News

• 28 December 2004
  VATICAN - Message of Solidarity to the peoples affected by seaquake disaster: Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples Vatican City (Fides Service) - The entire Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples shares the tragedy of this disaster, the pain and suffering of those people and its first action is prayer. Through local churches ...
• 23 December 2004
  AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Live Nativity Scene on Christmas Eve in Tupiza and “Las Posadas” in Concepcion: various aspects of Christmas in a country of many cultures and peoples Sucre (Fides Service) - Christmas came to Bolivia from Europe taking on local customs and traditions. Although also in Bolivia consumerism threatens to hide the real meaning of Christmas, a religious feast, for most fami ...
• 23 December 2004
  AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Christmas in Venezuela lasts forty days with all kinds of customs and celebrations Caracas (Fides Service) - Venezuela is a country rich in cultural traditions as a result of a process of immigration and integration of Europeans, Africans and people of mixed races. Christmas customs reflect this mixin ...
• 23 December 2004
  VATICAN - Viewers in 72 countries will see Midnight Mass in St Peter’s presided by Pope John Paul II Vatican City (Fides Service) - The traditional Midnight Mass tomorrow 24 December presided in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Pope John Paul II starting from 12pm, will be broadcast live via 111 different broadcasting c ...
• 23 December 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - “The Holy Shroud is the face of Christ. But what is more difficult is to go back in time and show the face of the young Christ”. Orazio Petrosillo, journalist of the “Il Messaggero” and a Vatican expert told Fides Rome (Fides Service) - “I am convinced on scientific bases that the Holy Shroud is the true face of Jesus. The image it represents could never be reproduced artificially and it portrays the corpse of a man who fits pe ...
• 22 December 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope’s teaching at the general audience: “In the Mystery of Christmas we contemplate a ‘leap in quality’ in the history of salvation. Although our sin has separated us from God, in Christ we are offered the gift of a new and fuller communion with Him” Vatican City (Fides Service) - “At Christmas we will contemplate the great mystery of God made man and born of the Virgin Mary. He is born in Bethlehem to share our fragile human condition! He comes to live amongst us ...
• 22 December 2004
  AMERICA/CUBA - Some Cubans are rediscovering the meaning of Christmas but many younger ones have never known a traditional Christmas Havana (Fides Service) - Christmas celebrations used to begin on December 8 with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, popularly called “the little Christmas Novena”, the national director of the Pontifical Mission ...
• 22 December 2004
  AMERICA/ECUADOR - Summer time Christmas, widespread devotion to the Baby Jesus and solidarity with the poor Quito (Fides Service) - Snow and ice would seem to be essential elements at Christmas. But not everywhere. In Ecuador people go to midnight Mass in the heat of the Summer night. People here love coloured lights, music, f ...
• 22 December 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO- UN peacekeepers prevent third war in Congo. Missionaries wish tormented country a Christmas of peace Bukavu ( Fides Service)- “At last the UN mission MONUC has acted and prevented what everyone feared would be a third war in Congo” a local source in Bukavu, main town of south Kivu eastern Democratic Congo, told Fide ...
• 22 December 2004
  AMERICA/MEXICO - Mexicans revive “Las Posadas” tradition commemorating the journey Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem and their unsuccessful search for a room at the Inn Mexico City (Fides Service) - Mexico is rich in Christmas traditions, including “las Posadas” (the Inns) which dates to the 16th century and commemorates the journey Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem and their unsuc ...
• 22 December 2004
  AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - After lengthy counting of votes FRELIMO is declared the winner. Jimmy Carter and other international observers denounce irregularities. The new President confirms policy for national peace Maputo (Fides Service) - Armando Guebuza member of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party in power for 20 years, won presidential elections with almost 64% of the votes. The result was announced yeste ...
• 22 December 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Poverty, unemployment, natural disasters: trouble seems never ending for the Philippines: in his Christmas Message the Archbishop of Manila recalls Christian hope Manila (Fides Service) - “Christmas is always our recalling of God’s love for us expressed in his son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. But its celebration is influenced yearly by prevailing spiritual, economic, so ...
• 21 December 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope exchanges Christmas greetings with the Curia: “Let us be ever more aware that communion with God and unity among men, beginning with believers, is our priority commitment” Vatican City (Fides Service) - “Thank you for your presence and for the affection with which you surround my person. As the years pass the need for the help of God and of others makes itself ever more keenly felt. Than ...
• 21 December 2004
  ASIA/TAGIKISTAN - “Exterior signs of Christmas are still visible here as in other regions but perhaps precisely because of restrictions under the dictatorship, the spirit of Christmas has deepened”: Superior of the Catholic Missio Sui Iuris of Tagikistan reports on local Christmas traditions Dushanbe (Fides Service) - “The season of Advent in preparation for Christmas in the Catholic community Tagikistan has retained all its special significance which sad to say I never saw in my years of ministry in the ...
• 21 December 2004
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Christmas : promise of life, joy and peace for the people of Israel and Palestine . Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem issues Christmas Message Jerusalem (Fides Service) - Security, wellbeing, happiness for the people of Israel and Palestine can be founded only on peace: this is the sense of a Christmas Message issued by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michael Sabb ...