News

• 28 May 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - “A CHRISTIAN DOES NOT CONVERT PEOPLE: A CHRISTIAN SPEAKS ABOUT GOD AND GOD CONVERTS HEARTS” SAY THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF INDIA WHERE CHRISTIANS HAVE SUFFERED OVER 500 ATTACKS IN THE PAST FEW YEARS New Delhi (Fides Service) – In recent years there have been over 500 attacks on India’s Christians and Christian structures. Christians in India are persecuted by fundamentalist ideological nationalism. Several extre ...
• 27 May 2003
  VATICAN - POPE TELLS SPIRITANS: “WE THANK GOD FOR THREE CENTURIES OF EVANGELISATION: PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP, FAITHFUL TO THE HERITAGE OF YOUR FOUNDERS: ATTENTION FOR THE POOR AND FOR MISSIONARY SERVICE” Vatican City (Fides Service) – “Be faithful to the twofold heritage of your founders: care for the poor and the missionary service, that is the proclamation of the Good News of Christ to all men and women…it is a q ...
• 27 May 2003
  EUROPE/GERMANY - CHURCHES IN GERMANY HOLD FIRST EVER “ECUMENICAL-DAY”; ENCOURAGING SIGNAL AND NEW IMPULSE FOR ECUMENISM Berlin (Fides Service) - From 28 May to June 1 the Churches in Germany will hold an “Ecumenical-Day” with the motto: “May you be a Blessing!” This is the first time that lay representatives of the Catholic and L ...
• 27 May 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - CATHOLIC TEACHERS IN INDIA ASK THEMSELVES: “WHO IS THE CATHOLIC TEACHER? WHAT IS HIS OR HER VOCATION AND MISSION TODAY? Bangalore (Fides Service) – Who is the Catholic teacher? What is his or her vocation and mission? To find the answers to these questions was the purpose of a recent meeting of Catholic teachers in India organised by th ...
• 27 May 2003
  EUROPE/ITALY - FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD 142 BROTHERS OF SAINT FRANCIS DISCUSS HOW TO RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM Assisi (Fides Service) – They have come to Assisi to trace the face and the mission of the Order in the third millennium. Franciscans of the Order of Friars Minor are celebrating their third General Chapter of the thir ...
• 27 May 2003
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN BISHOPS REPORT AFTER VISIT: PEOPLE SUFFER BECAUSE OF A WAR THEY FEEL FOREIGN; THE CHURCH COMMITTED AT ALL LEVELS FOR AID AND RECONCILIATION Bellavista (Fides Service) – A delegation of European and American visited Colombia from 12 to 19 May, at the initiative of Misereor the aid organisation of the German Catholic Bishops under the auspices of the Pontifi ...
• 27 May 2003
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - ARMY VOWS TO PUT AN END TO CRIME. MISSIONARIES ANXIOUS TO RESUME SERVICE THE MOMENT MINIMUM SECURITY IS GUARANTEED Bangui (Fides Service) – Faced with the serious situation of insecurity in Central African Republic, President Francois Bozize has called on the army to organize a major police operation to stop groups of armed bandits ...
• 27 May 2003
  ASIA/TAIWAN - INTERRELIGIOUS TORCHLIGHT RALLY IN AID OF THE FIGHT AGAINST SARS, A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY AND LOVE Taipei (Fides Service) – The different religions in Taiwan have launched a series of initiatives in support of the victims of SARS and the medical staff involved. One of the events was a torchlight rally on May 28 in T ...
• 27 May 2003
  AFRICA/REPUBLIC OF CONGO - ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS PEACE IN POOL REGION. GUERRILLA LEADER ADMITS: “CIVIL WAR CAN NEVER BE SETTLED WITH WEAPONS” Brazzaville (Fides Service) – A decisive step has been taken for peace in the Republic of Congo. The leader of the Ninja guerrilla movement, Frederic Bitsangou, also referred to as Pastor Ntoumi, left his forest hiding ...
• 26 May 2003
  VATICAN - THE POPE TELLS PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELISATION OF PEOPLES: “IT IS NECESSARY TO FORM COMPETENT AND HOLY EVANGELISERS, ABLE FOR THEIR MISSION” Vatican City (Fides Service) – At 11 am on Saturday 24 May, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II received in audience the participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and he ...
• 26 May 2003
  OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY JUNE 1: PUTTING THE MEDIA AT THE SERVICE OF PEACE, PROMOTING TRUTH, JUSTICE, FREEDOM AND LOVE Honiara (Fides Service) – Putting the media at the service of peace, promoting truth, justice, freedom and love, was the commitment taken after a third annual Media Education Seminar at St. Peter’s, Gizo diocese, Sol ...
• 26 May 2003
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - “WE WANT THE TRUTH. WE ASK THOSE WHO HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE SITUATION TO ACT FOR THE COMMON GOOD OR WE WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR OWN PEOPLE. WE WILL BE CONDEMNED BY HISTORY”. APPEAL FROM RELIGIOUS ORDERS IN ZIMBABWE Harare (Fides Service) “ We want the truth. We ask those who have the power to change the situation to act for the common good or we will be held responsible for the destruction of our own people. We will be condemned ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/MYANMAR - APPOINTMENT OF METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS IN YANGON AND MANDALAY AND BISHOP OF PATHEIN Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has, 24 May 2003, made the following appointments in Myanmar: 1. he appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Yangon, Bishop Charles Bo SDB, until now Bishop ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/MALAYSIA - KUALA LUMPUR - ARCHBISHOP ANTONY SOTER FERNANDEZ RESIGNS, MGR. MURPHY NICHOLAS XAVIER PAKIAM, APPOINTED Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has (24 May 2003) accepted the resignation of the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, (Malaysia) presented by Archbishop Antony Sote ...
• 26 May 2003
  POPE JOHN PAUL II MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION JUNE 2003 “THAT THE CHRISTIANS OF INDIA WHO BELONG TO VARIOUS TRADITIONS MAY BE DRAWN TO OFFER TOGETHER A TESTIMONY OF FULL UNITY AND COMMUNION IN THE ONE SPIRIT WHICH GUIDES THEM”: COMMENT BY ARCHBISHOP TELESPHORE P. TOPPO OF RANCHI, PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF INDIA. Vatican City (Fides Service) - During the month of June, especially dedicated to the Devotion of the Sacred Heart, we, together with the Holy Father and all our Brothers and Sisters committed to the Apostleship of Prayer ...