The African Movement of Working Children and Youth (AMWCY) has made literacy possible for over half-a-million children and girls in Africa. The Movement was born in 1994 in the Ivory Coast when a group of illiterate girls living in extreme poverty and forced labor began gathering together and organizing themselves to claim their rights. They… Read more »
“Being a sign of hope in a dead city, destroyed and without a future, means to draw hope from the Source of Life and Hope that is Jesus Christ. Our eyes have seen the cruel reality. In these very difficult moments, only hope in God has given us the strength to move forward.” With these… Read more »
The Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops has announced the opening of a web site in preparation for the XV Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops on the theme: Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. The Synod will be celebrated in October 2018 and its website is youth.synod2018.va. This web site, says the press… Read more »
Guatemala was ravaged by civil war from 1960-1996: an armed conflict in which 200,000 people lost their lives and more than 45,000 (among these, 5,000 children) disappeared. The Department of Quiché was particularly hard hit and this year the purpose of its annual Street Film Festival was to give a voice and moral support to… Read more »
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 »
