News

• 19 May 2009
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - Conflict between government forces and extremist rebels intensifies Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – The situation in Somalia has worsened, as the conflict between two sides of the Islamic Courts, the “moderate” (as Western mass media defines them) which has taken control of the nationa ...
• 19 May 2009
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Two million refugees and the Church's commitment to offering continual service, however “the situation could take a turn for the worst at any moment,” a source tells Fides Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – The wave of Pakistani refugees fleeing the Swat Valley continues, as they seek refuge from the fighting going on between the regular army and the Taliban in the region. The Church, Caritas, ...
• 19 May 2009
  ASIA/CHINA - The Parish of Yin Chuan, with the support of the Bishop, promoting celebration of Mass in industrial area without places of worship Yin Chuan (Agenzia Fides) – In the northwest, historically known as the poorest and most underdeveloped area of mainland China, there has been a great wave of immigration to the provinces of Ning Xia, Qing Hai, Gan Su. ...
• 19 May 2009
  AFRICA/KENYA - “Leave your personal interest aside for once and concentrate on the fate of the nation,” Archbishop of Mombasa asks the nation's leaders Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “Only through respect of the other and proper use of dialogue can this government forge ahead to tackle the issues affecting ‘mwananchi’ [kiswahili for “sons of the nation,” i.e. Kenya ...
• 19 May 2009
  AMERICA/ARGENTINA - 24th Encounter of Border Dioceses, with the theme: “Reestablishing Fraternity Amidst Insecurity and Violence” Posadas (Agenzia Fides) – From May 18-20, the so-called “border dioceses” are celebrating their 24th Diocesan Encounter, with the theme: “Reestablishing Fraternity Amidst Insecurity and Violence,” at the Fatima ...
• 19 May 2009
  AMERICA/PERU - Bishops' Conference President during the ad limina visit: “we want to accompany our brethren in this time of great challenges, to give them hope and consolation and be sure guides bearing the light and strength of the Gospel” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The rich spiritual inheritance received presents a great challenge today, a challenge that influences our manner of evangelizing and nurturing Christian life. This challenge, which we ha ...
• 19 May 2009
  EUROPE/ITALY - Italian Bishops' Conference working in support of Sri Lankans Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The President's Office of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) issued a statement expressing the closeness of the entire Church in Italy to the victims of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. “Th ...
• 19 May 2009
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - “The Church will do her part for a future of peace and unity,” Bishops' Conference Secretary tells Agenzia Fides Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - “There is still a great deal left to do in building a future of reconciliation, peace, and respect for the dignity and rights of all Sri Lankans. The Church will do her part for a future of pe ...
• 19 May 2009
  VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells Bishops of Peru on their Ad Limina visit: “a Church in mission puts its own problems in perspective and looks towards the future with hope and enthusiasm” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Even today, as in the entire history of the Church, cultivating a spirit of communion, appreciating the qualities of each of the brothers and sisters that Divine Providence has placed at ...
• 19 May 2009
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies appointed Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on March 17, 2009, appointed Fr. Socrates C. Lesiona, of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP), as ...
• 19 May 2009
  EUROPE/LUXEMBOURG - National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies confirmed Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on April 8, 2008 confirmed the appointment of Fr. Georges Hellimghausen, of the clergy of the Archdiocese ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Brief Overview of the History of the Conflict Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – The Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) has been engaged in an ethnic conflict since 1984 between a Sinhalese majority (nearly 74% of the population, the majority of whom are Buddhist) and ...
• 18 May 2009
  AFRICA/MALAWI - Malawi prepares to elect its new President Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – Malawians will vote tomorrow, May 19, for a new President and Parliament. The incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika is the favorite, especially after the Supreme Court ruled that Bakili Mulu ...
• 18 May 2009
  ASIA/INDIA - Congress Party victory; Bishops ask government to ensure a secular and democratic India, end fundamentalism New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – India has opted for stability and continuity: the official results of the elections show a net victory for the ruling Congress Party, versus the opposition led by the right-wing nationalist ...
• 18 May 2009
  AMERICA/COLOMBIA - 11th Continental Meeting of the RIIAL, to promote efficient services for the Continental Mission Bogota (Agenzia Fides) – This June 3-5, the 11th Continental Meeting of the Information Network of the Church in Latin America (in Spanish, RIIAL) will be held in Bogota (Colombia). The event is organized by the Pontif ...