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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- While his victims texted heartbreaking last words to loved ones from the blood-drenched bathrooms, Omar Mateen apparently went on Facebook to measure the shockwaves his attack on a gay nightclub was generating....
(Vatican Radio) After the mass killing of 49 people by a sole gunman in a nightclub that caters for the homosexual community in Orlando,Florida, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein - the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - has urged the United States to adopt robust gun control measures to pre-empt further killingsHe said the U.S. leadership needs to live up to its obligations to protect its citizens from the “horrifyingly commonplace but preventable violent attacks that are the direct result of insufficient gun control.”Listen to the report by Peter Kenny in Geneva: Quoting Zeid, UNHCR spokesman Rupert Colville said it is hard to find a rational justification that explains the ease with which people can buy firearms. People can buy assault rifles in spite of prior criminal backgrounds, drug use, histories of domestic violence and mental illness, or direct contact with extremists – both domestic and foreign. Zeid asked: “How many more mass killings of scho...
(Vatican Radio) Two events will take place in Rome next week looking at the value of disabled people in culture and in the study of theology.The Vatican ‘s Pontifical Council for Culture along with the Kairos Forum will be sponsoring an academic symposium and a conference entitled, Living Fully 2016.The aim of both these gatherings is to celebrate the lives and stories of disabled people within culture and faith and introduces the study of disability theology from within a cultural perspective.This celebration of disability follows a highly successful Jubilee for the Sick and the Disabled that also took place in Rome recently, in which Pope Francis championed the importance of diversity and inclusion.Cristina Gangemi, is a disability advisor to the Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Director of the Kairos Forum which seeks to highlight and respond to the spiritual and religious needs of people with disabilities.She will be participating in both events and s...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with members of the ROACO (Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches) Assembly which raises funds for Christians in the Eastern-rite Churches. Among those taking part in the meeting were the papal representatives from Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Iraq and Jordan, as well as the new Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, Fr Francesco Patton.In his greetings to the group, Pope Francis thanked them for their work, in particular the task of helping to fund the restoration of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the small shrine of Christ's tomb at the heart of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.Noting that the restoration work in Bethlehem has unearthed the mosaic of a seventh angel in the nave of the Basilica, the Pope reflected on the way the face of our own communities can also be covered by 'incrustations' as a result of all our problems and sins. Yet all your work, the Pope said, must u...
(Vatican Radio) The world of the Circus spreads “a culture of encounter” and those working in such travelling shows have a unique opportunity “to be Christ’s witnesses” to “even the most distant” of people: that’s what Pope Francis said Thursday to members of Italian circuses and travelling entertainment.In a festive audience in the Vatican, Pope Francis greeted representatives of circus associations, employees of amusement parks and fairs, street performers, artists, designers and puppeteers, musicians and folk groups celebrating their Jubilee for Circus and Travelling Show People. The Pope told them their festiveness and joy “are distinctive signs of your identity, your profession and your life” and that this appointment “could not be overlooked” in the Jubilee of Mercy.The 15-16 June Jubilee was sponsored and organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peo...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said that prayers are not magic words for Christians and when we pray the ‘Our Father’ we can feel God looking at us and this prayer should be the cornerstone of our prayer life. His words came during his mass celebrated on Thursday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence. Jesus always turned to the Father in the most challenging momentsTaking his inspiration from the gospel reading where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray the “Our Father, the Pope’s homily was a reflection on the value and meaning of prayer in the life of a Christian. He noted that Jesus always used the word “Father” in the most important or challenging moments of his life, saying our Father “knows the things we need, before we even ask Him.” He is a Father who listens to us in secret just like Jesus advised us to pray in secret. “It’s through this Father that we receive our identity as children. And wh...
On Tuesday, 14 June the restaurant and the other realities run by Caritas Jordan at the center of Jabal al Weibdeh received a welcome visit of Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of King Abdullah II.The Queen, received by Wael Suleiman, Director of Caritas Jordan, listened to the description of the initiatives promoted by Caritas in the Hashemite Kingdom, beginning with those geared to assisting refugees from Syria and Iraq. During the visit, the Queen also visited the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, where she met with Archbishop Maroun Lahham, Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.The Restaurant of Mercy, inaugurated on Christmas eve, offers about five hundred hot meals every day to those in need.In the holy month of Ramadan, Caritas volunteers who since December have been offering meals to those in need at the Restaurant of Mercy in Amman, in the Jabal al Weibdeh area, have modified their work plan: to adapt to the needs of their customers,...
Washington D.C., Jun 16, 2016 / 03:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Since the very first World Youth Day in 1986, the international Catholic event has been marked by prayer, music, and fellowship among thousands of young people eager to encounter the Pope.This year’s gathering in Krakow, Poland will feature the same elements – but it will also be unique, with the Pope’s visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.Paul Jarzembowski, the World Youth Day USA Coordinator at the U.S. bishops’ conference, explained that the structure of the global gathering is intended to reflect the saving events of Triduum – the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.The Friday of every World Youth Day is a commemoration of Good Friday. A vigil is held on Saturday, and Sunday remembers Easter joy with the celebration of Mass.“The normal experience of World Youth Day highlights the paschal mystery,” Jarzembowski told CNA.“The fact that Pope Francis is goin...
HONOLULU (AP) -- Researchers in Hawaii have discovered three probable new species of fish while on an expedition in the protected waters of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Democratic senator who mourned the loss of 20 children in his home state of Connecticut waged a roughly 15-hour filibuster into the early hours Thursday, asserting as he yielded the floor that Republican leaders had committed to hold votes on expanded gun background checks and a ban on gun sales to suspected terrorists....
