Kenya: Music helps bring harmony to rival tribes When a group of children from rival tribes, who attend the same remote school in northern Kenya, near the border with Ethiopia, saw a video of Every Breath you Take, by the Police, they decided to do their own version. After a good practice, led by their own budding Gareth Malone - they made this film... Todonyang School was set up by Fr Steven Ochieng, with support from New Ways, to help reduce cross border clashes between people on the Kenyan and Ethiopian sides of the border. The school is the first to accept students from both communities. Read More ... Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 11:11 pm
Pope Francis: Why do you seek the living among the dead? Huge crowds gathered in St Peter's Square today (Wednesday) for Pope Francis' weekly general audience, the first of the Easter season. Many pilgrims carried banners and pictures of two of his predecessors, Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII, who will be officially recognised as saints this weekend on Divine Mercy Sunday. A little light rain fell as Pope Francis gave his catechesis in Italian on the gospel account of Mary Magdalen's visit to the tomb on the morning of Christ’s Resurrection. Read More ... Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 9:51 pm
South Sudan: Rebels kill hundreds in Mosque, Catholic church and hospital Bishop William Kenney has called for an end to the violence and suffering in South Sudan, after visiting the country. His message comes after the disturbing news of violence in the Bentiu region, that has left hundreds of women, children and men who had sought refuge in a hospital, a Mosque and a Catholic church, dead. “While the warring factions delay in finding a lasting solution to this conflict, ordinary people have been catapulted into dire suffering, unable to return to their homes and farm their land, they are now crammed into church and UN compounds, Read More ... Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 6:48 pm
Christian Aid welcomes move against tax havens - urges UK to go further The latest Government plans for a public register of who owns millions of UK companies were welcomed by Christian Aid on Monday, as a significant step towards ending the menace of phantom firms used by criminals. But the charity also called on the Government to go further and ensure the UK’s tax havens - the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies - follow its lead. The tax havens include the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Jersey. Read More ... Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 11:02 pm
Pope Francis' 'Santa Marta' homilies to be published in Italian One of the most popular items on Vatican Radio each week - which are picked up by news services around the world - are the reports of Pope Francis' homilies given during his regular morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta where he has been living since his election on 13 March last year. Now these reflections – 186 of them to be precise – have been gathered together in one Italian language volume which will go on sale from next Thursday, 24 April, titled: 'The Truth is an Encounter. Homilies from Santa Marta'. Read More ... Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 10:46 pm
Birmingham: Bishops remember Muslim community during Walk of Witness At a time when a number of Muslim communities have felt 'under scrutiny' because of the recent allegations of fundamentalist influences within some of Birmingham city’s schools, the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley and the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, Bishop David Urquhart “recalled the thousands of our fellow citizens who are Muslims and who gather every Friday to pray for God’s blessing of peace upon our city” during the walk of Witness on Good Friday. Read More ... Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 10:26 pm
Text: Cardinal Nichols at Easter Vigil Mass, Westminster Cathedral Our ceremony this night is an epic. It presents a vivid portrayal of the whole sweep of human destiny. Here we find our story told in bold symbols, powerful words and beautiful music.It begins with the Book of Genesis. There we heard an unfolding of the different layers of creation, each in relation to the Creator God. All of creation finds its origin and design in Him. Its high point is the human person, you and I. 'God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them.' Read More ... Posted: Monday, April 21, 2014 4:00 pm
Archbishop of Birmingham's Easter Message focusses on joy ...Pope Francis warns us not to become: Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter…an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow Read More ... Posted: Monday, April 21, 2014 3:40 pm
Easter 'Urbi et Orbi' Message of Pope Francis text + video link Dear Brothers and Sisters, a Happy and Holy Easter! The Church throughout the world echoes the angel’s message to the women: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised… Come, see the place where he lay” ( Mt 28:5-6). This is the culmination of the Gospel, it is the Good News par excellence: Jesus, who was crucified, is risen! This event is the basis of our faith and our hope Read More ... Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 11:39 pm
VERY BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER FROM ICN.
We are continuing to update the news online. The next e-mail newsletter will be on Thursday 24th April.
Read More ... Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 1:13 am
Easter Joy is for all, says Archbishop of Birmingham Yesterday’s Walk of Witness through the streets of Birmingham City Centre is not “a protest against commercial activities”, but rather a demonstration of the Christian belief that “our Lord gave His life on the cross for the salvation of all people, for the common good, and that our Easter joy is also meant for them,” said the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley. Yesterday, the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, Bishop David Urquhart and Archbishop Longley walked behind the cross in the city to witness to this joy. Read More ... Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 1:01 am
Easter Sunday Reflection 2014 with Fr Robin Gibbons Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Eastern Christians all over the world will greet each other with these words from the liturgy all through the great season of Pascha. It is an expression of joy, of deep and profound faith, going beyond intellectual and scientific proof, that nothing can ever take away their experience of the risen Christ who is with them always. How do you experience the risen Lord? The scriptures tell us that there are so many different ways of finding him, Read More ... Posted: Saturday, April 19, 2014 12:52 pm
Vatican: Good Friday homily with Fr Raniero Cantalamessa In the divine-human history of the passion of Jesus, there are many minor stories about men and women who entered into the ray of its light or its shadow. The most tragic one is that of Judas Iscariot. It is one of the few events attested with equal emphasis by each of the four Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. The early Christian community reflected a great deal on this incident and we would be remiss to do otherwise. It has much to tell us. Read More ... Posted: Saturday, April 19, 2014 10:53 am
Syria: Patriarch appeals for help after fatal school bombing in Damascus The leader of Catholics in Syria has issued a desperate plea for international help, describing how one child was killed and 60 others were injured when a bomb landed on a school playground during a spate of attacks in Damascus. Melkite Greek-Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III reported that several children received "life-changing" injuries in the blast that took place while they were singing the Syrian National Anthem during early morning assembly at the Armenian Catholic School in Damascus' Old City. Read More ... John Pontifex - Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014 10:22 pm
In an annual tradition, Thirteen Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have issued the following Easter message this year highlighting the importance of peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land: We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, bring joyous greetings in the name of our risen Lord from the city of the Resurrection. It is from the heart of this city that the first Easter proclamation was made. Christ is risen from the dead! It was also from the heights of Jerusalem that Jesus commissioned his disciples to take this good news to the very ends of the earth.
Read More ... Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014 10:00 pm
Cardinal Vincent Nichols leads prayers and reflections on Good Friday On Good Friday, 18 April, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, reflected on the crucifixion of Jesus. Cardinal Nichols spoke on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and at the annual performance of Jesus’ death in Trafalgar Square before celebrating the Solemn Liturgy of the Passion at Westminster Cathedral. In his homily for the Solemn Liturgy of the Passion at Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Nichols reflected on the use of the words ‘glory, grace and truth’ in the day’s Gospel reading and considered how beauty can be seen in the Crucifixion, Read More ... Alexander Balzanella - Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014 9:14 pm
Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum This evening, Good Friday, at 9.10pm local time, after the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord at St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis will lead the Stations of the Cross, at the Colosseum in Rome. This year, the meditations, entitled 'the Face of Christ the Way of Man' were written by Mgr Giancarlo Maria Bregantini, Archbishop of Campobasso-Boiano. Read More ... Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014 12:47 am
Pope Francis: 'Serve one another in love' In a gesture of humility and service, and in imitation of Christ, Pope Francis put on an apron and knelt down to wash the feet of 12 residents of the Santa Maria della Provvidenza care home for people with disabilities, during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, on Thursday evening. Visibly fatigued and requiring assistance to kneel and stand up again as he came close to the end of the rite, Pope Francis showed tenderness and concern for each person, as he washed their feet. The patients ranged in age from 16 to 86. Read More ... Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014 12:11 am
Cardinal Nichols washes feet of Chelsea Pensioners This evening - Maundy Thursday - Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Westminster Cathedral. The Mass remembers Christ’s washing of his disciple’s feet and his institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper; in commemoration of Jesus’s act Cardinal Vincent washed the feet of 12 Chelsea Pensioners as part of the service. In his homily Cardinal Vincent spoke about how this night marks the beginning of the Triduum and the events that led to the salvation of mankind; Read More ... Alexander Balzanella - Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 11:47 pm
Church leaders warn South Sudan on brink of humanitarian disaster Leading church leaders in South Sudan have called for greater urgency regarding delayed peace negotiations in Addis Ababa, as faith-based humanitarian agencies warn of an impending food crisis. In just four months, more than one million people have been displaced from their homes and an estimated 4.9 million are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, yet the crisis response plan is still only 36 per cent funded. In their latest pastoral statement, the ecumenical church leaders of South Sudan strongly condemn Read More ... Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 11:33 pm
Film: Calvary Opening with a shocking scene in the confessional plus a memorable quote from St Augustine, “Do not despair, one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume, one of the thieves was damned,” Calvary (written and directed by John Michael McDonagh) is a powerful tale of redemption and forgiveness. Through the Christ-like character of the parish priest in a small rural Irish community (a stunning performance from Brendan Gleeson) we experience his Via Dolorosa as he journeys towards certain death, Read More ... Anne O’Connor - Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 11:11 pm
Pope Francis at Chrism Mass on the joy of being a priest Pope Francis delivered the homily at the Chrism Mass of the Rome diocese this morning, in St Peter's Basilica. The theme of the Holy Father's homily was the joy of priestly service...In the eternal “today” of Holy Thursday, when Christ showed his love for us to the end (cf. Jn 13:1), we recall the happy day of the institution of the priesthood, as well as the day of our own priestly ordination. The Lord anointed us in Christ with the oil of gladness, and this anointing invites us to accept and appreciate this great gift: Read More ... Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 4:01 pm
Honduras: Human rights lawyer assassinated A worker at a Jesuit-run radio and social action centre in Honduras has been stabbed and killed in what is believed to have been a politically-motivated attack. CAFOD partner Carlos Mejia Orellana, a 35-year-old lawyer who worked for ERIC-RP was stabbed four times in the chest at his home in El Progreso. The Catholic aid agency vowed yesterday that the struggle for justice that he helped to lead will go on. Carlos and other colleagues at ERIC-RP had received repeated death threats in response to the organisation's Read More ... Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 1:33 pm
Bishop of Shrewsbury to open house of discernment for men considering vocation to priesthood The Rt Rev Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury has announced plans to open a house of discernment for men considering a vocation to the priesthood. The house at Shrewsbury Cathedral will open in September 2015 and will offer men a place where they will be able to carefully discern, over a period of a year, if they are being called by God to become priests. Bishop Davies made the announcement during the Chrism Mass, on Wednesday evening, 16 April, at St Anthony’s Church in Wythenshawe, Manchester. Read More ... Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 11:45 pm
Pope sends Passover Greetings to Rome's Jewish community Pope Francis has written to the Chief Rabbi of Rome to wish the Eternal City’s Jewish community – and by extension the global community – a happy Pesach, or Passover. In Jerusalem, Church leaders also sent Pesach greetings to the Jewish people. Pope Francis' message reads: “As the great feast of Passover approaches I would like to extend my most cordial greetings of peace to you and all the Jewish Community of Rome. The memory of the liberation from oppression by the strong arm of the Lord inspires thoughts of mercy, reconciliation and Read More ... Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 10:46 pm
