SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE

Troubled Churches

Historical reasons, old divisions and, recently, the spread of fundamentalist Islam are endangering the survival of the Christian communities in the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity. The examples and the causes are very different: from Iraq, where war and violence forced many to seek safety in other countries, and Iran, a dictatorial theocracy that doesn’t allow any kind of freedom, much less religious freedom – and where Christians, once a strong minority, are facing extinction – to the Holy Land itself, where the long strife between Israelis and Palestinians is menacing the once flourishing Catholic Church, mostly constituted by Arabs. These are some of the reasons that led Pope Benedict XVI to call for a special Synod for the Middle East that will be held in Rome next month.

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FEATURE OF THE MONTH

FIGHTING THE EXODUS AND SPIRITUAL EXTINCTION

The Middle East is one of the worst hot spots in the world, not only at a geopolitical level, as a fertile ground for every sort of violence and conflicts, but also at a religious one, due to the rising of a militant and political Islam. All over the area, the minorities suffer all kinds of discriminations and persecutions, like the Christians, who are leaving the region at a growing speed.

by BISHOP WILLIAM SHOMALI
Auxiliary of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem*

Complete story
 
PHILIPPINES – BUKAS PALAD AWARD FOR FR. SEBASTIANO D’AMBRA

Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME, the founder of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement, was honored on July 22, 2010 by the Ateneo de Manila University with the Bukas Palad Award.

 
Complete story
 
VATICAN – TOURISM MUST RESPECT BIODIVERSITY

Tourism, by “bringing us closer to creation in its variety and wealth, can be an occasion to promote and increase the religious experience.” The Catholic Church, in the year the United Nations dedicated to biodiversity, is urging everyone to pay closer attention to humankind’s responsibility towards nature, even when people seek rest and leisure.

 
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PAKISTAN - BLASPHEMY LAW IS AN EVIL OF MUSLIM SOCIETY

The blasphemy law and Islamic extremism “are obscure evils of Pakistan's society;” “they disrupt stability, harmony and legality,” Muhammad Aslam Khaki, a Muslim jurist and lawyer, commented the day after the murder of the Emmanuel brothers in Faisalabad.

 
Complete story
 

 

CMMA – Hall of Fame for World Mission

After having been distinguished as the Best Local Newspaper/Magazine for the last three consecutive years, World Mission was awarded a Hall of Fame trophy at the 32nd Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).

Complete Story

QUOTES OF THE MONTH

“Without love, even the most important activities lose value and fail to bring joy.”

  Pope Benedict XVI
speaking to the people
gathered at the courtyard
of his summer residence
in Castel Gandolfo.

"The gospel of wealth and health on demand is a distortion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

 
Bill Tammeus,
 a Presbyterian elder and
 former award-winning
 Faith columnist for
 The Kansas City Star,
 in his column,
"A small c catholic"
 (www.ncronline.org).

"Making peace between Israelis and Palestinians is somewhat like solving a Rubik’s Cube. You get one colored square lined up but the next one just won’t fall into place."

Editorial of the
 New York Times
 (August 10, 2010).

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