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Gospel Saints Papal Teaching Congregation Pontifical Mission Societies Urban University Mission texts Animation Statistics From the Holy See Testimonies Martyrology Jubilee 2000 Church life Missionaries Religious institutes Movements & Associations Catholic universities Culture History Art Cinema / Photo Radio & tv Music Poetry Health Technology Geography News 360° Dossier In-depth study Interviews Stories Book review Children’s corner		INDEX maggio 2005 31/05/2005 VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI addresses Italian Bishops : “Italy can and must play a major role in offering common witness to Jesus Christ our only Saviour, so Christ may be the measure for true humanism, for individual conscience and the structures social life” AFRICA/BURUNDI - “Thank you Holy Father for your encouragement. We confirm our commitment to work for peace in our country” the Bishops of Burundi said at the end of their Ad Limina visit AFRICA/LIBERIA - “Charles Taylor is only the tip of the iceberg of what is happening here in Liberia” a missionary told Fides AFRICA/GUINEA BISSAU - Calm replaces tension of past few days ASIA/CHINA - Catholics in China celebrate Corpus Christ with great fervour and in great numbers ASIA/AFGHANISTAN - “Clementina Cantoni: why is there no general mobilisation?” asks the president of the Catholic Bishops of Pakistan calling for the release of the Italian volunteer “kidnapping is against the precepts of any religion” ASIA/PAKISTAN - Tension and disorder in Karachi: Christian leaders call on government to guarantee more security and promote social and inter-religious harmony AMERICA/CUBA - Being a “missionary Church”, growing in missionary spirituality, proclaiming the Gospel everywhere, start Missionary Youth groups: resolutions of the first Missionary Meeting in Cuba OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA “Take the next step” towards Aborigines: Catholic commitment in National Week for Reconciliation MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION - The Pope’s mission prayer intention for June: 'That the Sacrament of the Eucharist be more and more perceived as the heartbeat of the Church’s life'. Comment by Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi (India) Auguri! Today after 38 years of faithful service at Fides Mr Agostino Severi is retiring. The direction and staff wish him all the best and a very happy retirement! 30/05/2005 VATICAN - "The Church will never stop saying that marriage and the family are part of God’s plan and nothing can replace them or act as a substitute for them": The Pope confirms the convocation of 5th World Meeting of Families in Spain in 2006 EUROPE/ITALY - Benedict XVI closes 24th Italian National Eucharistic Congress: “The one and the same Christ is present in the Eucharistic Bread everywhere in the world. This means we cannot encounter him alone without all the others. We can only receive him in unity. The consequence is clear: we cannot communicate with the Lord unless we communicate among ourselves” AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Premier’s Party declared winner of May 15 elections. But Opposition says battle is not over AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - While in Zimbabwe the grip of hunger is ever tighter, the government invests in modern technology to close communications frontiers. The opposition calls for solidarity denouncing vexation and violence against the poor. Neighbour countries increasingly affected by food crisis ASIA/INDONESIA - UNICEF starts building 200 new schools for 40,000 children in tsunami affected areas ASIA/INDIA - RSS (Hindu fundamentalism): 300,000 training schools, 10 million members, 100 million supporters. One of 39 centres of terror listed by Terrorism Research Centre in Virginia USA AMERICA/PERU - There exists a sort of “international club” which aims to promote social aberrations, hedonist sex as a life style, a new sort of feminism which fails to realise that maternity is God’s most valuable gift to women and upholds homosexuality as a sexual option: Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Archbishop of Lima interviewed by Fides OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Radio, a channel for ‘understanding among peoples’; youth formation seminar: Catholic radio network can strengthen national unity ACTA OF THE HOLY SEE - AFRICA/NIGERIA - The Pope appoints Bishop Coadjutor of Okigwe SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - VATICAN - Bambino Gesù Children’s ‘Happy Hospital’: Special anaesthetics and operating theatre 28/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope receives Burundian Bishops on ad Limina visit: “announce the Gospel and heal memory and hearts, foster solidarity among all Burundians and ban all spirit of revenge and resentment, encourage forgiveness and reconciliation”. EUROPE/GERMANY - “Under-construction, help us build a world of greater justice!”: for the first time World Youth Day preparation includes social programmes of solidarity “to build a civilisation of love and justice” AFRICA/NIGER - Many more than 4 million lives at stake. Drought and locusts bring on serious food shortage. Niamey diocese calls for help and solidarity AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “For 45 years and the last 15 in particular the people of Congo have suffered because of civil war and serious disorder. We call for violence to stop from which ever side it comes” says President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Congo ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - New Korean translation of the Bible ASIA/INDONESIA - Bomb blasts in Sulawesi, tension in the Moluccas: Christians fear possible return of generalised violence AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Chamber of Deputies rejects national plan which goes against life and the family; success for Ecumenical Demonstration which called on legislators to reflect before approving laws contrary to life AMERICA/COLOMBIA - “Nothing and no one can authorise the death of a human person, and certainly not when the person is helpless and unprotected”: says President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference with regard to the inapplicability of an article of law which penalises abortion 27/05/2005 VATICAN - “The Corpus Christi procession responds symbolically to the command of the Risen Lord: I am going before you to Galilee. Go out to the ends of the earth, carry the Gospel to the world.” The Pope says during Mass celebrated in front of the Cathedral of Rome VATICAN - “Each year infectious diseases are responsible for the death of 17 million persons of whom 90 percent live in developing countries: Holy See delegation addresses 58th World Health Assembly EUROPE/SPAIN - To deny a child the right to have a mother and a father of different sexes is to violate an inalienable human right: Dr Belén Vendrell offers contribution to Fides AFRICA/GUINEA BISSAU - Concern in Guinea Bissau after performances of former Presidents Kumba Yala and João Bernardo Viera AFRICA/SUDAN - “The situation in Darfur has not improved, Janjaweed Arab militia raids on civilians continue” Laura Boldrini of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees told Fides ASIA/CHINA - Disabled artistes from China win Roman hearts and get a special blessing from the Pope ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - National Day For Life: Catholic Church in Korea condemns human cloning and recalls Evangelium Vitae encyclical ten years on 25/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope comments on Psalm 115: “The entire people of God, thank the Lord of life, Who never abandons the just in the dark bosom of pain and death, but leads then to hope and to life." EUROPE/SPAIN - Experts all over the world say children adopted by same sex couples are more prone to psychological and health problems: Spain’s MPs receive “Report on infantile development in same sex couples " AFRICA/ CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - “With the election of the new President the international community has no excuse: it must assure the country urgently needed financial aid” AFRICA/TOGO - Catholic Bishops of Togo thank French Bishops for closeness and solidarity x AFRICA/BURUNDI - “People’s trust in the Church derives from the years of the civil war when the clergy stayed by their people” says the President of the Burundian Bishops’ Conference ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Positive end to kidnapping in Mindanao: a bishop helped obtain release of sixteen women and children AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Ecumenical demonstration pro-life and pro-family against proposed national plan of prevention of crimes against sexual autonomy and against minors and assistance for victims SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/INDONESIA - First case of polio since 1995: an 18 month old boy. The number of cases has since risen to 14 SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - EUROPE/ITALY - War is the main cause of persisting hunger in the world. Food Security Commission raises alarm SPECIAL ISSUE - EUROPA/SPAIN - Year of the Eucharist - “New Evangelisation in a de-Christianised Europe can only be from the Eucharist and towards the Eucharist”: all-night adoration of the Blessed Sacrament SPECIAL ISSUE - OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Year of the Eucharist:Corpus Christi may give new impulse to Catholic mission in Australia SPECIAL ISSUE - AFRICA/CAMEROON - Year of the Eucharist: The Eucharist is fundamental, essential in the life of the missionary. It is like going to the source to be filled with that which we wish to offer to others SPECIAL ISSUE - AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Year of the Eucharist:A week of reflection and prayer on the Eucharist in the dioceses of Colombia and the celebration of Eucharistic Congresses mark the solemnity of Corpus Christi 24/05/2005 VATICAN - Papal Letter to the Church in Spain on the occasion of the national pilgrimage to Zaragoza: “May the Blessed Virgin Mary preserve every family from all forms of social justice, from all that offends its dignity and restricts its freedom” AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Growing expectation for results of May 15 election: both majority and opposition claim victory. Official results on 8 June AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Sixty per cent of the country’s healthcare centres are Catholic hospitals” says Bishop of Kisantu in south west Congo ASIA/CHINA - Exhibition on the history of the Catholic community in Nan Chong attracts more than 8,000 visitors mainly non Christians in two months ASIA/HONG KONG - At the close of the diocesan Year for Evangelisation lay people called to be ever more committed to evangelisation” AMERICA/ARGENTINA - “Initiative for culture of life against culture of death”: slogan of International Pro-Life and Pro-Family Congress 17 to 19 June in Buenos Aires AMERICA/PERU Year of the Eucharist - more intense preparation for Corpus Christi with diocesan Eucharistic Weeks and various other initiatives to deepen awareness and gratitude for the gift of the Eucharist AMERICA/BRAZIL - General Chapter confirms Mother Gabriella Bono as Superior of Consolata missionaries soon to celebrate Foundation Centenary CEP APPOINTMENTS - AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - New rector of St Peter Claver inter-diocesan major seminary in Bobo-Dioulasso SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA - World Health Assembly approves new set of International Health Regulations to manage public health emergencies of international concern. This comes when several outbreaks of avian influenza in different parts of Asia could cause a pandemic with catastrophic consequences 23/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope’s Sunday reflection at the Angelus: “God is not solitude, but perfect communion. This is why the human person, the image of God, is realised through love, sincere gift of self ” EUROPE/GERMANY - “Guests are a blessing”: Days of Encounter in dioceses all over Germany will open 20th World Youth Day EUROPE - “Meeting emergencies, protecting human rights, building peace: new President of Caritas Internationalis illustrates priorities EUROPE/SPAIN - Professionals Pro-ethics Memorandum: every adopted child has the right to have a female parent and a male parent, to belong to a family as similar as possible to the natural family and not to be exposed to traumatic experiments EUROPE/ITALY - Papal Envoy Cardinal Ruini, opens 24th National Eucharistic Congress: “the Eucharist is the heart of the Church, nourishment for every individual member” AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - There is new hope in western Côte d'Ivoire but the spectre of ethnic war is still there AFRICA/KENYA - The rich North is like the ‘rich man’ but ‘Lazarus’ Africa deserves real aid not scraps. Bishops of Kenya Letter Pastoral on external debts of poor countries ASIA/HONG KONG - Solemn Corpus Christ procession in Hong Kong will culminate with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at a Home for the elderly ASIA/MALAYSIA - Kuala Lumpur diocese celebrates 50th anniversary: “Harmony through reconciliation” AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Intense Course in Missiology in Caracas in September will “animate and form local Churches to assume their missionary responsibility starting from the originality of the Venezuelan ecclesial experience” OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - 5,000 young Catholics of Sydney receive the sacrament of Confirmation amidst jubilant crowds evoking memories of the Holy Year 2000 SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - Although 28% lower than ten years ago, the poverty rate in Republic di Guyana is still high particularly in rural areas, minister of health tells General Assembly of the World Health Organisation 21/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope addresses Bishops from Rwanda: “May the Spirit of Pentecost render fruitful the efforts of those who strive to build brotherhood among all Rwandans in a spirit of truth and justice!” EUROPE/ITALY - 24th National Eucharistic Congress opens this evening in Bari: “We cannot live without Sunday”. 29 May closing Mass presided by Benedict XVI EUROPE/SPAIN - Thousands of people accompanied by 52 Bishops make pilgrimage to Saragozza to re-consecrate the country to the care of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in this Year of the Immaculate Mary in Spain EUROPE/ITALY - “Morning Watchmen” gather in first extended assembly AFRICA/TOGO - The number of Togo refugees in Ghana and Benin is stable says UN High Commission for Refugees AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - East Congo: violence on civilians “An unbearable situation. The international community must intervene” ASIA/INDIA - More than 50,000 gather to celebrate the raising of the head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios to the dignity of Major Archbishop ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Independence three years on: East Timor faces challenge of reconciliation and economic development AMERICA/PERU - “We and our communities are in a state of mission… In this year of the Eucharist, may the Lord Jesus Christ stay with us so we are able to communicate him to our brothers and sisters””: Closing Message of 30th CELAM meeting 20/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope addresses students of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy: “cultivate "the two constitutive and complementary dimensions of the Church: communion and mission, unity and passion for evangelisation VATICAN - After a Seminar ‘Liturgy a great school of peace’ Justice and Peace president Cardinal Martino promises paper on the subject EUROPE/SPAIN - “This amendment to the Civil Code masks one of the most serious aspects of the project: violation of the basic rights of the child. The government’s reaction to our Memorandum was a wall of silence not to say scorn " said Association of Professionals for Ethics chairman interviewed by Fides ASIA/TAIWAN - Catholic Bishops and Religious Superiors hold Spring Meeting AMERICA/MEXICO - “Euthanasia is always either homicide or suicide”: Church in Mexico harshly condemns propose law to allow euthanasia AMERICA/PERU - Bishops’ Conference calls for more communion among the peoples of Latin America and build hope in each of the countries AMERICA/CUBA - 1st National Catholic Mission Assembly to give new impulse to missionary activity and respond to present day challenges 19/05/2005 VATICAN - “Love, nourish and hand on the faith in your families as the most precious heritage! Bear witness to the faith!”: Benedict XVI encourages Peruvian Catholics VATICAN - Political commitment as a demanding way of living Christian commitment at the service of others: Cardinal Martino at a Seminar of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church EUROPE/SPAIN - “This law offends humanity and society and it will cause an unprecedented social rift. This is mistruth claiming to be truth" says Catholic Bishop of Tarazona in a Pastoral Letter to his people. AFRICA/ZAMBIA - Catholic diocesan radio station Radio Musi O Tunya in Livingstone resumes broadcasts AFRICA/RWANDA - “The Church in Rwanda is a lively reality” Chairman of Bishops’ Conference tells Fides ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - 7 attempts to answer one question: What really happened in Uzbekistan? ASIA/BANGLADESH - More than 10,000 local people, including many Muslims, attend ordination of the new Catholic Bishop of Khulna SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - AFRICA/CONGO - Infected monkey meat could be the cause of new outbreak of Ebola. In Congo nine people died of Ebola in April and new cases await confirmation. For this virus which is mortal in 60 to 90 percent of cases, there is no treatment or vaccine 18/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope’s Wednesday Audience teaching “the Lord stoops attentively to our smallness and indigence which would make us draw back in fear” on Psalm 112 VATICAN - “I wish to recommend CELAM to give special attention to pastoral of the family threatened in our day by serious dangers which undermine the very foundation of Christian marriage and family”: Pope Benedict XVI sends message to Latin American Bishops for 50th CELAM anniversary EUROPE/SPAIN - Adoption of a child by same sex couples cannot be justified if we consider the rights of the child EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - Meeting of General Secretaries of European Bishops' Conferences: on the agenda the role of Christianity and the Churches in Europe, bio-ethical issues, urgent pastoral themes EUROPE/ITALY - Monfort Missionaries elect new Superior General Santino Brembilla the first ever Italian to lead the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. EUROPE/ITALY - The Prelate of Opus Dei will ordain 42 new priests from 13 different countries on 21 May AFRICA/TOGO - “Let us not be discouraged! Let us continue to pray and pray and pray for our country”: Christian leaders in Togo address the people AFRICA/GUINEA BISSAU - Most people in Guinea want the elections, but supporters of former President Kumba Yala need help to overcome fear and diffidence AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - While waiting for official election results, government and opposition both claim victory in parliamentary elections on 15 May ASIA/PAKISTAN - President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan will stay on the political scene even after 2007 ASIA/SYRIA - Ecumenical reflection and experience in Aleppo: how long must we wait before all Christians celebrate Easter together on the same date? ASIA/CAMBODIA - Salesians celebrate 14 years at the service of young Cambodians offering education, and caring for street children and those with HIV/AIDS OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Cardinal George Pell urges government to review immigration policies 17/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope tells pilgrims in Rome for the beatification of Mothers Ascension de Corazon de Jesus Nicol Goni, and Marianne Cope “Exemplary witnesses of Christ's charity these two new Blessed help us to better understand the meaning and the value of our Christian vocation” VATICAN - Catholic Church’s Message to the Buddhists of the world on occasion of the Feast of Vesakh 2005: “where Buddhists and Catholics live together may they use the moment to consolidate the good relations which already exist between them” EUROPE/SPAIN - Spanish Family Forum: There is nothing to prove that adoption by a same sex couple is innocuous for the development of the minor AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Next year presidential elections. Democratic Congo adopts new constitution AFRICA/GUINEA BISSAU - Uncertainty and concern in Guinea Bissau after declarations by former President Kumba Yala AFRICA/CHAD - Violence in refugee camps in Chad: UN High Commission for Refugees seriously concerned ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - “Social malcontent and poverty are at the root of local protests”, says Franciscan Fr. Krzysztof Kukulka missionary in Uzbekistan ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - UN High Commission for Refugees assists Uzbekistan people fleeing violence ASIA/INDIA - “Christians must be barred from public administration” say Hindu extremists: “this goes against the country’s Constitution and human rights” Indian Christians reply SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/CINA - Cases of parasitic disease increase by 75 per cent. 12 million people in China infected by a parasite in the liver SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/VIETNAM - Bird flu: second outbreak in less than a week. Experts fear virus may change 16/05/2005 VATICAN - At the Regina Cæli prayer the Pope underlines the bond that exists in the Church between the Spirit and institution: “Without the Holy Spirit the Church would be a merely human organisation, weighed down by her very structures” VATICAN - On the solemnity of Pentecost Benedict XVI ordains 21 priests: “The wind and the fire of the Holy Spirit must ceaselessly open the frontiers that we human beings continue to build between ourselves; we must always pass anew from Babel, from closing in on ourselves, to Pentecost” VATICAN - Beatification of Marianne Cope and Ascensión Nicol Goñi: “Our two Blessed opened their lives to the Spirit of God letting themselves be led by him to serve the Church, the poor, the sick and youth ” EUROPE/SPAIN - "Children have rights": Professionals of ethics launch a campaign to prevent children being adopted by same-sex couples AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Good turn out for parliamentary elections: “this is a positive sign for the country’s democracy” ASIA/IRAQ - “The violence used by Al Qaida reveals weakness not power. What has all this got to do with religion” asks a Catholic priest in Iraq ASIA/INDIA - Popular theatre in Rajasthan to promote and spread the values of the Kingdom of God AMERICA/GUATEMALA - The late Archbishop Prospero Penados del Barrio emeritus of Guatemala “worked passionately to promote reconciliation among the people whom he accompanied with humility and firmness” says adjunct secretary of the Guatemalan Bishops’ Conference AMERICA/PERU - With the participation of 2 Cardinals and more than 120 Bishops of the continent of America the 30th Ordinary Assembly of the Council of Latin American Bishops’ Conferences, CELAM and celebrations for its 50th anniversary opens tomorrow in Lima SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - EUROPE/ITALY - Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome and Dominican Republic sign agreement to guarantee full support for the health of little Dominicans SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - Vaccines and fighting cancer, TB and malaria: World Health Organisation starts annual meeting SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Skin diseases lower immunity system opening the way for malaria and HIV. Only one ‘white coat’ for every 58,000 people, 12 skin experts and 100% of children with skin diseases 14/05/2005 EUROPE/FRANCE PMS Assembly - Over 80.000 seminarians in mission territories prepare for the priesthood thanks to funds from the Pontifical Mission Society St Peter Apostle EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - Report on the past year’s activity of Holy Childhood Society, closes the Annual Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies EUROPE/SPAIN - Spanish NGO starts youth cultural centres to serve 280,000 people including 110,000 children AFRICA/ETIOPIA - Tomorrow Young Ethiopian democracy goes to the polls to elect a new national parliament and eight regional parliaments ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - Info ASIA/CHINA - On the feast of Our Lady of Fatima Catholics pray that the “intercession of Pope John Paul II and the great love of Pope Benedict XVI will bring unity with the universal Church closer” FIDES SIGNALS - “To Bear Witness” Kevin M. Cahill M.D. SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - EUROPE/ITALY - The world and the challenge to humanise healthcare. St John of God Hospitaller Brothers: ““not only curing but most of all caring”” 13/05/2005 VATICAN - The Pope declares open the cause for the beatification of Pope John Paul II VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI addresses the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Holy See: “everyone is called to build a peaceful society in order to vanquish the temptation of clashes between cultures, ethnic groups and different worlds” VATICAN - Benedict XVI meets the priests and deacons of his diocese of Rome: “The Risen Christ calls us to be his witnesses and he gives us the power of his Spirit to do so. It is therefore necessary to be with Him in order to render witness with our whole life” VATICAN - Beatification - Sr Marianne Cope, for 35 years mother to lepers on the Pacific island of Molokai. Interview with beatification postulator Sr Mary Laurence Hanley AFRICA/TUNISIA - Migration and human trafficking: 16 national Caritas from countries in the Middle East, Horn of Africa and North Africa meet in Tunis AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - UN peacekeeper killed and 6 wounded in Ituri: local militia group suspected. “But the regular army troops also attack civilians” AFRICA/SUDAN - Representatives of two armed opposition movements in Darfur promise to resume talks with the Sudanese government ASIA/INDONESIA - In Aceh imminent revocation of state of emergency and martial law: hopes for freedom and respect for citizens’ rights ASIA/INDIA - Christians form Anti-Violence Forum in memory of Catholic priest mortally stabbed in Bihar AMERICA/BRAZIL - Consolata Missionaries elect new Superior general: Fr. Aquileo Fiorentini, first non Italian to head the Institute founded more than 100 years ago AMERICA/PERU - Experts from all over the world will meet in Lima for the 2nd International Pro-Life Conference OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Australian Bishops call for generosity in Timor Sea talks with regard to development of undersea oil and gas SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - AFRICA/UGANDA - In 2003 alone: 6,900 patients admitted, 27,000 out-patients treated, 1,100 babies delivered: Naggalama Hospital is re-born. Monday 16 May inauguration of the Ugandan hospital rehabilitated with the help of Doctors with Africa CUAMM 12/05/2005 VATICAN - Dominican Missionaries of the Rosary VATICAN - Beatifications - Mother Ascención Nicol: “Evangelise the poor in missionary situations where the Church is most in need” Mother Maria Auxiliadora Hernández Martínez Superior General delle Dominican Missionaries of the Rosary interviewed by Fides EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly: the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith distributes offerings collected on Mission Sunday for the needs of the Church in mission territories EUROPE/ITALY - Sixty years since the death of Father Pfeiffer Salvatorian Fathers open “On Mission in Rome” Exhibition to commemorate the Catholic priest who saved hundreds of lives during Nazi occupation EUROPE/ITALY - Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital and Umana Mente Foundation join forces to fight autism, violence against minors and food behaviour disturbances. Since 1999 over 25,000 calls for help to “Girasole 2” project AFRICA/ANGOLA - Arms: south-south agreement. Angola will purchase weapons for 100 million dollars from Brazil AFRICA/NIGERIA - Ibadan Serra Club visits seminaries in the Archdiocese to supportand encourage vocations ASIA - Asia’s sad world record: over 12 million people reduced to slavery or forced labour says International Labour Organisation ASIA/PAKISTAN - Long list of persons booked under blasphemy law since 1988: 647 victims of a law which discriminates and is often a tool of exploitation ASIA/JAPAN - Catechesis, prayer and works of charity for the year of the Eucharist ASIA/CHINA - Flourishing Catholic community in the province of Yunan with the highest number of different ethnic groups 11/05/2005 VATICAN - Wednesday Audience: the Pope continues teaching on Psalms and Canticles “Nations must learn to 'read' in history a message from God. The human adventure is not confused and meaningless … it is possible to discern God’s hidden intervention in history” EUROPE/GREECE - “Christians should not remain silent in front of the contemporary tendencies of some modern secularised states that try to impose on their people standards and values which are foreign to them, they should not give up witnessing to the values of the Gospel ” the highest authority of the Orthodox Church of Greece His Beatitude Christodoulos said at the 13th WCC Conference on World Mission and Evangelism EUROPE/SPAIN - It is necessary to make people realise that “we are all missionaries” children especially, who are “the missionaries of tomorrow” says national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain AFRICA/SUDAN - Reconciling hearts after years of civil war: Jesuit Refugee Service programme for refugees in southern Sudan AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Is Congo’s copper behind return of the Katanga Gendarmes? AFRICA/TOGO - Tension reigns under apparent calm. New details on militia groups and their ‘death squads’ ASIA/INDIA - 84 trees planted in Gujarat in memory of Pope John Paul II tireless promoter of peace and harmony among religions ASIA/JAPAN - Eliminate tension, promote reconciliation in the light of truth: young Japanese and Koreans meet to build peace and understanding between the two nations AMERICA/GUATEMALA - At National Mission Congress closing ceremony Maya k´iche catechists receive papal award for their work of evangelisation among their people CEP APPOINTMENTS - AFRICA/GABON - National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies confirmed SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - AFRICA/SAN TOME’ Y PRINCIPE - Outbreak of cholera could strike 50 per cent of the population on the Island of San Tomé SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/YEMEN - Polio epidemic spreading: World Health Organisation sends 6 million doses of vaccine for Yemen’s children 10/05/2005 EUROPE/GREECE - With the arrival by sea of a 4 mt high cross of olive wood sent from Jerusalem the 13th Conference on World Mission and Evangelism organised by the World Council of Churches opens in Athens today AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Ecclesia in Africa ten years on: 6 dioceses in South and North Kivu look at the situation of evangelisation in east Congo AFRICA/BURUNDI - Agreement over appointment of Internal minister and disarmament of civilians: peace in Burundi makes progress ASIA/PAKISTAN - Number of street children in Islamabad doubles ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Young Catholics in the Philippines look to John Paul II as a point of reference and example of holiness ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Government and Catholic Church reach agreement for religious instruction in schools ASIA/JAPAN - Catholics grow in numbers in the land of the Rising Sun. Catholic immigration is resource for evangelisation ASIA/INDIA - International campaign to protect rights of Dalit people against all forms of discrimination and violence AMERICA/PERU - Child and adolescent abuse: solidarity campaign Compartir 2005 starts on 11 May to help thousands of child victims of violence AMERICA/BRAZIL - ‘War and Peace: the role of the media to build understanding among nations’ theme of 5th International Communications Seminar 16 to 18 May in Brasilia SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/INDIA - Meningitis is still mortal for 10% of those affected in the world. Rising number of cases in New Delhi. India lacks 70% of the vaccine necessary to fight the outbreak. 09/05/2005 VATICAN - During his midday Regina Cæli on Sunday 8 May, Communications Day the Pope says: “each one must play his part to guarantee in every form of communication, objectivity, respect for human dignity and concern for the common good” VATICAN - Benedict XVI is installed in the Chair of the Bishop of Rome: “"The bishop of Rome sits in his cathedra to bear witness to Christ. Thus the cathedra is the symbol of the 'potestas docendi,' that authority to teach which is an essential part of the mandate to bind and to loosen conferred by the Lord on Peter” VATICAN - Benedict XVI receives first ad limina visit: addressing the Bishops of Sri Lanka he stressed the need to fight child abuse and guarantee the rights of children “so often simply forgotten or shamelessly exploited as soldiers, labourers, or innocent victims in the trafficking of human beings.” EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - The Saintly Cure d’Ars and Pauline Jaricot: two models for Mission AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Church in Congo mourns Fr. René de Haes killed in a robbery AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - On the one hand there are the interests of extortionists, on the other “no programme” for real development. Peace has stalled” a local mission told Fides ASIA/INDONESIA - In Aceh severely affected by the December tsunami International Organisation for Migration opens first clinic ASIA/SRI LANKA - “Benedict XVI is a man of humility who knows how to listen and he is a very holy man” said Archbishop of Kandy who addressed the Pope on behalf of the Bishops of Sri Lanka ASIA/THAILAND - More than 800,000 victims of human trafficking every year, new world wide scourge AMERICA/BRAZIL - New homes for street children and girl-mothers in Borba Prelature in the Amazon region of Brazil thanks to “Padre Pio missionary in the world” programme AMERICA/GUATEMALA - “Encourage in all Christian communities commitment to proclaiming and spreading the Good News of the Gospel at every latitude of the globe”: Pope Benedict XVI tells participants at National Mission Congress OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - School Games 2005: authentic sport key factor for education to values and integral development of the person 07/05/2005 EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - General Annual Assembly opens: every Particular Church and every member of the Church should participate not only by right but also in effect in the Church’s missionary work. EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - Updated Statutes of the Pontifical Mission Societies signed in Lyon EUROPE/SPAIN - Same sex ‘marriage’: Spanish Bishops reflect on ‘conscientious objection’: “To oppose dispositions which are immoral and contrary to reason, does not mean going against anyone, but standing for the truth and the good of every human person” AFRICA/KENYA - Floods in north east Kenya affect 25,000 refugees from Somalia AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - “The country awaits a new President to close the transition period and obtain promised international aid at last” a missionary said ASIA/INDIA - Catholic priest vicar general of Patna diocese dies of stab wounds after weeks of suffering ASIA/BANGLADESH - Re-structured church blessed in Chittagong diocese ASIA/HONG KONG - Mother’s Day an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of life from the Christian point of view OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - National Director takes copy of Aboriginal Madonna to Pontifical Mission Societies Assembly in France 06/05/2005 EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly: A call to “revive missionary ardour” in the Holy Father’s message for the inauguration of the home of Pauline-Marie Jaricot now a house of prayer and mission formation EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - Cardinal Sepe a Lyon: “We have come here to read again the spiritual legacy left to the missionary Church by venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot. May this humble daughter of this elect Church of Lyon inspire us in missionary zeal. May she make us willing and generous announcers of the Gospel of love.” AFRICA/BURUNDI - Disarm civilians to favour a calmer atmosphere in view of presidential elections AFRICA/MALAWI - Diocese of Mangochi mourns its Bishops AFRICA/TOGO - “Only when people are no longer afraid in Togo will we be able to say that democracy and normality have returned” ASIA/PAKISTAN - Catholic World Communications Day in Pakistan: harmony, understanding and respect in society and among different religious communities ASIA/TAIWAN - Hundreds of young Catholics attend adoration for the Year of the Eucharist ASIA/SRI LANKA - “We are against the anti-conversion Bill because we are convinced that the best way to solve the problem is dialogue” President of Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka tells Fides AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Encourage integration of individuals and institutions in search of concrete alternatives to meet present day challenges: 3rd National Reconciliation Congress with the slogan “If you desire Peace, work for Justice” opens in Bogota on 23 May AMERICA/GUATEMALA - Missionary reawakening of the Church in Guatemala continues: over 3000 attend 2nd national Mission Congress 04/05/2005 VATICAN - At the general Wednesday Audience Pope Benedict XVI continues the series of catechesis on the psalms and canticles prepared by John Paul II: “God emerges as a «custodian» ever awake, attentive and caring, like a «sentinel» who keeps watch over his people” EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - The Annual General Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies will be held for the first time in Lyon, birthplace of foundress French lay woman Pauline Jaricot whose home has been made into a memorial EUROPE/FRANCE - PMS Assembly - Pauline Jaricot and the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith EUROPE - Letter to the churches in Europe announcing 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly which will culminate in Rumania in September 2007 AFRICA/SOMALIA - “Increase pressure on Somali clans to help interim government exercise effective power” Apostolic of Mogadishu tells Fides commenting yesterday’s bomb blast AFRICA/TOGO - Expectation for Opposition statement after Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma is officially declared the winner of presidential elections AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - West Côte d'Ivoire swings from hope and more tragedies. Testimony from Capuchin Fathers ASIA/HONG KONG - Diocesan Year for Evangelisation concludes on 8 May ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - Malcontent rural workers stage street protests but without provoking disorder or tension ASIA/INDIA - “Evangelising means building bridges” says Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Increasing tension on the streets of Dili and some fear protests over education may lead to disorder AMERICA - In certain countries of Latin America the scourge of child soldiers and abuse of minors is still widespread AMERICA/ARGENTINA - “Jesus in the Eucharist makes us brothers and Sisters in Mission”: slogan 3rd national meeting of Holy Childhood animators will bring together more than 800 diocesan delegates 03/05/2005 EUROPE/SPAIN - President of Catholic University of Murcia issues a statement of total rejection of proposed amendments to the Spanish Civil Code which he considers “an unprecedented attack on history and an act of total disregard for marriage” EUROPE/ITALY - International Association Amici di Raoul Follerau: death of Farhat Rahman, social activist and Referent for programme for community development and Community Base Rehabilitation in Pakistan EUROPE/SPAIN - "Marriage is a natural institution inscribed in the order of creation and prior to all religion ": declaration by Archbishop Gil Hellín AFRICA/TOGO - “Thank you Benedict XVI for calling for peace in Togo” AFRICA/ZAMBIA - “There is an intimate and inseparable link between Mass and Mission. Our communion with Christ means that we share not only his life, but also his mission” : Bishop of Monze promotes deeper awareness of the ‘wonderful gift” of the Eucharistic ASIA/PHILIPPINES - 33 percent of the population in the Philippines does not eat enough food and lives under the poverty line on less than a dollar a day ASIA/SRI LANKA Post-tsunami efforts to build new homes and resettle the homeless continue, government re-launches tourism as a channel of solidarity ASIA/CHINA - New church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes at a Zheng Zhou AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Encourage dialogue faith-culture, faith-science, Gospel and culture, globalisation and evangelisation: first lap of permanent 18 month Symposium “Evangelisation of Cultures” OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Evangelising in the Pacific via the media: local Church initiatives in view of annual Communications Day 02/05/2005 VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI focuses Regina Cæli reflection on Sunday May 1 on work: “may work, especially for young people, never be lacking and may working conditions always be respectful of the dignity of the human person”. Appeal for people of Togo “suffering because of painful civil strife” VATICAN - “Same sex ‘marriage’ is another step towards the total destruction of the institution of the family, the most valuable heritage of all peoples and all humanity”: Fides interviewed Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family AFRICA/DJIBOUTI - 30,000 people in Djibouti face food shortage because of drought. At least 5,000 families have no assistance, no food and nothing to sell to buy food AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - Guere and Dioula tribes fight in west Côte d'Ivoire, at least 14 dead AFRICA/TOGO - In ever greater numbers Togolese flee the country: at least 10,000 now in Benin and 4,000 in Ghana ASIA/PAKISTAN - Stop religious persecution of minorities: appeal from Commission for Peace and Human Development in Pakistan OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Network of Catholic formation centres for 30 years at the service of education and development for rural communities MISSIONARY PRAYER INTENTION - The Pope’s Mission Prayer Intention for May 2005: “For the Pontifical Mission Societies: may they help all Christians, young and old, realise they have a part to play in missionary work”, Comment by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples SCIENCE AND MEDICINE - ASIA/YEMEN - Polio strikes after an interval of almost 10 years 22 children affected Archivio 2005 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DICEMBER Archivio 2004 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DICEMBER Archivio 2003 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DICEMBER Archivio 2002 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DICEMBER

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