During its pilgrimage in Asia, this cross has given many people love and peace, consolation and hope, shining the true light. Now, through the pilgrimage to Seoul, we ask the Lord that the true light of Christ may spread widely in Seoul and throughout the world, so that the love, mercy and consolation of Christ may reach all humanity.’

With these words – reported by the Korean Catholic Times – the organising committee of World Youth Day Seoul 2027 gave thanks for the arrival of the World Youth Day Cross and the Marian icon – gifted by St John Paul II to young people – at the Chapel of the Holy Family in Myeongdong Cathedral, on 20 December last. The celebration marked the beginning of the Korean stage of the World  Youth Day symbols pilgrimage following their journey across Asia.

During the celebration, 60 participants formed a ‘community rosary,’ becoming the beads of the rosary themselves, and offered this prayer in remembrance of their brothers and sisters who are suffering in various parts of the world for different reasons. The participants prayed for those who suffer from poverty, war, the climate crisis and ethnic conflicts, and for those who, immersed in the values of the world, have forgotten the love of Christ.

The auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, Monsignor Job Koo Yo-bi, who presided over the celebration, encouraged the young people by saying, ‘I invite you to contemplate these symbols often and to prepare for World Youth Day in Seoul with the strength that comes from prayer.’

The pilgrimage to the Asian Churches began in Bangladesh and continued through Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, East Timor, Thailand and Indonesia, ending in Australia. To organise the pilgrimage, the Committee coordinated the countries visited and the calendar through the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), also sending young Koreans to create a network with young Asians. The pilgrimage of the WYD symbols in the Korean Church will begin in January 2026 in the Archdiocese of Seoul, pass through dioceses throughout the country, and conclude in May 2027 in the Diocese of Jeonju.

The ceasefire that ended the ‘twelve-day war’ between Israel and Iran ‘has not dispelled the spectre of renewed hostilities’, so much so that ‘the belligerents are preparing for the worst’ and the question seems to be ‘not if, but when’. This is what Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins, writes in a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the theme of peace in view of World Day on 1 January, from a region ravaged by ‘tensions and conflicts’ that could soon erupt again.

‘Peace should not be reduced to a simple opposition to war, just as disarmament is not reduced to the antithesis of armament,’ observes the cardinal, while winds of (a new) war with the Jewish state are blowing in the Islamic Republic. And even within the country, there is no shortage of repression and imprisonment, as shown by the recent sentence of over 50 years for five Christians “guilty” of practising their faith, or the escalation of executions, the number of which in 2025 more than doubled compared to the previous year. More than 1,900 death sentences have been carried out, according to data from the Iranian-Norwegian NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), well above the 975 in 2024.

Nevertheless, it remains an ideal and a goal, even more so, the cardinal observes, when one thinks of the ‘equivalents in Hebrew, shalom, and Arabic/Persian, salam. They indicate fullness, integrity, well-being, prosperity, health, security and harmony – not only the absence of war, but the presence of a fully realised life’. In this context, the warning at the end of the reflection becomes even more urgent: that peace may be real “in our hearts, in our communities and in our world”.

Thailand and Cambodia have signed an agreement to implement a ceasefire to stop weeks of border hostilities. The truce, signed by Thai and Cambodian Defence Ministers, puts on hold the worst conflict in years between the two countries. In 20 days of armed clashes, just over 100 people have been killed and more than half a million displaced.

In addition to ending fighting, the accord commits each party to no further military actions and to no breaches of the counterpart’s airspace for military purposes.

Only Thailand had conducted air raids during combat, striking locations in Cambodia.

Renewed fighting broke out early December after the collapse of a ceasefire that U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had helped negotiate to halt a previous round of clashes. Mr Trump pushed through the first deal, threatening to deny Thailand and Cambodia trade privileges unless both countries agreed. The U.S. President named the agreement the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords”. It ordered each party to withdraw its artillery from the contested territory and to set up an interim panel of observers to oversee the process. However, Thailand stopped complying with it in November after Thai soldiers suffered mine blast injuries.

An observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will monitor the new ceasefire and both countries will provide direct coordination. Under the new terms, the return of people displaced from affected border ‌zones will be guaranteed and neither side will use any force against civilians. Thailand will also free 18 Cambodian soldiers in its custody since the July clashes if the truce is fully upheld for 72 hours, according to the deal. Since the fighting began, hundreds of thousands of people have fled from stricken areas on both sides of the border. Each side accused the other of inciting the clashes and declared that they were acting in self-defense. December 27^th  pact, however, will not affect any boundary-setting activities in progress between the parties and the assignment of contested territories will be left to bilateral negotiations.

From 16 to 18 December 2025, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, visited the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, bringing with him the greetings and blessing of Pope Leo XIV. It was a short but highly meaningful journey, understood by the local Church as a concrete sign of the Pope’s closeness to a community made up largely of migrants and situated within a complex multicultural and interreligious context.

Central to the visit was participation in the Simbang Gabi celebrations, the Filipino Christmas novena held from 15 to 23 December, which in the Vicariate represents one of the moments of greatest ecclesial participation. Cardinal Tagle presided over Masses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, attended by more than 30,000 and 18,000 faithful respectively. These numbers reflect not only the vitality of the Filipino community, the largest in the Vicariate, but also the role of the Church as a place of belonging and spiritual support for workers and families far from their countries of origin.

Alongside the liturgical moments, ample space was devoted to pastoral meetings. Cardinal Tagle met with the Apostolic Vicar, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, with priests, office directors, and leaders of the linguistic communities, reflecting together on the challenges of a Church called to safeguard unity within diversity.  A recurring theme was interculturality. Cardinal Tagle encouraged the faithful of different languages and traditions to take part together in ministries, learning to “walk together” and to place the richness of their cultures at the service of the entire ecclesial community. This invitation echoes the image of the “joyful polyphony of faith,” dear to recent Church teaching and especially meaningful in a migratory context such as that of the Arabian Peninsula. During the visit there were also moments of direct listening, particularly with representatives of the Filipino community and with the pastoral council of Saint Mary’s Church in Dubai, considered the largest Catholic parish in the world.