News

• 15 July 2004
  AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - Spreading drug abuse is a concern but the major problem in Sierra Leone is unemployment” a missionary tells Fides Freetown (Fides Service)- “The main problem in Sierra Leone is that there is no work. Drug abuse is an issue but not the main one” Father Giuseppe Berton, Italian Xaverian mission in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone ...
• 15 July 2004
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Catholic Church engages in integral evangelisation and pastoral dialogue to defeat violence and build peace in Colombia: Bishop of Magangue speaks with Fides Bogota (Fides Service) - To be faithful to its commitment for peace the Church in Colombia is convinced that there two main paths to contribute to reaching its goal, integral evangelisation and dialogue and consultation. ...
• 15 July 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - “The law is unjust and it should be abolished”: Archbishop President of Pakistan’s Conference of Bishops speaks to Fides about law on blasphemy Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - “I am not very optimistic about promises to revise the blasphemy law.. There us strong opposition from extremists groups. What is more any amendment must be examined and passed by the Council o ...
• 15 July 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - Focolari Movement recalls Vincenzo-Eletto Folonari, who lived thirty three years under the banner of love for Christ. Rome (Fides Service) - “To Eletto we owe above all the birth of the Youth Movement. This can be confirmed by the boys of those days to whom with his sister Camilla he devoted special attention with a very special love ...
• 14 July 2004
  AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Italian television programme speaks of food discrimination against women in Ethiopia Addis Abeba (Fides Service)- “Women suffer from discrimination even in tragic stiatuions of food shortage which periodically strike Ehtiopia”, Sr Elisa, an Italian Salesian missionary told Italian television. The nun ...
• 14 July 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Tertio Millennio International Missiology Congress: the future of missionary activity ad gentes prospects for the 21st century Kinshasa (Fides Service) - On the 40th anniversary of the Ad Gentes Decree issued by Vatican II and the 10th anniversary of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, the Bishops’ Conference of Congo has ...
• 14 July 2004
  AMERICA/BRAZIL - Religious sects and sexual exploitation of girls in Brazil: Edinalva, a girl at “Casa Santa Bernardette” in Sau Paulo tells her story. Sau Paulo (Fides Service) - In Latin America the diffusion of religous sects and increasing explotation of girls is ever more concerning. This is seen from a touching testimony offered by Edinalva, who now lives at the � ...
• 14 July 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “An attempt destined to failure” Congo MP Enoch Sebineza tells Fides, commententing self-dismissal of 8 Banyamulenge hard wing National Assembly members Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “They are isolated persons risking an all out attempt. Unless they are backed by some foreign power they will not achieve much or go very far. The majority of the Banyamulenge disapproves of t ...
• 14 July 2004
  AFRICA - From South Africa and Nigeria examples to re-launch collaboration among all the countries of Africa Rome (Fides Service)- One of the evils of Africa is lack of collaboration among the states of the continent. This is due partly to the heritage of colonial times. Territories administered by Europeans were connected with ...
• 14 July 2004
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - Girls of different ages tell their story of forced marriage and escape Ouagadougou (Fides Service)- “With the excuse of local customs women are forced into marriage without their consent. The story was told on Italian television by Esther Marie Judith of the Association of Women’s Right ...
• 14 July 2004
  ASIA/TAJIKISTAN - Tajikistan, with its troubles and hopes, communicates with the world through new Caritas web site www.caritas.tj Dushanbe (Fides Service) - Attention for children in need, help to families, assistance to the sick: these are the commitments courageously undertaken by Caritas in Tajikistan, for Soviet territory where the Catholic com ...
• 14 July 2004
  AMERICA/VENEZUELA - "The path to reconciliation and peace. The country needs a leadership which is authentic and responsible ": Bishops' statement in view of Revocatory Referendum on 15 August Caracas (Fides Service) - "Referendum, Conscience and Responsibility" is the title of a statement issued by the Catholic Bishops of Venezuela at the end of a plenary assembly in Caracas 7 to 12 July, focussed mainly on a ...
• 14 July 2004
  AMERICA/MEXICO - Mexicans prepare with enthusiasm for the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara: 400 Seminarians visit families in the archdiocese to foster and renew faith in the Eucharist; local or category Congresses draw large crowds. Guadalajara (Fides Service) - “In this month of July about 400 students from the major seminary of Guadalajara archdiocese are working with parishes to provide intense animation activities to help rediscover awareness ...
• 14 July 2004
  ASIA/THAILAND - The race against AIDS forgets children: an estimated 50% of babies born HIV+ die before they reach the age of two says Medecines sans Frontieres Bangkok (Fides Service) - Multinational pharmaceutical companies and governments are not interested in developing therapies and means of diagnosis for children affected by HIV /AIDS. This was denounced by Doctors without ...
• 14 July 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - Floods and drought in various parts of India - Summary of complex situation where desperate impoverished farmers see suicide as only way out: Caritas commitment New Delhi (Fides Service) - Two distinct tragedies affect the life of people in various parts of India, floods and drought. In the northeast the land is flooded after heavy monsoon rains while in the northwest and south ...