05/21/2013NEPAL Kathmandu, the Apostolic Nuncio celebrates confirmations on Pentecost Sunday by Kalpit Parajuli On the occasion of the feast of Pentecost eight Catholics receive the sacrament of Confirmation. The Vatican representative in India and Nepal celebrates together with the faithful in the Cathedral of the Assumption. "Discover and share the faith among the people." Kathmandu
(AsiaNews) - The Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal participated, Sunday 19
May, in celebrations for the Feast of Pentecost at the Cathedral of the
Assumption of Kathmandu. At
the ceremony, eight faithful received the sacrament of confirmation. "We
know that the Catholic population in the...
05/21/2013IRAQ Patriarch Sako: unity, a fundamental good for "wounded" Chaldean Church, to continue by Joseph Mahmoud In a letter to the clergy the affirmation of the "ecumenical nature" of a Church which "has been and will always be open to all nations and languages, because Christ has sent it forth to proclaim the Gospel to all nations" and therefore cannot and will not get involved in nationalist campaigns. "It 's time to understand that our Church is invited to transform her reality in light of the resurrection."
05/20/2013CHINA Chinese scholar calls for CP reform, warns the PRC will go the Soviet way
For Zhang Xien, a professor at Shandong University, 20 per cent of the CP's 83 million members are old, sick and "unable to toe the party line". At least 32 million should be encouraged to leave. The scholar addresses the dangerous issue in an article published by a biweekly magazine published by the People's Daily, the party's mouthpiece. He wants better entry requirements to weed out potentially bad officials.
05/20/2013LEBANON Maronite patriarch slams Lebanese politicians who "don't deserve to rule" Bisharah Al-Rahi attacks the government's action during a trip to South America. The electoral law and poverty top the list of problems. However, Syria's civil war continues to be the main concern. Lebanon should not "interfere in the conflict in Syria".
05/20/2013CHINA Poultry sales plunge in China following bird flu outbreak, US$ 65 billion in losses Since March, 130 people have been infected with the H7N9 flu, with 35 deaths, sending shockwaves throughout the poultry industry. Government officials blames poor sanitation in farms. In Shandong, the authorities organise an all-chicken lunch to boost consumer confidence.
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."
05/18/2013INDIA Orissa, two Hindu extremists linked to the murder of missionary Graham Staines arrested Arrest comes almost 14 years after the massacre of missionary and his two children. Ramjan Mahanta and Ghanshyam Mahanta were part of the group of dozens of Hindu extremists responsible for the massacre. They will be tried by a special tribunal. To date, only two of the authors of the massacre have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
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.
05/17/2013SYRIA - UNITED STATES - TURKEY Washington: Obama talks to Erdogan, against shipping weapons to the rebels As talks get underway with Moscow, the US president speaks with Turkey’s PM, Syrian rebels’ main ally. The two leaders discuss Syria’s democratic future and Assad’s necessary departure. Ankara voices doubts about a peace conference between rebels and regime backed by Moscow and Washington. After decades, Russian Pacific fleet warships enter the Mediterranean.
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."
05/17/2013EGYPT - ISLAM Islamist judges and blasphemy charges, new weapons against Christians and secularists The case of Dimyana Ubeid Abdel al-Nour, a Christian teacher accused of insulting Islam, is raising concerns across the country. Backed by Islamist Prosecutor General Talaat Abdhallah, more and more judges accept complaints for blasphemy and proselytising.
05/17/2013INDIA Bishop John Rodrigues: "Building the Body of Christ in the Year of Faith" by Nirmala Carvalho The new auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mumbai speaks to AsiaNews: "My appointment by Pope Francis a joy and an honor. I will try to be an instrument of the divine ministry with ever greater strength”. Growing religious intolerance in India "witnessing to the values of the Gospel is not only a right but a necessity."
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