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Evangelical
doctor recalls those dreadful hours in Madrid
MADRID, 16-03-1004 (ACPress.net).
Pedro Tarquis, Director
of A.C.Press and medical practitioner at Clinico Hospital in
Madrid, watched and worked as the trickle of victims being brought
in from the Spanish capital's worst-ever terrorist attack became
a flood. This is his personal recollection of March 11th, 2004,
a day which will be etched onto the memories of Spaniards for
many years to come.
'Today, March 11th, 2004, in my work as a doctor in a central
Madrid hospital, I have lived and moved among some of the deepest
expressions of humanity, both negative and positive. At half-past-eight
in the morning, the injured started to arrive, dozens coming
from the attacks on various trains in the Spanish capital.
Ten, twenty, thirty, thirty-five...finally over seventy. Seven
of them in critical condition, one of them dying soon after
arriving. News continued to come in: more than a thousand injured,
spread all over Madrid. Almost 200 dead. The worst massacre
in Spain since the Civil War. Anxiety, suffering, terror, relatives
searching at the hospitals without daring to go to the morgue
despite the names of their loved ones not appearing anywhere
else. Friends and acquaintances ringing me with an inevitable
shake in the voice: 'You wouldn't happen to know about...?'
More than 12 hours facing fear and death, but also the selfless
giving by everyone who had something to give. Workers who stayed
on after an all-night shift, professionals who gave up their
day off to lend a hand, or kept going after they were due to
clock off. An avalanche of blood donors far in excess of what
was needed or space could accommodate.
Then came the politicians: Ministers, top civil servants, Presidents
and General Secretaries. Visiting the injured. Hearing someone
say: 'I was next to the bomb, but I've only got a small knock.
In my carriage everybody else died. I've been born again.' Strange.
Some have been born again, and we have all died a little with
those 200 bodies which, until a few hours ago, were laughing
and dreaming, and which could be any of us.
Perhaps if we kept up this spirit of generosity which recalls
the image of God in which we are made, we would put an end to
hate and violence between men. But until such a time comes,
and it will never come on this Earth, we have lived through
a small outbreak of love in our daily routine. It is much easier
to give the whole of our lives one day, than to give our all
every day. This won't change the world, but it will make a difference
in our immedaite environment. And above all, it will mean that
the world does not change us.
Loving, when all's said and done, is dying a little, or a lot,
so that others may live. If you don't believe it, ask the man
from Galilee who was born in Bethlehem and died on the cross
at Jerusalem...and rose again 3 days later.'
Source & Editing: ACPress.net
Is the Ferede telling evangelicals
how to vote?
Madrid, March 12th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
In a series of unprecedented
moves which have provoked criticism among some evangelicals,
the representative Federation of Evangelical Organisations (FEREDE)
has only just stopped short of actually advising its members
not to vote for the ruling Popular Party.
First to warn evangelicals to think carefully about how they
vote was Chairman Federico Aparisi, as reported in this bulletin
last week. Now it is the turn of Executive Secretary, Mariano
Blázquez, whose radio interview was introduced by the interviewer
thus: "Spanish evangelicals have denounced the situation
of 'forced silence' and even blackmail which has been reached
after 8 years of Popular Party government and are now thinking
deeply before voting."
Blázquez did not mince his words either. "The religious
policy of the Popular Party has been disastrous because it has
been inexistent (as far as evangelicals concerned), treating
Spanish Protestants as nothings." He accused Prime Minister
Aznar of a 'lack of respect' for his refusal to meet evangelical
leaders, assured listeners that evangelicals faced limitations
regarding their right to worship and hold public meetings, and
lamented the power which this government has given the Catholic
Church.
Which all boils down to a pretty clear case of advice to evangelicals
as how not to vote this Sunday. And it is unwelcome advice,
as far as some evangelicals are concerned. ACPress.net's letters
column this week has several examples of comments from people
who do not think the Ferede should be telling them how to vote.
Source: Cadena Ser. Editing:
ACPress.net
Catalan
Bible placed on the Net
Barcelona, March 12th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
The Evangelical Bible
Institute of Catalonia (IBEC) has placed a Catalan translation
of the Bible on its website at www.ibecat.org, which is the
only place where this can be consulted on the Internet.
The version used is the 'Evangelical Catalan Bible' which was
published in September 2000, having been translated from the
original languages. The layout is designed to facilitate searches
and, though it follows a similar design to that found in the
printed version of the Bible, chasing up references is much
quicker. The text is set in blocks, each one comprising a chapter
of the Bible, so individual verses are not separated. Currently,
website programmers are working on search tools which will allow
users to locate a specific verse by typing in the reference,
or a key word such as 'love'.
The IBEC was founded in 1966 and has two principal aims: to
promote the use of Catalan by evangelicals in areas where the
language is commonly spoken and provide materials and activities
to this end, and secondly, to raise awareness of the evangelical
community in Catalan society, through cultural and other activities,
especially those related to increasing religious liberty and
inter-religious dialogue. In recognition of its work, the IBEC
received the St George's Cross - the highest civil decoration
awarded by the Catalan government - in 1997.
Source: IBEC. Editing: ACPress.net
Spain
has lost its spiritual reserve
Madrid, March 12th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
More than half those
aged between 13 and 24 never go to Mass, except at weddings
and funerals. Thirty years ago, Spain was officially one of
the most Catholic nations on the planet, but now seems destined
to stop being Catholic at all, as the decline in church attendance
common across Western Europe continues. Spain is no longer the
'spiritual reserve' of Europe.
There was a decline after the transition to democracy, then
things stabilised somewhat, but the fall in religious practice
has again accelerated in the last few years. How to explain
the move away from an institution so deeply rooted in the history
and culture of our country? Specialists point to the strong
process of secularisation which began here about 10 years after
doing so in northern Europe. Victor Cortizo, who heads up the
Youth Department of the Spanish Catholic Episcopate, says another
factor is the general disenchantment with any values that do
not offer immediate results.
A demographic reason is that the youngsters who do not attend
church today are the children of the first generation not 'forced'
to go to Mass, after the transition. Their parents stopped going,
and they have never acquired the habit. Faith is not transmitted
in their homes, and there is no social pressure with regard
to religion received at school any more either. Others blame
the archaic language and conservative teaching of the Catholic
Church, which puts youngsters off. Add to this financial and
sex scandals within the Catholic Church, and their support of
unpopular government policies, and the distance between Rome
and much of Spain is growing.
Source: El Correo. Editing:
ACPress.net
Evangelistic magazine to
use with 'The Passion' film
Barcelona, March 12th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
'Agape', also known as
'Campus Crusade', is offering Christians evangelistic material
to use with Mel Gibson's forthcoming (in Europe) film, 'The
Passion'.
Agape believes the film is a useful aid for communicating what
Christ did for us on the cross, even though it does not answer
many of the questions it raises. Therefore, 'Agape' has produced
a 16-page magazine illustrated with scenes from the film in
which it responds to the most commonly-asked questions. "We
want to provide an efficient, evangelistic tool which includes
(an explanation of) God's plan of salvation."
The material is available in Spanish and Catalan, and packs
of 1,000 cost 150 euros plus postage. Orders can be placed at
materiales@agape-spain.org
Source: Agape. Editing: ACPress.net
Bible Society is 200 not
out, and batting on
Madrid, March 12th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
200 years translating
so that everyone has the Bible in their own language; 200 years
distributing Scriptures to every corner of the world; 200 years
working so that noone misses out on reading the Bible because
of lack of money - the Bible Society is celebrating its 200th
anniversary this year.
A celebratory event is planned in Madrid for April 24th.
Source: SBE/Bibliopress. Editing:
ACPress.net
Evangelical widow denied
pension over unregistered church marriage
Mieres, March 12th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
A court in Asturias in
northern Spain has overturned an earlier decision which recognised
the right of an evangelical gypsy widow to receive a pension.
The young woman lost her husband, aged just 27, and one of her
children, in a car accident in September 2000. The reason for
the court's refusal to grant her a pension is that her marriage
is 'only' registered at her local Evangelical Church.
The authorities refused to grant her a widow's pension because
her marriage was not recorded in the civil register. The young
woman, helped by a trade union, took her case to court and received,
initially, a favourable verdict. However, the authorities appealed
and a higher court overturned the decision, finding in favour
of the pensions authority. Now the trade union is waiting to
take the case to the High Court in Madrid.
It is common practice among evangelical gypsies to marry in
church and only register the union in their own community.
Source: D. MIERES. Editing:
ACPress.net
Two Baptists join Seventh-Day Adventist Association
Madrid, March 12th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The International Association
for the Defence of Religious Liberty (IADRL) is linked to the
Seventh-Day Adventist movement and has representation in the
Council of Europe and UNESCO.
The IADRL was founded by Jean Nussbaum in Paris in 1946, and
led by him until 1966. One of his aims was to bring people together
in closer links so as to strengthen peace and justice. The Spanish
branch of the Association now has two Baptist members, as well
as Adventist ones, including the General Secretary of the Spanish
Bible Society.
Source: Revista Adventista.
Editing: ACPress.net
Three culture tourist route
planned in Alcalá
Alcalá de Henares, March 12th,
2004 (ACPress.net).
A new tourist route is
planned in the ancient town of Alcalá de Henares, a few miles
north-east of Madrid, showing how the three cultures - Christian,
Jewish and Muslim - left their imprint on the place.
The route will take in a synagogue, mosque and Catholic church,
and it is hoped to restore Santa María Tower as a study centre
of the three cultures and how they lived together. There will
also be a viewing-point on the top, from where marvellous views
of the town may be enjoyed. No date has yet been set to begin
the project nor to begin the restoration of the Tower, which
has been closed for many years. However, it is hoped that the
publication of a book about the history of the three cultures
in Alcalá will prove a springboard for the project.
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing:
ACPress.net
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