News

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  18 March 2025
  AFRICA/CONGO RD - Appeal by Butembo university students: “Enough 30 years of war imposed on us to plunder our country's resources” Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “We have been living in war for more than 30 years. The war was born before our generation. It has produced misery, millions of internally displaced people, millions of dead” say the univ ...
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  18 March 2025
  ASIA/INDONESIA - A ‘common vision’ for humanity and peace: Interview with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations by Paolo Affatato Rome (Agenzia Fides) – “Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia and the signing of the Istiqlal Declaration last September were a crowning achievement of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the ...
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  17 March 2025
  ASIA/CHINA - Two churches dedicated to Saint Joseph reconsecrated and reopened in the diocese of Shanghai Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) – “Since the visible temple has been rebuilt, we must now also make the interior temple of our heart more spiritually alive”. This is the exhortation addressed by Joseph Shen Bin, Bishop of ...
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  17 March 2025
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Banmaw, fire destroys St Patrick's Cathedral Banmaw (Agenzia Fides) - The Cathedral of Banmaw, a town in the state of Kachin, in Myanmar, was destroyed by fire on Sunday 16 March, on the eve of the feast of St Patrick, the Saint to whom it is dedicated. The Cath ...
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  17 March 2025
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - After the March 3 kidnapping: Seminarian murdered, while the priest kidnapped with him is released Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - The seminarian who was kidnapped along with a priest on March 3 in southern Nigeria (see Fides, 5/3/2025) has been murdered, while the priest was released. According to the Diocese of Auchi, "Fr. ...
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  17 March 2025
  AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - "Closely connected to the community": Catholic University in Beira inaugurates academic year and celebrates its 30th anniversary Beira (Agenzia Fides) - "Since its founding in 1995, the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM) has responded to educational challenges with seriousness and innovation, with the firm desire to educate citizens of integr ...
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  16 March 2025
  Angelus - Pope Francis from the Gemelli Hospital: "I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving and praying" Rome (Agenzia Fides) - In the Transfiguration, "Jesus shows the disciples what is hidden behind the gestures He performs in their midst: the light of His infinite love," reads Pope Francis's text for the Angelus prayer, ...
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  15 March 2025
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Way of the Cross of the Catholic schools in Jerusalem, praying for peace and for the Pope's health by Dietrich Bäumer* Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - "God, our Father in Heaven, to you we raise our prayers for all the sick, especially for Pope Francis," read the placards carried by the boys and girls of the Catholic ...
• 15 March 2025
  ASIA/VIETNAM - Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Hung Hoá Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Paul Nguyen Quang Dinh, until now vicar general of the diocese of Hung Hoá, Vietnam, responsible for Son Loc Cathedral and the diocesan liturgica ...
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  14 March 2025
  ASIA/JAPAN - Manga comics bring the stories of hidden Christians to life Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) - How can the treasure of a testimony of faith that took place centuries ago, of which only a few traces remain in historical documents, be passed on to new generations? Manga comics were used for t ...
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  13 March 2025
  The fragile Pope and the Mystery of Peter   by Gianni Valente Rome (Agenzia Fides) - Pope Francis is spending the 12th anniversary of his election as Successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome in a room at the Gemelli Hospital. Doctors announced his prognosis just a ...
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  12 March 2025
  ASIA/CHINA - A new "Rosary Group" is formed in Huangzhou to pray for the Pope's intentions Wenzhou (Agenzia Fides) - Pray according to the intentions indicated each month by the Pope, the diocese, and the parish community, following each day the path indicated by the humility of Mary. This was the intention wi ...
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  12 March 2025
  ASIA/INDIA - New violence in Manipur: a “comprehensive dialogue plan” is needed to address it Imphal (Agenzia Fides) – New episodes of violence have broken four months of relative calm in the Indian state of Manipur, rekindling tensions in this northeastern region. Clashes broke out on March 8, leaving one Kuki ...
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  12 March 2025
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Angola announces it will mediate in the crisis in eastern DRC Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - Angola will host negotiations in Luanda between the Kinshasa government and the M23 with the aim of resolving the crisis affecting the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
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  12 March 2025
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - 145 priests kidnapped in 10 years, 11 of whom have been killed and 4 still missing Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - In the last 10 years, 145 priests have been kidnapped in Nigeria. This is evident from the analysis carried out by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), which collected data on the kidnapping ...