Asia

• 7 September 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Catholic Archbishop of Manila would like Congress to pass a “religion tax” to help support the Church and other religious communities, as in some European countries Manila (Fides Service) - The Catholic Archbishop of Manila, Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales has suggested that the Church and the people of the Philippines would benefit from a “religion tax” similar to legislation in c ...
• 7 September 2004
  ASIA/INDIA Christians and other believers come together to pray and rejoice at the memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, on 7th anniversary of her death, first since her beatification Calcutta (Fides Service) - All over the world the Missionaries of Charity, the Sisters of Mother Teresa, were joined by well-wishers in their prayers and joyful commemoration of the Mother 4 and 5 September, the 7th anni ...
• 7 September 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Seminars of formation and awareness campaigns to promote respect for human rights and the human dignity of every person: tireless efforts of Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church in Pakistan Lahore (Fides Service) - In a country where Muslim fundamentalist groups are active, the local Catholic Church is tireless in its efforts to promote a culture of peace, the encounter of civilisations and social and inte ...
• 6 September 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - “Evangelisation in India in the Third Millennium” theme of National Meeting for Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 14 to 17 September Bangalore (Fides Service) - “Evangelisation in India in the Third Millennium” is the theme of a National Meeting of diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in India to be held in Bangalore 14 t ...
• 6 September 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Youth gives signals of hope in the tormented region of Mindanao: Christians and Muslims unite making concrete requests Cagayan de Oro (Fides Service) - Peace is what the large Island of Mindanao in the Philippines needs more than anything else today. Peace means economic development, social stability, a return of tourists, in a word, th ...
• 6 September 2004
  ASIA/NEPAL - Curfew lifted: demonstrations for tolerance and solidarity in Nepal’s capital: Hindus, Muslims, Buddhist monks, Catholic priests and religious and many lay faithful join street march Kathmandu (Fides Service) - Yesterday in Kathmandu the same streets and squares which only a few days ago were the scene of angry protest and violence, some 5,000 people including representatives of the different religio ...
• 3 September 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Philippines President Gloria Arroyo on official visit to China clinches cooperation deals for tourism, energy, fishing, trade and investments Beijing (Fides Service) - In keeping with tradition for a newly elected president to visit neighbouring countries at the start of the mandate, on September 2 President Gloria Arroyo, elected in May, started an official t ...
• 3 September 2004
  ASIA/AFGHANISTAN - United Nations repatriation programme brings one million Afghans home from Iran: returning professionals and experts promise for the future Kabul (Fides Service) - About one million Afghans who had fled to neighbouring Iran are back in the own country hoping to resume life as normal. This is thanks to an operation of voluntary repatriation started in April 2 ...
• 2 September 2004
  ASIA/NEPAL - National day of mourning for 12 Nepalese workers murdered in Iraq - Pro-Prefect Apostolic “Tension is high, but the situation is under control. Christians targeted? Definitely not” Kathmandu (Fides Service) - “The situation is under control but tension is tangible. The curfew continues. Today it started at 9am after the authorities gave the people about three hours for essential movement and trad ...
• 2 September 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Bishops launch an appeal to citizens to help nation overcome economic crisis. “Overcoming the crisis is a matter not only for the government it is in the interest of each and all” Davao (Fides Service) - The Catholic Bishops of the Philippines have mobilised the country to work to uproot corruption, eliminate poverty and help improve the nation’s financial accounts. Archbishop Fernando Capalla ...
• 2 September 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - “Changing school curricula in the Middle East could help uproot extremism” says local priest in Iraq. “Schools should educate to peace! If from the age of six a child hears of nothing but war and enemies to kill then it is not surprising that at 18 he dreams of being a suicide bomber” Baghdad (Fides Service)- “I am certain that one way to help eliminate terrorism in Iraq and in the Middle East in general, is to reform school programmes” Father Nizar Semaan, Iraqi priest in Mosul told Fides. “I s ...
• 2 September 2004
  ASIA/TAIWAN - Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Paul Shan, Bishop of Kaohsiung: “Prepare with devotion for the Eucharistic Congress” Kaohsiung (Fides Service) - On the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Paul Shan, Bishop of Kaohsiung issued a Pastoral Letter “Preparing with Devotion for the Eucharistic Congress”. In h ...
• 2 September 2004
  ASIA/LEBANON - The Maronite Church is important for Lebanon, although from some areas Christians are being pressed to leave their homeland” Father Maroun told Fides Rome (Fides Service)- The Christian community of Lebanon is vivacious and strong in faith despite many serious problems in the country and consequences of civil war, which lasted for 15 years (1975-1990). The Maronites f ...
• 1 September 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - Exemplary Catholic father dies at 102 after bringing up a family of 13 and giving the Church two bishops, two priests and two women religious Mangalore (Fides Service) - Mr Emmanuel D’Souza, Catholic lay man very active in his local church in the diocese of Mangalore, Karnataka died recently at the age of 102. Besides being a family man and a teacher, Emmanu ...
• 1 September 2004
  ASIA/SAUDI ARABIA - New hopes for release of Indian born Brian Savio O’Connor in prison in Saudi Arabia for his Christian faith says Middle East Concern Riyadh (Fides Service) - There are new hopes for the release of Indian born Brian Savio O’Connor, a Catholic working in Saudi Arabia arrested and imprisoned because of his faith earlier this year. Daniel Hoffman, direc ...