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The Church of the Sheaves: a missionary perspective presented to Newly Ordained Bishops: Rome – Bishops ordained in the ...
08/09/2026

The Church of the Sheaves: a missionary perspective presented to Newly Ordained Bishops: Rome – Bishops ordained in the last two years gathered in Rome on 8 September 2026, in the Aula Magna of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, for a formation course, hearing addresses from two dicasteries closely involved in the life of the clergy and of young Churches: Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung S*k, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, who spoke on "Priestly Formation in Today's Context," and Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who presented "At the Service of Priestly Formation in a Synodal Church. The Church of the Sheaves."

In the absence of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who had to return to the Philippines following the recent death of his father, Archbishop Nwachukwu greeted the bishops on his behalf. As Secretary, he briefly presented the Dicastery and its role in formation."

The heart of his address was devoted to a paradigm the Dicastery is developing for formation in these territories. Local clergy and religious, he said, have gradually taken up "from the Western missionaries the reins of evangelization," and "most recently... are beginning to bring their contribution to the universal Church in a spirit of synodality. That is why we are currently developing a framework for evangelization in the synodal Church which we call 'The Church of the Sheaves.'"

"The Church of the Sheaves," he said, "is an ecclesiological paradigm drawn from the words of Psalm 126," one of the Psalms of Ascent sung by pilgrims to Jerusalem. Quoting the final verse in the Grail translation, "a modern, liturgically approved translation of the Psalms, faithful to the Hebrew text and used for communal prayer in the Divine Office", he said : "They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for sowing; They come back, they come back full of songs, carrying their sheaves."

The missionaries’ sowing

Commenting on the image, the Archbishop said: "We see in the image of those who go out full of tears the missionaries who brought the Gospel to our territories. They left their comfort zones and environments, the warmth of their families, peers, friends, and loved ones and went to unknown mission territories." Because most of them "did not think of coming home again," he observed, "in a sense, their going was like a dying. In fact, many of them died only a few months after their arrival in the mission territories. They sacrificed everything, including their lives." Yet "they did not go empty-handed but carried with them the seeds of the Gospel to be sown in new mission territories."

Turning to the second half of the verse, Archbishop Nwachukwu said: "The joyful news is that their efforts and sacrifices were not in vain. The seeds they sowed have given rise to plants which are now flourishing and bearing abundant fruits, the sheaves. We are now at the moment of the harvest, the bringing home of the sheaves. Our Dicastery has the duty to keep watering what was planted by the missionaries, and to offer support in the harvest and bringing home of the sheaves to the universal Church."

The time of harvest

Fortunatus Nwachukwu noted that "someone has suggested that if the Church in the mission territories is called the Church of the sheaves, then that in the West, which sent out the missionaries, should also be called the Church of the seeds." The project, he explained, "is being developed by our Dicastery in collaboration with the Centre for World Catholicism of DePaul University in the USA, our own Urbaniana University and a wide network of university professors, mainly theologians," aimed at "preparing the sheaves for their welcome into the family of the Universal Church and the local churches in the West." A "first global conference," he announced, "is foreseen here at our University next month."

A past to honor, not to erase

Speaking both as an official of the Dicastery and, in his own words, "part of the sheaves myself," the Archbishop expressed gratitude to the Churches that sent missionaries, "heroes of our faith" who "sacrificed the most beautiful moments of their youth, including their very lives," for values "on which Europe as we know it has been built." He concluded with a pointed remark on current tensions within the Church: "Unfortunately, sometimes when some people from our local Churches today insist on remaining faithful to those teachings of the missionaries, they are tagged as conservatives. Many in the West want them to abandon the teachings received from the missionaries from the West, to embrace new and untested values that are taught by persons who do not and cannot stand any comparison with the missionaries in their conviction and fraternal solidarity. We cannot abandon our heritage or neglect the past, since the future is rooted in it. Please, help us to honour the memories of your heroic brothers and sisters, the missionaries, also by offering a warm welcome to the fruits of their sacrifices, in the Church of the sheaves."

The risk of programs that turn into “Blah Blah Blah”

Earlier, Cardinal You Heung S*k had opened his own address by recalling his years as a young bishop in Daejeon, South Korea, appointed Coadjutor by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2003. Facing "situations that were unfamiliar to me, at times painful and delicate," he said he had set himself three priorities that still guide him: "being, not doing," that is, living daily as "a disciple of Jesus"; "focusing on relationships" with collaborators, priests and fellow bishops rather than on activities, since this "opens wide the doors to what matters most: experiencing the Kingdom of God"; and "keeping our eyes fixed on the one Teacher: the Crucified and Risen One." Without this grounding in the Gospel, he warned, "everything else, including the wonderful programme of a synodal and missionary Church, risks remaining 'blah blah': words, programmes and activities that do not change the hearts of people and the life of communities."

Lazzaro You then focused on synodality, recalling that the 2016 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis already insists on the "communal dimension" of formation, common life in the seminary and "presbyteral communion" being, together with spirituality, "the training ground for becoming ever more missionary disciples, servants of our brothers and sisters, going beyond the risks of individualism and clericalism." This orientation, he explained, was carried further by the Synod on Synodality, whose Final Document called for the formation of candidates to be shaped "in a synodal style," requiring, among other things, "a significant presence of women," "an insertion into the daily life of communities," "education in collaborating with everyone in the Church," "formation for ecclesial discernment," and "a passion for the missio ad gentes." On this basis, Synod Study Group 4, tasked by Pope Francis with reviewing the Ratio "from a synodal and missionary perspective," chose not to rewrite the document but to draft a Preliminary Document setting out "the relational identity of ordained ministers in a synodal missionary Church," published last March together with 26 examples of good practice already at work around the world, including, he noted, "the involvement of women in the formation team itself." He also recalled the origin of the 2024 International Congress for the Ongoing Formation of Priests: a brother bishop had once told him, "Now you are responsible for ensuring that all the priests of the world are happy."

Cardinal You Heung S*k linked this trajectory to Pope Leo XIV's recent Apostolic Letter "Una fedeltà che genera futuro," issued for the 60th anniversary of the conciliar decrees Optatam totius and Presbyterorum Ordinis, noting that two of its five chapters are devoted to "Fidelity and fraternity" and "Fidelity and synodality." He quoted the Pope's question, "How, indeed, could we ministers be builders of living communities if an effective and sincere fraternity did not reign first of all among us?", and his call for presbyters to move beyond "the model of an exclusive leadership, which leads to the centralization of pastoral life and the burden of all responsibilities being placed on him alone," toward "an increasingly collegial leadership, through the cooperation of presbyters, deacons and the whole People of God..."

Rome (Fides News Agency) – Bishops ordained in the last two years gathered in Rome on 8 September

ASIA/CHINA - Andrew Ding Yang ordained Archbishop of Chongqing: by Marta ZhaoChongqing – On Tuesday morning, September 8...
08/09/2026

ASIA/CHINA - Andrew Ding Yang ordained Archbishop of Chongqing: by Marta Zhao

Chongqing – On Tuesday morning, September 8, the liturgical feast of the Holy Name of Mary, the Mass for the episcopal ordination of Father Andrew Ding Yang, the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chongqing in the Chinese Province of Sichuan, was celebrated at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Chongqing.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Andrew Ding Yang Archbishop of Chongqing on July 18, 2026, according to information released today by the Holy See Press Office, “having approved his candidacy within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China” concerning the appointment of Chinese bishops.

With the episcopal appointment of Leo XIV and today’s episcopal ordination, the number of new Chinese Catholic bishops ordained in full communion with the Bishop of Rome under the framework of the Provisional Agreement has risen to 18. The agreement on the appointment of bishops was signed by the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China under Pope Francis on September 22, 2018. It was renewed for two-year periods in 2020 and 2022 and subsequently extended for four years in October 2024.
The process leading to the appointment and episcopal ordination of Paul Liu Honggang also took place entirely, from its earliest stages, during the pontificate of Pope Prevost.
Joseph Li Shan, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Beijing, presided over the celebration as consecrator. The co-consecrators were He Zeqing, Bishop of the Diocese of Wanzhou; Luo Xuegang, Bishop of the Diocese of Yibin, in Sichuan Province; Cui Qingqi, Bishop of the Diocese of Wuhan, in Hubei Province; Xiao Zejiang, Bishop of the Diocese of Guizhou; and Matthew Shen Xuebin, Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Beijing. Some 350 priests, religious women, seminarians and lay faithful attended the ceremony.

Andrew Ding Yang was born on September 16, 1981, in Hechuan District, Chongqing. From 2000 to 2006, he attended the Beijing Seminary. After one year of pastoral training at St. Joseph’s Parish in Yuzhong , he was ordained a priest on May 24, 2007. He subsequently served as assistant parish priest at the same parish.
From 2009 to 2011, he lived in Macau, where he studied theology at St. Joseph University. From 2012 to 2014, he served as a formator at the National Theological Seminary in Beijing. In March 2014, he moved to Rome, where he studied at the University of the Holy Cross and returned to China the following year. He subsequently served as parish priest in Tongliang, Tongnan, Tongguanyi and Jiulongpo, in the Archdiocese of Chongqing.

Today, Chongqing has around 120,000 faithful, served by about 30 priests, with 30 churches and 20 places of prayer. The Archdiocese is also home to sisters of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who run a home for the elderly known as “Ren Ai – Charity.”

The history of the Archdiocese of Chongqing is intertwined with some of the most important developments in the history of Catholicism in China: missionary evangelization, inculturation, the relationship between the Church and foreign powers, the growth of the Chinese clergy and the country’s profound social transformations.

The origins of the modern missionary evangelization of Sichuan Province date back to the 17th century. In 1696, the Apostolic Vicariate of Sichuan was established. On April 2, 1856, the Holy See divided the Apostolic Vicariate of Sichuan and established the Apostolic Vicariate of Southeastern Sichuan, the predecessor of the present-day Archdiocese of Chongqing. In 1860, it was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Sichuan.
During this period, missionary activity was carried out primarily by missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society . A major city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Chongqing was already an important political and commercial centre at the time. It therefore gradually became one of the main bases of Catholic missionary activity.

In 1924, the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Sichuan officially took the name Apostolic Vicariate of Chongqing. In 1929, part of its northeastern territory was separated to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Wanzhou. On April 11, 1946, Pope Pius XII established the ordinary ecclesiastical hierarchy in China, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Chongqing was elevated to the status of an archdiocese. It also became the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical Province of Sichuan.
During the second half of the 20th century, the Archdiocese of Chongqing experienced a prolonged period of difficulties in its ecclesial life.

The history of Chongqing is also closely linked to missionary figures such as Father Vincent Lebbe, who took the Chinese name Lei Mingyuan, a Belgian missionary of the Congregation of the Mission. Chongqing is also home to one of the most beloved shrines among Chinese Catholics, where Father Lebbe’s remains are preserved.
“I will go to China and die a martyr,” Vincent said when he was 11 years old. He kept his promise half a century later, when he died in Chongqing in 1940.

Father Vincent strongly believed that the Church in China should be led by Chinese themselves and that priests, bishops and Church leaders of Chinese origin needed to be formed. Father Lei is still remembered today as one of the most important figures in modern Chinese Catholicism.
His spirituality, his complete identification with the Chinese people, his commitment to justice and his creativity in promoting new forms of apostolate are among the most significant aspects of his legacy. Belgian Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens, one of the leading figures of the Second Vatican Council, described him as “a precursor of the main orientations that would later emerge from the Council.”

by Marta Zhao Chongqing (Fides News Agency) – On Tuesday morning, September 8, the liturgical f

08/09/2026

ASIA/CHINA - Ordination of the Archbishop of Chongqing: Vatican City – Today, Tuesday, September 8, 2026, the episcopal ordination of Rev. Andrew Ding Yang took place. On July 28, 2026, the Holy Father appointed him Archbishop of Chongqing , after approving his candidacy within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
Rev. Andrew Ding Yang was born on September 16, 1981, in Hechuan District, Chongqing. From 2000 to 2006, he attended the Beijing Seminary. After one year of pastoral training at St. Joseph’s Parish in Yuzhong , he was ordained a priest on May 24, 2007. He subsequently served as assistant parish priest at the same parish.
From 2009 to 2011, he lived in Macau, where he studied theology at St. Joseph University. From 2012 to 2014, he served as a formator at the National Theological Seminary in Beijing. In March 2014, he moved to Rome, where he studied at the University of the Holy Cross and returned to China the following year.
He subsequently served as parish priest in Tongliang, Tongnan, Tongguanyi and Jiulongpo, within the Archdiocese of Chongqing.

Agenzia Fides: Organo di informazione delle Pontificie Opere Missionarie dal 1927

AMERICA/HAITI - Father Miraglio: “Invest in education today to reap good fruit tomorrow”: Pourcine-Pic Makaya – First da...
08/09/2026

AMERICA/HAITI - Father Miraglio: “Invest in education today to reap good fruit tomorrow”: Pourcine-Pic Makaya – First day of school in Haiti; the school year traditionally begins with the Mass invoking the Holy Spirit. “Unfortunately, many schools, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, but not only there, have had to postpone their opening because of insecurity, violence and an education system in disarray,” Father Massimo Miraglio, a Camillian missionary and parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the hills of the village of Pourcine-Pic Makaya, told Fides.

“At the parish school in Pourcine-Pic Makaya, we have been working for several days to prepare for the opening, in accordance with the Ministry’s academic calendar. Today we are reopening our doors in the hope of a good school year. All the teachers are here and the students have turned out in large numbers, but the building housing the classrooms is still in a very precarious condition, despite some maintenance and reinforcement work.”

In recent months, drought and the resulting loss of much of the harvest have further worsened the population’s living conditions. “Our commitment is to remain close to families and students.”
“The longer I continue in my ministry, the more I realize how fundamental the school is in laying the foundations for a better future for our community,” the Camillian missionary stressed. “Invest in education today to reap good fruit tomorrow. It is a struggle whose outcome is highly uncertain, but here at the parish school of Pourcine-Pic Makaya, we are not backing down,” Father Massimo concluded.

Pourcine-Pic Makaya (Fides News Agency) – First day of school in Haiti; the school year traditiona

ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Consecrated men and women: Gospel witness and the fight against corruption: Zamboanga – Credible Gosp...
08/09/2026

ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Consecrated men and women: Gospel witness and the fight against corruption: Zamboanga – Credible Gospel witness in the Philippines requires strong action against corruption, political dynasties and the misuse of public funds. This is the appeal made at the conclusion of their national assembly by 233 Filipino consecrated men and women representing 159 religious congregations. Faith, they said, requires addressing the country’s social problems rather than remaining silent.
“We choose truth over disinformation, justice over corruption, accountability over political self-interest and entrenched dynasties,” says the final statement released on September 6, stressing that “consecrated life is measured by Gospel witness.”

Filipino consecrated men and women expressed concern about issues affecting the nation, including poverty, inequality, destructive mining, human trafficking, displacement, natural disasters and armed conflict. These realities, they said, continue to threaten human dignity and require action on the part of believers.
The statement also recalls the public controversy that has unfolded over the past year surrounding corruption in flood-control projects, while condemning the political polarization affecting the country.
Reaffirming their commitment through the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Filipino religious congregations pledged to stand alongside farmers, workers, fishermen, indigenous communities, migrants, seafarers and the urban poor — all sectors of society facing poverty and exploitation.
“Peace and fraternity in the nation are the fruits of truth, justice, reconciliation, dialogue, human dignity and a right relationship with creation,” the religious men and women conclude.

The scandal surrounding so-called “ghost projects” for flood control in the Philippines involves billions of pesos allocated for flood-control infrastructure by the Department of Public Works. Many projects were reportedly paid for but either did not exist, were incomplete, were of poor quality or had been built in the wrong locations. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. publicly raised the issue in 2025, prompting inspections and investigations.
According to estimates, more than 400 projects were found to be either completely non-existent, built in the wrong locations or not compliant with required standards. As of September 2026, the Office of the Ombudsman has filed around 35 cases in court while preliminary investigations are underway into a further 166 complaints.
On September 7, the Ombudsman filed a case alleging aggravated misappropriation involving 7.44 billion pesos against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and three other defendants, over alleged bribes linked to flood-control projects and other infrastructure.

Zamboanga (Fides News Agency) – Credible Gospel witness in the Philippines requires strong action

AFRICA/GHANA - Supreme Court controversy: Bishops call for greater caution, not resignation: Accra – The Chief Justice o...
08/09/2026

AFRICA/GHANA - Supreme Court controversy: Bishops call for greater caution, not resignation: Accra – The Chief Justice of Ghana, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, should exercise greater caution when making public statements, but there are no grounds to call for his resignation. This, in essence, is the position of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference regarding the controversy sparked by remarks made by Baffoe-Bonnie on September 2, 2026, during working visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the Minerals Income Investment Fund .

The Chief Justice made a critical reference to the “last eight years” which, in Ghana’s political context, could reasonably be interpreted as a comparison between the current administration and the previous one. What might have been intended as an assessment of institutional performance therefore appeared, at least on the surface, to take on the character of a biased judgment, prompting strong criticism from the opposition.

In a statement signed on September 6 by its President, Msgr. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference stressed that “the independence of the judiciary is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible and unmistakable appearance of impartiality. A judge, and especially the head of the judiciary, must be, and must be seen to be, above partisan political struggles.”
“The Chief Justice, like any citizen, is entitled to his own convictions,” the Bishops said. “The question is not whether he may hold them, but whether his public conduct in office should ever create room for reasonable doubt about where he stands.”

The Bishops nevertheless believe that “calls for his resignation on this basis alone strike us as disproportionate to the offense,” adding that “the same standard of restraint must be asked of every public office holder, regardless of who occupies it or which party is in government.”

“We continue to hold the Judiciary, and all who serve the nation in public office, in our prayers, and we pray that God may grant our leaders the wisdom to serve truth, justice, and the unity of our common home,” the Bishops concluded.

Accra (Fides news Agency) – The Chief Justice of Ghana, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, should exercise greate

VENEZUELA/COLOMBIA - When the earthquake has passed, brothers and sisters remain by the side of those who continue to su...
08/09/2026

VENEZUELA/COLOMBIA - When the earthquake has passed, brothers and sisters remain by the side of those who continue to suffer: Caracas – When the first images of destruction disappear from the media, communities affected by an earthquake enter a long and silent phase: living in shelters, mourning the loss of loved ones, caring for the injured and seeking to recover hope.
While in Colombia the network of ecclesial fraternity continues to accompany the communities affected by the earthquake that struck the department of Chocó on 10 August, in Venezuela, more than two months after the tremors of 24 June, the Church remains close to those who are still suffering the consequences.
The Servants of the Home of the Mother have joined these efforts. Four Spanish religious sisters, after contacting the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martín, and the Archbishop of Caracas, Raúl Biord Castillo, travelled to Venezuela this summer to offer spiritual accompaniment to those affected.

The mission, led by Sister Paqui Morales, took them to hospitals, shelters and communities in La Guaira. “There is a great need for God,” the religious sister observed as she met people affected by the tragedy.
In the hospitals, they were able to “help bring Holy Communion to the sick, pray with them and comfort them, conveying peace and hope,” Sister Paqui recounts.
In La Guaira, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, the sisters organized a Eucharistic mission, visiting shelters and inviting people to participate in Holy Mass and in a Holy Hour. One of these celebrations took place amid the ruins of the city, offering those who had lost their homes and those who continue to live in shelters the opportunity to remain before Jesus present in the Eucharist.
With the emergency still ongoing, needs remain numerous. The religious sisters nevertheless highlight the response of the local Church. “We are proud of the Venezuelan clergy and religious, who are giving themselves without reserve for everyone,” Sister Paqui says. Food, clothing, hygiene products and medicines have been collected and distributed by parishes, while priests and religious bring the sacraments to the sick, listen to those who suffer and offer them consolation. Material assistance is handed over to the civil authorities, who are responsible for distributing it in the shelters.
In Colombia, aid efforts continue to be coordinated through Caritas, dioceses and parishes, with particular attention to rural and hard-to-reach areas. At the end of August, the Episcopal Conference announced that the national “Dona Nobis 2026” collection would also allocate resources to the dioceses affected by the earthquake, as part of the initiative “Con Colombia, hasta el último rincón” .

Caracas (Fides News Agency) – When the first images of destruction disappear from the media, commu

ASIA/BAHRAIN - The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia: A living treasure of the Saints: Manama – The Cathedral of Ou...
08/09/2026

ASIA/BAHRAIN - The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia: A living treasure of the Saints: Manama – The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Manama holds a special place in the life of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia . Catholics from many countries and cultures gather here to celebrate the Eucharist, pray, and deepen their faith.

The Cathedral, however, is more than a place of worship. According to a statement from the AVONA Press Office sent to Fides, it is also home to one of the region’s most remarkable collections of holy relics, kept in the Shrine of Our Lady of Arabia and beneath the altar itself.
These relics constitute a tangible link with the history of the Church and with the witness of the martyrs who, from the earliest centuries, gave their lives for Christ.

Among the Cathedral’s most significant relics are those of St. Arethas of Najran, whose story carries deep meaning for the Church in the Vicariate. Arethas and his companions were martyred in Najran in the year 523, remaining faithful to Christ in the face of persecution and death.
The relics of Saint Arethas are preserved both in the Chapel of Our Lady of Arabia and beneath the Cathedral’s altar .

The presence of relics beneath the altar is a custom that reaches back to the early centuries of the Church, when the Eucharist was often celebrated over the tombs of martyrs themselves. Over time, the custom of placing relics of saints beneath the altar became a sign of the bond between the sacrifice of Christ, made present in the Eucharist, and the witness of his martyrs.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Arabia houses relics of a wide range of beloved saints, reflecting the international character of the Vicariate’s faithful. Among them are St. Thomas the Apostle, who brought the Gospel to India; St. Sebastian; and several saints of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara traditions of India—St. Alphonsa, St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, St. Euphrasia Eluvathingal, and St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel. Also represented are St. Francis Xavier, St. John de Matha, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Bosco, St. Daniel Comboni, and St. Charbel Makhlouf, along with a relic of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.

The altar carries its own history. On 10 December 2023, during the Cathedral’s Dedication, relics were sealed beneath it, including those of St. Arethas of Najran and St. Josephine Bakhita , both accompanied by authentic documentation, according to the Cathedral’s dedication records. .

The Diocese of Metz in France, which is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV on 28 September, contributed several relics to the collection: St. Lucy, a virgin and martyr; St. Eustace of Luxeuil, Abbot of Luxeuil; St. Arnulf of Metz, Bishop of Metz; St. Glodesind of Metz, a virgin and foundress; and St. Augustin Schoeffler, a missionary priest martyred in Vietnam. The Cathedral also preserves relics of the Martyrs of Trier, who died in the year 287, and of St. John de Matha, founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, the religious family to which Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of AVONA, belongs.

The collection of relics, therefore, illustrates through its saints the universal dimension of the Church present in Northern Arabia: from the martyrs of the early centuries to figures of contemporary holiness, from the ancient Christian traditions of the Arabian Peninsula to saints from India, Europe and Africa. AVONA’s statement concludes by quoting the words of St. Basil the Great in his Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, soldiers who refused to offer sacrifices to pagan gods and faced martyrdom to remain faithful to Christ: “Honoring the martyrs is itself an expression of love for Christ, their common Master” .
An expression that also sums up the meaning of the veneration of the relics preserved in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia.

Manama (Fides News Agency) – The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia (OLA) in Manama holds a special p

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