News

• 26 May 2003
  POPE JOHN PAUL II MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION JUNE 2003 “THAT THE CHRISTIANS OF INDIA WHO BELONG TO VARIOUS TRADITIONS MAY BE DRAWN TO OFFER TOGETHER A TESTIMONY OF FULL UNITY AND COMMUNION IN THE ONE SPIRIT WHICH GUIDES THEM”: COMMENT BY ARCHBISHOP TELESPHORE P. TOPPO OF RANCHI, PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF INDIA. Vatican City (Fides Service) - During the month of June, especially dedicated to the Devotion of the Sacred Heart, we, together with the Holy Father and all our Brothers and Sisters committed to the Apostleship of Prayer ...
• 26 May 2003
  VATICAN - THE ROSARY OF PEACE: MEDITATING ON THE MYSTERIES WITH THE POPE’S MESSAGE FOR WORLD PEACE DAY. BOOKLET ISSUED BY PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Vatican City (Fides Service) – In this Year of the Rosary, the prayer recommended by John Paul II to obtain the gift of peace, the Pontifical Council for promoting Justice and Peace, has issued a booklet (in Italian) w ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/KOREA - GROWING SUCCESS FOR LIFE 31 MOVEMENT PRO HUMAN LIFE, PRO HUMAN RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE UNBORN CHILD, AGAINST ABORTION AND EUTHANASIA Seoul (Fides Service) – A new pro-life movement LIFE 31, promoted this year by the Korean Bishops’ Conference is proving a great success. The moderator is Bishop Peter Lee Ki-heon, president of the Committee for Fami ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - CHURCH WORKS FOR TRIUMPH OF TRUTH ABOUT VIOLENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DALITS “UNTOUCHABLE” AND “INVISIBLE” FOR INDIA’S CASTE SOCIETY New Delhi (Fides Service) – “We are here as persons interested in Dalit problems and looking at the position of the Catholic Church there is a need to plan concrete strategies in this direction” said Bishop Chinnap ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/IRAQ - UN SANCTIONS A THING OF THE PAST: AT LAST THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A NEW IRAQ PROSPEROUS FOR ALL ITS CITIZENS. “THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD TAKE CARE NOT TO REPEAT MISTAKES OF THE PAST” SAYS REV. NIZAR Baghdad (Fides Service) – “At last we can say that the UN sanctions are a thing of the past” says Rev. Nizar Samaan from the diocese of Mosul in Iraq. “On hearing this news we rejoice and we hope that as soon as ...
• 23 May 2003
  VATICAN - POPE SAYS TO ITALIAN BRANCH OF PRO-LIFE: THERE CAN BE NO AUTHENTIC PEACE WITHOUT RESPECT FOR LIFE, ESPECIALLY THE INNOCENT AND HELPLESS LIFE OF THE UNBORN CHILD Vatican City (Fides Service) – “Never be discouraged and never tire of proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel of Life; be close to families and mothers in difficulty. Especially to women I renew my call to def ...
• 23 May 2003
  VATICAN - NEW WORLD ORDER IN KEEPING WITH CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: ARCHBISHOP MARTINO OPENS INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON “THE CHURCH AND WORLD ORDER”. Vatican City (Fides Service) – “The centrality of the human person and the natural relation between individuals and nations are the fundamental indications of the social doctrine of the Church for the international c ...
• 23 May 2003
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - DEHONIAN MISSIONARIES WONDER WHY THE UNITED NATIONS MAKES NO EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION IN CONGO? Rome (Fides Service) – “We voice deep concern for the tragic events in recent weeks in eastern regions of the RDC and particularly in the Ituri region and surrounding areas”. The Dehonian Missionaries SCJ say this ...
• 23 May 2003
  ASIA/KOREA - REVEREND JOHN SUNG HO APPOINTED RECTOR OF TAEGU INTER-DIOCESAN SEMINARY Vatican City (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, has appointed (15 May 2003) Rector of the Inter-Diocesan Seminary in Taegu, Korea, Reverend John Sun ...
• 23 May 2003
  ASIA/VIETNAM - SUDDEN DEATH OF HEROIC HERALD OF THE GOSPEL, APOSTLE OF VOCATIONS, BISHOP VAN NHO COADJUTOR OF NHA TRANG, Nha Trang (Fides Service) – Bishop Pierre Nguyen Van Nho, coadjutor of Nha Trang diocese in Vietnam, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 66 on 21 May. The entire local Church, clergy, religious, seminarians a ...
• 23 May 2003
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - FLOODS LEAVE 250 DEAD AND 44,000 HOMELESS FAMILIES: FEARS FOR ECONOMY IN THE SOUTH: CARITAS FULLY COMMITTED FOR AID Colombo (Fides Service) – Since severe floods hit southern areas of Sri Lanka, “the local Church has been among the first to offer relief with great speed and concern” Archbishop Thomas Yeh Sheng-nan, Nuncio to Sri ...
• 23 May 2003
  ASIA/KOREA - KOREAN CATHOLICS KEEP UP MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL AID FOR IRAQI PEOPLE SUFFERING AFTERMATH OF WAR Seoul (Fides Service) – Korean Catholics’ concern for the Iraqi people who are suffering in the aftermath of the war continues. On April 12 the Caritas Korea Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference CBCK and t ...
• 23 May 2003
  AFRICA/RWANDA - KIBEHO MARIAN SHRINE MUST BECOME A BEACON OF PEACE FOR AFRICA: SAYS BISHOP MISAGO OF GIKONGORO Kigali (Fides Service) – “Kibeho Marian shrine must become a beacon of faith, hope and peace for the region of the Great Lakes and all of central Africa”. This is the wish voiced by Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikong ...
• 23 May 2003
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - SMALL STEPS TOWARDS PEACE. REGIONAL SOLUTION FOR ARMED BANDITS ON BORDER WITH LIBERIA: BURKINA FASO AND IVORY COAST TO RESTORE MUTUAL COMMUNICATIONS Abidjan (Fides Service) – “Small step political activity is producing results” Father Lionello Melchiorri SMA says referring to the news of the Government Council meeting on 22 May in Bouake, the main city in the h ...
• 23 May 2003
  EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - IN AFRICA HALF THE CHILDREN WHO DIE EVERY YEAR OF MEASLES: STRATEGY OF TOTAL IMMUNISATION CAN PREVENT THESE DEATHS SAYS WHO Geneva (Fides Service) – According to the World Health Organisation every year about 750,000 children, half of them in Africa, die of measles. Now thanks to a strategy of total immunisation it is possible to prevent th ...