News

• 6 February 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - “Father what is peace? A pause between battles?”… This is the challenge facing the Church in Sudan: to help bring peace to hearts hardened by 20 years of war Rome (Fides Service)- “Peace brings new challenges to the Church in Sudan” missionaries with years of experience in this country, told Fides. “If all goes well in a few months the government and separatists will si ...
• 6 February 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Mysterious shooting in Bukavu, fear that fighting has resumed. Radio Maria Malkia wa Amani reports to Fides Bukavu (Fides Service) – Mysterious shooting in the city of Bukavu, in the south of the Kivu eastern region of Democratic Congo is causing fear of a new outbreak of hostilities the local Catholic Radio Maria Malkia wa ...
• 6 February 2004
  EUROPE/RUSSIA – Archbishop Kondrusiewicz voices grief of Russia's Catholic community after tragic bomb blast in Moscow metro: "This is another appearance of the terrible face of terrorism…we ask all Catholics to pray for the repose of the souls of the dead, the recovery of the injured and the consolation of the families” Moscow (Fides Service) - Archbishop Thadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Catholic archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, sent Fides a copy of the official statement issued after the terrorist attack in the Moscow undergro ...
• 6 February 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope addresses the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: “May the evangelising activity of the whole Church never falter before a world which has still to meet Christ or before those who have met him but still live far from him ”. Vatican City (Fides Service) – “Today’s cultural context, marked both by widespread relativism and the temptation of facile pragmatism, demands more than ever courageous proclamation of the truths which save mankin ...
• 6 February 2004
  ASIA/VIETNAM - Special two year theology course for former seminarians never ordained and clandestine priests now free to minister Nha Trang (Fides Service) – “We are very happy. This means we will soon have new co-operators in the Church’s pastoral work”, Bishop Nguyen Van Hoa, Bishop Nha Trang told Fides. The Bishop, also President of the ...
• 6 February 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - SARS: an Italian study shows how virus mutates Roma (Agenzia Fides) - The corona virus, considered responsible for SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome in 10% of its genome completes eight mutations every time it replicates itself. This was discovered by Italian re ...
• 6 February 2004
  AMERICA/GUATEMALA - Every day 250 new cases of diarrhoea among children. 23 die of rotavirus: 90% under 5 Rome (Fides Service) – Two weeks ago an epidemic of rotavirus struck Guatemala. 250 new cases every day and 23 deaths: 14 around Guatemala City, 1 in Suchitepéquez, 2 in Sacatepéquez and 6 in Escuintla, mostly childr ...
• 6 February 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - White House sends letter to Catholic Bishop of El Obeid: “The President shares your concern for Sudan and is with you in the struggle for peace in your country ” Rome (Fides Service)- In a letter addressed to Bishop Macram Max Gassis, Catholic Bishop of El Obeid, the United States of America has confirmed its commitment to work to restore peace in Sudan. Bishop Gassis himself inf ...
• 5 February 2004
  AFRICA/CONGO RD - Promote democracy and respect for human rights; stop arms trafficking. Pax Christi International appeals to international community to restore peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa Kinshasa (Fides Service) – In a written intervention to the 60th Session United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Pax Christi International expresses deep concern for the with regard to the proces of reconciliation a ...
• 5 February 2004
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Thousands of Karen, Karenni and Shan refugees hope cease fire holds and steps are taken to stop conflict between army and ethnic separatist groups Rangoon (Fides Service) – There is still hope for peace in Myanmar, even though talks between the military junta and Karen troops in mid January were fruitless. The Karen people and with them the Karenni and Shan ethni ...
• 5 February 2004
  VATICAN - “Christ left us two commands: to preach and to heal. The Church cannot fail to offer her missionary testimony in the world of health”. Interview with Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Health Workers and the Sick Vatican City (Fides Service ) – The main celebration for the 12th World Day for the Sick on 11 February , Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, will take place in Lourdes. In view of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation o ...
• 5 February 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - S. Egidio Community marks 36th anniversary of its foundation: Cardinal Ruini presides special Mass of Thanksgiving Rome (Fides Service) – The S. Egidio Community founded in Rome in February 1968, today has about circa 50,000 volunteer members in 63 different countries. On February 5 a solemn Mass of thanksgiving to mark its 36th an ...
• 5 February 2004
  18/21 February: 14th International Colloquium and Mariology dedicated to Ippolito Marracci - “The Immaculate Mother of God in the 17th Century ” Rome (Fides Service) – “The immaculate Mother of God in the 17th Century” is the title of the 14th International Colloquium on Mariology dedicated to Ippolito Marracci promoted jointly by the Italian Interdisciplin ...
• 5 February 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - “We must not be afraid to announce Christ’s message!”: Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, president of the Indian Bishops’ Conference encourages fearful Catholics after Hindu fundamentalist attacks and ant-Church campaigns Guwahati (Fides Service) – Catholics must not let attacks by Hindu fundamentalists weaken the Church’s missionary spirit, indeed this is a trial to be faced with the courage of the faith: this appeal to the Church in ...
• 4 February 2004
  VATICAN - THE POPE’S WEEKLY AUDIENCE TEACHING: TO BE IN COMMUNION WITH THE LORD IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE LITURGY IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO PURIFY THE EXTERIOR BUT TO PURIFY CONSCIENCE. Vatican City (Fides Service) – During the Audience on Wednesday 4 February Pope John Paul II continued his teaching on the Psalms prayed at Vespers, commenting Psalm 14 “Who is worthy to stand before the Lord?” ( M ...