International Issues

III Meeting with Women from the Middle East and the Mediterranean

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With great joy, after two and a half years of communicating digitally, we can start again with face-to-face reunions: by the grace of God, we are organising the Third Meeting with Women from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, open to all WUCWO women who wish to participate, in Rafina, Athens, Greece, from 7 to 10 October 2022.

The Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, has encouraged us and gives us his blessing for the realisation of this meeting. The Bishop of the Greek-Byzantine rite of Athens, Mgr Nin, and our organisation, the Association of Greek Catholic Women, are waiting for us in Greece with open arms.

It is a great moment to develop together the theme “Women Builders of Peace in a Church which Goes Forth”. We will also be able to advance in formation for our pastoral action at the local level for the family and the role of women in the Church. As we did in Amman, Jordan (2013) and in Bari, Italy (2016), we will have the possibility to listen to and learn from women engaged in their local churches.

It will also be an exceptional moment to show and share what each of our organisations is doing - there will be small tables where we will showcase projects and products, and sell some of them - and talk about collaborative action among member organisations.

All this and much more in a synodal atmosphere, where it will be possible to meet and talk with the future candidates for WUCWO President, who will be elected by the next Board at the Assisi Assembly in 2023.

Although the event will be held in the town of Rafina, Greece, at the Avra Hotel, there will be plenty of opportunity to get to know Athens and some of its wonders.

It is important to register before 30 June 2022 in order to be able to confirm reservations with the hotel. There is a quota of places already reserved which will be allocated as registrations come in. In the event of additional registrations, we will check with the hotel to see if there is availability.

Please find bellow the registration form.

For those who wish, an optional sightseeing tour can be arranged. Please find bellow the relative information.

After such a long time of not being able to meet face to face, I believe that the Holy Spirit is leading us to a meeting that prepares our General Assembly in Assisi, as if it were a “pre-assembly”, where the women of WUCWO can dream together of a renewed Church and WUCWO, hand in hand with Mary, Queen of Peace.

Looking forward to having you!

Registration form

Sightseeing tour

70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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President General participated in the International Congress organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Gregorian University on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, held on 10 and 11 December. Below you will find the link to the opening conference given by the Prefect of the Dicastery, H.E. Cardinal Peter K. Appiah Turkson.

Cardinal Turkson: Marking 70th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man

* Important document released at the UN On October 6, 2011, an expert document was issued at United Nations, New York: the San José Articles.

The San Jose Articles provide expert testimony that there is no such thing as an ‘international right to abortion’, contrary to what UN personnel and others say and many people think. This document provides us with a tool to help us refute these claims and to assert the rights of the unborn child in international law.

See: http://www.sanjosearticles.com/ and diffuse this information widely to your members, organisations and governments.

* Towards a new evangelization of the international political life

by Fermina Alvarez Alonso

We are living in a particularly important moment for the Church, a time marked by the need for a “new evangelization” ad intra and ad extra. Even though some claim that the term “new evangelization” eeds further clarification, it is clear enough that the world needs a new, fresh way of thinking: a credible, oherent witness on the part of Christians. We hand on what we believe (i.e., evangelization ad extra), and the intensity of our belief demonstrates, in one way or another, the authenticity of our Christian lives (i.e., evangelization ad extra). To give impetus to these two dimensions, the Holy Father has chosen to dedicate the next Synod of Bishops – to take place in October of 2012 – to a reflection on the intensity with which the People of God live and proclaim their faith.