05/22/2013VIETNAM Vietnamese Catholics pray for release of Vinh Christian activists by Paul N. Hung On 23 May, after several postponements, eight of the 14 arrested appear before the judges of the Supreme Court. International organizations, pro human rights movements and the faithful ask for their release. The repression of the authorities also affects bloggers, patriots and "peaceful dissidents." Hanoi
(AsiaNews) - Catholics, human rights activists, members of civil society and
international organizations continue their mobilization for the release of 14
Christian activists - 13 Catholic and a Protestant - sentenced to...
05/21/2013UNITED STATES - MYANMAR As Obama welcomes Myanmar president, praises his reforms, human rights activists criticise him Thein Sein makes an historic visit to the United States, the first Burmese head of state in 50 years to step on the White House lawn. The US president praised his "genuine efforts", but at the same time calls for the protection of minorities, particularly the Rohingya. His Myanmar counterpart says he is committed a "new national identity" that does not distinguish between ethnic and religious groups.
05/21/2013VATICAN Pope: there should be no power struggle within the Church, because real power, according to Jesus, is service In this morning's Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae, Francis stressed how the Gospel shows that the disciples were already arguing over who was greatest among them. In the Church however, "the greatest is the one who serves the most, the one who is in the service of others the most." This "is the rule." And yet, from the start until now, there have been "power struggles within the church."
05/20/2013PIME Father Ferruccio Brambillasca new PIME Superior General Elected today by a two-thirds majority, he was regional superior in Japan. Before that, he was an educator (1989-1993) in Ducenta, Italy, and a teacher at the seminary in Pune, India.
05/20/2013VATICAN Pope: courageous “open-hearted prayer"," enables Jesus to perform miracles During Mass this morning Francis says that we must overcome that "piece of disbelief" that is in all of us. "Prayer to ask for a miracle, ask for an extraordinary action must be an involved prayer, which unites us all." An episode in Argentina demonstrates that at times we must also “struggle” in our prayer.
05/20/2013ASIA - PIME The missionary joy of proclaiming the Gospel by Piero Gheddo Exemplified by the different stories of people who have dedicated their lives to evangelization. Blessed Clemente Vismara, a life full of difficulties and problems, who created great Gospel works without ever losing enthusiasm for his vocation.
05/19/2013VATICAN Pope to Movements: The action of the Spirit is newness, harmony, mission At Mass for Pentecost, along with movements and lay associations, Francis asks believers not close in on themselves for fear the 'God’s surprises', defending ourselves " barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness." The harmony of the Spirit brings unity, not exclusivism or standardization. "The Holy Spirit ... saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself" and " drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ." The final thanks of the Pope: "You are a gift and a treasure for the Church."
05/19/2013VATICAN Pope to Movements: man is in crisis. No to a church closed in on itself, but a Church that goes out, At the Vigil for Pentecost, Pope Francis pushes Christian witness in a world that has become the enemy of man, where the collapse of financial markets makes the news, but not the death of workers or child hunger. A great event for the Year of Faith, 200 thousand people are present: from CL and Renewal in the Spirit, to the Neocatechumenal Way, Focolare, Sant'Egidio, international associations. The testimony of John Waters, an Irish journalist, and Paul Bhatti, former minister for minorities in Pakistan. The Pope invites all to pray every day for persecuted Christians and to work for religious freedom. The Church is not an efficient NGO. Her main contribution is "to live the Gospel."
05/18/2013VIETNAM - AUSTRALIA Vietnamese boat people return, fleeing regime and poverty, 40 years after the war In early 2013, at least 450 people have left the country on makeshift boats headed for Australia. A number greater than the total in the last five years, and a growing phenomenon. But Canberra rarley recognizes them as refugees and Hanoi does not want them.
05/17/2013VATICAN The life of the Church and of the Churches is the mission, pope says In meeting the national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Francis focuses on the duty to bring the Gospel to the world, which includes "educating every Christian, from childhood, to have a genuinely universal and missionary spirit," and giving "special attention to the young Churches, which often operate in a climate of difficulty, discrimination, and persecution, so that they might be sustained and assisted in witnessing the Gospel in word and in deed."
05/17/2013MYANMAR Myanmar, least "transparent" country in the world's oil and gas sector A US-based institute reports the finding. Natural resource earnings are hard to trace because they are often hidden away by members of the military leadership. In terms of corruption, the Myanmar government is worst than those of nations like Turkmenistan and Zimbabwe. How money is spent and where it ends up remains a mystery.
05/17/2013INDONESIA Indonesian President named for religious freedom prize. Anger and indignation of minorities by Mathias Hariyadi In late May in New York Yudhoyono will receive the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF). The recognition for the protection of minority rights and freedom of worship. Indonesian Jesuit: he has never done anything to protect the rights in a country at risk of Islamization.
05/16/2013VIETNAM - CHINA Long An: Vietnamese activists jailed for 'anti-Chinese protest' A 21-year-old Catholic woman, Nguyen Phuong Uyen, gets six years in prison. Nguyen Dinh Kha, 25, gets eight years for "terrorism". The two handed out leaflets against Chinese "imperialism" in the South China Sea. The young woman is abused during pre-trial detention.
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