News

• 27 January 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - “WHAT IS NEEDED IS A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE: PREJUDICE WITH REGARD TO LEPROSY MUST BE OVERCOME ” DR. DEEPAK TELLS FIDES Rome (Fides Service) - Dr Sunil Deepak, born in Lucknow (India), a degree in Medicine and Surgery from New Delhi University, India, president of the London based International Federation for the Prevention of Leprosy ILE ...
• 26 January 2004
  ASIA/TAIWAN - ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH TI-KANG OF TAIPEI AND APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF KINMEN, QUEMOY AND MATZU ISLANDS RESIGNS, MGR JOSEPH CHENG TSAI-FA APPOINTED ARCHBISHOP AND MGR BOSCO LIN CHI-NAN APPOINTED BISHOP TAINAN Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has, 24 January 2004, accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Taipei (Taiwan) and apostolic administrator of Kinmen, ...
• 26 January 2004
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA – REVEREND EDGAR HERNANDO TIRADO MAZO MXY APPOINTED VICAR APOSTOLIC VICAR OF TIERRADENTRO Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has (26 January 2004) appointed Vicar Apostolic of Tierradentro (Colombia) Reverend Father Edgar Hernando Tirado Mazo MXY, former Superior general of t ...
• 26 January 2004
  VATICAN - THE POPE’S ANGELUS REFLECTION: “UT UNUM SINT – MAY THEY BE ONE. THIS ARDENT INVOCATION MADE BY JESUS IN THE UPPER ROOM CONTINUES TO REMIND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES THAT UNITY IS A GIFT TO WELCOME AND DEVELOP EVER MORE DEEPLY” Vatican City (Fides Service) – The urgent need to continue to pray for unity among Christians and not be discouraged by difficulties, was the centre of Pope John Paul II’s Sunday Angelus reflection on 25 January, als ...
• 26 January 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - WITNESSES OF HOPE FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR DAY: OBLATES OF MAY IMMACULATE PREPARE FOR 34TH GENERAL CHAPTER Rome (Fides Service) – The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate will hold the 34th general chapter of their institute from 30 August to 28 September 2004. The 97 chapter members will come to Rome from all over the w ...
• 24 January 2004
  VATICAN – POPE JOHN PAUL II’S MESSAGE FOR 2004 WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY: THE MEDIA AND THE FAMILY: A RISK AND A RICHNESS Vatican City (Fides Service) – The theme chosen 2004 World Communications Day - " The Media And The Family: A Risk And A Richness " – is an invitation to reflect on how families use the media and how the media presen ...
• 23 January 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - “STOP THE EXECUTION, THESE MEN ARE INNOCENT!”: MANILA PRISON CHAPLAIN FATHER OLAGUER, REAFFIRMS CATHOLIC CHURCH’S “NO” TO DEATH PENALTY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES Manila (Fides) – “We are against capital punishment in any case. However the executions of two prisoners scheduled for the end of the month must be postponed if not cancelled, one of the men in question is innocent, ...
• 23 January 2004
  OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - LOCAL CHURCH BUSY HEALING WAR TRAUMA AND REBUILDING CONFIDENCE Honiara (Fides Service) - Solomon Islands is emerging from the recent ethnic tension that has left several persons traumatised by violence, destruction and fear. To heal these psychological wounds and try to re-build con ...
• 23 January 2004
  ASIA/TAIWAN – NEW YEAR AND NEW CATHOLIC CULTURAL MAGAZINE: JESUIT FATHERS AT “MATTEO RICCI” CENTRE PRODUCE TAIWAN’S FIRST CHINESE LANGUAGE REVIEW Taipei (Fides Service) – On sale at book shops and newspaper stalls all over the city New year crowds in Taiwan will find the very first issue of a new Catholic publication Renlai, or “Flute of Humanity”, the Islan ...
• 23 January 2004
  ASIA/THAILAND - “A HANDFUL OF MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST SECESSIONISTS IN THE SOUTH WILL NOT AFFECT INTER-RELIGIOUS RELATIONS: DIALOGUE AMONG THAILAND’S DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IS FRIENDLY AND FREQUENT” BISHOP LAWRENCE SAMANCHIT TOLD FIDES Bangkok (Fides Service) – “Unrest in the South of the country will have no effect on relations between religions in Thailand. The rioters are a handful of fundamentalist Muslim secessionists. Relations between Thai C ...
• 22 January 2004
  AFRICA/CAMEROON - LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH LAUNCHES EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO STRIKE CORRUPTION AT THE ROOT Yaounde (Fides Service) - The Catholic Church in Cameroon has begun a school programme to teach pupils respect for the common good in view of eliminating corruption in future. According to local Catholic News Agency DIA, ...
• 22 January 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - HOPE FOR PEACE IN KASHMIR: CHURCH CALLS ON POLITICIANS TO WORK FOR THE GOOD AND PROSPERITY OF THE PEOPLE EXHAUSTED BY SO MUCH VIOLENCE Jammu (Fides Service ) – Rays of hope brighten the tormented region of Kashmir, on the border between India and Pakistan, scene of fifty years of dispute between two powerful neighbours. President Pervez Musharraf of P ...
• 22 January 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - OBLATE MISSIONARIES OF MARY IMMACULATE UPDATED WEB SITE : MORE OMI INFORMATION ON LINE Rome (Fides Service) – After months of hard work, OMI communication staff announce that the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate now have a completely renewed web site (www.omiworld.org). The new site has more pages ...
• 22 January 2004
  ASIA/TURKEY – WEEK OF PRAYER FOR UNITY: TURKEY’S WIDE VARIETY OF CHRISTIANS LIVE PRINCIPLE OF ‘UNITY IN DIVERSITY’ Istanbul (Fides Service) – Bitter cold and heavy snowfalls in Istanbul have not affected warm relations among the many different Christian communities in the Turkish capital. The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Uni ...
• 22 January 2004
  AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - UN PEACEKEEPERS DETERMINED TO DISARM MILITIA IN ITURI, NORTH-EAST CONGO, WHERE FIGHTING CONTINUES Bunia (Fides Service) – There is no peace for Ituri. For more than a week armed groups have been attacking UN peacekeepers in north east Democratic Congo (RDC) where, since 1999 at least ten different militia groups fi ...