be fined immediately.

As a reminder, the “mountain” law obliges motorists to wear suitable tires when they use, during the winter period (from November 1 to March 31), the snow-covered or icy mountain roads of 4,173 municipalities in all or part of 34 French departments (from the Alps to the Massif Central via the Jura, the Pyrenees or the Vosges).

The objective of the new regulations is to enhance user safety by reducing the specific risks associated with driving on snowy or icy roads, specifies Road Safety. It is also a question of avoiding blockage situations in mountainous regions when unequipped vehicles find themselves unable to free themselves, immobilizing an entire traffic axis.

The measure concerns light and utility vehicles, motorhomes, heavy goods vehicles and coaches.

The equipment obligation is also valid for foreign motorists.

Belga source

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Brazil election: victorious Lula faces an uphill struggle – a damaged economy and a deeply divided country

By
The Conversation
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Brazil election - Brazillian flag
Photo by Rafaela Biazi

by Anthony Pereira – Brazil election – Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has achieved a remarkable political comeback by regaining the presidency of Brazil. His narrow victory, in the second round run-off, was the closest margin of victory in an election since Brazil reverted to democracy in the late 1980s. The result was 50.9% for Lula and 49.1% for the incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro – a difference of little more than 2 million votes out of almost 119 million valid votes cast.

Lula is now set for a third term, 12 years after ending his second term as an unusually popular president who achieved both economic growth and social inclusion between 2003 and 2010.

During the campaign the two contenders slugged it out over some familiar themes: Bolsonaro reminded voters of the corruption uncovered concerning several members of Lula’s administration. For his part, Lula criticised Bolsonaro for his poor handling of the COVID crisis, in which Brazil recorded the second-highest national death toll behind the United States.

But – unlike in 2018 when Lula was ruled as ineligible to run because of his 2017 conviction on corruption charges (since anulled) and Bolsonaro instead beat the inexperienced and relatively unknown Fernando Haddad, this was not an election in which corruption was a central issue.

Instead, the economy seemed to be the main concern of most voters. The core of Lula’s support is concentrated most heavily in the impoverished north-east. Bolsonaro’s support is particularly strong within better-off households of the south, south-east and centre-west.

Lula’s coalition of ten parties was a broad coalition ranging from the left to the centre-right. The campaign brought together two political forces that had been enemies in the 2000s: Lula’s Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, or PT) and politicians who had been or still were members of the centre-right Social Democratic Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, or PSDB) and the Brazilian Democratic Movement (Movimento Democratico Brasileiro, or MDB).

Lula’s vice presidential running mate was Geraldo Alckmin, a conservative Catholic and former member of the PSDB. MDB member Simone Tebet, a presidential candidate in the first round, campaigned for Lula in the second round and who will probably be offered a place in Lula’s cabinet.

One of the keys to the future Lula government is whether this coalition can stay together. It remained united during the campaign, when it had the shared goal of defeating the incumbent president. Whether it will retain its unity in government is another question.

Fissures could appear when the administration has to make difficult choices about the management of the economy and the challenge of rebuilding state capacity in those areas most damaged by Bolsonaro’s administration. The damage is particularly evident in the environment, public health, education, human rights and foreign policy.

Bolsonaro backlash?

Bolsonaro has yet to make a pronouncement about the election result either to concede or allege fraud. The coming days will offer a test of his character and the nature of the movement that brought him to the presidency.

That movement is sometimes characterised as a hard-right alliance of beef (agribusiness), Bible (evangelical protestants) and bullets (parts of the police and military, as well as the newly enlarged ranks of gun owners).

Bolsonaro could reprise what he said after the final debate (“whoever has the most votes takes the election”) and concede defeat. But he could also emulate his hero and mentor Donald Trump and attempt to propagate a narrative about fraud, refuse to accept the legitimacy of Lula’s electoral victory and become the leader of a disloyal opposition to the new government.

Under Brazilian law he has the right to contest the result by making a case to the supreme electoral court, as did the losing candidate in 2014, Aecio Neves of the PSDB. But he would have to submit compelling evidence. The result would probably be similar to the outcome after the 2014 election, when the court eventually ruled against Neves.

Lula reached out to the opposition in his acceptance speech on Sunday evening. He said something that Bolsonaro never said after his 2018 victory – nor at any time since: “I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, and not only those who voted for me.”

He also set out some of the goals of his future government. The most pressing are reducing hunger and poverty, accelerating economic growth, and strengthening the industrial sector. Importantly Lula also stressed the need to cooperate with international partners to slow down the rate of deforestation in the Amazon.

Challenges ahead

His government will have an uphill battle. Government coffers are emptier than they were when Lula was last president. Large increases in the minimum wage, which Lula appeared to commit to during the campaign, are likely to push up inflation, currently running at around 7%. Productivity remains stagnant and industry – which has shrunk as a share of the overall economy – is internationally uncompetitive in many sectors.

But Lula’s biggest challenge will probably be political. Bolsonaro may have lost the presidency, but many of his allies have won powerful political positions around the country. Five of Bolsonaro’s former ministers won places in the Senate, where Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) has the biggest bloc of seats. Three of Bolsonaro’s ex-cabinet members won places in the lower house of the national Congress, where the PL is also the largest party.

In the states, candidates aligned with Bolsonaro won 11 of 27 state governorships, while candidates aligned with Lula won only eight. More importantly, the three biggest and most important states in Brazil – Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo – will be governed by pro-Bolsonaro governors from 2023.

Bolsonaro may be due to leave the presidency – but Bolsonarismo is not going anywhere.

Anthony Pereira – Visiting Professor in the School of Global Affairs, King’s College London, is also director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University

Ecumenism: A unity to be consolidated and expanded

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Guest Author
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Ecumenism: A unity to be consolidated and expanded

After the word “love” with the theme of “ecumenism of the heart”, which I mentioned in my previous article, “unity” is the second word I would like to use to reflect on the World Council of Churches’ World Assembly in Karlsruhe in early September.

Unity first with God! Union with God is indeed the source of unity among us. The whole assembly was anchored in daily Bible studies, morning and evening prayers where participants prayed both together and according to different Western and Eastern liturgical traditions. Without prayer, the WCC would only be a counterpart to the United Nations!  And without faith, the WCC would be just another NGO. The heart of faith must be the heart of ecumenism. In this sense, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby calls to “be strong in the heart of our faith but relaxed in its limits”.

In the centre of the “oasis of peace”[1] , the tent of celebrations with the evocative name, stood an icon of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, symbolizing Christ’s desire to meet each person, to transform them and to set them on their way.

Unity around Christ

The plenary meeting on the unity of the Church began with the Taizé song “Ubi Caritas…” (“Where there is love and charity, there God is present”). Brother Alois, the prior of Taizé, says that our union with Christ must precede dogmatic formulas. Turning to him together then leads us to confess him together. Hence the importance of the common prayer that his community wants to live with everyone, especially with young people.

Relationships are essential for deepening the fellowship of WCC member churches. Romanian Orthodox Fr Ioan Sauca, the WCC general secretary, is convinced of this. In particular, he stresses the importance of the Global Christian Forum, a platform between the WCC, the Catholic Church, the World Evangelical Alliance and Pentecostal churches to broaden the experience of Christian unity. It encourages the WCC to continue its support.

As for the South African pastor Jerry Pillay who will succeed him, he has a vision of a WCC that is “relevant, praying, celebrating and walking together”, whose priority will be to consolidate the visible unity of the churches, which is crucial for witnessing in a divided and wounded world.  And this unity can only be “kenotic”, in the humble and uncluttered style of Christ.

Bishop Brian Farrell, the secretary of the “Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity” (so renamed last June), expresses the Catholic Church’s appreciation for the WCC’s work on ecclesiology: “Towards a Common Vision of the Church”. The document identifies convergences and differences (compatible or not); it gives parameters for the future. His hope is that the ecumenical movement will be more rooted in a kerygmatic and charismatic faith, that it will listen to young people, and that the churches will expect each other. “We need to return to the simplicity of Jesus and the Gospel. Our philosophies and theologies cannot solve our crises. In the end, it is the grace of Christ that will bring us to unity”.

This document on the Church is certainly a major achievement. But the challenges between and within churches today are more moral issues, especially in the area of sexuality. Orthodox Archbishop Job Getcha believes that the WCC’s primary goal of visible unity among Christians has been relegated to the background. “As Christians we are challenged by the fratricidal war between Christians in Ukraine. Is this the witness we want to give to the secularized world? We have to repent and be reconciled. The word ‘reconciliation’ is the key to the future”.

Jacqueline Grey, an Australian Pentecostal biblical scholar, wonders whether the sons of Zebedee (who considered themselves Jesus’ favorites) might not be Pentecostal? They are young, ambitious, self-confident and in conflict with the other disciples. But Jesus calls them to gather around him. “This is how Jesus continues to call us today. I hope for more Pentecostal participation in the ecumenical movement. Even though we are a young movement, we are learning fast. Let us overcome suspicions and stereotypes: this requires us to love each other and therefore to know each other better”! 

New challenges for Christian unity

I participated in an ‘ecumenical conversation’ on ecclesiology prepared by members of the Faith and Order Commission. It identified some broadening reflections on Christian unity.

The Covid-19 pandemic has raised various ecclesiological challenges and questions. What does it mean to be (and do) Church amid a pandemic? What are the theological presuppositions and implications of the pandemic for the liturgical, sacramental, community, diaconal and missionary life of the Church?

The digital revolution has also raised new questions. Where is the Church in the online world? What about, for example, a Lord’s Supper shared on the internet during the pandemic?

The issue of spirituality is crucial, especially for the “youth continent”, which is often disconnected from the church and longs for an understanding of how theology is applied in daily life. Indeed, the WCC has taken the participation of young people seriously. Their loud and clear voices were heard and encouraged. Their participation gave rise to much optimism for the future of the ecumenical movement, through a pre-assembly gathering of over 300 young people and the meeting of over 140 young theologians in the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) program.

The experience of secularization in many countries also raises the question of how the Church can witness in a context where it no longer has the same authority and cultural influence.

Above all, this statement gives me much food for thought: “World Christianity is growing faster than the ecumenical movement”. If it is extremely fragmented with thousands of independent churches in the world, what should be the priorities? How can we reach out to these new churches and invite them to join a pilgrimage of reconciliation and unity?

Picture: Albin Hillert, WCC

[1] An evocation of Neve Shalom – Wahat as Salam (meaning in Hebrew and Arabic “Oasis of Peace”), a village inhabited by Jews and Arabs, founded in 1969 after the Six Day War. The discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was very present during the Karlsruhe assembly and was even the most contradictory debate.

Unraveling Europe’s Political Landscape: Power Plays and Shifts

By
Juan Sanchez Gil
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If you repeat a lie often enough it becomes truth printed wall taken at daytime
Photo by Brian Wertheim on Unsplash

Europe’s political landscape is a complex tapestry of power plays and shifts, where the fate of nations and the future of the European Union are interwoven. As the continent grapples with various challenges, from the ongoing Brexit saga to the rise of populist movements, the dynamics of power are constantly evolving. In this article, we will explore the key players and trends shaping Europe’s political landscape, shedding light on the intricate web of alliances and rivalries that define the continent’s political future.

Rising and Falling: Shifting Tides in European Politics

The European political scene has witnessed significant shifts in recent years. Traditional powerhouses have found themselves losing their grip, while new forces are emerging on the scene. One prime example is Germany, which has long been Europe’s economic and political powerhouse. However, the country’s political landscape has been rocked by the decline of traditional parties, such as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a right-wing populist party, has further fragmented the political spectrum, challenging the status quo.

Meanwhile, in countries such as France and Italy, traditional parties have faced a similar fate. France’s political landscape has been reshaped by the arrival of Emmanuel Macron and his En Marche! movement, which has disrupted the traditional two-party system. Italy, on the other hand, has seen the rise of the Five Star Movement, a populist and anti-establishment force that has shaken the foundations of the country’s political establishment. These shifts not only reflect a growing disillusionment with traditional politics but also highlight the increasing fragmentation of European societies.

In addition to internal changes within individual countries, Europe’s political landscape is also being shaped by external forces. The rise of Euroscepticism and the surge of populist movements have challenged the European Union’s unity and cohesion. Brexit, in particular, has been a seismic event that has sent shockwaves throughout the continent, prompting a reevaluation of the EU’s future and the balance of power within it. The departure of one of the EU’s largest member states has not only weakened the Union but has also emboldened other Eurosceptic movements across Europe, who now see an opportunity to challenge the established order.

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Unraveling Europe’s political landscape requires a keen understanding of the power dynamics at play. From the rise of populist movements reshaping traditional parties to the external challenges facing the European Union, the continent is undergoing a period of profound transformation. As we move forward, it is imperative to closely monitor these power plays and shifts, as they will ultimately shape the future of Europe and its place on the global stage. Only by gaining a deeper understanding of Europe’s political landscape can we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Cities can offer new opportunities for prosumers of renewable energy

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Newsdesk
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