Catholic News 2
ISTANBUL (AP) -- The Latest on a deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub. (all times local):...
ISTANBUL (AP) -- An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 35 people and wounding 40 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack....
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs....
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- Several states around the country on Saturday asked cybersecurity experts to re-examine state and utility networks after a Vermont utility's laptop was found to contain malware that U.S. officials say is linked to Russian hackers....
Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers....
As 2016 draws to a close, revelers around the world are bidding a weary adieu to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts, deadly attacks at gatherings and deaths of legendary celebrities....
ISTANBUL (AP) -- An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations Saturday, killing at least 35 people and wounding 40 others in what the city's governor described as a terror attack....
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s draft political agreement is said to be ready but last-minute demands by political parties, relating to the inclusion of some details in the accord, have emerged. Mediators still hope that an agreement can be reached.If the accord is signed, Congolese President Joseph Kabila will step down after elections to be held by the end of 2017. This is according to the principal mediator of the talks, President of the Congolese Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani. Initially, Archbishop Utembi Tapa was confident of a breakthrough until political parties started to introduce new details into the agreement.Earlier, the Archbishop told the media that, "The government is asked to take all steps so that elections are organised by the end of 2017 at the latest." The Archbishop said. Under the deal, Kabila will be unable to change the constitution to allow him to stay in power for a third term. The d...
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s draft political agreement is said to be ready but last-minute demands by political parties, relating to the inclusion of some details in the accord, have emerged. Mediators still hope that an agreement can be reached.
If the accord is signed, Congolese President Joseph Kabila will step down after elections to be held by the end of 2017. This is according to the principal mediator of the talks, President of the Congolese Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani. Initially, Archbishop Utembi Tapa was confident of a breakthrough until political parties started to introduce new details into the agreement.
Earlier, the Archbishop told the media that, "The government is asked to take all steps so that elections are organised by the end of 2017 at the latest." The Archbishop said.
Under the deal, Kabila will be unable to change the constitution to allow him to stay in power for a third term. The draft agreement also says that political parties were agreed that Kabila would appoint a new prime minister from the ‘Rassemblement,’ a coalition that gathers most of the opposition.
Election experts, however, question the feasibility of organising presidential, legislative and provincial assembly elections together by the end of 2017.
Kabila's mandate ran out on 19 December, but the DRC’s constitutional court extended it until 2018 because the government said it could not arrange elections before then.
Pope Francis has called on all people in the Democratic Republic of Congo to work for peace. He recently urged them to “be (artisans) authors of reconciliation and peace.”
(Reuters/ADNKR/Vatican Radio)
The Bishops of the Republic of the Congo also known as Congo -Brazzaville have used their Christmas and New Year message to call for the protection and respect of the environment. In a pastoral statement addressed to the faithful and made available to the media, the Bishops decry the fast-disappearing forests.“At the beginning of the Christmas season and for this New Year, we invite you to respect the environment, the magnificent nature that God has given us. ‘Save our common home,' as Pope Francis reminds us. Indeed, we are blessed by God. He gave us a beautiful country, with incredible riches: A fertile land that is rich and endowed with raw material, forests and savannahs, the sea and rivers that crisscross our country. All these are an expression of God’s goodness to us,” the Bishops write.They add, “In general, we can see the misuse of the benefits of nature and the degradation of it: Forests are disappearing little by little because of ...
The Bishops of the Republic of the Congo also known as Congo -Brazzaville have used their Christmas and New Year message to call for the protection and respect of the environment.
In a pastoral statement addressed to the faithful and made available to the media, the Bishops decry the fast-disappearing forests.
“At the beginning of the Christmas season and for this New Year, we invite you to respect the environment, the magnificent nature that God has given us. ‘Save our common home,' as Pope Francis reminds us. Indeed, we are blessed by God. He gave us a beautiful country, with incredible riches: A fertile land that is rich and endowed with raw material, forests and savannahs, the sea and rivers that crisscross our country. All these are an expression of God’s goodness to us,” the Bishops write.
They add, “In general, we can see the misuse of the benefits of nature and the degradation of it: Forests are disappearing little by little because of excessive exploitation for wood and the lack of a policy for Reforestation in the country,” The Bishops assert.
According to the Bishops, sometimes whole forests are burned down by malicious people. The Bishops also draw attention to the management of waste in Congo’s towns and cities.
“In most of our cities, lanes are full of garbage; grand avenues are losing their shine more and more; gutters are blocked, or nonexistent; rivers flowing through cities have become makeshift dumping sites for waste,” the Bishops observe.
The Bishops are alarmed by the increasing contamination of the sources of drinking water; pollution by industrial smoke; the poisoning of the soil and environment by pesticides and fungicides, weedkillers and other toxic agrochemicals.
The prelates invite people to internalise the message of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato sí.
“Beloved sons and daughters, we invite you to a true "ecological conversion", a conversion (metanoia) that involves respect for nature and education, “ the Bishops say.
The call on the Congolese government to inculcate a sense of civic education in citizens and for the government to do its part in caring for the environment.
“The State also has the mission, the responsibility to educate the people to a national and ecological consciousness to help citizens respect the environment and (embrace) a culture of cleanliness. Perhaps we should return to the notions of civic education in schools (as in the past). We need to teach and inculcate these concepts in the minds of the Congolese to end bad habits and gradually take on healthy habits of no longer throwing what has been used on the streets or the floor but in garbage cans or appropriate places. It is a whole school (of life),” the Bishops pastoral statement reads, in part.
(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God.In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on a passage from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”These words, the Pope said, “introduce us to God’s plan for us: He wants us to live as His sons and daughters.” Pope Francis said the “logic of the manger” is a logic of “encounter and closeness” that leaves no room for exclusion and division.Pope Francis invited us all “to contemplate how God has been present throughout this year and to remind ourselves that every age, every moment is the bearer of graces and blessings.”The ceremony also included the chanting of the Te Deum, traditionally sung at the end of the civil year ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God.
In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on a passage from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
These words, the Pope said, “introduce us to God’s plan for us: He wants us to live as His sons and daughters.” Pope Francis said the “logic of the manger” is a logic of “encounter and closeness” that leaves no room for exclusion and division.
Pope Francis invited us all “to contemplate how God has been present throughout this year and to remind ourselves that every age, every moment is the bearer of graces and blessings.”
The ceremony also included the chanting of the Te Deum, traditionally sung at the end of the civil year in Thanksgiving for the blessings of the year.
Following the liturgy, Pope Francis made his way outside the Basilica to the larger-than-life Nativity Scene on display in St Peter’s Square. After spending a few moments in silent prayer, the Holy Father enjoyed a selection of traditional Christmas hymns and carols, and had the opportunity to greet members of the faithful gathered in the Square.
