News

• 29 July 2009
  AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - “150th Anniversary of the Death of Msgr. Bresillac and His Confreres in Freetown (1859 to 2009): Opportunity to Celebrate the Missionary Roots of the Church in Sierra Leone” - Contribution from the Archbishop of Freetown and Bo Freetown (Agenzia Fides) – We here publish a commentary from the Archbishop of Freetown and Bo, Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles, written for Agenzia Fides, reflecting on the recent celebrations held in Sierra Leone for ...
• 28 July 2009
  EUROPE/ITALY - Letter from the Italian Missionary Institutes to the Bishops: “A diocese needs ad gentes missionaries, just as it needs priests and pastoral agents in the parishes.” Rome (Agenzia Fides) – In thanksgiving for the “solicitude for all the Churches” shown by Fidei donum and the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Letter of the Permanent Bishops' Council of the CEI (Italian ...
• 28 July 2009
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Awaiting the sentence for leader San Suu Kyi, as ASEAN considers human rights Yangon (Agenzia Fides) – In just a few days (probably July 31), Myanmar's High Court will decide on the sentence in the case of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition party in the country and a Nobel Peace Prize wi ...
• 28 July 2009
  OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Missionaries of Immaculate Mary: 20 years on missions among the indigenous of the small islands of Papua Port Moresby (Agenzia Fides) – The Missionaries of Immaculate Mary have been on the small islands of Kiriwina, part of Papua New Guinea, for over 20 years now, working among the local indigenous peoples. The missiona ...
• 28 July 2009
  AMERICA/COSTA RICA - Bishops' statement on the “National Day of the Unborn”: “Couples who realize that their children are the most important and are responsible in educating their children, fulfill their vocation and make an invaluable contribution to society.” San Jose (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishops of Costa Rica have issued a statement for the celebration of the “National Day of the Unborn” in which they recall that “the radical values of the Kingdom leave no room for ...
• 28 July 2009
  AMERICA/MEXICO - Bishops show their solidarity with Honduras: “We understand the complex nature of the situation and the difficulty in understanding the decisions made, from the outside.” Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - “On behalf of the Bishops of Mexico and the Catholic people we serve, we wish to convey our prayers and solidarity in this difficult moment for the people of Honduras,” says a letter of ...
• 28 July 2009
  AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - “Illiteracy is the entrance into a vicious circle: ignorance, lack of hygiene, underdevelopment, poverty, leprosy. Breaking the chain of ignorance, disease can be overcome as well.” The work of the Capuchin Missionaries in Madagascar Ambanja (Agenzia Fides) – In 2002, Madagascar received the WHO's “award for the victory over leprosy,” a disease that has afflicted the island for many years and that today is under control thanks to the work of Ca ...
• 28 July 2009
  ASIA/TAIWAN - Last call for youth to participate in Taiwan Youth Day, August 19-22 Taichung (Agenzia Fides) – Almost everything is ready and the Diocese of Taichung, which will host the Taiwan Youth Day 2009, is making another appeal to all the youth of Taiwan to come together on August 19-22 to part ...
• 27 July 2009
  OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - New “Anointed and Sent” initiative for Australian Youth Ministry, launched Sydney (Agenzia Fides) – A new project for Youth Ministry has been presented in the Catholic Church in Australia. The new guidelines for the plans in this area were presented in a text entitled “Anointed and Sent: An ...
• 27 July 2009
  AMERICA/MEXICO - Rite of missionary sending during Closing Mass at the 10th National Youth Conference; Continental Mission begins in the Diocese of Tepic Tepic (Agenzia Fides) – On July 26, a Closing Mass was held for the 10th National Youth Congress (CONAJUM). The Mass was presided by Bishop Ricardo Watty Urquidi of Tepic, and concelebrated by Bishop Alfonso Robles Cot ...
• 27 July 2009
  AMERICA/MEXICO - National Campaign “Family, Be What You Are!” as a follow-up to the VI World Family Encounters Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishop's Commission for Communication of the Mexican Bishop's Conference (CEM) has launched a national campaign “Familia, se lo que eres” (Family, Be What You Are), which will incl ...
• 27 July 2009
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - CELAM writes a letter thanking the Holy Father, a message to Cardinal Re for the Year for Priests, and a message of solidarity to Cardinal Madariaga Bogota (Agenzia Fides) – Last week, in Bogota (Colombia), CELAM held its 3rd General Coordination Meeting for the present 4-year term (2007-2011). The event was attended by the President of CELAM, the presidents of the ...
• 27 July 2009
  ASIA/HONG KONG - Bishop John Tong blesses the Catholic section at International Book Fair Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop John Tong of Hong Kong presided the inauguration of the “Catholic area” of the annual Hong Kong Book Fair on July 22, the opening day of the Fair. He also blessed and presented a ...
• 27 July 2009
  VATICAN - Pope's homily at Vespers in the Cathedral of Aosta: “May our lives speak of God; may our life truly be liturgy and proclamation of God, the port where the distant God becomes the near God, and true gift of ourselves to God.” Aosta (Agenzia Fides) – On the afternoon of Friday, July 24, the Holy Father Benedict XVI preisded the Celebration of Vespers in the Cathedral of Aosta. In the homily, the Pope commented on the Concluding Prayer from t ...
• 27 July 2009
  ASIA/INDONESIA - Coadjutor Archishop of Jakarta appointed Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on July 25, 2009, appointed Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, until now Archbishop of Semarang, as Coadjutor Archbishop of Jakarta (Indonesia). (SL) ...