Cairo – Violence acts “which desecrate the holiness of places of worship and destroy innocent lives threaten the people’s stability and security”. And the shedding of innocent blood, irrespective of race and the religion of the victims, “is forbidden by all religions”. With these words, the University of Al Azhar, the main academic and theological center of Sunni Islam, expressed in a formal statement the condolences to the victims of the massacre carried out on Sunday November 5 by a former military in a Baptist church in SutherlandSprings, Texas, causing the deaths of at least 26 people and dozens of injured. Al Azhar condemned the criminal act, expressing condolences to the government and the people of the United States of America, starting with the families of the victims. …
Kinshasa – Presidential, legislative, provincial and local elections will be held on December 23, 2018 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “At 6pm, yesterday, Sunday, November 5, 2017, the election calendar was finally published in the don Apollinaire Malumalu room, at the headquarters of the Independent National Election Commission in Kinshasa”, says to Agenzia Fides Fr. Mbumba Prosper, Congolese missionary of the Immaculate Heart of the Congregation of Mary. “Presidential, national and provincial elections will take place on Sunday, December 23, 2018, according to what Corneille Nangaa, President of CENI, announced in front of a crowd of politicians, diplomats, deputies, senators and journalists”. The opposition complained that, according to the new electoral calendar, outgoing President Joseph Kabila, whose term expired on 20 December 2016, will be able to remain in office until early January 2019. The new president will hold office on January 12. “The new electoral calendar was presented due to the pressure from the United States, the European Union and the African Union”, Prosper writes. In particular, the United States, through UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, threatened that if elections had not taken place in 2018, they would cut financial support to the DRC . “The fact remains that the San Silvestro Agreement, which guarantees the legitimacy of the government in office, provided for the elections to be held by December 2017”, recalls Fr. Prosper, The San Silvestro agreement was concluded through the mediation of the local Episcopal Conference. It provided for Kabila to remain in power and the formation of a national unity government with the participation of all political forces in order to hold elections by 2017. The government was formed but did not include the representatives of the Grouping of Opposition Armed Forces. CENI also announced on October 10 that elections could only take place in the spring of 2019 . Meanwhile, as Peace Network for Congo denounces to Fides, there are strong violations of the right to expression and demonstration in the DRC. “For several months – says a note – mayors and governors have not allowed, especially the opposition, the organization of any kind of political demonstration, including committees and meetings. Security forces immediately intervene to disperse any group with more than 5 to 10 people, often resorting to disproportionate use of force, using tear gas or even firing directly on demonstrators”. “On the other hand, some demonstrators do not hesitate to place stones or burn tires in the streets, in order to prevent the circulation of vehicles” continues the note which stresses that by doing so protesters offer the pretext for the repressive intervention of police forces. “What was thought to be a tool of protest against power risks becoming a boomerang against the demonstrators themselves”, he concludes. …
Beirut – Following the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, “there must be vigilance and full awareness against any sabotage plot or scheme aimed at undermining stability in the country”. This is how Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai voiced regret over Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s shock resignation while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, warning of the destabilizing effects that this choice might have on the fragile national balance. In his homily during Mass celebrated on Sunday November 5, the Primate of the Maronite Church invoked everyone to support the appeal launched by Lebanese President Michel Aoun to protect and strengthen national unity, showing patience and discernment in the choices to prevent that the Country of Cedars sinks in the spiral of conflict which continues to torment the Middle Eastern scenarios. Lebanon – added Patriarch Rai during the homily – should not be dragged into “regional or international axes that do not befit its nature, values and role as an element of cooperation, stability and coexistence in its Middle Eastern region”. Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri announced his surprising resignation on Saturday November 4, while on a visit – for the second time in five days – to Saudi Arabia. The resignation announcement was given by the same Lebanese Sunni leader with a speech broadcast from al-Arabiya satellite TV. In his speech, Hariri harshly attacked the Lebanese Hezbollah Shiite movement -linked to Iran – accusing him of “targeting his weapons” against the inhabitants of Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, and highlighted the fear of threats to his life. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah responded to allegations claiming that the resignation of Sunni Hariri was an “imposed” decision by Saudi Arabia, and that the resigning Premier’s speech “was written by the Saudis”. A few days before the new Lebanese crisis, the official invitation to visit Saudi Arabia was delivered to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai by Walid Bukhari, Saudi Chargé d’affaires. The visit to Saudi Arabia – said Bukhari himself – should have taken place in the coming weeks, and Patriarch Rai would have also met King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. But now – said to Agenzia Fides Maronite priest Rouphael Zgheib, National President of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Lebanon, new developments make it very unlikely that the visit will take place. “A Patriarch’s trip to Saudi Arabia, at the moment”, explained Father Zgheib, “risks looking like a field choice, and this was certainly not the intention of the Patriarch who had already stated that he was willing to visit Arabia Saudi Arabia to open new bridges to all”. …
Zamboanga – “National Youth Day” in the Philippines begins today, November 6. The so-called “national WYD”, which will last from 6 to 10 November, will see the presence of over 2,300 young people from all over the country. The chosen theme is based on the words of the Magnificat: “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” “. The participants are young people between the ages of 13 and 39 who, during the various meetings and celebrations, will reflect on issues relevant to young people’s lives, such as social challenges, social media, human trafficking, promotion of social education, art and culture… The national gathering returns to Mindanao Island after 11 years: the last time it was held in Davao City in 2006. The event sees the fruitful collaboration of the Catholic community with civilian civil authorities, in a phase where the Martial Law, proclaimed by President Duterte after the Marawi crisis, is still in force on the island of Mindanao. “It is an opportunity to express the desire of young people to embrace Christ’s mission among their peers”, said the Mayor of Zamboanga, Catholic Mary Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, offering full organizational support to the event. The Archdiocese of Zamboanga, organizer of the event, together with the Commission for Youth pastoral within the Episcopal Conference, has set up a detailed program of activities: on the opening day the young people will walk together, in a colorful and peaceful prayer procession, in the streets of the city. Other processions and public processions on November 7 and November 9th. The days are marked by prayer encounters, liturgical celebrations, artistic and musical representations, sharing. “The local Church is very happy to host the event”, says Anthony Saavedra, co-ordinator of the Youth Pastoral Committee in the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. “My hope is that Youth Day will allow young people from different places to meet in order to announce to the world how beautiful, precious and vital youth is. Young people participate with the desire to get to know God better and become pilgrims and apostles, to share with others the relationship with him”, said Archbishop De La Cruz to Agenzia Fides. “This event – continues the Archbishop – contributes to strengthening youth pastoral care. Everyone gradually becomes more aware and appreciates the role of young people in the Church. Youth Day offers opportunities to express the desire of young people to embrace Christ’s mission. The Day celebrates a gift, the gift of being young and followers of Christ. It calls our youth pastoral leaders to be attentive to the signs of our times, to be involved and engaged in the works promoted by the Church”. “The Day is a way to accompany young people in their way of life, so that they can be loved by Christ”, explains Fr. William Garcia, a priest who is participating in the event. The city of Zamboanga has a lot to offer young pilgrims: diverse cultural, ethnic and religious traditions that come from three communities, the Christian, Islamic and Indigenous communities. The Peninsula of Zamboanga is a historic mission area for the Philippine Church: in this city, Christian missionaries played a key role in promoting faith and justice. “At the end of this five-day celebration of faith, our dream is that young people recognize themselves as ‘agents of change’ for our Church and our country. Therefore, it is our hope that this encounter will help form our young people as future leaders and as missionaries of the Gospel in the world”, says to Fides Fr. Wilfred Samson, local priest. From 1987 to 1990, the event was always held in Manila. Since 1991, however, it has been celebrated in several dioceses of the country. …
Jalingo – Many ethnic groups live in the state of Taraba, one of Nigeria’s 36 States situated in the eastern part of the Country, bordering Cameroon. Tribes are divided into settled farmers, mostly Catholics, who cultivate cereals, tea, coffee, and nomadic populations of Muslim origin. What happens more and more often is that when farmers need new grazing land to feed their herds, they forcefully confiscate farmland. Tribes of nomadic herdsmen confiscate, with violence, the fields of settled farmers, forcing them to flee. Clashes begin, entire villages are destroyed, houses are severely damaged, and residents, including newborns, women and the elderly, are forced to flee. Thousands of people from rural areas are thus pouring into the outskirts of the city of Jalingo seeking help. Tired of everything, they find themselves living in refugee camps where hygiene conditions are bad: many children are bitten by snakes and insects, they get malaria and infections related to dirt and malnutrition. The situation worsens, and the Augustinian Fathers , present in the Country for more than 50 years, are working to help refugees with a support project in co-operation with the local diocese. “Our plan involves two phases”, explains Father Michael Walsh, OSA, in a note sent to Fides, “the first regarding emergency support, in particular aimed at children, to provide food and basic necessities; the second regarding development, aimed at making households economically autonomous, allowing them to start a productive, agricultural or commercial activity on the outskirts of the city”, concludes Father Michael, who has been in Nigeria for over 20 years. The Augustinian Irish brothers arrived in the country in 1938 and founded the first community in 1966. Although in Nigeria there is an important mining sector, it is also the most populous Country on the continent, with about 177 millions of inhabitants, and life expectancy is about 52 years and 70% of the population lives below the poverty line . In addition, the presence of the Boko Haram terrorist group and ongoing inter-ethnic clashes make the Country one of the most dangerous on the African continent. Despite this, the Augustinian Friars continue their work in fields such as education, health care, work formation for women and the youth, and peace building. …