News

• 12 March 2004
  Lent 2004 - “Humanity cannot close its eyes in the face of such an appalling tragedy! What evil have these children done to deserve such suffering?” - Tomorrow 2nd Fides Dossier on the plight of children Vatican City (Fides Service) - Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s message for Lent 2004, this year " Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me" (Mt 18,5) in which the Pope voices concern for the plight of so ...
• 12 March 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - People of Kivu fear fresh outbreak of fighting: forty illegal arms depots found by police: appeal to international community Bukavu (Fides Service)-“People in Kivu fear a fresh outbreak of fighting; security and stability are still a long way off ”, a local source in Bukavu, southern Kivu (eastern region of Democratic Congo who asked not t ...
• 12 March 2004
  AMERICA - “We condemn these acts of violence which are unfortunately becoming daily recurrences in our cities”. The Council of Bishops Conferences of Latin America voices solidarity with the people of Spain with whom they have profound connections of history, language and traditions Roma (Fides Service) - On learning of the terrorist attacks perpetrated on Thursday 11 March in Madrid the capital of Spain, the people of Latin America, bound to Spain with bonds of friendship, culture, tradition, langu ...
• 12 March 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - Closure of supplementary process on the fame of holiness of Cardinal Guglielmo Massaja, “Abuna Messias”, great evangeliser in Ethiopia who defeated smallpox which was decimating the Galla Rome (Fides Service) - In the evening of Wednesday 10 March at the church of San Francesco annexed to the Capuchin Monastery in Frascati (Rome) where he was living at the time of his death and where his earthly remains a ...
• 12 March 2004
  AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - More than 170 people missing and 32 dead in the wake of fierce cyclone “Gafilo” in Madagascar. Antananarivo (Fides Service) - In its wake last week’s cyclone Gafilo left more than 170 people missing and 32 dead. Among the missing persons the crew and 120 passengers of a Comores Islands ferry which sunk in the Mo ...
• 12 March 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Bishops-Ulema Conference channels Government grants to poor people for development projects in southern Philippines Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The Philippines government has granted 50 million pesos (about 730mila Euro) to the Bishops Ulema Conference BUC, formed of Christian and Muslim religious leaders, to fund development projects i ...
• 12 March 2004
  AMERICA/ARGENTINA - National Meeting of Pontifical Mission Societies Diocesan Directors: analysis of missionary progress during the year 2003 in the different dioceses and study of CAM2 conclusions Buenos Aires (Fides Service) - The Pontifical Mission Societies in Argentina held a National Meeting for diocesan directors in Buenos Aires 2 and 3 March. The meeting, chaired by National Director Rev. Father Jairo Cald ...
• 12 March 2004
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - AIDS, the disease today: “there is an AIDS of the rich and an AIDS of the poor ” says Italian Camillian Brother Grigoletto in mission in Burkina Faso Rome (Fides Service) - At the end of 2002, according to estimates by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation WHO, 42 million of the world’s people were living with AIDS. In 2002 alone 5 million people contracted HIV/A ...
• 12 March 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - Christians request is granted: Good Friday will remain a bank holiday in Karnataka state Bangalore (Fides Service) - The governor of Karnataka in India has said that Good Friday will remain a Bank Holiday, as requested by the local Christian community in that state. Fides received the news from Bangalore dio ...
• 12 March 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Muslims and Christians called to share solidarity projects: 430 people attend meeting organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Interreligious Dialogue Kasur (Fides Service) - Working together on solidarity projects is a way to strengthen relations between Christians and Muslims: this was affirmed by an interreligious assembly of more than 430 people including Muslim an ...
• 11 March 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope’s weekly audience teaching: “To counter all forms of evil the just man puts faith, goodness, forgiveness and the offering of peace ”. Vatican City (Fides) - “We are in the presence of a regal psalm of ancient Israel proclaimed in the temple of Zion during a solemn rite. It invokes divine blessings on the king...” with these words Pope John Paul II ...
• 11 March 2004
  VATICAN - Holy See Press office statement with regard to arrest of Chinese Bishop Vatican City (Fides Service) - On March 10 at the end of the morning the Director of the Holy See press office, Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, released the following statement: “The Holy See learned with concern and sadn ...
• 11 March 2004
  AMERICA/VENEZUELA - A referendum, contemplated by the Constitution, can serve, in times such as these, to catalyse and relieve tension Caracas (Fides Service) - The situation in Venezuela today is terribly complex because of evident polarisation in almost all sectors of national life and this makes it extremely difficult to speak of it, and “almost im ...
• 11 March 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope prays for victims of terrorist attacks in Madrid Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Pope John Paul II has voiced his deep grief and sympathy to the people of Spain after the string of bomb blasts in Madrid’s underground this morning in which 170 people were killed and at ...
• 11 March 2004
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - Nigeria’s religious leaders stress the importance of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue for solving serious social problems Abuja (Fides Service)- “Being a good Christian or a good Muslim necessarily implies brotherly love, compassion, truth, justice and equality in relationships with others”. This was affirmed by the Catholic Bishops of ...