World Youth Day Themes Picked!

VATICAN CITY, (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has selected the themes for World Youth Day for the next three years.The events in 2006 and 2007 will be at the diocesan level. The 2008 event, in Australia, will be international.

In 2006, young people of the world will reflect on verse 105 of Psalm 119: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path."

The theme chosen for 2007 is from the Gospel, John 13:34: "Love one another, as I have loved you."

The World Youth Day to be held in Sydney from July 15-20, 2008, will focus on the theme taken from the Acts of the Apostles (1:8): "You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses."(more...)

'Miracle' monk grabs show ahead of Greek Orthodox Easter

ATHENS (AFP) - The discovery that Vissarionas Korkoliakos remains largely preserved -- along with his monastic robes and book of Gospels -- is being hailed as a "sign", in a country strong on religious tradition that loves miracles.
"Even (his) soft parts are intact," exclaimed the region's senior cleric, Bishop Nicholas of Fthiotis, as the Greek Orthodox Church officially deemed the event a "celestial sign, a message for our people and our time."
As word got out, thousands have flocked to the monastery near the central town of Lamia, where the body was put on display in a special glass case last month.
"We just witnessed a miracle," one woman told the Eleftherotypia daily. "This man is a saint."
"After all these years, you can still make out his Adam's apple and the veins in his feet," added a man.
Given the fervor, the church decided to keep the corpse on public view, drawing criticism from some clerics who fear the monk's exposure will lead to commercial exploitation and have called for his reburial.(more...)

SPIRITUAL REVIVAL IN GERMANY TRIGGERED BY BENEDICT XVI

BERLIN, April 19 (CNA) - The German newspaper Handelsblatt is reporting that Pope Benedict XVI has triggered a spiritual revival in his native country, which he will visit for the second time in September.

In a special edition for the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, the German daily noted that in visiting his native country twice in such a short period of time, the Pontiff has set off a spiritual awakening among many Germans.

The article in Handelsblatt points out that the September trip is "not an official visit, but rather a visit to the roots of his life." While there exists among Germans a general euphoria about havi ng the Pope so close, the article adds that "there is another perspective that many previously thought impossible and that must be pointed out: this 79 year-old wise man could spark in this moment a revival in the Church in Germany." (more...)

God is Hot!

© EditieNL.nl:For many years churches all over the world were having a tough time to sort out the reasons for a tremendous decrease in the number of visitors attending church services.Moreover it was felt that the younger generation had no more interest in god. But as for now,things seems to have taken a complete turnover.

Editie NL,the most popular commercial broadcast channel of the Netherlands has put up its findings on air last day.They infact conducted a survey among the younger generation for the 5 greatest priorities in their life today.And Strange enough,they were startled to find religion topping the list(more...)

God or the girl?

God or the girl is all about a choice that four young people have to make in their life.The question is a startling one and is a new addition to the trends the new generation youth are putting forward.It is being portrayed as a real life documentary and is being aired on the A&E Channel as a documentary series.

This five-part documentary series follows four young men through the emotionally wrenching final weeks that lead up to the most important decision of their lives - whether to become Catholic priests or not. Traveling with his brother to the Catholic celebration of World Youth Day in Germany, Joe also looks forward to reconnecting with Anna, the love of his life. In Columbus, Dan leads his youth group of high schoolers in protest prayer outside an abortion clinic, sparking a conflict with pro-choice college students. Mike is thrilled to see soul mate and girlfriend Aly, but her visit exacerbates tensions with his mentor, Father Pauselli. And Steve makes a nerve-wracking journey home, finally telling his best friends about his aspirations toward the priesthood(more...)

Holy Land's Christians caught in midst of conflict

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - A 76-year-old Greek Orthodox monk is beaten up by villagers, his carefully tended olive trees are uprooted and his isolated West Bank monastery is defaced with graffiti depicting nuns being raped.
The land of Jesus's birth is not always an easy place for Christians to live in 2006.
The population of Christians in the Holy Land, particularly in the Palestinian territories, is dwindling as more and more leave for a better life abroad, turning the community into a tiny minority squeezed between Muslims and Jews.
The traditional merchant class, heavily dependent on tourist money, has suffered a recession since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000 and Israel walled off Bethlehem with a barrier.
The Israelis say it is designed to stop suicide bombers and Palestinians call it a land grab.
"(Christians) are suffering from both Islamic extremists and Israeli security concerns," said Canon Andrew White, a former Middle East envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Anglican Church.(more...)

Nothing's Impossible

By Roselle Ambubuyog,Newsbreak Contributing writer
My long-term goal is to become established in the business sector so I can easily get in touch with people and groups that can provide financial assistance needed to initiate or promote projects for the disabled.
When I was choosing what to specialize in, I looked for a field that would not limit me to a particular industry. Since I prefer practical applications, the feasible options were math finance, operations research, and actuarial science, a science that uses mathematical and statistical methods to measure risk. I took electives in the last one and found that though most topics were on insurance (life, non-life, health, retirement benefits, etc.), other discussions on stocks, bonds, financial forecasting, and such were also relevant. I found that there are no clear-cut, formulated insurance policies for the disabled in the Philippines, unlike in other countries.
When I turned 18, my parents wanted me to get insured. We found none willing to insure any disabled person. An agent from PruLife of the United Kingdom offered to help, but the most he could get for me was a five-payment annuity, something like a pension fund. There were no riders like the double indemnity fund for accidental death. It was obviously not sufficient to meet my insurance needs, but it was all that was available(more...)
The writer was a participant in the Ayala Young Leaders Congress in February 2000, and is a master in applied math majoring in actuarial science at UP-Diliman. She graduated summa cum laude from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2001 and was class valedictorian. She has been blind since the age of six.

Are you living in a culture of death?

Dear Friends,It may sound strange but we are indeed living in a culture of death.A clean example is cited below...

Saving the Earth with Ebola

Professor Pianka said the Earth as we know it will not survive without drastic measures. Then, and without presenting any data to justify this number, he asserted that the only feasible solution to saving the Earth is to reduce the population to 10 percent of the present number.
He then showed solutions for reducing the world's population in the form of a slide depicting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. War and famine would not do, he explained. Instead, disease offered the most efficient and fastest way to kill the billions that must soon die if the population crisis is to be solved.
Pianka then displayed a slide showing rows of human skulls, one of which had red lights flashing from its eye sockets.
AIDS is not an efficient killer, he explained, because it is too slow. His favorite candidate for eliminating 90 percent of the world's population is airborne Ebola ( Ebola Reston ), because it is both highly lethal and it kills in days, instead of years. However, Professor Pianka did not mention that Ebola victims die a slow and torturous death as the virus initiates a cascade of biological calamities inside the victim that eventually liquefy the internal organs.
After praising the Ebola virus for its efficiency at killing, Pianka paused, leaned over the lectern, looked at us and carefully said, “We've got airborne 90 percent mortality in humans. Killing humans. Think about that.”
With his slide of human skulls towering on the screen behind him, Professor Pianka was deadly serious. The audience that had been applauding some of his statements now sat silent. (more...)

Eyeing Vatican Tie,China may let Dalai Lama Visit

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China may approve a visit by the Dalai Lama, as long as he abandons dreams of independence for Tibet, and establish ties with the Vatican if it breaks ties with Taiwan, the top official on religious affairs was quoted on Monday as saying.
The remarks by Ye Xiaowen, director of the cabinet's State Bureau of Religious Affairs, come just weeks before a summit in Washington between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush, a devout Christian who prodded China to allow greater religious freedom when he visited last November.

The Dalai Lama said last month he wanted to go to China to visit Buddhist landmarks and witness the economic progress the Asian powerhouse has made in recent years.

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In Africa, Islam and Christianity are growing - and blending

LAGOS, NIGERIA – At first, it seems a surprising sight: inside a two-story mosque in sub-Saharan Africa's largest metropolis hangs a life-size portrait of Jesus Christ.

Yet worshipers at "The True Message of God Mission" say it's entirely natural for Christianity and Islam to co-exist, even overlap. They begin their worship by praying at the Jesus alcove and then "running their deliverance" - sprinting laps around the mosque's mosaic-tiled courtyard, praying to the one God for forgiveness and help. They say it's akin to Israelites circling the walls of Jericho - and Muslims swirling around the Ka'ba shrine in Mecca.

This group - originally called "Chris-lam-herb" for its mix-and-match approach to Christianity, Islam, and traditional medicine - is a window on an ongoing religious ferment in Africa. It's still up for debate whether this group, and others like it, could become models for Muslim-Christian unity worldwide or whether they're uniquely African. But either way, they are "part of a trend," says Dana Robert, a Boston University religion professor.
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Pope John Paul II’s first statue unveiled in Chennai,India

Chennai, Apr.2 (ANI): A twenty-two feet tall statue of Pope John Paul II was unveiled in the premises of the Sculpture mission at Besant Nagar here on Sunday to mark his first death anniversary.
Costing Rs. four lakhs, the statute is created by eminent sculptor and Karate expert Shihan Hussaini.The statue was completed and mounted on the pedestal six days after he died, making it the world’s first statue after his death.
Sculptor Shihan Hussaini, a post graduate student of the Government College Of Fine Arts, Chennai, who shot to fame with his theme statues of Kalpana Chawla, Brigand Veerappans capture and the Jailed Shankaracharya Jeyandra Saraswati, said it is a personal tribute to the miraculous powers of the Pope which saved his life on three occasions.
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Great hunger for the Gospel

Wei who courageously shared her faith,"I started working among universitystudents in 2003, not long after I returnedfrom my studies overseas. In myuniversity, there are seven to eight cellgroups which meet, with approximately30 students in each. We do not want to get into trouble so we hold our meetingsoff campus. There are many groups ofChristian undergraduates meeting in othercampuses as well. We all keep in contactwith each other, even though it’s a loosenetwork. On occasions when we havecombined training sessions, we gather outin the suburbs or in a village".

When these students find the Lord, lifebecomes meaningful for them. Wherepreviously they were merely living tofulfill their parents’ hopes and dreams,they now experience a greater purposefor their lives. Most of those I know aresincere in their faith and are not just“culture Christians” (intellectuals who areinterested in Christianity merely for itscultural worldview and not so much as apersonal faith).