Global Church News
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Baghdad priests to donate salaries to the poor and to COVID-19 victims
May 03, 2020
Parish priests in Baghdad have decided to donate their salaries to help the poor and the people most affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The money will be added to the thousands already allocated by the Chaldean patriarchate for this purpose.
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Thousands of students in Jakarta face food shortage
May 03, 2020
Activists are appealing for food donations to help thousands of cash-strapped university students living in rented accommodation in and around the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
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A Church among the people despite COVID-19
May 03, 2020
“Our heart is turned and entrusted to Our Lady of Smiles, amid the rice fields of Cambodia,” amid the emergency to curb the coronavirus infection, said Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, the capital.
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Bishops of Asia join calls for global ceasefire
May 03, 2020
The Bishops of Asia have joined the call of the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis, for a global ceasefire in the face of the unprecedented threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Church without borders – a Zambian parish reflects on the use of social media
May 03, 2020
“Definitely, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about many negatives. The coronavirus is a terrible disease that needs to be eradicated.
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Remembering Ray Repp, still calling the Church to song
May 03, 2020
Ray Repp died on the Third Sunday of Easter. He was born at a time, 1942, and grew up in a place, St Louis, where his nascent interests in theology, social justice, liturgy and the arts gave birth to song.
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Islamic Studies Association greets Muslims on Ramadan
May 03, 2020
An association that has fostered Christian-Muslim cooperation for more than four decades has greeted the Muslim community that, on April 24 began Ramadan, a month of intense fasting and prayers.
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Myanmar military ‘may be repeating crimes against humanity’
May 03, 2020
Myanmar’s military may again be carrying out crimes against humanity in Rakhine and Chin states in the conflict-ravaged country, a United Nations rights expert has warned.
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Bishops to consecrate the Philippines to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
May 03, 2020
The Bishops of the dioceses and archdioceses of the Philippines have decided to consecrate the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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China churches to remain closed throughout May, all Marian pilgrimages cancelled
May 03, 2020
Churches must remain closed; all religious activities and especially Marian pilgrimages are cancelled; the opening of schools in religious institutes has been postponed: These are the requirements of the “Yi hui, yi tuan”, that is the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops, the two bodies — not recognised by the Holy See — that manage the life of the Catholic communities in China.
Sunday Reflection
Jesus did not turn away from His mission
Today, Palm or Passion Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week, the high point of the Church’s year, climaxing in the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.