News

• 16 December 2008
  VATICAN - XI Colloquium organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Islamic Call Society Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – A statement from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue released by the Holy See Press Office stated that the XI Colloquium organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligi ...
• 16 December 2008
  EUROPE/GERMANY - “Children search for peace”: commitment to peace at the heart of the 51st Campaign of the “Sternsinger,” with Colombia as this' year's “symbol country” Aachen (Agenzia Fides) – For the 51st time, in the days leading up to January 6, 2009 the “Sternsinger” (Star Singers) of the Holy Childhood Association in Germany will be on the country's street-corners singing Ch ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - Rector of Saint Mary Interdiocesan Seminary in Molo, Diocese of Nakuru, appointed Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect for the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples, on 14 September 2008, appointed Fr. John Joseph Kamau, of the clergy of the Diocese of Eldoret, Rector of ...
• 16 December 2008
  ASIA/INDIA - Catholics organize citizen groups to celebrate Christmas in prayer for the victims of terrorism and to say “no” to the violence Bombay (Agenzia Fides) – A solemn prayer meeting will be held on Christmas Day in Bombay, to remember the victims of terrorism and the citizens' commitment to peace and coexistence in harmony. The Bombay Catholic Sabha ...
• 16 December 2008
  AMERICA/CUBA - Archdiocese of Havana launches a new website: “Like Paul, today we enter into the modern areopagus of the Internet, to preach this God who is always near and close to us.” Havana (Agenzia Fides) - “It is with joy that we launch the website of the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de La Habana (Havana). It is not yet completely finished, however little by little we will continue improving it,� ...
• 16 December 2008
  AMERICA/BOLIVIA - National meeting for mission directors from the 18 ecclesial jurisdictions: examining the national situation, focus and directives from the Bishops' Conference and the Continental Mission Sorata (Agenzia Fides) – Last week, missions directors from the 18 ecclesial jurisdictions of Bolivia met for their final evaluation meeting of the year. The meetings for the national meetings for missions directors ar ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA - In 2009, the Society of African Missions will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of their Founder, Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac, and inaugurate three new Districts in Africa Rome (Agenzia Fides) – In 2009, the Society of African Missions (SMA) will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of its founder, French Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac (1813-1859), who arrived in Freetown ( ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - Protest on the new information law; Cardinal Njue expresses his concern for the freedom of the media and encourages journalists to remember their responsibility Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Lively protests are being carried out in Kenya, following the approval of a new information law that establishes tighter regulations on freedom of the press. Some fifty journalists and members ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/TOGO - Togo abolishes the death penalty, while the African Union invites all the countries on the continent to a moratorium on all forms of capital punishment Lome (Agenzia Fides) – Togo has joined the other countries who have decided to outlaw the death penalty. On December 13, the government in Lome announced a law abolishing capital punishment. “The country's choice t ...
• 16 December 2008
  ASIA/THAILAND - The Church in Thailand is preparing new ad gentes missionaries for Asian countries Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – The Church in Thailand is opening its heart to the world and preparing new missionaries for the ad gentes mission, especially for evangelization of other Asian countries. For several months no ...
• 16 December 2008
  ASIA/CHINA - “Making the church beautiful is an external preparation, while the internal one implies preparing the temple of God in our heart, awaiting the coming of Jesus”: various new churches consecrated in Advent, to receive the Lord “in His new house” Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - “Making the church beautiful is an external preparation, while the internal one implies preparing the temple of God in our heart: purify us of our sins, awaiting the coming of Jesus.” This i ...
• 16 December 2008
  EUROPE/ITALY - A record year in natural disasters, mainly affecting poorer nations; a firm international effort is needed to protect the environment Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The climate emergency linked to the environmental issue continues to present itself as one of the most important on the planet, in corroboration with the recent summits of the UN in Poznan, Polan ...
• 15 December 2008
  VATICAN - The Pope at the Angelus says that “no one can know the moment of the Lord's return...the "nearness" of God is not a question of space and time, but rather a question of love: Love is near!” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, which is called “Gaudete Sunday” - that is “rejoice” because the Lord is near - before praying the Angelus, the Holy Father Benedict XV ...
• 15 December 2008
  VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells the Bishops of Taiwan on their Ad Limina visit: “You and the Christian faithful in Taiwan are a living sign that, in a justly ordered society, one need not fear to be a faithful Catholic and a good citizen.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Your celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Catholic Evangelization in Taiwan is an occasion to manifest ever more eagerly your oneness with each other and with our Lord as you together ...
• 15 December 2008
  ASIA/HONG KONG - Secretary for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Archbishop Sarah, presides Hong Kong's 120th anniversary celebration in the Cathedral; 2009 is the Year of the Pauline Vocation Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) - “I am very happy to be able to participate in the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral. And I pray for the Church in China.” This is how Archbishop Rob ...