Asian

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; […]

Myanmar women forced into marriage in China

Thousands of impoverished ethnic minority women in Myanmar’s war-torn Kachin and Shan States have been forced into marriages in neighbouring China, say the authors of a new study published by Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Thousands more disadvantaged women in the country’s mountainous northern most rural hinterland remain at risk of being trafficked […]

Christians fighting losing battle in ‘secular’ Nepal

Nepal’s most important festivals of the year, Dashain and Tihar, took place in October and November, highlighting the country’s deeply ingrained Hindu religious values such as brotherhood, strong family bonds, respect for all creatures, and the triumph of good over evil spirits. Families gathered to celebrate the two week-long festivals, a rare opportunity for bonding […]

In dispute with Catholic leaders, Duterte tells Filipinos to quit church

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte renewed his attacks on Catholic leaders and urged Filipinos to stop going to church altogether. The president, who earlier this year called God “stupid,” suggested in a Nov. 26 speech that people should instead build their own chapels where they can pray. “You don’t have to go to Church to pay […]

Four Finns arrested on Langkawi Island for handing out pamphlets related to Christianity

Four Finnish citizens were arrested on Langkawi Island, a well-known tourist destination in Kedah State, for allegedly distributing pamphlets related to Christianity, local police reported. If convicted, they could get two to five years in prison. On Langkawi, the largest island in the eponymous archipelago, Police Chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim said that his officers arrested […]

Card Charles Maung Bo is the new president of Asia’s bishops

Card Charles Maung Bo will be the new president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) On 1st January 2019. The archbishop of Yangon (Myanmar) was elect- ed in Bangkok (Thailand), at a meeting of the FABC Central Committee. The Myanmar cardinal replaces Card Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay (India), who will end his […]

Protecting Aasia Bibi is state’s duty, says top judge

Chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has said blasphemy accused Aasia Bibi ‘was trapped’ without any proofs and that sending her abroad for protection would be tantamount to failure of the state. The CJP, who is currently in London, expressed these views on November 22 while visiting the British Parliament where he was […]

Indian bishops slam terror attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India