“The Thai Catholic Church views the current military tension along the border with profound concern”, Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondarattana of Bangkok and President of the Thai Catholic Bishops’ Conference told the Italian Catholic news agency AgenSir in an interview published July 26.
Tensions across the Thai and Cambodian border erupted on Thursday, July 24, in ongoing clashes that have resulted in at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced. The 800-kilometer frontier between the two countries has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief
“The Church is fully aware that border disputes, although presented as mere territorial issues, are often exploited for political purposes”, Archbishop Arpondarattana explained in the interview. He said “these tensions may be manipulated to stoke nationalist sentiments”, distract the population “from domestic issues” and “serve the interests of specific political actors”. According to the Archbishop this places “short-term political opportunism” above the well-being of the population and hinders a peaceful, sustainable long-term resolution.
He also said that the Church has often warned against “the dangers of extreme nationalism” and that border conflicts like this one stem from historical complexities and disagreements which need to be considered and understood in order to promote “genuine reconciliation and fair solutions” that lead to a more peaceful future.
The President of the Bishops’ Conference underlined that the Church “strongly supports dialogue, negotiation, and international mediation as pathways to lasting peace”.
He also said the Church is close to the ordinary people who live in the border areas. “They suffer displacement, loss of livelihoods, and constant threats of violence”, he said, emphasizing that “our faith calls us to recognise the inherent dignity of every human being, regardless of nationality or ethnicity”.
“We must resist divisive ideologies and instead foster a culture of solidarity and genuine fraternity”, he continued.
“The Church unequivocally condemns all acts of violence against civilians”, Archbishop Arpondarattana said. “We reiterate that international humanitarian law must be respected, and that non-combatants – including women, children, and the elderly – must always be protected”.

In an attempt to safeguard Iraq’s fragile Christian heritage, the Chaldean Patriarch of Bagh-dad has launched an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to stop what he calls ‘attempts to destroy historic Christian cemeteries’ in the province of Najaf.
In their place, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako denounces in a reflection published on the pa-triarchate’s website, local autho-rities want to support commercial development plans that would end up erasing a historical testimony of great value.
According to the Chaldean Church leader, ‘reliable sources in Najaf’ – a city 160 km south of the capital – are sounding the alarm about ‘attempts to transfer control of historic Christian cemeteries’ to investors and entrepreneurs with the aim of ‘carrying out projects’ in the construction sector. Hence the initiative of the cardinal, who has appealed directly to the head of government to block the expro-priation and keep alive the me-mory of a Christian presence in the area.
According to the statement, Cardinal Sako asked al-Sudani to ‘intervene and stop the violation of Christian holy sites,’ speci-fically identifying the ‘Manathira cemetery’ and the ‘Umm Kheshm cemetery for Christian Mana-thira’ as being at risk of ‘imminent threat.’ ‘These historic sites,’ the cardinal continued, ‘must be guarded and fenced off. Further-more, they must not be tied to private investment projects, which would end up completely erasing them.’
Framing his appeal in terms of national interest, the cardinal argued that these areas have immense cultural and economic value that goes beyond the Christian community and concerns the entire Iraqi population, including Muslims. Cardinal Sako went on to emphasise that Iraq’s diverse history predates the Islamic era by a long way, encompassing ‘the Akkadians, Sumerians, Chaldeans, Babylonians, Assyrians, Arabs, Persians, Christians and finally Muslims.’

Catholics in Nagasaki, Japan, have replaced a bell in a cathedral bell tower there almost exactly 80 years to the day after it was destroyed by the atomic blast that leveled most of the city at the end of World War II.
An international effort to fund the construction and installation of the bell at Urakami Cathedral raised $125,000 in just over a year, with the funds coming from over 600 individual donors, according to Williams College Professor James Nolan.
Nagasaki was one of the two Japanese cities, along with Hiro-shima, largely destroyed by the U.S. atomic bombings at the close of World War II. The city was bombed on Aug. 9, 1945, marking the second and last time an atomic bomb was used as an act of war.
Nolan told CNA last year that parishioners at Urakami Cathe-dral managed to dig up one of the original bells after the bombing and save it; the bell was installed in the cathedral’s right bell tower after it was rebuilt in 1959.
The remaining bell, however, was destroyed, with the second rebuilt tower remaining empty for decades.
Nagasaki Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura blessed the bell on that date and named it the “St. Kateri Bell of Hope,” accor-ding to the Associated Press.
The bell will be officially installed on Aug. 9, eight decades after the parish was leveled by the atomic bomb. Nolan said it will be rung at 11:02 a.m., the exact moment in 1945 when the bomb detonated around 1,600 feet west of the church.
At the bombing location, a section of wall from the old, destroyed cathedral sits in Nagasaki Peace Park. At the rebuilt parish to the east, meanwhile, Nolan said he hopes the bell “will bear the fruit of fostering hope and peace and solidarity between American and Japanese Catholics.”

Widespread corruption in government infrastructure pro-jects contributed to the severe flooding that paralyzed parts of Manila, especially the low-lying areas, according to Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
“We are told it’s the climate – yes, climate change is real, and it is devastating. But let us be clear: the real disaster here is corruption,” said the cardinal, also Archbishop of Kalookan.
Despite spending billions of pesos for flood control projects, several areas in the city continue without “an iota of improve-ment,” he said in a four-page pastoral letter addressed to Catholics in his diocese.
The July 25 pastoral letter emphasized that unless corruption is addressed, no long-term solu-tions to flooding will be possible. According to government records, more than 5 billion pesos (appro-ximately US$87 million) has been allocated to flood control projects in the worst-affected areas of Malabon and Navotas since 2023, the letter said.
However, residents in these areas still face problems with non-functioning floodgates, clogged canals, and poor construction, it added. “This is not a new crisis – it is a recurring one. And this year, the delays are even worse. How many more cycles of damage and neglect must our communities endure before real accountability is demanded?” it asked.
Additionally, the cardinal also cited 142.7 billion pesos in alleged “questionable insertions” in the 2025 national budget, which some opposition politicians described as “new face of pork,” a slang term for political spending. “Mean-while, our people wade in sewage and sleep in damp evacuation centers,” the cardinal said. David called on the public, especially the youth, to speak up against corruption, saying it is the only way to protect their future.

Families of victims of a “blas-phemy gang,” which allegedly entrapped hundreds of mostly young people in fake cases to extort money, have vowed to challenge a Pakistan court deci-sion suspending a probe into misuse of the controversial blasphemy law.
The families and their lawyers say the decision by the Islamabad High Court in the national capital to overturn its earlier order about forming a commission to conduct an investigation was frustrating, so it will be challenged in the Supreme Court. On July 24, an appellate bench of the Islamabad High Court, which has jurisdiction over lower courts in the Islamabad Capital Territory, issued an interim order to overturn the earlier verdict by Judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan. Khan’s July 15 verdict asked the government to form a commission within one month. The commission was directed to complete the probe and submit a report within four months.
The order was in response to a petition filed by 101 families in September that alleged that a criminal network in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been responsible for the arrest of 450 people on fabricated blasphemy charges. At least five accused died in police custody. Among those detained are ten Christians, according to Christian rights activists.
The families of victims will challenge the suspension in the Supreme Court, said Rana Abdul Hameed, a lawyer representing some of the petitioning families.
“The original verdict was based on merit. It’s highly irregular to issue an interim order while proceedings are ongoing,” he told UCA News on July 28. The lawyer said that the network behind the blasphemy entrapments has been exposed through live-streamed testimonies.

A ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, 77, was held on 7 July, at the Auditorium of the Archbishop’s House in Colombo.
Also present was President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who addressed the assembly in no uncertain terms: ‘The government will have to undergo an investigation to uncover the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks (21 April 2019, ed.). It is a challenging task. However, we will ensure that justice is done to the victims.’
The event was also attended by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and other government ministers, religious leaders, ambassadors, commanders and the Inspector General of Police.
Dissanayake added that the government will listen to Cardinal Ranjith’s frequent requests for justice for the victims of the tragic attacks that left nearly 300 people dead. ‘The cardinal sometimes makes a quiet request, other times he becomes influential when he speaks about the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. However, we will listen to him,’ he said.
Ranjith has always acted to demand transparency and accountability from the Colombo government, also criticising political leaders and institutions for failing to properly investigate and prosecute those responsible, acting as a moral voice and advocate for the affected families.
The second most senior cardinal in Sri Lanka after Cardinal Thomas Cooray, the Archbishop of Colombo and former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was ordained a priest on 29 June 1975 by Pope Paul VI in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

The Catholic Church in Vietnam welcomed with great joy and hope the ordination of 40 new priests during June, the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
According to the Vatican news agency Fides, the Diocese of Da Nang welcomed six new priests, “consecrated to be each an ‘alter Christus’ [‘another Christ’], to become pastors of the people of God, not to live for themselves but to be all things to all people,” said Archbishop Joseph Dang Duc Ngan, archbishop of Huế and apostolic administrator of Da Nang, in his homily at the ordination Mass on June 24 in the local cathedral before numerous faithful.
“A priest does not become perfect from the day of his ordination. The priesthood is a journey of daily growth in Christ and constant strengthening in the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission of God and the Church with joy and true love,” the prelate emphasized.
Bishop Peter Le Tan Loi celebrated the ordination Mass of 13 new priests on June 25 at the Soc Trang Cathedral in the Diocese of Can Tho. During the Eucharist, the prelate invited the faithful present to “unite in prayer and accompany the new priests, so that they may always lead a life faithful to their pastoral identity: humble, holy, and dedicated to the flock.”
On June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Day for the Sanctification of Priests, 21 new priests were ordained for the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Nang said in his homily that “the priest is not like a robot of the modern age. In his ministry, the priest takes God’s will seriously so that, in every action — liturgical, pastoral, and charitable — he may transmit the good news.”
Fides also reported that at the Shrine of Our Lady of Bai Dau in the Diocese of Ba Ria, Bishop Emmanuel Nguyen Hong Son ordained six new deacons, also on June 27.

Closing the 130th Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines, the bishops release a letter urging the government and Church institutions to bring awareness to the ongoing issue of decreasing minimum wage in the country and the harsh labour conditions.
In the midst of the ongoing disagreement on labour conditions and wages, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) released a pastoral letter, describing these issues as urgent and calling for immediate change. The bishops cited the prophet Micah 6:8, “act justly, love kindness, walk humbly with your God” as the foundation of their message.
The current minimum wage in Metro Manila, the largest metropolitan area in the Philippines, is 650 pesos, roughly equivalent to 9 euros for an eight-hour workday. These wages are insufficient for families to live off of, and as a result, many are suffering. “The Church must lead by example,” the letter stated, calling for religious establishments to offer adequate wages and fair labour conditions in the workplace.
Along with poor working conditions, the bishops also called for a change in political leadership. They raised concerns regarding the lack of political accountability, as the country’s Senate recently delayed pursuing the impeachment process of Vice President Sara Duterte. The bishops described impeachment as a democratic tool that must be upheld to ensure truth and justice in a government.
Outgoing CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kaloon, signed the letter to show his support, while simultaneously concluding his term with the Conference. He will be succeeded by Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, who will start in the role in November 2025.

On July 5, the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea, marked the 100th anniversary of the beatification of the 79 Korean martyrs of the Gihae (1839) and Byeong-o (1846) persecutions with a Mass, the release of a new report on their martyrdom and a special exhibition, a press release of the Archdiocese’s website states.
“Even in the trials of persecution, these martyrs never abandoned their faith in the Lord. Their endurance deepened their faith, which ultimately bore fruit as true hope that overcame even death”, said the Archbishop of Seoul, Peter Soon-taick Chung, during his homily.
The 79 Korean martyrs of the Gihae and Byeong-o persecutions were beatified by Pope Pius XI in St. Peter’s Basilica on July 5, 1925. Paul VI then beatified a second group of 24 martyrs in 1968, and both groups, totaling 103 people, were canonized collectively by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
More than 1000 faithful gathered for the liturgy, at the Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul, where 41 of the 79 martyrs lost their lives. According to the Fides news agency, in the 19th century the Korean Church estimates that approximately 16,000 Catholics were killed. Religious freedom was not granted to Catholics in Korea until 1895.
The press release explains that during the mass a new report titled “The Documentation of the Gihae and Byeong-o Persecutions” was also published by the Martyrs Elevation Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul. This work drew from the royal chronicles, judicial records and state archives of the Joseon Dynasty who ruled at the time of the persecutions. The official documents and data from the time featured in the report have also been translated into Korean to make this information more accessible to scholars and the Catholic community.
“This is the first time that historical facts from official records—interrogations, reports, and directives from institutions like the Royal Secretariat and the State Council—have been carefully extracted, translated, and compiled, rather than relying solely on testimonies,” said Archbishop Chung. “Even though these were records written by the persecutors, the courageous faith and deep conscience of the martyrs stand out all the more clearly within them”.