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The current three-year-old conflict in South Sudan has forced more than 2.3 million people to flee their homes. These war-affected populations also need psycho-social and spiritual help to mitigate the effects of war traumas and to enable them to move on with their lives.
In Ghana, all hopes for a festive celebration of the birth of the Child Jesus were dashed off when, on the night before Christmas, soldiers attacked a village, taking away boys and girls. In spite of this tragic event, the expected birth of a baby turned suffering into hope and we still celebrated Christmas. This is how it happened.
Under India’s caste system, the Dalits or “Untouchables” clean dry latrines, sewer lines and septic tanks. For his crusade against this inhumane work and for helping manual scavengers to take on more dignified jobs, Bezwada Wilson is one of the six recipients of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Pope Francis has titled his message for World Mission Sunday 2016 as “Missionary Church, Witness of Mercy.” Francis centers his reflections on “Mission and Mercy” since, this year, the Church is celebrating the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. This presentation simply highlights seven pivotal themes emerging from the thought of Pope Francis.
A retired dentist’s commitment to do volunteer work for the poorest of society has brought him to some of the neediest countries. His latest journey took him to India, where he served in a clinic and met a boy whom he called the “Little Gandhi.”
Four hundred years after the introduction of Christianity, the Church in Vietnam continues to thrive. Despite the cultural, social, and political challenges, as well as the trials and persecutions, the Church continues to take steps, albeit small, to flourish and make the Gospel known.
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB, was born on October 22, 1936, in Palai, India. He retired in January 2012 after serving as Bishop of Dibrugarh for 11 years, and 20 years as Archbishop of Guwahati. In February 2014, however, Pope Francis called him out of retirement and appointed him the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Jowai. Ever the zealous missionary that he is, he took on the responsibility to continue to serve. Archbishop Thomas, in a nutshell, is a true “bridge builder” who emphasizes the need for dialogue in reaching out to lukewarm Catholics, nonbelievers, or even those hostile to the Church.
For someone who was born to a wealthy family and rose to fame as an award-winning actor
and filmmaker, Kyaw Thu has a comfortable life anyone in Myanmar would envy. However,
despite his stature, Kyaw Thu lives simply, even using his fortune and popularity to help
poverty-stricken Burmese – whether they’re living or dead.
“Unity in diversity” is a trite and often overused concept that describes how coalitions are able to exist and work towards achieving a common goal. However, this same hackneyed phrase is perhaps the best expression to illustrate how Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet was able to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the country’s political crisis from 2013 to 2014, making it the Nobel Committee’s choice for the 2015 Peace Prize.
As the Church celebrates the fiftieth anniversary (1965-2015) of Ad Gentes, the Vatican II document on mission, it is enlightening to recall the evolution and content of this pivotal document within the Council; one discovers an interesting and dramatic story! The material presented here unfolds in three areas: (1) key moments of the Ad Gentes journey during the Council; (2) brief synopsis of Ad Gentes itself; and (3) recent reflections by Pope Benedict, a member of the “Missions Commission” that drafted Ad Gentes.
