News

• 6 May 2009
  ASIA/CHINA - Faithful rejoice at the laying of the cornerstone of the new St. Michael's Parish in Cao Jia Du, Diocese of Shanghai Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop Joseph Xing Wen Zhi, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai, blessed the first stone of the new church of St. Michael's Parish in Cao Jia Du, in the Diocese of Shanghai, on April ...
• 6 May 2009
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “Let us help those who are tricked into being brought to our city to be exploited...”: Letter from the Archbishop of Cape Town against human trafficking Cape Town (Agenzia Fides) - “As the local Church of Cape Town we have a duty to take action.” This was the exhortation made by Archbishop Lawrence Henry of Cape Town (South Africa) to faithful, in asking them to awak ...
• 6 May 2009
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christian families from Karachi “locked in their own homes” for fear of the Taliban; death penalty for crime of “blasphemy” Karachi (Agenzia Fides) – There is a fear that Taliban violence will increase, as a result of weakness being shown on the part of the government, police, and civil institutions. The Christian families of the city of Ka ...
• 5 May 2009
  VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences: “Human rights, therefore, are ultimately rooted in a participation of God, who has created each human person with intelligence and freedom. If this solid ethical and political basis is ignored, human rights remain fragile since they are deprived of their sound foundation.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The natural law is The natural law is a universal guide recognizable to everyone, on the basis of which all people can reciprocally understand and love each other. Human rights, therefor ...
• 5 May 2009
  VATICAN - “Letter from Catechists to Catechists” in the Pauline Year, on the 30th anniversary of Saint Joseph's International Missionary College: “we feel called, right where we live, to be first and foremost the voice and the living presence of Christ” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The “Letter from Catechists to Catechists,” which hopes to “confirm us in our vocation” and “give thanks to God” for the gift of believers who respond to the call to become ev ...
• 5 May 2009
  EUROPE/ITALY - May 5, National Day Against Pedophilia: results of a “Centro Elis” campaign Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Nearly 24% of elementary and middle school students in Rome have seen pornographic material on the computer in their home. This is one of the facts released by an awareness campaign on informatio ...
• 5 May 2009
  EUROPE/POLAND - International Sacred Music Festival for the Year of St. Paul on May 6; Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Oratorio “Paulus” to be performed Czestochowa Czestochowa (Agenzia Fides) – As part of the 19th International Sacred Music Festival “Gaude Mater,” taking place in Czestochowa May 1-6 in honor of the Year of St. Paul and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fe ...
• 5 May 2009
  EUROPE/SPAIN - III National Encounter for the Holy Childhood Association. Pope asks children to “now begin assuming their responsibility in spreading the light of the Gospel everywhere” Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – This past weekend, May 2-3, 5,000 children participated in the III National Encounter of the Holy Childhood Association that was celebrated in Casa de Campo (in Madrid). This is what a statemen ...
• 5 May 2009
  AMERICA/NICARAGUA - Bishops' Conference asks government to clarify facts regarding the origin of a document that seeks to discredit the Church by portraying Bishops as corrupt and ambitious Managua (Agenzia Fides) – Yesterday, the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference (CEN) asked the government, led by Daniel Ortega, to “clarify facts regarding the origin” of the document “The Relationship between the Chur ...
• 5 May 2009
  AMERICA/GUATEMALA - Church calls for migration reform that respects the rights and dignity of migrants Guatemala City (Agenzia Fides) - “We unite ourselves to the migrants and their families, who are currently suffering from the restrictions established by migration policies. May they count on our prayers and our strugg ...
• 5 May 2009
  VATICAN - The Pope in the Holy Land to encourage Christians and contribute with reconciliation throughout the entire region Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – A journey to confirm Christians in their faith, to speak as a pilgrim of peace in a land devastated by long decades of conflict, to continue on the path of ecumenism and dialogue among th ...
• 5 May 2009
  AFRICA/SUDAN - High tension between Sudan and Chad, the day after the signing of an accord to begin normalization process between the two countries Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – At just two days from the signing at Doha (Qatar), tensions are rising between Sudan and Chad, thanks to an accord that was meant to help normalize relations between the two countries. The g ...
• 5 May 2009
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Religious communities gather for the anniversary of Cyclone Nargis Pathein (Agenzia Fides) – The religious communities located in Myanmar have come together in solidarity and hope, to remember all that took place as a consequence of Cyclone Nargis one year ago when it swept across the ...
• 4 May 2009
  VATICAN - Benedict XVI at the Regina Caeli encourages faithful to “pray a lot for vocations” and for his trip to the Holy Land: “I will be a pilgrim of peace, in the name of the one God, Father of all.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “As much personally as in community, we have to pray a lot for vocations, so that the greatness and the beauty of the love of God attracts many to follow Christ on the path of the priesth ...
• 4 May 2009
  VATICAN - Holy Father reminds members of the Papal Foundation that, especially when times are difficult, “we must continue to be beacons of hope, strength and support for others, most especially those who have no one to watch over or assist them.” Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “In just a few days I will have the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. I go as a pilgrim of peace. As you are well aware, for more than sixty years, this region — the land of our Lord ...