by Jibran Khan    Woman sentenced to death sees her lawyers to file appeal. Increasingly, people are mobilising against the blasphemy law, a tool for personal vendettas and fodder for extremism. Hundreds of thousands of people sign petition in favour of Asia Bibi.    Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Catholic and Protestant leaders as well as Muslim scholars and non-governmental organisations have slammed a court’s decision to impose the death sentence on Asia Bibi, a Christian women convicted on blasphemy charges. She is the first woman sentenced to death for such an offence, and... Read more

MATERCARE INTERNATIONAL’S 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE    THE DIGNITY OF MOTHERS AND OBSTETRICIANS - WHO ON EARTH CARES!   Date: August 31st - September 4th, 2011   Place:Istituto Maria SS Bambina, Rome   Language:English   Organisation:Matercare International   Sponsors:World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC)                              www.fiamc.org   Under the Patronage of: The Pontifical Academy for Life The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral... Read more

by Paula Flynn  Seven years ago, I was asked a surprising question by a guest from Kyrgyzstan:  “Mrs Flynn, what is Natural Family Planning?” Our guest was a young woman called Asel Ibraeva whose family had befriended our daughter while she was travelling in Asia a few years earlier. In the summer of 2003 she had just spent six months studying English in London, and was staying with us in Oxfordshire before returning home.  I realised that a short explanation could not do justice to the subject, so I telephoned Colleen Norman, who had been a Natural Family Planning... Read more

by Joseph Mahmoud – Asia News   A women's movement has organized an interfaith conference on the role and value of women. A poll reveals that 88% of women in the city have experienced some form of violence. A plan to ensure greater social and religious commitment. The archbishop of Kirkuk stresses the importance of women in Christian history: "equal value to the role of males and females."  Kirkuk (AsiaNews) - The Free Union of Women (Christian) of Bethnahrain (Mesopotamia) in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, today held a conference focusing on "violence against women" in... Read more

"This Agenda ... Calls Into Question the Very Foundation of the Human Rights System"   NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address given Monday by Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, at the 55th session of UNESCO's Commission on the Status of Women.   Mr. Chairman, The Holy See strongly affirms the need to respect the inherent dignity and worth of all women and girls, which are fundamental to their authentic advancement. It is noteworthy that the Charter of the United Nations, in preambular paragraph 2,... Read more

Key to Avoid Disease Is to Avoid Risky Behaviors   By Jane Adolphe    NEW YORK, JUNE 14, 2011 (Zenit.org).- This opinion piece is in response to Nancy Goldstein's discussion of the debate occurring at the United Nations over the drafting of the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS (See "Why Won't the Pope Let Women Protect Themselves From HIV?" June 8, Guardian).   She criticizes Benedict XVI (otherwise known as the Holy See in international law) for having an all-male delegation, but in fact, the delegation contained three women, two of whom were law... Read more

This is an adapted translation of the interview published by ZENIT FR on September 28, 2011. In a nutshell, what is the gender theory? According to the social engineers who have been fabricating the gender theory since the 1950s, the feminine and masculine identity, the ontological structure of the woman as spouse, mother and educator, the anthropological complementarity of man and woman, fatherhood, heterosexuality (“heteronormativity”, dominant in all cultures), marriage and the traditional family would not exist per se, would not be good in themselves, but would be social constructs:... Read more

Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Speaks on Service and Unity By Antonio Gaspari ROME, SEPT. 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, rarely intervenes in public debates. He is known, rather, for his quiet and untiring work and his insightful observations on contemporary culture. The 67-year-old Italian will next month complete his first year as head of the Vatican's clergy congregation. He spoke with ZENIT about what power in the Church really is and what women could be doing to offer their feminine genius... Read more

On the occasion of the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II, “WYD Magazine” interviewed Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. As a young man, Cardinal Rylko met Karol Wojtyla and he worked with him for many years.  Your Eminence, John Paul II will be beatified on 1 May, and he will be one of the patrons of the 26th World Youth Day. What do you expect his intercession will bring to the young people who go to Madrid? “I think that the beatification of John Paul II will be an important mile stone on the path that is taking so many young people... Read more

Recitation of the Angelus, Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid  Sunday, 21 August 2011   Dear Friends, You are now about to go back home. Your friends will want to know how you have changed after being in this lovely city with the Pope and with hundreds of thousands of other young people from around the world. What are you going to tell them? I invite you to give a bold witness of Christian living to them. In this way you will give birth to new Christians and will help the Church grow strongly in the hearts of many others. During these days, how often I have thought of the young... Read more

My responsibilities at the Pontifical Council for the Laity include the following up of preparations for World Youth Day and keeping abreast of issues related to youth ministry. This brings me to look at two specific aspects: 1. How does WYD contribute to the development of vocations?  2. In what way can we direct youth ministry so that it can foster the growth of vocations? WYD is fertile territory for calls to vocation Benedict XVI said on his return from WYD in Cologne: I would like here to recall a special Meeting, my encounter with the seminarians, young men called to a more... Read more

During the traditional meeting for the exchanging of Christmas greetings with the Roman Curia, the Holy Father Benedict XVI  spoke about the “wonderful experience of World Youth Day” as a “remedy against faith fatigue”, and “new evangelization”. Benedict XVI listed the numerous journeys he has undertaken in 2011, including the most recent in Benin, where he found a faith firm and ardent, capable “to serve Christ in hard-pressed situations of human suffering, the strength to put oneself at his disposal, without looking round for one’s own advantage”. The integral text of the discourse of... Read more

About two hundred and fifty delegates from around the world will meet from 28 March to 1 April next at the International Meeting on WYD. It is being held by the Pontifical Council for the Laity at Rocca di Papa near Rome. The first day will be devoted to sharing and testimonies about WYD in Madrid and its pastoral results. Reference will be made to the Pope’s address to the Roman Curia for Christmas on 22 December last. The second day will be given to information about the pastoral and logistical preparations for WYD in Brazil. The Organising Committees of Madrid 2011 and Rio 2013 will be... Read more