News

• 2 May 2005
  ASIA/YEMEN - Polio strikes after an interval of almost 10 years 22 children affected Rome (Fides Service) - Some 22 children in Yemen have developed poliomyelitis and the World Health Organisation WHO fears the epidemic may spread. This is the first new outbreak of polio since the disease was declared er ...
• 2 May 2005
  OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Network of Catholic formation centres for 30 years at the service of education and development for rural communities Honiara (Fides Service) - STYVADIMA is a network of Catholic Formation Centres which promotes education and development in rural communities in Solomon Islands. For over 30 years lay teachers, former Catholic school pupi ...
• 2 May 2005
  VATICAN - “Same sex ‘marriage’ is another step towards the total destruction of the institution of the family, the most valuable heritage of all peoples and all humanity”: Fides interviewed Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family Vatican City (Fides Service) - In view of the serious situation in Spain where the family is under systematic attack with a serious of measures imposed by the government to change the Spanish Code of Civil Code to allow ...
• 2 May 2005
  AFRICA/DJIBOUTI - 30,000 people in Djibouti face food shortage because of drought. At least 5,000 families have no assistance, no food and nothing to sell to buy food Djibouti (Fides Service) - About 30,000 people in Djibouti face a serious food shortage according to the United Nations World Food Programme WFP due to acute lack of rainfall in the past three years. WFP says its needs 2 ...
• 2 May 2005
  AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - Guere and Dioula tribes fight in west Côte d'Ivoire, at least 14 dead Abidjan (Fides Service) - Situation still uncertain in the west Côte d'Ivoire region of Duekoue, where at least 14 people have been killed and many more injured in tribal fighting over the past few days. “It is diffic ...
• 2 May 2005
  AFRICA/TOGO - In ever greater numbers Togolese flee the country: at least 10,000 now in Benin and 4,000 in Ghana Lome (Fides Service)- “The situation at the moment appears calm but the city is patrolled by the army which still has road blocks on all main roads. Few people venture onto the streets or go to work” said local Churc ...
• 2 May 2005
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Stop religious persecution of minorities: appeal from Commission for Peace and Human Development in Pakistan Lahore (Fides Service) - Put an end to persecution of religious minorities especially Christians: protect freedom of religion and worship; protect members of all religious communities: these requests were contained in an ...
• 30 April 2005
  AFRICA/TOGO - Will Togo be another Rwanda? International community must shoulder its responsibilities” say local Church sources Lome (Fides Service)- “We are on the edge of a volcano like Rwanda in 1994. Why does the international community not intervene before it is too late” local Church sources in Togo told Fides. “Each one must shoulder ...
• 30 April 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - New rector appointed for “Our Lady of Lanka” Seminary in the diocese of Kandy Vatican City (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples appointed 14 February 2005 Rector of Our Lady of Lanka National Seminary the diocese of Kandy (Sri La ...
• 30 April 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - New Rector appointed for Gujarat Vidya Deep Regional inter-diocesan Seminary in the diocese of Baroda Vatican City (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples appointed, 4 March 2005, Rector of Gujarat Vidya Deep Regional Seminary in the diocese of Baroda (Ind ...
• 30 April 2005
  AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - Fines for parents who stop children from going to school Rome (Fides Service) - In a Sierra Leone where more than half the population lives on less than a dollar a day the government has said that parents who refuse to let their children attend school may be fined 80 dollars. ...
• 30 April 2005
  AFRICA/NIGER - Food emergency: number of people admitted to hospital three times as many than in previous years Rome (Fides Service) - Following the worsening of a serious situation of malnutrition in Niger, Doctors without Frontiers has intensified its assistance people in the most effected areas. The number of underfed children ...
• 30 April 2005
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - Medical operators in Uige collect cadavers to stop spreading Marburg epidemic which has already killed 257 people Rome (Fides Service) - In Angola the Marburg epidemic has killed 257 patients of the 277 cases registered, about 48% of the dead were children and 526 are under observation in the province of Uige. To stop further spr ...
• 30 April 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA Bishops urge members of parliament not to approve anti-conversion law Colombo (Fides Service) - That there is great concern and perplexity with regard to anti-conversion law is seen by the fact that the Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka felt the need to address a letter to the Members of Parli ...
• 30 April 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Document of Bishops on anti-conversion Bill: the Church reaffirms freedom of conscience and proposes institution of Interreligious Council Colombo (Fides Service) - A public statement to Catholics and all citizens, a letter to members of parliament: this was how the Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka intervened as parliament prepared to discuss and vote an “a ...