South Sudan: The Nuer People – Between Offence And Repair
In case of offence, the perpetrator must publicly acknowledge his guilt and reward the offended. This is the important role of the local community. The Nuer people live along the rivers in the eastern region of South Sudan, in a land that is flooded for six months every year because of the heavy rains and […]
Message of the Comboni Superiors To The Suffering In South Sudan
The Comboni provincial superiors worldwide gathered in Rome from 5th-25th February. They sent a message of hope and encouragement to the “sisters and brothers in South Sudan”. Here the message.. We, the provincial superiors of the Comboni Missionaries worldwide, have the same love beating in our hearts. We suffer with you in these times of […]
South Sudan: Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to visit
Answering questions in the Anglican parish, on Rome Sunday, February 26, Francis announced his intention to visit the African country at war, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Francis was talking about how ‘young churches’ have a lot to teach us. He said: “Young churches have more vitality and a strong need to work together. […]
Europe: Mixed Results For Legislation On “Conflict Minerals”
After three years of negotiations, the European Union has finally got round to legislating on conflict minerals – definitely a step forward, but not going far enough. This legislation is designed to prevent the financing of conflicts and human rights violations through minerals imported into the European Union. The term “conflict minerals” refers to the […]
UN Genocide Adviser Concerned Over Continued Violence In South Sudan
The Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, has recently expressed grave concern at the continued level of violence in several areas of South Sudan. In a statement, the UN adviser said he is particularly alarmed at the situation in Kajo-Keji, in Central Equatoria south of Juba, where civilians […]
Pope Francis: “Women Bring Harmony That Makes The World Beautiful”
“Without women, there is no harmony in the world”. That was the message of Pope Francis in his recent homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis was continuing his reflections on creation, the subject of the readings for the past few days, taken from the Book of Genesis. The Lord […]
China: Jade – The Essence of Heaven and Earth
The word “jade” communicates a sense of mystery. In Chinese, jade refers to a fine, beautiful stone with a warm colour and rich luster, that is skilfully and delicately carved. In Chinese culture, jade symbolises nobility, perfection, constancy, and immortality. For millennia, jade has been an intimate part of the lives of Chinese of all […]
EU – Council and Parliament: “2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage”
The leaders of the European Parliament and Council have reached a temporary agreement that proposes 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage. “Cultural heritage includes assets of the past, in many different forms and dimensions. They include monuments, sites, traditions, knowledge and expressions of human creativity, as well as the collections guarded and run […]
Chad and Catholic Bishops: “The future of the country belongs to everybody”
In a strong message, the catholic bishops call on the population to “resist the temptation of violence and discouragement”. Chad is going through a very difficult time because of “disputes on the presidential election management, the non-payment of wages and the austerity measures taken by the government to tackle the economic and financial crisis”, wrote […]
Vatican City: To Protect The Dignity Of Human Beings
After a conference on organ trafficking at the Vatican on February 7th-8th, participants signed a statement agreeing to unite in fighting the crime of organ trafficking – submitting 11 proposals for implementation by healthcare and law enforcement professionals around the world. The creation of the statement was one of the main objectives of the Summit […]