Posts Tagged ‘Rio’

How Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue got there

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

If you have been watching the Olympics this year, odds are you have seen the famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue that overlooks the city of Rio. It is listed as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” and has become one of Brazil’s most famous landmarks. Measuring 124 feet tall with an arm Read more

Abseiling engineers begin repairs Rio’s Christ the Redeemer

Friday, February 21st, 2014

A team of specialists has begun to repair the statue of Christ the Redeemer, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, after it was damaged by a lightening strike last month. The Rio Archdiocese, owner of the statue, has entrusted the work to a group of abseiling eigineers, to avoid the use of scaffolds, and allow visits to Read more

Is World Youth Day worth it?

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

My Facebook newsfeed in recent days has been filled with exciting stories and photos about World Youth Day (WYD)—which ended today with a Mass in Rio. Yet again, we have had some amazing quotes from Pope Francis on his visit to Brazil reminding us about the church’s social and ethical obligations towards the poor. However, Read more

New Zealanders show the flag at World Youth Day

Friday, July 26th, 2013

This photograph, taken by a Mexican Marist priest, shows that New Zealand is literally showing the flag at the World Youth Day. There are close to 50 kiwi pilgrims, representing all the dioceses in New Zealand, making the 19 day World Youth Day pilgrimage. It began with 5 days in Santiago, Chile, where the pilgrims were Read more

Can Pope Francis shift the focus from himself to Christ?

Friday, July 26th, 2013

I’ve covered enough papal trips under Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI to be familiar with the routine. As the press centre fills, the first reports filter out of the Pope’s remarks to journalists accompanying him on the plane. The familiar Alitalia A330 touches down on the airport tarmac flying the Vatican and local Read more

Good intentions are not enough: the Earth Summit of 1992

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

ESSCNews shares this article written by Pedro Walpole after he returned from the Earth Summit.  Originally published in Intersect magazine in September 1992, the observations that Pedro wrote about 20 years ago eerily remain the same 20 years after in Rio+20. Last June, over 100 governments gathered at the United Nations Conference on the Environment Read more

Abortion proponents admit defeat at Rio Conference

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

In an astounding show of solidarity, a diverse group of countries rallied together with the Holy See to successfully remove any mention of reproductive rights or population control from the final outcome document produced during the last round of UN negotiations at the Rio +20 conference this week. For the past six months, the UN Read more

WYD 2013 registrations to open in July

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Registration for World Youth Day 2013 (WYD2013) will open in July said the organizers for the Rio event. “Rio awaits you with open arms,” organizers said as they urge young people to come to Brazil, participate in the event and show the strength of young people around the world. The only place to register for the Read more

Smartdevice App and ‘Week of Missions’ precedes WYD 2013 in Rio

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

As preparations get under way for World Youth Day, organisers in Rio have launched a new smartdevice App, and announced that a “week of missions” will precede WYD. At the request of Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and to help young people prepare to participate in World Youth Day, a “week of Read more