Europe

• 22 April 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - "The approval of the bill to legalise homosexual marriage is an attack on the family. They are promoting disorder social with serious consequences" the Rector of Marcia University told Fides. Murcia (Agenzia Fides) - " The approval of the bill to legalise homosexual marriage is an attack on the family " Rev. José Luis Mendoza Pérez, Rector of Murcia Catholic University told Fides. Rev. Mendoza Pérez is al ...
• 22 April 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - Statement issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Spain with regard to marriage between homosexuals: “The State cannot recognise a non existent right except by acting in an arbitrary manner which oversteps its competencies and will cause serious harm to the common good” Madrid (Fides Service) - Yesterday, 21 April, a Bill to Reform the Civil Code and allow marriage between two persons of the same sex was approved by the lower house of the Spanish parliament with 183 votes in favour and ...
• 22 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Italian Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate Maria in Loreto to celebrate 10th anniversary of the canonisation of founder St. Eugene De Mazenod Loreto (Fides Service) - Italian Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate with laymen and young people who share the same Oblate charisma will be in Loreto for two days, 23 and 24 April to celebrate the 10th anniversary o ...
• 22 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Cursillos of Christianity pray in St Paul’s Basilica for John Paul II and the new Pope Benedict XVI Rome (Fides Service) - On Saturday 23 April in St Paul’s Basilica some 4.000 members of the Cursillos of Christianity Movement in Italy will hold an all day prayer event, 9am to 5pm, for the repose of the soul of John ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Benedictine Abbot Primate Notker Wolf says “the choice of the name Benedict was an act of love ” Rome (Fides Service) - At the time of Cardinal Ratzinger’s election as Pope, Abbot Notker Wolf Primate of Confederated Benedictines since 2000, in Mexico at the time, was surprised at the choice of the name Benedict X ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - “As faithful heirs of St Daniel Comboni, we respond to the request of Pope Benedict XVI assuring incessant prayer and renewed commitment for the mission of the church today : Message from the Superior general of the Comboni missionary sisters Rome (Fides Service) - Superior General of the Comboni missionary sisters, Mother Adele Brambilla, sent a message to her congregation on the occasion of the election of Pope Benedict XVI in which she wrote: “Suddenly ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/AUSTRIA - Missio Austria: Commitment for peace and justice, always necessary, was particularly important for John Paul II and so it will be for Benedict XVI Vienna (Fides Service) - “With all those involved in missionary activity I express great joy for the election of the new Pope Benedict XVI” national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Austria - Missio A ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/RUSSIA - “Pope Benedict XVI is God’s gift to the Church” Catholic Archbishop Kondrusiewicz of the Mother of God diocese in Moscow tells Russia’s Catholics Moscow (Fides Service) - With regard to the election of Benedict XVI in a message to his people to be read on Sunday 25 April in all the Catholic churches in the diocese Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Moth ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - “The Pope’s smile will win the hearts of children”: National Director of Holy Childhood in Germany expresses his joy for the election of Benedict XVI Santa Cruz (Fides Service) - When Pope Benedict XVI imparted his first Blessing Urbi and Orbi on 19 April, Mgr. Winfried Pilz, director of Holy Childhood in Germany, was in Santa Cruz, in Bolivia, where he followed even ...
• 21 April 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - “After the tragic events of the 20th century the fact that this latest Successor of St Peter is German is for us a great honour and a promise for reconciliation among all peoples” : Superiors general of religious orders and lay Catholic associations in Germany pledge prayers and support for Benedict XVI: Bamberg/Bonn (Fides Service) - In a message to Fides the Union of Superiors General in Germany (Vereinigung Deutscher Ordensoberen, VDO) wrote: “For the new Pope Benedict XVI we ask God’s help and abundant blessings ...
• 20 April 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - World Youth Day organisers offer joyful welcome to the new Pope : “we know we can rely on him to guide the Church towards God with great responsibility.” Cologne (Fides Service) - In his message at the end of Mass with the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel this morning, Benedict XVI recalled that his pontificate starts in the Year of the Eucharist and he said “the Eucha ...
• 20 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - Statement by Javier Echevarría Prelate of Opus Dei following election of the new Pope. “May John Paul II protect his Successor in this new Spring time!” Rome (Fides Service ) - “This is a time of great joy for the whole Church. Catholics the world over thank God for the gift of the new Pope Benedict XVI. For my part, and I am sure I am expressing the sentiments of al ...
• 20 April 2005
  EUROPE/ITALY - S. Egidio Community grateful to College of Cardinals for giving the Church and the world a new Bishop of Rome Rome (Fides Service) - “Deeply moved we listened to the words of Benedict XVI, the humility of his request for prayers, his confidence in the grace of God who knows how to employ our humanity to carry God’s friends ...
• 20 April 2005
  EUROPE/SPAIN - Pope Benedict XVI a prophet of truth and humility: testimony from Archbishop Francisco Perez Gonzelez, PMS National Director in Spain Madrid (Fides Service) - Pope Benedict XVI “is a great gift and we must be at his side with prayers and being united among ourselves” said Archbishop Francisco Pérez González, national director of the Pontifical M ...
• 20 April 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - Pontifical Mission Societies in Germany: Benedict XVI will have to build bridges to promote peace, justice and reconciliation and continue dialogue with other religions and promote the development of the young Churches in Africa, Asia and Oceania Aachen/München (Fides Service) - The National directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Germany (misso Aachen/missio Münschen), Fr. Hermann Schalück OFM and Fr. Eric Enlgert OSA, sent a statement to Fides hail ...