Category: Religion

Pope delivers Easter message of hope after grim week of terror

{Pope Francis preached an Easter message of hope after a grim week in Europe, calling on Christians not to let fear and pessimism “imprison” them.}

Speaking amid tight security at the Vatican, the Pope said: “Let us not allow darkness and fear to distract us and control our hearts.”

His message followed a condemnation on Friday of the Brussels terror attacks.
Islamist violence is expected to be a prominent theme of his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Easter message.

Many pilgrims cancelled their planned trips to Rome in the wake of the violence in Brussels, but St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican was packed when Pope Francis celebrated mass on Saturday evening.

The Pontiff entered a darkened basilica with just a single candle guiding him. As he reached the altar, the basilica’s floodlights came on to symbolise the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Delivering his homily, Francis said: “Today is the celebration of our hope. It is so necessary today.”

The lengthy vigil service also included a papal baptism for 12 adults hailing from China, South Korea and other countries around the world.

On Sunday morning, Francis will preside over Easter Mass and offer his annual Easter blessing.

On Friday, he denounced the “terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence”.

Meanwhile, Vatican officials distributed sleeping bags to 100 homeless people.

The police presence in the streets around the Vatican has been stepped up this year, as more pilgrims than usual are expected after Francis declared a jubilee year for the Catholic Church, calling it a “Holy Year of Mercy”.

March 27, 2016
Vatican to approve sainthood for Mother Teresa

{Mother Teresa will be cleared to become a saint on Tuesday after a Vatican panel recognises a second miracle attributed to the late nun famed for her work with the poor of Kolkata.}

The committee of senior clerics that approves elevations to sainthood is due to meet from around 0900 GMT with the long-awaited green light seen as a formality, less than two decades after her death.

Pope Francis will then sign a decree approving the canonisation of the 1979 Nobel peace prize winner and announce a date and venue for it to happen.

The Albanian nun and missionary will be one of five candidates for sainthood considered at Tuesday’s session, but by far the most high-profile.

The canonisation is widely expected to take place on September 4, the eve of the anniversary of her 1997 death, for which a celebration of her memory had already been scheduled as part of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Indian Catholics had hoped Francis would travel to India for the canonisation ceremony but, barring a last minute surprise, it is expected to take place in Rome with a thanksgiving ceremony scheduled for the following month in the Indian city.

Known across the world, Teresa was awarded the Nobel for her work with the poor, sick, old and lonely in the teeming slums of Kolkata, previously known as Calcutta.

She is revered by many Catholics but has also been attacked as a “religious imperialist” who attempted to foist her beliefs on an impoverished community in which they had no indigenous roots.

– From sister to sainthood -Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in 1910 in what is now Skopje in Macedonia, Teresa arrived in India in 1929, having first spent time with a missionary order in Ireland.

She went on to found the Missionaries of Charity order in 1950 and was granted Indian citizenship a year later.

Last year she was credited by Vatican experts with inspiring the 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man suffering from multiple brain tumours, thus meeting the Church’s standard requirement for sainthood of having been involved in two certifiable miracles.

She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003 following a fast-track process involving the recognition of a claim she had posthumously inspired the 1998 healing of a Bengali tribal women.

Francis met Teresa before he became pope, in 1994, and later joked that she had seemed so formidable he “would have been scared if she had been my mother superior”.

Others were much harsher in their judgement with the likes of Germaine Greer and polemicist Christopher Hitchens accusing her of contributing to the misery of the poor with her strident opposition to contraception and abortion.

In her Nobel acceptance speech she described terminations of pregnancies as “direct murder by the mother herself.”

Questions have also been raised over the Missionaries of Charity’s finances, as well as conditions in the order’s hospices.

A series of her letters published in 2007 also caused some consternation among admirers, as it became clear that she had suffered crises of faith for most of her life.

India granted her a state funeral after her death and her grave in the order’s headquarters has since become a pilgrimage site.

March 15, 2016
Uganda:Clerics in court over devil worship

{A Grade One Magistrate Court in Mbarara has started hearing a case in which the head of Daystar Church in Mbarara, Mr Nathan Ibrahim, sued an Anglican priest, Rev Bernard Mushabe, and a believer, Ms Jennifer Nduhura, for defamation. He alleges that they injured his reputation by claiming he worships under water to worship underground evil spirits.}

Prosecution led by Patrick Mukoozi on Tuesday told court that between 2014 and 2015, the accused persons at different forums made statements which were directed to injure the reputation of Bishop Ibrahim. The two allegedly released CDs and DVDs with defamatory messages. The prosecution presented DVDs and CDs in court and bishop Ibrahim as witness.

{{The evidence}}

In his testimony, bishop Ibrahim told court that on different occasions while preaching in Kabwohe in Sheema and Buhweju districts, the accused alleged that he was sacrificing people to underground spirits and that some Christians at his church had been sacrificed.Bishop Ibrahim added that Nduhura had claimed he sacrificed his late wife Gertrude Nalongo to the spirits and it is the reason he is richer than other pastors in the sub-region.

The DVDs and CDs of the accused making such utterances were played in court despite the objection by the defence lawyer, Mr Francis Butagira. The magistrate, Mr Daniel Bwambale, adjourned the case to April 6 for further hearing.

March 5, 2016
Kenya:Meru river bed which has the ‘footprints’ of Jesus

{Lying on an extensive rocky patch at Rwarera location in Meru County is a unique natural phenomenon the locals believe are ‘footprints’ of Jesus.}

Residents claim the area is the real Jerusalem because of the ‘Makinya ja Jesu’, which loosely translates to the footsteps of Jesus in the local Kimeru dialect.

They believe the marks were left by Jesus as he made a triumphant entry to Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey.

The serene area located along the Meru-Ruiri-Isiolo road is also famous for its natural salt water springs known as Munyu.

The set of Makinya ja Jesu are found on the sedimentary rocks, which cover about 200 acres of land.

Next to them are other footprints which appear to be those of a donkey or a horse.

One of the human-like footprint is huge and inside it is a smaller one. Next to it are two smaller ones which appear to be that of an average human adult.

The site attracts huge number of visitors, with some mainly interested in the spring waters which they believe have healing powers.

At one point of the rocks, the salt water gushes out of a crack with intense pressure, producing bubbles and sounds.

Locals call this spot Katheruko, meaning the boiling point. It has never dried up.

Some visitors believe the water has anesthetic properties and can cure a range of diseases.

About 10m away, livestock have their separate watering point. Meru pastoralists say the Munyu prevents worm infestation in their livestock.

Residents say the site should be recognised as a world heritage site.

Source:Daily Nation:[Meru river bed which has the ‘footprints’ of Jesus->http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Meru-river-bed-which-has-the-footprints-of-Jesus/-/1056/3028614/-/qc1fn9z/-/index.html]

January 10, 2016
Uganda:Catholic Church mourns Bishop Halem ’Imana

{Retired Kabale Diocese Bishop Barnabas Halem ’Imana is dead. Bishop Halem ’Imana, known for spearheading the spread of the Catholic faith in Ankole sub-region and championing the fight against the HIV/Aids scourge in its early days in the country, died on Sunday. He was 87.}

Fr Luisian Twinamatsiko, the secretary to the Bishop of Kabale Diocese, told Daily Monitor yesterday that Halem’Imana was diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes in 2008 and has been in and out of the country for treatment.

“His death could have been as a result of this,” he said.
According to the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Halem ’Imana was appointed the first native residential bishop for Kabale Diocese after his consecration by Pope Paul VI on August 1, 1969.
He was consecrated alongside bishops Albert Edward Baharagate, Sarapio Bwemi Magambo and John Baptist Kabubi.

Eulogy

Dr David Kihumuro Apuuli, the former director general at Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), who worked with the deceased, described him as a humble and brilliant gentleman who always gave the right advice.

“He understood everything well. He was a God-fearing man and someone with an enviable character,” Dr Kihumuro said.

Bishop Halem ’Imana served as UAC chairman from 1998 to 2011.
Fr Bruno Byomuhangi, the pastoral coordinator for Kabale Diocese, praised the bishop’s virtues.

“He was a person who liked development. He was very good at self-sustaining projects that would support the diocese without being dependent on donors,” he said. Kabale District chairman Patrick Keihwa described Halem’ Imana as a unifying figure in Kigezi “who stood by the church during the time of troubles.”

The bishop is credited for establishing a number of commercial buildings for the diocese, including the one housing Centenary Bank in Kabale, Kabale Diocese Motel in Kabale Town and Travellers Hotel in Kisoro District.
There will be a requiem mass at Rubaga Cathedral today at 10am in his honour. His body will then be taken to Kabale and he will be laid to rest at Kabale Cathedral tomorrow.

{{THE BISHOP’S CAREER}}

Halem’Imana was born in Rurangara, Busanza, Kisoro District, in 1929. He studied his first four years of primary education at Mutorere before joining Kitabi Seminary in Bushenyi District in 1943. He went to Katigondo Major Seminary in 1950 and was ordained priest on December 7, 1958. He then went to Rome to pursue a PhD in Canon Law and upon his return in 1966, served at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat. He then became the secretary general of the Uganda Episcopal Conference.
On August 1, 1969, he was ordained first residential bishop of Kabale Diocese.He retired on July 15, 1994.

Source:Daily Monitor:[Catholic Church mourns Bishop Halem ’Imana->http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Catholic-Church-mourns-Bishop-Halem–Imana/-/688334/3021422/-/15o673lz/-/index.html]

January 5, 2016
Tanzania:Clerics push for peace during X-mas

{MEMBERS of the clergy have conveyed a message of peace, unity and care for each other away from egocentric way of behaving which, has caused hardships in life to many, leading to irreversible destruction.}

Addressing the nation during Christmas prayers marked at national level in Tanga, the Roman Catholic Bishop, the Archdiocese of Tanga, His Eminence, Anthony Banzi, said that Jesus Christ came to save the human race.

He taught about harmony, reconciliation and fear for God. “God created this peaceful planet but irresponsible human acts continue to destroy the world to make it an inhospitable place.

The world is chocked with selfishness, hatred, greed, senseless wars and the like. We all need to turn to God to avoid subsequent shortfalls,” Bishop Banzi said. He gave an example of senseless wild fires started by careless individuals consuming thousands of hectares, complicating efforts to mitigate effects of climate change. He added, destruction of the environment therefore, would result to self disappointment.

“Many times we have witnessed bloody conflicts between farmers and livestock keepers. Such a dispute emanates from egocentric attitudes just like those extracting minerals and leaving behind gapping holes,” Banzi observed.

President John Magufuli attended Christmas Mass at St Peter’s Church in Dar es Salaam and reminded the nation to work together to fight crime and take seriously the obligation to work hard for the country’s prosperity.

The president wished all Tanzanians merry Christmas and peaceful celebrations and reminded them of their obligation to work hard for the country’s prosperity.

The mass at St Peter was conducted by Father Joseph Mosha, but in attendance was His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo who preached the gospel and expressed delight for the new insight adopted by the people of Tanzania about self-determination in bringing positive change.

“The notion that hard working will bring development is gradually sinking into people’s minds contrary to the previous outlook that the rich would help eradicate poverty,” cardinal Pengo observed.

Bishop Dankton Rweikila of Power of God Church in Chanika commended President Magufuli for austerity measures taken and urged Tanzanians to pray for the president as they celebrate Christmas.

“The birth of Jesus in a manger was indicative of humility and preparedness to serve all the people irrespective of their social status. Our president has shown exemplary willingness to improve social services to the convenience of all just as Jesus cared for all. “We (nation) must pray for him and translate into action the motto ‘Hapa Kazi Tu’,” Rweikila said.

Bishop Benedict Swai of the Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Kinondoni called for justice to prevail as a recipe for true development away from corruption. “God-fearing people will not hurt each other but instead help each other to overcome hardships in life.

Those entrusted in high positions must remember to do justice for all as Holy Scriptures teach that Justice brings prosperity to the nation but corruption is reproach to all,” Bishop Swai said.

AS Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ they have been reminded to raise well their children and teach them to mind their manners. This was said by Apostle at the Oasis of Healing Ministries, Pastor Prosper Ntepa, during a mass to celebrate the day. Pastor Ntepa said Jesus Christ grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was on him.

Adding his parents raised him in good manner in which he pleased God and human beings. Other parents should learn from them. “Parents should celebrate this Christmas while remembering that around the 18-month mark, a child begins to understand that other people have feelings just like his, so this is the time to start teaching kids that their behaviour affects others,” he said.

Meanwhile, Marc Nkwame from Arusha reports that due to their coveted positions at Christmas dinner tables here, live goat prices in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions have been rising rapidly between the months of November and December synonymous with their increasing demand around this time of the year.

Usually, a goat can be bought at between 65,000/- and 80,000/- per animal, but the prices shot up to between 150,000/- and 200,000/- when the Christmas season approached – by last November.

While an oven roasted Turkey dish is the common Christmas staple in the United Kingdom where the holiday is more defined, goat meat is the real thing in the northern zone regions of Tanzania, the precinct which is regarded as the ‘Jerusalem’ for end-of-year holidays.

Mr Raymond Laizer is, however of the view that, Christmas aside, goat prices have also been rather high in recent years, as more people in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions seem to prefer the meat over beef. Goats are usually brought from pastoral areas like Longido, Monduli and Ngorongoro in Arusha Region and Simanjiro in Manyara.

Large trucks carrying the animals can be seen along the main Arusha-Dodoma Road ferrying goats to Arusha where the bulk is broken and reloaded into smaller pick-ups to be transported to Moshi and rural Arusha villages.

“When it comes to goat meat, people prefer to slaughter the animals on their own, that is why live ones are highly sought at Christmas. Also the best testing goat meat comes from those bred in arid areas like Enkaresero section of Ngorongoro or the windswept Longido,” explained a cattle dealer, Mr Daudi Eliphas.

Meanwhile, PETI SIYAME reports from Sumbawanga that as it has been with major holidays in the country, prices of food stuffs and clothes have slightly increased ahead of Christmas holidays.

A survey conducted by the ‘Daily News on Saturday’ in major markets of Nelson Mandela and Central main market here in the municipality of Sumbawanga witnessed shoppers trooping in despite the increase in prices, not to mention rains that pounded parts of the municipality throughout the week. “It has always been like a fashion that prices of food stuffs increase during festivals.

The items include tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots and fruits, among others,” said a food vendor, Ms Mariam Mawazo, at Nelson Mandela Market in the municipality. It has been noted that supply of farm produce has been low partly because of poor harvests in some parts of the region due to a long dry spell and other factors as well as heavy rains in most parts.

Source:Daily News:[Clerics push for peace during X-mas->http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/45432-clerics-push-for-peace-during-x-mas]

December 26, 2015
Pope Francis urges return to simple values as world celebrates Christmas

{Pope Francis ushered in Christmas by urging the faithful to reject the materialism that pervades the gift-giving season, and to embrace “simple, balanced” values, as violence subdued festivities in the Holy Land.}

The pontiff, at his annual Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, called on Christians everywhere to push back against the excesses of modern society, which he said was “so often intoxicated by consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance, appearances and narcissism”.

Christianity calls on believers “to act soberly — in other words, in a way that is simple, balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential,” said the 79-year old pope, leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

In many countries across the world, Christians were fearful for their future, and some were even prohibited from celebrating the holy day, a state of affairs that did not go ignored by Francis.

“In a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense of justice, to discern and to do God’s will,” the pope said.

Condemning a “culture of indifference which not infrequently turns ruthless”, the pope asked Catholics to combine prayer with an attitude of “empathy, compassion and mercy” after a year of global unrest that saw one million migrants and refugees, mostly from Syria, reach Europe in search of a better life.

Amid an unusually heavy security presence in Saint Peter’s Square, the visibly pale pontiff, who is reportedly suffering from the flu, in a hoarse voice called on believers at risk of persecution to resist fear.
{{
PRAYING FOR PEACE}}

Half a world away in Bethlehem, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land arrived for the traditional midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity — built over the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Travelling from Jerusalem nearby, the Jordanian Latin patriarch Fouad Twal would have had to pass through the Israeli wall that separates the two cities, with Bethlehem located in the occupied West Bank.

A wave of violence has led to a sharp decline in pilgrims visiting Bethlehem and the rest of the Holy Land this year, and only a sparse crowd was on hand to welcome Twal’s procession.

Violent protests and a series of Palestinian attacks on Israelis since October have killed 129 Palestinians, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians were attackers, while others were killed in clashes.

The Bethlehem mass commemorating the birth of Jesus will be dedicated to victims of violence and their families, Twal said, with celebrations “moderate” due to violence in the Palestinian territories, Israel and the world.

Twal has also called for parishes to switch off Christmas tree lights for five minutes in solidarity with victims of violence and terrorism.

Lights on trees in Manger Square were shut off for a few minutes at 7pm.
{{
CHRISTIANS IN MIDDLE EAST}}

The plight of embattled Christians in the Middle East, especially where they have been threatened by the advance of Islamic State group, has been thrown into the spotlight this year, and in Iraq, the mood was also sombre.

“We are praying for the restoration of peace and security and the return of the displaced to their land,” said one worshipper, Farida, as she arrived at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, one member of a dwindling Christian community trickling in to churches.

She said 12 of her relatives lost their homes when IS took over Iraq’s second city Mosul in 2014 and ordered Christians to convert to Islam, pay a heavy tax as second-class citizens or face death.

In Somalia, the government has banned celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country, saying the festivities might attract Islamist attacks.

The same is true in oil-rich Brunei, where the country’s authorities have threatened five-year jail sentences for those who violate a ban imposed on “open and excessive” celebrations.

And in the troubled nearby southern Philippines, seven Christian farmers were killed as Muslim guerrillas launched a series of attacks.

Meanwhile, the US and British embassies in China issued an unusual warning about possible threats against Westerners in a popular Beijing neighbourhood ahead of the Christmas holiday.

And security was due to be stepped up at churches in France for mass, following last month’s jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

Source:Daily Nation:[Pope Francis urges return to simple values as world celebrates Christmas->http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Pope-Francis-Christmas-message/-/1056/3009262/-/qe5fxqz/-/index.html]

December 25, 2015
Holy Bible: Kinyarwanda version revised after 25 years

{The Catholic Church, for the third time, plans to launch the new revised version of Holy Bible of which writing errors have stemmed. }

The priest Balthazar Ntivuguruzwa, the secretary of Rwandan Catholic Episcopal commission in charge of Biblical Gospel spreading argued that the revision paid attention to detail to avoid deviation of biblical quality and gospel message.

“The current Holy Bible has had several modifications since its translation and publication in 1990.There is an improved writing style. The first apparition of the Holy Bible had unrealized errors which called for efforts for improvement in tone and flow,”he said.

It is the third time the Holy Bible is modified in 25 years. The Bishop of Ruhengeri Diocese, Harorimana Vincent responsible for faith’s doctrine argues that applied modification will not deviate from the gospel and doctrine conveyed in the Holy Bible.
“The modification is meant to popularize the Bible message. These are things we normally do without expected limit.”

He adds that the correction of a particular book is applied in a bid to remove slight mistakes of writers but avoiding diversion of the real meaning.
The Holy Bible was translated into Kinyarwanda in 1990.

November 25, 2015
Help facilitate govt programmes, Premier Murekezi tells churches

The church has a major role to play in helping Rwandans embrace government programmes in order for them to achieve socio-economic development, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi has said.

The premier was on Saturday addressing the Catholic faithful who had gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ruhengeri Diocese in Musanze District.

The golden jubilee brought together government officials, papal representatives and different religious congregations of the Catholic Church.

The premier urged the different Christian sects in the country to ensure that the Christian values they preach go hand-in-hand with national policies in order to speed up development.

“I urge the Church to keep mobilising Christians and encouraging them to heed government programmes such as modern farming, investing in businesses, saving, paying community health insurance, promoting education, promoting hygiene and family planning,” Murekezi said.

He said churches should also teach love among Rwandans, adding that it was the lack of love and tolerance that led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

“We urge churches to keep preaching love and development, ” said Murekezi.

The premier hailed the Catholic Church and Ruhengeri Diocese, in particular, for its important contribution to different sectors such as education, health and hospitality.

“Particularly, we are proud of concrete achievements of Ruhengeri Diocese visible through various academic institutions, tourism facilities, health facilities and supporting the vulnerable,” he said

Responding to the premier’s call, the head of Ruhengeri Diocese, Bishop Vincent Harolimana, promised to continue ensuring the welfare of the area residents.

“We will never cease to promote the people’s welfare in education, health, justice and peace in collaboration with the government at all levels,” Harolimana said.

Ruhengeri Diocese established in 1960 by Pope John XXIII, has built over 130 academic institutions starting from nursery school to tertiary level. It has 13 parishes and over 70 priests who serve a flock of over 390,000.

The NewTimes

October 13, 2015
Italy diocese fires Roman Catholic priest over paedophilia comments

{Vatican City – Italy’s Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday fired a priest who said he could “understand” how paedophilia by clergy could occur because some children yearned for affection.}

The diocese of Trento, in northern Italy, said Father Gino Flaim, aged 75, was removed from his position at a parish and was banned from preaching.

“Unfortunately there are children who seek affection because they don’t get it at home and then if they find some priest he can even give in [to the temptation]. I understand this,” Flaim said in an interview on the private La 7 network on Tuesday.

Asked if the children were in some way responsible, he replied: “In many cases, yes.”

The diocese said in a statement that Flaim’s comments did not reflect the diocese’s position on child sex abuse by clergy and ran counter to “the sentiments of the entire Church community” on the scandal.

The Roman Catholic Church has been rocked for the past 15 years by scandals over priests who sexually abused children and were transferred from parish to parish instead of being turned over to authorities and being defrocked.

Pope Francis has met victims of sexual abuse twice since his election in 2013, the latest during his visit to the United States last month.

The pope offered them his most comprehensive comments on the sexual abuse scandal in his 2-1/2 year papacy and used his strongest language yet in condemning it and promising that “all those responsible will be held accountable”.

October 7, 2015