News

• 21 December 2005
  VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI at general audience: “While a certain modern and consumerist culture tends to remove Christian symbols from the celebration of Christmas may we all strive to retain the value of Christmas traditions which are part of the heritage of our faith and our culture, to transmit them to the new generations” Vatican City (Fides Service) - The mystery of Christmas was the theme of the catechesis given by Pope Benedict XVI at the general audience in St Peter’s Square this morning: “in this last week of Advent the liturgies ...
• 21 December 2005
  ASIA/HONG KONG - Catholic Festival at Hong Kong University draws crowds of students, non Christians in particular Hong Kong (Fides Service) - A successful Catholic Festival was recently organised by the Catholic Students Association at Hong Kong City University. The aim was to give non Christian students friends and benefactors an o ...
• 21 December 2005
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan involve Catholic school children in solidarity initiatives to help less fortunate children Lahore (Fides Service) - The Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan, Holy Childhood office, involves Catholic school children in songs, prayers and festivities to collect funds in aid of the poor. The children sing to ...
• 21 December 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - Christmas on television: TV programme in Bengali tells the life and message of Christ New Delhi (Fides Service) - The Life and Message of Christ is being shown on television at Christmas in India as part of a morning meditation programme. ETV Bangla launched a series of 15 episodes in Bengali to explain t ...
• 21 December 2005
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Clear lead of “yes” votes in referendum to approve new Constitution. “This is the civil and peaceful response from a people who suffered so much in so many years of violence and abuse” says local missionary Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “Yes” votes should make a clear win in the referendum on the Constitution in the Democratic Republic of Congo according to the first official results after a third of the votes had been coun ...
• 21 December 2005
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - UN High Commission for Refugees voluntary repatriation programme completed Luanda (Fides Service) - The repatriation of a group of 42 Angolan refugees from Botswana last Sunday 18 December marked the end of a three year voluntary repatriation programme launched by the United Nations High Commis ...
• 21 December 2005
  ASIA - Tsunami, one year on: Caritas Internationalis renews long term commitment. Programmes for 450 million dollars in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia Vatican City (Fides Service) - “Caritas tsunami response saved lives, gave hope and helped prevent violence and the outbreak of epidemics. It has been a success but we still have a huge task ahead of us in ensuring th ...
• 20 December 2005
  EUROPA/POLAND - National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies confirmed Vatican City (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on 21 October 2005 confirmed Rev. Jan Piotrowski of the diocesan clergy of Tarnów national director ...
• 20 December 2005
  AMERICA/CUBA - The Pontifical Mission Societies distribute 350,000 pictures of the Infant Jesus to foster a more religious celebration of Christmas Havana (Fides Service) - The Advent wreath with four candles one for each of the four weeks leading up to the great annual feast of the nativity is part of traditional preparation for Christmas in Cuba. Families gather t ...
• 20 December 2005
  EUROPE/RUMANIA - OMI mission in Târgu Jiu grows around the Word of God: monthly meetings of the Bethany School of the Word at St. John of Capestrano parish Târgu Jiu (Fides Service) - “Living the Gospel in the present moment” was the theme of the 3rd Meeting of the School of the Word held on Sunday 18 December in preparation for Christmas at St John of Capestrano paris ...
• 20 December 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Children “together for mission”: Holy Childhood mission kit for mission every day with joy and responsibility Rome (Agenzia Fides) - The Italian national Holy Childhood Office has produced a Mission Kit to teach children to live mission in daily life. The kit ‘Missionary Kid’, available on request suggests little ways for ch ...
• 20 December 2005
  OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - “Put Christ back at the centre of Christmas” says Archbishop of Adelaide Adelaide (Fides Service) - Just as children put the statue of the infant Jesus at the centre of the nativity Scene so adults too should put Christ at the centre of Christmas which has become a feast of consumerism. This ...
• 20 December 2005
  AFRICA/TUNISIA - “Christmas passes almost unnoticed in Tunis in the eyes of the world but not in the eyes of the faith: we are a tiny flock but we live this important Feast Day with deep devotion " says Fr. Eugenio Elías Tunis (Fides Service) - Christmas celebrations in Tunis are far less visible than in many other parts of the world, says Fr. Eugenio Elías, a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, first of all because the perce ...
• 20 December 2005
  ASIA/MYANMAR - In memory of PIME missionary Fr Igino Matarucco a great pioneer of mission in Myanmar Yangon (Fides Service) - Another of the great pioneers of evangelisation in Myanmar has gone to the House of the Father leaving a precious legacy of authentic Christian witness. Fr Igino Matarucco, a member of the Pontif ...
• 20 December 2005
  ASIA/JAPAN - Two new Salesian priests in Tokyo: a sign of hope for the Catholic community Tokyo (Fides Service) - Evangelisation continues to bear fruit in the land of the Rising Sun. Recently the local Catholic community in Tokyo had the joy of welcoming two new local priests. The priests, both Salesians of ...