Like in 2018, two bishops from mainland China will be present at the Synod of Bishops set to open on 4 October at the Vatican, the Secretariat of the Synod announced at a briefing that saw the release of the latest list of participants.
“The local Church, in agreement with the authorities, put forward two names and the Holy Father included them among the members he appointed,” said Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
The two bishops are 53-year-old Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Zhoucun (Shandong), appointed 10 years ago, and 58-year-old Anthony Yao Shun of Jining (Inner Mongolia).
Yao Shun is one of the first bishops ordained in 2019 after the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China reached a provisional agreement on episcopal appointments. The Vatican had, however, already approved his appointment in 2010.
The two are different from the two Chinese prelates – Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai of Chengde (Hebei) and Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiaoting of Ya’an (Shaanxi) – who participated in the 2018 Synod on young people.
Other prelates from the wider Chinese area will also be present, namely newly appointed Cardinal Stephen Chow, bishop of Hong Kong (who was already on the list), and Bishop Norbert Pu of Kiayi (Taiwan) from the Bishops’ Conference officially recognised by the Vatican (which includes only prelates from Taiwan).

The Bangladesh government has agreed to establish a commission to protect the interests of its religious minorities – Buddhists, Christians and Hindus – two days after the country’s largest forum of religious minorities launched a hunger strike.
Officials announced the government’s decision to establish a minority commission by October, on Sept. 23, two days after the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) began the indefinite hunger strike in Dhaka.
The council representatives ended the strike soon after the announcement came from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political adviser Kabir Bin Anwar and co-chairman of the ruling Awami League party’s election committee.
The council has been planning a series of protests across the nation through September pressing for government systems and policies to protect the rights and interests of religious minorities in the country, ahead of the January general election.
The government agreed to establish a commission after seven council leaders, including two women, who were on hunger strike were hospitalized.
Rana Dasgupta, council general secretary told UCA News that the government decision was taken during a “special parliament session” and “we trust the word given to us will not be broken.”
The ruling AL, in its 2018 election manifesto promised to return the land the government confiscated from religious minorities such as Hindus and Christians in the 1960s when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan (as East Pakistan).

South Korean government is moving ahead to launch commercial operation of the Samcheok coal power plant in Gangwon-do province in October defying opposition from civil society groups and Catholic Church.
Since October 2021, Catholic groups have been staging protests every month at Maengbang Beach close to the construction site.
The plant is expected to generate 2,044 megawatts of power. The government says the plant uses “green technology” with a focus on reduced emissions.
Catholic climate action groups joined hands with environmental groups to form an alliance, the Committee for Struggle Against Samcheok Coal Fired Power Plant.
The group has drawn local residents and people from other provinces who say the nature of Samcheok including the famed Maengbang beach would be in ruins when the power plant starts operating.
Media reports say parts of the beautiful beach turned black recently following the construction of a seaport to transport coal to the power plant.
“The crying sea over the praying people may soon turn into the tears of the people of Samcheok,” a protester said.
Environmental groups alleged South Korea’s heavy dependency on coal for power generation has become “a disaster” for mankind.

In a meeting with Mongolian Buddhists, Shamans, Shintoists, and other religious representatives, Pope Francis said Sunday that interreligious dialogue is “not antithetical to proclamation” but helps religious traditions to understand one another.
“With humility and in the spirit of service … the Church offers the treasure she has received to every person and culture, in a spirit of openness and in respectful consideration of what the other religious traditions have to offer,” Pope Francis said in a speech in Ulaanbaatar’s Hun Theater on Sept. 3.
“Religious traditions, for all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential for the benefit of society as a whole,” he added.
Pope Francis met with 12 religious leaders and representatives in the performing arts center on the Bogd Khan Uu mountain overlooking Mongolia’s capital city. The theater is built in the circular shape of a traditional Mongolian nomadic yurt dwelling called a “ger.” The rector of the only Orthodox church in Mongolia, Father Antony Gusev, represented the Russian Orthodox Church at the meeting.
In his speech, Pope Francis twice cited the “Dhammapada,” the most widely-read Buddhist text that is a collection of sayings of the Buddha.

Some 2,500 people filled the Steppe Arena stadium in Ulaanbaatar two hours before Pope Francis arrived for the afternoon Mass on Sept. 3, his final full day of the four-day visit to Mongolia.
When the 86-year-old arrived, the atmosphere was already abuzz with excitement and enthusiasm with a significant presence of young people. In several pockets inside the stadium, various dances were taking place, each carrying a unique Mongolian cultural essence.
Although the tiny Catholic Church here has only some 1,400 members, Mongolia houses an estimated 40,000 Christians. Hundreds of Catholics also came from South, Korea, Singapore, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
As the crowd filled the external ring of the stadium, an unexpected scene greeted people – popcorn vendors, much like those found at any entertainment spot. The juxtaposition of the sacred and profane painted a picture of the unity in diversity that defines the Catholic experience in Mongolia.
Amid the buzz, Mungunbolor Gantumur, a 30-year-old graduate of Don Bosco School in Ulaanbaatar, says she plans to have a unique business.
“Now my dream is to write quotes from the Bible and sell them,” said Gantumur, who has embarked on a journey as an artist specializing in Mongolian traditional calligraphy.
Mungunbolor is not Catholic but said she is “learning to become Catholic,” guided by the encouragement of her uncle, who suggested she explore Don Bosco School.

The Indonesian government announced a change in the use of terms referring to Jesus Christ in official documents responding to longstanding demands of Christians not to use Islamic terms.
In an announcement on Sept. 12, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, said that the government had decided to officially replace the term Isa Almasih with Yesus Kristus, the official term that Indonesian Christians use for Jesus Christ.
In official documents, such as in the list of national religious holidays, the government will use the term Yesus Kristus, he said.Bottom of Form
“The change in nomenclature was based on a proposal from the Ministry of Religion Affairs,” Effendy said during a conference.
He said the change of the nomenclature would be approved by a presidential regulation.
Saiful Rahmat Dasuki, Deputy Minister of Religion Affairs, said that the change was initiated by a proposal from Christians.
“This is a suggestion from Protestants and Catholics that the name of the nomenclature be changed to what they believe in,” he said.
In the official calendar, the government determines three national holidays related to Christianity, namely Christmas, Good Friday and the Ascension.
These Christian feasts have been associated with the term Almasih and are expressed as the birth of Isa Almasih, the Death of Isa Almasih and the Ascension of Isa Almasih.

Christian groups in Nepal have appealed for peace and religious harmony in the Hindu-majority country, following a spate of attacks against their people in the past two weeks.
The growing “incidents of attacks and abuse, particularly targeting Christian minorities, is worrisome,” said Father Silas Bogati, vicar general of the Vicariate Apostolic of Nepal, which covers the entire nation on the foothills of the Himalayas.
At least seven churches were attacked in Nepal in the last two weeks, Christian leaders say.
The latest attacks happened on Sept. 5 in Nepal’s Lumbini province when two churches were vandalized in the southern Nawalparasi district of Lumbini, along the border with India’s Uttar Pradesh state, leaders said.
“We have been raising our voices for religious harmony. Nobody should harm the feelings or sentiments of others’ religion,” Bogati told on Sept. 7.
The harassment and attack against Christians began after a video went viral on social media on Aug. 15, claiming the visuals showed members of an indigenous community eating beef in a village near Dharan town in eastern Nepal.
The cow slaughter and beef eating have hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, who consider the cow a revered animal, said Mohan Shrestha, spokesperson of Hindu right-wing party Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP or National Peoples’ Party).
“Some people from outside are inciting ethnic violence and disturbing the existing religious and social harmony in their attempt to push the country towards ethnic violence,” he said.
Hundreds of ethnic people in Nepal have become Christians in the recent past. Several Christian missionaries, including from South Korea, are active among ethnic groups, that local Hindus resist.

It’s just one of those news items that the Japanese rarely pay attention to. But it’s much more alarming than it sounds.
JR Tokai – the Central Japan Railway Company – is planning to increase the number of vending machines on platforms of stations where the “Shinkansen” or bullet train stops so that customers can purchase beverages and ice cream that are in high demand for in-car wagon sales.
Population decline, and not only in Japan, presents a multifaceted challenge with far-reaching consequences, some less obvious than others. How many would guess that a shrinking population can trigger a series of interconnected economic repercussions that lead to the erosion of comforts, luxuries, and even basic services?
You might think Japanese people barely noticed this news. No. Instead, an under-current of sentiment emerged across the Japanese online landscape, a collective grief for products quietly cherished.
Presently, the Tokaido Shinkansen bestows its passengers with the convenience of on-board refreshments, tantalizing snacks, and drinks accessible within the confines of its wagons, on all ‘Nozomi’ and ‘Hikari’ trains. Yet, the chronicle is set to shift as JR Tokai unveils its decision to withdraw this service by the end of October this very year.
“Population decline poses several dangers to economic stability”
Travellers already miss their favourite ice cream that will no longer be served by the impeccable staff, a woman properly dressed in the JR uniform.
This iconic ice cream creation was introduced around 1991, its inception an endeavour of a food manufacturer nestled in Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya City.
As per JR Tokai passengers, this frozen treat is an extemporary “luxury” that is affordable and could always be counted on, as, just like on airlines, it is served to you before every stop. But this basic service has been deemed too costly, so much so that vending machines will soon replace it.
Population decline poses several dangers to economic stability. One of the most immediate and pronounced effects is the reduction in consumer spending.
When the number of consumers diminishes demand for goods and services also contracts, thereby leading to decreased revenue for businesses. This, in turn, can result in cutbacks, downsizing, and closures in industries that heavily depend on sustained consumer interest.
So we should not really be surprised by the news about ice cream and coffee on the bullet trains. And there could be more similar “fatalities” to come.
“The decline in passengers due to a shrinking population will render services like onboard coffee sales economically unviable”
The loss of population-driven consumer demand can undermine industries that provide comforts and luxuries, often leading to a shift towards more utilitarian and cost-effective options.

85% of third grade children in Sri Lanka do not reach the minimum literacy and numeracy skills. The country ranks last in South Asia in terms of education spending”. Unicef has denounced him, citing a national survey con-ducted by the Ministry of Edu-cation.
According to Unicef, the learning crisis has hit the most vulnerable children most of all, including the youngest in primary school and those living in the plantation region. “Sri Lanka currently devotes less than 2% of its GDP to education, which is well below the international benchmark of 4-6% of GDP and among the lowest in the South Asian region,” the statement read. In partnership with the Sri Lankan government, the UN children’s agency has launched a nationwide initiative to help 1.6 million primary school children affected by prolonged school closures and sporadic disruption of education in the past three years, to catch up on their learning.
“It is urgent to increase the national budget allocation for education – commented the Minister of Education Susil Premajayanthe – especially for elementary classes, where it is necessary to enhance basic learning for children, while ensuring the implementation of vitally important education reforms so that we can build the strong human resource skills needed to support the country’s development.”

Bayanhushuu is a poor district on the outskirts of Ulan Bator where an expanse of dilapidated houses stands alongside thousands of ger, the traditional Mongolian tents: cheap residences for those who migrate from the surrounding steppes in search of a life less hard, but in the capital it is difficult to find opportunities for emancipation.
At the top of a barren hill, unexpected compared to the surrounding degradation, a large, modern red brick building stands out: it is the school run by the South Korean nuns of Saint Paul de Chartres, present since 1996 in Mongolia, where Pope Francis will is due to travel from 31 Au-gust to 4 September to encourage a Church born three decades ago and which has just 1,500 faithful.
“We opened this institute two years ago and today two hundred students from the neighbourhood attend it”, says the director, sr. Clara Lee Nan Young showing the welcoming and well-kept classrooms, the computer and English laboratories and the library.
If the children study here up to the age of high school, the younger ones are welcomed in the building next door, a Montessori kindergarten where crowds of children in uniform play blocks on the carpets that cover the parquet floors. From every detail the philosophy of these missionaries shines through: even the children of the most disadvantaged families have the right to the best educational offer.