News

• 4 May 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - “Evangelising means building bridges” says Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil New Delhi (Fides Service ) - “The evangeliser must seek to enter the live of the person to whom he or she wishes to announce Christ and try to build bridges of understanding and friendship. Evangelisation is not a thre ...
• 4 May 2005
  ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Increasing tension on the streets of Dili and some fear protests over education may lead to disorder Dili (Fides Service) - The government has deployed security forces on streets and around major public buildings, as unrest grows and demonstrators refuse to stop the protest. The battle between the government and the peo ...
• 4 May 2005
  AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - West Côte d'Ivoire swings from hope and more tragedies. Testimony from Capuchin Fathers Abidjan (Fides Service)- “Clashes in the past few days have been serious but also west Côte d'Ivoire will soon return to normality” said Capuchin Fathers in Man, the main town in western part of the country where cl ...
• 3 May 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - President of Catholic University of Murcia issues a statement of total rejection of proposed amendments to the Spanish Civil Code which he considers “an unprecedented attack on history and an act of total disregard for marriage” Murcia (Fides Service) - D. José Luis Mendoza, President Catholic University of Murcia and a consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Family issued a statement rejecting the proposed amendment to Spain’s Civil Code ...
• 3 May 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - International Association Amici di Raoul Follerau: death of Farhat Rahman, social activist and Referent for programme for community development and Community Base Rehabilitation in Pakistan Rome (Fides Service) - Winner in 2004 of a civil gold medal Fatimah Jinna was one of the most important personalities for promoting respect for human rights in Pakistan The AIFO referent for a programme for community d ...
• 3 May 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - "Marriage is a natural institution inscribed in the order of creation and prior to all religion ": declaration by Archbishop Gil Hellín Burgos (Fides Service) - In an article, The Church defender of Man, Archbishop Francisco Gil Hellín of Burgos (Spain) a member of the Spanish Bishops’ Commission for Family and Life reflects on the question of same ...
• 3 May 2005
  AFRICA/TOGO - “Thank you Benedict XVI for calling for peace in Togo” Lome (Fides Service)- “It is true there is no fighting on the streets but tension is still high and people are still frightened. The army continues to kill people known to oppose the regime” local sources in Togo tol ...
• 3 May 2005
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - 33 percent of the population in the Philippines does not eat enough food and lives under the poverty line on less than a dollar a day Rome (Fides Service) - According to an inquiring involving 1,200 people, one third of the population in the Philippines does not eat enough food to live properly. 29% of those interviewed said the main concern is to find ...
• 3 May 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA Post-tsunami efforts to build new homes and resettle the homeless continue, government re-launches tourism as a channel of solidarity Colombo (Fides Service) - Post-tsunami return to normality in Sri Lanka proceeds with difficulty despite efforts by civic authorities, NGOs as well as local religious community aid agencies,. The final toll for the Dec ...
• 3 May 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - New church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes at a Zheng Zhou Zheng Zhou (Fides Service) - In mainland China a new church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes has been opened in the diocese of Zheng Zhou, south of Beijing. According to Faith Catholic bulletin published in Hebei, more ...
• 3 May 2005
  OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Evangelising in the Pacific via the media: local Church initiatives in view of annual Communications Day Honiara (Fides Service) - In Solomon Islands there is growing awareness that the media provide an excellent channel for evangelisation. In view of the annual Communications Day, 8 May, the local Catholic Church has promo ...
• 3 May 2005
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Encourage dialogue faith-culture, faith-science, Gospel and culture, globalisation and evangelisation: first lap of permanent 18 month Symposium “Evangelisation of Cultures” Bogota (Fides Service) - The ‘Evangelisation of Cultures’ is the theme of an 18 month Permanent Symposium organised by Conference of Catholic Bishops in Colombia through its Commission for the pastoral of evangelisat ...
• 3 May 2005
  AFRICA/ZAMBIA - “There is an intimate and inseparable link between Mass and Mission. Our communion with Christ means that we share not only his life, but also his mission” : Bishop of Monze promotes deeper awareness of the ‘wonderful gift” of the Eucharistic Monze (Fides Service) - The Eucharist and its connection with mission has been the focus of Catholics in the diocese of Monze in Zambia during the past year. In fact, in preparation for the centenary of the evangelisatio ...
• 2 May 2005
  The Pope’s Mission Prayer Intention for May 2005: “For the Pontifical Mission Societies: may they help all Christians, young and old, realise they have a part to play in missionary work”, Comment by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples Vatican City (Fides Service) - In his last gift to us, namely the message for World Mission Sunday 2005 which we will celebrate on 23 October, the late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said: “World Mission Sunday is an o ...
• 2 May 2005
  VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI focuses Regina Cæli reflection on Sunday May 1 on work: “may work, especially for young people, never be lacking and may working conditions always be respectful of the dignity of the human person”. Appeal for people of Togo “suffering because of painful civil strife” Vatican City (Fides Service) - At noon on Sunday 1 May for the first time since his election, Pope Benedict XVI gave the traditional blessing from the study of the papal apartment overlooking St Peter’s Square where m ...