News

• 8 February 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - Chinese Catholics all over the world hope for a new year of peace and prosperity: Lunar New Year celebrated in mainland China and Chinese speaking communities overseas Beijing (Fides Service) - Lunar New Year will be celebrated by Chinese speaking people all over the world in the modern society of many cultures and ethnic groups and in the era of globalisation. February 9 is the first ...
• 8 February 2005
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “Congo is ours: the time has come for full commitment for democracy” say Catholic Bishops of Congo Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “The time has come for serious commitment to promote democracy” said the Bishop members of the Standing Committee of the Congolese Bishops’ Conference in a statement at the end of meeting ...
• 8 February 2005
  AMERICA/ECUADOR - “Migration and development”: Andes-Hispanic Symposium 14-17 February in Quito on migration and ensuing pastoral challenges facing the Church Quito (Fides Service) - Migration and Development is the theme of an Andes-Hispanic Symposium, 14-17 February in Quito, organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ecuador, Caritas Spain, Migration and co-developm ...
• 8 February 2005
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Bishop of Mariannhill resigns Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, on 7 February 2005, accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the diocese of Mariannhill (South Africa) presented by Bishop Paul Themba Mng ...
• 8 February 2005
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Emeritus Bishop of De Aar in South Africa dies at the age of 92 Rome (Fides Service)- Bishop Joseph Antony De Palma SCI, emeritus of De Aar (South Africa), died on 3 February at St. Peterburg in Florida (USA). Nel 1959 he was elected 5th Superior General of the Congregation of the P ...
• 8 February 2005
  AMERICA/BRAZIL - Help eliminate violence by promoting solidarity and building a culture of peace: Church in Brazil launches 41st Fraternity Campaign 2005 on Ash Wednesday, Brasilia (Fides Service) - To coincide with the liturgical Celebration of Ash Wednesday, the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference CNBB and the Brazil National Council of Christian Churches CONIC will open officially the 41st ...
• 8 February 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - New direction in Gujarat: Good Friday restored as a public holiday Ahmedabad (Fides Service) - Catholics in the west Indian state of Gujarat are happy that Good Friday has been declared once again a public holiday this year. Last year it was removed from the list of public state holida ...
• 7 February 2005
  Pope John Paul II’s missionary prayer intention for February 2005: For missionaries: may they have a passionate love for Christ, indispensable for proclaiming the Gospel with conviction. Comment by Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal Archbishop of Cebu (Philippines) Vatican City (Fides Service) - Only through a passionate love for Christ is it possible to transmit the Gospel in an effective and convincing manner. This has been the realisation of men and women involved in missionary ...
• 7 February 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - Missio Institute of Missiology positive annual activity: more offerings for study grants and students of philosophy and theology 2004 Aachen (Fides Service) - The year 2004 was a positive one for the Missio Institute of Missiology (Missionswissenschaftliches Institut, MWI) of Aachen, Germany. According to a report sent to Fides, donations were 3% highe ...
• 7 February 2005
  AMERICA/CANADA - “The bill under discussion is offensive to the moral and religious sensibility of a great number of citizens, both Catholic and non-Catholic”: open letter by Cardinal Marc Quellet in answer to a proposed Bill to include same sex partnerships within the same legal framework as the conjugal relation between a man and a woman. Ottawa (Fides Service) - “As a Canadian citizen and as the Primate of Canada, I feel it is my duty to express my concern and disagreement and that of a great number of Canadians who have asked me to step forward to giv ...
• 7 February 2005
  ASIA/JAPAN - ‘World Youth Day spreads very good atmosphere throughout the whole Church’ says Japanese Bishop: young Japanese Catholics prepare to take part in this universal Church even in Germany in August Tokyo (Fides Service) - Preparations for Japanese participation in World Youth Day 2005 WYD, in Cologne Germany August 9-25 have begun. According to Archbishop Okada Takeo of Tokyo, appointed WYD co-ordinator by the Cath ...
• 7 February 2005
  ASIA/MONGOLIA - Celebration, proclamation and testimony of young Catholics for the feast day of St John Bosco Bosco Ulan Bator (Fides Service) - The little Catholic community in Mongolia celebrated the feast of St John Bosco in a worthy manner involving also non Christian children, with a special Mass and festivities which turned out ...
• 7 February 2005
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - “We want a country which respects freedom, promotes truth and installs justice”, Catholic Bishops of Colombia say at the 98th plenary assembly Bogota (Fides Service) - In a message at the end of their 78th plenary assembly, dated 4 February, the Catholic Bishops of Colombia denounce violence which has waged against the people of Colombia for years and a “plot ...
• 7 February 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - Preparations for 5th World Meeting of Families in 2006 in Valencia Valencia (Fides Service) - Preparations are underway for the 5th World Meeting For Families to be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2006, the archbishop’s office in Valencia told Fides. The event to be held in July next year ...
• 7 February 2005
  ASIA - UN High Commission for Refugees continues to assist tsunami victims in isolated areas Jakarta (Fides Service) - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNHCR continues to assist victims of the December 26 tsunami in south east Asian countries. At present UNHCR is providing emergency lodging and ba ...