VIS REPORT: MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION
FAITHFUL MEET THE POPE IN 2011 (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
VATICAN CITY, 3 JAN 2012 (VIS) - The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household has published a communique announcing that, during the course of 2011, 2,553,800 faithful participated in various meetings with Benedict XVI including general audiences (400,000), private audiences (101,800), liturgical celebrations (846,000), Angelus and Regina Coeli (1,206,000). These statistics, which show an increase with respect to the last three years, refer only to meetings that took place in the Vatican or Castelgandolfo, and do not include the many thousands of faithful who came to see the Holy Father on his journeys in Italy or abroad.
The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household explains that the numbers are approximate, calculated on the basis of requests to participate in meetings with the Pope and on the tickets distributed, as well as on estimations of people present at events such as the Angelus or large celebrations in St. Peter's Square. The single event which brought together the largest number of faithful was the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May.
PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S APOSTOLIC TRIP TO MEXICO AND CUBA
VATICAN CITY, 3 JAN 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday the episcopal conferences of Mexico and Cuba published separate press communiques announcing details of Benedict XVI's forthcoming visit to those countries, due to take place from 23 to 28 March. The Holy Father had expressed his intention to make an apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba during a Mass celebrated in the Vatican Basilica on 12 December, Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of Latin America.
The note issued by the Conference of the Mexican Episcopate explains that the Pope will arrive at the airport of Leon in the State of Guanajuato on the afternoon of Friday 23 March. He will be greeted there by Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico, by members of the episcopal conference and by Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin of Leon. During his stay, the Holy Father will lodge in the residence of the Miraflores College in Leon.
On Saturday 24 March, he will travel to the Casa del Conde Rul in the city of Guanajuato, the headquarters of the State Government, where he will hold an official meeting with President Calderon Hinojosa. After the meeting the Pope will greet and bless children and faithful gathered in the city's Plaza de la Paz.
On the morning of Sunday 25 March Benedict XVI will preside at Mass in the Parque Bicentenario in the municipality of Silao, at the foot of hill known as the Cerro del Cubilete at the top of which is a statue of Christ the King. Following the ceremony he is due to meet with representatives from the ninety-one dioceses of Mexico. That evening the Holy Father will preside at Vespers in the cathedral of Leon with Mexican bishops and representatives of other Latin American episcopates, to whom he will address a message.
On the morning of Monday 26 March, the Pope will take his official leave of the civil and religious authorities of Mexico at the airport of Leon, before flying to Cuba.
The note published by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba explains that the Pope is due to arrive in Santiago de Cuba in the early afternoon of 26 March. He will be welcomed by Raul Castro, president of Cuba, by members of the episcopal conference and by Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago. The Holy Father will then travel by open-top car to the Plaza de la Revolucion where he will celebrate Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. After the ceremony, the Pope will move on to the nearby mining town of El Cobre where he will lodge in a residence for priests.
On the morning of Tuesday 27 March the Holy Father will make a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity where he will pray before the image of the patron of Cuba. He will then go to the airport of Santiago to fly to the capital city Havana, where he is due to arrive at midday. He will be welcomed there by Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana and by other religious and civil authorities. That afternoon the Pope will hold an official meeting with President Castro, then meet with Cuban bishops in the apostolic nunciature.
On the morning of Wednesday 28 March, the Pope will preside at Mass in the Plaza de la Revolucion "Jose Marti". In the early afternoon he will be taken by open-top car to the airport of Havana were, following the departure ceremony, he will board his return flight for Rome.
PV-MEXICO:CUBA/ VIS 20120103 (600)
VATICAN CITY, 3 JAN 2012 (VIS) - The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household has published a communique announcing that, during the course of 2011, 2,553,800 faithful participated in various meetings with Benedict XVI including general audiences (400,000), private audiences (101,800), liturgical celebrations (846,000), Angelus and Regina Coeli (1,206,000). These statistics, which show an increase with respect to the last three years, refer only to meetings that took place in the Vatican or Castelgandolfo, and do not include the many thousands of faithful who came to see the Holy Father on his journeys in Italy or abroad.
The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household explains that the numbers are approximate, calculated on the basis of requests to participate in meetings with the Pope and on the tickets distributed, as well as on estimations of people present at events such as the Angelus or large celebrations in St. Peter's Square. The single event which brought together the largest number of faithful was the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May.
PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S APOSTOLIC TRIP TO MEXICO AND CUBA
VATICAN CITY, 3 JAN 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday the episcopal conferences of Mexico and Cuba published separate press communiques announcing details of Benedict XVI's forthcoming visit to those countries, due to take place from 23 to 28 March. The Holy Father had expressed his intention to make an apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba during a Mass celebrated in the Vatican Basilica on 12 December, Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of Latin America.
The note issued by the Conference of the Mexican Episcopate explains that the Pope will arrive at the airport of Leon in the State of Guanajuato on the afternoon of Friday 23 March. He will be greeted there by Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico, by members of the episcopal conference and by Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin of Leon. During his stay, the Holy Father will lodge in the residence of the Miraflores College in Leon.
On Saturday 24 March, he will travel to the Casa del Conde Rul in the city of Guanajuato, the headquarters of the State Government, where he will hold an official meeting with President Calderon Hinojosa. After the meeting the Pope will greet and bless children and faithful gathered in the city's Plaza de la Paz.
On the morning of Sunday 25 March Benedict XVI will preside at Mass in the Parque Bicentenario in the municipality of Silao, at the foot of hill known as the Cerro del Cubilete at the top of which is a statue of Christ the King. Following the ceremony he is due to meet with representatives from the ninety-one dioceses of Mexico. That evening the Holy Father will preside at Vespers in the cathedral of Leon with Mexican bishops and representatives of other Latin American episcopates, to whom he will address a message.
On the morning of Monday 26 March, the Pope will take his official leave of the civil and religious authorities of Mexico at the airport of Leon, before flying to Cuba.
The note published by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba explains that the Pope is due to arrive in Santiago de Cuba in the early afternoon of 26 March. He will be welcomed by Raul Castro, president of Cuba, by members of the episcopal conference and by Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago. The Holy Father will then travel by open-top car to the Plaza de la Revolucion where he will celebrate Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. After the ceremony, the Pope will move on to the nearby mining town of El Cobre where he will lodge in a residence for priests.
On the morning of Tuesday 27 March the Holy Father will make a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity where he will pray before the image of the patron of Cuba. He will then go to the airport of Santiago to fly to the capital city Havana, where he is due to arrive at midday. He will be welcomed there by Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana and by other religious and civil authorities. That afternoon the Pope will hold an official meeting with President Castro, then meet with Cuban bishops in the apostolic nunciature.
On the morning of Wednesday 28 March, the Pope will preside at Mass in the Plaza de la Revolucion "Jose Marti". In the early afternoon he will be taken by open-top car to the airport of Havana were, following the departure ceremony, he will board his return flight for Rome.
PV-MEXICO:CUBA/ VIS 20120103 (600)
AMERICA : CANADA : GROUP OF ANGLICANS RECEIVED TO CHURCH
ARCHDIOCESE OF HAMILTON RELEASE: This past Sunday,
the 1st of January, 2012, during a special celebration on the Solemnity of Mary,
Mother of God, Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, received a group of Anglicans from
the Kitchener-Waterloo area into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church. The
Mass, within which they were received, was celebrated in accordance with the
‘Anglican Use Rite’ at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton, OntarioA
letter from Bishop Crosby concerning Kitchener-Waterloo Anglicans received into
the Full Communion of the Catholic Church
LETTER FROM BISHOP CROSBY: “For many years, groups of Anglicans repeatedly asked the Pope if it would be possible for them to become Catholics, while at the same time being allowed to keep their liturgical, musical, spiritual, and pastoral traditions, which had developed over the 500-year history of Anglicanism, and which they greatly valued. In November of 2009, in response to these requests, the Holy See, through the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus (“Groups of Anglicans”) and its accompanying norms, established a new structure within the Catholic Church to allow Anglicans who become Catholics to do just that.” (Archbishop Thomas Collins, Toronto)
Within our Diocese of Hamilton, a small group of Anglicans has been meeting in the Kitchener-Waterloo area since 1996 in a community know as St. Edmund’s Anglican Catholic Church. This group of Anglicans has indicated their desire to be received into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church under the terms of Anglicanorum Coetibus. For several months they have been preparing for this by prayer and a period of instruction based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
On January 1st, 2012, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, in the Cathedral of Christ the King, I, as Bishop of Hamilton, will receive these men and women into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church by the Profession of Faith and the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. The Mass will be celebrated according to the Anglican Use – a fully-authorized Catholic liturgy that maintains distinctive elements of the Anglican heritage of language, music, tradition and spirituality.
From January 1st, these newly-received will be known as the Sodality of St. Edmund, King and Martyr, and will continue as an Anglican Use community within the Diocese of Hamilton. They will, in due time, become part of the Personal Ordinariate that is being erected in the United States. Until then, they will be served by Fr. William Foote as Chaplain.
As Catholics, the members of the Sodality of St. Edmund will be subject to the Code of Canon Law and will fully embrace the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We welcome them into the Roman Catholic Church, pray for them, and invite them to pray for us.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary Immaculate,
(Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI
AUSTRALIA : NEW INSTITUTE OF SISTERS OF MERCY
BISHOPS
CONFERENCE OF AUSTRALIA RELEASE:
MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday December 20, 2011
About 1,500 Sisters of Mercy, their friends, families and ministry colleagues gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on Sunday, December 18, for the foundation Eucharist of the newly established Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
This historic occasion, also attended by members of other religious congregations and many bishops and priests from dioceses throughout Australia and PNG, heralded the beginning of a new era for the Sisters of Mercy.
Just six days earlier on December 12, the 180th anniversary of the founding of the Order of Mercy in Ireland by Venerable Catherine McAuley, 14 of the 17 Australian Mercy congregations, along with their sisters from the Autonomous Region of PNG, came together as one new institute for their first chapter.
During this inaugural chapter, held at Baulkham Hills in Sydney, 60 representatives of the 930-strong group of sisters elected a new leadership group, comprising Sisters Berneice Loch (Institute Leader), Annette Schneider (Vicar), Theresia Tina (Councillor), Barbara Bolster (Councillor) and Sally Bradley (Councillor).
Speaking to those gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral, newly elected leader, Sister Berneice Loch said there was a “deep concern” among sisters gathered at the chapter about the “vast extent of displacement in our world: displacement within individuals who have suffered various forms of trauma; the far more obvious ways of displaced people – economic and political refugees among them; displacement experienced in environmental devastation and change”.
Sister Berneice added: “Making a response calls for local action and always will, but to make a difference we need also to work for change at national and international levels.
“Sisters of Mercy internationally have a presence in United Nations circles and we hope our renewed capacity will help us all to be a more effective part of those networks,” she said.
In his words of welcome at the Eucharist, principal celebrant, Cardinal George Pell acknowledged the contribution of the Sisters of Mercy to many individuals and communities.
“It’s wonderful to see so many sisters and friends and I think the number of bishops is indicative of the debt – [for] some of us a lifelong debt – that we owe to the Sisters of Mercy,” he said.
For Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Gospel reading of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) was “very appropriate” for the foundation Eucharist of the new Institute.
For many years, but particularly since 2005, the 17 Australian congregations and the Autonomous Region of PNG, who were federated in the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia in 1981, have been searching for the best way to nurture their unity and to strengthen their capacity for engaging in God’s mission of mercy in this twenty-first century.
On July 20 this year, the Holy See approved the petition for the new Institute to take effect at the commencement of its first chapter on December 12. On that day, each of the 15 groups ceased to be a separate canonical and legal entity and its sisters became members of the new Institute.
The 15 uniting groups, comprising some 930 sisters, are Adelaide, Ballarat East, Bathurst, Cairns, Goulburn, Grafton, Gunnedah, Melbourne, Papua New Guinea, Perth, Rockhampton, Singleton, Townsville, West Perth and Wilcannia-Forbes.
While three of the existing 17 congregations – Brisbane, North Sydney and Parramatta – will remain independent, they and the sisters in the Institute are anticipating ways of continuing to collaborate and share their common mercy heritage and their love of their founder Catherine McAuley.
Photos:
High resolution photos taken at Sunday’s foundation Eucharist can be downloaded at this link (All photos courtesy of Beth Doherty).
For more information about the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea visit http://institute.mercy.org.au
Media inquiries: Sister Caroline Ryan RSM Mobile: 0409 988 750
Institutional leadership team of the Sisters of
Mercy
About 1,500 Sisters of Mercy, their friends, families and ministry colleagues gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on Sunday, December 18, for the foundation Eucharist of the newly established Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
This historic occasion, also attended by members of other religious congregations and many bishops and priests from dioceses throughout Australia and PNG, heralded the beginning of a new era for the Sisters of Mercy.
Just six days earlier on December 12, the 180th anniversary of the founding of the Order of Mercy in Ireland by Venerable Catherine McAuley, 14 of the 17 Australian Mercy congregations, along with their sisters from the Autonomous Region of PNG, came together as one new institute for their first chapter.
During this inaugural chapter, held at Baulkham Hills in Sydney, 60 representatives of the 930-strong group of sisters elected a new leadership group, comprising Sisters Berneice Loch (Institute Leader), Annette Schneider (Vicar), Theresia Tina (Councillor), Barbara Bolster (Councillor) and Sally Bradley (Councillor).
Speaking to those gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral, newly elected leader, Sister Berneice Loch said there was a “deep concern” among sisters gathered at the chapter about the “vast extent of displacement in our world: displacement within individuals who have suffered various forms of trauma; the far more obvious ways of displaced people – economic and political refugees among them; displacement experienced in environmental devastation and change”.
Sister Berneice added: “Making a response calls for local action and always will, but to make a difference we need also to work for change at national and international levels.
“Sisters of Mercy internationally have a presence in United Nations circles and we hope our renewed capacity will help us all to be a more effective part of those networks,” she said.
In his words of welcome at the Eucharist, principal celebrant, Cardinal George Pell acknowledged the contribution of the Sisters of Mercy to many individuals and communities.
“It’s wonderful to see so many sisters and friends and I think the number of bishops is indicative of the debt – [for] some of us a lifelong debt – that we owe to the Sisters of Mercy,” he said.
For Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Gospel reading of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) was “very appropriate” for the foundation Eucharist of the new Institute.
“The Gospel of today reminds us that we live in a Church that began at a moment when Mary, a woman, was able to be open to God and provide a space for Jesus to take flesh within her womb and for the work of God’s redemption and re-creation… to take place. This moment when Mary, the Holy Spirit and Jesus were together, was a moment of re-birth, of re-creation,” he explained in his homily.“And today,” he continued, “we commemorate one of those moments where a group of women re-dedicate themselves to the life of the Church and the Gospel of the Lord within the specific charism that was established by Catherine McAuley. And this is a moment of re-generation, of re-birth and opportunity, a moment for new and wonderful things to happen – not without its challenges and I’m sure not without its difficulties.”
For many years, but particularly since 2005, the 17 Australian congregations and the Autonomous Region of PNG, who were federated in the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia in 1981, have been searching for the best way to nurture their unity and to strengthen their capacity for engaging in God’s mission of mercy in this twenty-first century.
On July 20 this year, the Holy See approved the petition for the new Institute to take effect at the commencement of its first chapter on December 12. On that day, each of the 15 groups ceased to be a separate canonical and legal entity and its sisters became members of the new Institute.
The 15 uniting groups, comprising some 930 sisters, are Adelaide, Ballarat East, Bathurst, Cairns, Goulburn, Grafton, Gunnedah, Melbourne, Papua New Guinea, Perth, Rockhampton, Singleton, Townsville, West Perth and Wilcannia-Forbes.
While three of the existing 17 congregations – Brisbane, North Sydney and Parramatta – will remain independent, they and the sisters in the Institute are anticipating ways of continuing to collaborate and share their common mercy heritage and their love of their founder Catherine McAuley.
Photos:
High resolution photos taken at Sunday’s foundation Eucharist can be downloaded at this link (All photos courtesy of Beth Doherty).
For more information about the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea visit http://institute.mercy.org.au
Media inquiries: Sister Caroline Ryan RSM Mobile: 0409 988 750
AFRICA : NIGERIA : SECT ASKS CHRISTIANS TO LEAVE
ALL
AFRICA.COM REPORT; Yemi Akinsuyi
Abdul
Qaqa, who spoke on behalf of the group blamed for terrorist attacks, said he was
giving Southerners living in the North a three-day ultimatum to leave.
"We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared. We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers. We also wish to call on our fellow Muslims to come back to the North because we have evidence that they would be attacked. We are also giving a three-day ultimatum to the Southerners living in the Northern part of Nigeria to move away," he said.
President Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Saturday in parts of four states hit by violence blamed on Boko Haram.
The
declaration came in response to scores of attacks attributed to Boko Haram,
particularly the bombings on Christmas day that killed 49 people, most of them
in a gruesome blast at Saint Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger
State.
Qaqa also criticised Jonathan over his visit to the Catholic church outside Abuja on Saturday. The church was the site of the bloodiest Christmas day attack.
"The President had never visited any of the theatres where Muslims were massacred," he said, naming areas where scores of Muslims were killed in post-election riots in April.
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer (DFPRO), Mr. Yemi Ajayi, while describing the threat as "empty and calculated efforts to create fears into the people", said police and other security operatives are on hand to protect the lives and properties of all Nigerians, Northerners inclusive.
In
his words: "Federal Government has done enough to protect the lives and
properties of the people in this part of the country regardless of their tribe
and religion. The threat by the said Boko Haram spokesperson, Abul Qaqa, is
baseless, empty, and just to create confusion and fear into the hearts of the
people. As I am talking to you now, police officers and men, and other security
operatives are on hand in all these areas to fight the criminals. I want to
implore the people to go about their lawful businesses without any fear or
intimidation from any quarter."
Asked why there had been attacks on Christians and other Southerners in the North despite the security presence in the area, the police deputy spokesperson said more security operatives had been drafted to the areas and that they are poised to fight the criminals to the end.
He enjoined Christians and Southerners living in the
North to remain as the government had provided enough security for their lives
and property.
State of emergency was declared in parts of the states of Borno, where Boko Haram traditionally has as its base, Niger, Plateau and Yobe.
In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, residents reported increased patrols yesterday. Soldiers had been entering homes in search of weapons and bombs, they said.
After the searches, soldiers told residents to report any unusual behaviour or abandoned vehicles which might contain planted bombs.
The police have described the threat by the fundamentalist
group, Boko Haram, asking Southerners and Christians to leave the North within
three days as baseless and designed just to create panic.
A spokesman for
Boko Haram had on Sunday issued the ultimatum and threatened to confront troops
after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in hard-hit
areas."We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared. We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers. We also wish to call on our fellow Muslims to come back to the North because we have evidence that they would be attacked. We are also giving a three-day ultimatum to the Southerners living in the Northern part of Nigeria to move away," he said.
President Jonathan declared a state of emergency on Saturday in parts of four states hit by violence blamed on Boko Haram.
Qaqa also criticised Jonathan over his visit to the Catholic church outside Abuja on Saturday. The church was the site of the bloodiest Christmas day attack.
"The President had never visited any of the theatres where Muslims were massacred," he said, naming areas where scores of Muslims were killed in post-election riots in April.
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer (DFPRO), Mr. Yemi Ajayi, while describing the threat as "empty and calculated efforts to create fears into the people", said police and other security operatives are on hand to protect the lives and properties of all Nigerians, Northerners inclusive.
Asked why there had been attacks on Christians and other Southerners in the North despite the security presence in the area, the police deputy spokesperson said more security operatives had been drafted to the areas and that they are poised to fight the criminals to the end.
State of emergency was declared in parts of the states of Borno, where Boko Haram traditionally has as its base, Niger, Plateau and Yobe.
In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, residents reported increased patrols yesterday. Soldiers had been entering homes in search of weapons and bombs, they said.
After the searches, soldiers told residents to report any unusual behaviour or abandoned vehicles which might contain planted bombs.
ASIA : ISRAEL - LEBANON : BORDER ON CEASEFIRE LINE
ASIA NEWS REPORT: The five-metre barrier will be equipped with
alarms. Construction begins in the next few days. Prime Minister Netanyahu
announces that once a fence is completed on Israel-Egypt border, another will be
built along the border with Jordan.
Tel Aviv (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Israel has begun
preparations for the construction of a five-metre-high wall on the country’s
northern ceasefire line with Lebanon. The initial one -kilometre long section
will be equipped with alarms and separate Israeli kibbutz al-Matala from the
Lebanese village Kafr Kala, which lie near each other.
The wall is the first of its kind along the frontier with Lebanon. The border between Israel and Lebanon is disputed by both sides and the UN-drawn "Blue Line" separating the two sides only covers part of the stretch established in 2000 to determine whether Israel had withdrawn from Lebanon after its 1982 invasion.
The government of Israel is planning to construct a wall, which would separate its northernmost town from a Lebanese village in a bid to reduce tensions in the area.
Border tensions have been high in the past. In November 2011, a series of four Katyusha rockets were fired from Lebanon into the Western Galilee area of northern Israel. No one was injured. The Sheikh Abdullah Azzam Brigades later claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The situation is very sensitive and has a potential to easily inflame the northern border," a senior officer in the Israeli army’s Northern Command is quoted as saying.
"The wall will be the first of its kind on that border, and will raise the level of security in the area, as well as the confidence of Metulla's residents,” he explained. Still, “the Lebanese side will most likely raise objections to the wall, but the current reality necessitates its construction”.
The Lebanon wall is not the only structure planned. In a related development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that Israel plans to build a barrier along its eastern border with Jordan, similar to the one currently under construction along its border with Egypt.
The government is investing some US$ 360 million in a five-metre steel fence along its 240-km-long western border, which is scheduled for completion by September of this year.
"When the security barrier along the Egyptian border is finished, one will be built along the border with Jordan," Netanyahu said.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Israel-to-build-wall-on-Lebanon-border,-fence-on-Jordan-border-23599.html
_0103_-_Muro_con_il_Libano.jpg)
Tel Aviv (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Israel has begun
preparations for the construction of a five-metre-high wall on the country’s
northern ceasefire line with Lebanon. The initial one -kilometre long section
will be equipped with alarms and separate Israeli kibbutz al-Matala from the
Lebanese village Kafr Kala, which lie near each other.The wall is the first of its kind along the frontier with Lebanon. The border between Israel and Lebanon is disputed by both sides and the UN-drawn "Blue Line" separating the two sides only covers part of the stretch established in 2000 to determine whether Israel had withdrawn from Lebanon after its 1982 invasion.
The government of Israel is planning to construct a wall, which would separate its northernmost town from a Lebanese village in a bid to reduce tensions in the area.
Border tensions have been high in the past. In November 2011, a series of four Katyusha rockets were fired from Lebanon into the Western Galilee area of northern Israel. No one was injured. The Sheikh Abdullah Azzam Brigades later claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The situation is very sensitive and has a potential to easily inflame the northern border," a senior officer in the Israeli army’s Northern Command is quoted as saying.
"The wall will be the first of its kind on that border, and will raise the level of security in the area, as well as the confidence of Metulla's residents,” he explained. Still, “the Lebanese side will most likely raise objections to the wall, but the current reality necessitates its construction”.
The Lebanon wall is not the only structure planned. In a related development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that Israel plans to build a barrier along its eastern border with Jordan, similar to the one currently under construction along its border with Egypt.
The government is investing some US$ 360 million in a five-metre steel fence along its 240-km-long western border, which is scheduled for completion by September of this year.
"When the security barrier along the Egyptian border is finished, one will be built along the border with Jordan," Netanyahu said.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Israel-to-build-wall-on-Lebanon-border,-fence-on-Jordan-border-23599.html
EUROPE : POLAND : STAR SINGERS COLLECT DONATIONS
Agenzia
Fides REPORT - Children and young people of Holy Childhood of the Archdiocese of
Czestochowa, in the days between 26 December 2011 and January 6, 2012, are
giving birth to their now usual Christmas activities of mission solidarity.
According to the information sent to Fides, these days, like thousands of their
peers in other nations, the "Star Singers" knock at the doors of family homes of
Czestochowa, collecting donations for children of their same age who are
suffering around the world. In particular, the Christmas campaign during the
Christmas season is dedicated to helping, materially and spiritually, the
children of Sudan. In the churches of the Archdiocese of Czestochowa, children
and boys and girls also participate in "missionary catechesis" and pray for
missions. The initiative of the "Star Singers" (Sternsinger), founded over 50
years ago in Germany as a charity initiative of the Pontifical Society of
Missionary Childhood, has now spread to several other nations, especially in
Central Europe. (MF/SL) (Agenzia Fides 03/01/2012)
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=30689&lan=eng
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=30689&lan=eng
TODAY'S GOSPEL AND MASS ONLINE : TUES. JAN. 3, 2012
| Matthew
1: 18 - 23
| |
| 18 | Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; |
| 19 | and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. |
| 20 | But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; |
| 21 | she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." |
| 22 | All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: |
| 23 | "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). |
TODAY'S SAINT : JAN. 3 : ST. GENEVIEVE
|
St. Genevieve
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VIRGIN, CHIEF PATRONESS OF THE CITY OF PARIS
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Feast: January 3
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