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(Vatican Radio) A new report by HelpAge International, the global network that advocates for the rights and dignity of older people, reveals that when it comes to humanitarian crises, the needs of the elderly are often overlooked and misunderstood. The survey of 300 older refugees fleeing from conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and Ukraine found evidence of neglect, poor health provision and feelings of isolation and fear. Marcus Skinner, Help Age’s Humanitarian Policy Manager, spoke to Linda Bordoni about the report’s findings.Listen: Largely invisibleSkinner said that older people are disproportionately affected when disaster strikes or conflicts flare up, describing the report as “a snapshot” of older people that reinforces the view that the elderly are “largely invisible in the design and delivery of humanitarian aid.” He said almost all the older people they talked to in the three countries told them they had not been consult...
(Vatican Radio) The IOR – Istituto per le Opere di Religione, or the Vatican Bank, released its Annual Report for the 2015 fiscal year on Thursday, indicating its commitment to assisting the Holy Father in his universal mission of pastoral care.The extended Annual Report was accompanied by a Press Release detailing the more salient points of IOR's 2015 activities.Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu, President of the IOR, and the Director General, Gian Franco Mammì, participated in a roundtable event with Vatican Radio and Osservatore Romano to discuss the report.The full transcription of the roundtable is below:Q: Why does the Vatican, and the Church, need the IOR, and what are the services the IOR offers?Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu: Let me say how pleased I am to be here today and to be given the opportunity to report on 2015 which was a very important year for the IOR, and I am sure with Dr. Mammi we will have many opportunities in the course of this i...
The Board Chair of the Catholic News Agency for Africa (CANAA), Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana has made a passionate appeal to Catholic African journalists, in particular, to be more proactive and at the forefront of telling African stories to the world. The Archbishop made the call in a speech read for him at a continental workshop on, ‘Online reporting.’The nascent Catholic News Agency for Africa, CANAA, is a project of African Catholic Bishops under the auspices of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, who was not present at the workshop, had his opening remarks read for him Tuesday by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) Communications Coordinator, Fr Chrisantus Ndaga. CANAA has brought together, for the workshop, Catholic journalists drawn from 10 African countries namely, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana ...
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has encouraged the lay faithful to reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. One such charity that is doing precisely that is Mary’s Meals, which was founded in the north of Scotland after the Bosnian War in 1992.Vatican Radio’s Ryan Black spoke with the founder of the charity ahead of a meeting with Pope Francis. He also spoke to the Malawian Ambassador to the Holy See about the impact the charity is having in his country, and to the Executive Director of Mary’s Meals Italy.Listen: The founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, was inspired by the people of the local community in Argyll following the War. He set up a local appeal and very quickly food, clothing, medicine and donations of money began to arrive at the family home. Magnus and his brother joined an aid convoy that delivered the goods to people in Bosnia-Herzegovina. They returned to find that the shed at their home had been filled with more d...
(Vatican Radio) Jesus prays for the unity of Christians, but within the Church there are those who sow weeds (It: zizzanieri), those who divide and destroy the community with their tongues. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta.The difficulty of unityJesus, before the Passion, prays for “the unity of believers, of the Christian community,” so that they might be one—as He and the Father are one—that the world might believe. Pope Francis took this passage as the starting point for his homily:“The unity of the Christian community, of the Christian family, is a witness: a witness to the fact that the Father has sent the Son. And, perhaps, arriving at unity—in a Christian community, in a parish, in the Bishop’s residence, in a Christian institution, in a Christian family—is one of the most difficult things. Our history, the history of the Church, makes us ashamed so often: but we have waged war again...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday met with a group of high school students who are using 3D printers to create prosthetic limbs for child amputees in Africa.The students attend “L'Istituto Massimo” in Rome, which offers courses on 3D printing. The “Crowd4Africa” project uses bottle caps and other recycled material to create the prosthetics. The project was entirely created by children aged 7 to 19.The “Crowd4Africa” project has plans to open two “mini-factories” for creating limbs in hospitals in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Washington D.C., May 12, 2016 / 03:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “I have a dream of a safe Nigeria.” This is the hope voiced by one of the Nigerian schoolgirls who escaped captivity by the terror group Boko Haram, speaking before members of Congress on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.“Sa’a,” was one of hundreds of Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the terrorist group Boko Haram on April 14, 2014. She testified Wednesday before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.She said in her testimony that she dreamed of “a Nigeria where girls like me are not made into suicide bombers, and little boys are not routinely stolen and turned into terrorists. A Nigeria where (if) even the worst happens and children are stolen, every effort is made for their swift rescue, and those who can help, help, and those who can help can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”Boko Haram, which means “Weste...
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- A solar-powered airplane that landed in Arizona last week is headed to Oklahoma on the latest leg of its around-the-world journey....
DEVESELU, Romania (AP) -- A U.S missile defense site in Romania aimed at protecting Europe from ballistic missile threats became operational Thursday, angering Russia, which opposes having the advanced military system in its former area of influence....
DALLAS (AP) -- One question has lingered in the Central Texas farming town of West since a fertilizer plant caught fire in 2013 and exploded, killing 15 people and damaging at least $100 million in property: What caused the blaze?...
