NEWS
(ANS– Baku) – From 8 to 11 July 2023, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is visiting Azerbaijan. The main reason for his first visit to the country is to have talks with the President of the Republic, Ilham Aliyev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Minister of Culture, Adil Karimli, and with the Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Fund, Anar Alekperov, on mutual cooperation between the Holy See and Azerbaijan. The Cardinal is also open to dialogue regarding possible ways and forms of consolidating peaceful coexistence and cooperation in the Caucasus.
(ANS – Madrid) – “Escuelas Salesianas”, the network that brings together all 141 schools of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Spain, continues its commitment to the formation of those who carry out educational work, with a wide range of formation courses designed and organised for teaching teams.
(ANS – Aleppo) – The earthquake that occurred in the early hours of 6 February in northern Turkey, which also hit northern Syria hard, found Aleppo a weakened city and a society exhausted by war. The emergency has once again put the Syrian people to the test, but once again they have shown their solidarity in the general emergency. The Salesians in Aleppo opened the doors of the Don Bosco House and hundreds of people found security, companionship, relief and faith there. Five months after the earthquake, the superior of the Salesian Adolescent Jesus" province of the Middle East (MOR), Venezuelan Fr Alejandro León, reflects on what he experienced in this period, with a look of hope because of the wave of solidarity, internal and external, that the country has experienced, and continues to need.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: "Being close counts, words come later"(ANS - Rome) - As he tells with a gentleness that does not seem to come from horror, he is "resting a little bit" in Rome these days. Fr Oleh Ladnyuk is a Ukrainian Salesian priest who is a military chaplain at the front, among the soldiers who fight in defence of their country and among the civilians who for over two years have seen their lives wiped out. He brings humanitarian aid where the missiles fall and from those places he helps with the evacuation of young people and adults - so far at least 500 people, but there are probably many more. These days the Salesian – who carries out his ministry in Dnipro and teaches History in a state school in the city – is in Rome to take part with two other priests and a dozen lay people from his country in the "Accompanying when Trauma Hits" course hosted by the Pontifical Salesian University in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences, with the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation and the Don Bosco Network. A project that aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the traumas caused by war.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of protection and prevention models": PGS conference with UPS(ANS – Rome) – The synergy between the Salesian Youth Sports Centres (PGS) and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome gave rise to the conference on "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of models of protection and prevention", which will take place on 13 April, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., at the UPS facilities in Rome.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide shelter and support(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and international organizations around the globe in highlighting the plight of homeless children on the International Day for Street Children. The day provides organizations and the millions of street children in countries worldwide with an opportunity to have their voices heard while ensuring that their rights are not ignored.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BOROROTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Diary of a Happy and Blessed Missionary Day
Dear friends , I’m writing to you from Meruri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I write this greeting almost as if it were a journalistic report, because it has been only 24 hours since I arrived in the middle of this Brazilian state.