News

• 15 March 2004
  EUROPE/ITALY - International Congress on “Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas “ Rome (Fides Service) - On Tuesday 16 March at 11am, at the Vatican Press Room there will be the presentation of an international Congress “Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethica ...
• 15 March 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope addresses the Plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture: “It falls to Bishops and the faithful to identify and take into consideration the essential questions and longings of the men and women of our times and to dialogue with individual persons and with peoples to promote, in an original and inculturated manner, the message of the Gospel and the person of Christ the Redeemer.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “You outline a new geography of non belief and religious indifference in the world, and you note a rupture in the transmission of Christian faith and values... it falls to Bishops and the ...
• 15 March 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Christians assist family of Muslim bus driver shot dead for trying to prevent kidnapping of little Christian school girl. Missionary in the Philippines tells of many such stories of Christian-Muslim reciprocal solidarity Pikit (Fides Service) - Fighting in Mindanao is not a war between Muslims and Christians, Father Robert Layson, Oblate Missionary of Mary Immaculate (OMI), parish priest in Pikit and head of the OMI interreligious dialog ...
• 15 March 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - Indian Catholic Press Association marks 40th anniversary “The Catholic community was among the first to take an interest in the field of the media, often thanks to work of missionaries”, Father Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Indian Bishops Conference told Fides Bangalore (Fides Service) - “At the age of forty a person is mature. And the Indian Catholic Press Association, ICPA is marking its 40th year of activity looking at the past and to the future”. Father Babu Joseph, s ...
• 15 March 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Tension rises in Ivory Coast amidst rumours of a coup and attacks on magistrates Abidjan (Fides Service) - There is rising tension in Ivory Coast where rumours of possible military coups and attacks on public officials make it difficult to imagine how the situation will evolve in the next few days. ...
• 15 March 2004
  AFRICA/CHAD - “135,000 refugees on the Chad Sudan border must be moved to safety by May before rain season starts” says Laura Boldrini UN High Commission for Refugees. Archbishop of N’Djamena appeals for help N’Djamena (Fides Service)- “There are at least 135,000 refugees camped along the Chad Sudan border who must be moved to safer places before the rain season starts in May when roads will be closed, Laura Boldrini, spo ...
• 15 March 2004
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - HIV/AIDS treatment: a luxury for the rich. In a continent where 290 million people live on less than a dollar a day not many can afford costly HIV/AIDS treatment Rome (Fides Service) - According to Dr Vento, who works in the infectious disease department of Borgo Trento hospital in Verona «In the last 2-3 years the west has produced special treatment for HIV virus consisting of ...
• 13 March 2004
  AFRICA/BENIN - “Child labour is a modern form of slavery ” says Father Claude, in front line to fight the plague of street children in Benin Cotonou (Fides Service )- More than 4,000 children in Benin, one of the poorest countries in Africa, are sent to work in other countries. This tragic news was reported to Fides by Father Claude, who has been missionary i ...
• 13 March 2004
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - “To eliminate the scourge of child labour parents must be made to realise that that children are not the property of adults ” says Father Benedito who runs a Home for Children in southern Angola Lubango (Fides Service)-“Child labour is a social scourge in Angola involving thousands and thousands of children” Father Benedito Kapingara who opened and runs The Gospel of Life Children’s Home in Lubango dioc ...
• 13 March 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - “To uproot child labour a greater effort must be made to eliminate poverty”: Archbishop Lawrence Saldhana, President of Bishops’ Conference tells Fides - The local Church provide child workers with free afternoon schooling Lahore (Fides Service) - “To eliminate the tragedy of child labour, poverty must be eliminated and families must be enabled to live a life of dignity” said Archbishop Lawrence Saldhana of Lahore and President of the ...
• 13 March 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - The Church keeps close watch on child labour: religious institutes and lay associations provide valid assistance New Delhi (Fides Service) - “The Catholic Church in India is actively involved in initiatives to prevent child labour. Many dioceses and religious institutes work to address this problem by assisting families, providin ...
• 13 March 2004
  AMERICA/BRAZIL In Brazil the child’s “working week” grows with the child: 12 hours for a 5 year old to 37 hours for a 16 year old. Particularly serious problem of domestic work: little girls kept in semi-slavery and often abused. Sao Paulo (Fides Service) - The average working week for children between the ages of 5 and 9 years 12 hours per week, but children between 10 and 13 work 22 hours a week. Adolescents workers aged 16 to 17 do as many as ...
• 13 March 2004
  AMERICA/PERU Archdiocese of Huancayo denounces: to support their families more than 3000 children work on building sites, mines, plantations Huancayo (Fides Service) - “More than 3000 children work to support their families on building sites, in mines, plantations, brick-making, civil building hands, selling sweets and crafts items on the streets. Many are ...
• 13 March 2004
  LENT 2004 - “Humanity cannot close its eyes to such a tragedy! What have these children done to deserve such maltreatment?” (John Paul II - Message for Lent) 2 - CHILD LABOUR SLAVES OF MANY OWNERS In Asia - In Africa - In Latin America - workers without rights - will the future be any different? ILO: CHRONOLOGY OF THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD LABOUR AFRICA/BENIN - Little girls in Cotonou: e ...
• 13 March 2004
  SLAVES OF MANY OWNERS. Vatican City (Fides Service) - They should be sitting at a school desk, playing with their friends, have the opportunity to live their childhood to the full. Instead they grow up too early, taking on the heavy burden of ...