Asian

Hate speech the norm in Pakistan, church study claims

A new study published by a bishops’ commission highlights the psychological impact of hate speech on religious and sectarian minorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province. “Hate speech in Pakistan is accepted as a norm. One of its immediate effects is that people experience a loss of self-esteem. There is a constant fear among minority community members […]

Asia’s cardinals in choral appeal for peace in Myanmar

A new call for peace and an end to violence in Myanmar was launched together by 12 cardinals from different regions of Asia, through the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (Fabc), the body led by the Archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo as president. The initiative echoes a similar message of solidarity that had […]

Pakistani lawmaker faces wrath for negating minorities’ persecution

A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan’s ruling party has drawn flak for rejecting a report on religious persecution in the country. Shunila Ruth, parliamentary secretary for the ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony, faced criticism after she rejected an international re-port that said religious minorities suffered discrimination in the Islamic nation. Last year, a 168-page […]

Pope appoints new Archbishop in Manila

Pope Francis on March 25 appointed a new archbishop in Manila Archdiocese, in the Philippine capital. He transferred Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula of Capiz to succeed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who the Pope had appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Vatican on December 8, 2019. The See of Manila […]

Myanmar priest follows nun’s peacemaker act

A day after a Kachin nun’s brave act in confronting security forces, a Catholic priest played a mediator role in a Catholic stronghold in northeastern Myanmar. Wearing a white robe, Father Celso Ba Shwe, apostolic administrator of Loikaw Diocese, walked in front of dozens of security personnel who stood ready to crack down on anti-coup […]

Philippine Jesuit schools call for end to Myanmar violence

Five Jesuit-run universities in the Philippines have issued a joint statement condemning an ongoing deadly crackdown on street protests against Myanmar’s military coup that has claimed at least 70 lives, according to the United Nations. The military takeover on Feb. 1 and the subsequent repression of pro-democracy protesters was illegal and a gross violation of […]

Christians protest after church demolition in Bangladesh

Christians in Bangladesh claim they are being per-secuted after the demolition of a new church building in the remote Chittagong Hill Tracts region. About 200 Catholics and Protestants formed a human chain and held a silent protest on March 8 against the demolition of the Seventh-day Adventist Church building. A group of about 10 persons […]

Five Christian Villages Extinct: Survivor tells the story

Five Christian villages in rural Bangladesh are virtually extinct now owing to persecution by Muslims. Some 400 Christians once lived in five villages near Dhaka’s Nawabgonj area and were spi-ritually tended by the Hasnabad Catholic parish of Dhaka. But now only one Christian woman remains living. Virgin Margarat Gomes, a former schoolteacher, is now the […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica