Pope appoints new bishop in East Timor
Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Dili, the Capital of Timor Leste, East Timor. Fr. Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, the provincial superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Timor Leste is the new bishop. The See of Dili has been vacant since Feb. 9, 2015, after late Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva stepped down.
Australians urged to fight human trafficking, injustice
The Catholic Church of Australia is calling on its citizens not to be indifferent to human trafficking and take simple steps to combatting global injustice. The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral life (BCPL) and Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) are calling for a day of prayer, reflection and action against human trafficking on 8 February, the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who was rescued and later became a Canossian nun, and was declared a Saint in 2000. Last year, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General, promoted the first “International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking”, or Bakhita Day, on Feb. 8.
Cebu gearing up for IEC 2016 grand finale
Cardinal Charles Bo Myanmar is expected to see the largest gathering of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) when he celebrates the concluding open-air Mass on Sunday at the South Road Properties in the central Philippine city of Cebu. More than 1.5 million people are expected for the so-called Statio Orbis Mass, along with more than 15,000 cardinals, bishops, priests, the religious and official delegates from at least 75 nations around the world who attended the Jan 24-31 event. Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, who heads the IEC’s communications committee, hinted they could be surprised by an unexpected closing message by Pope Francis. Anticipating a mammoth of crowd, the SRP area will be opened to the public as early in the morning. At least 200 parking lots for buses ferrying parishioners along a 1.4-kilometer stretch is in place, besides another 100 roadside slots.
Bishop who helped rebuild Church in Cambodia passes away
A French missionary bishop who spent decades helping revive a decimated Catholic community in Cambodia after the devastation of the Khmer Rouge, died on Jan. 28. Bishop Emile Destombes died at the age of 80 in his home in Phnom Penh, after receiving Holy Communion from his successor, Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler of Phnom Penh. Born in 1931 in Roncq, France, Emile Destombes was ordained to the priesthood in 1961. He was appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic of Phnom Penh in 1997, succeeded in 2001 and retired in 2010.
Brazylia: zakończył się kurs dla biskupów
W Rio de Janeiro (od 25 do 29 stycznia br.) zakończyła się jubileuszowa edycja (25) kursu dla brazylijskich biskupów. Jego organizatorem była tradycyjnie archidiecezja Rio de Janeiro. Poświęcony był głównie tematyce rodzinnej i odbywał się w archidiecezjalnym Centrum Studiów i Formacji. W spotkaniu uczestniczył także apb Giovanni d’Aniello – nuncjusz apostolski w tym kraju.
