Catholic News 2
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress has annulled last month's vote on impeachment, delaying the process against embattled President Dilma Rousseff....
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- North Korea's ruling-party congress wrapped up its official agenda on Monday by announcing a new title for Kim Jong Un - party chairman - in a move that highlights how the authoritarian country's first congress in 36 years was aimed at bolstering the young leader and ushering in a new era of leadership....
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (AP) -- Alberta's premier will get a first look at the devastated parts of Canada's oil sands town of Fort McMurray on Monday after the fire stabilized to the point where officials are beginning the next phase of the government's plan to get residents back home. Cooler temperatures and light rain have officials optimistic they've reached a turning point on getting a handle on a massive wildfire....
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Still shaken by Donald Trump's triumph, Republican and conservative foes of the billionaire can still cause headaches for the party's presumptive presidential nominee at this summer's GOP convention. But their options are shrinking by the day....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For Donald Trump, party unity is a good thing. But he's making clear he won't change his views or soften his rhetoric to get it....
Recently, Young Christian Students (YCS) at the University of Zimbabwe embarked on an environmental clean-up and awareness campaign in areas around the university in a bid to reduce the rate of littering and advocate for environmental care.About thirty members from Zimbabwe’s Young Christian Students, Joshualites and the Catholic Society at University of Zimbabwe participated in the event. The Catholic students group managed to pick up litter from the streets and made efforts unblock water drainages which were blocked by piles of plastics, metal cans and discarded containers of various products.Following the campaign to clean up the streets, the group managed to place three rubbish bins cemented on slabs donated by the National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS). University of Zimbabwe YCS Chairperson, Polite Magadza, said the group’s action was aimed at raising awareness of students’ responsibility in maintaining the environment and to correct and e...
Recently, Young Christian Students (YCS) at the University of Zimbabwe embarked on an environmental clean-up and awareness campaign in areas around the university in a bid to reduce the rate of littering and advocate for environmental care.
About thirty members from Zimbabwe’s Young Christian Students, Joshualites and the Catholic Society at University of Zimbabwe participated in the event. The Catholic students group managed to pick up litter from the streets and made efforts unblock water drainages which were blocked by piles of plastics, metal cans and discarded containers of various products.
Following the campaign to clean up the streets, the group managed to place three rubbish bins cemented on slabs donated by the National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS). University of Zimbabwe YCS Chairperson, Polite Magadza, said the group’s action was aimed at raising awareness of students’ responsibility in maintaining the environment and to correct and exemplify how much students and the community need to keep the environment clean.
“We need to correct our past errors as students and proactively prevent further pollution of our environment,” she urged the students.
She appealed to all organisations with capacity to support similar student campaigns to come on board in order to work towards a sustainable and clean environment. The campaign, is one of the YCS’s action plans for the semester following a series of discussions on the topical environment and climate change issues and also calls by Pope Francis in his Encyclical, Laudato Si-On care of our common home.
(By Prince Mbanda, Jesuit Communications Zimbabwe –Mozambique)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(Vatican Radio) Greece’s Parliament has narrowly endorsed a fresh austerity package designed to unlock more bailout funds and keep the country in the good graces of its creditors – but over serious street protests.Listen to John Carr's report: The vote, in the early hours of this morning, was carried by the government’s slim majority of 153 in the 300-seat chamber. As the deputies cast their votes, riot police battled petrol-bomb-throwing protesters in the streets outside.The package is expected to further slash pensions and other benefits, while raising taxes on business and the better-off, to secure more revenue so that hopefully, discussion could start on slashing Greece’s intractable debt.Greece’s finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, flies to Brussels today for a special meeting of Eurozone finance ministers. He hopes this morning’s vote for more austerity will strengthen Greece’s bargaining hand. But ...
(Vatican Radio) Greece’s Parliament has narrowly endorsed a fresh austerity package designed to unlock more bailout funds and keep the country in the good graces of its creditors – but over serious street protests.
Listen to John Carr's report:
The vote, in the early hours of this morning, was carried by the government’s slim majority of 153 in the 300-seat chamber. As the deputies cast their votes, riot police battled petrol-bomb-throwing protesters in the streets outside.
The package is expected to further slash pensions and other benefits, while raising taxes on business and the better-off, to secure more revenue so that hopefully, discussion could start on slashing Greece’s intractable debt.
Greece’s finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, flies to Brussels today for a special meeting of Eurozone finance ministers. He hopes this morning’s vote for more austerity will strengthen Greece’s bargaining hand. But he has made clear that if this package is deemed inadequate, Athens may dig in its heels.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says it is the Holy Spirit that moves the Church but for many Christians today, the Holy Spirit is a stranger.Speaking on Monday morning during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta the Pope urged believers to allow themselves to be propelled by the Holy Spirit whom, he said, shows us the way to freedom.He also had a special greeting for the Vincentian Sisters of Charity who work at the Casa Santa Marta and who are marking the feast day of their founder: St. Louise de Marillac. Drawing inspiration from the reading of the day which recounts the dialogue between Paul and the first disciples in Ephesus, Pope Francis recalled that the disciples told Paul that they had “not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit”.This is something, he said, that happens today as well as many who believe in Jesus do not know the Holy Spirit.Many, he said, say they have “learnt through Catechism” that the Holy Spirit is “in the Trinity” b...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says it is the Holy Spirit that moves the Church but for many Christians today, the Holy Spirit is a stranger.
Speaking on Monday morning during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta the Pope urged believers to allow themselves to be propelled by the Holy Spirit whom, he said, shows us the way to freedom.
He also had a special greeting for the Vincentian Sisters of Charity who work at the Casa Santa Marta and who are marking the feast day of their founder: St. Louise de Marillac.
Drawing inspiration from the reading of the day which recounts the dialogue between Paul and the first disciples in Ephesus, Pope Francis recalled that the disciples told Paul that they had “not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit”.
This is something, he said, that happens today as well as many who believe in Jesus do not know the Holy Spirit.
Many, he said, say they have “learnt through Catechism” that the Holy Spirit is “in the Trinity” but they do not know anything more and they wonder what the Spirit does:
"The Holy Spirit is the one who moves the Church, he said, the one who works in the Church and in our hearts” making each Christian unique and yet, together with other Christians, a unit.
The Holy Spirit, the Pope continued, opens the doors and invites us to bear witness to Jesus.
“At the beginning of Mass we heard the words: ‘you will receive the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses in the world’. The Holy Spirit is the one who moves us to praise God, to pray the Lord, the one who is within us and teaches us to see the Father and to call him ‘Father’. The Holy Spirit frees us from this ‘orphan-like’ condition which the spirit of the world wants to put us in” he said.
Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit is “the protagonist of the living Church” and he warned against the danger of not living up to this mission of the Holy Spirit thereby reducing faith to "morals and ethics”.
It is not enough, he said, to just respect the Commandments and do “nothing more”.
Christian life, Francis reiterated, “is not just an ethical life: it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.” And it is thanks to the Holy Spirit that this encounter takes place:
"But we keep the Holy Spirit as a ‘luxury prisoner’ in our hearts: we do not allow the Spirit to push us forward, to move us. The Sprit does everything, knows everything, reminds us what Jesus said, can explain all about Jesus. There is only one thing the Holy Spirit can’t do: make us ‘parlour’ Christians (…) The Holy Spirit cannot make us ‘virtual’ Christians who are not virtuous. The Holy Spirit makes real Christians. The Spirit takes life as it is and prophetically reads the signs of the times pushing us forward (…), the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity” he said.
Pope Francis urged all faithful this week to reflect on the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to ask ourselves whether we have the courage to go out into the world bearing witness to Jesus.
And inviting us to prepare for the upcoming Feast of Pentecost, the Pope said we must think of the Holy Spirit who is within our hearts and ask for the grace of obedience and docility to the Spirit:
“This is what we must do this week: think of the Sprit and talk to Him”.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the members of the Circolo San Pietro – the “St. Peter’s Circle” – on Monday. The organization was founded in 1869 by a group of enthusiastic young men hailing from the upper social and economic crust of Rome, as a vehicle for demonstrating solidarity with Pope Pius IX in a politically fraught moment of history.The organization very quickly grew into a major hub of good works in service of the city’s poor, elderly and disadvantaged.Click below to hear our report Members of the St. Peter’s Circle are also responsible in Rome for the “Peter’s Pence” offering, which is collected in parishes around the world in support of the Holy Father’s charitable activities.“I encourage you to continue your witness to the Gospel of charity,” said Pope Francis to the members of the Circle gathered in the Vatican in private audience on Monday, “continue to be ever more the sign a...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the members of the Circolo San Pietro – the “St. Peter’s Circle” – on Monday. The organization was founded in 1869 by a group of enthusiastic young men hailing from the upper social and economic crust of Rome, as a vehicle for demonstrating solidarity with Pope Pius IX in a politically fraught moment of history.
The organization very quickly grew into a major hub of good works in service of the city’s poor, elderly and disadvantaged.
Click below to hear our report
Members of the St. Peter’s Circle are also responsible in Rome for the “Peter’s Pence” offering, which is collected in parishes around the world in support of the Holy Father’s charitable activities.
“I encourage you to continue your witness to the Gospel of charity,” said Pope Francis to the members of the Circle gathered in the Vatican in private audience on Monday, “continue to be ever more the sign and the instrument of God’s tenderness to every person, especially those most fragile, those whom others discard.”
