(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday morning met with the Bishops from Kenya who are in Rome on their ad Limina visit. In his prepared remarks the Holy Father said “the Church in Kenya must always be true to her mission as an instrument of reconciliation, justice and peace.” Below find the Pope’s address to the…
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Vatican City, 15 April 2015 (VIS) – The ninth meeting of the Council of Cardinals (C9), which began on 13 April, was brought to a close this afternoon, according to a briefing by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. The Council of Cardinals dedicated the majority its work regarding reform of the Roman Curia to two aspects: reflections on the methodologies to be followed for work during 2015 and 2016 in order to be able to effectively accomplish the task of preparing the new Constitution, and a rereading of the interventions by the Cardinals in relation to reform of the Curia made during the recent Consistory (there were over sixty interventions on this theme with useful indications and cues, both for the prologue of the constitution and for specific aspects of reform). The orientation towards the constitution of two dicasteries – one competent in fields of charity, justice and peace, the other regarding the laity, families and life – would appear to be confirmed. The Council also focused on the issue of the reorganisation of Vatican media, following the submission of the final report of the Commission presided over by Lord Chris Patten. It is expected that the Pope will constitute a Commission to consider how the recommendations of the report can be put into practice. This body will also include members of the Patten Commission, to ensure continuity. Finally, Cardinal O’Malley, president of the new Commission for the Protection of Minors, under the auspices of the same Commission, has proposed that the Pope and the Council consider the theme of “Accountability” with regard to the protection of minors, in order to establish appropriate procedures and methods for evaluating and judging cases of “abuse of office” in this area, especially on the part of persons holding responsibility within the Church. Further meetings of the Council of Cardinals are scheduled to take place from 8 to 10 June, 14 to 16 September and 10 to 12 December 2015….
Vatican City, 15 April 2015 (VIS) – The ninth meeting of the Council of Cardinals (C9), which began on 13 April, was brought to a close this afternoon, according to a briefing by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. The Council of Cardinals dedicated the majority its work regarding…
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(Vatican Radio) At Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Francis gave a special greeting to Asia Bibi’s husband and daughter.
Aasiya Noreen is a Pakistani Christian woman who was convicted of blasphemy against the prophet Mohammed in 2010 and sentenced to hanging by a district court.
The conviction must still be upheld by Pakistan’s Supreme Court before the sentence can be carried out.
Listen to the report by Devin Watkins:
Asia Bibi’s lawyer held a press conference Tuesday in Rome to appeal to the Italian Parliament and to the international community to put pressure on the Pakistani government in support of her release.
She has become an international symbol of the injustice and abuse of the blasphemy law, never ceasing to proclaim her innocence.
In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Francesca Sabatinelli, Asia Bibi’s lawyer Joseph Nadeem spoke about the importance of the international community’s pressure concerning her future.
‘The last chance is a presidential pardon, [which] could happen if the international community will pressurize the Pakistani government and ask for the freedom of Asia Bibi.
‘We already submitted two applications in the Supreme Court for the appeal hearing, but the Chief Justice rejected our applications because they asked to wait for the suitable time. It could take one to four years.’
The family remains positive in the face of difficulty.
‘If the Church will get involved it could be [easier to secure her freedom].’
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) At Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Francis gave a special greeting to Asia Bibi’s husband and daughter. Aasiya Noreen is a Pakistani Christian woman who was convicted of blasphemy against the prophet Mohammed in 2010 and sentenced to hanging by a district court. The conviction must still be upheld by Pakistan’s Supreme Court before…
Read more