The Catholic News

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - “God forbid they find oil in our country." This is the sentence written by an African journalist during the "Workshop: Media and Africa," summing up the perception of the African people on the bad use of their material resources of the continent, which has transformed from blessing into curse, especially due to the serious environmental damage caused by mining activities.

The theme of the competition among global powers in the hoarding of African resources and the impact of this new "scramble for Africa" on the continent's development were the focus of the workshop, sponsored by the Institute for International Policy Studies (ISPI ) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The seminar, held in Rome on October 13, was attended by several journalists and experts in African issues.

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – Brutal violence has been committed against two Christian girls: Lubna Masih, age 12, was raped and murdered by a group of Muslims in Rawalpindi and Kiran Nayyaz of Faisalabad, a 13-year-old Catholic, was raped by a Muslim youth and is now pregnant, under the protection of the local Catholic Church. The Christian community in Pakistan is in shock.

Reliable local sources of Fides reported the case of Lubna Masih, daughter of Saleem and Gudde Masih, a Christian family living in Dhoke Ellahi Buksh, a district of Rawalpindi. Saleem Masih works as a taxi driver and worked hard to pay for the studies of his only daughter.

On September 27, at 6:30 am, the girl left the house to buy milk. A group of five young Muslims stopped her and forced her into a car that drove swiftly away. She screamed, but nobody came to her aid. They took her to the cemetery of Dhoke Ellahi Buksh, where they rape and murder her, leaving the body. A few hours later, passers-by call the police, who verify the death.