News

• 21 February 2005
  VATICAN - The Pope’s reflection at the Angelus prayer: “The Petrine ministry is essentially at the service of the unity of the Church… To Jesus the Good Shepherd I entrust to whole People of God on this Lenten journey towards Easter” Vatican City (Fides Service) - Yesterday, 20 February 2nd Sunday of Lent, Pope John Paul II appeared as usual at his study to recite the Angelus prayer with thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to receive ...
• 21 February 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - A video with German and International sign language illustrates World Youth Day: latest addition to official web site for World Youth Day 2005 in Germany Cologne (Fides Service) - Organisers expect between 700,000 and 800,000 young people to take part in the main celebrations of the 20th World Youth day organised by the Catholic Church to be held this time in Germany, in ...
• 21 February 2005
  AFRICA - New look for United Nations Security Council: Africa wants to have its say Mbamane (Fides Service) - Foreign ministers of 15 African countries are discussing how Africa can have more weight in the reform of the United Nations Security Council. The ministers, gathered in Mbamane, Swaziland for a ...
• 21 February 2005
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - 32 countries invited to send observers for March elections in Zimbabwe Harare (Fides Service)- Observers from 32 countries will monitor legislative elections on 31 March in Zimbabwe. The news was announced by Zimbabwe’s foreign minister Stan Mudenge. The minister said President Robert Mu ...
• 21 February 2005
  AFRICA/TOGO - Togolese parliament holds special session: are we nearing a turning point in the crisis? Lome (Fides Service)- There is expectancy in Togo for the outcome of a special session of the National Assembly convoked today 21 February by deputy speaker Abbas Banfo. On the agenda changes to articles in the Constitut ...
• 21 February 2005
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Heritage of war in southern Sudan: 4 million displaced persons and more than 500,000 refugees neighbouring countries Rome (Fides Service)- The week long mission of deputy High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees Mrs Wendy Chamberlin to southern Sudan, Uganda and Kenya to assess the enormous needs in southern Sudan for the r ...
• 21 February 2005
  OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - 70 years of mission, witness and service in the Solomon Islands: new leadership for Daughters of Immaculate Mary DIM Honiara (Fides Service) - For 70 years they have been present in Solomon Islands, involved in first evangelisation, pastoral work, education, service of the poor: the Daughters of Immaculate Mary recently held an extraor ...
• 21 February 2005
  OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Applications to take part in World Youth Day in Germany pour in Sydney (Fides Service) - In Australia there is growing enthusiasm for the 20th World Youth Day event in Germany in August this year as the number of young Australians applying to participate continues to increase. For th ...
• 21 February 2005
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - “The media should promote development of the human person and society rather than de-humanisation”: Bishops of all America launch pressing appeal Bogota (Fides Service) - “Secularisation of Society and Means of Communication” in the light of the post synodal exhortation Ecclesia in America was the theme of the 33rd meeting for Catholic Bishops of the continen ...
• 21 February 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - Young Catholics in China anxious to take part in World Youth Day 2005 in Germany Beijing (Fides Service) - As the next World Youth Day approaches enthusiasm among young Chinese Catholics is growing. The event will take place in August in Germany in the town of Cologne. After visiting the official WJT ...
• 21 February 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - Thousands make the Lenten pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Bandel taking part in 400 year old traditional procession Bandel (Fides Service) - In this season of Lent thousands of Catholics are making their way to the Marian Shrine at Bandel, in the Indian state of West Bengal, for the customary annual Lenten pilgrimage in preparation fo ...
• 21 February 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - “Interreligious dialogue is all the more important at times of misunderstanding and inequality”, says Bishop of Mangalore Mangalore (Fides Service) - While fundamentalist Hindu groups in India continue to harass Christians in various ways, Catholics in Mangalore are reflecting on the need to increase interreligious dialogue, also on the bas ...
• 20 February 2005
  ASIA/HONG KONG - “We have a Pope!” Message from Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong; 25 April solemn celebration in Hong Kong Cathedral Hong Kong (Fides Service) -“We have a Pope!” is the title of a message to the diocese issued by the Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong Joseph Zen following the election of Pope Benedict XVI. Kong Ko Bao diocesan bulletin ...
• 20 February 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - Showers of congratulations from Catholics and non: “He has taken the name of the Pope who wrote Maximum illud which speaks of mission in China” Beijing (Fides Service) - Showers of congratulations for Benedict XVI are coming from Chinese Catholics everywhere. “Today at Mass we prayed for our Pope Benedict XVI and his mission. We wish him well. Benedict XVI ...
• 20 February 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - Theological writings of Pope Ratzinger translated and published in China in 2002 by the Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing Beijing (Fides Service) - Theological writings of Pope Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger were translated published in Chinese in 2002, an expert on relations between China and the Holy See told F ...