News

MALTA PRAYS TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS

31/03/2012

Il-poplu Malti lbieraħ ħa sehem f’għadd ta’ purċissjonijiet jew pellegrinaġġi li kienu organizzati mid-diversi parroċċi madwar Malta u Għawdex biex ingħaqad ma’ Marija fid-Dulur tagħha, f’din il-‘festa’ tradizzjonali magħrufa aħjar bħala ‘l-festa tad-Duluri’. Kienu eluf il-Maltin, kbar u żgħar, li ħarġu jimxu wara l-istatwa tal-Madonna mnikkta taħt is-salib ta’ binha Ġesù.

Kif inhi tradizzjoni, l-Arċisqof ta’ Malta Pawlu Cremona OP, mexxa l-purċissjoni li ħarġet mill-knisja ta’ Ġieżu, fil-Belt, waħda mill-eqdem purċissjonijiet tad-Duluri f’dawn il-gżejjer… Read more »

MALTA JOINS INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY GATHERING

30/03/2012

Two members of the Church Youth Commission (KDZ) are representing Malta at an international gathering in Rome, starting off the preparations towards World Youth Day 2013. This gathering comes to an end on Sunday 1st April.

KDZ president, Anthony Mifsud, along with Project Co-ordinator Stefan Busuttil, are taking part in these sessions to lay the groundwork for the international collaboration necessary over the next sixteen months… Read more »

ORGANISERS SAY THAT VATICAN CONGRESS ON STEM CELLS IS CANCELLED AFTER LACK OF FUNDS

30/03/2012

Stem cell research

A Vatican-sponsored congress on the ethical use of stem cells in scientific research was canceled because of a lack of funding, organizers said. The Third International Congress on Responsible Stem Cell Research was to be held April 25-28 at the Vatican and was being organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life with the collaboration of the Vatican-based International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, the Jerome Lejeune Foundation and the Bioethical Consultative Committee of Monaco… Read more »

MESSAGE TO PARISHES BY THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION

29/03/2012

Resqin lejn l-attivitajiet u ċelebrazzjonijiet tal-Ġimgħa Mqaddsa u kif għamlet fil-passat il-Kummissjoni Interdjoċesana Ambjent tixtieq tappella lil dawk il-knejjes u parroċċi kollha li jorganizzaw dawn l-attivitajiet sabiex waqt li jagħmlu dan, jagħtu xhieda ta’ kif in-Nisrani jħares lejn il-Ħolqien b’rispett lejn il-Ħallieq.

F’Ħadd il-Palm, l-użanza tant għażiża tat-tqassim tal-palm jew weraq taż-żebbuġ lill-fidili għandha tkun okkażjoni fejn niftakru fid-daħla trijonfali tal-Imgħallem f’Ġerusalemm. M’hemmx għalfejn nużaw ammonti esaġerati minn dawn il-pjanti… Read more »

SLOVENIA VOTERS REJECT GAY ADOPTION LAW

29/03/2012

Gay Couples and child adoption

A new family law in Slovenia that would have allowed same-sex partners to adopt children in some circumstances was overwhelmingly rejected by voters in a nation-wide referendum on Sunday.

Last week, the nation’s Catholic bishops joined with Orthodox and Muslim leaders to urge Slovenians to vote against the law.

The referendum result is legally binding and prevents the enforcement of the law… Read more »

POPE EARMARKS HOLY THURSDAY COLLECTION TO AID SYRIAN REFUGEES

28/03/2012

Church collections on Holy Thursday

Pope Benedict XVI has decided the collection taken up at his Holy Thursday evening Mass will be used to offer humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.

The Pontifical Mission for Palestine — the Vatican’s emergency relief agency for the Middle East — estimates it would cost $20 million to care for all the Syrian refugees now in Jordan… Read more »

CUBAN OFFICIAL SAYS GOVERNMENT WANTS DIALOGUE WITH POPE

27/03/2012

Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs

Cuba’s foreign minister said his government was looking forward to welcoming Pope Benedict XVI and exchanging points of view with him, even after the pope used his in-flight news conference to criticize Marxist ideology.

Bruno Rodriguez, the foreign minister of Cuba’s communist government, was asked about the pope’s remarks March 23 during the opening of the Havana press center for the papal visit… Read more »

THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CURIA AND THE BAND CLUBS ASSOCIATION STILL STANDS

27/03/2012

We refer to the statement issued in the Press by the Band Clubs Association where it was stated that the Association suspended the agreement reached with the Curia in December 2011.

The Curia wishes to bring to mind two general principles. First, any agreement reached and signed by two parties should be respected by both parties. Secondly, this particular agreement was made between two parties; therefore it can only be changed through another agreement between the two. … Read more »

AT MASS, POPE RECOGNISES CUBANS’ STRUGGLES, CALLS FREEDOM A NECESSITY

27/03/2012

Pope during mass in Cuba

Celebrating an outdoor Mass on his first day in Cuba, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged the struggles of the country’s Catholics after half a century of communism and described human freedom as a necessity for both salvation and social justice.

The pope spoke March 26 in Antonio Maceo Revolution Square, in Cuba’s second-largest city. He had arrived in the country a few hours earlier, after spending three days in Mexico… Read more »

WEEK OF SACRIFICE 2012

26/03/2012

The Church Secretariat for Social and Charitable Action is organizing a Week of Sacrifice between Friday 30th March, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and 6th April, Good Friday. The theme for this year is The Joy of Giving. The Secretariat has selected this theme to signify that when one gives from the heart, it brings happiness. On the contrary, self-centeredness causes one to suppress the good in oneself and life loses its meaning… Read more »