News

• 3 January 2005
  EUROPE/GERMANY - Holy Childhood Germany builds bridge of solidarity for victims of seaquake in southern Asia promising 100.000 Euro: 10,000 Euro already at the Papal Nuncio’s office in Jakarta Aachen/München (Fides Service) - Holy Childhood Mission Society, Kindermissionswerk KMW or Sternsingers has worked for some years to help needy children in the areas affected by the recent seaquake on December 26. Follo ...
• 3 January 2005
  ASIA/INDONESIA - Sick people and medical helpers among the victims of seaquake in Indonesia: AIFO leprosy service personnel among the dead and missing Jakarta (Fides Service) - The disastrous seaquake in southern Asia did not spare leprosy centres run by the Association of Friends of Raoul Follereau (AIFO) in Indonesia in particular. AIFO rehabilitation Centre in Aceh ...
• 3 January 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Appeal from the Catholic Archbishop of Colombo: “Those who have escaped are just left with only themselves and the clothes they were wearing at the moment of the tragedy” Colombo (Fides Service) - One Sister among the dead, two injured priests, ten churches devastated: this is the first report from the archdiocese of Colombo regarding damage to church personnel and structures. The informa ...
• 3 January 2005
  ASIA/MALAYSIA - Inter-religious prayer and solidarity chain for seaquake victims Kuala Lumpur (Fides Service) - Although Malaysia was less severely affected by the 26 December tsunami compared to other Asian countries (100 reported dead but many still missing especially on the islands of Peang and Ke ...
• 3 January 2005
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - At least twenty lay Catholics and a nun were swept away by the tsunami as they attended Sunday Mass in church: community mourns Sr Bernadette a school sister much loved and appreciated in the diocese of Galle: Nuncio Archbishop Mario Zenari reports to Fides Colombo (Fides Service) - A nun and at least twenty other worshippers were swept away by the fury of the tsunami as they attended Mass on Sunday 26 December at Our Lady of Victories church in Matara, Sri Lanka. So far Sr ...
• 3 January 2005
  ASIA/THAILAND - Priests, religious and lay Catholics in Surat Thani diocese work with rescue and aid team to help tsunami survivors Bangkok (Fides Service) - The local Church in Thailand has joined rescue and aid workers to help victims of the December 26 disaster. The newly appointed Salesian Bishop of Surat Thani diocese Joseph Prathan has opened a ...
• 30 December 2004
  LIST OF NAMES OF PERSONS KILLED IN 2004 WHILE ENGAGED IN MISSIONARY WORK Vatican City (Fides Service) - According to information collected by Fides News Service in 2004 fifteen persons, (priests, religious and lay persons) were killed while engaged in missionary work. As in recent years this ...
• 29 December 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope launches an appeal for seaquake victims in South Asia: “I urge believers and all men and women of good will to contribute generously to the major operation of solidarity for these peoples so tragically stricken and now exposed to the risk of epidemics of disease” Vatican City (Fides Service) - At the end of his weekly General Audience this morning Pope John Paul II launched the following appeal in Italian : “News from Asia continue to reveals the vastness of the immense cata ...
• 29 December 2004
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Jesuit churches and communities offer shelter and assistance to 3,000 seaquake survivors in Batticaloa. In India Jesuit school students join rescue workers Rome (Fides Service) - According to information supplied by the General Curia of the Society of Jesus no Jesuits are reported among the casualties in the south Asia seaquake which affected mainly Sri Lanka, India (Madura ...
• 29 December 2004
  AMERICA/CHILE - The Catholic Church in Chile organises aid for seaquake victims in south Asia: nation wide special collection at Sunday masses on 9 January. Caritas network engaged in monitoring damage and needs Santiago de Chile (Fides Service) - Responding to Pope John Paul II’s call for solidarity for the peoples of Asia, and in a spirit of brotherhood, the Church in Chile has arranged for a nation wide special collection ...
• 29 December 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope provides aid for seaquake victims through his charity office, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum: appeal to Catholics to support aid initiatives in local Churches Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II “has arranged for first emergency aid to be sent to the peoples affected by the violent earthquake and seaquake in South East Asia and also some countri ...
• 28 December 2004
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - “This is an enormous tragedy calling for vast international solidarity” says Papal Nuncio in Colombo Archbishop Mario Zenari Colombo (Fides Service) - “This is an immense tragedy, Sri Lanka has never known a disaster of these proportions. The people are shocked and frightened. The provisional death toll is 13,000 and at least one million hom ...
• 28 December 2004
  ASIA/INDONESIA - The help the victims of the tsunami, the local Church works through a network of volunteers in collaboration with other religious groups and civil relief organisations Jakarta (Fides Service) - So far the number of confirmed deaths is 5,000 but according to the local authorities the figure is destined to rise and could be as high as 25,000: this is the situation in Indonesia after the ...
• 28 December 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - “The people have lost everything all that remains is hope, and this they cannot lose” says National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies in India Vatican City (Fides Service) - Mgr. Ignaci Siluvai, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in India, sent the following report to Fides a few hours ago. “ Dear Director! While greeting you for Ch ...
• 28 December 2004
  ASIA - Emergency Asia: Caritas launches appeal Rome (Fides Service) - The number of people killed by the seaquake which struck a vast area of South Asia rises by the hour. The international network of Caritas national offices is co-ordinating initiatives to send re ...