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(Vatican Radio) Pilgrimages, being active on social media, sacrament of reconciliation initiatives and visits to the Holy Door. These are just some of the events the Diocese of Paisley in Scotland has been organizing during the Jubilee of Mercy. So what effect has the year had on the faithful there? Lydia O’Kane spoke to the Bishop of Paisley, John Keenan.Listen: As this Extraordinary Year draws to a close, the Bishop observed that, “one of the things I’ve noticed about this Holy Year distinct from perhaps the other ones is that, whereas like the others it started with a bang, the Year of Mercy hasn’t really fizzled out, it seems to be that it has kept this steady pulse going right through the year”.WYD in the Year of MercyOne of the highlights of the Jubilee was the World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow, Poland which Bishop Keenan participated at. He says, that the focus on mercy at this event had an “astounding effect on the young peopl...
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See reiterated its support for a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday during a United Nations Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East.“If Israel and Palestine do not agree to exist side-by-side, reconciled and sovereign within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders, peace will remain a distant dream and security an illusion,” said a statement by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.The Vatican diplomat also voiced concern about the ongoing violence in the wider region, such as in Syria and Iraq.The cradle of civilizations and the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the Middle East has become the theater of incredible brutality,” Archbishop Auza’s statement said.The utter disregard of international humanitarian law has reached alarming levels of inhumanity,” – he continued – ...
(Vatican Radio) Earlier this week the Islamic extremist group in Nigeria, Boko Haram, released from captivity 21 students, who are known collectively as the Chibok schoolgirls. They were abducted in April 2014 from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State.The Nigerian government is currently negotiating the release of an additional 83 girls, but some appear unwilling to leave their captors, reportedly fearing stigmatization and possible rejection on their return. Meanwhile, aid agencies are warning that the girls who have been released will require extensive support to help them recover from the physical and mental trauma they have endured while in captivity.Doune Porter, the Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Nigeria spoke to Vatican Radio’s Hayley Susino about the challenges facing these girls and about the need to remember the many other people still being held hostage in the region.Listen: Doune Porter explains that although the news ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said the catechism on its own is not sufficient to truly know Jesus and we need prayer, worship and to recognize ourselves as sinners. His words came during his morning Mass celebrated on Thursday in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.The cue for the Pope’s reflections during his homily came from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where the Apostle prayed that they may be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit and that Christ may dwell in their hearts.Noting that Paul spoke of plunging into the immense sea that is the person of Christ, Pope Francis asked “how can we know Christ, How can we understand His love that is beyond all knowledge?”“Christ is present in the Gospel and we know Christ by reading the Gospel. And all of us do this, at least we hear the Gospel when we go to Mass. And studying the catechism teaches us who Christ is. But this is not enough. In order to understand the breadth and length and hei...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received the President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.A statement by the Holy See Press Office described the talks as “cordials,” and said the two men discussed “the existing good relations between the Holy See and Burkina Faso were evoked, underlining among other things the important contribution the Church offers in the fields of education and healthcare.”The statement continued by saying that in this framework, “the hope was expressed that bilateral relations can be consolidated thanks also to the legal tools provided by international law.”Attention then turned to the importance of national reconciliation, respect and collaboration between the various religious groups, and the theme of young people and employment.Finally, t...
India’s Federal Home Minister, Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, paid glowing tributes to Mother Teresa and said that full security will be provided by the government to minorities and “all those who work towards humanity.”Paying tributes to Mother Teresa at a function in New Delhi, Singh said Mother had come to India to “conquer hearts” with love.Recalling attacks on minorities on the eve of 2015 assembly election in Delhi, he assured that he would ensure that no such incident occurred either before or after an election in future, an official release saidThe Home Minister was speaking at a program organized to commemorate the canonization of Mother Teresa at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.The event was jointly organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Archdiocese of Delhi, Dioceses of Faridabad and Gurgaon.Singh said Saint Mother Teresa has always been referred as “Mother” because of the love bestowed by citizens on her.He said ...
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Just days into the operation to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, a fault-line has widened between Iraq and Turkey, and the distrust among the various forces arrayed against the extremists has again bubbled to the surface....
BEIRUT (AP) -- Turkish jets and artillery struck U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern Syria Thursday, and Turkey's state-run news agency said as many as 200 militiamen were killed, in a major escalation of Turkey's offensive in northern Syria....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump needed a game changer. Instead, he landed a jaw dropper....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Threatening to upend a fundamental pillar of American democracy, Donald Trump refused to say he will accept the results of next month's election if he loses to Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee declared Trump's resistance "horrifying."...
