(ANS - Rome) - "Autonomy, equality and freedom of educational choice in Italy and in Europe" was the theme of a conference promoted by the Union of the Superiors Major of Italy (USMI) and by the Italian Conference of Major Superiors (CISM), with the patronage of the Senate and the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). A large Salesian delegation was also present at the event.
(ANS - Santa Cruz) - The Second Vatican Council invited the pastors of the local Church to "open spaces of shared responsibility in the life and mission of the Church". Don Bosco, here too, was a forerunner; in his Oratory, he counted on the help of everyone, both consecrated and lay persons, to carry forward not only the activities, but also the charism. Today in Bolivia, this sensitivity is spreading. An example is offered by the case of Cecilia Dörfelt, a lay person involved in the Church and in the Salesian Family, coordinator of the Association of Mary Help of Christians - Youth (ADMA Youth) of Bolivia. She was also recently appointed Executive Secretary of the "Commission for the Brotherhood", organ of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference which curates collaborations with several German dioceses for several development projects in Bolivia.
On the occasion of the 93rd World Missionary Day, Sunday 20 October 2019, Fides Agency presented as usual some statistics to offer a panoramic picture of the Church in the world.
The world population is 7,408,374,000 people, among whom the Catholics are 1,313,278,000. The worldwide percentage of Catholics has increased by 0.06%, reaching 17.73%.
(ANS – Manila) – At the 30th Anniversary of the Catholic publisher, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, His Excellency, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, said that “Don Bosco is, in a way, present in ‘Word & Life Publications’”. St. John Bosco, the Founder of the Salesians, heeded the call of Jesus to help people know him and go to him. In the same way, the Papal Nuncio explained, “‘Word & Life Publications’ has, as its origin, this desire that people can know Jesus, that people can go to Jesus to find consolation, to find hope, strength, courage, guidance, and inspiration.”
(ANS - Rabat) - When he, newly elected archbishop of Rabat, greeted the Pope for the first time in Rome, Francis told him in a playful tone: "I nominated you after having well studied who you were, but without knowing your face. When I saw your picture in the magazine Vida Nueva, I calmed down a bit." That initial joke was the starting point of an exercise in trust that was reinforced by the papal trip to Morocco last March, which the Salesian organized in various stages, having now become a good connoisseur of the country.
(ANS– Mumbai) – Sushma Swaraj, one of the most well-known and beloved political figures in India, Foreign Minister in the First Modi Government (2014-2019), died on August 6 at 67 years. In hers service she worked hard for the cause of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, SDB, kidnapped in Yemen and held hostage for 18 months, and she was the one to announce via Twitter his release on September 12, 2017. She loved Mother Teresa and was defined by Pope Francis “as a very spiritual person”.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: "Being close counts, words come later"(ANS - Rome) - As he tells with a gentleness that does not seem to come from horror, he is "resting a little bit" in Rome these days. Fr Oleh Ladnyuk is a Ukrainian Salesian priest who is a military chaplain at the front, among the soldiers who fight in defence of their country and among the civilians who for over two years have seen their lives wiped out. He brings humanitarian aid where the missiles fall and from those places he helps with the evacuation of young people and adults - so far at least 500 people, but there are probably many more. These days the Salesian – who carries out his ministry in Dnipro and teaches History in a state school in the city – is in Rome to take part with two other priests and a dozen lay people from his country in the "Accompanying when Trauma Hits" course hosted by the Pontifical Salesian University in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences, with the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation and the Don Bosco Network. A project that aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the traumas caused by war.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of protection and prevention models": PGS conference with UPS(ANS – Rome) – The synergy between the Salesian Youth Sports Centres (PGS) and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome gave rise to the conference on "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of models of protection and prevention", which will take place on 13 April, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., at the UPS facilities in Rome.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide shelter and support(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and international organizations around the globe in highlighting the plight of homeless children on the International Day for Street Children. The day provides organizations and the millions of street children in countries worldwide with an opportunity to have their voices heard while ensuring that their rights are not ignored.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BOROROTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Diary of a Happy and Blessed Missionary Day
Dear friends , I’m writing to you from Meruri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I write this greeting almost as if it were a journalistic report, because it has been only 24 hours since I arrived in the middle of this Brazilian state.