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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Police officers gave a black man multiple warnings to drop a handgun before one of the officers opened fire and killed him, Charlotte's police chief said Wednesday, hours after protesters and police clashed in unrest that saw tractor-trailers looted and set on fire....
The Miao diocese in Arunachal Pradesh organized an inter-religious peace rally in Neotan village, in response to Pope Francis' call to pray for peace on September 20. Of late, the world has witnessed an unprecedented violence and mindless killings by religious fundamentalists, said Father Felix Anthony inaugurating the candle-lit peace rally in Neotan village, in which around three hundred people participated. The world is in need of peace now more than ever. We see pain and blood shed all around in the name of religion, he added.The Head Monk at Buddhist Monastery in Miao, Venerable Narinda Bhikkhu Mahathero, attending the event highlighted the need of peace in the world at the moment. “Amidst growing religious intolerance in India and all around, this inter-religious peace rally is a great step to promote mutual respect and peace among the people of all faiths”, said the Monk.Mr. Thiksal Morang, former Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE) Changl...
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) together with leaders of the umbrella body of Protestant Churches, the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) have vehemently opposed the establishment of a new government ministry to be known as the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs.Opposing the government's move, the two Church bodies said they found the creation of a new ministry of religious affairs unnecessary and imprudent.“In view of the various financial and economic challenges our country is currently facing, we neither see the creation of the said ministry as a top priority nor a prudent decision. After all, we believe that Zambians want their country to be a democracy rather than a theocracy,” the statement reads in part. On these grounds, CCZ and ZCCB stand opposed to the creation of the new ministryZambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, last week appointed Reverand Godfridah Sumaili, a Pentecostal pastor of Lusaka’s Bread of Life Chur...
With tension still very much in the air, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Catholic Bishops say they are temporarily suspending their participation in the ongoing national dialogue. Archdiocese of Kisangani’s Archbishop Marcel Utembi, President of the Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) told Vatican Radio’s French Africa programme that the Bishops want to mourn the more 50 people killed during the Kinshasa clashes on Tuesday.Police and demonstrators clashed Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The clashes were an escalation in violence triggered by President Joseph Kabila’s decision to delay elections due at the end of the year. Wednesday saw several more people killed in Kinshasa as the violence continued into the second day. On Tuesday, three opposition parties had their headquarters set on fire.(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his sadness for the killing of two Mexican priests and has sent a telegramme of condolences assuring their diocese and families of his prayers.Father Alejo Nabor Jimenez Juarez and Father José Alfredo Suarez de la Cruz were abducted from their Church in the State of Veracruz’s northern city of Poza Rica on Sunday. Their bodies, with bullet wounds, were found the following day.The telegramme, which was sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Holy Father, expressed the Pope’s profound sadness for the killing of the priests who were respectively the Parish priest and the Vicar of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Poza Rica.The Pope strongly condemned the brutal attacks on the lives and on the dignity of the people involved and urged the clergy and all members of the diocese to continue to pursue their mission despite the difficulties.He said he is praying for the eternal rest...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has called for greater protection of the rights of refugees and migrants, saying the construction of “walls and barriers" is never an acceptable solution to social problems.The cardinal was speaking at the United Nations in New York on Monday as head of the Holy See’s delegation to the U.N. summit for refugees and migrants.While taking into consideration the legitimate concerns of societies and countries, the cardinal said we must never lose sight of “the real people, with names and faces, behind the staggering statistics”. He called for urgent action to protect not only refugees, but also migrants who “need respect for their rights, as well as solidarity and compassion”.Warning especially of the risks to migrant and refugee children, Cardinal Parolin called for closer cooperation among governments, international organizations, humanitarian agencies and faith based com...
Fr. James Channan OP of Pakistan is one of the participants of International Conference on the themes of dialogue and relations between religions called “Interfaith and Community Service Challenge” from Sept. 20 to 23 in Washington.Bringing a testimony of interfaith dialogue as a path to peace: is the intent of Pakistani Dominican Fr. James Channan, director of "Peace Center" in Lahore. As Fides learns, the conference, sponsored by the US President Barak Obama in person, is being attended by more than 60 scholars and religious leaders from 31 countries and 5 continents to share their experiences and skills in the field of interfaith dialogue and peace building. "We must learn from each other in order to make this world more peaceful and harmonious", explains Fr. Channan. The delegates present are people committed to promoting interfaith cooperation in universities, schools, training centers, seminars and associations. The sessions are held at the Wh...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has reiterated Pope Francis’ view that it is not religion which fuels extremist violence, but rather “political interests” and “societal ills”. Religion has itself been manipulated and hijacked as a pretext for intolerance and extremism, he said, yet religious communities are uniquely placed to fight the root causes of violence through education and support of vulnerable families.The cardinal made his remarks at the United Nations headquarters in New York where he was leading the Holy See’s delegation to a migration summit and to the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. He spoke on Tuesday at two side events, the first focused on ‘Fighting Radicalization and Extremism thorough Education’ and the second entitled ‘The Role of Religious Leaders in Preventing Crimes of Atrocity’.The Secretary of State stressed that faith leaders play a crucial ...
Vatican City, Sep 21, 2016 / 06:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After hearing of the murder of two priests in Mexico, Pope Francis sent a telegram to the country’s bishops condemning the violent act, offering his prayers as a sign of closeness to the community and families affected.“Deeply distressed upon receiving the sad news of the assassination of Reverends Alejo Nabor Jimenez Juarez and Jose Alfredo Suarez de la Cruz…the Holy Father expresses his sincerest condolences,” read the telegram, sent Sept. 20.Signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the telegram voiced the Pope’s closeness to Bishop Trinidad Zapata of Papantla, where the priests’ served, as well as to all clergy, religious communities and faithful of the diocese.He offered his prayers “for the eternal repose of these priests of Christ, victims of an inexcusable violence.”On Tuesday the bodies of Mexican priests Alejo Nabor Jiménez Juárez and J...
Vatican City, Sep 21, 2016 / 08:34 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday, Pope Francis reflected on the theme of the Jubilee of Mercy, “Merciful like the Father,” telling pilgrims that while imitating God’s love can seem impossible, it’s genuine effort, rather than quantity, that matters.To be “merciful like the Father” is not just “a slogan for effect, but a life commitment,” the Pope said Sept. 21.However, he also questioned whether Jesus’ words to his disciples in the Gospel of Luke are actually realistic, asking “is it really possible to love like God loves and to be merciful like him?”When looking back at the story of salvation history, Francis noted that God’s entire revelation to man consists of his tireless love for humanity which culminates with Jesus’ death on the Cross.“So great a love can be expressed only by God,” he said, explaining that Jesus’ call for humanity to be merciful l...
