S i g n i s I n d i a

MANILA, July 15, 2010— After meeting with Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Catholic bishops said might soon dialogue with Health Secretary Enrique Ona to discuss the issue on contraceptives.

San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto said the church is more than willing to discuss with the government its concerns on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

“If he is open to such meeting we will honor it. But so far there is no invitation yet,” said Aniceto, chairman of the Commission on Family and Life of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.read more »

MOROTO, Uganda, June 30, 2010--Earlier this month over 500,000 people gathered in northeastern Uganda to celebrate the feast day of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions, who are known as the Uganda Martyrs.

Catholic faithful from around Uganda as well as Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo gathered at the shrine of the Uganda martyrs in the Diocese of Moroto on June 3 as part of a pilgrimage for the annual feast day, according to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church Need.read more »

BATTAMBANg, Cambodia, July 7, 2010--A Church leader in Cambodia has urged his flock to serve the poor and visit prisoners in order to build up the Church.

“Share food with the hungry, share clothes with the poor, visit sick people and prisoners, and welcome foreigners,” Monsignor Enrique (Kike) Figaredo Alvargonzales told about 1,000 Catholics in Battambang on July 4.

They were attending a celebration to mark the 10th year of Monsignor Figaredo’s leadership of Battambang apostolic prefecture.read more »

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 10, 2010--Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported that the Community of St. John was recently asked by an archdiocese in Ethiopia to head the local youth ministry, despite a lack of familiarity the brothers have with the country's 80 languages.

Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel of Addis Ababa asked the community – which was founded in France– to provide chaplains who would set up a youth ministry program for the archdiocese.read more »

MANILA, July 13, 2010— Pope Benedict XVI will be writing for the first handwritten Bible created by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (CBCP-ECBA) in collaboration with the Philippine Bible Society (PBS).

The Holy Father will be writing verses of the first and last chapter of the Bible, that is Genesis 1.1 and Revelation 22.21.

The first handwritten Bible intends to create Bible responsiveness and to cultivate love for the Word of God among different sectors in the country. read more »

VATICAN, July 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The announcement of the upcoming release of political dissidents in Cuba, an event in which the Church played a vital role, is a significant step for the Caribbean nation, says a Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, said this in the most recent edition of the weekly Vatican Television program "Octava Dies."read more »

WASHINGTON D.C., June 30, 2010--Seeking to help catechize and educate Catholics on the meaning of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage has launched an initiative titled “Marriage: Unique for a Reason.”read more »

ROME, July 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- For all the concerns over protests and security, Benedict XVI’s state visit to Britain could well be one of his most successful and historically significant to date.

The apostolic voyage, which the Holy Father is said to be eagerly looking forward to, begins Thursday, Sept. 16, with a reception given by Queen Elizabeth II at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh, her official Scottish residence.read more »

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jul 2, 2010--Bishop of Belgium's Diocese of Tournai, Guy Harpigny, made a statement on Thursday expressing the regret of Belgian bishops at the way the search of the archbishop's offices was carried out last week. He hoped for further dialogue with authorities to search for possibilities to carry on the work of assisting victims while ensuring that their privacy is protected.

Bishop Harpigny is the episcopal delegate for relations with the commission in charge of dealing with cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.read more »

ROME, July 4, 2010--For Benedict XVI, Church communion is the priority, even if that means taking steps that might surprise the public, says Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.

The Jesuit priest is the director of the Vatican press office, and he made this assertion on the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies." He was referring to two papal audiences that sought to heal wounds within the episcopate.

On June 28, the Pope met with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.read more »