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Maher is the name of a project that Indian Sister Lucy Kurien of the Order of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod (SCC) began in 1997 to shelter exploited and destitute women and children, in Pune, in western India’s Maharashtra state. In the local Marathi language ‘maher’ means ‘mother’s home’ – a name that Sr. Lucy chose for her centre as a haven of hope, belonging and understanding. Sr. Lucy has received several honours and recognition for her works or mercy. Recently, on the occasion of this year’s International Women's Day, March 8, she was conferred the Nari Shakti Award for 2015 by Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, for her outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment.Last week, in the first part of a telephone interview with her, Sr. Lucy briefly spoke about the Nari Shakti Award, and went on to explain her work and how it began over 19 years ago. It so happened that a battered woman...
(Vatican Radio) The new Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, has urged the International Labour Organisation to do more to tackle the “pressing issue of youth unemployment”.In a speech on Thursday to the 105th session of the International Labour Conference, the nuncio stressed that it is a moral obligation to create dignified and well-paying jobs for young people in particular. To do so, he said, requires coming up with “new, more inclusive and equitable economic models, aimed not at serving the few, but at benefiting ordinary people and society as a whole”.Warning of the ways in which advancing technology can reduce the value and dignity of workers, Archbishop Jurkovic reiterated that it is no longer sufficient to measure human progress in terms of economic growth and the accumulation of material wealth. Work, he said, “acquires its true character when it is decent and sustainable for workers, ...
The Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA) reports that a roundtable meeting on Policy and legislative changes to the Refugee Act was recently held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The discussion brought together SACBC’s Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees office; the Bienvenu Shelter; Jesuit Refugee Service; Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, and the Justice and Peace Department in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. Also participating in the meeting were officials of the South African Government.According to the Institute, the Archbishop of Johannesburg, Bhuti Tlhagale in his capacity as the Liaison Bishop of migrants and refugees at the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) gave the opening address.In his opening remarks, the Archbishop gave a historical perspective on refugees in South Africa. He pointed out, for example, that the beginning of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg is closely linked to its first migrants from Ireland. He...
(Vatican Radio) The European Union has issued a formal warning to Poland saying it is threatening the rule of law, a move that could lead to sanctions, prompting the Polish right-wing government to say it wants urgent talks with the EU and the opposition.Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, says Poland's government is not following the rule of law as required the 28-nation European Union. That official warning could lead to member state Poland being stripped of its EU voting rights.Yet, Commissioner Frans Timmermans has defended that decision. "As you know the European Union is build upon a common set of values, enshrined in the treaty. These values include respect of the rule of law," he said.That's how this organization functions, that's how our member states ensure the equal application of EU law across the European Union. Making sure that the rule of law is preserved is a collective responsibility of the...
(Vatican Radio) The theme of the Pope’s third meditation at a spiritual retreat held on Thursday at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls was “the good odour of Christ and the light of his mercy.”Listen to the report by Lydia O'Kane: At the heart of his reflection were the Works of Mercy saying as priests, “being merciful is not only “a way of life”, but “the way of life”, adding, “there is no other way of being a priest.”Drawing from the passage of the Lord’s encounter with the woman caught in adultery, the Pope explained that when Jesus says “Go and sin no more”, “his command has to do with the future, to help her to make a new start and to “walk in love”. Such is the sensitivity of mercy, the Holy Father continued. “ it looks with compassion on the past and offers encouragement for the future.” Focusing his attention of the Sacrament ...
Washington D.C., Jun 2, 2016 / 06:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- For two years, the ChurchPOP website has sought to craft faithful, fun content for the social media age. It hopes to do even more now that it has been acquired by the EWTN Global Catholic Network.“ChurchPOP seeks to evangelize by spreading Catholic culture in a way tailored to the online social media world,” said Brantly Millegan, the editor-in-chief of ChurchPOP.com. “We've developed a certain flavor that's faithful, accessible, and interesting that seems to have resonated with lots of people.”“Thanks to the backing of EWTN, we have big plans for the future of ChurchPOP,” he added. He credited the website’s success to “the great writers who contribute to ChurchPOP and to our readers, who help spread the word about the website.”Millegan said he launched ChurchPOP in August 2014, envisioning it as a Christian culture website in the style of BuzzFeed.He said that whi...
By Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Mercy recognizes that life is shortand that so much good needs to be done that there is no time to waste in makingamends, Pope Francis told priests."That is why it is so important to forgivecompletely" and let go of paralyzing self-pity so mercy can get "itshands dirty" and make reparation for the wrongs committed, he said in aretreat for clergy.Mercy does not overlook the harm caused by sin,"rather it takes away evil's power over the future. It takes away itspower over life."To help priests and seminarians better understand theproper role mercy must play in their lives and ministry, Pope Francis ledthousands of men on a spiritual retreat in Rome. The aim, he said, was forpriests to be ready to receive mercy in order to show it even more.Over the course of the day June 2, the pope led threeseparate meditations -- each nearly an hour long -- in three of Rome's fourbasilicas: St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls.Live vide...
BRUSSELS (AP) -- A baby panda was born in Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo on Thursday just three months after Chinese experts artificially inseminated its mother Hao Hao....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The more things change, the more they stay the same....
CAIRO (AP) -- What mysteries might still be hidden under Egypt's pyramids? A team accompanied by Egypt's former antiquities minister and famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass are testing a new scanner on the Great Pyramid of Giza on Thursday, hoping that modern technology could help unlock ancient secrets buried deep beneath the stone....
