Asian

Cardinal tackles Sri Lanka’s environmental destruction

At the start of this year, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, the outspoken leader of the Sri Lankan Church, addressed environmental issues in his archdiocese regarding Muthurajawela, a wetland 30 kilometres north of Colombo. This marsh-land is notable for its unique and highly diverse ecosystem and is listed as one of the 12 priority wetlands in […]

Cardinal named head of Christian research centre in Pakistan

Cardinal Joseph Coutts, the Archbishop of Karachi, has been appointed as the chairperson of a key Christian research and study centre. He is taking charge of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi, said Father Nasir William, director of the Diocesan Commission for Rawalpindi and Islamabad. “It’s a big responsibility but since this prelate of the […]

Catholic priest gunned down in Philippines

A Catholic priest has been shot dead near a Carmelite monastery in Bukidnon province in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao. The body of Father Rene Regalado, 42, was found near his car in Malaybalay City on Jan. 24. He had been shot in the head. Malaybalay Diocese said it had received reports that churchgoers […]

Row between Philippine govt, top university widens

Civil and political groups in the Philippines have lent their weight in a growing row by condemning the government for breaking a 30-year-old agreement with the country’s top state university over allowing security forces onto its campuses. The deal required police and the military to seek permission from administrators of the University of the Philippines […]

Murder of two young Christians, killed for not wanting to give up their faith according to the pastor of their Protestant community

“The merciless murder of Abida and Sajida is a tragedy that shows how the lives of religious minorities in Pakistan are held by a thread or is worthless. Rape, kidnappings, forced conversions and even murders of young Christian girls are worrying phenomena. The government must not deny this and has the duty to stop the […]

China’s Threat to the Bible

The Bible is America’s best-selling book, annually outpacing the top 20 best sellers combined. Yet a single Chinese company has a near monopoly on Bible printing, meaning that any rupture in the supply chain—say, from U.S. or Chinese government poli-cies—would lead to a Bible shortage in America. This poses a serious threat both to American […]

Bangladeshi minorities seek scripture readings in state programs

Bangladeshi religious minority groups have urged the government to introduce the reading of scriptures of all four major religions at the beginning of parliamentary sessions and state ceremonies. Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHB-CUC), the country’s largest minority group, made the call during a virtual conference this week. Parliamentary sessions and state programs in […]

The Diocese of Can Tho opens two ‘free supermarkets’ for the poor

The Diocese of Can Tho opened two supermarkets at the start of the month where the poor affected by the coronavirus pan-demic can get basic necessities for free. One is in Sông Ñc pari-sh, the other in Cái Tac parish. Vietnam is one of the coun-tries that seems to have better managed the COVID-19 crisis. […]

Indian bishops slam terror attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India