Catholic News 2
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For the first time, a new drug given along with a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine has proved able to shrink plaque that is clogging arteries. That could potentially provide a way to undo some of the damage of heart disease....
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A local West Virginia official said she has been placed on leave after she posted a racist comment about first lady Michelle Obama on Facebook....
SEATTLE (AP) -- Democratic mayors of major U.S. cities that have long had cool relationships with federal immigration officials say they'll do all they can to protect residents from deportation, despite President-elect Donald Trump's vows to withhold potentially millions of dollars in taxpayer money if they don't cooperate....
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Drawing a broad lesson from the election of Donald Trump, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that world leaders need to pay attention to people's very real fears of economic dislocation and inequality in the midst of globalization....
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sequestered in his Manhattan high-rise, Donald Trump huddled Tuesday with Vice President-elect Mike Pence as he moved closer to filing out his Cabinet, including top national security posts. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has emerged as the favorite to serve as secretary of state, a senior Trump official said....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid signs of support from Donald Trump, Speaker Paul Ryan moved Tuesday toward winning approval from House Republicans to keep his job in the coming Congress. House Democrats, jarred by their meager Election Day gains, seemed less certain about their direction and delayed a vote on whether to keep Rep. Nancy Pelosi as minority leader....
(Vatican Radio) Innocent civilians in the embattled city of Mosul are being caught in the crossfire and isolated from the outside world. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Iraq is calling for greater protection of civilians trapped inside of Mosul. Since the military offensive began on October 17th to recapture city from ISIS, more than 50,000 people have fled. The number of displaced civilians has increased drastically over the past week, totaling more than 20,000 compared to just 6,000 the previous week.More than 1 million civilians are at risk of being affected by ongoing military operations, and many are being caught in the crossfire. Some people have not eaten in days and are too afraid to leave their homes. As a result, at least 700,000 people are likely to need urgent assistance in the forms of shelter, food, water, and medical support. In July of 2016, the humanitarian community launched the Mosul emergency appeal for US$284 million but only 64% has been received ...
(Vatican Radio) Innocent civilians in the embattled city of Mosul are being caught in the crossfire and isolated from the outside world. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Iraq is calling for greater protection of civilians trapped inside of Mosul. Since the military offensive began on October 17th to recapture city from ISIS, more than 50,000 people have fled. The number of displaced civilians has increased drastically over the past week, totaling more than 20,000 compared to just 6,000 the previous week.
More than 1 million civilians are at risk of being affected by ongoing military operations, and many are being caught in the crossfire. Some people have not eaten in days and are too afraid to leave their homes. As a result, at least 700,000 people are likely to need urgent assistance in the forms of shelter, food, water, and medical support. In July of 2016, the humanitarian community launched the Mosul emergency appeal for US$284 million but only 64% has been received to date.
Michelle Delaney, the Media Advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Iraq spoke with Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni about the pressing situation in Mosul.
Listen to the interview:
Listen:
Although more than 50,000 people have fled Mosul so far, there are still 1.2 million civilians still trapped in the city. Delaney explains, “The numbers we were expecting to see fleeing the city are actually quite low, so we are highly concerned about the people still inside and why they haven’t started to flee.”
There are reports of people being injured or killed by land mines and snipers, as well as being used as human shields: “This is against international humanitarian law and this would be using innocent civilians as weapons of war, which is something that even in the rules of war, you are not supposed to do,” says Delaney.
The NRC in Iraq is calling for the safe passage of civilians in order to get out of the city. In some cases, Iraqi forces are attempting to help civilians escape but cannot get close enough to where the people are located. The civilians still have to move through sniper zones to reach the Iraqi forces. This makes it extremely difficult for people to decide whether to stay or go.
Civilians are afraid to speak out publicly about their ordeals: “When we ask them if we can take a picture or record what they are saying, they are extremely nervous that their photos will be put online and ISIS will find them.”
Many still have extended family trapped in the city and are afraid that there will be retaliation against those family members. Even though they are displaced and they are in displacement sites outside of Mosul, they are very afraid for their family members inside the city.
Under ISIS rule, the use of mobile phones and internet is strictly prohibited. It is a tool used by ISIS to isolate the population of Mosul from the outside world. There is no way of contacting people who leave the city, or contacting people inside the city once you have left.
Delaney expresses, “They have the heartache of family members who have escaped but have no way to get in touch with those mothers and fathers still inside of Mosul to see where they are and if they are okay.”
Many children in Mosul have not been in school for the last two years. The children who went to the Daesh School led by ISIS received an inadequate education: “When they were teaching them math, they would teach them to count with grenades and guns instead of say apples and oranges,” Delaney describes.
The NRC has set up camp at a relatively safe distance from Mosul. The humanitarian workers are safe, but it is intense work around the clock. The camps receive thousands of civilians overnight. The workers provide supplies like food, water, and even diapers for children because the families fled Mosul with nothing.
The conditions for civilians inside Mosul are getting worse so the NRC is appealing to all fighting forces to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone so that they can take shelter and find safety within displacement camps outside Mosul.
They are also calling for safe humanitarian corridors so that people can flee the city and calling for civilians not to be used as weapons of war.
(Vatican Radio) This Sunday the Holy Year of Mercy will conclude with Mass in St Peter’s Basilica and the closing of the Holy Door by Pope Francis. Holy Doors in Churches around the world have been a key feature of this Jubilee Year, not least in the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia. People throughout the year have made pilgrimages to the Cathedral there and to various parish Churches in the diocese to pray for the grace of mercy in their own lives.According to the Auxillary Bishop of Perth, Donald Sproxton, a lot of emphasis has been put on education and reflection in order to give people including the youth of the diocese the opportunity to show mercy in their relationships, and their work.Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Auxillary Bishop of Perth, Donald Sproxton Bishop Sproxton also highlighted the numbers of people who have been receiving the sacrament of reconciliation saying, “the numbers of people coming to confession has increased enormousl...
(Vatican Radio) This Sunday the Holy Year of Mercy will conclude with Mass in St Peter’s Basilica and the closing of the Holy Door by Pope Francis. Holy Doors in Churches around the world have been a key feature of this Jubilee Year, not least in the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia. People throughout the year have made pilgrimages to the Cathedral there and to various parish Churches in the diocese to pray for the grace of mercy in their own lives.
According to the Auxillary Bishop of Perth, Donald Sproxton, a lot of emphasis has been put on education and reflection in order to give people including the youth of the diocese the opportunity to show mercy in their relationships, and their work.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Auxillary Bishop of Perth, Donald Sproxton
Bishop Sproxton also highlighted the numbers of people who have been receiving the sacrament of reconciliation saying, “the numbers of people coming to confession has increased enormously in this last twelve months.”
The Bishop said that a number of initiatives have developed out of the Year of Mercy and volunteers have been out in force helping social service agencies in their work. They have been, “visiting prisons, encouraging those who have already been providing meals for the poor”.
Another area where the Church has been working, noted the Auxillary Bishop, is advocating for the Aboriginal people, for example, “trying to get them back into housing.” He said, that “they are excited in a sense that this Year of Mercy has meant there’s a possibility of more engagement with the other ethnic groups particularly the Anglo Saxon groups here in the diocese.”
As the curtain comes down on this Extraordinary Year, there is the hope that it will have long term effects on the faithful around the world. Bishop Sproxton said that in his diocese those long term effects, “will be seen in actions at local parish communities”, and people he added, will “keep working at lifting people out of poverty and assisting them to find dignity in their life again.”
(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People has released a Message to mark World Fisheries Day, which is to be celebrated this coming 21st day of November.Please find the full text of the Message, below**********************************************************************Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Careof Migrants and Itinerant PeopleWorld Fisheries Day Message(21th November 2016)World Fisheries Day since 1998 is celebrated each year on November 21 to highlight the importance of conserving the ocean and marine life that provides food for billions and employment opportunities for over 50 million people worldwide.Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Sì mentions some of the threats which are affecting and destroying the natural marine resources: “Many of the world’s coral reefs are already barren or in a state of constant decline. “Who turned the wonder world of the seas into underwater c...
(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People has released a Message to mark World Fisheries Day, which is to be celebrated this coming 21st day of November.
Please find the full text of the Message, below
**********************************************************************
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant People
World Fisheries Day Message
(21th November 2016)
World Fisheries Day since 1998 is celebrated each year on November 21 to highlight the importance of conserving the ocean and marine life that provides food for billions and employment opportunities for over 50 million people worldwide.
Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Sì mentions some of the threats which are affecting and destroying the natural marine resources: “Many of the world’s coral reefs are already barren or in a state of constant decline. “Who turned the wonder world of the seas into underwater cemeteries bereft of colour and life?[1]” This phenomenon is due largely to pollution which reaches the sea as the result of deforestation, agricultural monocultures, industrial waste and destructive fishing methods, especially those using cyanide and dynamite (No. 41)”. Since these are a common patrimony of humanity, Pope Francis calls everyone to:”…cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents (No. 14)”.
For this reason, we appreciate and wait with expectation for the implementation of The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA), adopted as a FAO Agreement in 2009. After several years of diplomatic efforts finally it went into effect, last June 5, and is now legally binding for the 29 countries and one regional organization which signed it[2]. Through the adoption and implementation of effective port State measures, the PSMA is the first ever-binding international treaty seeking to prevent, deter and eliminate the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a major environmental problem which causes great economic damages and threaten food security in many countries[3].
However, our concern is not only for the marine resources. The fishing industry has been widely recognized as one of the most unsafe for the frequency of occupational accidents and high death rates. On this World Fisheries Day we would like to call our attention also on the many fishers which find themselves in situation of exploitation and abuses.
Unfortunately it is not well known the tragic reality that, within the fishing industry, there are hundreds of thousands of internal/transnational migrants who are smuggled/ trafficked for forced labor on board of fishing vessels.
This is favored by a network of criminal organizations and individuals who prey on people coming from situation of poverty, eagerly seeking an employment that could help them to break away from the circle of misery. Instead, they end up in a situation of trafficking, debt bondage and slavery often without a way out. In fact, the fishing vessels stay out at sea for long periods (from a few months to several years), and the victims of these crimes find it difficult, if not impossible, to report their predicaments.
Heeding the call of Pope Francis: ”Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free the victims and stop this increasingly aggressive crime which threatens not only individuals but the basic values of society and of international security and justice, to say nothing of the economy, and the fabric of the family and our coexistence.[4]”, we as Catholic Church would like to renew our appeal to the Governments to ratify the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), to create a safe working environment on board of fishing vessels and better welfare provisions for fishers. As of October 2016 the Convention has been ratified by nine coastal states[5], and one more country is necessary for the entry into force of the Convention.
While we express our gratitude to the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) for their dedication and commitment, we would like to call on them to be vigilant and intensify their presence in fishing harbors to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking. It is also necessary that AOS work more closely with leaders of fishing communities to educate and prevent human trafficking by providing viable alternative of employment and live hood.
May Mary Stella Maris continue to be the source of strength and protection to all the fishers and their families.
Antonio Maria Card. Vegliò
President
Fr. Gabriele Bentoglio, cs
Under-Secretary
[1] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Pastoral Letter What is Happening to our Beautiful Land? (29 January 1988).
[2] Australia, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the European Union (as a member organization), Gabon, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, the United States of America, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.
[3] Illicit fishing may account for up to 26 million tonnes of fish a year, or more than 15 percent of the world’s total
annual capture fisheries output.
[4] Address of Pope Francis to the new Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See on the occasion of the presentation of the letters of credence. 12th December 2013
Students in a school in remote corner of Arunachal Pradesh raised fund to help poor children to celebrate Children’s Day this year on Nov 14.To experience the joy of sharing and to cultivate a spirit of solidarity in them, the children in Newman School Neotan in eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh organized a fancy fete to raise fund to help the poor children, celebrating the Children’s Day this year.“We ourselves are not from very rich families. But our little help today make a big difference to someone somewhere”, said Mansham Mossang a ninth grader.All the children in the school participated joyfully in the fund raising event.Though it was a fund raising event, we wanted to make it fun for all the students, said Fr. Felix, the principal of the school. The children contributed to the fund-raising by purchasing tickets for the various fun activities organized by the teachers. “It is very satisfying to contribute for a noble cause today. I know my contr...
Students in a school in remote corner of Arunachal Pradesh raised fund to help poor children to celebrate Children’s Day this year on Nov 14.
To experience the joy of sharing and to cultivate a spirit of solidarity in them, the children in Newman School Neotan in eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh organized a fancy fete to raise fund to help the poor children, celebrating the Children’s Day this year.
“We ourselves are not from very rich families. But our little help today make a big difference to someone somewhere”, said Mansham Mossang a ninth grader.
All the children in the school participated joyfully in the fund raising event.
Though it was a fund raising event, we wanted to make it fun for all the students, said Fr. Felix, the principal of the school. The children contributed to the fund-raising by purchasing tickets for the various fun activities organized by the teachers. “It is very satisfying to contribute for a noble cause today. I know my contribution is very small but it feels great to realize that I am helping an unknown poor child somewhere”, said Kanseng Ronrang of Class X.
Fr. Felix appreciated and thanked the students for their generous expression of solidarity with poor children. The children too expressed their joy at having got an opportunity to celebrate Children’s Day with the difference this year.
The teachers of the school put up a colourful cultural programme to entertain the children prior to the fancy fete.
The fund raised from this fete will be forwarded to Pontifical Society for Missionary Childhood that helps millions of poor children across the world. (Source: Miao Diocese)
