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(Vatican Radio) “Notwithstanding a return to calm in the South Sudanese city of Yei, those living in rural areas continue to die immersed in the deafening silence of the media and before the indifferent gaze of the international community.”This dramatic statement was made by Catholic Bishop Erkolano Lodu Tombe of Yei in Equatoria region, South Sudan.Bishop Lodu Tombe was speaking to “Radio Easter” in Juba, and the interview was reported on in the Vatican “Osservatore Romano” newspaper.He said that the country has been hit by a wave of murders and massacres, which are believed to have been carried out by mixed military-civilian groups that target suspected supporters of the former vice president, Riek Machar.Lodu Tombe said that hundreds of people have lost their lives in violent attacks in villages on the outskirts of Yei and said they are dying also due to lack of food and medicine.He said the population lives in constant fear of new waves of v...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Some parts of the world see swift attentionpaid to victims of sexual abuse and others still experience delays or amishandling of allegations.This imbalance, one Jesuit expert has said, reflects howyears of papal pleas and Vatican mandates have not been received or implementedconsistently everywhere.Because the church's typical top-down approach in gettingthe message out may not be enough, Jesuit Father Hans Zollner is spearheading acomplementary course: a global alliance built and grown from the ground up byindividual priests, religious and laity along with Catholicuniversities, religious orders and bishops' conferences.Father Zollner, president of the Center for ChildProtection at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, told Catholic NewsService in late December of the center's plan to launch the newalliance in the coming months.The center offers a specialized e-learning program and anon-site diploma course in safeguarding ...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jonathan Drake, ReutersBy FARGO, N.D. (CNS) -- The CatholicBenefits Association, the Diocese of Fargo and Catholic Charities NorthDakota filed a lawsuit Dec. 28 in U.S. District Court in North Dakota against a federal regulationscheduled to take effect Jan. 1 that redefines "sex" foranti-discrimination purposes to include sexual orientation and gender identity.The regulation from theDepartment of Health and Human Services requires that Catholichospitals and health care providers perform or provide gender transitionservices, hormonal treatments and counseling as well as a host of surgeriesthat would remove or transform the sexual organs of men or women transitioningto the other gender. The HHS regulation requires group health plans to cover theseprocedures and services."We ask only for the freedom toserve consistent with our conscience and our Catholic faith," Bishop John T.Folda of Fargo said in a statement, released by the Catholic BenefitsAssociation. "While we do...
CHICAGO (AP) -- Deliberating jurors at a major racketeering trial of the purported leaders of Chicago's notorious Hobos gang sent a note to the presiding federal judge on Thursday saying they are deadlocked on at least one count after four full days of deliberations....
The number of police killed in the line of duty rose sharply in 2016, driven by shootings of police around the country, most notably ambushes in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In a Dec. 27 story, The Associated Press erroneously reported the cause of death for Garry Shandling. The coroner's report said he died from a blood clot in his lungs, not his heart....
BEIRUT (AP) -- A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey went into effect in war-ravaged Syria at midnight Thursday, a potential breakthrough in the six years of fighting that have left more than a quarter-million people dead and triggered a refugee crisis across Europe....
HONOLULU (AP) -- The United States struck back Thursday at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia's spy agencies and diplomats. The U.S. said Russia must bear costs for its actions, but Moscow called the Obama administration "losers" and threatened retaliation....
Police in Bangladesh say garment manufacturers have dismissed at least 1,500 workers after protests over pay led to a week-long shutdown at dozens of factories, which supply clothes to top Western brands.Police described the protests as illegal and said that they had arrested 30 workers, including seven union leaders, as well as a television reporter covering the unrest, the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday.The strike had started on December 12 with Windy Apparels Limited, a clothing company in the manufacturing centre of Ashulia industrial belt, on the outskirts of the capital. Thousands of workers were on strike, demanding an increase in the minimum wage hand in hand with the increase in the cost of living. This followed tens of thousands of workers walking out of factories in Ashulia, that make clothing for brands such as GAP, Zara and H&M, prompting concerns over supply during the holiday season.The protesters complained that the current salary, around 5-6 thousand ta...
As always, to coincide with the end of the year, the Prefecture of the Papal Household has published a note summing up the participation of the faithful during meetings and audiences with the Pope in the Vatican.It notes that in the course of the year 2016 Pope Francis received some 4 million people.That’s counting General and Special Audiences, Jubilee Audiences, liturgical celebrations, Angelus and Regina Coeli.March and September were the months with the highest numbers of faithful present in the Vatican during the Pope’s activities – in March during Holy week, and in September for the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is clear that the numbers refer uniquely to the Pope’s activities inside the Vatican and do not include visits to Rome Dioceses or apostolic visits and journeys to Italy and abroad, where Pope Francis met with millions of people.
