Nearly all major religions of the world were born in Asia. Some characteristics of Asian spirituality – inner journey, search for depth, silence, detachment nonviolence, honesty – show their significance in today’s world. An inward pilgrimage has remained central to the Asian understanding of religion. Spirituality is the removal of all obstacles on this journey…
Read moreAs we approach the Pan-Amazonian Synod, the importance the indigenous culture. Two Augustinians, who live in Iquitos (Peru) talked about their experience. When we first arrived in the Marañon River Valley, more than two decades ago, the first thing we experienced was miscommunication: we didn’t understand the way people talked. It first struck us in…
Read moreFounded in Kerala fifty years ago, the Missionary Society of St Thomas is the first exclusively missionary Institute of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation, at Melampara (in Kerala, India), of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Thomas. Today it has grown to around 350 priests responsible…
Read moreThe Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama remembers a discussion he had with Thomas Merton on how the great religions of the world could learn from each other’s spiritual traditions. In this era of rapid secularisation it has become all the more necessary. It is often in encounter with others that we discover ourselves. Mahatma Gandhi…
Read moreIt is not so much immigration as clandestine arms trafficking that renders the Mexico/USA border highly dangerous. The Mexican cartels are famous for all the wrong reasons and their incalculable determination is a fact that no longer causes surprise among the public. Nevertheless, not all the groups involved in selling drugs adopt the same strategy…
Read moreChinese spiritual outlook made Confucius remind his people of their own inherited ethical convictions. Ethical traditions develop in society in response to the human need for guidance for life together. A spirituality of responsibility reminds us that our fates are interlinked and that we all must be concerned for each other and develop sensitivity for…
Read moreThe parish of St. Francis Xavier in the outskirts of Maputo: a centre of Christian and social commitment. Two Comboni Missionaries lead the parochial community. The parish of St. Francis Xavier is located in the chaotic neighbourhood of Benfica, near Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. At five o’clock in the morning, the streets are already…
Read moreUndoubtedly, nonviolence remains at the heart of Asian spiritual tradition. It is not that Asians are less violent than others, but a longing for peace has clung to their hearts even in the most violent of times. Ahimsa, nonviolence, remains an inspiring theme in Asia among the co-nationals of Buddha and the disciples of Lao…
Read moreAfrican cuisine offers a wide range of dishes of great flavour and variety. Food is an occasion for gathering together, for celebrating and sharing. A short culinary journey across the continent. The famous couscous, a dough made with hard grain or millet, semolina and rice, flavoured with butter and served with sheep, chicken or fish…
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Two young leaders from the A’i Cofán community of Sinangoe in Ecuador led a movement to protect their people’s ancestral territory from gold mining. Their leadership…
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Because there was a famine in the land, the spider and his family grew thinner and thinner and hungrier and hungrier. In his desperation, the spider…
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Leaving the Church does not mean abandoning the faith; moving away from the faith does not mean giving up one's spirituality. Even though they are leaving…
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