Asian

Indonesian Church gets ready to welcome Pope Francis

Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta called Pope Francis’ Se-ptember visit “an opportunity for Indonesian Catholics to explore and practice his humanitarian messages.” “Indeed, the physical presence of Pope Francis is very important and very happy [occasion] for us,” Suharyo said in a video that the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference released on April 8, six months ahead […]

Malaysia mourns Sr Enda Ryan: a life dedicated to women’s education

Kuala Lumpur is mourning the death of Sr. Enda Ryan, Fran-ciscan Missionary of Mary (FMM) who passed away on April 7 at the age of 95. She is originally from Ireland and since 1966 she had become a citizen of Malaysia, a country in which she has provided tireless service for women’s education for decades, […]

Filipino Catholic Church presents official portrait of 13-year-old girl considered for sainthood

The official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad was presented April 7 during the opening of the dio-cesan phase of her cause for cano-nization at St.William Cathedral in the town of Laoag located in the Ilocos Norte region of the Philippines. If canonized, the young Filipina, who died in 1993 at age 13, could […]

Lahore: diocesan phase ends for the martyrdom of Akash Bashir

With a solemn Eucharistic celebration, the Archdiocese of Lahore closed the diocesan phase of the process for the recognition of the martyrdom of Akash Bashir. The young Pakistani man died at the age of 20 trying to protect worshippers outside Youhanabad’s St John Church during an Islamist attack nine years ago against the Catholic church […]

Chinese Christians Detained For Links To ‘Illegal Organization’

Nine Chinese Christians be-longing to a Protestant house church have remained in police detention following their arrest ten days ago for allegedly carrying out activities in the name of “an illegal social organization.” Christians from the Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang city in northwestern China’s Anhui province were arrested on March 10 during a Sunday […]

Amnesty Call To Tackle Air Pollution In South Asia

Global rights group Amnesty International has called for cross-border cooperation to reduce the widening impact of air pollution in South Asia. “We reiterate our calls to the affected South Asian countries to urgently create and implement cross-border pollution action plan,” Amnesty International’s Climate Adviser Ann Harrison said in a press statement on March 20. There […]

Demographic Winter Is Coming, Even To South Asia

The demographic decline no longer affects only the countries where well-being is more wide-spread. It is a global phenomenon, spanning every continent. And if it continues to a pace according to current dynamics, in 2100 only 6 countries in the world will still reach a fertility rate of 2.1 child-ren per woman, the so-called “replacement […]

Vietnamese President Thyang, promoter of dialogue with Pope Francis, resigns

The Communist Party of Vietnam has accepted the “resignation” of President Vo Van Thyang over unspecified “shortcomings” that show the extent of the cou-ntry’s political turmoil. For international analysts, the situation risk undermining the confidence of foreign investors and the possibility of dialogue with various partners, including the Vatican. Major steps have been taken under the […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica