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Papal visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor possible in 2020

A visit from Pope Francis to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor may happen in September, according to an Indonesian Muslim leader who met with the pontiff mid January. Sheikh Yahya Cholil Staquf leads the 50 million member Nahdlatul Ulama movement, which calls for a reformed “humanitarian Islam” and has developed a theological framework […]

Catholic population of S. Korea grows by 50% in 20 years

The Catholic Church in South Korea has steadily grown over the past two decades according to a study by the Catholic Pastoral Institute of Korea (CPIK) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK). 11.1% of South Korea’s population. The number of Catholics has increased by 48.6 per cent, from 3.9 million in 1999 to […]

Taiwan president tells pope of China’s religious persecution

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ingwen has written to Pope Francis to complain about China’s persecution of religion, saying that Beijing aims to threaten its democracy and freedom. Taiwan has been concerned by the Vatican’s moves to normalize ties with China, especially after a landmark on September 2018 provisional deal on appointing bishops. Tsai won reelection by […]

When Chinese Christians adapt Lunar New Year

Chinese-speaking people across the world are busy preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on Jan. 25. The festival marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat. Chinese Christians, of course, are part of the celebrations, composing and adapting the parallel sentences of greetings typical of the festival. The expression “parallel […]

Script by Capuchin priest to hit the big screens

Renowned preacher and author, Father Danny Capuchin is set to make a landmark in south Indian film industry with his story and screenplay in the upcoming Malayalam movie titled Varayan (striped). According to reports made available to media on the first day of the project, Father Danny narrates the story of a young Capuchin priest […]

Republic Day: Churches under Calcutta archdiocese to read Preamble

Catholic churches under Calcutta arch-diocese will read out the Preamble to the Constitution after Sunday service on January 26, India’s Republic Day. Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta will send a circular to all 65 parishes in the city and the seven districts, conveying the decision to them. “The Preamble to the Constitution will be read […]

Christians faced 1,774 hate crimes in four years

From 2016 to 2019, Indian Christians have faced 1,774 cases of hate crimes across 25 states and 3 Union Territories, says Persecution Relief report. In other words, India witnessed 59.6 percent rise in hate crimes against Christians during the same period, says Persecution Relief’s much-awaited “Annual Report-2019. Persecution Relief is an ecumenical forum that records […]

India listed among top 10 countries of anti-Christian violence

India is among top ten countries where most attacks on Christians were reported in 2019, according to an international persecution watchdog organization. “Violence against Christians has surged globally, with data showing more than 9,000 attacks on churches in 2019,” reports Open Doors, which claims to be the world’s largest outreach to persecuted Christians in the […]