(Vatican Radio) The leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, acknowledged on Thursday that the era of Boko Haram as an effective and organized fighting force holding large areas of territory was “now over.” Cardinal Onaiyekan was reacting to President Buhari’s assertion that his nation has “technically won” the war against the Boko Haram Islamic militant group. At the same time, the Cardinal warned that the final battle to end the Boko Haram insurgency was not yet won and it would take time to defeat the remnants and restore full security to those parts of the countryside in Nigeria where "a lot of armed terrorists are still roaming about." He was interviewed by Susy Hodges.Listen to the interview with Cardinal John Onaiyekan: The Nigerian cardinal expressed gratitude for the progress made against the Boko Haram by the government of Muhammadu Buhari and said the Islamist...
(Vatican Radio) The leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, acknowledged on Thursday that the era of Boko Haram as an effective and organized fighting force holding large areas of territory was “now over.” Cardinal Onaiyekan was reacting to President Buhari’s assertion that his nation has “technically won” the war against the Boko Haram Islamic militant group. At the same time, the Cardinal warned that the final battle to end the Boko Haram insurgency was not yet won and it would take time to defeat the remnants and restore full security to those parts of the countryside in Nigeria where "a lot of armed terrorists are still roaming about." He was interviewed by Susy Hodges.
Listen to the interview with Cardinal John Onaiyekan:
The Nigerian cardinal expressed gratitude for the progress made against the Boko Haram by the government of Muhammadu Buhari and said the Islamist group had been “technically dismantled” as a fighting force. However, Cardinal Onaiyekan pointed out that the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan had woken up belatedly to the threat posed by the group and the military had begun taking more effective measures to help turn the tide against Boko Haram.
The insurgency by Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria has caused the deaths of around 17,000 people, destroyed more than 1,000 schools and displaced more than 1.5 million people.
Card. John Tong Hon in his Christmas message to the faithful of Hong Kong says that the family is very important not just in our faith but also in the formation of our society.Here is the cardinal's full message.Hong Kong, our home, has been unsettled for the past few years. Our hearts are also not very settled. Peace seems to be getting more and more far away from our daily life. We have experienced disputes, conflicts, communities being torn apart. We have also come across core values such as the family being challenged. Although God has never promised us that the sky will be blue every single day, yet He has promised that His love is always with us.Jesus Christ chose to come into our world, to be with us, through a family: a core family with Joseph as the father and Mary as the mother. So we can see that the family is very important not just in our faith, but also in the formation of our society. Without the family, our society will fall apart. Hence, we must treasure our f...
Card. John Tong Hon in his Christmas message to the faithful of Hong Kong says that the family is very important not just in our faith but also in the formation of our society.
Here is the cardinal's full message.
Hong Kong, our home, has been unsettled for the past few years. Our hearts are also not very settled. Peace seems to be getting more and more far away from our daily life. We have experienced disputes, conflicts, communities being torn apart. We have also come across core values such as the family being challenged. Although God has never promised us that the sky will be blue every single day, yet He has promised that His love is always with us.
Jesus Christ chose to come into our world, to be with us, through a family: a core family with Joseph as the father and Mary as the mother. So we can see that the family is very important not just in our faith, but also in the formation of our society. Without the family, our society will fall apart. Hence, we must treasure our family and beware of any possibilities endangering the family.
Earlier this month, we started the Jubilee of Mercy in the Church. Our Pope Francis has invited us to contemplate the face of Christ, to be witnesses to mercy, and to enable others to experience the great mystery of God’s mercy. First of all let us begin this witnessing at home: care for our family, care for our parents, grandparents, children and neighbours. Apart from sending text messages by social media, greet one another with a smile, talk to others and give one another a hug.
On Christmas day, stay at home and be with the family.
I wish all of you and your families the blessings of Christmas.
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- If governments are serious about the global warming targets they adopted in Paris, scientists say they have two options: eliminating fossil fuels immediately or finding ways to undo their damage to the climate system in the future....
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- If governments are serious about the global warming targets they adopted in Paris, scientists say they have two options: eliminating fossil fuels immediately or finding ways to undo their damage to the climate system in the future....
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Christian faithful from around the world descended Thursday on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, as an outburst of Israeli-Palestinian violence dampened the typically festive mood....
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Christian faithful from around the world descended Thursday on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, as an outburst of Israeli-Palestinian violence dampened the typically festive mood....
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) -- Mulester Johnson was at home with relatives in northern Mississippi when a fierce storm that has killed at least six people across the country hit....
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) -- Mulester Johnson was at home with relatives in northern Mississippi when a fierce storm that has killed at least six people across the country hit....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Four Palestinians were killed on Thursday, among them three who Israel said were carrying out attacks on soldiers in the West Bank, the latest in a three month-long wave of unrelenting Israeli-Palestinian violence....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Four Palestinians were killed on Thursday, among them three who Israel said were carrying out attacks on soldiers in the West Bank, the latest in a three month-long wave of unrelenting Israeli-Palestinian violence....
 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015."If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, i...
 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015.
"If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.
Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, including U.S. support for Mexican interdiction efforts which are intercepting children and families in Mexico and sending them back to danger, in violation of international law.
Bishop Seitz recommended an end to these interdictions and the introduction of a regional system which would screen children and families for asylum in Mexico and other parts of the region. He also called for Congress to approve and increase a $1 billion aid package proposed by the Administration.
"If we export enforcement," Bishop Seitz said, "we also must export protection."
Bishop Seitz recalled the words of Pope Francis before Congress in September, when he invoked the golden rule in guiding our nation's actions toward those seeking safety in our land.
Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Seitz repeated to the committee, "'The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.'"
"Mr. Chairman, I pray that time, and history, will conclude that we honored this rule in meeting this humanitarian challenge," Bishop Seitz concluded.
Keywords: Bishop Mark J. Seitz, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Congress, Senate, Committee on Migration, migration, unaccompanied children, violence, Pope Francis # # # MEDIA CONTACT: Norma Montenegro Flynn O: 202-541-3200
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will preside at the vigil Mass of Christmas this evening in Saint Peter’s Basilica, beginning at 9.30 pm Rome time. Pope Francis has used these occasions in the past to promote the main themes of his pontificate: the love of God for all and God’s mercy for all.In his homily of Christmas Eve in 2013 the Pope called on Catholics not to be afraid, as the angels told the shepherds on announcing the birth of the Saviour. In 2014 he asked Catholics to welcome the tenderness of the Christ Child by letting him, his kindness and his love find us.Christians in the Holy Land will be celebrating the Vigil of Christmas Eve Mass this evening on the actual site of the birth of Jesus, in Bethlehem. After opening a Holy Door of Mercy at the church of St Catherine, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will process into the Basilica of the Nativity. There he will preside at midnight Mass, beginning at 11.30 pm local time, followed by a proce...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will preside at the vigil Mass of Christmas this evening in Saint Peter’s Basilica, beginning at 9.30 pm Rome time. Pope Francis has used these occasions in the past to promote the main themes of his pontificate: the love of God for all and God’s mercy for all.
In his homily of Christmas Eve in 2013 the Pope called on Catholics not to be afraid, as the angels told the shepherds on announcing the birth of the Saviour. In 2014 he asked Catholics to welcome the tenderness of the Christ Child by letting him, his kindness and his love find us.
Christians in the Holy Land will be celebrating the Vigil of Christmas Eve Mass this evening on the actual site of the birth of Jesus, in Bethlehem. After opening a Holy Door of Mercy at the church of St Catherine, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will process into the Basilica of the Nativity. There he will preside at midnight Mass, beginning at 11.30 pm local time, followed by a procession to the Grotto.
Tomorrow, Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi message from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica, as well as his Apostolic Blessing, all of which will be televised live on the Vatican Player and on Youtube, beginning at 12 noon Rome time.
ROTTERDAM, N.Y. (AP) -- An 8-year-old girl who lost her father and younger siblings in an arson fire that left her severely scarred is sharing the good cheer that has been bestowed on her, by the tractor-trailer load, since her simple Christmas wish went viral....
ROTTERDAM, N.Y. (AP) -- An 8-year-old girl who lost her father and younger siblings in an arson fire that left her severely scarred is sharing the good cheer that has been bestowed on her, by the tractor-trailer load, since her simple Christmas wish went viral....
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Fifteen years after U.S. regulators started assessing damage and health risks at an abandoned Nevada copper mine, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving to add the contaminated site to its Superfund National Priority List, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press....
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Fifteen years after U.S. regulators started assessing damage and health risks at an abandoned Nevada copper mine, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving to add the contaminated site to its Superfund National Priority List, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press....
