Asia

• 8 July 2003
  ASIA/IRAQ - CHALDEAN CHRISTIANS MOURN PATRIARCH RAPHAEL BIDAWID OF BAGHDAD Beirut (Fides Service) – On July 7 in Beirut, Lebanon, His Beatitude Raphael I Bidawid, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, died at the age of 81, after some months in hospital. The Patriarch was born in Mosul, Iraq ...
• 8 July 2003
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - BETHLEHEM WELCOMES GLIMPSE OF HOPE FOR PEACE: UNIVERSITY RESUMES SUMMER COURSES Bethlehem (Fides Service) – The town of Bethlehem is living again hopes for peace. The Christian community and all Bethlehem people are confident. Franciscan Father Ibrahim Faltas, superior of the Nativity Church tells ...
• 8 July 2003
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - DIALOGUE AND RECONCILIATION: PROGRAMME OF NEWLY CHOSEN HEAD OF BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, ARCHBISHOP FERNANDO CAPALLA OF DAVAO Davao (Fides Service) – “My programme is dialogue. I have always worked for peace and reconciliation in Mindanao and I will continue to do so” , these were the first words entrusted to Fides Service by the new pres ...
• 7 July 2003
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - COMMUNITY MOURNS MURDERED PRIEST FATHER IBRAHIM: SOLIDARITY FROM MUSLIMS, BUT CHRISTIANS FEAR MORE FUNDAMENTALIST ATTACKS Faisalabad (Fides Service) – “We Christians are persons of peace. People know us and respect us. We call on the civil authorities to prevent fundamentalism which threatens us and to bring to justice those responsible ...
• 7 July 2003
  ASIA/INDONESIA - REFUGEE EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ALARM IN ACEH: 35,000 PEOPLE IN DESPERATE NEED OF FOOD AND MEDICINE Jakarta (Fides Service) – In a report called “Anywhere but War” the Jesuit Refugee Service describes the tragic situation of displaced persons in Aceh, the Indonesian Province in the north of the island of Sumatra ...
• 4 July 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY PRODUCE PEACE AND HARMONY: A SALESIAN’S EXPERIENCE IN MADHYA PRADESH New Delhi (Fides Service) – Father Stanny Ferreira who came to work in Madhya Pradesh six years ago set work immediately to improve the living conditions of the local people in Alirajpur and lessen tension between the ...
• 4 July 2003
  ASIA/VIETNAM - PARISH PROVIDES COMPUTERS AND INTERNET FOR YOUTH IN RURAL AREAS Hanoi (Fides Service) – Young people in a rural area of North Vietnam are taking a look at the world thanks to a course on how to use computers and the Internet offered by the local Catholic parish. Lien Phu parish in ...
• 3 July 2003
  ASIA/TURKEY - NEW ECUMENICAL IMPULSE FROM SYMPOSIUM ON SAINT PAUL IN TARSUS AND ANTIOCH Antioch (Fides Service) – “The symposium opened new prospects for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue; encouraged debate among various university professors, students, religious and civil leaders including Mrs iri ...
• 3 July 2003
  ASIA/INDONESIA - EVANGELISATION AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE VIA RADIO AT YOGYAKARTA Jakarta (Fides Service) – Yogyakarta is the city with the most radio stations in the whole of Indonesia. Fifty two local radios have been opened since a new telecommunications law was passed in 2002 by the Indonesian g ...
• 2 July 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - NO TO THE CULTURE OF ANTAGONISM YES TO DIALOGUE WITH HINDUS: JESUITS WORK TO SAFEGUARD INDIA’S TRADITIONAL INTERRELIGIOUS CO-EXISTENCE New Delhi (Fides Service) – Love your enemies. To obey commandment of Jesus in these times of interreligious tension in India, the Jesuits Fathers in Madhya Pradesh state have decided to travel all the possible paths t ...
• 1 July 2003
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - LARGEST NUMBER OF NEW PRIESTS ORDAINED IN LAHORE: FIVE CAPUCHINS WILL MINISTER IN PUNJAB Lahore (Fides Service) – “The Lord has chosen you to be his messengers. You are called to carry out your pastoral duties with zeal and dedication”. With these words Archbishop Lawrence Saldhana of Lahore, encourag ...
• 1 July 2003
  ASIA/MYANMAR - ARCHBISHOP OF YANGON: THE LITTLE CHURCH OF MYANMAR GROWS DESPITE TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIES, ALSO THANKS TO COMMITTED LAITY Vatican City (Fides Service) – “We are a very close knit community and despite difficulties and trials we praise God, we pray, we evangelise and engage in social and charity work”. This is how Archbishop Charles Ma ...
• 30 June 2003
  ASIA/INDIA - CATHOLIC CITY YOUTH ON MISSION AMONG RURAL YOUTH – PREPARATION FOR ASIAN YOUTH DAY CONTINUES Diphu (Fides Service) – “Young people on mission to other young people” initiatives are being undertaken by a number of Indian dioceses in preparation for Asian Youth Day in Bangalore 9-16 August 2003. The major yo ...
• 27 June 2003
  ASIA/JAPAN - PRIESTS IN TEAMS PROVIDE BETTER PASTORAL SERVICE AND FORMATION FOR YOUTH AND LAITY Yokohama (Fides Service) – To improve pastoral work priests of Yokohama archdiocese in Japan, have told their Bishop that they would like to form “common administration parishes” in the different areas of the archd ...
• 27 June 2003
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - DEATH OF FIRST FILIPINO VICAR APOSTOLIC OF CALAPAN Manila (Fides Service) – On 23 June at Quezon City Seminary after a long illness, which afflicted him for three years, Bishop Simeon Valerio, Divine Word Missionary, passed away. The Bishop, who was 86 will be remem ...