Category: News

January 2018: Religious Minorities in Asia

laydominicanytp.org

by Fr Chris Chatteris SJ

Pope’s Prayer intention:

“Religious Minorities in Asia. That Christians, and other religious minorities in Asian countries, may be able to practise their faith in full freedom.”

There are clearly some problem countries that Pope Francis has in mind. The forced expulsion of the Muslim Rohingya minority from Myanmar would be one. His diplomatically difficult visit to both Myanmar and Bangladesh last year, was a courageous gesture of solidarity with a minority which seemed to have been left defenceless. Continue reading “January 2018: Religious Minorities in Asia” →

When you give a lunch do not invite… (Lk 14:12)

By Diocese of Manzini

Our Christmas’ time seems always marked by sharing. It is normally not seen. Not many know it. One discovers it sometimes in social media groups.

It is a particular way of sharing.

I remember being in a parish where people would exchange gifts during the Christmas’ feast.

This is not the case. Our sodalities seems to remember the passage where Jesus says: ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbours, in case they invite you back and so repay you.  No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again.’ (Lk 14: 12 – 14) Continue reading “When you give a lunch do not invite… (Lk 14:12)” →

WFS (Word Faith Social)

By Bp José Luis IMC

Some of you might remember that arriving in the diocese in 2014 as resident bishop I shared a story about “bats”. I said that Catholics should be recognised by three things:

  • Bible – Word of God
  • Cathechism of the Catholic Church – Our Faith
  • Social teachings of the Church

From that time I kept on wondering how to make this possible in our diocese. I wondered how to help the people of our diocese to know or deepen in these three areas. I finally came with a plan: a three year course on these three topics. Continue reading “WFS (Word Faith Social)” →

Missionaries killed in 2017

By Agenzia Fides

In the year 2017, 23 Catholic pastoral care workers were killed worldwide: 13 priests, 1 religious brother, 1 religious sister, 8 lay persons.

For the eighth consecutive year, the place most affected, with an extremely elevated number of pastoral care workers killed is AMERICA, where 11 pastoral care workers were killed (8 priests, 1 religious brother, 2 lay people); in Africa 10 pastoral care workers were killed (4 priests, 1 religious sister, 5 lay people); in Asia 2 pastoral care workers were killed (1 priest, 1 lay person).

According to information gathered by Agenzia Fides, from 2000 to 2016, 424 pastoral care workers were killed worldwide, including 5 Bishops. Continue reading “Missionaries killed in 2017” →