Sister Megan Rice, 82, a Roman Catholic nun of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and two male accomplices have carried out what nuclear experts call the biggest security breach in the history of the nation’s atomic complex, making their way to the inner sanctum of the site where the United States keeps crucial nuclear bomb parts and fuel.
The innocent victims are at present the citizens of Aleppo, Syria’s second city. The rebels held important districts until the Syrian army launched overwhelming force against them. As ever, women and children are particularly at risk.Aleppo has a significant Christian population, and no doubt Pope Benedict had them in mind when he called for an end to the bloodshed.
The concert by this unique orchestra of musicians from Israel, Palestine and other Arab nations, began as the sun-set over the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. As the last notes of the symphony died on the evening air, Pope Benedict addressed those gathered, praising the foresight of the Israeli Maestro, whom together with the late Edward Said – a Palestinian intellectual and accomplished pianist – founded the orchestra to give the children of these divided communities a vehicle to look beyond their differences.
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Two Claretian missionary priests, a deacon and a theology student narrowly escaped an attempted ambush by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan province Sunday. The incident occurred four days after the al-Qaeda-linked terror group were thought to have killed eight people and wounded 22 others in an attack on plantation workers on the same road near the village of Tumahubong.
Missionaries working in rural Basilan province challenged the government and the Catholic Church Friday to do something about the spate of violence in the province, after another bloody incident this week. “We question those in authority, what have you done to protect and grant justice to the lives of the people?” the Claretian Missionaries said in a statement
The Queen makes a groundbreaking church visit as she tours one of the towns hit hardest by Northern Ireland's Troubles. For the first time, the Queen has stepped inside a Roman Catholic church on the island of Ireland in what is being seen as a hugely symbolic moment.
The involvement and association of children in armed conflicts in the Philippines continues to increase, the UN said Wednesday.“These children are not only casualties of explosions, shootings, and attacks but are also victims of kidnapping, killing, and maiming.”
There's another snip of news from the NE, says Angela. "I'll have to be up early on Saturday but I only have to look out of the window to see the torch!" Nicholas Ridgeon, from Westoe Village in South Shields, has the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch through Whitburn on Saturday.
At least 150 people, most of them children, were forced to flee a remote village in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao Tuesday as a battle between government troops and communist guerrillas intensified.
Hugo of St. Victor once famously said: Love is the eye. When we see with love we not only see straight and clearly we also see depth and meaning. Those searching for life through the eyes of love, like Mary of Magdala searching for Jesus in the Garden on Easter Sunday morning, see spring and the resurrection. Any other kind of eye, and we're blind in springtime.
“We come together to proclaim our common faith in Jesus Christ and mission that we can work together for our mission in a world where competition, fragmentation, division are so strong,” said Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila before addressing the conference at the Traders Hotel.
Fr Rif'at Bader, director of the Catholic Media Study Centre in the Jordanian capital, wrote a letter in response to an article by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé praising France for coming to the defence of Christians, urging Syrian Christians to fight more decisively against Bashar Assad.
Religions unite to care for those most in need in Mandalay, Myanmar. Working together is an interesting experience, according to Fr Aye Kyaw. “The relationship between us will develop even further through this clinic, Venerable Seinnita and I already consider ourselves as brothers,” he said.
The Pope Celebrates Vespers at San Gregorio al Celio with the Primate of the Anglican Communion. In the Church of the monastic complex of San Gregorio al Celio - “birthplace of the link between Christianity in Britain and the Church of Rome” - the Pope presided at First Vespers of Third Sunday of Lent on Saturday evening, 10 March, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan William, Primate of the Anglican Communion.
Among the most important issues discussed at the meeting include the violence, economic crisis, corruption, conflicts between cultures, environmental damage, destruction of cultures and values ??and good governance.
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To mark Australia Day, the Catholic Bishops Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development calls upon political parties to work towards a common approach to asylum seekers, so that human beings do not become pawns in a political argument.
Billed as the first major exhibition devoted to the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, "Hajj: journey at the heart of Islam" at the British Museum aims to lift the veil on a ritual that is a mystery to many in the non-Muslim world. Pakistan-born Khan believed that its message of peace was particularly important because the outside world's image of the Middle East had been associated in recent years with violence and upheaval.
Some 35 sisters and priests from the Association of Major Superiors of Religious Women in Korea and the Catholic Solidarity to Realize Peace in Jeju held a press conference to protest against the arrest of 29 people including 19 Religious on January 10. They had been praying in front of a naval base construction site on the resort island and urging a halt to the project. All were released within two days.
The Arab uprising spread like wildfire and every Arab country felt its effects. However, the changes must be seen against the backdrop of the Islamist rise to power. Christians are afraid but must cooperate with Muslims. Syria’s case and the bishops’ reaction are a case in point. The West is confused and Obama discredited. A year on, here is a review of what happened in the Arab world.
God came to dwell among us. Since then humanity is capable of bringing forth the highest values. But if any of us look away from God's presence what was supposed to be a Kingdom of Justice, Peace and Love, becomes an Empire of evil. Charlie Chaplin final speech in The Great Dictator film reminds us of this truth.
