News

• 11 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - As humanitarian crisis continues in North Kivo, the Archbishop of Bukavu asks leading powers to cease their interference, as it only adds to tensions in Congo Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – It seems that the fragil truce declared by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda in North Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is being kept, however the humanitarian crisis remains seri ...
• 11 November 2008
  ASIA/BANGLADESH - Number of children dying from contaminated water is on the rise Dacca (Agenzia Fides) – The missionaries and humanitarian aid organizations stationed in Bangladesh have released an alert saying that over 110,000 children under the age of 5 die each year from diseases related to con ...
• 10 November 2008
  VATICAN - On the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope mentions that “the temple of stones is a symbol of the living Church, the Christian community,” recalls the need “to fight against every form of anti-Semitism and discrimination,” and makes an appeal for North Kivu Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, “mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world,” on Sunday, November 9, the Holy Father Benedict XV ...
• 10 November 2008
  VATICAN - “Organ donation is a unique testimony of charity,” says the Pope, asking “that the multiplication of transplant petitions do not change around the ethical principles upon which it rests...the body can never be considered as a mere object.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Organ donation is a unique testimony of charity,” said the Holy Father Benedict XVI, on November 7, in addressing the participants in the international congress "A Gift for Life. Consi ...
• 10 November 2008
  VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI addresses the new Ambassador from the Republic of China: “The Holy See is pleased to work together with all those who seek to promote peace, prosperity and development, and appreciates the Republic of China’s commitment to that noble cause.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father received His Excellency Mister Wang Larry Yu-yuan, the new Ambassador of the Republic of China to the Holy See, in an audience on Saturday, November 8, in which he accepte ...
• 10 November 2008
  ASIA/CHINA - 97 year-old Bishop Joseph Sun Zhibin, the oldest Chinese bishop, passes away; he was a humble and kind pastor, firm in the faith amidst times of trial in the Catholic Church in China Yidu (Agenzia Fides) – This past October 22, His Excellency Joseph Sun Zhibin, Bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Iduhsien (Yiduxian), in the province of Shandong (mainland China), passed away in his hospital room. ...
• 10 November 2008
  ASIA/CHINA - “I think, do, and evangelize”: IV Diocesan Missions Day in Hen Shui is a success Hen Shui (Agenzia Fides) - “I think, do, and evangelize” was the slogan and theme for the IV Diocesan Missions Day in the Diocese of Hen Shui, which was held yesterday, November 9, and turned out to be a great succes ...
• 10 November 2008
  ASIA/NORTH KOREA - A “Peace Services Center” established by the Franciscan Friars of Pyongyang: an historic event in the Korean Church Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – A spark of hope will now be illumined among the people of North Korea: in an unprecedented event, the Franciscan Friars of South Korea have established a “Peace Services Center” in the North ...
• 10 November 2008
  AMERICA/URUGUAY - The Bishops launch a Continental Mission in the country: “We want to be missionaries in the world.” Florida (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishops of Uruguay, who were celebrating their Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Bishops, officially launched the Continental Mission in the country at a Mass attended by crowds of fai ...
• 10 November 2008
  AMERICA/URUGUAY - Statement from the Bishops in defense of life: “No honest law can justify the elimination of a defenseless being that has the right to live and to be born.” Florida (Agenzia Fides) – As the Uruguayan House of Representatives prepares to vote on a draft bill regarding reproductive health, which includes a clause on abortion, the Bishops of the country who were recently cele ...
• 10 November 2008
  AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Bishops' message at the conclusion of their Plenary Assembly on the lands affected by new historical and environmental circumstances Asuncion (Agenzia Fides) – At the end of their Plenary Assembly celebrated November 3-7 (see Fides 3/11/2008, 5/11/2008, 6/11/2008), the Bishops of Paraguay issued a Message on the issue of lands, which has been a disp ...
• 10 November 2008
  AMERICA/HAITI - The Holy Father shows his solidarity with the victims of the collapsed school building in Port-au-Prince: at least 92 are dead and 150 wounded, almost all of them children Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – The death toll has risen to 92, the majority being children, following the collapse of a school in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) on November 7. There are 150 hospitalized and it is feared that ...
• 10 November 2008
  VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI tells participants in the Congress on the magisterium of Pius XII: “His magisterium was characterized by its vast and widespread beneficence, as well as for its exceptional quality, and thus it could be described as a valuable heritage to which the Church has always given, and continues to give, great importance.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “In recent years, when Pius XII has been spoken of, much of the attention on his person has focused on one particular issue, too often treated in a rather unilateral manner. This has impe ...
• 10 November 2008
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - 1,100 women and children have been taken in by a VIS (International Volunteer Program for Development) camp in downtown Goma. The Salesian NGO's Press Office Director shares her testimony with Fides. Goma (Agenzia Fides) - “The humanitarian crisis is of drastic proportions, as the fighting brings more and more people into Goma,” Fides was informed by Giulia Pigliucci, of the Press Office of the NGO “VIS” (Int ...
• 10 November 2008
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - "There is a need to recover the elements of African tradition that are compatible with the Catholic faith, in order to promote a new evangelization,” PMS National Director tells Agenzia Fides Rome (Agenzia Fides) – “Our country is very large (with a surface area of 622,984 km²) and has a fairly small population (3,600,000 inhabitants), located in the center of Africa. This is one of the main reasons behi ...