Vatican City, Aug 29, 2014 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a brief encounter with Pope Francis following his general audience Wednesday, former Pakistani minister Paul Bhatti discussed persecuted Christians and invited the pontiff to visit his country.... Read more
New Haven, Conn., Aug 29, 2014 / 12:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus partnered with Connecticut-based EVTV to produce a documentary on hope and healing of Haitian children injured in the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that rocked the country. The film, “Unbreakable: A Story of Hope and Healing in Haiti,” will be featured at the Portland Film Festival on Saturday, Aug. 30. In January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed over 100,000 people, injured thousands and left around 1.5 million homeless. The documentary tells the story of an often overlooked group affected by the earthquake – thousands of children who received emergency amputations in order to survive the injuries they sustained. “This film shows that when there is the will do so – both in terms of those providing aid and those receiving it – lives can be saved and transformed by a program that is truly sustainable,” said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson, executive producer of the documentary. “The work of the dedicated medical staff and the unbreakable spirit of these Haitian young people – in circumstances most of us can’t imagine – are truly inspiring.” After the disaster, the Healing Haiti’s Children initiative offered free prosthetics and rehabilitation to every injured child that needed the care. The program, a result of a partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the University of Miami’s Project Medishare for Haiti, has helped more than 1,000 children received medical care. Another result of the program also featured in the film was a soccer team comprised of many children who endured amputations. They named their team Zaryen, after a tarantula known for being able to survive and thrive even after losing a limb. In a country where disability is often seen as a sign of divinely appointed punishment, the soccer team’s story is helping to change that perception. “In Haiti, there has long been a stigma about disabled people,” explained Dr. Robert Gailey, rehabilitation coordinator for Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince. “The traditional thinking was that disability somehow reflected a negative supernatural judgment on the person. This rehab program, and the soccer team, has really changed that way of thinking.” The healthcare initiative now has a permanent rehabilitation clinic in Haiti that is increasingly staffed by locals in order to maintain a sustainable program that continues helping children. “We're still here…one of the few prosthetic facilities that are still going,” says prosthetist Adam Finnieston in the documentary. “That was our mission goal from the beginning, to build a sustainable facility…training locals.” So far the Knights of Columbus have provided more than $1.5 million in funding for the prosthetics program. One of the most active charitable organizations in the United States, the Knights of Columbus last year donated more than $170 million and 70 million hours of service. The film will be shown at the Portland film festival on Sat., Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Cinema 21. Read more
Rimini, Italy, Aug 28, 2014 / 08:04 pm (CNA).- An Italian couple celebrating their 25th anniversary of marriage by volunteering at the Rimini Meeting, a major Catholic event, aimed to reflect the beauty of their faith and to thank God for their love. ... Read more
Sydney, Australia, Aug 28, 2014 / 06:25 pm (CNA).- A national New Evangelization conference in Australia last week worked to reinforce parishes as faith communities actively seeking to grow in discipleship. “It is essential for the parish to r... Read more
Front Royal, Va., Aug 28, 2014 / 05:48 pm (CNA).- The Pope’s support of international action against attacks by the Islamic State should be met with United Nations intervention, one Catholic professor said. “I think Pope Fra... Read more
Oklahoma City, Okla., Aug 28, 2014 / 04:49 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A lawyer who helped recover a stolen Host that organizers of an Oklahoma City black mass intended to desecrate said that the Church’s legal victory could have far-reaching effects. ... Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 28, 2014 / 12:41 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops are encouraging commemorations of the 50th anniversary of milestones in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, saying they should inspire further work for the common good.... Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 28, 2014 / 08:00 am (CNA).- The Islamist extremist group Boko Haram’s claim to have established a caliphate – or a state ruled under Islamic law – in part of Nigeria draws inspiration from ISIS insurgents and from... Read more
Rimini, Italy, Aug 28, 2014 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Referring to the label “Nazarene” marked on houses of Christians in Iraq by the militant Islamic State, a Muslim scholar also called himself Nazarene in solidarity – maintaining that many people in the Muslim community are identifying with Christians as well. “Millions of Muslims have used the Arab letter 'nun,' or 'n,' which stands for Nazarene, as their profile picture in Facebook and Twitter, thus identifying themselves with the testimony Christians have given in Iraq,” Wael Farouq told CNA Aug. 25. A professor of Arabic language at the American University of Cairo, Egypt, Farouq was among the 200 speakers scheduled the Annual Meeting of the ecclesiastical movement Communion and Liberation, which takes place in the Italian town of Rimini Aug. 24-29. A major events with over 100 conferences, 17 shows, 14 exhibitions and 10 sporting events, this year's meeting holds the theme: “Towards the peripheries of world and existence.” Addressing the Christian plight in Iraq, Farouq stressed that “terrorists and criminal are not the main characters of Iraqi scenario,” since the real “heroes are those who have chosen to stay faithful to their faith and to abandon everything they have to keep their faith.” A declaration issued by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue Aug. 11 asked religious leaders – Muslims in particular – to take a strong stand against acts that offend God as well as humanity, and to nurture a culture of peace. Farouq dismissed claims that “the Muslim world is silent about what is happening in Iraq. Many religious leaders have condemned what is happening.” For example, “the Grand Mufti of Egypt and even orthodox mufti like the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia,” said, adding that “what is happening is the enemy number one for Islam.” The ISNA – Islamic Society of North America – and the Center for American-Islamic Relations have also strongly condemned the actions of the militant Islamic State. “Beyond political and religious leaders, what is more important to me is the reaction of ordinary people,” Farouq reflected. According to him, “it is happening for the first time that interreligious dialogue start from a form of identification with the other,” as happening today while “ordinary people, millions of Muslims are identifying with Christians.” Despite this, Farouq explains that “terrorists are not, however, isolated,” since in several countries there are “terroristic groups that use religion to justify their violence,” and this does not happen by chance. “As a Muslim, and also as a Muslim scholar I must say that the Islamic thought, the Islamic practice today needs a deep reform to the conception of every Muslim that violence is against the principles of our religion. A reform for the Islamic world is needed,” Farouq maintained. On the other hand, he says that terrorists gain the sympathies of some because of the extreme secularism and double standard of the Western world. “Even the Western world is responsible of what is happening in Iraq,” Farouq underscored. “These terrorist groups are receiving every day three million dollars from Western companies who buy oil in the black market. They are armed by Western companies,” he said. According to Farouq, this is not something “related to Islam or the Middle East. It should be a problem for all of us, for all the world. Everybody is part of the problem for what is going in Iraq.” Read more
Adelaide, Australia, Aug 28, 2014 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Australian bishops have announced that next year's national Catholic youth festival will be held in Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia. “I am proud that we are able to host the Festival in Adelaide in 2015, and I look forward to welcoming thousands of young people from around the country to our wonderful city to share in the Good News,” Archbishop Philip Wilson said Aug. 13. The festival, which some 4,000 are expected to attend, will be held Dec. 3-5, and is themed “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” “I am particularly excited about the theme for the Festival as it allows us to experience the journey of St Mary MacKillop here in Adelaide,” the city's shepherd added. “Mary was a woman who in the face of many challenges, kept her heart pure and focused on Christ.” St. Mary MacKillop was canonized in 2010 as the first Australian saint; she sounded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, and much of her apostolate was done in South Australia. Adelaide is home to the Mary MacKillop Center and St. Joseph's Convent, the first home the saint established for her order. The Catholic youth festival engages young people in “unique and contemporary celebrations in concerts, workshops, social events, forums, workshops and much more,” Jenny Brinkworth, director of Catholic Communications Adelaide, told CNA Aug 13. The 2015 event will be the second Australian Catholic Youth Festival; the first was held in 2013 in Melbourne and drew more than 3,400 young people aged 14-25. “After the success of the inaugural event in Melbourne and its impact across the country, the Australian Bishops have committed to repeating the Festival every three years into the future,” Bishop Anthony Fisher of Parramatta, the Australian bishops' youth delegate, stated Aug. 13. “It is fantastic that we are able to hold the next Festival in Adelaide in 2015, and I invite all young people and their teachers and youth ministers from around Australia to make the pilgrimage to Adelaide.” Josh Nash of the Adelaide archdiocese youth office said he was thrilled that the festival will be staged in Adelaide; commenting on the 2013 gathering in Melbourne, he said he had a “strong feeling of connectedness to all those who attended.” The 2015 celebration will be coordinated by the Australian bishops' youth office, along with the Archdiocese of Adelaide and Catholic Education South Australia. The Australian bishops' press office told CNA that in future months a “steering committee for the event will be established, along with campaigns for an official festival song, workshop presenters, and youth involvement.” Read more
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