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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan opposition leaders called Monday for a 24-hour nationwide strike to increase pressure on the socialist government after more than 7 million people rejected a plan to rewrite the constitution and consolidate the ruling party's power over the country, which has been stricken by shortages and inflation and riven by more than 100 days of clashes between protesters and police....
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Relatives and neighbors of an Australian woman who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police over the weekend demanded answers Monday about her death, with one calling the shooting of the meditation teacher and bride-to-be "an execution."...
TONTO NATIONAL FOREST, Ariz. (AP) -- Five children were among the nine people killed in a flash flood at an Arizona swimming hole during the weekend, and all were part of an extended family, authorities said Monday....
Local authorities in North Cotabato province in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao are building an army of young Christians, Muslims, and tribal "peace builders in communities." Cotabato Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza announced last week the holding of a "peace builders camp" for the youth starting on Wednesday. The activity will "instill the importance of peace and respect for religion" in the minds of young people, said the governor. She said, "The three-day peace camp aims to make young people appreciate the importance of peace, and their role in building and advocating for a peaceful community." Talino-Mendoza appealed to parents to allow their children to join the peace camp.The province of North Cotabato is home to Christians, Muslims, and tribal communities that have suffered from decades of war waged by Moro rebel groups in the region. More recently, the volatile Mindanao region has seen the ris...
Local authorities in North Cotabato province in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao are building an army of young Christians, Muslims, and tribal "peace builders in communities." Cotabato Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza announced last week the holding of a "peace builders camp" for the youth starting on Wednesday. The activity will "instill the importance of peace and respect for religion" in the minds of young people, said the governor. She said, "The three-day peace camp aims to make young people appreciate the importance of peace, and their role in building and advocating for a peaceful community." Talino-Mendoza appealed to parents to allow their children to join the peace camp.
The province of North Cotabato is home to Christians, Muslims, and tribal communities that have suffered from decades of war waged by Moro rebel groups in the region. More recently, the volatile Mindanao region has seen the rise of violent Islamist militancy. The Maute radical Islamist group that claims allegiance to the so-called Islamic State, on May 23 attacked the southern city of Marawi, burned the Catholic cathedral and a Protestant school, and took a Catholic priest and several church workers as hostages. Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte went on the offensive declaring martial law in Mindanao. Over 7 weeks of air strikes and battles with government troops have killed more than 500 people, including 411 militants, and displaced 260,000, marking the country's biggest security crisis in years.
In a new development, President Duterte on Monday vowed to fast-track a new legislation for autonomy in Mindanao, advancing a protracted process to end decades of rebellion and thwart rising Islamist militancy. Government and rebel representatives on Monday submitted to Duterte a draft legislation of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), aimed at establishing a more powerful and better-funded Muslim autonomous region in the country's south under a 2014 peace deal signed by the two sides. The BBL is the culmination of a rocky 20-year peace process between the government of the predominantly Catholic nation and the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). According to MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar, the proposed law “is the best antidote to violent extremism that has wrought havoc” in many Muslim areas.
Catholic schools in the Philippines embarked on a 14-day prayer campaign for peace on Monday as fierce fighting continues in the southern city of Marawi. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) said such ‘communal action’ is needed to help end the ongoing conflict in the Mindanao region. “The intention of the prayer and reflection is for peace in Marawi and other areas in the Philippines where there are conflicts,” said the CEAP, the country’s largest private educational organization. “This communal action also intended to touch the hearts of the Catholic educational community to assist in the rebuilding of the city of Marawi,” it said. In solidarity with other prayer initiatives, the prayer for peace is a project of the National Advocacy Commission (NAC) and has been adopted by the entire CEAP community. The Islamic city of Marawi remains locked in a fierce battle between government forc...
Catholic schools in the Philippines embarked on a 14-day prayer campaign for peace on Monday as fierce fighting continues in the southern city of Marawi. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) said such ‘communal action’ is needed to help end the ongoing conflict in the Mindanao region. “The intention of the prayer and reflection is for peace in Marawi and other areas in the Philippines where there are conflicts,” said the CEAP, the country’s largest private educational organization. “This communal action also intended to touch the hearts of the Catholic educational community to assist in the rebuilding of the city of Marawi,” it said. In solidarity with other prayer initiatives, the prayer for peace is a project of the National Advocacy Commission (NAC) and has been adopted by the entire CEAP community.
The Islamic city of Marawi remains locked in a fierce battle between government forces and the Islamist Maute terrorist group that claims allegiance to the Islamic State. Since the terrorist group attacked the city, May 23, over 500 have died. Catholic bishops earlier called for prayers and increased inter-religious dialogue to fight “violent extremism”. They also appealed for a “return to normalcy and peace” as soon as possible as the humanitarian crisis of displaced persons soared to around 410,400 from about 89,500 families.
Earlier in July, representatives of various faith groups joined an ecumenical prayer gathering in Manila at the launch of a "prayer marathon for peace". At least a thousand Muslims and Christians gathered in Quezon City at noon for the prayers, organized by the Pasa Lord Movement. The movement includes representatives from various faiths and denominations, including Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, Evangelicals, and Charismatic Christian groups. The organizers appealed to people to make the daily noon "prayer for peace" a habit. They encouraged Filipinos to recite the prayer "wherever they may be," especially during gatherings. (Source: CBCPNews/UCAN)
(Vatican Radio) Church leaders from the central African region have concluded a meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, with an urgent appeal for peace and reconciliation in the war-torn region.Listen to our report: In a concluding document for their XI plenary assembly, the bishops of the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo-Brazzaville expressed solidarity and prayers for all those most affected by violence in the region. They also appealed to “all who sow terror and death to stop the bloodshed and work for peace, dialogue and reconciliation”.During the July 8th to 16th meeting, the Church leaders voiced their concerns over the death of Bishop Jean Marie Benoit Bala, whose body was found in a river in Cameroon on June 2nd. Local authorities have described the death as a suicide, but the bishops believe their brother was murdered two days earlier and claim the killing is part of a series of mysterious deaths and disappearance...
(Vatican Radio) Church leaders from the central African region have concluded a meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, with an urgent appeal for peace and reconciliation in the war-torn region.
Listen to our report:
In a concluding document for their XI plenary assembly, the bishops of the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo-Brazzaville expressed solidarity and prayers for all those most affected by violence in the region. They also appealed to “all who sow terror and death to stop the bloodshed and work for peace, dialogue and reconciliation”.
During the July 8th to 16th meeting, the Church leaders voiced their concerns over the death of Bishop Jean Marie Benoit Bala, whose body was found in a river in Cameroon on June 2nd. Local authorities have described the death as a suicide, but the bishops believe their brother was murdered two days earlier and claim the killing is part of a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances of Catholic leaders in Cameroon. They have appealed for further investigations to bring to light the truth of this latest tragedy.
Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue
The theme of the plenary assembly was focused on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in the central African region. In these countries, the bishops say, dialogue depends upon positive and constructive relationships with people of different faith communities, in order to promote a reciprocal enrichment, while respecting the truth and religious liberty of all.
In the context of widespread religious pluralism, the bishops add, such a dialogue remains difficult but not impossible. They say they will be publishing a document dedicated to this delicate issue in the near future.
They also announced that their next plenary assembly will take place in 2020 in Equatorial Guinea.
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ciro Fusco, EPABy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God proposes -- not imposes -- his Gospeland offer of salvation, putting the responsibility of being open to and movedby his message on the listener, Pope Francis said.Jesus doesn't draw people to him by conquering them, butby giving himself, like a sower, spreading "with patience and generosityhis word, which isn't a cage or a trap, but a seed that can bear fruit" ifpeople welcome it, the pope said before praying the Angelus July 16.Speaking to people gathered in St. Peter's Square, thepope reflected on the Sunday reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in whichJesus speaks to the crowds about the parable of the sower.The parable, the pope said, speaks more about the soilthan the sower because the quality of the terrain is critical for whether aseed will eventually bear fruit.In Jesus' parable, the seed that falls on rich soilproduces fruit, while seed that falls on hard or rocky ground or among thethorns does not...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ciro Fusco, EPA
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God proposes -- not imposes -- his Gospel and offer of salvation, putting the responsibility of being open to and moved by his message on the listener, Pope Francis said.
Jesus doesn't draw people to him by conquering them, but by giving himself, like a sower, spreading "with patience and generosity his word, which isn't a cage or a trap, but a seed that can bear fruit" if people welcome it, the pope said before praying the Angelus July 16.
Speaking to people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope reflected on the Sunday reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in which Jesus speaks to the crowds about the parable of the sower.
The parable, the pope said, speaks more about the soil than the sower because the quality of the terrain is critical for whether a seed will eventually bear fruit.
In Jesus' parable, the seed that falls on rich soil produces fruit, while seed that falls on hard or rocky ground or among the thorns does not.
The pope said the parable is like Jesus taking a "spiritual X-ray" of the different conditions of the heart that reveal how receptive it may or not be to God's Word.
If a heart is hard and impenetrable, it's like asphalt or cobblestones, he said, because the seed of the Gospels "bounces off" and doesn't sink in.
A weak, "superficial heart," is like rocky ground with little soil; a seed may sprout, but the tender plant is vulnerable to harsh conditions because of a lack of roots, he said.
A superficial heart that lacks depth welcomes the Lord, "wants to pray, love and give witness, but it does not persevere, it gets tired out and never takes off." The roots of faith can never sink deep because there are too many "stones of laziness" in the way and "love is fickle and fleeting," the pope said.
A seed tossed among thorns will choke new growth, he said, and the thorns represent a heart filled with "worldly anxiety and the lure of riches"; they are "vices that come to blows with God," suffocating his presence, the pope said.
If people spend more time cultivating "the idols of worldly riches, living greedily -- for themselves, for possession and for power," he said, then "we choke off the growth of God in us."
People must reflect on their heart's condition and, like a gardener, reclaim and work their land -- their hearts -- by eliminating the weeds and stones of vices and weaknesses.
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Follow Glatz on Twitter: @CarolGlatz.
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CHESHIRE, Conn. (AP) -- It's a day seared into the memories of all involved: The July 23, 2007, home invasion in which two paroled burglars broke into a Cheshire, Connecticut, home after dark, terrorized the family for hours and killed a woman and her two daughters....
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- A Jordanian soldier was sentenced Monday to life in prison after being convicted of killing three U.S. military trainers last year, but some said questions lingered about his motive for the shooting at a Jordanian air base....
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghanistan's protracted war killed a record number of civilians during the first six months of this year, according to a U.N. report released Monday, which blamed the majority of the deaths on bombings by insurgents....
