Sri Lankans Welcome Pilgrim Virgin Statue

FIDES, March 24 — An ancient statue of Mary recently completed a nationwide pilgrimage of peace in the war-torn island nation of Sri Lanka, the missionary news service reported.

Sri Lanka bishops organized the first-ever pilgrimage of the 450-year-old statue of Our Lady of Madhu in an effort to bring peace and stability to their country, which remains embroiled in a 17-year-old civil war.

“Our Lady of Madhu has come to visit her children in trouble,” Archbishop Nicolas Marcus Fernando of Colombo told the massive crowds who thronged a church and nearby roads for a vigil service in honor of the miraculous statue.

Said the archbishop, “We have prayed to Mary for peace in our land. She is the Queen of Peace. She is our advocate. Let us remind her of her favors in times of need, as in war. Now we have our own war. Let her come from the north to the south to unite all as her children.”

Parisians Flock to Afro-Christian Cults

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, March 22 — A large increase in the number of evangelical cults in France is drawing black worshippers from orthodox established churches to an exotic new vision of “Afro-Christianity,” the London daily reported.

Every Sunday, large crowds flock to a northern Paris suburb to take part in services that feature throbbing drums and swaying choirs, all-action sermons and prayer sessions devoted to faith-healing and clairvoyance.

David Brown, a British Protestant missionary who ministers near Paris, said about 400 evangelical churches have sprung up during the past decade while attendance at Catholic services has plummeted. Said Brown, “Evangelical Christianity appeals to a lot of people as a third way between Catholicism and secularism.”

Catholics in Uzbekistan Victims of Religious Ban

KESTON NEWS, March 23 — A concert of Christian music scheduled for October in the Church of the Sacred Heart in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent seems to be the first victim of a February decree that bans state educational institutions from having any contact with religious organizations, the news service reported.

Catholic officials told Keston News that musicians and singers from the city's conservatory took part in such a concert in mid-February, but will not be able to do so again without special permission.

Philippines Movie Censor Resigns Over Sex Film

ASSOCIATED PRESS, March 22 — The Philippines' top movie censor resigned recently after the country's president threatened to fire him over the wide distribution of a pornographic film about sex performers, the news service reported.

Nicanor Tiongson, chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, said he could no longer work amid Church and state criticism.

Church officials criticized Tiongson in early March for the approval of Live Show, a Philippine movie about sex performers. More recently, newly installed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo threatened to fire Tiongson for approving the film.