THE PHILIPPINES – Will Mindanao become another Iraq? "In some areas of Mindanao we are experiencing exactly the same thing as is happening in Iraq". The words are those of Father Sebastiano D’Ambra an Italian missionary of the PIME congregation who has been working for almost 50 years now in the [...]
Ordination of Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Homs Mor Theophilus Philip Barakat Last month the Pope gave his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Syrians of His Excellency as archbishop of Homs, in Syria. The diocese has 13,000 Catholics, 17 [...]
It-Tieni Anniversarju tal-ACN f’Malta Nhar il-?img?a, 13 ta’ Mejju 2016, Festa tal-Madonna ta’ Fatima, Patruna tal-ACN, ja?bat g?eluq it-tieni anniversarju mit-twaqqif tal-Aid to the Church in Need (Malta).Nirringrazzjaw ’l Alla u lil Marija Omm il-Knisja, tal-qlub ?eneru?i li qed jie?du sehem bit-talb u fil-missjoni nobbli tag?ha u hekk ikunu ta’ soljiev [...]
ANGOLA - Church condemns corruption and human rights violations Although the Church is not “an opposition party”, it will not “remain silent in the face of grave violations of human rights”In a strongly-worded pastoral letter, the bishops of Angola—citing an alarming growth in poverty and a sharp rise in the cost of [...]
EU creates new position to address Religious Freedom issues worldwide The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has just created a new position specifically to address and tackle the growing restrictions on religious freedom internationally. The decision follows last February’s resolution on the systematic mass murder being committed by ISIS, [...]
UKRAINE - Pope’s initiative highlights humanitarian crisis Following the extraordinary collection for Ukraine launched by Pope Francis, Mgr Giampietro Dal Toso was sent to Ukraine to assess the situation. Mgr Dal Toso is the Secretary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum which has been entrusted by the Pope to deliver the money [...]
THAILAND - Christians and Muslims work together to promote harmony and peace Catholic bishops attended the inauguration of a new mosque in Bangkok in an initiative to foster interreligious dialogue and harmony between Christian and Muslim communities. Both Muslims and Christians are minorities in Thailand, where 93 percent of residents are [...]
SYRIA - “The people are afraid that IS will return” Although “Islamic State” (IS) has now been driven out from the Syrian city of Al Qaryatayn, it is unlikely Christians will return quickly. Fr. Jihad Youssed from the Community of al-Khalil, a local Catholic religious order said in an interview Aid [...]
Syria - "We don't want to live under Islamic rule." "The tears of the Christians are very painful for me"The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II visited Al Qaryatayn, the town liberated from IS – He expressed his shock at the extent of the destructionAfter visiting the Syrian town of Al Qaryatayn, [...]
INDONESIA - Catholic groups and bishop speak out against police harassment of activist priest Dozens of young people from the Catholic Youth and the Union of Catholic University Students of the Republic of Indonesia organizations in West Papua protested in the provincial capital Manokwari. Protesters marched several kilometers from the State University [...]