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(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis has reiterated again and again, human trafficking is a crime against humanity, an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ, an evil to be eradicated.One of the continents most affected by this evil is Africa as thousands of vulnerable people are trafficked within and from Africa for labour, sexual exploitation and in many crisis situations.That’s why Caritas Internationalis and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People have organized a 3-day International Conference entitled ‘Human Trafficking within and from Africa’ in Abuja, Nigeria.From 5 to 7 September members of the COATNET network – Christian Organizations Against Trafficking in Human Beings (of which Caritas is part) - and other key stakeholders such as Faith-Based Organizations International, regional organizations, law enforcement and other NGOs will share practices on cooperation and ...
Militants in Pakistan attacked a Christian colony near the northwestern city of Peshawar killing a civilian in the exchange of fire. Militants wearing suicide vests stormed the Christian neighborhood early on Friday morning, triggering a shoot-out in which four attackers were killed and one Christian died, police and the military said. Three security officials and two civilian guards were wounded in the attack. Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said in a statement that the attack was quickly repulsed and that security forces were searching for any accomplices.Local police official Shaukat Khan said four suicide bombers entered the Christian colony. One of them went into a church, but no one was there at the time. He said the attackers killed one Christian in the neighborhood. It was not immediately clear if any of the suicide bombers had detonated their explosives. The quick response from the local civilian guards and security forces prevented more deaths...
Who is Mother Teresa of Calcutta? Well Mother Teresa herself gave her identity: "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." On Sept. 4, 2016, Mother Teresa will be officially proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis at a canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Even before this ceremony, she has been acclaimed a saint not just by Christians, but many others of other faiths.Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, in what is Macedonia today, Mother Teresa came to eastern India’s Kolkata city, formerly Calcutta, in 1929, as a missionary of the Sisters of Loreto. Later, in what she described as a ‘call within a call’, she founded her Missionaries of Charity congregation in 1950 to serve Jesus in the distressing disguis...
(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Holy See’s Press office, Greg Burke said it would be impossible to predict how many people will attend Sunday’s Canonization Mass for Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Speaking at a Vatican press conference giving details about the highly-anticipated event, Burke said all 100,000 tickets had been distributed for the Mass but that the crowd would likely be far greater, spilling into the streets around St. Peter’s Square.Listen to this report by Susy Hodges: Some 600 journalists from all over the world have flocked to Rome to cover Mother Teresa’s Canonization Mass which is being seen by many as the highlight of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. More than a dozen heads of state or government will be among the many dignitaries attending the Mass. Among those speaking at the packed press conference on Friday morning was Sister Mary Prema Pierick, the Superior General of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Orde...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a telegram to AsiaNews director and Pontifical Missionary priest, Fr. Bernardo Cervellera, on Friday, in acknowledgment of the work his organization has done in preparing and presenting a symposium on the life and legacy of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, who is to be canonized a saint this Sunday, Sept. 4th.Below, please find the full text of the telegram, in English translation provided by AsiaNews****************************************************Rev. Father Bernardo CervelleraEditor of AsiaNews - PIMEOn the occasion of the International Symposium dedicated to the Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as an icon of Mercy for Asia and the world, organized by the AsiaNews agency, in the context of the special Jubilee of Mercy and the imminence of the canonization of religious, the Holy Father Pope Francis sends his cordial and good wishes, praying that the example of life of Blessed, as a privileged witness of charity and generous attention to the poor and...
Rome, Italy, Sep 2, 2016 / 06:29 am (CNA).- Twenty-two years ago, Mother Teresa of Calcutta quietly visited the Regina Coeli prison in Rome, and now, just days before her canonization, she has “returned” for another visit, thanks to the help of technology.The Regina Coeli prison in Rome, located not far from the Vatican, hosted an emotional encounter of detainees and two Missionaries of Charity – members of the congregation that Mother Teresa founded – who were able to bring the soon-to-be saint to life through a documentary film teaching more about her.The prison currently houses 900 detainees, but in years prior, it had come to hold some 1,200. Father Vittorio Trani, a Conventual Franciscan and prison chaplain for 38 years, knew them all. He explained to CNA that Mother Teresa visited the prison in May 1994.“She came somewhat incognito. I gave permission so they would let her in (because of the heavy security measures) but I didn't tell anyone abo...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will join dozens ofreligious leaders -- including Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew ofConstantinople and Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury -- andhundreds of their faithful in Assisi Sept. 20 to pray for peace.In addition to holding some private meetings with individualreligious leaders, the pope will participate in the concluding ceremonies of athree-day event sponsored by the Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio. With thetheme, "Thirst for Peace:Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue," the meeting marks the 30thanniversary of St. John Paul II's Assisi interfaith peace gathering in 1986.According to a schedule published Sept. 1 by the Vatican, the pope willbe welcomed to Assisi by Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Welby, SyrianOrthodox Patriarch IgnatiusAphrem II of Antioch, and leaders of the Muslim, Jewish and Tendai Buddhist communities. Several victims of war will join Pope Francis and the othe...
IMAGE: CNS/Junno Arocho EstevesBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A personal encounter with MotherTeresa and her work serving the poor and the dying led a young Japanese man ona journey of faith and conversion. "I was born into a Buddhist family; I didn't know aboutJesus, Christianity, Catholicism or anything," Missionaries of Charity Father Francisco Akihirotold Catholic News Service Sept. 2. "But I saw in a very visible way howJesus works through the example of Mother Teresa."The Japanese priest was one of countless Missionaries ofCharity in Rome for the canonization of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata Sept. 4. Accompanied by Missionaries of Charity Father Jayanthi Tatapudi of India, FatherAkihiro visited an exhibition on the life of Mother Teresa held at Rome's LUMSAUniversity, one of many events offered to pilgrims before the canonization Massat St. Peter's Square.The portraits and candid shots of the little nun embracingyoung children and comforting the dying was all too fa...
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Playboy model Pamela Anderson has teamed with a rabbi to speak out against pornography....
NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC News chief anchor Lester Holt will moderate the first scheduled presidential debate on Sept. 26, with ABC's Martha Raddatz, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace lined up for others....
