News

• 3 February 2005
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “Every week in the world poverty kills like a tsunami” say Catholic Bishops of Southern Africa Pretoria (Fides Service)- Poverty kills the equivalent of a tsunami every week throughout the world. This was affirmed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference SACBC in a statement issued during their plen ...
• 2 February 2005
  VATICAN - Cardinal Sepe presides Mass in St Peter’s Basilica with Friars Minor from the Far East: “With the same faith as St Peter go and proclaim the Lord to your brothers and sisters in Asia. Be light with your life witness, be bearers of Christ’s love and charity for all humanity” Vatican City (Fides Service) - “The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is God’s presentation to the nations. Christ is the light of all nations, all peoples and so before ascending to heaven he sent his ...
• 2 February 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - Mons. Jude Paulraj, Bishop in Tamil Nadu, speaks with Fides: “The government must keep its promise to eliminate the anti-conversion law Vatican City (Fides Service) - An announced measure was supposed to revoke the anti-conversion law in Tamil Nadu but the government has not kept its promises. Christians call for this law of discrimination against minori ...
• 2 February 2005
  ASIA/TURKEY - From Franciscans in Turkey testimonial of hospitality and service: Superior of Franciscan Fraternity in Istanbul reports to Fides Istanbul (Fides Service) - “To meet the challenges of the present day to bear witness faith to our Christian faith and hope, the international Fraternity of Friars Minor in stanbul strives to build relations of ecumen ...
• 2 February 2005
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - “Help find peaceful solution for problems at the root of the deterioration of Colombian” goal of international symposium attended by 3 Nobel Peace prize winners, 20 international experts and some 800 participants Cali (Fides Service) - An International Symposium for Restorative Justice and Peace in Colombia organised by the Fundacion Paz y Bien, Fundacion Alvaralice, the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and the Corporacion Exelen ...
• 2 February 2005
  ASIA - Holy See solidarity with tsunami victims: Archbishop Cordes carries Pope’s message of comfort to stricken peoples Vatican City (Fides Service) - Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Pope’s charity office, is in south east Asia to carry a message of comfort and solidarity from the Pope to ...
• 2 February 2005
  AFRICA/CÔTE D'IVOIRE - Thousands of refugees along no man’s land between rebels and army troops helped only by missionaries Bahiakro (Fides Service)- “It is easy to talk about stalemate in Côte d'Ivoire while sitting at an international meeting. It is not so easy when you are faced with thousands of women and children fleeing violence” a ...
• 2 February 2005
  ASIA - Solidarity must be concrete not only verbal: governments and aid organisations must produce promised funds in aid of tsunami victims New York (Fides Service) - Solidarity must be concrete and promises kept, missionaries, volunteers and lay associations involved in assistance in countries affected by the December 26 tsunami told Fides. From Sri Lanka t ...
• 2 February 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Day for Consecrated Life - entering a convent at the age of twenty for love of God: testimonial from Michaela. Rome (Fides Service) - How did you hear God’s call ? We asked this of Sister Michela, postulant at Carmel San Giuseppe in via Nocetta a Rome. Michaela is twenty and she has just joined an enclosed order of nuns at the ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA/KENYA - “30 dead in clashes in Kenya arising from water dispute between sedentary farmers and nomad herdsmen rather than political manipulation” Father Ferrari, Consolata Mission and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya told Fides Kenya (Fides Service)- Some 30 people have been killed in tribal clashes in various parts of Kenya over recent weeks Consolata Father Eugenio Ferrari, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya told ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - Parishes in Burundi collect aid to face food shortage. The future of the country and outcome of constitutional referendum: local priest talks to Fides Bujumbura (Fides Service)- In northern Burundi thousands are facing food shortage emergency due to prolonged drought (see Fides 12 and 20 January 2005). “At least 90 people in Muyinga diocese are reported dead” a loc ...
• 1 February 2005
  AFRICA - special African Union summit on crises in Côte d'Ivoire, Darfur and Congo adopts Common Defence pact and fight against AIDS Abuja (Fides Service) - Africa wants to have more say on the international scene and take its future in its own hands. This was the first impression which emerged at the end of the African Union summit which closed yest ...
• 1 February 2005
  AMERICA/BRAZIL - National directors of Pontifical Mission Societies of America and Caribbean to discuss Mission, Globalisation and Migration Brasilia (Fides Service) - From 1 to 5 March national directors of Pontifical Mission Societies in America and the Caribbean will meet in Brasilia to reflect on three important topics: Mission, Globalisation and Migratio ...
• 1 February 2005
  ASIA/IRAQ - “Iraqi Christians expect democracy to mean respect for equal rights and full religious freedom to believe and practice” lay Christian in Baghdad told Fides Baghdad (Fides Service) - “We are overjoyed that so many people went to vote demonstrating an earnest desire for democracy. But this was only the first step: now terrorism must be stopped and our people’s security mu ...
• 1 February 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - “Growing role of lay Catholics ever more aware of their mission ”: Fides listens to testimonial from Catholic Bishop in Tamil Nadu Vatican City (Fides Service) - The laity of the diocese are called all over India and also in Sri Lanka to hold formation courses on evangelisation. Mons. Jude Paulraj, Bishop of Palayamkottai, diocese Tamil Nadu (south ...