Newsletter

Newsletter 25

Laurent Tran Van Mang

Dear friends,

Visiting museums, exhibitions and places of remembrance of past wars is one of the activities of our Ad Pacem association. Because of the Covid period and our commitment to Ukrainian refugees in 2022, following the Russian war of aggression, we have temporarily suspended these activities.

Bastogne War Museum

On Saturday 17 June, we invite you to visit the Bastogne War Museum.
The guided tour will start at the Museum at 9am and finish, for the first part, at around 12.30pm. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to visit the Museum bookshop and have a coffee at the Bistrot de la Paix. Afterwards, we’ll have a picnic with our packed lunches in an area of the museum, with one drink per person. At around 1.30pm, we’ll continue with a second half-hour outing a few kilometres from the museum.
At around 2.30pm we’ll start our return journey home.
Admission will cost €20 for adults, and our association will pay the entrance fees for young people under 16.
For those who would like to carpool, please let us know by 15 June on [email protected] if you are one of us, have a car or would like to be driven to Bastogne.
Our secretary will contact you to organise car pooling from the various meeting points.

Bike for climate – bike for peace

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce our next Bike for climate event on Saturday 15 July from 10am to around 5pm on the cycle paths of southern Luxembourg.
Cycling is good for your health, for the climate and for peace!
So don’t hesitate to save the date and join us!
You can already register by emailing [email protected]. We’ll be sending you more information about the tour itself by email in early July.

Peace greetings!

Claude Pantaleoni
Chairman

Bike for climate – bike for peace

4th Bike for climate – Bike for peace

Laurent Tran Van Mang

On Saturday morning, 20 May 2023, eight of us had arranged to meet at Bettembourg station for a 46 km bike ride on the cycle paths in the south of Luxembourg.

We first cycled through Peppange (past the former Benedictine convent) and Hellange, then crossed the French border in the middle of fields and discovered the villages of Hagen and Évrange on our way, as well as the monuments to the victims of the two world wars. In Évrange, we paused to visit the neo-Gothic church dedicated to Saint Albin, which is open to the public, and to admire the stained glass windows inside, two of which have war and peace as their theme. (The church was partially destroyed during the Second World War and restored after the war) .

After crossing the border again, we stopped in Aspelt near the Baroque castle and the bronze statue of Peter of Aspelt (1240-1320, Elector and Archbishop of Mainz), erected in his honour in 2021 on the square in front of the church. The sculpture in question, however, left us rather perplexed due to the artistic choices: Peter von Aspelt is namely depicted without any episcopal insignia and has a strangely androgynous appearance.

The lunch break took place in Dalheim at the foot of the Eagle Monument. This is a column about ten metres high, with a Roman eagle perched on top of a globe. This monument was erected in 1855 by the “Société archéologique luxembourgeoise” to commemorate the presence of the Romans in Dalheim, in particular the Vicus Ricciacum. Just a few steps away from this site, we were also able to visit the Gallo-Roman theatre on our way down to Dalheim. This ancient amphitheatre, which could seat about 3,500 spectators, probably dates from the 2nd century.

We then drove back via Hassel, Alzingen and Hesperange, where we had a last break at the pond in the middle of the city park. At 4.30 p.m., our group arrived back at the car park at Bettemburg station, the end point of this cycle tour, in ideal weather conditions.

Newsletter

Newsletter 24

cw

Dear friends, dear members of Ad Pacem,

The rediscovery of cycling symbolises the ecological and energetic alternatives that men and women must (re)discover for their own well-being and that of future generations. The cycle paths created or rehabilitated in recent years are there to help us change, at least in part, our habits of locomotion. In addition, we can (re)discover the nature of our countryside and forests and the well-being of unpolluted air.

Our Ad Pacem committee invites you to pedal together
on Saturday 20 May from 9.30 am to about 5 pm
on a looped route that we have chosen,
starting from the car park of the train station in Bettembourg.
You can discover the route by clicking on the following link: Ad Pacem Bike Tour 4.

There is the possibility to arrive by train or to leave the car on the car park during the whole day. Each participant will bring a packed lunch. A list of tips will be sent to participants two days before the event. You can notify us of your participation by e-mail at [email protected].

Cycling is good for your health, for the climate and for peace!
So don’t hesitate to join us!

Please also remember the date of Saturday 17 June for our visit to the Bastogne War Museum, where we will have a guided tour in the morning.
More information will follow in a future Newsletter.

Greetings of peace!

Claude Pantaleoni
President of the asbl
“For Peace and Against War”

Bike for climate – bike for peace

3rd Bike for climate – bike for peace

Laurent Tran Van Mang

29 April 2023

Twelve members of the Ad Pacem association met in the middle of the morning on Saturday 29 April 2023 on the car park of the railway station in Bettembourg (L) for a bike ride. After a rainy and cold start to the spring, this bike ride provided hours of fresh air from the meadows and fields.

Energy dependency
The association supports cycling, also in view of the current wars, which are often wars for the control of oil and gas fields or for the dependence of entire populations who do not have them.

Oil and gas energies are powerful levers of power in the hands of certain belligerent states, as is the case of Russia, which has long been a major supplier of these energies to Europe and the Ukraine.

It is true that cycling is only partly a way out of these energy dependencies. But it symbolises the ecological transition to renewable and healthy energy sources for humans.

Dead miners for the development of the country
After passing through Dudelange-Burange and Budersberg, Kayl, Tétange and Rumelange with its Mining Museum, the group took a lunch break at the place called “Léiffrächen”, at the foot of the National Miners’ Monument which commemorates the very many people who died in the mines of Luxembourg from the second half of the 18th century until the 1950s. It should be remembered that several young people between 13 and 15 years of age were among the victims of dangerous work in the mines.

The tour continued with the descent to the Ellergrond, a nature reserve near the French border, to Esch-sur-Alzette. The group then took the new footbridge of the cycle path that leads to the heart of the Belval site. After a short break, the group continued towards Lallange, Schifflange, Huncherange to arrive at the car park of the station of Bettembourg, terminus of the tour, around 4 pm.

Cycle paths without cyclists
With this cycling day, the association reminds all political leaders that cycling must be politically encouraged among the population. During the whole day, the participants hardly met any other cycling fans on the cycle paths, which were all in perfect condition.

Newsletter

Newsletter 23

cw

Dear friends, dear members of Ad Pacem,

Throughout the year 2022 the activities of our association were strongly conditioned by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Our help went to Ukrainian refugees who first came to the big cities of western Ukraine and then to families who came to our Region to find refuge. In the second half of the year, the bombardment of cities by Russian missiles and drones again accentuated these population movements. Throughout the year we have been supporting the hospitals in Kramatorsk and Kharkiv with material and medicine, as well as a team of doctors who are helping in a small field hospital behind the Ukrainian front in the Kharkiv region. We are now helping these doctors mainly with the proceeds from the sale of this year’s calendar.
As the front has now “stabilised” in the south-east and south of Ukraine, there is less movement of people, although the number of wounded and dead soldiers on the Ukrainian side (Russia does not give any information about its dead or wounded soldiers) is in the hundreds every day.

On 22 March 2023 we held our 6th General Assembly. You can read the minutes by clicking on the following link: Minutes of our 6th General Assembly 2023

In the coming months we will resume activities that we started in 2018 and 2019, and that we had to drop during the pandemic years.
On Saturday 29 April from 9.15 a.m. until about 5 p.m. we will organise a “Bike for future – bike for peace” day on the cycle paths in the south of Luxembourg. On the link Ad Pacem Bike Tour you can discover the route. This day is open to all our members and interested friends. You can communicate your participation at [email protected].

Finally, we are organising an outing to learn about the history of the wars through a visit to the Bastogne War Museum where we will be able to relive some of the highlights of the Battle of the Bulge. This will be on Saturday 17 June, from 8.30 a.m. (departure in Esch/Alzette) until the return around 4 p.m. Those who are interested can already save this date. You will have more information and the possibility to register in a future Newsletter.

I bid you a good reception of this Newsletter 23,
with my best wishes for more peace,

Claude Pantaleoni
President of the asbl
“For Peace and Against War”

General meetings

Minutes of our 6th General Assembly 2023

Laurent Tran Van Mang

Contents :

Welcome

1.         Collecting and sending aid at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

2.         Appeals for donations and contacts with politicians

3.         Welcoming and accompanying Ukrainian refugee families

4.         Aid sent to hospitals in Kharkiv and Kramatorsk

5.         The Ad Pacem 2023 calendar

6.         Ukrainian scholarship holders

7.         Aid in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) through the Ad Pacem 2022 calendar

8.         Conferences and concerts organised

9.         The Ad Pacem website and the section “Russian war against Ukraine”.

10.       Financial report 2022

11.       Report of the cash audit

12.       Election of the new Board of Directors

13.       Miscellaneous

On Wednesday 22 March 2023, the committee of the association “Ad Pacem servandam – Pour la Paix et contre la Guerre asbl” held its sixth general meeting. Four members of the Board of Directors were present and twelve donor members were excused. On behalf of the committee, the president Claude Pantaleoni welcomed everyone and invited all to commemorate the victims of a year of war in Ukraine with a minute’s silence.

He went on to say that the committee had met in 2022 seven times in working sessions. Six newsletters were sent to the members, who numbered one hundred and five at the end of 2022. He said that 95% of the association’s activities had been related to the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The President and Vice President Natalya Pantaleoni then gave a detailed report on the events of 2022.

1.         Collecting and sending aid at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

From the very first days of the Russian invasion the committee members were approached by neighbours and members who were desperate to help by bringing goods, clothes, blankets, linen, food and hygiene products. Everything was sent to Ukraine to be used for IDPs, refugees and victims. With a few power point pictures, the vice-president showcased some key moments of this initiative.

2.         Appeals for donations and contacts with politicians

The leaders of the association contacted politicians in Luxembourg in the municipalities of Steinsel and Differdange, who organised an appeal for donations through their letterbox distribution services. The commune of Crusnes (F) made a donation and the mayor of Serrouville (F) invited all the Ukrainian refugees hosted by Ad Pacem to share a meal at the fair in early July.

3.         Welcoming and accompanying Ukrainian refugee families

In March and April 2022, the association gave priority to welcoming the families who had requested assistance. Our primary objective was to receive and accompany them in the reception centres of the region and in the homes of families ready to receive them. Our secretary organised a French language course for about ten refugees. With photos, some of the highlights were recalled by the vice-president.

4.         Aid sent to hospitals in Kharkiv and Kramatorsk

The calls for donations in our Newsletter have allowed us to send medicines and medical equipment to hospitals in need. This aid was documented by photos and explanations by the Vice-President.

5.         The Ad Pacem 2023 calendar

This year’s calendar, produced by the association, introduces Ukraine, a country that was little known in Europe until the full-scale Russian invasion began on 24 February 2022. The calendar was illustrated with photos provided by two Ukrainian refugee photographers. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to help a team of a dozen doctors from the Kharkiv hospital who take turns in a field hospital behind the Ukrainian frontline to help seriously wounded soldiers as soon as possible. Since autumn 2022 Ad Pacem has been financing some of the equipment these doctors need. The photos show what has been sent to these doctors: bulletproof vests, special telephone sets near the front, sleeping bags (-15°), mattresses, medicines, dressings and various medical equipment.

6.         Ukrainian scholarship holders

Since its inception, the Ad Pacem association has supported Ukrainian internally displaced refugees who receive scholarships to study at universities in their home country. The vice-president explained how the situation has changed for each of the scholarship holders.

7.         Aid in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) through the Ad Pacem 2022 calendar

The president explained how part of the profit from the sale of last year’s calendar was donated to the therapeutic accompaniment association ‘Zena Bratunac’ which, thirty years after the Balkan war (1992-95), continues to accompany women in Bosnia-Herzegovina who are still suffering psychologically, and sometimes physically, from the mistreatment suffered in the concentration camps of the time.

The other part of the profit was used to pay for the matriculation of three young women from different ethnic and religious communities in BiH who attended interreligious and intercultural courses at the Catholic Faculty of the University of Sarajevo during the academic year 2022-23. These courses serve them to better understand their own culture and religion and those of other communities in BiH. In this way they seek to work in Bosnian society as peacemakers and build multi-ethnic understanding.

8.         Conferences and concerts organised

a) Mr Jacques Faure was invited by Ad Pacem on 7 May 2022 at the Luxembourg Book Fair (L) to speak on the theme:

“What peaceful policy for Europe in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine?”

This former French diplomat, who came from the Central Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has fulfilled numerous tasks in various European committees. And he was French ambassador in various capitals of Eastern Europe and from 2008 to 2011 ambassador in Kyiv.

b) On 18 June 2022 Ad Pacem invited Mrs Galia Ackerman, who was born in Moscow at the time of the Soviet Union, to the Maison pastorale in Longwy (F). She is a writer, historian, journalist and translator of the Russian and ex-Soviet world.

With the theme of the conference “Understanding Putin’s Russia and the war in Ukraine” she showed how the Kremlin autocrat has built up his power and prepared the Russian invasion of Ukraine for a long time.

c) Then it was the turn of the vice-president to present two benefit concerts, the profits of which were destined to help Ukrainian victims of the war in their country:

– On the day of the independence of Ukraine, 24 August, Laura and Daniel Pantaleoni gave a concertino in Serra Sant Abbondio (I).

– and the Franciscan Sisters of Belair (L) organised the Advent concert for Ad Pacem.

9.         Ad Pacem’s website and the section “Russian war against Ukraine”.

The person in charge of the website’s programming, Mr Laurent Tran Van Mang, then explained the attacks and hacking that the Ad Pacem servandam website has suffered over the last two years. On several occasions the site has been put out of action. Most of the attacks have come from America, Russia and China.

For him, it is absolutely necessary to protect oneself by building effective computer defences.

The new section on the website “Russian War on Ukraine” documents all the aid sent from here or bought in Ukraine for hospitals, doctors and reception centres for refugees and displaced persons.

10.       Financial report 2022

Mr Christian Welter, the treasurer of the association, then presented the detailed financial report. After giving an overview of the finances for the year 2022, he detailed in order the income obtained from membership cards, the expenses related to the organised activities, and then the amounts of the donations received (as well as their origin) and the aid sent to Ukraine. Mr Welter concluded his report by detailing the profit made from the sale of the 2022 calendar and the use made of it.

11.       Report of the cash auditor

The financial report for 2022 had been checked and validated by the cash auditor, Mr Patrice Picart, who confirmed during the General Assembly that the finances had been managed correctly and accurately.

12.       Election of the new Board of Directors

As the mandates of the members of the Board of Directors came to an end, the election of the new Board of Directors took place. Claude Pantaleoni was elected as the new president, Natalya Pantaleoni as vice-president, Christian Welter as treasurer and secretary and Laurent Tran Van Mang as the person responsible for computer programming.

13.       Miscellaneous

a) Two “Bike for climate – bike for peace” cycling trips are planned for this year. The next day trip is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, on the cycling paths of southern Luxembourg.

b) As the remembrance of our European history is becoming more and more important and because attempts to rewrite it are being made, there is nothing better than to organise guided tours of important places of memory and history in our Greater Region for the members of the association.

c) Finally, the Vice-President informed the assembly of an important aid project for the year 2023. This is the construction of a small power station for the three large residential houses of the Children’s and Orphans’ Home in Chernivtsi in the western Ukraine.