VATICAN (CNS): Some 2,000 people completed the first ever multi-religious half-marathon (21 kilometres) in Rome, Italy on September 17. The Via Pacis (Peace Road) initiative was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture.
 
According to Monsignor Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda, undersecretary of pontifical council and head of the office’s section on sport, almost 4,000 people also signed up for the shorter, five kilometer fun run.
 

ROME (SE): Hot on the heels of an article appearing in the Vatican magazine, Civilta Cattolica, attacking right wing Catholics in the United States of America (US) for what it called running an ecumenism of hate in cooperation with fundamentalist evangelical groups, a second article has appeared in a different Vatican publication, L’Osservatore Romano, claiming the main obstacle to the reforms Pope Francis wants to see in the Church is the clergy.
 

TAIPEI (UCAN): The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, met with Oscar Andres Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga, the coordinator of the nine-member Council of Cardinal Advisers to Pope Francis during her recent visit to four Central American nations.

On the second day of her tour in Honduras, Tsai attended a Mass at the Basilica of Suyapa in Tegucigalpa and received a blessing from Cardinal Maradiaga.

VATICAN (CWN): A new book based on research in the Vatican’s secret archives shows that the apostolic delegate to Turkey, Archbishop Angelo Mario Dolci, took extraordinary measures to stop the genocidal campaign against Armenians in the early 20th century.

While acting as apostolic delegate in Constantinople, the archbishop wrote to Turkish authorities in 1915 arguing against the genocide, researcher, Valentina Karakhanian, claims.