Asian

Two Christian brothers sentenced to death for blasphemy in Punjab

Two Christian brothers have been sentenced to death in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) announced on December 14. Qaisar and Amoon Ayub, from Lahore, were arrested in 2015 after one of the two was accused of posting offensive material against Islam on their website. Qaisar and his wife Amina […]

Dubai church cuts down celebrations to help Kerala

A church in Dubai has cut down on its golden jubilee celebrations and donated 10 million rupees (Dh 542,643) to the flood-ravaged south Indian State of Kerala, church officials said. Announcing the details of the valedictory function of the 50th anniversary celebrations of St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral scheduled on Dec. 28, church officials said many […]

A Dubai wall with 25,000 images of Jesus

While many would search online for wallpapers and images of Jesus Christ on special occasions like Christ-mas, this Indian expat has one of the largest collections of Christ’s images on the wall of his Dubai accommodation. Lorence Maman Neriam-parampil, 45, proudly owns a collection of over 25,000 unique pictures of Jesus. He has displayed all […]

A message of peace from the Catholic community in Abu Dhabi

The St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi has a message of peace to deliver Pope Francis during his visit to the capital from February 3 to 5. According to the official itinerary of Pope Francis released by The Vatican, he will make a stop at the St Joseph’s Cathedral on February 5 Tuesday before heading to […]

Rodrigo Duterte’s office denies he wants to kill bishops

The office of Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial Philippine president, on December 6 was forced to play down remarks he had made about killing bishops, claiming it was only “hyberbole” and not a genuine threat. In a speech to local government officials on December 5, Mr Duterte, who has a running feud with the influential Catholic […]

Catholic bishops show solidarity with embattled youth in Middle East

“In light of the difficulties and challenges you face in the midst of the current situation in the Middle East, and in light of the bleak migration that threatens your future and the Christian presence [in the region] as a whole, we stand by you,” the Conference of the Catholic Patriarchs of the East wrote […]

Filipino Catholics challenge Duterte attacks on church

Filipino Catholics are not letting relentless attacks by President Rodrigo Duterte on the church and its leaders go unchallenged. An influential lay organization has called on Catholics “to stand up for God and defend our faith in Him … [and] renew our commitment to go and fill our churches.” The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the […]

Chengdu, abuse and police violence after the arrest of 100 Protestant Christians

About 100 Protestant Christians and seminary students were arrested in Chengdu (Sichuan) between 9 and 10 December. Some of the faithful, later released claimed they were “raped and abused” by the policemen who kept them in custody. Among those arrested are Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong , taken away by the police; […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica