With Poland in the middle of a huge refugee crisis, Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko is asking "where's the support?"

Millions of Ukrainian refugees have been pouring across Poland's border since the 24 February Russian invasion.

There's been no support at all from the EU and other member countries, Zadarko says.

Zadarko, who chairs the Polish bishops' council for migration, tourism and pilgrimages, says systemic and long-term help is needed.

Just why this should be is a mystery to him.

He also sees an urgent need for Poland to get organised to deal with what is becoming an established problem.

"It is necessary to create a systemic, long-term and structural aid secured legally and financially — a programme based on a coherent migration policy," he says.

Some facts

• Since 24 February, over six million people have fled Ukraine. Thousands arrive each day.
• Over three million refugees have sought sanctuary in Poland, which has 38 million citizens.
• This is Europe's biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War.
• Poland has been a member of the EU since 2004. The EU includes 27 member states.

Aid from the Catholic Church

"The scale of humanitarian aid provided by the Catholic Church in Poland is enormous" says Zadarko.

"There is no parish that would not join in the aid — whether by accepting refugees or organising collections of money and in-kind donations.

"As the Church, we strive to understand and fulfil the words of Jesus: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'"

He went on: "The whole society is involved in helping. We all feel the same desire to help the poor and the needy."

International aid volunteers

"It is important to note the very large participation of volunteers from all over the world, especially at the reception point," says Zadarko.

Everyone has become a volunteer in Poland since February, he says. At the same time he is concerned Poland still lacks a professionally organised volunteer network.

It's almost three months after the outbreak of war, after all.

"Spontaneous help, which has become today a formula, even a brand of our form of assistance, is good for a short time," he says.

"We can appeal for solidarity and perseverance in this help which is very much needed today, because the natural condition of society is weakening and exhausting, it encounters the obstacle of burnout and fatigue."

What's needed though is long-term support for Ukrainian refugees living in Poland, he stresses.

"We will continue to appeal not to forget about those who are already among us today, but also about the thousands of people who reach us every day from Ukraine."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: The Times of Israel

Before the financial clean up - which Pope Benedict XVI launched in 2009 and Pope Francis has continued - the Vatican Bank had been an embarrassment to the Church.

The aim of the clean-up was to fight money laundering and terrorist financing and to bring Vatican finances into compliance with international norms.

Thousands of accounts have been closed as a result.

Last week the Board of the European Payments Council extended "the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area [SEPA] to Vatican City State and the Holy See."

This allows the Vatican bank to have its own IBAN code — the unique numerical identifier that facilitates wire transfers between banks.

The Vatican says "SEPA harmonises the way electronic euro payments are made across Europe. It allows European consumers, businesses and public administrations to make and receive credit transfers as well as direct debits under the same basic conditions and makes all cross-border payments in euro as easy as domestic payments."

Early beneficiaries of the new arrangements include the Institute for the Works of Religion (known as the Vatican Bank) and the administration that manages Vatican real estate.

Other beneficiaries include the religious orders, Vatican embassies, employees and diplomats who are Vatican Bank clients and have weathered years of scandal and reform. They can look forward to faster and cheaper transactions.

Source

• The Republic
• America Magazine
• Image: The Tablet

"The Church has always viewed the unity of Europe positively, even today.

"Nationalism is one of the biggest causes of war," adds Marx, who is the President of the German Bishops' Conference.

During a recent visit to Poland to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the Solidarity movement which played an important role in establishing a democratic Polish state, Marx said he thinks European "interconnectedness necessitates that we stand up for each other so that something positive can be the outcome."

With Brexit on the horizon, progress towards a "social Europe" should be made, Marx suggested.

The challenges and tensions Europe faces due to migration mean it is essential the European Union's (EU) member states "develop common guidelines for a refugee and migration policy," Marx said.

"We are interconnected with each other through various forms of solidarity.

"Through the European Union, for example, through treaties, through parliament, through guiding principles.

"We can't do this without each other.

"Europe does not run by itself. I believe that the Church must never cease working or doing something for the unity of Europe.

"As a church, we should stand up for a society of responsible freedom. That is why democracy is the mode of governance to be sought."

Source

• The Tablet
• Crux Now
• Image: i on europe

The deal Merkel made with other European Union leaders shares out refugees on a voluntary basis and creates "controlled centres" inside the bloc to process asylum requests. Read more

Morawiecki, who was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday, says his dream is to "re-Christianise the EU.

"We want to change Europe.

"My dream is to make it Christian again, since unfortunately, in many places, people no longer sing Christmas carols, the churches are empty and are turning into museums, and this is very sad."

Morawiecki's comments come after the European Parliament passed a resolution threatening sanctions against Poland if it passed a series of measures.

These measures include plans to restrict abortions for foetal impairment.

The EU Parliament's resolution says Poland's proposals are a "serious breach of European values."

It demands Poland "take a firm stand on women's rights, by providing free and accessible contraception without discrimination."

Morawiecki's plans risk the EU cutting funds to Poland.

In response to questions about the likelihood of this happening, Morawiecki cited former French president François Hollande who told him "... you have values, we have funds."

Poland is a "great, proud nation" that will not submit to "blackmail" from European leaders, he says.

Source

• Catholic Herald
• Radio Poland
• Haaretz
• Image: Reuters

Marx, who is the president of the German bishops conference, says the EU's broken promises, the exaggerated personal ambitions of some of its leading members and lack of vision have eroded people's trust in the EU.

This has led to "EU-fatigue ", he says. Read more

They were there for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

The Treaty was the foundation document for what is now the European Union (EU).

"When a body loses its sense of direction and is no longer able to look ahead, it experiences a regression and, in the long run, risks dying," Francis told them in his Friday address from the Vatican.

He said with Britain quitting the EU and parties like National Front in France and Alternative for Germany (AfD) which reject the EU on the rise, an end to divisions in continental Europe is needed.

He also encouraged the heads of state to welcome refugees and migrants.

In this respect, he noted Europe's "history has been greatly determined by encounters with other peoples and cultures; hers is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity."

At the same time, he warned them not to focus on the refugees and migrants as merely posing "security" problems.

Source

• In News
• Image: Psephizo

They know they are putting their lives at risk. Nevertheless, many people board ramshackle watercraft and set sail from the coast of Africa in the hope of a better life in Europe.

While a few years ago it was predominately North African migrants coming to Italy in search of work, today it is often refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia who are fleeing chaos and violence in their countries. The number of asylum applications in Europe has sharply increased in the past six years.

Refugees are "particularly vulnerable people," warned German President Joachim Gauck after hundreds of people drowned off the coast of Lampedusa on Thursday. "Protecting lives and granting refugees the chance to be heard is at the foundation of our legal and moral codes," he concluded. On Tuesday, the EU interior ministers gathered in Luxembourg to discuss the consequences of the accident, which resulted in around 300 deaths. But despite heavy criticism, they couldn't manage to come to a decision about comprehensive change to European asylum policy.

The expectations of refugees who come to Europe often go unfulfilled. Many must struggle through long asylum application processes or fight against ingrained local prejudice. In some countries, they endure appalling living conditions in refugee camps; in others, they end up on the streets.

The correspondents of SPIEGEL ONLINE report on the situation in various European countries.

ITALY

By Hans-Jürgen Schlamp

The Lampedusa disaster has shaken the world — especially Italy. The populace watches the images on television with horror, the body bags lined up across the beach. How can this be? "A disgrace," says Pope Francis. "Yes," agree many, "a disgrace." There is talk of solidarity. Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta awarded posthumous Italian citizenship to the deceased. Continue reading

Sources

• Spiegel Online
• Image: euobserver.com

SPIEGEL: Mr. Laqueur, you experienced Europe and the Europeans in the best and the worst of times. Historical hot spots and the stations of your personal biography were closely and sometimes dramatically intertwined. Which conclusions have you reached today, at the advanced age of 92?

Laqueur: I became a historian of the postwar era in Europe, but the Europe I knew no longer exists. My book "Out of the Ruins of Europe," published in 1970, ended with an optimistic assessment of the future. Later, in 2008, "The Last Days of Europe: Epitaph for an Old Continent" was published. I returned to the subject in my latest book, "After the Fall: The End of the European Dream and the Decline of a Continent." The sequence of titles probably says it all.

SPIEGEL: The last two, at any rate, sound as if the demise of the Western world were imminent.

Laqueur: Europe will not be buried by ashes, like Pompeii or Herculaneum, but Europe is in decline. It's certainly horrifying to consider its helplessness in the face of the approaching storms. After being the center of world politics for so long, the old continent now runs the risk of becoming a pawn.

SPIEGEL: Fortunately, the European Union refrained from pursuing any imperial ambitions. Nevertheless, it remains an impressive entity, both politically and economically, despite the financial and debt crisis.

Laqueur: Europe will likely remain influential in the future as an economic power and trading partner. But the continent still isn't standing on its own feet politically and militarily today. This wouldn't be that important if power politics didn't play a role and conflicts were resolved peacefully by the United Nations or the International Court of Justice. But the conflicts have not decreased. Their inherent fanaticism and passions continue to burn, as we can now see, once again, in Syria and in Egypt. Under these circumstances, is it realistic to call for European independence in global politics? Continue reading

Sources

• Spiegel Online
• Frontpage Mag

The European Union contributes aid to many nations of the South Pacific.

The Brussels-based Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, said action was needed "given the systematic and increasing violations of freedom of religion by some governments and non-state actors".

Continue reading