10,000 converts per year in northeastern India

Indian Catholics having procession.

Source: Catholic Culture News

India - Despite intense opposition from local political leaders, the Church in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh has been blessed with strong growth over the past three decades. In 1978, it was illegal for Christians to enter the state; now there are 10,000 adult converts every year, and Christians make up 40% of the population.

“There are 26 major tribes, which can be divided into … more than 120 sub-tribes, and each of these sub-tribes [has] their own dialects and specific culture,” explains Salesian Bishop George Palliparampil. “They want somebody who loves them - this is my experience … I think the greatest success, if I could call it that, was that the people felt that in the Church they find somebody who walks along with them.”

Bishop near quake‘s epicenter: ‘We trust in God and ask for prayers’

Japanese Catholics (Source: CathNewsIndia

Catholic Culture News - The bishops of Japan will hold an extraordinary meeting on March 16 following the Sendai earthquake and tsunami that left thousands dead.

“The situation is very difficult,” said Bishop Martin Tetsuo Hiraga of Sendai, a diocese whose 11,000 Catholics form only 0.15% of the region’s population. “The people are exhausted and disoriented. The emotional and financial impact on society is enormous. Helpers and volunteers are arriving from all over Japan.”

“We Catholics in the Diocese of Sendai are few more than 10,000, a little flock,” he continued. “However, we continue to pray for the victims and we will do everything possible to bring relief, to testify, at this time of suffering, to the message of the Christ's love.”

“Meanwhile, we trust in God and ask for the prayers of all Christians throughout the world,” he added. “We received the Holy Father's message, and we thank him for his words that instill courage and hope. Today this is our specific mission: to help the nation to raise its eyes to heaven, and to keep alive the flame of hope.”

Among the victims of the disaster was Father Andre Lachapelle, 76, a missionary from Quebec.

TELEGRAM FROM THE POPE FOR VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAR 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., has sent a telegram of condolence to Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga S.J. of Osaka, Japan, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, for the earthquake and tsunami which have brought devastation to the country.

"Deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic effects of the major earthquake and consequent tsunamis which have struck Japan's north-eastern coastal regions, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI assures all who have been afflicted of his closeness at this difficult time. He prays for those who have died, and upon their grieving families and friends he invokes divine blessings of strength and consolation. The Holy Father also expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those providing rescue, relief and support to the victims of this disaster".

INC: The First Christians remained faithful to the Gospel till the end, therefore there is NO apostasy!

Introduction: Bro. Edwil D. Zabala: "Good day and welcome to this program, the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Bible. In today’s study we learn what it is that our faith and services should be based on so that we too can be like the early Christians who remained steadfast in their services to the Lord until the very end." (00:51 -01:05)

The CATHOLICISM PROJECT

Join Fr. Robert Barron on a journey across the planet and deep into the faith. CATHOLICISM is a breakthrough documentary series presenting the true story of Christianity and the Catholic faith.

For More Information Please Visit:
www.thecatholicismproject.org or visit Word on Fire

Damage keeps Japanese church officials from assessing needs

Photo Source: St.Mary of Vernon

By Catholic News Service

TOKYO (CNS) -- Damage from a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunamis were preventing church officials in Japan from assessing needs as tsunami warnings were issued for 50 other countries and territories.

Yasufumi Matsukuma, a staffer at the Japanese bishops' conference, told the Asian church news agency UCA News that most staffers would remain in the offices overnight because of suspended rail service and continuous aftershocks.

Vatican's top ecumenist heads to Moscow for meeting with Orthodox Patriarch

Cardinal Kurt Koch

VATICAN CITY, Catholic Culture News - Cardinal Kurt Koch, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, travels to Moscow this weekend for his first meeting with leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Cardinal Koch will meet with Patriarch Kirill, who was the chief ecumenical spokesman for the Moscow patriarchate prior to his election in January 2009 as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Their meeting follows just after a visit to the Vatican by Russia’s President Dimitri Medvedev, which had prompted speculation that the Russian leader might carry an informal message from the Moscow patriarchate.

3,400 converts in Hong Kong

Photo Source: CathNewsIndia

Hong Kong, Catholic Culture - Bishop John Tong of Hong Kong has announced that 3,400 catechumens will be baptized at the Easter Vigil.

The Church in Hong Kong has seen a rising numbers of conversions. The number of adult converts has risen from 2,000 per year in recent years to 3,040 last year, and this year's class of catechumens represents a new jump.

Some 356,000 of Hong Kong’s residents are now Catholic-- approximately 5% of the population. Thus the number of adult catechumens entering the Church at Easter will approach 1% of the existing Catholic population. To match that proportion, the New York archdiocese, for instance, would need 20,000 converts.

POPE PRAYING FOR JAPAN'S QUAKE VICTIMS

Photo Source: weball.hu

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 11, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is assuring the victims of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit off the north eastern coast of Japan today of his prayers and spiritual closeness.

The quake, one of the biggest to have ever hit Japan, struck 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, north of Tokyo, and triggered a 32-foot tsunami that swept everything in its path, including houses, infrastructure, ships, cars and farm buildings on fire.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, sent a telegram on behalf of the Pope to Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga of Osaka, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan. It read: "Deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic effects of the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit coastal regions of northeastern Japan, Pope Benedict XVI assures his closeness to the victims in this difficult time."

The telegram adds that the Pope "prays for all those who died, and their families and friends in mourning, and invokes divine blessings of strength and consolation. The Holy Father also expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those involved in rescue operations and providing relief and support to victims of this disaster."

Sendai has been the hardest hit by the disaster, where up to 300 bodies have found.

Police isolate Hebei village after death of an underground bishop

Bishop Andrea Hou Jinli of Xiwanzi, died March 9. The date of the funeral not known while police block participation of the faithful. Bishop Hao spent 10 years in prison and 10 years in a concentration camp.

Beijing (AsiaNews / EDA) - The village of Gonghui (Hebei) has been cut off by the police to prevent large groups of Catholics who want to pay their last respects to the remains of an underground bishop.

Bishop Andrea Hao Jinli of Xiwanzi died March 9 at the age of 95. The diocese of Xiwanzi (Hebei) is a diocese of the underground Church, with 15 thousand faithful, about 260 km north of Beijing, near the border with Inner Mongolia.

Christians protest: government blocks 30 thousand Bibles in Malay

The Christian Federation of Malaysia express the disappointment, anger and despair of Christians in a statement: "It would seem that the authorities are conducting an ongoing program, surreptitiously and systematically against Christians in Malaysia, denying them access to the Bible in the Malay language. " The block tied to the controversy on the use of the word "Allah" to refer to God

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The largest Christian organization in Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, said it is "fed up" of the government's refusal to allow the distribution of tens of thousands of Bibles. It argues that it is an affront to religious freedom. It is a rare protest by the Christian Federation of Malaysia. It 's also a sign of growing impatience among the religious minorities, over the dispute, now years old, on the government ban on the use of the word "Allah" as a translation of the word "God" in the Bible and Christian religious texts in the Malay language.

Federation president, Bishop Ng Moon Hing said that the authorities are holding 30 thousand copies of the Bible in Malay in a port of the island of Borneo. This is the latest attempt by Christians to import Bibles, particularly from Indonesia, after previous attempts failed. There are no problems for texts in English.

No Doubt, the Iglesia ni Cristo Doxology is Trinitarian!

Sagot ni READMeINC sa aking naunang blog na IGLESIA NI CRISTO Trinitarian Doxology. (ReadmeINC's  wordings are in black and my response is in blue)

March 6, 2011 from Readme INC have trinitarian doxology? INC doxology: Purihin natin ang Ama, [Could be "Purihin ang Anak"] Mabuhay sa pag-ibig ng Anak, [Could be "Mabuhay sa pag-ibig ng Ama"] Taglayin ang espiritung banal, [Could be "Taglayin ang Espiritu ng Ama/Anak"] [Could be said either way without doctrinal error.] Ang Diyos ay lagi nating sambahin [Implying that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God should be worshipped-- which is doctrinally accetable!] Amen. [Amen to that indeed!]

WARNING: Anti-Catholics off to the World Youth Day in Madrid

"Catholic for a Free Choice" is NEVER a Catholic in the first place!

Anti-Catholic Propaganda targeting Catholic Youths

World Youth Day will be non-partisan.

The Catholic faith will be attacked by both

the anti-Catholic left and the anti-Catholic right.

Fight and Defend Catholic Youths at World Youth Day! 

DONATE NOW!

A Must-read article for anti-Catholics and Iglesia ni Cristo members!

Here is an article that is a CHALLENGE to all anti-Catholics, including members of the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Mormons. - CD2000

Article Source: The Rock Catholic Magazine

I'LL LEAVE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IF…

By KENNETH RAMAGE (Kenneth Ramage is president of Catholic Resource Ministries in Visalia, California.)

The ROCK Catholic Mag

I AM a Catholic today for one reason: obedience to Christ. This was not the reason I joined the Church in 1971. I joined because it was important to my devout, cradle-Catholic wife. Of course, I was able to find reasons to join which satisfied my intellectual pride. Then in 1991 my beliefs about the Church were challenged within my own family. I was forced to hit the books to defend my faith.

Through study, I discovered a Church capable of surviving through two millennia of Roman persecutions, bad popes, and the Protestant Reformation. I found a Church constantly reforming and renewing itself from within, a Church adapting itself to every age and every culture without compromising God's eternal truths. I learned of a Church not founded on the theology of any man or group of men, but by Christ through the apostles.

I have listed below four propositions central to why I believe the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ. For those who believe my eternal soul is in jeopardy because of these beliefs, I offer this challenge. If you can disprove even one of these propositions, I will leave the Catholic Church and become a Protestant.

INC Ministers' willful DISHONESTY and INFIDELITY to the SCRIPTURES!

How could anyone believe in a "church" which deliberately twists and distorts what's written in the Bible so as to accomodate their own teachings and may DECEIVE many?

Gross dishonesty in the IGLESIA NI CRISTO in quoting the Holy Scripture misleading and is very deceiving.  IMHO it's a willful DISRESPECT of the Bible.  How could someone who uses the pulpits preaching nothing but to believe in a LIE that has been perpetuated by equally dishonest preachers? Salvation is a choice. The CHOICE is yours!

Consider the following: Here is what is written in the Holy Scriptures (in Tagalog Language):

"...iglesia ni Cristo" raw ayon sa Biblia!

Below is an example of what's been OFFICIALLY TAUGHT,  continually PRINTED in all its publications distributed within the Iglesia ni Cristo (PASUGO and GOD'S MESSAGE)!

WARNING!

Pope's Book: Jesus of Nazareth NOW in bookstores

Title: Jesus of Nazareth
Author: Josef Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and 20 more languages
Nature: Spiritual Meditation (not a doctrine; no way an exercise of the Magisterium)
Copies: 1.2 million so far.

Egyptians protest against sectarianism

By AFP

CAIRO (AFP) - Hundreds of Egyptians holding up crosses and Korans massed Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against sectarianism, following religious clashes that left at least 13 people dead.

"Muslims and Christians are one," chanted flag-waving protesters in the swelling crowd, as others held up banners depicting an entwined cross and crescent.

The rally comes day after Egypt's new military rulers met with representatives of Christian Copts in a bid to allay fears of a return to sectarian violence.

Bloody fighting erupted on Tuesday in the working class Cairo district of Moqattam when Muslims confronted 1,000 Christians who had been blocking a main road in protest at the burning of a church last week.

Cairo, Al-Azhar condemns violence against Christians

The death toll rises to 13 from clashes between Copts and Muslims in recent days in Cairo, after the burning of a church. The violence has mainly involved the landfill district of Mansheya.

Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Grand Imam from the Islamic University of Al - Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyib, condemns the attack on the Coptic Church of Soul, which took place on 5 March. In a press release, the Islamic leader has called the action a "distortion of Islam" and called on the Muslim community to rebuild the village church to defuse the climate of tension and violence between Copts and Muslims.

After the fire of the Coptic Church of St. Mina and St. George in Soul (30 km from Cairo) Copts, Muslims and pro-democracy activists returned to the streets of the capital in protest. From March 6 thousands of Christians, supported by many Muslims, have protested outside the headquarters of the Egyptian TV, asking for the reconstruction of the building. Demonstrations have also taken place in Tahrir Square.

ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE ERUPTS AGAIN IN INDIA

Local Authorities Fail to Punish Perpetrators

Burned Church in Orissa (Photo Source: NJChristian)

BHUBANESHWAR, India, MARCH 9, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Christians in the Orissa state of India have been undergoing repeated violence since December, with a particular increase over the last month.

Fides reported more than ten episodes in which Christians, including pregnant women and children, were injured by attackers.

Evangelical Pastor Vijay Purusu reported that the Christians are being attacked and beaten in night raids.

Local sources told Fides that the perpetrators belong to the same militant fundamentalist Hindu movement, "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh," that was responsible for a wave of attacks in 2007-2008, which resulted in the destruction of 6,600 Christian homes.

The Swiss Guards

In case you really are interested in knowing those guards protecting the Pope. They are the SWISS GUARDS