Asia

• 14 May 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - On the feast of Our Lady of Fatima Catholics pray that the “intercession of Pope John Paul II and the great love of Pope Benedict XVI will bring unity with the universal Church closer” Beijing (Fides Service) - Catholics in Beijing celebrated with enthusiasm the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13. In many parishes after the Mass people stayed to watch recordings of the Masses for the funeral of Pope ...
• 13 May 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - Christians form Anti-Violence Forum in memory of Catholic priest mortally stabbed in Bihar Patna (Fides Service) -In memory of a Catholic priest Fr Mathew Uzhuthal, Vicar general of Patna archdiocese who died on May 1 after being stabbed on April 11 in his parish office by a young bandit, Christians in Patna c ...
• 13 May 2005
  ASIA/INDONESIA - In Aceh imminent revocation of state of emergency and martial law: hopes for freedom and respect for citizens’ rights Jakarta (Fides Service) - The announcement that the Indonesian government intends to revoke the state of emergency in Aceh has been warmly welcomed by the local people sorely affected by the 26 December tsunami disaster ...
• 12 May 2005
  ASIA - Asia’s sad world record: over 12 million people reduced to slavery or forced labour says International Labour Organisation Geneva (Fides Service) - Asia has sad world record of over 12 million people reduced to slavery or forced labour. More than 75% of Asian workers live and work under subhuman conditions. This was denounced by the Internat ...
• 12 May 2005
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Long list of persons booked under blasphemy law since 1988: 647 victims of a law which discriminates and is often a tool of exploitation Lahore (Fides Service) - The list has 647 names: these are the names of people arrested and detained on charges of blasphemy in Pakistan since the blasphemy law was introduced in 1988. Besides these people at least 20 ot ...
• 12 May 2005
  ASIA/JAPAN - Catechesis, prayer and works of charity for the year of the Eucharist Tokyo (Fides Service) - Japanese Catholics are living the Year of the Eucharist proclaimed by the late Pope John Paul II with great intensity. Early this year the standing committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference ...
• 12 May 2005
  ASIA/CHINA - Flourishing Catholic community in the province of Yunan with the highest number of different ethnic groups Beijing (Fides Service) - In the south western mainland China province of Yunan, which has borders with Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, people of 52 different ethnic groups make up 33.4% of the population. The Catholic Chur ...
• 11 May 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - 84 trees planted in Gujarat in memory of Pope John Paul II tireless promoter of peace and harmony among religions Gandhinagar (Fides Service) - To pay tribute to the late Pope John Paul II, a religious leader dedicated to promoting peace in the world and dialogue among religions, Gujarat state - in the past in the news for Hindu ext ...
• 11 May 2005
  ASIA/JAPAN - Eliminate tension, promote reconciliation in the light of truth: young Japanese and Koreans meet to build peace and understanding between the two nations Tokyo (Fides Service) - After the horrors of war which led to hatred and enmity between Japan and Korea, young people from both sides are determined to build peace and good relations between their countries. For some ye ...
• 10 May 2005
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Number of street children in Islamabad doubles Rome (Fides Service) - According to the Azad Foundation and NGO which works with street children, the number of abandoned youth living in the streets of Islamabad the capital of Pakistan had doubled to reach a total of ...
• 10 May 2005
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Young Catholics in the Philippines look to John Paul II as a point of reference and example of holiness Manila (Fides Service) - Pope John Paul II left a very important legacy for the young people of the third millennium. It was he who invented World Youth Days and with these events he built a special relationship with th ...
• 10 May 2005
  ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Government and Catholic Church reach agreement for religious instruction in schools Dili (Fides Service) - After more than two weeks of peaceful protests involving thousands of people the government of East Timor and the local Catholic Church have reached an agreement on the question of religious instru ...
• 10 May 2005
  ASIA/JAPAN - Catholics grow in numbers in the land of the Rising Sun. Catholic immigration is resource for evangelisation Tokyo (Fides Service) - For the first time the number of Catholics in Japan has reached and overtaken the one million mark. According to information in a handbook issued by the Migrant Commission of the Japanese Bishops� ...
• 10 May 2005
  ASIA/INDIA - International campaign to protect rights of Dalit people against all forms of discrimination and violence Madurai (Fides Service) - A day of prayer and fasting has been announced for next week to launch an international campaign to promote respect for the human rights of 20 million Dalit Christians. Hindu and Muslim and Sikh ...
• 9 May 2005
  ASIA/INDONESIA - In Aceh severely affected by the December tsunami International Organisation for Migration opens first clinic Aceh (Fides Service) - A small seed of hope has been planted in Aceh, still suffering the consequences of the tsunami last December. The International Organisation for Migration has opened a small clinic here, the first ...