News

Pope appoints Nobel Physics laureate as member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

22/10/2018

  • Pope Francis has appointed Steven Chu, professor of physics and molecular and cellular physiology at Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America, as an ordinary member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

    The Academy, headquartered inside Vatican City, was established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI.

    The work of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences comprises six major areas: fundamental science; science and technology of global problems; science for the problems of the developing world; scientific policy; bioethics; epistemology…

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1.2 billion Catholics; 116,000 seminarians; 5,000 hospitals: Some of the Church’s numbers on Mission Sunday

A look at some interesting Church statistics and comparisons by continent

20/10/2018

  • This Sunday, October 21, is World Mission Day, and as every year on this occasion, the Fides News Service provides statistics to give a panorama of the missionary Church all over the world.

    The numbers are taken from the Church’s Book of Statistics, (updated to the end of 2016).

    For those who like to consider the numbers, these statistics show interesting data such as:

    The world population at the end of 2016 was 7,352,289,000 while Catholics in the world numbered 1,299,059,000, showing an increase of 14,249,000…

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17,000 children from Malta and Gozo pray together for unity and peace

20/10/2018

  • 17,000 tifel u tifla minn Malta u Għawdex ingħaqdu ma’ aktar minn miljun tifel u tifla oħra minn madwar id-dinja fejn talbu r-Rużarju Mqaddes għall-għaqda u l-paċi. Dan kien l-akbar numru ta’ konkorrenza sa mill-bidu ta’ din l-inizjattiva f’Malta, 4 snin ilu. Is-sena l-oħra pparteċipaw 14,000. Din il-kampanja qed tkompli tikseb aktar parteċipazzjoni, mhux biss f’Malta iżda madwar id-dinja kollha wkoll…

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A new Maestro di Cappella for the Metropolitan Cathedral

19/10/2018

    • L-Arċidjoċesi ta’ Malta ħatret lis-Surmast Christopher Muscat bħala l-Maestro di Cappella tal-Katidral Metropolitan. L-irwol tal-Maestro di Cappella hu li jipprepara u jidderieġi l-mużika u l-kor fiċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet liturġiċi fil-Katidral ta’ San Pawl, l-Imdina, u fil-Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann, il-Belt Valletta, kif ukoll jippromwovi l-mużika liturġika fl-Arċidjoċesi ta’ Malta.

      Is-Surmast Christopher Muscat, li hu kompożitur u direttur, ilu involut fil-mużika sagra sa mill-età ta’ 10 snin meta kien membru tal-kor tal-Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann…

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Church Environment Commission appeals for national study on property

19/10/2018

  • Il-Kummissjoni Interdjoċesana Ambjent (KA) stiednet mill-ġdid lill-Gvern biex iniedi studju nazzjonali dwar il-proprjetà. Il-Kummissjoni għamlet dan l-appell f’ittra mibgħuta lill-Ministru tal-Finanzi Edward Scicluna, fejn talbet li din il-proposta tiġi kkunsidrata fil-Baġit għas-sena d-dieħla. Din hija t-tielet sena konsekuttiva li l-KA qed tagħmel din it-talba lill-Gvern.

    Il-kummissjoni tqis li l-ħtieġa għal dan l-istudju hija urġenti hekk kif is-sitwazzjoni tal-proprjetà saret iktar serja mill-aspett soċjo-ambjentali…

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Caritas’ reaction on rental market white paper

19/10/2018

  • Din il-White Paper tagħti stampa dettaljata u studjata tax-xejriet ekonomiċi u soċjali u l-bidliet fis-suq tal-kera.  Fil-kuntest tal-iżvilupp ekonomiku, din l-istampa tindika żieda fit-talba għal kirjiet privati minħabba, fost oħrajn, żieda fis-separazzjonijiet personali u divorzji; single parenthood, inqas affordabilità ta’ akkomodazzjoni; żieda ta’ ħaddiema barranin; u żieda fit-talbiet għal kiri mit-turiżmu.

    Caritas Malta ilha tesprimi t-tħassib serju tagħha għal persuni f’faxxa tas-socjetà tagħna li m’għandhomx dħul biżżejjed biex ilaħħqu maż-żieda fl-għoli tal-ħajja u wisq iktar maż-żiedet fil-kirjiet privati…

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Bishop Barron on the Synod, ‘nones’, existential peripheries and social media

19/10/2018

  • Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, is one of the 266 bishop delegates to the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

    As part three of the proceedings is already underway, and a “writing group” has been elected and charged with composing the Synod’s final document, Bishop Barron speaks of an interesting and enriching experience and of how he has been deeply moved by the testimonies of participants from parts of the world where Christianity is persecuted and oppressed…

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Synod Day 15: Becoming digital missionaries

18/10/2018

  • Dr Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications, started the briefing by listing a number of issues that had been spoken about in the general congregation of the Synod. He said that migration, both internally and externally in countries, was a hotly debated issue. Young people are, he said, concerned about the stewardship of creation. He said that the assembly heard that young people react negatively to corruption in politics…

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Synod Day 14: Drugs and persecution – the forgotten issues

17/10/2018

  • Dr Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications, began the daily press briefing saying that the work on the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris was complete.

    He then listed many issues that the Synod assembly addressed. He mentioned issues like migration, freedom, sexual morality, the mystery of evil in the world, justice and the fight for human dignity…

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