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World Bank: one in two people in rural Sri Lanka live below the poverty line

Sri Lanka has lost half a million jobs in industry and services. With the rising cost of living, this has doubled the national poverty level to 25 %, this according to the World Bank’s latest report titled, “Sri Lanka Development Update 2022”. One of the consequences has been the growth in regional disparities. While poverty […]

Asian nations among worst religious freedom violators

China, Myanmar, North Korea, India, and Pakistan were listed among the worst offenders against religious freedom or belief last year, according to an annual report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The commission’s report, released on May 1, documented “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations” of the right to freedom of religion or […]

Nearly half of world’s child brides are in South Asia

South Asia faces the daunting task of eliminating child marriages as the region is home to nearly half of the world’s child brides, says a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). South Asian countries account for 290 million or 45 % of the total of 640 million child brides globally, according to the […]

The fading Japanese Church, the growing Church in Japan

The number of foreigners living in Japan has reached an all-time high. According to the country’s Immigration Services Agency, more than three million aliens were living in Japan at the end of 2022. In fact, the agency’s count of 3,075,213 is lower than the actual number because there are undocumented aliens in the country in […]

Blasphemy lynching scares Pakistani Christians

A mob in Pakistan lynched a Muslim cleric for allegedly committing blasphemy by defaming Prophet Muhammad on the 25th death anniversary of Catholic Bishop John Joseph who killed himself protesting controversial blasphemy law. Nigar Alam, 40, was beaten to death on May 6 after he made a speech during a political rally in the northwestern […]

Pope lands in Hungary rallying for a unified, welcoming Europe

Pope Francis kicked off his three-day visit to Hungary on April 28 praising the country for its traditional values and making a forceful appeal for European unity, decrying the rise of nationalist populism he faulted for a breakdown in multilateralism. He also advocated on behalf of migrants in a country with a strict closed-door policy, […]

Harassment continues against Indian Christians

Around 50 Christians, including 10 pastors, were attacked in an Indian village in Chhattisgarh State on Sunday following accusations of religious conversion by a radical Hindu party. The community had gathered to pray in a private home when an armed mob, reportedly belonging to the militant Hindu nationalist organization, Bajrang Dal, surrounded the home, barged in, and […]

Survey of New Priests: Most Pray Rosary, Go To Eucharistic Adoration, Parents Stayed Married

CARA sought survey respon-ses from the 458 seminarians to be ordained this year. It received 334 responses, a response rate of 73%. Responses came from ordi-nands at 116 U.S. dioceses and 24 different religious institutions. More than 450 men are set to be ordained priests this year, and the survey of their ordination class shows […]