Asia

• 25 October 2003
  ASIA/IRAQ - FIRST CHRISTIAN CONGRESS CONCLUDES WITH FORMATION OF INDEPENDENT CHURCH COUNCIL Rome (Fides Service) – The first Christian Congress in Iraq on the theme “Our unity and our Rights” held in Baghdad attended also by Patrick Kanadi, delegate of Paul Bremer civil administrator in Iraq. Kanadi said ...
• 24 October 2003
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - PEACE TALKS, FROZEN SINCE APRIL, TO RESUME IN 2004: GOVERNMENT WILL EXAMINE TAMIL TIGERS’ PROPOSAL Colombo (Fides Service) – Peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka and Tamil separatist rebels (LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) frozen in April, will resume early next year according to a government spoke ...
• 24 October 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - DENGUE INFECTS INDIA’S CAPITAL AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY: MORE THAN 1.700 TAKEN ILL AND 83 HAVE DIED New Delhi (Fides Service) - In the Indian capital New Delhi more than 1.700 people are ill with mosquito-borne Dengue fever (break bone) a viral disease which is spreading as insects breed on pools of water left over fr ...
• 24 October 2003
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - PRESIDENT ARROYO SAYS WAR ON MUSLIM TERRORISM IS A GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: “IT IS THE MAIN DANGER FOR THE PHILIPPINES” Manila (Agenzia Fides) – During the traditional annual meeting with the media, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the Philippines government’s new priority is war on al-Qaeda in south east Asia: “Muslim Jihad i ...
• 23 October 2003
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - FIRST ASIAN MEETING OF RECTORS OF SHRINES: THE SHRINE, A PLACE OF WELCOME AND OF ENCOUNTER FOR DIFFERENT RELIGIONS AND A PLACE FOR EVANGELISATION Manila (Fides Service) – Pilgrimages and visits to shrines are one of the most important religious aspects of history and culture of religions in Asia and therefore also an environment of evangelisation which must be c ...
• 20 October 2003
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – NO TO N. KOREA’s NUCLEAR PROGRAMME: “PEACE IN THIS LAND”. KOREAN BISHOPS CALL FOR RECONCILIATION ON THE PENINSULA Seoul (Fides Service) – No to North Korea’s nuclear programme, yes to a resuming of peace talks and reconciliation between the two sides of the Korean peninsula, to lead in an era of peaceful and coexistence and harm ...
• 20 October 2003
  ASIA/CHINA – PASTORAL LETTER OPENS DIOCESAN YEAR OF EVANGELISATION: BISHOP ZEN CALLS CATHOLICS TO BE MORE MISSIONARY Seoul (Fides Service) – “Proclaiming the Gospel: a joy par excellence” is the title of a Pastoral letter issued by Bishop Zen of Hong Kong for World Mission Sunday, which this year marks the beginning of a Diocesan ...
• 18 October 2003
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - MISSION SUNDAY: GO RECONCILE, PROCLAIM THE LORD OF PEACE! Colombo (Fides Service) – The theme for Mission Sunday 2003 chosen by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Sri Lanka was “Go reconcile, proclaim the Lord of Peace!” Material for the occasion, leaflets, collection bo ...
• 18 October 2003
  ASIA - MISSION SUNDAY: LAY CATHOLICS, ROSARY IN HAND, IN FRONT LINE FOR MISSION Rome (Fides Service) – In Asia lay Catholics, rosary in hand, are in front line for mission. From Korea to the Philippines, to Taiwan and Malaysia, local Churches prepared to celebrate Mission Sunday on October 19. I ...
• 18 October 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF MOTHER TERESA’S BEATIFICATION DISTRIBUTED IN REAL TIME AMONG THE POOR THANKS TO HIGH-TECH DON BOSCO YOUTH Rome (Fides Service) – Mother Teresa’s beloved “poorest of the poor”, bedridden invalids, lepers, will be able to see pictures of her Beatification in Rome almost in real time thanks to an initiative by young mem ...
• 17 October 2003
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - THE POPE REASSURED ME: “TAKE COURAGE! I AM PRAYING FOR SRI LANKA” PMS NATIONAL DIRECTOR TELLS FIDES OF MEMORABLE MEETING WITH POPE JOHN PAUL II Colombo (Fides Service) – “To the tens of millions of people, many of whom are not Roman Catholics Pope John Paul II is the great figure of our time, the defender and principle embodiment of a moral force that has le ...
• 15 October 2003
  ASIA/IRAQ - TO ASK FOR AN ISLAMIC STATE MEANS LACK OF RESPECT FOR MINORITY RIGHTS SAYS IRAQI CATHOLIC PRIEST IN Baghdad Rome (Fides Service) – “Repeated declarations by Shiite leaders calling for a Muslim state in Iraq are an offence to the rights of minorities in Iraq” says Father Nizar Semaan of Ninive diocese in northern Iraq. � ...
• 14 October 2003
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - WORLD MISSION SUNDAY – MISSION OF PROCLAMATION AND WITNESS WITH THE SIMPLICITY AND JOYFULNESS OF ST FRANCIS Lahore (Fides Service) – In Pakistan Catholics celebrate the October month of mission in the company of Saint Francis of Assisi. Led by Capuchin Fathers in Lahore diocese the faithful find in the message of Saint Franc ...
• 14 October 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANS TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION IN ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICT IS BEING DISCUSSED IN NORTH EAST INDIA – UNITY IN DIVERSITY, CHRISTIANS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNIONS TOGETHER FOR PEACE Imphal (Fides Service) – the North Eastern region of India is one of the most unstable due to social and ethnic clashes, land disputes between different tribes and communities, and a half a century old movement for ind ...
• 14 October 2003
  ASIA/CHINA - OPENING TO MARKET ECONOMY, DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS ALSO VIA THE INTERNET, A MARVELLOUS ENGINE Hong Kong (Fides Service) – In Beijing a group of political dissidents were recently tried in Court on charges of subversion for publishing on the Internet articles in favour of democratic reforms. This was reported by ...