Catholic News 2
For the first time in the United States, scientists have edited the genes of human embryos, a controversial step toward someday helping babies avoid inherited diseases....
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The Ohio State Fair opened Thursday but its amusement rides remained closed one day after a man was killed and seven other people were injured when a thrill ride broke apart and flung people into the air....
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) -- Though his future may be in doubt, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions forged ahead Thursday with a tough-on-crime agenda that once endeared him to President Donald Trump, opening a mission in El Salvador to step up international cooperation against the violent street gang MS-13....
LONDON (AP) -- A British judge ordered Thursday that critically ill infant Charlie Gard should be moved from a hospital to a hospice, where he will "inevitably" die within a short time....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is pushing for inspections of suspicious Iranian military sites in a bid to test the strength of the nuclear deal that President Donald Trump desperately wants to cancel, senior U.S. officials said....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Clashes erupted Thursday at a sacred shrine in Jerusalem as thousands of Muslims rushed to pray at the site for the first time in nearly two weeks following Israel's removal of security devices installed there after a deadly attack....
(Vatican Radio) From Rome, Italy, the President of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, on behalf of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has commended the Catholic Church in Malawi for its generosity in contributing to the Universal Solidarity Fund and its continued work of evangelization.In a letter addressed to Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa, National Director of PMS in Malawi, Archbishop Rugambwa said the 2017 General Assembly of the Superior Council of PMS was very grateful for Malawi’s financial contribution and participation in the different activities of PMS carried out in 2016:Archbishop Rugambwa said the scope of the general assembly was to reflect on the identity and the evangelizing activities and methods of collaboration in union with and at the service of the universal mission of the Church.“I am grateful to you personally and to all the National Directors who have duly submitted to our International Secretariat the financial report of th...

(Vatican Radio) From Rome, Italy, the President of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, on behalf of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has commended the Catholic Church in Malawi for its generosity in contributing to the Universal Solidarity Fund and its continued work of evangelization.
In a letter addressed to Fr. Vincent Mwakhwawa, National Director of PMS in Malawi, Archbishop Rugambwa said the 2017 General Assembly of the Superior Council of PMS was very grateful for Malawi’s financial contribution and participation in the different activities of PMS carried out in 2016:
Archbishop Rugambwa said the scope of the general assembly was to reflect on the identity and the evangelizing activities and methods of collaboration in union with and at the service of the universal mission of the Church.
“I am grateful to you personally and to all the National Directors who have duly submitted to our International Secretariat the financial report of the activities carried out and the offerings collected in favour of all the PMS for the year 2016,” said Archbishop Rugambwa.
He said he is especially thankful for the zeal and mission commitment manifested by the different activities of missionary animation and formation that have been organised and carried out in the spirit of the universality of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Malawi.
“I thank all the Catholic faithful of Malawi for their generosity in contributing to the Universal Solidarity Fund and for their continued support to the work of evangelization,” He said.
According to Fr. Mwakhwawa, Malawi contributed a total of MK 25,697,276.61, which was collected in 2016’s on Mission Sunday, Holy Childhood and Vocation Sundays respectively, in comparison with the 2015 collection of MK 18,471,559.00. This represents a rise of 39.12%.
Reacting to the gesture of Archbishop Rugambwa, Fr. Mwakhwawa appreciated the Catholic lay faithful of Malawi who contribute generously and make great spiritual and material sacrifice for the salvation of many souls in the world.
“I also appreciate the parish priests who teach people and remind them about the Christian obligation to preach the Gospel to the whole world through their prayers and financial sacrifice. Above all, it is a blessing to the people of Malawi who are able to change people’s lives and build faith communities within and outside Malawi by their contributions. Through such offerings, many people will be served holistically,” he said.
He said the contribution from the Catholic Church in Malawi is a sign of catholicity and solidarity with the Universal Church in preaching the Gospel to the whole world.
“Moreover, such an offering signifies the maturity levels of our Catholic faith (in Malawi). A Christian, called by Jesus Christ, has to be concerned with the salvation of the whole world. So, our Catholics in making such a contribution are demonstrating that they are mature Christians who understand their universal mission. In praying and contributing money to the universal missionary solidarity fund, it means the Catholic faithful understand their Christian faith,” said Fr. Mwakhwawa.
Fr. Mwakhwawa has since encouraged the Church in Malawi to continue to be generous with their spiritual and financial gifts, regardless of the economic challenges facing the country.
(Prince Henderson, Episcopal Conference of Malawi)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(Vatican Radio) Yemen is in the midst of the world’s worst cholera outbreak. In the last three months alone, 400,000 cases of suspected cholera and nearly 1900 associated deaths have been recorded.The country is on the brink of famine, with over 60 per cent of the population not knowing where their next meal will come from.The heads of three United Nations agencies, UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have just returned from a visit to Yemen to see for themselves the scale of this humanitarian crisis and to step up their combined efforts to help the people there.In a joint statement they said that, “thousands are falling sick every day. Sustained efforts are required to stop the spread of disease. Nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s children need immediate humanitarian assistance.”Speaking to Lydia O’Kane from Sana’a city, Communications Officer, Reem Nada spoke about the current situation on the ground.Listen...

(Vatican Radio) Yemen is in the midst of the world’s worst cholera outbreak. In the last three months alone, 400,000 cases of suspected cholera and nearly 1900 associated deaths have been recorded.
The country is on the brink of famine, with over 60 per cent of the population not knowing where their next meal will come from.
The heads of three United Nations agencies, UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have just returned from a visit to Yemen to see for themselves the scale of this humanitarian crisis and to step up their combined efforts to help the people there.
In a joint statement they said that, “thousands are falling sick every day. Sustained efforts are required to stop the spread of disease. Nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s children need immediate humanitarian assistance.”
Speaking to Lydia O’Kane from Sana’a city, Communications Officer, Reem Nada spoke about the current situation on the ground.
“The cholera outbreak is actually compounding a very complex situation in Yemen because already we have malnutrition, we have hunger, 70 million people are suffering, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from.”
Asked how WFP is responding to the situation, she said, “the World Food Programme have been scaling up its operations constantly over the past year and last month we have been able to reach a record number of 5.5 million across the country… This month we are aiming to support 7 million people.”
The Heads of the three United Nations agencies are now calling “on the international community to redouble its support for the people of Yemen.”
(Vatican Radio) Young Catholics from 21 Asian countries will be celebrating the 7th Asian Youth Day (AYD7) from August 2 to 6 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the theme, “Joyful Asian Youth: Living the Gospel in Multicultural Asia.” But before they gather in the Javanese city, participants will be hosted by 11 Indonesian dioceses from July 30 to August 2 for what is called “Days in Dioceses” (DID).In preparation for the AYD7, participants have been asked to prepare themselves together with others, through a series of ‘pre-event’ activities in their countries. These pre-events prepared by the Commission for Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) and the host Archdiocese of Semarang, are based on the AYD7 theme. Part of these pre-events is an exhibition which each country will put up in Yogyakarta, showcasing their countries. Young Filipinos too have been preparing themselves through v...

(Vatican Radio) Young Catholics from 21 Asian countries will be celebrating the 7th Asian Youth Day (AYD7) from August 2 to 6 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the theme, “Joyful Asian Youth: Living the Gospel in Multicultural Asia.” But before they gather in the Javanese city, participants will be hosted by 11 Indonesian dioceses from July 30 to August 2 for what is called “Days in Dioceses” (DID).
In preparation for the AYD7, participants have been asked to prepare themselves together with others, through a series of ‘pre-event’ activities in their countries. These pre-events prepared by the Commission for Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) and the host Archdiocese of Semarang, are based on the AYD7 theme.
Part of these pre-events is an exhibition which each country will put up in Yogyakarta, showcasing their countries. Young Filipinos too have been preparing themselves through various pre-event activities, including an exhibition. To know about it we talked to Maria Lea Dasigan, a fulltime youth minister working for the secretariat of the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Talking to us on the phone from Manila she briefly explained the exhibition.
Dasigan explained that the country exhibition at the AYD7 will showcase the effort of the Philippines in response to the environmental encyclical of Pope Francis, “Laudato Si”, on caring for our common home. They will include images and various exhibits on the efforts of the various dioceses in caring for the environment.
Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jul 27, 2017 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- An Irish priest has decried a film festival's plans to screen two horror films in an abandoned church next month.The Belfast Film Festival plans to show two horror movies – The Exorcist and The Omen – at Holy Rosary Church in Belfast, a landmark church that has been abandoned since 1980 and is no longer owned by the Catholic Church. Local parish priest Fr. Patrick McCafferty told the Belfast Telegraph that the plan was a “cheap stunt” and disrespectful to what once had been a sacred place.“What is their motivation for showing those types of films in what was once a sacred building that will have such special memories of spiritual occasions for lots of people,” he said.“Should they not be sensitive to the fact that many people in that area have fond associations and is sacred to the memories of many people that were baptized or married or buried there?” the p...

Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jul 27, 2017 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- An Irish priest has decried a film festival's plans to screen two horror films in an abandoned church next month.
The Belfast Film Festival plans to show two horror movies – The Exorcist and The Omen – at Holy Rosary Church in Belfast, a landmark church that has been abandoned since 1980 and is no longer owned by the Catholic Church.
Local parish priest Fr. Patrick McCafferty told the Belfast Telegraph that the plan was a “cheap stunt” and disrespectful to what once had been a sacred place.
“What is their motivation for showing those types of films in what was once a sacred building that will have such special memories of spiritual occasions for lots of people,” he said.
“Should they not be sensitive to the fact that many people in that area have fond associations and is sacred to the memories of many people that were baptized or married or buried there?” the priest added.
The old church is currently set to be renovated into an Italian restaurant, with with Fr. McCafferty said he has “no problem.”
“...but the screening of horror films in there is another matter entirely,” he told Ireland's The Times.
The Exorcist (1973), based on William Peter Blatty's novel by the same name, is the horror movie famous for levitating beds, spinning heads and pea-green soup.
The book and film portray the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her exorcism by two Catholic priests. Blatty said he drew inspiration from a 1949 Washington Post story about a Jesuit priest’s successful exorcism of a 14-year-old boy in Mount Ranier, Maryland.
While the U.S. bishops have previously said that the film stands on “shaky ground” theologically, Catholic film critics have said that for the most part, it tries to portray a real exorcism as authentically as possible.
It won two Oscars in 1974 for best sound and best writing and is one of the 20 highest-grossing films of all time. After the film's release, interest in exorcism skyrocketed in pop culture, sparking a subgenre of films surrounding the topics of exorcism and spiritual warfare.
The other film to be shown, The Omen, is a 1976 British-American that tells the story of the son of an American diplomat who is marked with the sign of the Devil and is the Antichrist.
In 2006, attempts to film a remake of The Omen were disrupted on location in Croatia, with sets vandalized and burnt down. The producers blamed the Catholic Church for the disruptions, saying they had decried the film and sparked the outrage.
Catholic reviews of The Omen tend to urge caution, as the film can be seen as depicting evil in a victorious light.
Fr. Cafferty said he hasn’t seen either film, though he is familiar with their controversial content.
“They are not the sort of films that I would choose to watch myself. People have told me about the films and I would have seen bits about The Exorcist – I just don't understand why anyone would like to see it in a church,” he said.
A spokesperson for the film festival has defended the decision, saying that the abandoned church would enhance the audience's viewing experience, and cited that the church has been defunct for almost 40 years.
“Belfast Film Festival is well known for its site-specific special events,” said the spokesperson told the BBC, citing its 2015 screening of Jaws on Portrush beach as one example.
“The locations chosen add an extra dimension to the screening, and we think the stone cold surroundings of an abandoned church will make for a suitably chilling viewing experience for The Exorcist.”
“Many people will have their own personal reasons for disliking The Exorcist, and we respect their right to that opinion, but the truth is that it was one of the most widely acclaimed films of the 1970s, nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture,” the spokesperson added.
The screenings of The Exorcist and The Omen, to be shown on Aug. 19 and 20 respectively, have already sold out, according to The Times.