February, 2020
Turn off cellphones for Lent, says Pope Francis
February 28, 2020 · By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service for www.ucanews.com
Lent is a time to remove all distractions and bitterness from one’s life in order to better hear God and those who suffer silently and need help, Pope Francis said. “It is the right time to turn off the television and open the Bible. It is the time to disconnect from cellphones and connect ourselves […]
Read More...Philippine bishops oppose China-funded dam project
February 28, 2020 ·
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has backed calls to stop the building of a dam that will be funded by loans from China. In a Feb. 26 statement, the country’s Catholic bishops said the project is destructive to nature and would cost the government a lot of money. Conference president Bishop Romulo Valles […]
Read More...People power was a non-violent Filipino 1986 revolution
February 28, 2020 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The gains of the Philippines’ People Power Revolution of 1986 should never be forgotten and should be taught in schools and churches. This was the call from two Catholic bishops on the eve of the 34th anniversary of the popular uprising that resulted in the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos and the end of his 20-year […]
Read More...Toni Morrison: Nobel Prize-winning author dies at 88
February 28, 2020 · By BBC News for www.bbc.com
Nobel Prize-winning US author Toni Morrison has died at the age of 88. Her family confirmed “with profound sadness” that Morrison had died “following a short illness”. Author of 11 novels, she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, having published her first novel, The Bluest Eye, in 1970. Her 1987 book Beloved told […]
Read More...The Revenge of Nature- Coronavirus?
February 28, 2020 ·
The Revenge of Nature- Coronavirus? Fr. Shay Cullen 27 February 2020 The coronavirus threatens the health of millions of people around the world if it spreads uncontrollably. Every precaution must be taken to prevent its spread and that means practicing greater personal and public hygiene and avoiding contact with people travelling from an infected area. […]
Read More...Man on trial accused of sexual assault of four girls at crèche
February 26, 2020 · By Orla O'Donnell for www.rte.ie
A 29-year-old man has gone on trial accused of sexually assaulting four girls when he worked in a crèche in Leinster. The man has pleaded not guilty to 23 counts of sexually assaulting the four young children on dates between February 2015 and December 2016. The girls were aged between five and eight-years-old at the […]
Read More...Philippines: Horrific violations of Children’s rights’s rights must stop
February 26, 2020 · By Amnesty International UK for www.amnesty.org.uk
Amnesty International’s report, Philippines – A different childhood: the apprehension and detention of child suspects and offenders, calls on the Philippine government to end immediately the locking up of juvenile offenders in adult jails. This practice has lead to the rape and sexual assault of boys and girls in detention facilities which are overcrowded, hot […]
Read More...Police profiling of young Muslim Filipinos sparks outrage
February 26, 2020 · By Joe Torres, Manila for www.ucanews.com
A move by police to create a list of Muslim students living in the Philippine capital Manila has sparked uproar among Islamic leaders, civil society, and activist groups. Children’s rights group Salinlahi said the Philippine National Police proposal promotes not only discrimination but also poses risks to the lives of young people. A leaked police […]
Read More...Church body backs beleaguered Manila television network
February 26, 2020 · By UCA News reporter, Manila for www.ucanews.com
The Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People has expressed support for the country’s largest television network, which faces having its license revoked after falling foul of President Rodrigo Duterte. The franchise for television network ABS-CBN Corp. expires on March 30. Its renewal remains pending in Congress, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies. The […]
Read More...Bishop welcomes mandatory values education for Filipinos
February 26, 2020 · By UCA News reporter, Manila for www.ucanews.com
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has welcomed the passage of a bill in Congress that will require elementary and high school students to undergo mandatory values education. Bishop Andrew Alarcon, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the bishops’ conference, said “good manners and right conduct” are at the core of education. “The best […]
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