Other News
“Exchange of gifts”: New Vatican Publishing House series with a Strong Ecumenical Vocation
On 9 December, in Rome’s Palazzo della Rovere, seat of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, LEV) presents its new series “scambio di doni” (“exchange of gifts”, which is characterized by a strong ecumenical vocation and which aims to highlight the bonds that unite Christians of different confessions in many areas of the life of faith and social life.
The volumes contain texts and speeches of the Pope, as well as a previously unpublished text by the Holy Father, and are presented by a representative of the brothers and sisters of the separate Churches and ecclesial communities with which the Catholic Church is on the way to re-establishing full communion. The first two texts are: “Our Mother Earth. A Christian reading of the challenge of the environment” with a preface by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and “Prayer. The Breath of New Life”, with a prologue by Patriarch Kyril of Moscow.
Following greetings from Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and from Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery of Communication, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and Archbishop Ian Ernest, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, will take part in the presentation of the new series. The event will be moderated by Barbara Castelli, a journalist with the Dicastery of Communication.
Religion and Medical Ethics: Symposium of WISH and the Pontifical Academy for Life
The organization WISH (World Innovation Summit for Health) and the Pontifical Academy for Life have organized a special Symposium entitled “Religion and Medical Ethics”, to take place on 11 and 12 December in the Augustinianum Congress Centre in Rome. The Symposium will examine the role religion plays in providing holistic care in the context of medical ethics. By focusing on the intersection of belief-based and evidence-based approaches to care, speakers and participants will have the opportunity to highlight and explore the benefits of interdisciplinary and interfaith approaches to treating the body, mind and soul. The academic partner for the event is the British Medical Journal.
The symposium will focus on two areas of healthcare: palliative care and the mental health of the elderly, and the sessions will focus on:
Christian, Islamic and medical perspectives on ethics and palliative care
Safeguarding the mental health of elderly patients receiving palliative care
Interfaith approaches to promoting the role of spirituality in palliative care
Perspectives on paediatric palliative care
The mental health and wellbeing of older people: spiritual opportunities and challenges
Maintaining the bridge of love between people with dementia and their carers
Mental health and the elderly: the intersection of spirituality, caregiving and medicine
Suicide and life-threatening behaviour among the elderly.
WISH is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. Its mission is:
To forge connections and help build action-driven communities of knowledge who work together to address today’s most pressing global healthcare challenges;
To convene and collaborate with the world’s leading experts and the highest levels of decision-makers;
- To create and disseminate world-class, evidence-based content and knowledge;
- To promote active learning and support within and between communities;
- To contribute to the vision and mission of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and Qatar National Vision 2030, and underscoring Qatar’s pioneering role as an emerging center for healthcare innovation;
- To showcase innovations that will make a difference for healthcare communities everywhere; and
- To aim to influence healthcare policy globally.
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a private, non-profit organisation that is supporting Qatar on its journey from a carbon-based economy to knowledge-based economy by unlocking human potential for the benefit of not only Qatar, but the world. Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Amir of Qatar, QF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
QF carries out its mission through three strategic pillars: education, science and research, and community development. QF’s education pillar brings world-class universities to Qatar to help create an education sector in which young people can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy. Meanwhile, its science and research pillar builds Qatar’s innovation and technology capacity by developing and commercialising solutions through key sciences. Finally, its community development pillar helps foster a progressive society while also enhancing cultural life, protecting Qatar’s heritage and addressing immediate social needs in the community.
