Catholic News 2
BRUSSELS (AP) -- In his first big tour on the world stage, President Donald Trump is choosing caution over his usual brand of chaos....
CAIRO (AP) -- The father and younger brother of the suspect in the Manchester concert bombing have been detained in Libya, where anti-terror authorities said the brother confessed to knowing "all the details" of the deadly plot....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Subpoenas for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn piled up Wednesday as the House intelligence committee pressured Flynn to cooperate with its investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The health care bill Republicans recently pushed through the House would leave 23 million more Americans without insurance and confront others who have costly medical conditions with coverage that could prove unaffordable, Congress' official budget analysts said Wednesday....
LONDON (AP) -- British investigators are hunting for potential conspirators linked to the bombing that killed 22 people in a search that is exploring the possibility that the same cell linked to the Paris and Brussels terror attacks was also to blame for the Manchester Arena attack, two officials familiar with the investigation said Wednesday....
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The Latest on President Donald Trump's first trip abroad (all times local):...
The Continent of Africa observes and celebrates in a special way the 25 May. The day is known as “Africa Day.” Africa Day is promoted by the African Union (AU). This year 2017, the African Union highlights the theme: ‘Harnessing the demographic dividend through investments in youth.’What began on 25 May 1963 as a day marking the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), Africa Day has evolved into a platform for creating awareness about all things Africa, in Africa and around the world. Africa Day was formerly known as Africa Freedom Day. Today, Africa Day is celebrated in various countries on the African Continent, as well as by Africans in the diaspora. Some Western Aid agencies also celebrate the day to draw attention to some of the challenges facing Africa. According to the African Union’s vision captured in “The Africa we want - Agenda 2063,” the image being projected by the AU is that of a continent marchi...
The Continent of Africa observes and celebrates in a special way the 25 May. The day is known as “Africa Day.”
Africa Day is promoted by the African Union (AU). This year 2017, the African Union highlights the theme: ‘Harnessing the demographic dividend through investments in youth.’
What began on 25 May 1963 as a day marking the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), Africa Day has evolved into a platform for creating awareness about all things Africa, in Africa and around the world.
Africa Day was formerly known as Africa Freedom Day. Today, Africa Day is celebrated in various countries on the African Continent, as well as by Africans in the diaspora. Some Western Aid agencies also celebrate the day to draw attention to some of the challenges facing Africa.
According to the African Union’s vision captured in “The Africa we want - Agenda 2063,” the image being projected by the AU is that of a continent marching towards “an Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African People, especially its women, youth and caring for children.”
Referring to this year’s celebrations, the African Union Commission says Africa’s young people are an enormous resource for the continent’s development. It is in this regard that African Union Heads of State and Government declared the theme for 2017 as ‘Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth’.
Apart from the enormous political and economic challenges, Africa Day celebrates the African way of life, culture, art, the gift of music and Africa’s love for bright colours.
(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)
Rome, Italy, May 24, 2017 / 10:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a visit with Pope Francis Wednesday, Ivanka Trump met a group of human trafficking survivors, calling them examples of strength and addressing various legislative ways the U.S. government can help victims.Ivanka met with a dozen victims of human trafficking from Nigeria and Eritrea. She described them as “remarkable women,” who are “testaments to strength, faith and perseverance in the face of unspeakable adversity and challenge.”Ivanka is currently accompanying her father, U.S. President Donald Trump, on his first international tour, which also included stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Earlier in the day, Trump and Pope Francis had their first highly anticipated meeting.The encounter between Ivanka and human trafficking victims took place at the headquarters of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.Ivanka Trump visited headquarters of the Community of Sant'Egid...
Rome, Italy, May 24, 2017 / 10:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a visit with Pope Francis Wednesday, Ivanka Trump met a group of human trafficking survivors, calling them examples of strength and addressing various legislative ways the U.S. government can help victims.
Ivanka met with a dozen victims of human trafficking from Nigeria and Eritrea. She described them as “remarkable women,” who are “testaments to strength, faith and perseverance in the face of unspeakable adversity and challenge.”
Ivanka is currently accompanying her father, U.S. President Donald Trump, on his first international tour, which also included stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Earlier in the day, Trump and Pope Francis had their first highly anticipated meeting.
The encounter between Ivanka and human trafficking victims took place at the headquarters of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.
Ivanka Trump visited headquarters of the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome. Learn more: https://t.co/3cfk2BrCX7 ???? Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA pic.twitter.com/yr6lw0ITcr
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) May 24, 2017
Founded in 1968 by Italian layman Andrea Riccardi, a historian and former minister in the Italian government, the community focuses their mission on service to the poor and refugees, conflict resolution, and both ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue.
Sant’Egidio is a favorite of Pope Francis, who often praises the community for their work. It has long been involved in campaigns to combat human trafficking – also an important topic for Pope Francis – and has partnered with the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See for several events.
Ivanka thanked the community for their work, which she said “resonates strongly” not just in Italy, “but throughout the world.”
She said that in her meeting with representatives of Sant’Egidio, they were able to discuss several programs “that have been successfully launched and developed over many, many years now.”
These programs, she said, “have provided support and help to those who need it most, whether it's the elderly or the disadvantaged, and also victims of human trafficking throughout Africa and the whole world.”
“So it was a great privilege to be able to be here and the hear firsthand from these tremendous thought leaders about the work that's being done, what has worked and what has the potential to work better and to be better executed in the future,” she said, adding that she looks forward to further collaboration.
In comments to journalists following the meeting with Ivanka, two women from Sant’Egidio who work with the trafficking victims said it was an “intense” and “moving” encounter.
Some of the women told their stories, including how they were rescued, how their lives have changed and the situations they are in now.
There was “a lot of interest” on the part of Ivanka, they said, noting that she “listened very carefully” to their stories, but also asked questions about possible legislative initiatives on the part of the government to stop human trafficking, specifically when it comes to women.
Trafficking in the Mediterranean and Africa was mentioned specifically, including the trafficking of children, and a strong emphasis was placed on how the process begins in the countries where the victims originate.
According to the women from Sant’Egidio, Ivanka referred to her brief meeting with Pope Francis earlier that morning, telling the women that he is “a great advocate of your stories” of success and integration.
Ivanka then asked the victims what could be done. They said there is a greater need for communication and the sharing of information in their countries of origin, since many women are tricked into a trafficking ring under the false pretense that they will be moving to Europe for legitimate work, in many cases as a cook or maid.
They said that “public campaigns” are needed, because most women “never imagined” they would end up being trafficked.
In addition to the trafficking of persons, organ trafficking was also discussed, as well as the role of religion in ending violence and achieving peace, the freedom of women and the education of children.
In brief comments to journalists, Sant’Egidio founder and president Andrea Riccardi noted that Ivanka made a strong reference to collaboration with the organization’s projects in Africa, specifically in terms of helping to get legal documents for the continent’s “ghost children,” meaning children who are not registered and therefore have no legal identity, making them extra vulnerable and easy prey for traffickers.
Riccardi said Ivanka also showed a strong interest in an initiative the community is currently trying to push forward in Italy to get legal documents for women rescued from forced prostitution.
Before leaving with her father on his first international tour, Ivanka hosted an anti-human trafficking roundtable discussion at the White House May 17. The event gathered a swath of bipartisan lawmakers and representatives of numerous organizations that deal with human trafficking.
According to reports, Ivanka spoke during that discussion about the Trump administration’s efforts to combat trafficking not only in the U.S., but throughout the world, telling attendees that “combatting human trafficking and modern slavery is both a moral and strategic interest domestically and abroad.”
That particular roundtable was a follow-up to a February discussion on the same topic, which was also organized by Ivanka. At the time, President Trump said he would use the “full force and weight” of the U.S. government to fight against trafficking.
Marawi, Philippines, May 24, 2017 / 11:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Islamic State-allied militants in the Philippines have taken a Catholic priest and a group of church-goers hostage, threatening to kill them if the nation’s military does not cease its current offensive against them.The hostages were taken during a militant siege in the southern Philippines city of Marawi on Tuesday and Wednesday. Militants also burned the Catholic cathedral of Marawi.Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, denounced the hostage-taking. He said the priest and the hostages had no involvement in the conflict between the military and the militants.“He was not a combatant. He was not bearing arms. He was a threat to none,” the archbishop said. “His capture and that of his companions violates every norm of civilized conflict.”The country’s Catholic bishops have urged prayers for the captured priest and the other ...
Marawi, Philippines, May 24, 2017 / 11:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Islamic State-allied militants in the Philippines have taken a Catholic priest and a group of church-goers hostage, threatening to kill them if the nation’s military does not cease its current offensive against them.
The hostages were taken during a militant siege in the southern Philippines city of Marawi on Tuesday and Wednesday. Militants also burned the Catholic cathedral of Marawi.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, denounced the hostage-taking. He said the priest and the hostages had no involvement in the conflict between the military and the militants.
“He was not a combatant. He was not bearing arms. He was a threat to none,” the archbishop said. “His capture and that of his companions violates every norm of civilized conflict.”
The country’s Catholic bishops have urged prayers for the captured priest and the other hostages in the area. While the majority of the Philippines is Catholic, they make up only a small percentage of the population in Marawi, a mostly Muslim city of about 200,000 people, located on the island of Mindanao.
About 100 armed militants moved through Marawi on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. They beheaded a police chief and burned buildings, including the bishop’s residence. They raised the black flag of the Islamic State group while also taking the hostages.
Responsible for the attack is the Maute group, a clan-based group with members in Marawi. It is one of under a dozen new armed Muslim groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIS. The groups have formed a loose alliance, reportedly led by Isnilon Hapilon, a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group.
The militants’ siege of Marawi followed an army raid on the hideout of Hapilon. The militant leader has pledged allegiance to ISIS and the United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Bishop Edwin de la Peña of Marawi was not at home at the time of the attack, but his secretary is reportedly among the hostages. He received a phone call from a militant who used his secretary’s phone. The militant introduced himself as a member of ISIS and demanded a unilateral ceasefire.
“They want a ceasefire and for the military to give them access out of Marawi. Otherwise, they will kill the hostages,” Bishop de la Peña told CBCP News.
The bishop reported that he was allowed to speak with Fr. Chito Suganob, the captive priest who is the vicar general of the Territorial Prelature of Marawi, in order to make their demands clear.
In addition to the priest, hostages include three church staffers and ten worshipers, the Associated Press said.
Bishop de la Peña himself barely missed being taken hostage.
“I was supposed to go to Marawi yesterday but I was asked to cancel my trip because of the siege,” he said.
Archbishop Villegas, the Catholic bishops’ conference president, urged prayers for peace and asked the militants to show mercy.
“We call on the Maute group that claims to bear arms in the name of a Merciful and Benevolent God – the very same God we Christians worship and adore – to do the One God true honor by the mercy and benevolence that are two of our God’s most exalted attributes,” he said.
The archbishop also addressed the response of government forces, saying, “We beg of them to make the safety of the hostages a primordial consideration.”
President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been heavily criticized for a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, has cut short his trip to Russia and placed all of Mindanao island under martial law. The president has sought peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups in the country’s south but has ordered the military to destroy smaller extremist groups like the Maute.
“It is difficult to root out because they are from there,” political analyst Ramon Casiple told the Associated Press. “The Mautes are embedded in the population.”
The group was blamed for a September 2016 bombing that killed 15 people in southern Davao city, the president’s hometown. A military raid on their jungle camp last month reportedly found homemade bombs, grenades, combat uniforms, and passports of suspected Indonesian militants.
