In a statement released recently, Archbishop Jose Fernandez Arteaga of Chihuahua, Mexico reflected on the health crisis facing the country and
said the situation reveals that “we depend on God.”

The Vatican is launching a Chinese version of its web site in an effort to
bring more of Pope Benedict’s message to China. The Pope’s speeches
and other content will be available in both traditional and simplified
Chinese characters. The Vatican statement said it hoped the site would
be used by “internet users from throughout the world”, but some
Church sources and diplomats said they feared the site could be blocked
by Chinese authorities, as has been the fate of other web sites.

The world’s oldest Benedictine monk died in Indiana recently at the age 108. Father Theodore Heck, was a monk and priest of St. Meinrad
Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. He was born in Chariton, Iowa on
January 16, 1901.

Bishops of Sudan are expressing concern that arresting the nation’s
president might not to do anything to help stop the suffering in the
country.

The meeting’s conclusion
underlined the importance of
helping Catholics in China to tell
others of the beauty and
reasonableness of Christian faith,
and to present it as the proposal offering the best answers from an intellectual and existential standpoint.

The Pope concluded by
expressing the hope that his
visit may “Jews and
Christians and Muslims may
live in peace and harmony in
this Holy Land”.

According to an archbishop in Iraq, the Christians are worried about a
forthcoming withdrawal of international troops from the country since
security is still lacking.

A University of Alabama professor who recently studied in China for several months reports that
Catholics in the country are
enjoying freedoms but are
anxious about government
monitoring and “terrified”
their liberties may be swiftly taken away.

The Holy Father particularly
mentions the plight of Africa,
noting that he has just returned
from an apostolic journey there,
during which “I had the
opportunity to see at first hand
the reality of severe poverty and
marginalization, which the crisis
risks aggravating dramatically.”

For the occasion of Benedict XVI’s forthcoming apostolic trip to
Cameroon and Angola, due to take place from 17 to 23 March, statistics
have been released concerning the Catholic Church in those two African
countries.