Catholic News 2
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- The death toll from a bomb blast at a Sufi shrine in southwest Pakistan Saturday has risen to 50 people with more than 100 wounded, officials said....
HAMAM AL-ALIL, Iraq (AP) -- For months, Islamic State group fighters drove thousands of civilians on forced marches across the Nineveh desert into the small town of Hamam al-Alil. Retreating ahead of methodical Iraqi advances on Mosul's southern approach, IS fighters converged here, rounding up men, women and children for use as human shields and killing dozens of others....
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Jurors failed to come up with a verdict against a white former police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black motorist and were leaning toward a lesser conviction, a prosecutor said Saturday after a mistrial was declared....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington's new power trio consists of a bombastic billionaire, a telegenic policy wonk and a taciturn political tactician. How well they can get along will help determine what gets done over the next four years, and whether the new president's agenda flounders or succeeds....
When a South Carolina congressman shouted "You lie!" during a speech by President Barack Obama in 2009, House members rebuked him for violating norms of civility. After this year's presidential campaign, the idea that people were once troubled by the outburst seems almost quaint....
(Vatican Radio) At the end of the last Jubilee Audience of the soon-to-end Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis had a special greeting and a heartfelt “thank you” for the many volunteers who have offered an inestimable service to the Vatican and to pilgrims from across the globe. To a group of about 600 Year of Mercy volunteers present in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, the Pope said: “You have been fantastic! I thank you, who come from different countries, for your precious service that has allowed so many pilgrims to give life to this experience of faith in a positive way. In the course of these months I have noticed your discreet presence in the Square and I appreciate the dedication, patience and enthusiasm with which you have done your work. Thank you so much!” Some 4000 volunteers have participated in the Extraordinary Jubilee, many of them Italian, but others from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colomb...
(Vatican Radio) At the end of the last Jubilee Audience of the soon-to-end Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis had a special greeting and a heartfelt “thank you” for the many volunteers who have offered an inestimable service to the Vatican and to pilgrims from across the globe.
To a group of about 600 Year of Mercy volunteers present in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, the Pope said: “You have been fantastic! I thank you, who come from different countries, for your precious service that has allowed so many pilgrims to give life to this experience of faith in a positive way. In the course of these months I have noticed your discreet presence in the Square and I appreciate the dedication, patience and enthusiasm with which you have done your work. Thank you so much!”
Some 4000 volunteers have participated in the Extraordinary Jubilee, many of them Italian, but others from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Congo, India and Taiwan.
1800 of them were members of the Sovereign Order of Malta and provided medical assistance as well.
Each volunteer has given at least one week of his or her own time to assist the faithful providing information and offering to accompany the pilgrims to special entrances and gathering places set up at each of the Papal Basilicas, as well as helping them enter the Holy Doors and staying inside the Basilicas in prayer according to Vatican indications.
The Catholic Church in Kenya through her Catholic, Justice and Peace Commission and various arms has joined the Government in the war against corruption.In a memorandum handed over to His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta on 2nd, November, 2016 at State House, Nairobi, the Bishops said the Church is escalating the war against corruption by writing a book on how to fight corruption besides implementing various programmes to combat graft.The handbook whose content is based on promotion of virtues and ethics informed by the social teachings of the Catholic Church, points out that corruption rotates a round a society that has lost values and virtues hence the need to restore dignity in both public and private sectors.The move to write the book was prompted by the many cases and allegations of corruption where Billions of public funds meant for development projects have been misappropriated and by President Kenyatta’s call to Kenyans that fighting Corruption is a collective res...
The Catholic Church in Kenya through her Catholic, Justice and Peace Commission and various arms has joined the Government in the war against corruption.
In a memorandum handed over to His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta on 2nd, November, 2016 at State House, Nairobi, the Bishops said the Church is escalating the war against corruption by writing a book on how to fight corruption besides implementing various programmes to combat graft.
The handbook whose content is based on promotion of virtues and ethics informed by the social teachings of the Catholic Church, points out that corruption rotates a round a society that has lost values and virtues hence the need to restore dignity in both public and private sectors.
The move to write the book was prompted by the many cases and allegations of corruption where Billions of public funds meant for development projects have been misappropriated and by President Kenyatta’s call to Kenyans that fighting Corruption is a collective responsibility.
The Bishops proposed to President Kenyatta to intervene in the recent spate of matters concerning corruption by ensuring that, investigation of public officers adversely mentioned or suspected to be misappropriating public funds for their own personal gain.
“Any officer adversely mentioned and implicated in graft ought to step aside even as investigations proceed. There should be conclusion to investigations and actual convictions for those found guilty. You must hold responsible relevant officers that have been appointed to fight corruption which is not only a crime but a moral wrong.” The Bishops said.
The Memorandum was presented to the president at State House by His Eminence John Cardinal Njue, The Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Bishop of Homabay Rt. Rev. Philip Anyolo, KCCB Vice Chairman and the Bishop of Ngong Rt. Rev. John Obala Owaa, Bishop of Kitui Rt. Rev. Anthony Muheria, Rt. Rev. Alfred Rotich and The KCCB General Secretary Vey Rev. Fr. Daniel Rono.
By Rose Achiego (Waumini Communications, Nairobi)
Indigenous Santal people, who were violently evicted from their ancestral lands by a sugar plantation and mill in the northern Gaibandha district of Bangladesh, are now facing a food crisis.About 2,500 Santal squatters, mostly Christians, were forced off disputed land in the Sahebganj area by workers from the Rangpur Sugar Mill with support from the local administration and police on Nov. 6-7.On that day, local Christians, mostly ethnic Santal Catholic, clashed with the police because of a land dispute. Witnesses noted that police had arrest warrants for 300 Santal, who fled to avoid jail. Others defended themselves with bows and arrows injuring some agents.Three Santal men were killed and dozens injured when they tried to resist eviction by "local thugs" who were sent by the mill with the approval of local parliamentarian, Abul Kalam Azad. The attackers also looted the homes and livestock of tribal people and set fire to about 600 squatter homes.Evicted families have ta...
Indigenous Santal people, who were violently evicted from their ancestral lands by a sugar plantation and mill in the northern Gaibandha district of Bangladesh, are now facing a food crisis.
About 2,500 Santal squatters, mostly Christians, were forced off disputed land in the Sahebganj area by workers from the Rangpur Sugar Mill with support from the local administration and police on Nov. 6-7.
On that day, local Christians, mostly ethnic Santal Catholic, clashed with the police because of a land dispute. Witnesses noted that police had arrest warrants for 300 Santal, who fled to avoid jail. Others defended themselves with bows and arrows injuring some agents.
Three Santal men were killed and dozens injured when they tried to resist eviction by "local thugs" who were sent by the mill with the approval of local parliamentarian, Abul Kalam Azad. The attackers also looted the homes and livestock of tribal people and set fire to about 600 squatter homes.
Evicted families have taken shelter under the open sky in three neighboring villages while police continue to prohibit them from moving causing a food crisis.
"We can't walk out of the village to find work. We have no food and no money, so we have been starving since the eviction on Sunday night," Emmanuel Baskey, a father of three, told ucanews.com.
Baskey said that nuns from the Missionaries of Charity handed out food and clothes to 200 people on Nov. 9. "We are trying to survive on a few kilograms of rice, oil, lentils and few scraps of clothing," Baskey said, adding that the eviction has thrown his five-member family into dire straits.
"Besides burning my house, the attackers have looted my cows, goats, power tiller and water irrigation pump. I don't know how to recover from the great loss," he said.
For human rights activist Jotirmoy Borua, this "was premeditated…. We received information that local police and Muslims attacked Tribals to take away their land," he said.
Church groups are trying to reach out and help the evicted people, said Father Samson Marandy, parish priest from Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Dinajpur, which covers the affected area.
"These people have been living in absolute fear since the attacks; they don't have food, can't get medical treatment and don't have an income," he said.
Due to the dispute's political nature, the local church has found it difficult to aid and assist the Santals, Father Marandy said.
"We have been in touch with Caritas and the nuns for support. Some of them have also taken shelter in church buildings. But we can't do anything openly because the issue is so political," he said.
On Nov. 10, hundreds of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists formed a human chain and held a protest in Dhaka to advocate for the Santal cause.
"We condemn the attacks on tribal people and call on the government to ensure justice and the realization of their rights," said Nirmol Rozario, protest organizer and president of the Bangladesh Christian Association.
Rozario said that the government must also adequately compensate families of the dead, injured and those who lost their homes.
The same day, ten Bangladeshi religious, social and human rights groups including the Catholic Church's social action agency, Caritas signed a petition and demanded a "judicial investigation."
"Earlier we appealed to the government to solve this land dispute through legalities and discussion, but it was ignored which led to deadly violence," the petition said.
The reason for the dispute lies in the fact that "After 1962, the government bought 774,000 hectares of land that belonged to the Santal, where they grow sugar cane,” the clergyman explained.
“The agreement provided that the land would be used only for this type of crop. If another crop was introduced, the land would go back to the original owners. In 2003, the local government suspended sugarcane production and so local Tribals asked for their land."
Baskey claimed that 30 tribal men are missing since the eviction.
"We don't know what happened to them. Maybe they were killed or forcibly disappeared. We are ready to die but we won't give up our movement to claim our ancestral land," Baskey added.
Subroto Kumar Sarkar, officer-in-charge of the local Govindaganj police station refuted the allegations.
"We don't have any information regarding deaths and missing persons. We have arrested only four people for attacking police during clashes," Sarkar said.
Abul Kalam Azad, the local parliamentarian, denied any involvement in the eviction and violence.
"I am not involved in any way and I have condemned the attack on tribal people as an inhumane act. My political opponents are spreading propaganda against me to tarnish my image," Azad said.
(source: UCANews; AsiaNews)
Child Protection is a Ministry Entrusted to All by GodThe Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission (ECC SDCO) brings together those working with children, elderly and people with disability in various Church projects in different parts of the country. The consultation meeting that took place in Addis Ababa mainly aims at enhancing child protection and sharing of experiences among implementers from different Dioceses.In his opening remark Mr. Bekele Moges, ECC SDCO Executive Director said that social rehabilitation is one of the priorities of the Church. He said the work of social rehabilitation extends to children, elderly, the people with disability and the marginalized for whom the Church has always been a voice.“Gathering here together from different Dioceses for a discussion allows us to identify the needs of the vulnerable and evaluate our ways of responding to the needs, it also shows us a path to how we can proceed in the future,” he underline...
Child Protection is a Ministry Entrusted to All by God
The Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission (ECC SDCO) brings together those working with children, elderly and people with disability in various Church projects in different parts of the country. The consultation meeting that took place in Addis Ababa mainly aims at enhancing child protection and sharing of experiences among implementers from different Dioceses.
In his opening remark Mr. Bekele Moges, ECC SDCO Executive Director said that social rehabilitation is one of the priorities of the Church. He said the work of social rehabilitation extends to children, elderly, the people with disability and the marginalized for whom the Church has always been a voice.
“Gathering here together from different Dioceses for a discussion allows us to identify the needs of the vulnerable and evaluate our ways of responding to the needs, it also shows us a path to how we can proceed in the future,” he underlined encouraging the participants of the workshop to share their experiences in detail.
The executive director stressed that working with children and with the elderly is not an easy task as many of the challenges come from within the society due to pessimist attitude towards some of the vulnerable children being served. “Social reintegration is our priority, working with the society and families is vital to reintegrating the children we work with to their community,” said Mr. Bekele. He added that the Church has so far been successful in engaging families and the community to be part of the lives of the beneficiary children and the vulnerable being supported by different projects and asked the social workers to move forward keeping in mind the importance of making the children they work with feel like they are part and parcel of the society.
Sr. Senait Mengesha, MMS, ECC SDCO Women and Family Affairs Team Leader said that children are entrusted to us by God. “Children, people with disabilities and the elderly cannot care for themselves but we are given the responsibility to care for them. This is not just a job for us but a Ministry given to us by Our Lord, thus we must serve them with faithfully” said Sr. Senait.
She explained in addition to directly working with children, the Church’s Child protection policy is considered for every social project run by ECC SDCO to ensure the safeguarding of children.
Tens of thousands of children in Ethiopia have gone through the Church’s social rehabilitation programmes and have become outstanding citizens throughout the years. Currently the Church runs 41 social rehabilitation centers mainly by religious congregations in different Dioceses working with children, elders and the vulnerable.
By Makeda Yohannes (Ethiopia Catholic Secretariat)
South Bend, Ind., Nov 12, 2016 / 08:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christian persecution around the world is the focus of the documentary short film Under Caesar’s Sword, and the people it portrays.“What is remarkable about persecuted Christians is their resilience. They are not just victims. Understanding this is the key to being in solidarity with them,” said Daniel Philpott, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame and the movie’s co-director.The 26-minute film shows Christian communities in Turkey, India and elsewhere which suffer religious freedom violations. It interviews Christian families, refugees and regional leaders as well as scholars.Under Caesar’s Sword focuses on their “creative strategies” to survive, build alliances and resist persecution, Notre Dame News reports.The erasure of Christian culture in the Middle East is one focus, as is human rights activism among Christians in India.In the Kandhamal riots of late...
South Bend, Ind., Nov 12, 2016 / 08:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christian persecution around the world is the focus of the documentary short film Under Caesar’s Sword, and the people it portrays.
“What is remarkable about persecuted Christians is their resilience. They are not just victims. Understanding this is the key to being in solidarity with them,” said Daniel Philpott, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame and the movie’s co-director.
The 26-minute film shows Christian communities in Turkey, India and elsewhere which suffer religious freedom violations. It interviews Christian families, refugees and regional leaders as well as scholars.
Under Caesar’s Sword focuses on their “creative strategies” to survive, build alliances and resist persecution, Notre Dame News reports.
The erasure of Christian culture in the Middle East is one focus, as is human rights activism among Christians in India.
In the Kandhamal riots of late 2007 and early 2008, rioters in the eastern India state of Odisha killed 45 people and destroyed more than 80 churches. Christians were targeted for forced conversion to Hinduism.
In the film, the widow of a man who refused to convert recounted how he was tortured and killed in front of her and their two children.
“They beat my husband badly as we pleaded with them to stop,” she said. “They dragged him for a kilometer with a cycle chain around his neck.”
Timothy Shah, associate director of Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project, reflected on many Christians’ response to persecution.
“Christians have spontaneously responded to their own suffering by enlarging their concern and compassion and work for justice to include others as well,” Shah said.
“It’s important because that’s what their faith calls them to, but it’s important too in that I think many Christians realize the only world in which they are going to be more secure is a world in which everyone is more secure.”
Open Doors USA, an advocacy group that serves persecuted Christians in over 60 countries, said more than 7,100 Christians were killed for their faith in 2015. An estimated 100 million Christians endure some form of persecution each year.
The documentary film was directed by Jason Cohen Productions. It was produced by the Under Caesar’s Sword initiative, a partnership of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture and Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project.
The Under Caesar’s Sword film is available at no cost on-line, as is a discussion guide for groups. It can be seen at the website ucs.nd.edu/film.
