Nepal on Sunday marked the 1st anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli held a ceremony laying a wreath at the ruins of the historic Dharahara tower in the heart of the capital Kathmandu on April 25 to mark the anniversary. Minor protests were also held, with demonstrators angry at the slow rate of reconstruction in the wake of the 7.8-magnitude quake that destroyed more than 600,000 homes and damaged around 185,000 in the poor Himalayan nation where some 25% of the population lives below the poverty line. Soon after disaster struck last year on April 25, among the numerous organizations and agencies that swung into action was Caritas Nepal, the relief, development and social service organization of the Catholic Church in the country. Caritas Nepal is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of over ...
Nepal on Sunday marked the 1st anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli held a ceremony laying a wreath at the ruins of the historic Dharahara tower in the heart of the capital Kathmandu on April 25 to mark the anniversary. Minor protests were also held, with demonstrators angry at the slow rate of reconstruction in the wake of the 7.8-magnitude quake that destroyed more than 600,000 homes and damaged around 185,000 in the poor Himalayan nation where some 25% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Soon after disaster struck last year on April 25, among the numerous organizations and agencies that swung into action was Caritas Nepal, the relief, development and social service organization of the Catholic Church in the country. Caritas Nepal is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of over 160 similar Catholic organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. To commemorate the earthquake anniversary, Caritas Nepal organized a conference in Kathmandu, April 25-28, with its partners, to assess the progress made and plan future strategies. Well, we managed to catch up with Fr. Silas Bogati, the Executive Director of Caritas Nepal, to know about the Caritas’ work. Speaking on the phone from Kathmandu, Fr. Silas first gave us this update.
Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako presides over the dedication ceremony of the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Mosul, Iraq. April 5, 2024. / Credit: Fadi Dinkha/ACI MenaCNA Newsroom, Apr 18, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).When the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chaldean Catholic Church was consecrated earlier this month in Mosul, Iraq, a former parishioner now living in the United States said she was moved to tears."My eyes were filled with tears as I watched my church and my school return to the beautiful picture engraved in my memory," said Georgena Habbaba, who used to attend the parish and study at the parish school with her brothers. Her own children studied there, too, before the family had to flee Mosul amid worsening violence in 2007. (Note: Habbaba also writes for ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner.)"I remembered the wonderful days I spent studying at this school and praying in this church. Very close to my family's house," she t...
A bishop and a priest exchange the sign of peace during Mass. / Credit: Father Lawrence Lew, OP; photo courtesy of Martin Beek via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 18, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).The director of the Chair of Theology of the Consecrated Life at San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University in Spain, Sister Carolina Blázquez Casado, OSA, explained that the rite of peace at Mass "is not a greeting or friendly gesture."The sister explained the meaning of the rite in a video posted by the university, which is under the Archdiocese of Madrid.The sign of peace, which takes place between the recitation of the Lord's Prayer and the Fraction (breaking) of the Host, "is a prior step to be able to approach Communion with the body of Christ in a dignified manner," the Augustinian sister explained.The sign of peace is exchanged in recollection of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:23-24, namely: "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your ...
null / Credit: Jill Sauve/UnsplashWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 17, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).Arizona House Republicans blocked two attempts on Wednesday to repeal an 1864 law protecting life at conception.In a near party-line 30-30 vote on Wednesday, House Democrats failed to gain a majority of votes to suspend the Legislature's rules to fast-track a so-called "abortion ban repeal" bill that would have overturned the 1864 pro-life law. Dormant since being invalidated by Roe v. Wade in 1973, the 1864 law protects all unborn life from conception and imposes prison time for those who "provide, supply, or administer" an abortion. This temporarily stalls ongoing efforts to repeal the law, which is set to go into effect in the next 37 days.Debate on the House floor was tense just before the vote as Democrats called the pro-life law "abhorrent" and "archaic." Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez bashed Republicans, saying that "the fact that we will not even entertain a motion ...
