Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump has been handing out his cellphone number to world leaders and urging them to call him directly, an unusual invitation that breaks diplomatic protocol and is raising concerns about the security and secrecy of the U.S. commander in chief's communications....
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- As a thyroid cancer survivor battling nerve damage and other complications, Lisa Dammert was in such dire financial straits in 2014 that she and her husband did the unthinkable: They let their health insurance lapse for a while....
A massive suicide truck bombing rocked a highly secured diplomatic area of Kabul on Wednesday morning, killing 90 people and wounding as many as 400. The attack left a scene of mayhem and destruction in the Afghan capital....
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide attacker struck the fortified heart of the Afghan capital with a massive truck bomb Wednesday, killing 90 people, wounding 400 and raising new fears about the government's ability to protect its citizens nearly 16 years into a war with insurgents....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Covfefe (cuv-fey-fey) noun: A sure sign that President Donald Trump has regained control of his Twitter account....
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kathy Griffin has lost a decade-long gig ringing in the new year for CNN as a backlash builds over her video displaying a likeness of President Donald Trump's severed head....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from a landmark global climate agreement, a White House official said Wednesday, though Trump and aides were looking for "caveats in the language" related to the exit and had not made a final decision....
(Vatican Radio) Where are we on the journey of Christian unity today? What are the next steps on the road to reconciliation and “oneness in Christ”? Those were the urgent questions on the table at a historic meeting in Geneva this month of representatives of the Catholic Church, the World Council of Churches, the World Pentecostal Federation and the World Evangelical Alliance.It’s the first time that Pentecostal, Evangelical and Charismatic leaders have come together at the highest level to talk with all the other mainline Churches. The encounter at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute on May 22nd and 23rd, is a result of the work of the Global Christian Forum, set up by the WCC two decades ago. The hope is that it’ll lead to vital improvements in relations between older and newer Christian communities in different parts of the world today.Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, represented the Catholic Church at ...
(Vatican Radio) Where are we on the journey of Christian unity today? What are the next steps on the road to reconciliation and “oneness in Christ”? Those were the urgent questions on the table at a historic meeting in Geneva this month of representatives of the Catholic Church, the World Council of Churches, the World Pentecostal Federation and the World Evangelical Alliance.
It’s the first time that Pentecostal, Evangelical and Charismatic leaders have come together at the highest level to talk with all the other mainline Churches. The encounter at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute on May 22nd and 23rd, is a result of the work of the Global Christian Forum, set up by the WCC two decades ago. The hope is that it’ll lead to vital improvements in relations between older and newer Christian communities in different parts of the world today.
Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, represented the Catholic Church at the Bossey encounter. He told Philippa Hitchen why the meeting marks such a significant ecumenical event….
Listen:
Bishop Farrell explains that 20 years ago, ecumenical experts, led by the WCC, asked “how we could involve a huge part of Christianity” which didn’t have a tradition of dialogue, principally the Pentecostal, Evangelical and Charismatic Churches with some 600 million members worldwide.
Global Christian Forum
That led to the setting up of the Global Christian Forum, he says, which the Catholic Church has supported from the beginning. At the Bossey meeting, participants were exploring “what is the specific role of the GCF, especially in relation to the WCC which gathers all the mainline Protestant, Orthodox, Evangelical and some Pentecostal Churches. The Catholic Church, he notes, is not a member, for many reasons, but “is in a real continuing partnership” with the WCC . The meeting marked the first time that the leadership of World Pentecostal Federation and the World Evangelical Alliance sat at table with the WCC and “the ecumenical office of Catholic Church”.
Pope Francis effect
Asked about changing attitudes among Pentecostals and Evangelicals, Bishop Farrell says there are “a number of reasons, including the huge attractive nature of Pope Francis’ approach to them”. They relate to him, he continues, as someone “who understands the specific spirituality and missionary outreach of their Churches,” someone who “prays in a vivid, lively way,” who asks them to pray for him, and even asks for their blessing.
Common baptism
In the meantime, Bishop Farrell says, “we have realized that we cannot have an approach which excludes them” because our common baptism means “we have a responsibility ecumenically”.
Improving local and international relations
While talks had taken place in the past with “interested individuals or groups”, he says “now we have a platform on which we hope to build relationships at international level, to be “in contact and not in rivalry and contrast.”
He says he hopes that a result of this meeting will be to encourage better relations between Catholics and Charismatics, Pentecostals and Evangelicals in many parts of the world where there has been conflict in the past.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has appealed to political leaders to protect places of worship of all communities, days after a Church in Telangana State was damaged and statues desecrated."We are a little worried about the way things are taking a turn in the country. We are not blaming the government but somehow some of the fringe elements seem to feel empowered and this is not a good thing for the country," Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the bishops’ conference, told ucanews.com."We appeal to our political leaders to ensure that religious places of all communities be protected and that the right of every citizen and community to worship God according to their belief be protected from unruly elements," the bishop said."Everybody needs to respect each other’s religious sentiments. Why go and damage somebody’s religious place?" he asked. "These types of acts bring shame and disrepute to our belove...
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has appealed to political leaders to protect places of worship of all communities, days after a Church in Telangana State was damaged and statues desecrated.
"We are a little worried about the way things are taking a turn in the country. We are not blaming the government but somehow some of the fringe elements seem to feel empowered and this is not a good thing for the country," Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the bishops’ conference, told ucanews.com.
"We appeal to our political leaders to ensure that religious places of all communities be protected and that the right of every citizen and community to worship God according to their belief be protected from unruly elements," the bishop said.
"Everybody needs to respect each other’s religious sentiments. Why go and damage somebody’s religious place?" he asked. "These types of acts bring shame and disrepute to our beloved country and its peace-loving citizens of all communities. The incident is against the free practise of religion in our country," Bishop Mascarenhas said.
Our Lady of Fatima Church in Keesara, Medchal district of Telangana State, was inaugurated on May 13, on the hundredth anniversary of the Apparition of our Lady at Fatima to three shepherd children. On May 21, about 100 people instigated by some religious fundamentalists and anti-social elements vandalized the newly built Church. (UCAN)
(Vatican Radio) A pioneering congress focusing on the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse is to take place at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.Spearheaded and hosted by the University’s Center for Child Protection headed by Prof. Hans Zollner SJ, the congress entitled “Child Dignity in the Digital World” will examine new forms of abuse children can be subjected to in the digital world, and discuss the risks and challenges of the digital age and its impact on the dignity of children.The congress foresees the participation of global scientific and technical experts and decision makers, and aims to promote appropriate action. The International event will take place from 3 to 6 October in partnership with WePROTECT Global Alliance. At the end of the congress a declaration will be presented to Pope Francis who is scheduled to receive the participants in audience.Please find below the official press for the event: ...
(Vatican Radio) A pioneering congress focusing on the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse is to take place at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.
Spearheaded and hosted by the University’s Center for Child Protection headed by Prof. Hans Zollner SJ, the congress entitled “Child Dignity in the Digital World” will examine new forms of abuse children can be subjected to in the digital world, and discuss the risks and challenges of the digital age and its impact on the dignity of children.
The congress foresees the participation of global scientific and technical experts and decision makers, and aims to promote appropriate action.
The International event will take place from 3 to 6 October in partnership with WePROTECT Global Alliance. At the end of the congress a declaration will be presented to Pope Francis who is scheduled to receive the participants in audience.
Please find below the official press for the event:
Rome, May 31, 2017 - Children make up over a quarter of the 3.2 billion Internet users worldwide. This generation of over 800 million young users is vulnerable to entirely new forms of harm and abuse such as trolling, cyberbullying, sextortion, and grooming for sexual exploitation. The international congress “Child Dignity in the Digital World”, will focus on the latest scientific research and technical understanding in this field, bringing together global experts and decisions makers to discuss the risks and challenges of the digital age and its impact on the dignity of children. The congress will be hosted by the Centre for Child Protection of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
This pioneering congress on the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse will be held 3–6 October, 2017 at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. The focus of the congress is scientific and technical, with a view to promoting appropriate action. The Centre for Child Protection and its partner WePROTECT Global Alliance have invited more than 140 internationally recognized experts from academia, business, and civil society as well as political leaders, and religious representatives from across the globe.
Prof. Hans Zollner SJ, President of the Centre for Child Protection said “The congress provides an outstanding opportunity to exchange knowledge and good practice on risks and prevention as children navigate this new digital world,”
Prof. Ernesto Caffo, the Scientific Coordinator of the Congress, added, "We are proud to bring together many of the world's leading scholars and researchers in the field of child victimization. Our goal is to substantially expand the body of knowledge on these complex issues and generate true global dialogue."
The global congress closes with the “Declaration on Child Dignity in the Digital World” that will be presented during an audience with Pope Francis. Baroness Shields OBE, UK Minister for Internet Safety and Security said: “Our increasingly connected society greatly empowers children, but also exposes them to risks that compromise their safety and wellbeing. To address these escalating global threats we need a broad coalition of government, faith leaders, academia and industry, all committed to protecting the dignity of children in this digital age.”
At the end of the congress a Call for Papers will be issued, seeking to stimulate new, creative research in this field as well as innovative ideas and approaches.
With a mix of keynotes, plenary sessions, workshops and a discussion forum, the congress will focus on the fields of Cyber Protection, Cyber Education and Cyber Responsibility and examine the role of business, media, civil society, politics and religions.
For more information please visit: www.childdignity2017.org
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The Centre for Child Protection (CCP) of the Institute of Psychology of the Pontifical Gregorian University is a key institution in the global fight against sexual abuse. The CCP is dedicated to the safeguarding and well-being of children and vulnerable persons throughout the world. It provides information on the problem of sexual abuse and other kinds of abuse and promotes prevention measures. The fields of activities include education and professional training, interdisciplinary research, doctoral programs and conferences. For more information: http://childprotection.unigre.it
The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, formerly the “Roman College” founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyola, today has 2,700 students from more than 120 countries. The university is one of the most important centres for the training of Church leadership and ministry. Faculties include theology, canon law, philosophy, history and cultural heritage of the church, as well as missiology, and social sciences, and institutes of psychology and spirituality. For more information: www.unigre.it
WePROTECT Global Alliance is a movement that brings together the influence, expertise and resources required to transform how online child sexual exploitation is dealt with worldwide. This initiative is led by an executive Board drawn from key countries, international organisations, civil society and technology companies. Guided by the WePROTECT Global Alliance Model National Response we support countries to evaluate and enhance their response to online child sexual exploitation. For more information: www.weprotect.org
