(ANS - Rome) - About midnight on Friday, the Italian newspapers shocked the world of literature and culture with the news of the death of Umberto Eco, writer, philosopher, and also a Salesian past pupil. Eco received his Salesian education and, indeed, in many of his works he made reference to the Salesians and Don Bosco. In an interview he remembered the good times spent with the Salesians and expressly remembered Don Celi: "This Salesian taught me how to play a musical instrument."

(ANS - Aleppo) - The situation in Aleppo? ‘Everything here is confusion, death is everywhere, nobody can understand what is happening and we do not know who we can trust. We were preparing with young people a play to celebrate Don Bosco and we had to stop because several of them died during the bombing’. Fr Luciano Buratti, one of the three Salesians who live in the Salesian House in Aleppo, Syria, says this with a broken voice. 

(ANS - Salem) - In the South of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Salesians took with joy and dedication the responsibility of children who cannot have childhood: the ones who are affected by HIV

(ANS - Melbourne) - Matthew Kitichai Saisawang is a young Salesian in formation from Thailand.  Since 31 March 2015 he has been resident at the Salesian College of Theology at  Clifton Hill, in Melbourne, Australia. In this testimony he speaks about the difficulties but above all the good aspects of his formation abroad. He says, "It can be useful to me in my future pastoral work as a Salesian with young people."

(ANS - Morelia) - In front of a crowd of thousands of young people, Pope Francis appeared rejuvenated when he said in a loud voice: "One of the greatest treasures of this land of Mexico is its young people. Yes, you are the wealth of this land. Notice, I did not say the hope of this land, I said its wealth." The Pope was speaking in Michoacan, one of the states of Mexico, severely tried by violence, insecurity, drug production and trafficking, extortion and kidnapping, a reality that has left deep wounds.