The Catholic Bishops of Thailand have reminded the faithful that they have a vital role to play as a “moral force” and “social conscience” in safeguarding a truthful and just electoral process. In a message addressed to parishioners nationwide and released on January 27, Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the CBCT, stressed that voting is not merely a civic right but a moral responsibility rooted in the Church’s social teaching.

“The Church invites all Christians to recognize that voting is a moral obligation for the common good,” Archbishop Vira said. “Exercising the right to vote is not simply a legal duty, but a moral requirement that citizens must collectively fulfill for the good of society.”

Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop recalled that citizens are called to contribute to the common good through concrete actions such as paying taxes, defending the country, and participating in public life through voting. Neglecting to vote, he noted, constitutes a failure to participate responsibly in society.

The pastoral letter offers guidance to Catholic voters as the campaign period intensifies ahead of the election, which will determine all 500 seats in Thailand’s House of Representatives, whose members will nominate the new prime minister.

According to the CBCT, authentic democratic participation does not end at the polling booth. “Participation includes monitoring, scrutinizing, and upholding moral truth at every stage of the electoral process,” the statement said, adding that abstaining from voting may be morally permissible only in exceptional cases where no candidate meets minimum ethical standards.

The Bishops also warned against reducing democracy to procedural rules alone. “True democracy is not merely the result of laws and regulations,” Archbishop Vira said, “but arises from the acceptance of fundamental values such as human dignity, human rights, and the common good.” Without these values, he cautioned, democracy risks becoming a “disguised dictatorship” that ultimately oppresses the people, citing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (No. 408).

To mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Hong Kong, a celebration with prayer, song, and music brought people together from across the diocese. “May the Holy Face of Jesus always shine upon Hong Kong”, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokin Tagle said, at the event at the Charter Garden in Hong Kong on January 18. The Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization explained the Biblical origin and nature of the Christian practice of blessing. Following the explanation, he blessed everyone present and the entire city—together with the Jesuit Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Bishop of Hong Kong.

According to the Vatican’sFides news agency, the Pro-Prefect specifically drew inspiration from the blessing found in the Book of Numbers (“The Lord let his face shine upon you and give you peace”). He offered it as “the blessing that God desires to give us”—that His face shine upon men and women throughout all ages. “The blessing that God gives us and to Hong Kong is His Holy Face in Jesus Christ”, Cardinal Tagle noted. It is a face that is both “fully divine and fully human”. He also explained that it is also possible to encounter the Face of Jesus through the face of a child as they “are always a blessing for society”. The Pro-Prefect stressed that “no child or young person is a ‘problem’”. The true blessing for Hong Kong, therefore, is “the face of God that shines upon it”. Cardinal Tagle expressed his hope that the face of Jesus will always shine on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong may always rejoice in His face. In this spirit, people will be encouraged to “bring hope to society”, becoming “courageous witnesses of the Lord”.

In his address, the Pro-Prefect encouraged everyone in Hong Kong to foster these “blessings”, acknowledging that all have the ability to become “a blessing to others”.

At the ceremony, people and groups from various nationalities and backgrounds prayed for Hong Kong in different languages: Cantonese, Filipino, French, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese. Of the more than 7.4 million permanent residents in Hong Kong, over 400,000 are Catholic.

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, spoke to AsiaNews about recent events in Iraq, and more generally in the region, scene of a new escalation between Iran and the United States (and Israel). “Sadness, great concern, and a climate of fear” are pushing many government officials and religious leaders to remain silent, relegated to the margins while the country risks sinking back into a spiral of tension and violence, fuelled by new winds of war that are “blowing in the Middle East,” in addition to an “internal instability” that has already proven to be a decisive factor in plunging Iraq into chaos.

Amid a broad conspiracy of silence, fear, and silence that resonate louder than words, “several politicians have in recent days asked me to intervene, to make the voice of a religious authority heard,” said the cardinal by telephone at the end of a three-day retreat and prayer. Fear and anxiety are fed by internal instability in a country waiting for the new president to be elected after repeated postponements. Once he is named, he will have to name a prime minister charged with forming a new government.

“Not only in Iraq, but throughout the region, from Syria to Lebanon, people are very worried,” Cardinal Sako said. “The same goes for Christians, who have already paid a very high price in terms of exodus, and who certainly cannot live without security and stability.” Above all, “They fear for their children and their future,” he explained.

“Last but not least, there is also the problem of an economy that is 90 per cent dependent on oil revenues, plus other critical factors,” including a resurging threat from the Islamic State and other jihadist groups.

The Chaldean patriarch has also joined the chorus of criticism and concern over the United States’ decision to send Islamic State detainees from Syria, just over a hundred for now, but they number in the thousands, to neighbouring Iraq.

Instability and fear are also reflected in “the weakness of international institutions, starting with the United Nations, which is no longer capable of ensuring global order. The only superpower today seems to be the United States, which does what it wants,” especially since Trump’s return to the White House.

The head of Myanmar’s only private Catholic educational institution has described the graduation of its latest batch of students as “an act of resilience” amid ongoing armed conflict and instability in the country. The students at St. Joseph’s Institute “have persevered in their studies despite the profound challenges facing Myanmar’s education system,” said Joseph Win Hlaing Oo, director of the facility.

Hlaing made his remarks during the fifth graduation ceremony held on Jan. 10, the Vatican’s missionary news service Fides reported on Jan. 12. During the ceremony, 30 students – three graduates and 27 diploma holders – received their certificates.

More than 700 graduates have completed courses at the institute, which was founded in 2015 and is authorized to grant state-recognized degrees. It was officially recognized as a Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Yangon in 2021. Bishop John Saw Yaw Han of Kengtung, Auxiliary Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye of Yangon, among others, attended the ceremony.  

Hlaing pointed out that insecurity and armed conflict within the nation have had a “drastic impact on both enrollment and the very possibility of continuing studies.” “Some students have had to flee their villages to save their lives; others have died in conflict zones,” Hlaing claimed. He noted that, under normal circumstances and given the institute’s interest, the graduating class could have exceeded 100 students. Nearly five million students have been unable to complete their studies, at all levels of education, between 2021 and 2024, Fides reported.

Catholic bishops in South Korea issued a circular warning Catholics from any association with the controversial Marian shrine in Naju, which is not recognized by the Korean Church and the Vatican. The Jan. 12 letter signed by Father Lee Cheol-su, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK), said the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith issued several notices asking people not to be swayed by those who promote devotion to the Marian shrine in Naju.

The warning followed media reports that Julia Kim Yoon and her followers continue to arrange masses, liturgies, and gatherings in private places to encourage public devotion to unrecognized Marian miracles. Julia Kim founded the Naju shrine, located within the jurisdiction of the Gwangju Archdiocese, in the late 1980s. A Protestant-turned-Catholic mother of four, Julia Kim claimed to have received Marian apparitions beginning in the 1980s.

On June 30, 1985, she claimed that her statue of Blessed Virgin Mary began shedding tears. She also claimed to have been miraculously cured of terminal cancer. Her claims spread, and many started to visit the site, prompting the Catholic Church to launch an investigation into the alleged miracles.

In 1998, then-Gwangju Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi declared that the reported events were “not of supernatural origin.” The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference has also officially rejected the alleged miracles.

In 2024, the Gwangju Archdiocese warned the faithful about Alexander Kim Dae-sik, a priest expelled from the Salesian congregation in 2022, who reportedly continued to celebrate sacraments illicitly at the Naju center. Despite repeated prohibitions, pilgrims from several Asian countries continue to visit Naju, drawn by reports of healing and mystical phenomena not recognized by the Catholic Church.

The letter alleged that Julia Yoon and her followers not only openly defied the Magisterium (Teachings of the Catholic Church) but also confused many people by falsely claiming the Church’s official approval of the so-called “Miracle of Our Lady of Naju” would soon be given, mentioning the names of the Vatican, the Pope, and high-ranking clergy. 

As 2025 was the 40th anniversary of the Virgin Mary statue in Julia’s house shedding tears, they used the occasion “as an excuse to actively spread false propaganda through various media such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook,” the letter said.

“What is even more concerning is that many clergy, including bishops from Southeast Asia, are participating in the prayer meetings they hold, and that young people from abroad who are interested in our country are receiving information related to Julia in Naju through online content without identification ahead of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day,” the letter said.

The letter urged bishops to refer to the Catholic Bishops’ document “Church’s Teachings on the Issues Related to Julia Yoon of Naju” to anyone seeking information about Naju miracles.

Last year, Malaysian Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching and Singapore Archdiocese warned Catholics from visiting the Naju shrine to avoid “excommunication.”

A new app is now available that lets people confirm that they are alive with a single click. If no such confirmation is received within 48 hours, the app sends a notification to a designated contact. This is how Sileme works, a basic Chinese app that has recently hit the headlines for the high volume of downloads on mobile phones in China, highlighting the plight of millions of Chinese, and not only senior citizens, who live alone in large cities.

The app’s Chinese name is a play on the name of the most popular food delivery app: Ele.me, meaning “Are you hungry?” In Chinese, Sileme sounds very similar to the food delivery app, but means “Are you dead?” Its decidedly blunt name is sparking controversy among some Chinese netizens as they find it too unpleasant and would like it renamed Huo-zhe-me (“Are you alive?”).

But as the semi-official English-language newspaper Global Times notes, most reviews of the app are positive, described as useful not only for the elderly, but also for many young adults who live alone and face certain risks. Among the suggestions for improvement are the addition of heart rate monitoring and automatic alarm detection systems.

Originally launched as a free app, it is now behind a paywall, albeit at the reasonable price of 8 yuan (US$ 1.15). It is also available on the iOS platform for Apple phones outside China under the name Demumu. Today it trended as one of the top two apps most downloaded in the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and among the top four in Australia and Spain in the paid utility app category, likely driven by Chinese users living abroad.

This success has surprised the developers, three men under 30 in Henan Province who last March launched a small business called Yuejing (Zhengzhou) Technical Services Co., with a registered capital of just 100,000 yuan (US$ 14,350). The trio were the first to be surprised by the app’s success. “We feel honoured and deeply grateful to receive such widespread attention,” the team said in a statement.

Are You Dead? describes itself as a “safety company companion… whether you’re a solo office worker, a student living away from home, or anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle”. According to research by real estate institutions cited by the Global Times, by 2030, China could have up to 200 million single-person households, with a rate of living alone exceeding 30 per cent. This segment of the Chinese population no longer includes just older people but also young adults. The greatest danger for this group is that sudden illnesses or accidents may go unnoticed.

These concerns are far from unfounded. Chinese media regularly report cases of people living alone who died in their flats, only to be discovered weeks or even months later, fuelling public anxiety about social isolation. The app thus meets an urgent need, and its very “direct” name immediately highlights the necessity for greater care for those who live alone.

The Putrajaya Court of Appeal  ruled in favour of a Christian politician — Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh — in a defamation case against former police inspector general Musa Hassan, who had publicly accused her of being part of a ‘religious conspiracy’ to weaken Islam.

The verdict overturned a previous High Court decision in 2024 that had rejected her claim. Judge Azimah Omar said the High Court had made errors of law and fact and ordered Musa to pay Yeoh damages of 250,000 Malaysian ringgit (over 50,000 euro, ed.).

The case, which touches on the delicate balance between religious communities in Malaysia, arose from statements made by Musa six years ago during a forum at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), in which he claimed that an unidentified group linked to the Democratic Action Party (DAP) – a non-denominational force that is part of the governing coalition supporting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – was trying to “destroy Islam” and claimed that Yeoh had written a book to turn Malaysia into a “Christian nation”.

Yeoh filed the defamation suit in 2020, arguing that the statements falsely portrayed her as part of a religious conspiracy and exposed her to public ridicule, particularly within the Muslim community.

Judge Azimah ruled that Musa’s statements were clearly defamatory and that the High Court had wrongly attempted to minimise their impact. ‘The fact that the plaintiff in the case managed to overcome the effects of defamatory statements does not exempt the defendant from liability,’ she said, rejecting the lower court’s reasoning that Yeoh’s subsequent victory in the 2022 Segambut parliamentary elections would neutralise the alleged damage.

The Court of Appeal also rejected the High Court’s conclusion that Musa’s statements did not constitute defamation because of the ‘low audience’ of the Facebook Live broadcast. ‘It is still a publication, even if it was heard by only one person,’ Azimah said. ‘We cannot understand how one can refer to the scale of dissemination to dismiss the case. This would set a dangerous precedent.’

She also noted that students and university staff were present at the forum, emphasising the seriousness of the allegations and their potential influence. The court also noted that Musa had explicitly linked Yeoh to the unnamed group he accused of undermining Islam, thus insinuating political and religious motives without evidence.

Judge Azimah criticised the High Court for basing its judgement on the testimony of Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, a single university lecturer called by Musa as a defence witness. She stated that Kamarul was not an expert and had only expressed personal opinions, equivalent to mere rumours or hearsay.

‘No evidence was produced to support the alleged “Christianisation”,’ she added, noting that there was no evidence that Yeoh had used her book, Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey, to propagate Christianity or undermine Islam.

Speaking to reporters after the ruling, Yeoh expressed gratitude for the decision, saying she had lived with the consequences of the defamatory statements for six years.

A financial crisis has halted the Catholic Church’s efforts to reclaim the site of Bangladesh’s first church, leaving the 426-year-old foundation in Satkhira occupied and unpreserved. Two Portuguese Jesuit priests — Father Francesco Fernandes and Father Domingo de Sousa — built the country’s first church at Iswaripur in the Sundarbans Forest area in the present-day southern Satkhira district. They dedicated it on Jan. 1, 1600, as the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus.

The priests built the church with the permission and funding of the then-Raja (King) Pratapaditya. At the time, many Portuguese soldiers worked under Pratapaditya and worshipped at the church. The church no longer exists, and a Muslim family has since settled on the land. However, the district’s official website still preserves its history online.

According to the Bangladesh government’s website, many Portuguese soldiers serving in Pratapaditya’s army contributed funds for the church’s construction. Additionally, Pratapaditya assisted in building the place of worship for Christians in his capital, with construction completed in December 1599.

“The bishop took the initiative to take over the site on behalf of the Catholic Church and offered to pay for it, but those living there did not agree. The then-bishop did not pursue it further for some reason,” said Father Philip Mondal, who oversees the Khulna Diocese’s land in the area.

The late Bishop Michael D’Rozario, who led the Khulna Diocese from 1970 to 2005, was the first to attempt to save the church site. Mondal noted he is unsure if the bishop sought administrative assistance at that time. “But now, to take over this place, we need the support of the administration and a lot of money, which the Khulna Diocese cannot provide,” Mondal told CNA. However, the priest believes that with government backing and external financial support, the Church in Bangladesh could reclaim this historically unique site.

Christians make up less than 1% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people, a tiny minority in the predominantly Muslim country. The Catholic community, with approximately 400,000 members, is the single-largest Christian group.

During its pilgrimage in Asia, this cross has given many people love and peace, consolation and hope, shining the true light. Now, through the pilgrimage to Seoul, we ask the Lord that the true light of Christ may spread widely in Seoul and throughout the world, so that the love, mercy and consolation of Christ may reach all humanity.’

With these words – reported by the Korean Catholic Times – the organising committee of World Youth Day Seoul 2027 gave thanks for the arrival of the World Youth Day Cross and the Marian icon – gifted by St John Paul II to young people – at the Chapel of the Holy Family in Myeongdong Cathedral, on 20 December last. The celebration marked the beginning of the Korean stage of the World  Youth Day symbols pilgrimage following their journey across Asia.

During the celebration, 60 participants formed a ‘community rosary,’ becoming the beads of the rosary themselves, and offered this prayer in remembrance of their brothers and sisters who are suffering in various parts of the world for different reasons. The participants prayed for those who suffer from poverty, war, the climate crisis and ethnic conflicts, and for those who, immersed in the values of the world, have forgotten the love of Christ.

The auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, Monsignor Job Koo Yo-bi, who presided over the celebration, encouraged the young people by saying, ‘I invite you to contemplate these symbols often and to prepare for World Youth Day in Seoul with the strength that comes from prayer.’

The pilgrimage to the Asian Churches began in Bangladesh and continued through Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, East Timor, Thailand and Indonesia, ending in Australia. To organise the pilgrimage, the Committee coordinated the countries visited and the calendar through the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), also sending young Koreans to create a network with young Asians. The pilgrimage of the WYD symbols in the Korean Church will begin in January 2026 in the Archdiocese of Seoul, pass through dioceses throughout the country, and conclude in May 2027 in the Diocese of Jeonju.

The ceasefire that ended the ‘twelve-day war’ between Israel and Iran ‘has not dispelled the spectre of renewed hostilities’, so much so that ‘the belligerents are preparing for the worst’ and the question seems to be ‘not if, but when’. This is what Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins, writes in a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the theme of peace in view of World Day on 1 January, from a region ravaged by ‘tensions and conflicts’ that could soon erupt again.

‘Peace should not be reduced to a simple opposition to war, just as disarmament is not reduced to the antithesis of armament,’ observes the cardinal, while winds of (a new) war with the Jewish state are blowing in the Islamic Republic. And even within the country, there is no shortage of repression and imprisonment, as shown by the recent sentence of over 50 years for five Christians “guilty” of practising their faith, or the escalation of executions, the number of which in 2025 more than doubled compared to the previous year. More than 1,900 death sentences have been carried out, according to data from the Iranian-Norwegian NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), well above the 975 in 2024.

Nevertheless, it remains an ideal and a goal, even more so, the cardinal observes, when one thinks of the ‘equivalents in Hebrew, shalom, and Arabic/Persian, salam. They indicate fullness, integrity, well-being, prosperity, health, security and harmony – not only the absence of war, but the presence of a fully realised life’. In this context, the warning at the end of the reflection becomes even more urgent: that peace may be real “in our hearts, in our communities and in our world”.