Irish Missionary Union

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) – Formation and the testimony of faith, mutual support to rekindle the faith in the family of the Church, in the footsteps of the first Christian communities: is the encouragement of Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong, to the 800 newly baptized in the diocese during the Welcome Meeting to the newbies held recently. According to reports from the Kong Ko Bao (the diocesan bulletin in Chinese), this year there were 3,400 baptized during Easter. Cardinal Tong pointed out that "in view of the Year of Faith, of the 50 years of II Vatican...

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI on May 14, 2012 appointed Rev. Fr. Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, S.M.A., Regional Superior of the Fathers of the Society of African Missions in the Central African Republic as Bishop of Berberati (Central Africa). Fr. Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi, S.M.A., was born on October 9, 1964 in Kadjebi-Akan, Diocese of Jasikan, Volta Region, in Ghana. He is Ghanaian nationality. After completing his secondary studies, he carried out his national civil service. He then entered the Society of African Missions, in the late '80s. He studied philosophy at the diocesan Seminary in Accra,...

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Faith in Christ and his gospel are always "the rock for his life", both within the walls of a church, and on the grass of a football field: Christian Sieland, 32 years of age, a seminarian from Papua New Guinea who is studying in Rome, was ordained a deacon in Rome on Saturday 12 May. As reported to Fides, for him it was "a memorable weekend ": on the day of his ordination to the diaconate he was also declared "best player" of the tournament "Clericus Cup" a football competition between priests and seminarians in...

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI on May 14, 2012 appointed Rev. Fr. Nestor-Désiré-Nongo Aziagbia, S.M.A., Superior of the Community of Haguenau in Strasbourg, France, and Superior of the same District of the S.M.A. Fathers as Bishop of Bossangoa (Centroafrica). Fr. Nestor-Desire-Nongo Aziagbia, S.M.A., was born on March 6, 1970 in M'Baiki. He professed his first profession in 1994. He studied philosophy in Bangui (Central Africa), at the National Major Seminary Saint Marc, and Theology at the SS. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, in Ibadan, Nigeria. Later he obtained a Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at the University...

Bamako (Agenzia Fides) – People are waiting for the appointment of the new President of the transition in Mali. "The mediators of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) were in Bamako for 5 days, but failed to bring the various parties to agree on appointing a new President of the transition" says to Fides Fr. Edmond Dembele Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Mali. On May 22, the interim period of the government ends, initiated under the agreement reached on April 6 by the military junta (which took power with the coup on 22 March) and by the...

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI on May 14, 2012 appointed Rev. Cyr-Nestor Yapaupa, of the clergy of Alindao, Vicar General of the same Diocese as Coadjutor Bishop of Alindao (Central Africa). Rev. Cyr- Nestor Yapaupa, was born on February 26, 1970, in Bangassou. He studied Philosophy and Theologyin his country, at the Major Seminary Saint Marc in Bangui. He was ordained a priest on March 18, 2001. Incardinated first in the Diocese of Bangassou, he then went to the Diocese of Alindao. After his ordination he has held the following positions: 2001-2002: He accompanied vocational groups;...

Organisers of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress have announced that a Healing Stone will be unveiled during the Opening Ceremony on 10 June as a means of acknowledging the abuse of children. The Healing Stone comprises a large, shaped piece of Wicklow granite engraved with a prayer composed by a survivor of clerical abuse.

This coming Saturday, 19 May at 2.30 pm, a Mass of Thanksgiving  will be celebrated in the church of St Anne and Blessed Dominic, Sutton, St Helens in Lancashire,  in thanksgiving for the life and ministry of Elizabeth Prout, the Foundress of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion.  The Celebrant at the Mass will be Passionist Priest Father John Kearns

This week the Greek government paid around 400 million Euros to vulture fund Dart Management, which has refused to take part in March's debt restructuring. Dart Management is likely to have bought the debt at a fraction of its value, and so made a large profit. The payment is the first of many which could be

The National Churches Trust has welcomed the Government's decision to provide a £30 million package to help churches hit by the planned imposition of VAT on alterations to historic buildings. It has however, warned that the compensation package is cash limited and only guaranteed for the duration of this Parliament.

Nearly 20 years ago, Christopher West says, he came to the realization that as a victim of materialism, he was missing out on 'God’s banquet of love'. Now an expert on the Theology of the Body, West recently visited Vaughn House to discuss what he believes is at the heart of the New Evangelization. Introduced by Archbishop Nichols to a standing-room

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor delivered the Far and Near Club Lecture at Leicester Cathedral yesterday evening.  He explored three ways in which religion and, most particularly, Christianity relates to society in the public square. The Cardinal’s reflection focused on the centrality of the family, the dignity and importance

The passion and death of Jesus are a mysterious page in the New Testament. Why the mystery? Because it is not clear at first sight why Jesus had to go through such a brutal and painful death ‘to save the world’. This is why the Church has had recourse to various symbols to understand this deep reality. The symbols are many – firstly, from the prophets and the psalms of the Old Testament; and secondly, the various metaphors Jesus himself used to get himself across to his disciples. One of these was the sign of the ‘bronze serpent,’ which when lifted on...

Chinese authorities worked closely with North Korea in arresting four prominent South Korean human rights activists in March, a group campaigning for their release said today. The claim by the Committee for the Release of Activist Kim Young-hwan (CRAK) comes a day after South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese consul general to explain the arrests, a sign the incident has caused diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Beijing. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs only yesterday confirmed it was conducting investigations against the activists. The detained South Koreans, who along with Kim Young-hwan have been identified as Yu Jae-gil, Kang Shin-sam and Lee Sang-yong,...

Caritas Pakistan is warning youths to be on their guard against employment agents offering attractive job opportunities, saying they are likely members of human trafficking gangs. “We are talking about eight million young Pakistanis who are vulnerable to such networks. Poor families must be educated and stopped from putting the honor and lives of their loved ones in jeopardy,” said Riaz Nawab, a program coordinator for Caritas Pakistan. He was speaking at a two-day workshop aimed at combating human trafficking, which ended yesterday at Christ the King Seminary in Karachi. More than 100 youths, most of them women, attended the event organized by...

China has lodged an official protest over a meeting between British Prime Minister, David Cameron and the Dalai Lama. Britain’s ambassador in Beijing, Sebastian Wood, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry by Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao after the meeting, the BBC said yesterday. The Foreign Ministry said Wood was told that British leaders should consider the “serious consequences” of meeting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Later, at his regular press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: “This is grave interference in China’s internal affairs and also an affront to the Chinese people, sending a wrong signal to ‘Tibet independence’ forces. “China expresses...

Under a scorching Sun, around 800 young people wearing Habitat for Humanity T-shirts line up in an open field. Their mission: to build 25 houses for victims of a devastating flood that hit the city last December. Hundreds died and thousands were forced out of their homes after Tropical Storm Washi hit the northern coast of Mindanao on December 17. Habitat plans to build 100 houses for the victims by the end of May in Indahag village. Around 3,000 young people have volunteered for the project, called “Youth Build 2012″. “We can’t handle all 3,000 over a single day. This overwhelming response needs to...

A district court in northwestern Bangladesh yesterday handed down death sentences to three of four men convicted for the gruesome rape and murder of a tribal Christian woman in July last year. The Women and Child Torture Protection Court 1 in Rajshahi district sentenced Andrias Murmu, Johan Mardi and Shawkat Iqbal to death, while Amar Kisku faces life imprisonment for the killing of Mariam Murmu. The naked body of the 42-year-old Protestant widow, an ethnic Santal woman, was found hanging from a tree in the village of Shimla Dighipara in Godagari sub-district following her death on July 10 last year in an apparent...

US multinational Merit Medical is to expand its operations in Galway with the creation of 200 jobs.

Moody's Investors Service has cut the long-term debt and deposit ratings of the 16 Spanish banks, including Banco Santander , the euro zone's largest, saying the government's ability to support some banks had weakened.

The second part of last night's Millward Brown Lansdowne Irish Independent poll suggests the two parties in Government have lost support.

The Government insists its position is clear despite comments from Minister Richard Bruton, who indicated the Government may seek to have a second referendum on the Fiscal Treaty if it is rejected.

The trial of the former Bosnian Serb military chief, Ratko Mladic, has been adjourned indefinitely in The Hague.

Two people have been arrested following the discovery of a viable explosive device in Tallaght in Dublin last night.

Relatives of the blind Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, have given detailed accounts of the torture and retribution they have allegedly suffered at the hands of Chinese authorities.

Passengers on New York's subway system are familiar with the sight of buskers performing for the crowds, but the musicians who play underground must be scrutinised before earning a spot there.

A recent wave of attacks at schools in Afghanistan is forcing the Ministry of Education to close down schools across 11 provinces.

Tens of thousands of Chilean students take to the streets to demand free education.

Michelle Jana Chan gives her top travel ideas for the coming weeks including watching Alaska's brown bears feasting on wild salmon as they head up river.

A Soyuz spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station.