There are still far too many child brides throughout the world: about 15 million girls who marry (or better, are forced to marry) while still under the age of 18. The exact number is not known because many of these marriages are not registered, given the fact that more and more countries have adopted laws… Read more »
On 22 April 2017, Pope Francis visited the Basilica of St. Bartholomew in Rome to participate in a para-liturgy on the theme of Prayer for Today’s New Martyrs, organized by the St. Egidio Community. His arrival was greeted by pealing bells and the singing of the Martyrs Hymn, which opens with the words: “The holy… Read more »
The St. Egidio Community was awarded the Giuseppe Dossetti Peace Prize at the IX edition of this event for its project Humanitarian Corridors. One of the motivations listed for bestowal of the award was the community’s efforts to combat human trafficking and save war refugees in a way that is safe and sound for the… Read more »
To increase public awareness and overcome prejudices: this was the goal of the Special Olympics, World Winter Games that were played in Austria from 14-25 March. This year, more than 2700 athletes from 107 countries competed in the international event. The Games turned the spotlight on policies being implemented throughout the world for the inclusion… Read more »
26 March 1967 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Paul VI’s encyclical Populorum Progressio, which invites people everywhere to break the chains of a perverse cycle in which the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Half a century later, this papal pronouncement is still extremely relevant. Expanding Catholic social justice work… Read more »
What will the Church be like twenty years from now? This fascinating question launched the first International Festival of Creativity in Pastoral Management, promoted by the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome. The event, which was held from 23-25 March at the headquarters of the University, in partnership with Villanova University (Pennsylvania, USA) and the educational achievement… Read more »
The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture has set up a Women’s Consultation Group within the dicastery so as to offer society the unique contribution of women. Thirty-six women are part of the new team, including Iranian theologian Shahrazad Houshmand, who said that this was a revolutionary step because never before has the Vatican had a… Read more »
“Wherever human beings are, the Church is there too. This is why the Pope uses Twitter and Instagram.” With these words, Bishop Lucio Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Holy See’s Secretariat for Communications, introduced a workshop organized by the Vatican on Twitter Diplomacy at the Holy See. The event, which was promoted by the British… Read more »
Omnis Terra, a magazine of culture, mission and news analysis published by the International Secretariats of the Pontifical Mission Societies, is back online. The first issue of the new edition of the magazine, which has abandoned its paper version in 5 languages, is now available in a multilingual version online at http://omnisterra.fides.org or else from… Read more »
In preparation for Safer Internet Day, the annual day promoting the safe and responsible use of digital technologies, Ipsos (a global market research and consulting firm) released the results of its survey on behalf of the Save the Children organization on the subject: Consensus in the digital environment: perception and awareness among teens and adults…. Read more »
