Poor Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statement of faith in the New Testament: “My Lord and My God!” (see John 20:24-28) and, in so expressing his faith, gave Christians a prayer that will be said till the end of time.
Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission estimates that nearly 10,000 migrants, mostly from Central America, were kidnapped between September and February in a growing trend that has Church officials concerned.
The just-released report says 9,758 migrants were kidnapped as they made their way north through Mexico to the United States. Most were abducted by organized gangs and ransomed for an average of $2,500. All told, the report estimates that ransoms over the six-month period, which were paid by relatives in Central America and in the United States, totaled about $25 million.
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Born in County Meath in 1629, he studied for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained there in 1654. After some years of teaching and service to the poor of Rome he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. Four years later, in 1673, a new wave of anti-Catholic persecution began, forcing Archbishop Plunkett to do his pastoral work in secrecy and disguise and to live in hiding.
The 7-hour road trip from Dhaka, the Bangladesh Capital, to the Caritas Regional office in the town of Barisal winds through some remote villages in rural Bangladesh. When the car stops for a rest break, a crowd gathers to get a look at the foreigners. Photo by Kathleen Merkel/CRS
The midpoint of my visit in Bangladesh includes a trip out to the field, something I’m looking forward to with great anticipation. The countryside of Bangladesh holds only wonder for the city-weary traveler. Just on the outskirts of the capital city of Dhaka, I can feel myself relax, which is counter-intuitive considering we are now speeding down a two lane, tree-lined highway where buses, bullock carts, rickshaws and pedestrians all have equal claim to the road. Our driver is very skilled, so I simply take in all that I see.
Through a certain stretch of countryside, towering smokestacks of brick kilns dominate the landscape and I’m reminded that this is one of the more polluting and exploitative industries in the country. Past the brick kilns, everything else is lush, verdant landscape. Jute fields stretch as far as the eye can see, emerald-green leaves serving as a food staple, and sturdy stems providing a wide variety of uses including building materials for huts and fibers for textiles. Skinny cows lazily graze among orderly bright-green rice paddies, and I stifle a joke, assuming my American humor may not translate. (“So that’s where rice milk comes from…”)
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Born in Spain’s island of Mallorca, Serra entered the Franciscan Order, taking the name of St. Francis’ childlike companion, Brother Juniper. Until he was 35, he spent most of his time in the classroom—first as a student of theology and then as a professor. He also became famous for his preaching. Suddenly he gave it all up and followed the yearning that had begun years before when he heard about the missionary work of St. Francis Solanus in South America.
A Palestinian and an Israeli strike up an unexpected friendship following the violent deaths of loved ones. Religion and Ethics Newsweekly has the full story here.
In July of 64 A.D., more than half of Rome was destroyed by fire. Rumor blamed the tragedy on Nero, who wanted to enlarge his palace. He shifted the blame by accusing the Christians. According to the historian Tacitus, many Christians were put to death because of their “hatred of the human race.” Peter and Paul were probably among the victims.
We were introduced to Rosa Hidalgo during a midday visit to the Christian Cooperation for Development (COCID) in Moyobamba, Peru. Her words are still etched in my memories.
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Debbie DeVoe, CRS’ regional information officer for eastern and southern Africa, is visiting projects in Zimbabwe.
Until the beginning of 2009, every Zimbabwean was a trillionaire. The largest denomination of 10 trillion Zimbabwean dollars was worth about US$3, with one trillion Zimbabwean dollars worth about 30 cents. But these millions and trillions made no difference.
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Seven-year-old Carmelita Dolcy is one of thousands of Haitian refugees living in the Dominican Republic. Carmelita’s family, now resettled in Santo Domingo, was forced to leave Haiti in 2004. The family has been assisted by Catholic Relief Services through our partner the Haitian Archdiocese which helped Carmelita’s mother set up her small used bedding and linens business.
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