Life is getting back to normal in Tripoli according to its Apostolic Vicar, Bishop Giovanni Martinelli. “Life begins to return slowly back to normality. There are no particular difficulties,” the bishop said. “In the past days Masses were celebrated without problems and safely,” he added. “Among the Catholics present in Libya I once again want Read more
Catholics hope they will be able to continue to practice their faith in a rebel-led Libya. Libyan Catholics were permitted to worship under Qaddafi’s leadership and there are reports from rebel-led areas that the Church is functioning without restriction, though some uncertainty remains. “The future is very uncertain but the signs from the parts of Read more
As Libya’s conflict rages on between rebel forces and troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi, Catholics in the capital city of Tripoli are seeking protection.
“Currently there are three Franciscan friars barricaded in the convent in Tripoli,” a source told the Vatican-based Fides news on Aug. 23. “No one dares to walk in the street because people are shot on sight, even if it is not clear who shoots who.”
Read the article...
The Vatican’s delegate in Tripoli is calling for a halt to Nato air strikes in Libya and for the West to negotiate with Muammar Qaddafi’s government. Bishop Giovanni Martinelli’s outspoken criticism of the human toll the war is taking has given the impression the Vatican’s longtime apostolic vicar supported Gaddafi’s 42-year regime. That was fueled Read more
Tripoli’s Roman Catholic bishop, Giovanni Martinelli along with other Christian leaders has called on the international community not to give arms to the Libyan rebels. “The risk of providing weapons to rebels in Benghazi is a way of not ending the war, [but] rather a way to lengthening it.” “We hope that in our small Read more
Pope Benedict has made repeated appeals for peace in Libya. He has expressed “anxiety for the safety and security of civilians” and urged that dialogue rather than military force be used in order to reach a peaceful solution. He appealed to international organisations and to “those who bear political and military responsibilities to immediately begin talks aimed at the Read more
The Church in crisis-torn Libya is offering shelter to stranded Bangladeshi migrant workers following an appeal by concerned bishops in their homeland. “The government is struggling to repatriate thousands of migrant workers and we can’t help them directly. With the assistance of the Vatican embassy in Dhaka, we asked the Libyan Church via the Italian Read more