Pope Francis sent his condolences to Church and civil authorities in Myanmar and Thailand after a powerful earthquake killed more than 150 people and caused widespread devastation in the region. “Deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation caused by the earthquake in Southeast Asia, especially in Myanmar and Thailand, His Holiness Pope Francis offers heartfelt prayers for the souls of the deceased and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all affected by this tragedy,” said the message sent on the pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “His Holiness likewise prays that the emergency personnel will be sustained in their care of the injured and displaced by the divine gifts of fortitude and perseverance.”
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on March 28 at 12:50 p.m. local time. It was followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.  Myanmar’s government has reported at least 144 deaths and more than 700 injuries. In neighboring Thailand, at least eight people were killed in Bangkok, where a 33-story building under construction collapsed. Officials fear the death toll could rise, as at least 90 people remain missing in the Thai capital, according to Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. The disaster comes amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war and a worsening humanitarian crisis. The country’s military junta has declared a state of emergency in the capital, Naypyidaw, and five other regions, while appealing to the international community for humanitarian assistance.
Catholic communities in Myanmar were also affected by the quake. Several churches in Mandalay sustained damage, according to the Pontifical Mission Societies’ Fides News Agency. St. Michael’s Catholic Parish was reportedly the hardest hit, while St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, was also damaged. Local Church leaders have urged Catholics to support those left homeless. Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams search for survivors amid widespread destruction.
Authorities in both Myanmar and Thailand are assessing the full extent of the damage while coordinating relief efforts.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10) — With these words of Christ as their inspiration, the bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ende in Indonesia have issued a Lenten pastoral letter calling for ecological conversion, justice for the poor, and a renewed commitment to Gospel values. The statement, released at the conclusion of their annual synod, invites the faithful to a deeper journey of reflection, repentance, and concrete action amid pressing environmental and social concerns affecting communities in Flores, Lembata, and Denpasar.
Signed by Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD (Ende), along with Bishops Silvester San (Denpasar), Fransiskus Kopong Kung (Larantuka), Siprianus Hormat (Ruteng), Edwaldus Martinus Sedu (Maumere), and Maksimus Regus (Labuan Bajo), the letter speaks with pastoral urgency to the over two million Catholics entrusted to their care—approximately 1.9 million across Flores and Lembata, and 50,000 in Denpasar.
In their message, the bishops express concern over ongoing geothermal energy developments in the region, especially in the mountainous and water-scarce islands of Flores and Lembata. While acknowledging the need for progress, they warn that “unwise exploitation harms the environment, food security, social balance, and cultural sustainability.” They question whether such extractive projects, though presented as beneficial, are instead “endangering the future,” and stress that geothermal development is not suitable for the region’s unique ecological and geographical context.
Rather, they propose alternative energy options—such as solar power—that align more harmoniously with the local environment and with Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, which calls for integral ecology and care for our common home. “The vision for Flores and Lembata,” the bishops write, “is not one of exploitation, but of sustainable development rooted in the richness of our agricultural, marine, and cultural heritage.”

Amid the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, a 22-year-old man was “brutally attacked” on March 22 by his supervisor after refusing to convert to Islam. The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported the attack, pointing to it as yet another example of “the persistent religious intolerance present in much of Pakistani society.” Of the 208 million inhabitants of the South Asian country, 96.47% are Muslim and 1.9% Christian. The remainder are Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, and members of other local religions. Attacks against Christians in Pakistan intensified in August 2023 after Muslims looted and burned more than 25 churches and at least 85 homes in Jaranwala. The local Church reported that “people are frightened and feeling hopeless.”
This weekend, at the Subhan Paper Mills in Punjab, young Christian Waqas Masih “suffered severe neck injuries” after his supervisor, identified by ACN as “Zohaib,” accused him of desecrating pages of the Quran found in the trash. The attacker was arrested by police and is charged with attempted murder. “I pray for his speedy recovery and for the well-being of his entire family. The attack on Waqas Masih is a harsh reminder of the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan and the urgent need for social change to promote tolerance and protect the rights of all citizens,” Capuchin Franciscan Lazar Aslam, who visited Masih in the hospital, told ACN. “We humbly call on the international community to pray for the victims and their families as well as to raise awareness about the difficult situation for marginalized communities in Pakistan, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights protected,” he added.

The country’s worst-ever wildfires, which engulfed a forest on March 27, have destroyed thousands of homes, infrastructure, places of worship and vehicles. The multiple wildfires, fueled by strong winds and dry weather, have been raging across South Korea’s southeastern regions. The government has mobilized thousands of personnel, dozens of helicopters and other equipment to extinguish the blazes, but the wind is hampering their efforts.
Light rain is expected, but meteorologists say it probably won’t help much in extinguishing the blazes.
Amongst the victims is the pilot of a helicopter that crashed during efforts to contain a fire Wednesday and four firefighters and other workers who died earlier after being trapped by fast-moving flames. Authorities, who suspect human error may have caused several of the wildfires, say most of the civilians who died were elderly or people who found it difficult to escape quickly or who even refused orders to evacuate.
In Cheongsong, a Buddhist temple is at risk of burning. In the southeast, two villages, including Puncheon, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th century, was ordered to evacuate. In Uiseong, about 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex, which was said to have been originally built in the 7th century, have burnt to the ground. Among them were two state-designated “treasures.” The deputy head of the government’s disaster response centre said the wildfires show “the reality of climate crisis that we have yet experienced.”

Thailand has banned corporal punishment of minors. With this important step, the Southeast Asian country is aligning with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in force since 1990, a source of debate, especially in school and families. Traditionally, the practice was tolerated in many families, and affected a high percentage of children and teenagers. According to the latest survey by the National Statistical Office, published in 2022, 54 per cent of Thais under the age of 14 received some form of physical or psychological punishment at home.
Although down from 75 per cent in 2005, the figure is still too high for UNICEF, which is promoting the total ban of the practice. With the publication of the measure in the Royal Gazette, Thailand became the 68th country in the world to prohibit the use of coercion or violence against minors for disciplinary purposes. UNICEF Thailand welcomed the news, defining the change as a model to follow to ensure the total protection of young people from all forms of violence or exploitation.
At the same time, it stresses the importance of the government backing the ban with adequate educational campaigns, especially directed at families, where the use of force as an educational tool is still widely accepted. This will not be an easy task. In Thailand the traditional idea of family remains strongly ingrained, even when it comes with excessive behaviours. Attempts at reforms have always met with resistance in the country’s military establishment and among nationalist circles who prefer “traditional” values.
It is no coincidence that, back in 2021, during the country’s periodic review, the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children reiterated that under international human rights law – the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments – states have an obligation to ban corporal punishment in all areas, including in the family.

Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan said Mr Duterte’s arrest is a crucial move toward justice for the thousands killed in his deadly drug war. “True justice … is about accountability, transparency, and the protection of human dignity,” said Bishop Bagaforo, who is also president of Caritas Philippines. “For years, former president Duterte has claimed that he is ready to face the consequences of his actions. Now is the time for him to prove it,” he said. Mr Duterte is in police custody after Interpol served him with an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity upon his arrival at Manila’s international airport. The ICC has been investigating the brutal anti-drugs crackdown that Mr Duterte oversaw while he was in office. According to UCA News, human rights groups and Church organisations estimate that between 12,000 to 30,000 people, mostly poor drug suspects from squalid ghettos and underbellies of the Catholic-majority nation, were killed during Mr Duterte’s regime.
Mr Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, but an appeals judge ruled that prosecutors still had jurisdiction over the alleged crimes because they occurred when the country was still a member. Most cases investigated by the ICC took place between 2016 and 2019. The probe also covers alleged crimes committed when Mr Duterte was mayor of Davao.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos emphasised the need for justice, stating that the victims and their families deserve truth and reparations. “These killings were not random; they were part of a policy that violated the fundamental right to life,” said Bishop Alminaza, who is also vice president of the national Caritas. “The families of the victims deserve truth, reparations, and justice. As a nation, we must ensure that such crimes never happen again,” he said.

The Greek-Catholic archbishop of Homs, Jean-Abdo Arbach, condemned the massacres of civilians that occurred in Syria last weekend – which left at least 1,000 dead – and urged Christians to maintain hope for an end to the violence and a return to unity and reconciliation.
Arbach emphasized the importance of the Christian community for the country’s future, telling the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that “without Christians, there can be no future for Syria” and urged the faithful to remain steadfast despite the trying circumstances.
“Christians are the roots of Syria and Syria is the cradle of Christianity. In Damascus we can still find the places where St. Paul converted to Christianity in the first century. We still have first-century churches and monasteries, and we have kept Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, alive,” the prelate emphasized. Furthermore, the archbishop urged those responsible to stop the hostilities: “We do not want more bloodshed. We call for unity and reconciliation. After 14 years of war, we do not need another conflict.” The attacks, which claimed more than 1,000 lives, have been attributed to militants from the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group, a coalition of Sunni Islamist insurgent groups that have seized power in the Middle Eastern country by overthrowing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Myanmar’s military has bombed a Catholic pastoral centre in the northern Kachin State. According to the Vatican’s Fides news agency, the St. Mi-chael’s Catholic Church pastoral centre in the rural area of Nan Hlaing in the Diocese of Banmaw was struck and destroyed on 3 March by a bombing carried out by the Burmese army. The church has over one hundred years of history.
Jesuit Fr. Wilbert Mireh, who assists the parish priest, told Fides that five shells and two air bombs were fired at their church complex, hitting and causing damage to the structure, but without any casualties. The local Catholic community in Kachin State is enduring a fierce conflict that continues between the regular army and the ethnic Kachin forces, which have taken over positions near the city of Banmaw. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which fights for self-determination in the state, is one of the best-organized ethnic militias, active for decades, and has joined the resistance against the ruling military junta.
The war has intensified, and in the past two years, it has affected nine out of the thirteen parishes in the Diocese of Banmaw, increasing the number of refugees. Fr. Mireh explained that to report the incident, he had to travel to a distant location to find a place with electricity and an internet connection. “Electricity, phone service, and utilities,” he explained, “have been completely cut off in our area since July 2024.”

Severe acute malnutrition in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh is soaring, the United Nations Children’s Fund has warned, stating it has surged by 27% in February 2025 compared to the same period last year. Recent figures, UNICEF pointed out, show the crisis is worsening. In January 2025, cases of severe acute malnutrition rose by 25% compared to the same month last year, and February saw the even sharper increase at 27%, causing concerns for a dangerous upward trend.
Multiple compounding factors, the organization explained, are contributing to the disturbing escalation. In 2024, there were prolonged monsoon rains that worsened sanitation and triggered spikes in severe diarrhea and outbreaks of cholera and dengue. Also worsening conditions were the impact of intermittent food ration cuts over the previous two years, leading to poor quality diets deteriorating further, as well as a growing number of families fleeing violence and seeking shelter in the camps in recent months.
Moreover, families are facing emergency levels of nutrition in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to more than a million Rohingya refugees, including more than 500,000 children. In the camps, more than 15 percent of children are now severely malnourished, marking the highest levels recorded since the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees in 2017.

This year the month of Ramadan overlaps with the Christian season of Lent. The significance of this coincidence between these two great periods of fasting has not been lost on His Beatitude Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, who has just announced in an official message to the Muslim and Christian faithful in Iraq that “it is a sign of hope”.
“On this special occasion”, he said, “I extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to all Muslims in the Holy Month of Ramadan and to all Christians at the beginning of the Great Lent, with hope that God Almighty will include them all in His merciful and loving care, and grant peace and security to our beloved country and to our neighbours in the wider region”.
The patriarch said that both Ramadan and Lent are “times of fasting, prayer, repentance and forgiveness, purification from vices, almsgiving and charity, and a time of quenching one’s thirst at the fountain of divine values, in the spirit of love and tolerance”.
His Beatitude did not refrain from lamenting that today, not only have so many people turned away from God, the God of love and mercy, but that “people have turned away from each other, from tolerance and forgiveness, and from charity and doing good”. He recalled that, during this season of fasting, “all believers need the light of God to illumine their hearts and minds so that they can transform God’s will into an honest and righteous lifestyle.”
In his message, Cardinal Sako extends his gaze to his beloved homeland, saying that, for the sake of lasting stability and security in Iraq, there is no other solution than “to submit to the logic of the State and to cooperate with it, so that Iraq can establish justice, the rule of law, national unity, equal citizenship and avoid sectarianism”. “We will only achieve this by embracing a culture of learning and education that respects all faiths and all peoples in a pluralistic society.”