need new priests for the Italians living in Germany and the Scandinavian peninsula. To launch the appeal is Don Pio Visentin, editor of the newspaper "Il Corriere in Italy" ( http://www.corritalia.de/ ) and time missionary in Germany. A Don Visentin we asked some questions to better understand the role played by the Italian Catholic Missions in Germany.
At present how many priests are needed to meet the needs of Italian Catholic Missions in Germany and Scandinavia?
Currently we are in trouble for five Italian communities in Germany and one in Sweden. In particular, the community of Frankfurt, calls for the presence of at least two priests, being in reality of two communities in the city and nearby.
Our priests follow the Italian communities only in the spiritual aspect or are also engaged in social and cultural?
Mind you, it has always been prevalent a commitment to a spiritual, even in the '60s and '70s, the time of the first emigration. Even then, especially if the mission was a bit 'all: a meeting place for Italians, Office for Civil paperwork, reference to social problems. If then, however, the missionary was a "handyman" valuable and necessary because of the inadequacy of service of Public Service Unions and, now more careful to ensure a free and spiritual guidance and support communities in a journey of faith.
The new generation of Italians who live and work in Germany, are interested in activities of the Catholic Missions?
It may seem strange, but for many young people is in fact more "attractive" the community of Italian and German. A significant finding: children who have made their First Communion with the German parish, they will end a few years double to make the preparation for Confirmation with the Mission. L 'integration' - a term I suspect, but we use it to be clear - is not defined in the local language. Or, if you will, the time to linguistic, are not the same as the cultural one. And èproprio this finding, we ourselves have done in retrospect, to justify and make it even necessary to our pastoral action today, even in the presence of the third generation of Italians.
According to her, in addition to the Catholic faith, what are the glue that held together the Italians living abroad?
The Italian, who is a complex of traditions, sensitivity, pride of being different, or rather, what we are. No other religious festival in the city of Stuttgart leads many people to take to the streets than they Italians living with the Passion on Good Friday!
What future do you see for the Catholic Missions in Germany and Scandinavia?
our experience of migration leads us to caution in making predictions. It 's true, priests are lacking. The phenomenon affects the whole laChiesa, especially in these northern European countries. Yet, faced with this situation, it does not say a church retreat, we see the emergence, and in our own Italian communities in Germany and Scandinavia, an adult and responsible Christian laity in proclaiming the Christian news. I do not exclude that they can "survive" a long time, as are portions of the living Church, not wishing to lose their identity, but to do with the Church, a Church that wants to be more "catholic". [ by Carla Silva ]
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