News

• 19 May 2009
  EUROPE/LUXEMBOURG - National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies confirmed Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on April 8, 2008 confirmed the appointment of Fr. Georges Hellimghausen, of the clergy of the Archdiocese ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Brief Overview of the History of the Conflict Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – The Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) has been engaged in an ethnic conflict since 1984 between a Sinhalese majority (nearly 74% of the population, the majority of whom are Buddhist) and ...
• 18 May 2009
  AFRICA/MALAWI - Malawi prepares to elect its new President Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – Malawians will vote tomorrow, May 19, for a new President and Parliament. The incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika is the favorite, especially after the Supreme Court ruled that Bakili Mulu ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/INDIA - Congress Party victory; Bishops ask government to ensure a secular and democratic India, end fundamentalism New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – India has opted for stability and continuity: the official results of the elections show a net victory for the ruling Congress Party, versus the opposition led by the right-wing nationalist ...
• 18 May 2009
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - 11th Continental Meeting of the RIIAL, to promote efficient services for the Continental Mission Bogota (Agenzia Fides) – This June 3-5, the 11th Continental Meeting of the Information Network of the Church in Latin America (in Spanish, RIIAL) will be held in Bogota (Colombia). The event is organized by the Pontif ...
• 18 May 2009
  AMERICA/NICARAGUA - Bishops' Final Message at the close of the CELAM Assembly laments “the accusations in many of our countries made in the name of progress and development, which seek to establish a dictatorship of relativism” Managua (Agenzia Fides) - “We are aware of the difficulties and resistance implied in the renewal of ecclesial structures, in order to their becoming more missionary and the formation of pastoral agents (priests, conse ...
• 18 May 2009
  AMERICA/ANTILLES - Bishops' Message to priests on the Year of the Priest, an opportunity to “renew their commitment to the ministry they have embraced” Fort-de-France (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishops of the Antilles Bishops' Conference have issued a Message to all the priests of the region at the close of their Plenary Assembly in Fort-de-France on the island of Martiniq ...
• 18 May 2009
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - Church in Umuahia begins construction on a chapel for prisons Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - Umuahia Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Organisation (UDCCWO) is supporting the construction of a chapel for the prisons of Umahia in Nigeria. According to a report sent to Agenzia Fides by ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Tamil Tigers surrender and conflict ends, while refugees remain in unstable conditions Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – The Tamil Tigers have surrendered and the conflict that has caused bloodshed in the nation for 25 years seems to have come to an end. Following the confirmed death of their historic leader Vel ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/TAIWAN - “Invest in Jesus, move forward without hesitation”: Diocese of Tai Chun's activities for the Year of St. Paul and vocations promotion Tai Chun (Agenzia Fides) - “Invest in Jesus, move forward without hesitation,” is the theme for vocational promotion in the Diocese of Tai Chun for the Year of St. Paul, to relaunch the Pauline spirit among the youth ...
• 18 May 2009
  EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - World Health Organization opens 62nd Annual Assembly with first-time delegation from Taiwan Geneva (Agenzia Fides) – This year, the agenda for the Annual Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has recently begun in Geneva, will focus its discussions on the risks of the new influenza A (H1N1), ...
• 18 May 2009
  EUROPE/SPAIN - Every Sunday in May, Valencia's parishes hold an “Easter Celebration for the Sick” Valencia (Agenzia Fides) – In honor of the worldwide celebration of the “Easter Celebration for the Sick,” the parishes of Valencia (Spain) have organized Masses dedicated to the sick and disabled, for receiving th ...
• 18 May 2009
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Bishop of Malakal resigns Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on 16 May 2009, accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the Diocese of Malakal (Sudan) presented by Bishop Vincent Mojwok Nyiker, in confor ...
• 18 May 2009
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Bishop of Bossangoa resigns Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on 16 May 2009, accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the Diocese of Bossangoa (Central Africa) presented by Bishop François-Xavier Yomb ...
• 18 May 2009
  VATICAN - Holy Father Benedict XVI's letter for the beginning of celebrations in honor of Jesuit missionary Father Matteo Ricci, “model of the effective encounter between European and Chinese civilizations” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI has sent a message to Bishop Claudio Giuliodori of Macerata, on the occasion of the celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Jesuit missiona ...