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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Young Hispanic and Asian-Americans who are immigrants or have an immigrant parent are more likely to be liberal in their views on politics and immigration than those with families who have been in United States longer, a new GenForward poll shows....
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A Marine recruit committed suicide in March amid a widespread culture of hazing and abuse in his battalion at Parris Island that could lead to punishments for as many as 20 officers and enlisted leaders, the Marine Corps said Thursday....
KHARABRUD, Iraq (AP) -- An Iranian Kurdish rebel group received military training in weapons and explosives from U.S. and European advisers as part of the international program backing Kurds in the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq, the group's commander told The Associated Press....
NEW YORK (AP) -- After being roughed over by online critics for his performance moderating back-to-back live interviews with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Matt Lauer made a knowing reference during an interview with comic Dana Carvey on Thursday....
The sainthood conferred by Pope Francis on Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Sept. 4 here in the Vatican, was greeted with great enthusiasm and applause across the globe, including in India but especially in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, the capital of eastern India’s West Bengal state, that the Albania-born nun adopted as her home town. A large Indian government delegation, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj and West Bengal state Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, was in St. Peter’s Square where the Pope declared Mother Teresa a Saint. Mmany of the delegation members were not Christians, a proof of the universal appeal and admiration that Mother Teresa enjoys among people of other faiths. Among the estimated 120,000 people from across the world present at the canonization ceremony was Mr. Namit Bajoria, a leading entrepreneur, philanthropist and also the Designate Honorary Consul of the Republic of Macedonia in Kolkata. ...
The sainthood conferred by Pope Francis on Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Sept. 4 here in the Vatican, was greeted with great enthusiasm and applause across the globe, including in India but especially in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, the capital of eastern India’s West Bengal state, that the Albania-born nun adopted as her home town. A large Indian government delegation, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj and West Bengal state Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, was in St. Peter’s Square where the Pope declared Mother Teresa a Saint. Mmany of the delegation members were not Christians, a proof of the universal appeal and admiration that Mother Teresa enjoys among people of other faiths.
Among the estimated 120,000 people from across the world present at the canonization ceremony was Mr. Namit Bajoria, a leading entrepreneur, philanthropist and also the Designate Honorary Consul of the Republic of Macedonia in Kolkata. Mr. Bajoria, a non-Christian and an ardent admirer of Mother Teresa, has donated a life-size bronze statue of St. Teresa that was recently installed in Archbishop’s House, Kolkata, to mark the new saint’s 106th birth anniversary, August 26. It was unveiled by West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.
A former student of St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, Mr. Bajoria, heads the Bajoria Group of Companies whose flagship brand Kutchina is a household name in modular kitchens and kitchen appliances in India. In an interview to Vatican Radio, the alumnus of St. Xavier’s College Kolkata first explained that Kutchina is not all about business – it also has a serious social commitment.
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in an international interreligious congress on Thursday in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Organized by the Instituto del Diálogo Interreligioso – the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue of Argentina, in partnership with the Organization for American States and with the collaboration of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the symposium opened Wednesday, September 7th, at the Pontifical Augustinianum Institute to explore the theme: América en diálogo – Nuestra casa común – “America in Dialogue: our common home”.The two-day gathering is the first of its kind for the organizations involved, and its working sessions focused on the Holy Father’s encyclical letter, Laudato si’.Click below to hear our report In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis said, “The world looks constantly to us, believers, to see what our att...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in an international interreligious congress on Thursday in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Organized by the Instituto del Diálogo Interreligioso – the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue of Argentina, in partnership with the Organization for American States and with the collaboration of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the symposium opened Wednesday, September 7th, at the Pontifical Augustinianum Institute to explore the theme: América en diálogo – Nuestra casa común – “America in Dialogue: our common home”.
The two-day gathering is the first of its kind for the organizations involved, and its working sessions focused on the Holy Father’s encyclical letter, Laudato si’.
Click below to hear our report
In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis said, “The world looks constantly to us, believers, to see what our attitude is towards the common house and to human rights.” The Holy Father went on to say, “The world also asks us to cooperate among ourselves and with men and women of good will who profess no religion, in order to give effective answers to the many scourges of our world,” including the scourges of war and hunger, abject poverty, ecological crises, violence, corruption and moral degradation, the crisis of the family, the economy, “and above all,” he said “the lack of hope.”
An explanatory note from the organizers addressed to Pope Francis and released to the press explains that the OAS and the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue (IDI) of Buenos Aires under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, have brought together participants belonging and different religious traditions from various countries to discuss the creation of an Institute of Dialogue that will be continental in scope.
Berhanu Sinamo 29 years old is a teacher in Ethiopia. He is a Catholic. Berhanu has just been elected President of the International Coordinating Young Christian Workers (ICYCW) making him the first African to lead the movement. Berhanu was elected at the 9th ICYCW Congress that was held in Seoul, South Korea between 19 August – 1 September 2016. At the time of his election, Berhanu was serving as the deputy chairperson of Ethiopia’s national YCW.Berhanu said he is honoured that members of ICYCW entrusted him with the important task of serving young Christian workers in different parts of the world. He called on all young Christian workers to answer God’s call by being faithful to their work. “As Christians, one of the ways Young people can contribute to spreading the Good News is by dedicating themselves to the work they are involved in and honestly serve the people, this by itself is a testimony to the Gospel. In the meantime when we are committed to our ...
Berhanu Sinamo 29 years old is a teacher in Ethiopia. He is a Catholic. Berhanu has just been elected President of the International Coordinating Young Christian Workers (ICYCW) making him the first African to lead the movement. Berhanu was elected at the 9th ICYCW Congress that was held in Seoul, South Korea between 19 August – 1 September 2016. At the time of his election, Berhanu was serving as the deputy chairperson of Ethiopia’s national YCW.
Berhanu said he is honoured that members of ICYCW entrusted him with the important task of serving young Christian workers in different parts of the world. He called on all young Christian workers to answer God’s call by being faithful to their work. “As Christians, one of the ways Young people can contribute to spreading the Good News is by dedicating themselves to the work they are involved in and honestly serve the people, this by itself is a testimony to the Gospel. In the meantime when we are committed to our work we witness God’s Love as he will fill us with His Grace that will make us successful,” he said.
Berhanu also said Ethiopia’s national YCW is involved in preparations for the 19th AMECEA Plenary that is to be held in Addis Ababa in the year 2018. Young Catholics can contribute a lot to the evangelising mission of the Church in Ethiopia. According to Berhanu, YCW hopes to mobilise as many youths as possible throughout the country to pray for the Canonization of Blessed Gebremichael, the first Ethiopian Catholic Martyr.
He also expressed his hope to make Ethiopia and Africa proud in his new role as President of the International Coordinating Young Christian Workers.
“I would like to ask all young Christian workers to pray for me so that God may bless me with the wisdom to handle all my responsibilities as per his will and to the best interests of all members,” said Berhanu.
Ethiopia has strong and active members of YCW. As President of ICYCW, Berhanu will lead the movement for the next four years.
(Makeda Yohannes, ECS Social Communications in Addis Ababa)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
Ghanaian Bishop Peter Atuahene of Goaso Diocese in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has called upon devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Catholics, in general, to be merciful to the earth by joining in the fight against the indiscriminate destruction of the environment. The Bishop said the abuse of the earth should be a concern for everyone. In a homily at the closing Mass of the ninth Sacred Heart Congress at the Amaniampong Senior high School at Asante-Mampong in the Konongo-Mampong Diocese on 4 September, Bishop Atuahene said the earth was under threat and was crying for help.The four-day Congress, from 1 to 4 September 2016, attended by about 20,000 devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the league Tarcisians of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Confraternity, members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, several Priests and Religious was on the theme: Committing the Family to the Mercy of God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Congress held every five years was ...
Ghanaian Bishop Peter Atuahene of Goaso Diocese in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has called upon devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Catholics, in general, to be merciful to the earth by joining in the fight against the indiscriminate destruction of the environment. The Bishop said the abuse of the earth should be a concern for everyone.
In a homily at the closing Mass of the ninth Sacred Heart Congress at the Amaniampong Senior high School at Asante-Mampong in the Konongo-Mampong Diocese on 4 September, Bishop Atuahene said the earth was under threat and was crying for help.
The four-day Congress, from 1 to 4 September 2016, attended by about 20,000 devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the league Tarcisians of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Confraternity, members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, several Priests and Religious was on the theme: Committing the Family to the Mercy of God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Congress held every five years was organised by the National Sacred Heart of Jesus Enthronement Centre.
Bishop Atuahene reminded the faithful that all charged with the protection of the environment should know that the environment is God’s handiwork and protecting it was an indication of being faithful to God.
He urged the faithful gathered to become ambassadors for a clean environment, decrying the persistent pollution of water tables; the littering of plastic waste everywhere; the careless felling of trees in forests and Savannah areas and the rampant mining operations in the towns and villages of Ghana.
He called on national authorities to find ways of stopping the degradation of the environment and allow the law that prevented the destruction of the environment to work effectively.
Bishop Atuahene further urged Catholics and others to read and practice Pope Francis' Encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home, saying it provided a good resource for all, but most especially, policymakers.
(By Damian Avevor in Ghana)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says today’s society “is increasingly showing its need of mercy” and described Benedictine monasteries “as oases of spirituality” where people can obtain that mercy. The Pope’s comments came on Thursday during an address to participants of the International Congress of Benedictine Abbots and Abesses taking place in Rome.Pope Francis said when we talk of our world needing more mercy, this is not "a slogan or a recipe" but instead something that comes from the very heart of Christian life making that person "more attentive to the needy and showing solidarity with them." This, he declared, is the concrete quality of the love that shows “the authenticity and credibility” of the Church’s message.In a Church that is called to concentrate increasingly on the essentials, the Pope said monks and nuns have a vocation of nurturing their special gift and responsibility: namely “to keep...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says today’s society “is increasingly showing its need of mercy” and described Benedictine monasteries “as oases of spirituality” where people can obtain that mercy. The Pope’s comments came on Thursday during an address to participants of the International Congress of Benedictine Abbots and Abesses taking place in Rome.
Pope Francis said when we talk of our world needing more mercy, this is not "a slogan or a recipe" but instead something that comes from the very heart of Christian life making that person "more attentive to the needy and showing solidarity with them." This, he declared, is the concrete quality of the love that shows “the authenticity and credibility” of the Church’s message.
In a Church that is called to concentrate increasingly on the essentials, the Pope said monks and nuns have a vocation of nurturing their special gift and responsibility: namely “to keep alive the oases of the spirit, where clergy and the lay faithful can dip into the springs of divine mercy.”
He praised the Benedictines for living as “people of mercy” in their communities and for "their silent yet eloquent" work, saying it allows God to speak amidst the “deafening and distracted lifestyle” of today’s world.
Pope Francis urged the abbots and abesses not to become discouraged if the members of their monastic communities diminish in number and they become older and stressed it was necessary to have the courage to establish new communities even in the most difficult countries.
“Your service to the Church is very precious,” he assured them.
A consultation was organized by National Council of Churches, the umbrella organization of around 30 Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India, in New Delhi, India on September 5-6, 2016 bringing Christians and Muslim leaders together seeking ways to check increasing violence against religious minorities in India.The 50 attending religious leaders met to discuss "challenges for the freedom of religion and belief in India" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi who heads the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party led federal government.Currently religious minorities, especially Christians are "facing physical, symbolic and structural violence" from Hindu extremists across the country, said Father Z. Devasagaya Raj, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops' conference's office for Dalit and indigenous people. "Every Indian should have the right to practice and promote their religion peacefully," he said.Christian and Muslim leaders maintain that H...
A consultation was organized by National Council of Churches, the umbrella organization of around 30 Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India, in New Delhi, India on September 5-6, 2016 bringing Christians and Muslim leaders together seeking ways to check increasing violence against religious minorities in India.
The 50 attending religious leaders met to discuss "challenges for the freedom of religion and belief in India" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi who heads the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party led federal government.
Currently religious minorities, especially Christians are "facing physical, symbolic and structural violence" from Hindu extremists across the country, said Father Z. Devasagaya Raj, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops' conference's office for Dalit and indigenous people. "Every Indian should have the right to practice and promote their religion peacefully," he said.
Christian and Muslim leaders maintain that Hindu groups that work to make India a Hindu state consider Modi's landslide electoral victory more than two years ago as a mandate for them to step up their harassment of religious minorities.
Ever since Modi came to power, several of his ministers and parliamentarians have publicly spoken against Muslims, demonizing them and asking them to leave the country.
There was at least one anti-Muslim riot in Uttar Pradesh, in which three Muslims were killed and some 30 people were injured in June. In another major mob violence in the same state, a Muslim family was attacked and the father beaten to death for allegedly eating beef, as the cow is viewed a sacred animal by orthodox Hindus.
The religiously motivated violence against Christians include arson attacks on churches, conversion of Christians to Hinduism by force, and threats of physical violence, distribution of hate literature, burning of Bibles, raping of nuns, murder of Christian pastors and destruction of Christian schools, colleges, and cemeteries.
In the first half of 2016, there were at least 134 incidents of violence against Christians, compared to 147 incidents in all of 2014 and 177 in 2015, according to data released by the Evangelical Fellowship of India's Religious Liberty Commission.
Christians are a small minority forming 2.4 percent of the 1.2 billion Indians, more than 80 percent of who are Hindus. Muslims form 14 percent of the population.
Catholic and Protestant religious leaders and organizations should involve Muslim leaders who represent the country's largest religious minority, to curb anti-Christian violence, said T.K. Oommen, a sociologist.
Together they must "identity as citizens of India demand and our rights as a citizen, rather than crying out as a minority group," he said.
Arun Pannalal, a Christian leader from Chhattisgarh state that has witnessed several cases of violence against Christians in the past year. He said both Christian and Muslim leaders must highlight education among the youth as they are socially marginalized and considered as outcasts, especially in northern Indian states.
More than 90 percent of law making decisions and policies are formulated by Hindu bureaucrats, so Christians and Muslims should aim to have more of their children in the civil service, said Muslim leader Zafar Mahmood.
(Source: UCANews.com)
