News

• 12 April 2011
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - Creation of ecclesiastical province of Saurimo and appointment of first Archbishop Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on 12 April 2011, created the new ecclesiastical province of Saurimo (area 77,600, population 420,000, Catholics 61,700, priests 11, religious 28) Angola, rais ...
• 12 April 2011
  AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - Appointment of Bishop of Tete Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on 12 April 2011, appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Tete (Mozambique), Fr P. Inácio Saure, I.M.C., Master of Novices at the International Novitiate in M ...
• 11 April 2011
  ASIA/CHINA - Course dedicated to Sacred Scripture in Chinese State High Schools in Xi Shi Chong Qing (Agenzia Fides) - “The greatest of all is love”: this Pauline teaching on love was the theme of the first class on 7 April, of the course on Sacred Scripture in a Chinese State High School. According to i ...
• 11 April 2011
  AFRICA/CÔTE D'IVOIRE - Fighting continues in Abidjan; humanitarian situation worsens; Archbishop calls for peace prayers Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) - “Bombing around the presidential residence has gone on throughout the night. Here at the Nunciature (200 metres from Gbagbo's residence), the shots were felt very strongly,” Archbishop Ambro ...
• 11 April 2011
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Day of Prayer for Asia Bibi and for victims of the blasphemy law Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – Around the world people will be in prayer for Asia Bibi, the woman unjustly condemned to death for blasphemy. On 20 April, Wednesday of Holy Week, a “Special Day of Prayer for Asia Bibi and f ...
• 11 April 2011
  VATICAN - Commission on the Catholic Church in China begins today in the Vatican Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The commission instituted in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI to study the most important issues in the life of the Catholic Church in China is meeting from 11 to 13 April in the Vatican. The Va ...
• 11 April 2011
  AFRICA/LIBYA - Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, “a little more optimistic that the crisis can be resolved peacefully”, says statement issued by Christian Churches Tripoli (Agenzia Fides) - “I am a little more optimistic that the crisis can be resolved peacefully. The ceasefire is the first step, then the two parties have to find some way of communicating to arrive at agreement o ...
• 11 April 2011
  EUROPE/ITALY - Jesuits: Southern Asia has the largest presence, Africa the youngest Rome (Agenzia Fides) – According to information sent to Fides from the Jesuits' General Curia, on 1 January 2011 there were 17,906 Jesuits worldwide, 341 less members than the year before, consistent with previous yea ...
• 11 April 2011
  OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Year for Youth, looking towards WYD in Madrid Vanimo (Agenzia Fides) – The Church in Papua New Guinea (PNG) celebrates “the Year for Youth”, with the intention of giving special attention to youth ministry in a nation in which people under 20 years of age cons ...
• 11 April 2011
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Arif is in danger: among those accused of blasphemy in Punjab, 43 killed out of 45 cases Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – Arif Masih, Christian of 40 years, from the village of Chak Jhumra, in Faisalabad, who was arrested on 5 April for blasphemy “needs protection because his life is in serious danger,” says t ...
• 11 April 2011
  AMERICA/NICARAGUA - “Corruption is one of the most hazardous problems to democracy”: Bishop Baez at the conclusion of the Stations of the Cross Managua (Agenzia Fides) – The Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Bishop Silvio Baez, denounces corruption as one of the most hazardous problems to democracy in the Country, commenting on the report by the ...
• 11 April 2011
  AMERICA/BRAZIL - Commitment to the promotion of life and for the response to the health needs of the people of “Vila Misionaria” São Paulo (Agenzia Fides) – “In recent months life has been a little more demanding than usual,” says Sister Annamaria Fornasiero, of the Missionaries of the Immaculate (PIME), to Fides, regarding her lengthy ser ...
• 11 April 2011
  OCEANIA/COOK ISLANDS - Resignation of Bishop of Rarotonga Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on 11 April 2011 accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Rarotonga (Cook Islands), presented by Bishop Stuart France O’Connell, S ...
• 9 April 2011
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - New case of Christian falsely accused of blasphemy Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) – A Christian by the name of Arif Masih, 40 years old, from the village of Chak Jhumra, in Faisalabad, was arrested on 5 April by local police accused of blasphemy. This was communicated to F ...
• 9 April 2011
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Blasphemy: a moratorium urgently needed Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) – The new case of Christian Arif Masih, falsely accused victim of blasphemy, relaunches the proposal for a moratorium on the application of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. Paul Bhatti, Specia ...