Showing posts with label Fides News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fides News. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2015

AFRICA - Senegalese NGO: "An international coalition to combat human trafficking"

Rome - An international coalition to curb illegal immigration, at the origin of tragedies such as the sinking of a boat with at least 900 migrants in the early hours of Sunday, April 19 off the coast of Libya. This is what the organization for the defense of Senegalese migrants "Horizon sans Frontières" calls for in a statement sent to Agenzia Fides. "The number of dead must now push the international community to react" states the document that, besides deploring the lack of "adaptation of European policy to new data of illegal immigration" points out that the phenomenon has now gone beyond Europe, assuming "an international dimension" that cannot be addressed during a simple ministerial meeting.
"Therefore there must be true international coalition to curb this phenomenon", said the Senegalese NGO, "we must act along the Libyan coast". "A coalition that must help this Country to organize itself in order to effectively fight against the chains of illegal immigration".
For this reason "Horizon sans Frontières" calls for "the establishment of an international coalition to bring together the Mediterranean Countries and those of origin of migrants, with powerful means to block the long-term problem".
The NGO finally calls for "the opening of an international investigation to identify the authors of this new human trafficking". "When one had to fight against piracy a coalition to address this threat was formed with significant results today and one should do the same to avoid these tragedies which cause thousands of deaths", the statement concluded.

Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37657-AFRICA_Senegalese_NGO_An_international_coalition_to_combat_human_trafficking
This article by originally appeared on fides.org on April 20, 2015 at 01:00AM

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

AFRICA - Decent work for young people living in rural areas

Johannesburg - More than half of the population of Africa is under 25 years of age and it is expected that over the next decade, about 11 million young people will enter the labor market every year. Despite strong economic growth in many African countries, the salaried work is still very limited, agriculture and agro-industry continue to be the source of income and employment for more than 60% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa. However, the physical effort that requires small-scale agriculture is not what young people prefer who instead prefer to go to the cities in search of better living conditions. The phenomenon is worrying with regards to the impact it can have on agricultural production.

To entice young people to engage in the food industry, the New Partnership for Africa's Development , the African Union body that promotes economic development, and the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture have just launched a four-year project in Johannesburg, intended to create decent work opportunities for young women and men living in rural areas. The goal of the project is the development of rural enterprises dedicated to sustainable agriculture and agribusiness. The beneficiaries will be over 100 thousand people from Benin, Cameroon, Malawi and Niger.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37565-AFRICA_Decent_work_for_young_people_living_in_rural_areas

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 31, 2015 at 01:00AM

AFRICA/TANZANIA - Constitutional referendum at risk for the controversy over Islamic Courts

Dar es Salaam - The referendum to approve the new Constitution of Tanzania scheduled on April 30 could be postponed for organizational reasons and because of the controversies on the establishment of Islamic Courts included in the text of the Constitution. The Catholic Church has expressed strong misgivings about the rest of the national territory of the Islamic Courts which are already operating in the archipelago of Zanzibar, where the majority of the population is Muslim.

Islamic courts decide on family law, such as marriage and divorce. Some clerics have responded that religious courts should not take advantage of state protection in a secular nation like Tanzania, and someone has also invited the faithful to boycott the referendum. The official position of the Church, expressed by the Episcopal Conference of Tanzania, is, however, moderate, saying that some articles of the new Constitution can lead society in the "wrong direction".



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37564-AFRICA_TANZANIA_Constitutional_referendum_at_risk_for_the_controversy_over_Islamic_Courts

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 31, 2015 at 01:00AM

AFRICA/EGYPT - The Coptic Orthodox Church invites President al-Sisi to Easter Mass

Cairo - The Coptic Orthodox Church has invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take part in the Easter vigil that will be celebrated on Saturday evening, April 11 by Patriarch Tawadros II at the Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo. This what reported by Egyptian sources to Agenzia Fides. In addition to the President, the Coptic Orthodox Church has already sent official invitations to a wide list of political leaders and representatives of the Egyptian institutions. In addition, 5 thousand tickets have been printed for the faithful who will take part in the Easter Vigil liturgy.

President al-Sisi already participated in the vigil of the Coptic Christmas, on January 6, and was welcomed in the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo by Patriarch Tawadros II and by the enthusiasm of the faithful. On that occasion, the personal participation of the Egyptian President - explained to Agenzia Fides Anba Antonios Aziz Mina, Coptic Catholic Bishop of Guizeh - "was an unprecedented event in the history of Egypt: in the past, Presidents merely sent their representatives. Some Egyptian Presidents - including Hosni Mubarak and the Islamist Mohamed Morsi - presented their Christmas wishes to the Patriarch over courtesy phone calls, while others - like Gamal Abd el-Nasser and former interim President Adli Mansour - had carried out courtesy visits to the Patriarch in the days before the Coptic Christmas".



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37563-AFRICA_EGYPT_The_Coptic_Orthodox_Church_invites_President_al_Sisi_to_Easter_Mass

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 31, 2015 at 01:00AM

Saturday, March 28, 2015

AMERICA/UNITED STATES - The denunciation of Bishops after the visit in Texas: "Why imprison the most vulnerable?"

Olinda and Recife - "After this visit, my main question is: why? Why imprison these vulnerable people, young and traumatized mothers who, with their children fled from persecution in their own countries?". This is what Mgr. Garcia-Siller, Bishop of San Antonio said after March 27 when a group of Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders visited the Dilley detention center, in Texas .

"A great nation like ours does not need to imprison the most vulnerable as a form of deterrence. The moral character of a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. Our policy of detention of families is shameful and I pray institutions to put an end to this practice", he added.

Mgr. Elizondo, President of the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Bishops , said after the visit: "The detention of families does not make sense. It is particularly harmful to children, who suffer emotional and psychological damage after being arrested".

According to Mgr. James Tamayo, Bishop of Laredo, in Texas, there are alternatives to detention: humanitarian actions that can be used in favor of the people involved.

Since last summer, the Department of Homeland Security has arrested hundreds of families, leading them to detention centers in New Mexico, Texas and Pennsylvania, as a result of the new policy of detention aimed at those fleeing from Central America and illegally cross the border with the United States.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37542-AMERICA_UNITED_STATES_The_denunciation_of_Bishops_after_the_visit_in_Texas_Why_imprison_the_most_vulnerable

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 28, 2015 at 02:00AM

AFRICA/EGYPT - The Coptic Church supports the government in the fight against illiteracy

Cairo - The Department of the Coptic Orthodox Church in charge of services and social activities, signed the protocol of the national project on Friday, March 27 to combat illiteracy prepared by the Egyptian government: this is what Egyptian sources consulted by Agenzia Fides report. The protocol was signed at the patriarchal residence, in the presence of Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II and Bishop Ioannis, responsible for social welfare initiatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church. At the signing, political representatives and academics particularly involved in educational programs were also present.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37541-AFRICA_EGYPT_The_Coptic_Church_supports_the_government_in_the_fight_against_illiteracy

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 28, 2015 at 02:00AM

Friday, March 27, 2015

VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni returns to Iraq to express the closeness and affection of the Pope to displaced families

Vatican City - "Pope Francis has expressed his concern for Christian families and other victims of violence who have been expelled from their homes and villages in Iraq, in particular those from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, many of whom have found refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Holy Father is praying for the victims and hopes that they will soon be able to return to their former lives in their homeland where for centuries they have lived in good relations with their neighbours", So says a statement issued today by the Holy See press office.

The text continues: "In this coming Holy Week these families particularly share in the injustice and sufferings of Christ, and as a sign of unity, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will return to Iraq to be with the expelled families and to pray with them during this time of suffering. The Diocese of Rome will be taking up a special collection in parishes, and in a sign of solidarity, will be sending traditional Italian cakes to the persecuted families of Iraq so that they may be able to share in the joy of Easter".

The statement ends by saying that: "The Holy Father would also like to express his closeness to suffering families in northern Nigeria. The Holy Father has also asked the local Episcopal Conference to join with him in extending a similar sign of solidarity with those families".

Already last August, following the serious situation in Iraq, the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, His Personal Envoy in the Asian country "to express his spiritual closeness to the populations that suffer and bring them the solidarity of the Church ".



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37536-VATICAN_Cardinal_Filoni_returns_to_Iraq_to_express_the_closeness_and_affection_of_the_Pope_to_displaced_families

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

AFRICA/NIGERIA - On the eve of the vote 90% of the areas freed from Boko Haram; "Why was it not done before?"

Abuja - Nigeria to vote tomorrow, March 28, to elect the new President. "The Nigerian press has already made predictions that the main opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, will get two-thirds of the vote", says Fr. Patrick Tor Alumuku, Director of Social Communications of the Archdiocese of Abuja.

The presidential and parliamentary elections which were to be held on February 14 were postponed for six weeks to allow the multinational military force responsible for combating Boko Haram, to reconquer areas controlled by the Islamist sect and to strengthen security in the northeast of Nigeria . As reported to Agenzia Fides by Mgr. Oliver Dashe Doeme, Bishop of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, one of the areas in northern Nigeria most affected by the violence of Boko Haram, elections can be held in Maiduguri now .

However, there remains uncertainty in some areas in the north. "In those areas it is hard to imagine that regular elections will be held, given the large number of internally displaced persons", said Fr. Patrick. "According to some estimates, 80-90 percent of the occupied areas by Boko Haram have been freed in recent weeks by the army of Nigeria, with the help of Chad and Niger. One can see how the military offensive prepared itself in recent months thanks to the supply of weapons from South Africa, after Western countries, particularly the United States, refused to sell arms to Nigeria", continued the priest.

"In Nigeria, however, one wonders why, if our military had the ability to hunt Boko Haram, this was not done before, why now, on the eve of elections?" concludes Fr. Patrick.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37535-AFRICA_NIGERIA_On_the_eve_of_the_vote_90_of_the_areas_freed_from_Boko_Haram_Why_was_it_not_done_before

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

AMERICA/UNITED STATES - Delegation of Bishops to visit a detention center for immigrant families

San Antonio - A delegation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will visit today, Friday, March 27, a detention center for immigrant families in Dilley, Texas, to learn more about their situation. The visit is part of the commitment that the USCCB is carrying out on immigration, which intensified last year due to the exponential increase regarding the arrests of unaccompanied minors from Central America.

"This visit will help us to make proposals to Congress, also because several Bishops have already given their testimonies in the past", said Norma Montenegro Flyn, USCCB spokeswoman, in the note sent to Fides.

The delegation is led by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S., Bishop of San Antonio , and the Bishops Mgr. Eusebio Elizondo, of the diocese of Seattle; Mgr. James A. Tamayo, of the Diocese of Laredo, and two Bishops of the Lutheran Church: H. Julian Gordy and Michael Rinehart.

According to information of USCCB, about 68 thousand families in Central America have fled the violence and poverty in their countries. Many of these have been arrested "to stop and discourage migration", but "these families can become free with an alternative detention program, to be verified case by case, in a more humane option", says the press release.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37534-AMERICA_UNITED_STATES_Delegation_of_Bishops_to_visit_a_detention_center_for_immigrant_families

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

AMERICA/UNITED STATES - Assyrian Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV has passed away

Chicago - His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East passed away on Thursday morning, March 26 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Patriarch Mar Dinkha was 80 years old and the cause of death was a virus infection and pneumonia. The funeral service will be held on April 8 at St. George Church in Chicago.

Patriarch Dinkha, the 111th Patriarch of the Church of the East, was consecrated as Patriarch on October 17, 1976, serving 39 years at his post. His tenure was the tenth longest in church history. Patriarch Dinkha was born in Iraq on September 15, 1935. He was appointed to the ministry in Urmia, Iran. He was consecrated as bishop on February 11, 1962. He became patriarch after Patriarch Eshai Shimun was assassinated in 1976. Patriarch Dinkha is credited with rebuilding the church, which had neared the brink of destruction after the assassination of his predecessor, and brought stability and peace to a church in turmoil. After seven centuries, Mar Dinkha IV was the first Patriarch chosen by election and not by succession.

Since his election, Patriarch Mar Dinkha transferred the patriarchal seat from the mountains foothills of Iraqi Kurdistan to Chicago. Now the main part of the Assyrian Church is concentrated in communities in diaspora scattered in America, Europe and Oceania.

Patriarch Mar Dinkha, during his long patriarchal tenure, met Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. The meeting with the current Successor of Peter took place on October 2. On 11 November 1994 Patriarch Mar Dinkha and Pope John Paul II signed the Joint Declaration on Christology, where it is recognized that the Assyrian Church of the East and the Catholic Church confess the same faith in Christ, and admit that Christological disputes of the distant past were largely due to misunderstandings. In the past there was no mutual excommunication between the two Churches, and there has been for some time a bilateral theological dialogue that will also have to face the theme of the constitution and the nature of the Church, which also includes the study on the ministry the Bishop of Rome.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37533-AMERICA_UNITED_STATES_Assyrian_Patriarch_Mar_Dinkha_IV_has_passed_away

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

AMERICA/NICARAGUA - Group of Spanish Catholic volunteers give support to Nicaraguan children

León - About 10 years ago a group of faithful of a Spanish parish in Madrid traveled to the city of León, Nicaragua. They met malnourished children and families with problems related to alcohol. Faced with this situation they started to help the local priest and two lay collaborators in the pastoral initiatives and to give food to children in need. Once back in Spain, they decided to create the "Pan de Vida para Nicaragua" Association, consisting of 100 members who through markets, theatrical performances, small initiatives, raise funds for the children of Nicaragua. Currently there are 180 children who eat in the soup kitchen in León every day; 25 attend a day school in order to give support to working mothers and another 110 attend secondary school.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37532-AMERICA_NICARAGUA_Group_of_Spanish_Catholic_volunteers_give_support_to_Nicaraguan_children

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - "WeCare!" Foundation: support to vulnerable women and marginalized children and young people

Port Moresby - "Traditionally the primary emphasis in the parishes in Port Moresby is placed on worship, on the sacraments, on devotional practices", said Fr. John M. Glynn, head of the "WeCare!" Foundation in Papua New Guinea, in a note sent to Agenzia Fides. "The first apostolic community, founded by Jesus, despite being a Church in its initial stages, is already devoted to the love of one’s neighbor, giving food to the hungry, healing the sick, clothing the naked, welcoming foreigners", notes Fr. Glynn.

"If one were to go to remote communities and asked people: where can we go to seek help if sick, poor, elderly, disabled, abandoned, abused? the answer was: the Church. I hope with all my heart that Pope Francis’ word can take root in Papua New Guinea, encouraging parishes to work in charity and social services", he remarks.

The "WeCare!" Foundation offers free support to vulnerable women and marginalized children and young people, through the work of volunteers and placing them in families or "care groups". "WeCare!" was established in 2002, when Fr. John Glynn, an Irish Catholic priest, began assisting orphans, disabled and abandoned people in the streets and in the suburbs of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. In 2007, the Foundation had official recognition. Today, the work focuses on assistance and education to children or young people, with the intention to help them reintegrate into the social fabric.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37531-OCEANIA_PAPUA_NEW_GUINEA_WeCare_Foundation_support_to_vulnerable_women_and_marginalized_children_and_young_people

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

ASIA/VIETNAM - The first house of formation of the Guanellian’s has been inaugurated

Ho Chi Minh - The first house of formation of the Servants of Charity in Vietnam has been inaugurated. As Fides learns, the inauguration took place on March 24 in the district of Go Vap. Among those present, the Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh city, His Exc. Mgr. Paul Bui Van Doc, and Fr. Sooshai Rathinam, Superior of the Guanellian Province of Divine Providence. Many other religious institutes attended the blessing of the chapel and then concelebrated the Eucharist in the large neighboring parish.

"The house, three floors of 70 square meters each, was built on a small surface area at the generosity of two Vietnamese sisters. It can give hospitality to a group of about twenty young students who intend to serve the poorest according to the charisma and style of St. Louis Guanella" explains, in a statement sent to Fides Fr. Gustavo De Bonis, Secretary General of the Congregation. At the entrance there is a statue of the Mother of Divine Providence.

The Guanellians have been in Vietnam for four years. Father Alfonso Crippa, Superior General notes that "the response of Vietnamese youth so far has been very positive. The religious vitality in this country is very strong and I am sure that also our Congregation will be enriched by the enthusiasm and sensitivity of these future Guanellians".



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37530-ASIA_VIETNAM_The_first_house_of_formation_of_the_Guanellian_s_has_been_inaugurated

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 27, 2015 at 02:00AM

Thursday, March 26, 2015

AFRICA/EGYPT - The Coptic Orthodox Church reaffirms ban on pilgrimages to Jerusalem

Cairo - The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, through spokesman Father Boulos Halim, confermed the ban to visit Jerusalem, as provided in 1979 by the then Patriarch Shenouda III, which remains in force for the faithful Orthodox Copts. This was made known by Coptic sources consulted by Agenzia Fides. The clarification by the patriarchal spokesman comes after the intervention of Hazem Abu Shenab, a prominent member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, leading organization within the PLO , who in recent days had implicitly criticized the disciplinary measure, arguing that the visits of Christians to the Holy City - especially at Christmas and Holy Week - represent a material and spiritual comfort for the Palestinian Arab population of the Holy Land, who pay for the effects of a provision originally taken as a sign of solidarity of Coptic Christians toward the Palestinians, in the framework of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The indication not to visit the Holy City, therefore, remains in force, repeats Fr. Halim - until the "Muslim brothers" of the Egyptian nation can freely enter Jerusalem.

Already last year, the journey carried out by ninety Coptic Christians during Holy Week to the Holy Land had given way to several observers to point out the irrelevance of anti-pilgrimage disciplinary measure, in the framework of the existing relations between the two neighboring nations .

Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III forbade the faithful of his Church to make pilgrimages in the Jewish state and had not changed his position even after the normalization of relations between Egypt and Israel desired by President Sadat.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37529-AFRICA_EGYPT_The_Coptic_Orthodox_Church_reaffirms_ban_on_pilgrimages_to_Jerusalem

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 26, 2015 at 02:00AM

AFRICA - Rome -Caritas meeting: A million displaced persons and refugees fleeing Boko Haram

Rome - An action plan for displaced persons and refugees from the violence of Boko Haram will be discussed during the meeting promoted by Caritas Internationalis in Rome which begins today and will end tomorrow, March 27th.

According to a statement sent to Agenzia Fides "in the past year, more than a million Nigerians have fled fanatically violent attacks by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram. Spilling over into neighbouring countries, these displaced families have relied on Catholic Church and other aid groups for basic necessities like shelter, food and medicine".

"The terror and suffering that the people of Nigeria have experienced is extreme", said Caritas Nigeria Executive Director Father Evaristus Bassey, who will attend the Rome meeting. "We at Caritas, along with other people of goodwill, are doing our best . But the needs are staggering".

In Nigeria and surrounding countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, Caritas and Catholic dioceses are helping the displaced. More than 2500 people are staying at a camp at Saint Theresa Cathedral in Yola, Nigeria, with thousands more sheltering in church buildings around the Country. Recently, Catholic bishops in Cameroon appealed to Nigeria’s bishops for help responding to the needs of tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees who fled to their country .

The Rome meeting will include Caritas representatives from Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, and during the meeting the plight of the 800,000 displaced persons and refugees from the Central African Republic will also be addressed.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37528-AFRICA_Rome_Caritas_meeting_A_million_displaced_persons_and_refugees_fleeing_Boko_Haram

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 26, 2015 at 02:00AM

ASIA/LEBANON - Christians and Muslims celebrate together the feast of the Annunciation

Beirut - The Marian solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, which Lebanon proclaimed a national holiday in 2010, has also seen this year celebrations in various parts of the country promoted by organizations of Christian-Muslim dialogue, starting from Ensemble Autour de Marie group. This year, in particular, Christians and Muslims gathered around Mary in the Shrine of Notre Dame de Nourieh and Notre Dame de Jamhour, for a liturgy of reflections and songs - some in Latin and Aramaic – and also saw the participation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lione, together with the Imam of the Mosque of Lione, Kamel Kabtane. The French Cardinal gave a speech dedicated to Mary, defined as "She who sings mercy", while Imam Kabtane expounded a reflection focused on coexistence and interreligious dialogue.

In Lebanon, the Solemnity of the Annunciation was declared a national holiday in 2010 with the declared intention of finding in the devotion to Mary - also shared among Muslims - a point of convergence among the different religious communities.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37527-ASIA_LEBANON_Christians_and_Muslims_celebrate_together_the_feast_of_the_Annunciation

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 26, 2015 at 02:00AM

ASIA/INDONESIA - Violations of human rights of indigenous peoples: first investigation

Jakarta - indigenous people of Indonesia have been the victims of violations of human rights, of the right to property, of the right to a decent and safe life for many years. This is what we read in the first national report on the Violation of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the forest areas of the Country, which will be published in May by the National Commission on Human Rights. The issue was addressed recently in Jakarta by a group of researchers during a press conference organized by the Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of The Archipelago , news of which was sent to Agenzia Fides. The report is based on research carried out for months in Sumatra, Java, Bali-Nusa, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua. Among the conclusions we report: currently on maps and official documents there are no traces of borders regarding indigenous territories; this part of the population is facing serious legal obstacles to lay claim to their legitimacy; women are discriminated against in many ways; government agencies, including police and military forces, have engaged mainly in the private sector, neglecting indigenous communities; there is no institution at a ministerial level that has the mandate to resolve land conflicts. AMAN represents 15 million people in 2,244 indigenous communities throughout Indonesia.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37523-ASIA_INDONESIA_Violations_of_human_rights_of_indigenous_peoples_first_investigation

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 26, 2015 at 02:00AM

AMERICA/CUBA - Cardinal Ortega: "dialogue, the new name of love"

Havana - He agrees to be called "a man of dialogue" but not "a diplomatic". "Dialogue - he says - is the new name of love". This is what the only Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino, Archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana since 1981 says in a long interview published by "Palabra Nueva", the magazine of the Archdiocese of Havana, sent to Agenzia Fides. The Cardinal is well-liked by many and misunderstood by others, but he is always presented as "the pastor" which he has never ceased to be, as he says himself.

Protagonist behind the scenes of the turning point on the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, Cardinal Ortega has always proposed a "culture of encounter" to Cuba, with interesting results, such as the release of prisoners, the opening of new spaces for social presence, greater individual freedoms, and some change in the programs of democratic institutions.

The long interview ends with this statement: "In me what survives is the fact of being a pastor, there is nothing more interesting than being a pastor".

Link correlati :Interview with Cardinal Ortega y Alamino (Palabria Nueva):



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37526-AMERICA_CUBA_Cardinal_Ortega_dialogue_the_new_name_of_love

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 26, 2015 at 02:00AM

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

EUROPE/ARMENIA - Armenian Parliament votes a statement condemning the Assyrian and Greek Genocides

Erevan - On Tuesday, March 24 the Armenian Parliament voted a resolution condemning the massacres against the Assyrians and Greeks carried out in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. The resolution was supported by all political forces in Parliament , and won the unanimous favor of 117 MPs. There were no votes against or abstentions. Last February, the stated intention by the Armenian Parliament of wanting to adopt a statement condemning the massacres suffered a century ago by the Greeks and Assyrians in Ottoman territories which remained under the Turkish domain was commented positively by associations and militant groups involved in the protection of the historical memory of those tragic events, defined respectively as "Greek Genocide" and "Assyrian Genocide". The statement reiterates that all ethnic and religious minorities were the subject of the massacres perpetrated by the Young Turks. Less than two years ago, the idea of adopting a similar statement - sponsored by some Armenian political parties - had been rejected by the Parliament of Yerevan.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37520-EUROPE_ARMENIA_Armenian_Parliament_votes_a_statement_condemning_the_Assyrian_and_Greek_Genocides

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 25, 2015 at 02:00AM

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Two Christians accused of the lynching of two suspected terrorists

Lahore - Two Christians, Sohail Johnason and Yousaf Kamran, according to a video in the possession of the police, are accused of being responsible for the lynching of two suspected terrorists, which took place shortly after the attack against two churches in Lahore on March 15. According to local sources of Fides, the two are among the approximately 150 persons detained by agents and remain under arrest, after the police, in about a week of investigations, made several raids to identify those responsible for the lynching.

As Fides learns, the agents have the videos shot with mobile phones by eyewitnesses present in those tragic moments. The act of frustration and revenge carried out by Christians has been widely condemned by political and religious leaders. "But now all the innocent people who have been stopped have to be released", says to Fides Haroon Barkat Masih, head of the "Masihi Foundation", present in Pakistan with aid projects and development of Christian minorities. "It is right to bring to justice the perpetrators, but everyone has to be treated in the same way" he notes. The lawyers of the Foundation have filed applications for bail for many innocent people, but so far these demands have not been accepted. In the district of Youhanabad people are still in shock. Sohail Johnson, one of the alleged perpetrators, was the founder and head of the NGO "Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan", which aimed to help Christians in difficulty.



Read Full Story from Fides News English http://www.fides.org/en/news/37519-ASIA_PAKISTAN_Two_Christians_accused_of_the_lynching_of_two_suspected_terrorists

This article by originally appeared on fides.org on March 25, 2015 at 02:00AM

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