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A group of Indian Christians have decided to observe Martyrdom Day on July 22 in memory of Christians who are persecuted and killed for their faith. It was the initiative of Shibu Thomas who through his ecumenical movement, “Persecution Relief” said special prayers were offered in Churches across the country. The observance is "part of a concerted effort to encourage those who continue to struggle to cope with persecution and challenge to live a true Christian life," Thomas told UCANEWS.Thomas explained that July 22 was chosen as it marked the first anniversary of the rape and murder of a Christian schoolgirl in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh after her family refused to abandon their Christian faith despite several threats. "This was an act of revenge and intimidation, to get her family to renounce their faith, but they are still firm in their faith despite continuing threats," Thoma...
(Vatican Radio) The annual conference of the international apostolate, Courage, which ministers to Catholics who experience same-sex attraction and are interested in living Christian lives, is being held this week at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Il., in the United States.Conference participants have the opportunity to attend talks on various topics, including pastoral ministry, psychology, and understanding family members and loved ones who experience same-sex attraction.Included among the speakers will be Daniel Mattson, Courage member, and author of the book: Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace; Bishop Frank Caggiano, of Bridgeport, Ct., where Courage headquarters is located; Andrew and Annette Comiskey, co-founders of Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministries; Matt Fradd, founder of The Porn Effect; and Fr. Paul Scalia, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Courage International.The Executive Director of Cour...
(Vatican Radio) Father John Stabeno, one of the U.S. Church’s leading experts on drug abuse, said America’s opioid drugs epidemic is getting "much more serious every day" and "is tearing families apart" across the nation. Director of Catholic Charities’ Addiction Healing Ministry in Camden, New Jersey, Father Stabeno has dedicated the last 30 years of his life to helping addicts and their family members. He was interviewed by Susy Hodges. Listen to the interview with Father John Stabeno: The U.S. is struggling with the worst drug addiction crisis of its history and drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. "Killing more Americans than the Vietnam War"Currently over 90 Americans are dying each day from an opioid overdose, four times as many as two decades ago. Father Stabeno said while the causes for this growing epidemic are complex, much of the surface blame can be ...
Vatican City, Jul 25, 2017 / 07:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the city of Rome and much of Italy experiences a severe drought, the Vatican has turned off its fountains in an effort to preserve water and show solidarity with the city, which may be forced to ration water to about 1 million of the city’s residents.As far as is known, this is the first time the Vatican has been forced to turn off its some 100 fountains, “so this is an exception,” Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See Press Office, told Reuters TV.The water that comes into the Vatican is from the same sources as the water to the city of Rome, he said. “This is the Vatican's way of living solidarity with Rome, trying to help Rome get through this crisis.”A prolonged heatwave in southern Europe and two years of well-below-average rainfall have caused a severe drought in Rome and the surrounding areas.The two large fountains in St. Peter’s Square – Baroque masterpieces by 17th-centu...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Junno Arocho EstevesBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICANCITY (CNS) -- While Rome reels from one of its worst droughts in decades, theVatican is doing its part to conserve water by shutting down the city-state's100 fountains.The officegoverning Vatican City State announced July 25 that the drought has "ledthe Holy See to take measures aimed at saving water" by shutting downfountains in St. Peter's Square, throughout the Vatican Gardens and in theterritory of the state."Thedecision is in line with the teachings of Pope Francis, who reminds us in hisencyclical 'Laudato Si'' how 'the habit of wasting and discarding' has reached'unprecedented levels' while 'freshdrinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable forhuman life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,'" the officesaid.The prolongeddrought has forced officials from the Lazio region of Italy to halt pumpingwater from Lake Bracciano, located roughly 19 miles north of Rome. Le...
CHICAGO (AP) -- Research on 202 former football players found evidence of brain disease in nearly all of them, from athletes in the NFL, college and even high school....
LONDON (AP) -- Charlie Gard's mother returned to a London court Tuesday to ask a judge to let her and the baby's father take their critically ill son home to die....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's fiery speech at the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia has infuriated parents and former scouts....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Muslim leaders urged the faithful Tuesday to keep up their prayer protests and avoid entering a contested Jerusalem shrine, even after Israel dismantled metal detectors that initially triggered the tensions....
SAO JOAQUIM DE BICAS, Brazil (AP) -- At the Word of Faith Fellowship churches in the Brazilian cities of Sao Joaquim de Bicas and Franco da Rocha, the signs of broken families are everywhere: parents separated from their children, siblings who no longer speak, grandparents who wonder if they will ever know their grandchildren....