Asian

Bangladesh’s marry-your-rapist trend angers Church, activists

A rising trend of rape victims settling for marriage with their rapists has triggered an angry response from female activists in Bangladesh who termed it unethical and unacceptable in a civilized society. “Instead of punishment, a rapist is being allowed to marry a rape victim. This is absolutely unethical and it undermines women’s rights. If […]

Cross atop church desecrated in Pakistan

A Pakistani Muslim youth who climbed a church roof and sat on the cross chanting “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is great) was arrested and charged with blasphemy by police in Punjab province. Videos circulating on social media showed Muhammad Bilal mounting the cement cross standing 12 meters from the ground on the rooftop of One in […]

Archbishop seeks transparent and free election in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste, the predominantly Catholic country in Southeast Asia, goes to the polls on March 19 to elect a new president. The influential Catholic Church wants to ensure a “transparent and free” election. Salesian Archbishop Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili, in an exclusive interview, shared issues affecting the Church in the tiny country of […]

Crucifix leads an Indonesian Muslim to Catholic faith

Vicky Adam Ubaid Akram had a dream that helped him choose the Catholic faith. In the dream, he walked in an alley that had many houses of worship including mosques, temples and churches on both sides. But his eyes remained fixated on a Catholic church with a cross on top. He then fell down and […]

Pandemic leads Bangladeshi Pentecostal Christian to Catholic Church

Kaushik Hembrom lost his job as a computer operator with an insurance company in Bogura city of northern Bangladesh due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 35-year-old Pentecostal Christian was forced to return to his native village Dighalchan in neighboring Dinajpur district where he spent more than a year confined to his house without any spiritual […]

South Korea’s new president faces host of challenges

Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative former top prosecutor, was declared winner in South Korea’s presidential polls on March 10, defeating a liberal rival in one of the most closely fought polls in the country’s history. With more than 98 percent of the ballots counted, Yoon managed to secure 48.6% of votes against his rival Lee Jae-myung’s […]

Myanmar conflict turns 16 parishes into ghost towns

Some 16 parishes in Loikaw Diocese in Myanmar’s Kayah state have been totally abandoned with the escalation of the conflict between military and rebel forces. The green and mountainous eastern region bordering Thai-land was relatively peaceful for decades but has seen intense fighting since May 2021. Parish priests, nuns and parishioners from these parishes have fled […]

Bishops and priests join protesting Sri Lankan fishers

Bishops and priests joined fisher people in Sri Lanka on March 3 to demand protection of their livelihoods from destructive development projects that were harming the coast and the sea. Sebastian Fernando, a leader of local fishers, said: “The sea bed has been eroding for years. The people are constantly complaining but the authorities have […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica