News

• 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 ...
• 26 May 2003
  VATICAN - THE ROSARY OF PEACE: MEDITATING ON THE MYSTERIES WITH THE POPE’S MESSAGE FOR WORLD PEACE DAY. BOOKLET ISSUED BY PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Vatican City (Fides Service) – In this Year of the Rosary, the prayer recommended by John Paul II to obtain the gift of peace, the Pontifical Council for promoting Justice and Peace, has issued a booklet (in Italian) w ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/KOREA - GROWING SUCCESS FOR LIFE 31 MOVEMENT PRO HUMAN LIFE, PRO HUMAN RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE UNBORN CHILD, AGAINST ABORTION AND EUTHANASIA Seoul (Fides Service) – A new pro-life movement LIFE 31, promoted this year by the Korean Bishops’ Conference is proving a great success. The moderator is Bishop Peter Lee Ki-heon, president of the Committee for Fami ...
• 26 May 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - CHURCH WORKS FOR TRIUMPH OF TRUTH ABOUT VIOLENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DALITS “UNTOUCHABLE” AND “INVISIBLE” FOR INDIA’S CASTE SOCIETY New Delhi (Fides Service) – “We are here as persons interested in Dalit problems and looking at the position of the Catholic Church there is a need to plan concrete strategies in this direction” said Bishop Chinnap ...