News

• 5 May 2003
  VATICAN - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OPENS WITH SPECIAL SESSION FOR NEW NATIONAL DIRECTORS Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Annual General Meeting of the Pontifical Mission Societies opened on May 5 at Pala Cavicchi in Ciampino (Rome) with a special Session for new National Directors. Participants at the m ...
• 5 May 2003
  EUROPE/SPAIN - THE POPE SAYS TO SPANISH YOUTH: LEARN FROM THE VIRGIN MARY…AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BIRTH OF A NEW EUROPE OF THE SPIRIT”. Madrid (Fides Service) – “Dear young people, I encourage you to join the School of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the unmatched model of contemplation and the admirable example of fruitful, joyful and enriching inte ...
• 5 May 2003
  EUROPE/SPAIN - THE POPE CANONISES FIVE RELIGIOUS: CHRISTIANS ARE DISTINGUISHED BY BOLD AND COURAGEOUS TESTIMONY OF THE RISEN LORD JESUS CHRIST Madrid (Fides Service) – On Sunday May 4, the third Sunday of Easter Pope John Paul II presided the concelebration of Mass in Madrid, at Plaza de Colon, during which he canonised five religious, two men and three women ...
• 5 May 2003
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - SINHALESE SEMINARIANS WILL SPEND TIME IN TAMIL DIOCESES TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION AMONG ETHNIC GROUPS AFTER 20 YEARS OF CIVIL WAR Colombo (Fides Service) – Sinhalese seminarians in Colombo archdiocese will spend a period of their formation in dioceses in North Sri Lanka where the people are mainly Tamil, as part of a scheme to increase the pastor ...
• 5 May 2003
  ASIA/NORTH KOREA - CARITAS APPEALS FOR MORE FOOD HEALTH AND AGRICULTURAL AID FOR NORTH KOREA Hong Kong (Fides Service) – Caritas Hong Kong has made a new appeal for aid to North Korea, hoping to collect 2.6 billion US Dollars in 12 months, to meet North Korea’s needs for food supplies, health and agricultura ...
• 5 May 2003
  ASIA/CHINA - MORE ACCESS, MORE TRAFFICK, MORE FREEDOM ON THE INTERNET SINCE OUTBREAK OF SARS, ALSO HELPS STUDENTS WITH SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN Beijing (Fides Service) – The outbreak of SARS has had at least one positive effect on China: greater freedom to use the Internet, until now under strict government control. Following the dismissal of the Chinese healt ...
• 5 May 2003
  ASIA/IRAQ - NON CONFESSIONAL PARTIES, SCHOOL REFORM, SECULAR STATE, TRIBALISM OUTLAWED: THIS IS THE IRAQ IRAQI CHRISTIANS WANT Baghdad (Fides Service) - “Democracy in Iraq is possible and this is what we hope for as Christians, because a system of authentic democracy would enable us to stay in our country” Father Nizar of Ninive diocese tell ...
• 5 May 2003
  ASIA/INDONESIA - BORNEO : THE INTERNET REACHES ACROSS 5000 KM OF INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO TO FORM CATHOLIC TEACHERS Jakarta (Fides Service) – To communicate, instruct, share experiences across the Indonesian archipelago which extends from east to west for 5,000 km in the Pacific Ocean, the local Catholic Church has decided to use fo ...
• 5 May 2003
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - HOW TO PUT AN END TO AFRICA’S WARS: SEMINAR AT CONGO’S CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 7-11 MAY Kinshasa (Fides Service) – In Africa there are many, too many forgotten wars. At present conflicts are bringing death and destruction to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Sudan, Ethi ...
• 5 May 2003
  AFRICA/CAMEROON - BAFIA - BISHOP ATHANASE BALA RESIGNS, REV. JEAN MARIE BALLA, APPOINTED BISHOP Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has, (15 April 2003) accepted the renunciation of the Pastoral Government of the diocese of Bafia, Cameroon, presented by Bishop Athanase Bala, C. S ...
• 5 May 2003
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - “CEASE-FIRE? REAL PEACE IS NOT SIMPLY THE ABSENCE OF FIGHTING. PEOPLE WANT A DECENT LIFE, LOOTING MUST STOP” SAY MISSIONARIES IN IVORY COAST Abidjan (Fides Service) – “People can’t take anymore. The situation must change. It is not possible to live a situation of anarchy for months on end.” This is how missionaries in northern Ivory Coast describe the ...
• 2 May 2003
  VATICAN - POPE AT GENERAL AUDIENCE: MODEL OF POLITICAL LEADER SHOULD BE: DIVINE INTERVENTION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD Vatican City (Fides Service) – After two Wednesday catechesis on the significance of the Liturgical Celebrations of Easter, during the general audience on April 30, in St Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul II resumed his ...
• 2 May 2003
  EUROPE/ALBANIA - CARITAS MARKS TENTH ANNIVERSARY: MATERIAL AND OTHER ASSISTANCE TO BE NEAR TO THE PEOPLE Tirana (Fides Service) – Ten years ago, in conjunction with a visit by Pope John Paul II, Caritas Albania was opened. This tenth anniversary coincides with a time of “re-discovery” of the Church which kept the fait ...
• 2 May 2003
  ASIA/CHINA - RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES COMMITTED TO FIGHTING SARS: CATHOLICS CALL FOR SUPPORT OF UNIVERSAL CHURCH Beijing (Fides Service) – Communities of the different religions in China, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians have joined the mobilisation of the people to fight SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, in particular by ...
• 2 May 2003
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - REV. LAURENT SONDITYA APPOINTED RECTOR OF REGINAE PACIS SEMINARY BUTEMBO-BENI Vatican City (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples has appointed (11 April 2003) rector of Reginae Pacis seminary Butembo-Beni Rev. Laurent Sonditya. ...