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The 1-minute prayer for peace initiative of Pope Francis on June 8 underscores the fact that solutions to all the world’s problems lie only with God who uses human efforts and initiatives to carry out his plans. It is more so with peace, Indian Bishop Thomas Dabre of Poona said on Thursday in Rome. The 63-year old bishop is participating in the June 7-9 plenary assembly of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue that is discussing the role of women in educating to universal fraternity. “Hence we need to back the efforts of peace with constant prayers, indicating we depend on God,” he told Vatican Radio. At the end of his general audience on Wednesday in the Vatican, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to pray for peace for a minute at 1pm on June 8, Thursday. The date was the third anniversary of his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the late Israeli President Shimon Peres in...
(Vatican Radio) What do women bring to the table of interreligious dialogue? How do they contribute to promoting interfaith harmony? How can the Church affirm their role, while tapping into their specific gifts and skills?Those are some of the questions under the spotlight at the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, taking place in the Vatican from June 7th to 9th.At the opening session on Wednesday, Council President, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran noted how much still needs to be done in some countries to defend women’s rights and stamp out “shameful violence” against women. Stressing the Church’s vision that all are equal members of the body of Christ, the cardinal asked what else needs to be done to live up to that vision and enable women and men to promote better interfaith education.Among the key note speakers is Dr Clare Amos, programme coordinator for interreligious dialogue and cooperation at the World Council Churche...
(Vatican Radio) Men and women of goodwill across the globe on Thursday responded to Pope Francis' call to join in prayer to participate in the “One Minute for Peace” initiative.The Pope's appeal for prayers and international participation in the initiative came during his Wednesday General Audience when he recalled that the initiative represents a short moment a of prayer on the recurrence of the meeting in the Vatican between the Pope, the late Israeli President Peres, and the Palestinian President Abbas.Their encounter took place in the Vatican Gardens on 8 June 2014, during which the three men prayed together for peace.“In our days, Pope Francis said, there is a great need to pray – Christians, Jews, and Muslims – for peace.”Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke to Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, in Syria, about the significance of “One Minute for Peace”:Listen: Bishop Antoine Audo says it is important and he expresses ...
The 1-minute prayer initiative for peace on 8 June urged by Pope Francis, found a prompt response in a Catholic school in a remote northeastern region of India. The students and staff of Newman School in Neotan village in Arunachal Pradesh state joined the global community in prayer for peace on Thursday, 8 June, at 4.30pm corresponding to 1 PM Rome time. The previous day, 7 June, at the end of his weekly general audience in the Vatican, the Holy Father encouraged the faithful to pray for peace for a minute at 1 pm on June 8. The date was the third anniversary of his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the late Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Vatican gardens in 2014. “In our time there is a great need to pray – Christians, Jews and Muslims – for peace,” the Pope urged. “Today you stand with the rest of the world in prayer for peace,” school principal F...
Malawi’s Diocesan Child Protection Coordinators (DCPC) and Catholic Secretariat Child Protection Focal Persons have been challenged to take a leading role in ensuring that children within and outside the Church are well protected. ECM Secretary General Fr. Henry Saindi made the call when he opened a two-days induction training course on Child Protection at the Catholic Secretariat in Lilongwe, Malawi.Fr. Saindi said the training was aimed at empowering coordinators and Child Protection Focal Persons to advocate for the safe environment of children in schools, churches and small Christian communities.He said this could be done by responding effectively and efficiently to concerns and issues regarding child abuse allegations and work towards dealing away with the vice.“Considering the increase of reported child abuse cases in Malawi, the Catholic Church has deemed it necessary to guide Church institutions to become sensitive to child protection issues in the fulfilm...
Retired Pakistani Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan, who was known as a tireless worker for poor and marginalized communities, died June 6 at the age of 70. Suffering from lung and kidney infection, he passed away in a Lahore hospital. After a card accident 3 years ago, the bishop had been confined to a wheelchair. "This is very sad. He was a proactive and faithful leader who knew who to awaken the spiritual life of the churchgoers," Bishop Joseph Arshad of Faisalabad told UCANEWS. "He had cordial relations with civil administration and many Muslim officers used to visit him for blessings," Bishop Arshad said, adding, "We have lost a good shepherd."The National Justice and Peace Commission (NCJP) of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference (CBCP), which Bishop Francis chaired from 2011 to 2015, issued a statement saying it “expresses its sincere condolences to the Catholic Church and to the community for this great loss...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Archdiocese of PhiladelphiaBy Lou BaldwinPHILADELPHIA(CNS) -- It is no accident that each year many films shown on television betweenMemorial Day and the June 6 anniversary of D-Day center on World War II.Afterall, with more than 16 million men and women under arms, it was easily thelargest and deadliest war ever fought by the United States.Onlya tiny percentage of them are still alive, and one of them is a Catholic bishop-- retired Philadelphia Auxiliary Bishop Louis A. DeSimone, 95.Backin 1944, he was Sgt. Louis DeSimone, a 22-year-old translator of Italian attachedto the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Army. Joining it in Casablanca, Morocco,during the African campaign and continuing through Sicily, up the Italian bootto Montecassino and after that to the deadly Anzio beach landing, he arrived inRome a few days after the bloodless liberation of the Italian capital.Hecould not know it immediately, but this last event would affect his entirelife.BishopDeSimone minim...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Cristian Hernandez, EPABy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With Venezuela's political andeconomic crisis turning violent and after the country's president tried toclaim he had thesupport of Pope Francis, the leadership of the country's bishops' conferencetraveled to the Vatican.The bishops requested the meeting, which was held June 8 as protests continuedin their homeland and protesters continued to die. Since April, close to 70people -- both government supporters and supporters of the opposition -- havebeen killed in the protests.The Vatican listed the meeting in its daily bulletin butprovided no information.On the eve of their meeting with the pope, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino ofCaracas told Vatican Radio that "the repression" exercised by thegovernment of PresidentNicolas Maduro "has been increasingly cruel."In addition to official security forces, he said, there arepro-government, armed civilian groups, "which is absolutely criminal, so that the situation isex...
NEW YORK (AP) -- Getting Kevin Spacey to spill the beans about his plans hosting the Tony Awards turns out to be as likely as his character on "House of Cards" renouncing blackmail and backstabbing....
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Heavily armed al-Shabab extremists have stormed a military base in Somalia's semiautonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Thursday. Residents said civilians, including women, were beheaded during the rampage....
