Pope Francis returned to Rome Tuesday evening after a 2-day visit to Malmo and Lund in southern Sweden, where he joined the Lutheran World Federation in kicking off a yearlong celebration of 500 years of the Protestant Reformation sparked by Martin Luther that brought about a major split in the Catholic Church. The Pope had two important events on Monday, Oct. 31. His first was a common ecumenical prayer service in the evening with the Lutheran World Federation at Lund Cathedral, where the group was founded in 1947. From there the Pope went to the indoor stadium of Malmo for an ecumenical event with several Christian Churches. Besides the signing of a Declaration of Intent, entitled “Together in Hope” by Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation World Service, pledging to recommit themselves to working together in responding to the world’s humanitarian needs, the Malmo event also fea...
Pope Francis returned to Rome Tuesday evening after a 2-day visit to Malmo and Lund in southern Sweden, where he joined the Lutheran World Federation in kicking off a yearlong celebration of 500 years of the Protestant Reformation sparked by Martin Luther that brought about a major split in the Catholic Church. The Pope had two important events on Monday, Oct. 31. His first was a common ecumenical prayer service in the evening with the Lutheran World Federation at Lund Cathedral, where the group was founded in 1947. From there the Pope went to the indoor stadium of Malmo for an ecumenical event with several Christian Churches. Besides the signing of a Declaration of Intent, entitled “Together in Hope” by Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation World Service, pledging to recommit themselves to working together in responding to the world’s humanitarian needs, the Malmo event also featured five testimonies from around the world. They were Pranita Biswasi from India, Msgr. Hector Gaviria, Director of Caritas Colombia, Marguerite Barankitse of Burundi, Rose Lokonyen a South Sudanese refugee and athlete, and Chaldean Jesuit Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria. Today we bring you excerpts from the two Asians - Biswasi and Bishop Audo.
Pranita Biswasi is a 26-year old environmentalist and social activist from Jeypore in eastern India’s Odisha state. She spoke about climate change that brings much suffering to the poor, saying, those least responsible are the worst affected.
Father Greg Boyle gives an address at "We ? LA: An Urban Retreat for LA's Passionate Leaders" in 2010. / Credit: durfeefoundation, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, May 3, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The White House on Friday announced that Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, the founder of a prominent ministry dedicated to rehabilitating gang-affiliated youth, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside 18 other recipients this afternoon. Boyle, ordained a priest in 1984, founded Homeboy Industries in 1992 while pastor of Dolores Mission, a Catholic church and school in an area that at one time had one of the highest concentrations of gang activity in Los Angeles. Today, Homeboy Industries claims to be the largest gang-intervention program in the United States.The successful ministry, which now operates nationwide, offers training and job skills to those formerly involved in gangs or in jail, as well as case management, tattoo removal, mental health and le...
The spiritual shepherd of the Church in Singapore is Cardinal William Goh, archbishop since early 2013 and a cardinal since 2022. / Credit: Sean Boyce/EWTN NewsNational Catholic Register, May 3, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis recently announced his intention to travel to Southeast Asia in September to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. The island nation of Singapore is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse regions in Asia and is home to about 395,000 Catholics. The small but strategically important nation also has the highest urban density in Asia but is ranked as the country with the highest quality of life. Like everywhere else, it also faces the threats of secularism and relativism and a loss of traditional values, especially a commitment to family and respect for the elderly. The spiritual shepherd of the Church in Singapore is Cardinal William Goh, archbishop since early 2013 and a cardinal since 2022. He sat down in his res...
null / Credit: ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 2, 2024 / 18:20 pm (CNA).The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) released a pair of emergency rules that it said are aimed at combating "misinformation" and a "deeply dishonest scare campaign" by the Biden administration about the state's new six-week pro-life law. The rules, published on May 1, establish guidance for lifesaving measures and clarify that certain procedures, including treatment for ectopic pregnancies, are not considered abortion and remain legal under the Florida Heartbeat Protection Act, which went into effect on Wednesday. This comes amid significant criticism over the state's pro-life law that prohibits abortions on women after six weeks of pregnancy except for in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. The new AHCA rules further clarify those exceptions. "The agency finds there is an immediate danger to th...