Fwd: Romanian Christmas tradition menaced by EU regulations?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

This is an article from an other Orthodoxia (Orthodox Christians). As an Orthodox Christian I want to confirm that slaughtering animals, doesn't have anything to do with Christianism. It belongs just to the culture of nations. If some one, would tell you, he was Orthodoxand it would belong to the Orthodoxy or to the Orthodox Tradition, just ask him to tell you what is Orthodox, or what is Christian or how often he reads the bible. Such People do not know any answer about what is Orthodox or what is Christian and they do not read the bible.

I have explaned all that, just to prevent missunderstandings.

The same questions about animal questions or even worst are the questions about "halal meat" with the Moslems, where the animals are really tortured during the slaughter process. I don't think halal meat is necessary because of religious reasons.

Yannis Tsoucas <yannistsoucas wrote:

Mon, 1 Dec 2003 17:55:21 +0000 (GMT)Yannis Tsoucas Fwd: Romanian Christmas tradition menaced by EU regulations?itsoucas

Note: forwarded message attached.

 

 

ÁðïêôÞóôå ôçí äùñåÜí óáò @.gr äéåýèõíóç óôï Mail.> ATTACHMENT part 2 message/rfc822 Orthodox Forum Bill Samsonoff Sun, 30 Nov 2003 22:49:12 -0500Romanian Christmas tradition menaced by EU regulations?2003.11.30 AFP:Romanian Christmas tradition menaced by EU regulations?30 November 2003While most Romanians look forward to becoming part of the European Union in 2007, some of their enthusiasm has been tempered of late by fears that EU membership will proscribe a long-standing holiday custom -- sacrificing the Christmas pig.Rumors that the practice may be threatened are taken seriously in a country where more than 40 percent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood and where millions of pigs are slaughtered every year -- often

under unsanitary conditions -- by individual producers.At issue are EU standards requiring that an animal be sedated -- made to fall asleep -- before being slaughtered in an authorized abattoir subject to strict medical control."If that's the European Union, I want no part of it," declared Victor Ban, a farmer from Magura in southern Romania."Christmas won't be the same if I can't slaughter a pig the way I've always done."Conscious of the sensibilities of the electorate, Romanian politicians have made themselves heard on the matter."Romania has its own traditions and we have to make sure they are preserved," said MP Ioan Baldea during a parliamentary debate.Added his colleague Petre Posea: "A Romanian who doesn't make sausages and black pudding at Christmas is not a true Romanian."The agriculture ministry has meanwhile appealed to the Orthodox Church, to which most Romanians belong, for

guidance."We have asked the Church to determine if sacrificing pigs at Christmas constitutes a religious practice," said the secretary of state for agriculture, Liviu Harbuz."The opinion of the Church could serve as an argument for an exemption from EU rules."Agricultural reform is one of the most difficult questions hanging over Romania's admission to the European Union. Bucharest has sought grace periods from three to eight years before fulfilling EU requirements on milk and meat processing and animal slaughter."More than 75 percent of small Romanian farms do not adhere toveterinary legislation and cannot be restructured before 2007," according to an official at the ministry for European integration.In order to conform to EU regulations, Romania will also have to halt the anti-pest vaccinations that are currently given to pigs."When we join the EU it will be illegal to sell meat from vaccinated

pigs," said Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu.Anxious to allay public fears, representatives here from the European Commission, the EU's executive body, have decided to organize a discussion on the Internet on "the slaughter of pigs and other Romanian Christmas customs."Text and Picture 2003 AFP.*************************** List Trailer***************************"The Faith which I was taught by the Holy Fathers, which I taught at all timeswithout adjusting according to the times, this Faith I will never stop teaching;I was born with it and I live by it." (St. Gregory the Theologian).