03/02/2015VATICAN Pope: Judging ourselves to obtain and offer mercy At Mass in Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis emphasizes that judging ourselves is the first step of Christian wisdom. Recognizing the envy that leads us to "speak ill of others", that we are capable of doing worse things than which we judge others for. "Who am I to judge?" obeys the exhortation of Jesus: Judge not lest you be judged. Vatican City (AsiaNews) -
It is easy to "blame others", but the first steps of Christian life
are those in which one learns "to judge oneself" to be able to
express compassion towards others, said Pope Francis in his homily during the
Mass today in the Casa Santa...
03/02/2015PHILIPPINES Caritas Philippines: Lent with Francis, against the globalization of indifference This is the charitable organization’s aim ahead of Easter. The national director invites people to listen to the poor, the oppressed and safeguard the environment. Initiatives include projects for agrarian reform, support for displaced fishermen and farmers, the fight against forced evictions.
03/01/2015VATICAN Pope: Let us not forget those who are suffering in Syria, Iraq and Venezuela; let us pray for them Francis comments the Gospel of the Transfiguration of Christ. "Jesus reveals himself as the perfect icon of the Father, the irradiation of his glory. It is the fulfilment of revelation. [. . .] Jesus' journey always leads us to happiness [. . .]. Love transfigures everything." The task he leaves for the disciples and the faithful is simple: "Listen to and follow the Saviour." After the Marian prayer, the Holy Father issued an appeal to the peoples of the Middle East, noting that "We are praying insistently for an end to the intolerable brutality of which they are victims."
02/28/2015VATICAN Pope encourages the growth of cooperatives as an economic model that serves the common good Cooperatives are "enterprises based on the principle of solidarity and social relations," that act as "the lever that raises and develops the weakest part of local communities and civil society," and provide "new welfare solutions" that support, facilitate and even encourage family life, because even though money is "the dung of the devil," if it is well managed, "it can be used to promote the common good."
02/28/2015PHILIPPINES Filipino Church: helping women and families in crisis against abortion Pregnancy Support Services of Asia (PSSA) is organising a conference together with the Commission on Family and Life of the Archdiocese of Manila and Life and Couples for Christ. The goal is to promote a "healthy" way of experiencing pregnancy.
02/27/2015PHILIPPINES - VATICAN For Filipino bishops' president, "pope awakes from indifference, a national evil" Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr Socrates Villegas, archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and president of the Filipino bishops' conference, underscores "the enormous importance of Francis' message for this Lent. Ours is a Catholic country, but selfishness is conquering more and more." The pope's great mass in Manila was "ray of sunshine that illuminates the future. Among those present, 50 per cent were under 20. They are our best hope."
02/26/2015PHILIPPINES Sulu, clashes between the Philippine army and Abu Sayyaf militia: 14 dead and 19 wounded The conflict broke out between the two sides yesterday, only ended this morning. The battle is concentrated around the town of Patikul, in a mountainous area. Two dead and 16 injured among the Philippine military. Manila army offensive against the militia continues.
02/25/2015PHILIPPINES "People Power" returns after 29 years calling for President Aquino to resign Civil society groups are demanding the resignation of President - son of Corazon Aquino, icon of the 1986 revolution - for the Maguindanao massacre and the continuing allegations of corruption and media pressure. They were accompanied by Card. Vidal. President of the bishops tells AsiaNews: "Our job is to shake consciences, not sound the charge against the government."
02/24/2015EGYPT - ISLAM What Tayeb and Sisi said is big step towards a revolution in Islam by Samir Khalil Samir The grand imam of Al-Azhar slammed literalist interpretations of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as fundamentalists and Islamic terrorists do. He supports the urgent need for Islam's reform, especially in terms of teaching lay people and clerics. He also calls for an end to mutual excommunication (takfir) between Sunnis and Shias. Egyptian President al-Sisi chose to fight the Islamic state group after it beheaded 21 Coptic Christians, whom he called "Egyptian citizens" with full rights.
02/23/2015SAUDI ARABIA - ISLAM For head of Al-Azhar, religious education reform is needed to stop Islamic extremism For Ahmed al-Tayeb, it is urgent to come up with new educational programmes to avoid "corrupt interpretations" of the Qur'an and Sunnah. Islamic terrorism undermines the unity of the Muslim world. He blames Mideast tensions on a "new global colonialism allied to world Zionism". a speech by the Saudi king is read at the conference.
02/22/2015VATICAN Pope gifts "Guard your heart" booklet as an aid to conversion in Lent At today's Angelus Pope Francis gave away booklets containing "the wealth of our doctrine," the essentials of the faith: "the seven sacraments, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Ten Commandments, the virtues, works of mercy. .. ". The booklet was distributed by volunteers and homeless people. "Those who are in need are also the ones who give us this great wealth." Lent is a time "for spiritual battle against the spirit of evil", already won by Jesus in the desert. "We go into the desert without fear, because we are not alone, we are with Jesus." This afternoon, the Pope goes to Ariccia on retreat with the Curia: "Pray so that in this desert we can hear the voice of Jesus and correct our many defects".
02/20/2015VATICAN Pope: "a good Christian is just to the people who depend on him" "Love of God and love of neighbor are one in the same" and especially in Lent "fasting, is not just abstaining from meat” only to "fight with and exploit workers" and make offerings to the Church "on their backs". The point of Lent is "to think about them: what can I do for the children, for the elderly, who do not have the opportunity to be seen by a doctor?", who maybe wait "for eight hours and then they give an appointment for a week after ".
02/20/2015ASIA Asia’s Catholics celebrate Year of the Goat with acts of charity Amid lavish dinners and firework displays sprout activities related to Lent: the PIME fathers in Hong Kong launch a mission among the prisoners of the Territory, while the South Korean Catholic Church send two containers of humanitarian aid to the North. In the Philippines a "new push" for Alay Kapwa, the program launched 40 years ago in support of the poor.
02/18/2015VATICAN Pope: Lent, a time of conversion, a push to return into "the arms of God" "This work of conversion is not just a human endeavor. Reconciliation between us and God is possible thanks to the mercy of the Father. [. . .] We will do well to ask, at the beginning of this Lent, for the gift of tears, so as to make our prayer and our journey of conversion ever more authentic and without hypocrisy."
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