Christians Before the Wounds of the World
Individuals, society, the planet itself are suffering from many wounds. How to contribute to their recovery? A meditation by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines. Today, people, society and the planet itself are suffering from many wounds. The failure of relationships within the family causes wounds to all its members, affecting even future […]
Philippines: Bishops Warn About Threat of Dictatorship as Duterte Declares National Emergency
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have warned against the danger of a dictatorship after President Rodrigo Duterte declared a “state of national emergency” in the wake of a September 2nd terrorist attack in Davao City. President Duterte, the former mayor of Davao, said that the state of national emergency was necessary not only because of […]
The World Social Forum 2016: Dialogue Between Cultures
Padre Dario Bossi is a Comboni Missionary based in Brazil. Amongst other activities, he is involved in the ecumenical network ‘Iglesias y Mineria’, which assesses the impact of large-scale mining on local communities. He recently participated in the World Social Forum (WSF) 2016 in Canada. The question I heard most often during the World Social […]
Radio Zapata, Mexico: Weaving Communities from the Heart of the Mountain
A community radio that tries to improve the living conditions of indigenous people through communication. The Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero – Emiliano Zapata (Consejo Indígena y Popular de Guerrero – Emiliano Zapata, CIPOG-EZ), is a community organisation that from the heights of the Guerrero State calls on the world to join efforts to revive the community […]
Syria: Escaping War with the Bible Sewn Into A Blouse
Shoushan Chaghalanian, a Syrian woman of Christian faith, decided to leave her country, heading for Armenia with her family. A dangerous and dramatic journey followed – as recounted by Shoushan. “Making the decision is the most important step; from that moment on one does not think of anything other than the organisation of the escape, in […]
Ghana: The Ancestors’ Stool
The Akan live in Ghana and in the Ivory Coast, in the area bounded by the Volta and Kamoe rivers. The main object of their ancestors’ veneration is the sacred stool. It is in front of the stool that food, drink, and sacrifices are offered to the ancestors, and that the spirit of the founder of the […]
Niger: Migrants’ Dreams Buried in the Sand
A long preparation – then all the savings lost to the hands of smugglers. A dream that ended in the sand of the desert. Idrissa, 26, is sitting on a bed at the migrant centre in Niamey. The heat is oppressive. He looks out the window; he can hear noises from the street. Thoughts run through […]
The Abbey of Étoile Notre-Dame, Benin: The Faces of Hope
A community of 40 nuns from different nationalities; a melting pot of faith and prayers, where priests, religious and lay people can find the Benedictine monastic spirituality embodied in the African culture. In 1960, seven French nuns of Notre-Dame des Gardes arrived at the Apostolic Prefecture of Parakou, which was founded in 1948 in the […]
Japan: The Way of the Kami
The Japanese religions may be compared to a multi-coloured tapestry depicting diverse traditions with a history going back almost two thousand years — a journey towards others and towards nature. Japanese religious culture is composed mainly of Shintoism and Buddhism, both influenced by Confucian ideas and values and, to a lesser extent, by western Christianity. Historically, […]
India: Mother Teresa, A Message For Our Times
Having known Mother Teresa very well over a period of four decades, what has impressed me the most has been her visible sense of compassion, self-forgetful attention to others, bubbling enthusiasm, and unfailing resilience in the face of difficulties. I first met Mother Teresa as a young seminarian, in 1958 at Bandel Church. Her work was […]