Over the weekend, three deacons were ordained, including a Palestinian refugee in Jordan. For Fr Ibrahim, Patriarchate chancellor, there are still witnesses of faith and affiliation with Christ in a situation marked by conflict. Advent is a source of joy shared with Muslims. There is “growing feeling of devotion” among the young.
Speaking at the UN conference on migrations, the Vatican Secretary of State said that when the challenges posed by migration are not well managed, "crises can form, rhetoric can eclipse reason, and migrants can be seen more as threats than as brothers and sisters in need of solidarity and basic services.”
Elections were held in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram. Congress came in first in States that are key in the next Union general elections in 2019. Rural dissatisfaction played a crucial role.
Women are released after agreeing to keep their children. Although renting wombs has been illegal since 2016, Cambodia remains a popular destination. “There is a close relationship between girl schooling and surrogacy abuse,” says Fr Alberto Caccaro.
Faced with the "consolation of salvation", "let us bet on desolation, on problems. Let us ask the Lord in this week of preparation for Christmas not to be afraid but to allow ourselves be consoled by Him with tenderness.
Mgr Anil JT Couto released a video message for Catholics in his diocese. He calls on them to wait for the coming of Christ, to forgive "not only seven times, but seventy times seven", and recognise the Lord "in the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalised, the hungry, the naked, the prisoners".