Asia

• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - “A Holy Week of suffering for Iraqi Christians” reports Father Nizar Semaan from Mosul. Palm Sunday processions and Easter Night Vigil Mass cancelled for security reasons Baghdad (Fides Service)- “Holy Week will be a time of suffering in Iraq” Father Nizar Semaan, in Mosul, told Fides. Mosul has been the scene of recent between the coalition forces and Shiite activists. “Yesterday f ...
• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/INDONESIA - Indonesia votes in general elections: “It is fundamental that politics and religion are separate” local Catholic Bishop told Fides Jakarta (Fides Service) - Elections in Indonesia start today. The vote in the populous country 145 eligible voters out of a population of 210 million will last until the Summer, July 5 when there will be the first round ...
• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - “The new government must focus on peace, freedom and national prosperity Archbishop Oswald Gomis of Colombo told Fides after general elections Colombo (Fides Service) - “We hope the peace process will continue and this is the responsibility of the new government whatever it is. We and all the people of Sri Lanka, Sinhalese and Tamils, want an era of peace, fr ...
• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - In Pakistan Evangelisation over the radio for 38th World Communications Day Lahore (Fides) - To mark the Catholic Church’s 38th World Communications Day this year 2004, in Pakistan 16 May, the Church in Pakistan will use all the means at its disposal radio, audio-visual cassettes, music casset ...
• 2 April 2004
  ASIA/AFGHANISTAN - Three million refugees repatriated in two years: returnees assisted by UN High Commission for Refugees and Christians agencies, particularly Jesuits and Salesians Berlin (Agenzia Fides) - This year alone, more than 65,000 Afghan refugees have gone home from Iran and Pakistan to rebuild their war-torn homeland. UN refugee agency chief Ruud Lubbers has called for improved security a ...
• 2 April 2004
  ASIA/INDONESIA - Catholic Maternity Hospital in Ternate, Moluccas, reopens: Christians and Muslims welcome this sign of hope and confidence Jakarta (Fides Service) - The Catholic Maternity Hospital on the small Island of Ternate, in the Moluccas, vitally important for the local people who are Christians and Muslims, has been reopened. The hospital, which is ...
• 1 April 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Lay Catholics have leading role to play in pastoral care for migrants in Asia: conclusions of “Exodus”, week of formation for Religious and lay Catholics involved in pastoral care of migrants and itinerant peoples Tagaytay (Fides Service) - “Considering the phenomenon of migrants as a sign of the times we vowed to take loving care of itinerant peoples and celebrate communion in diversity ”: Scalabrino Father Fabio Baggio, Dire ...
• 1 April 2004
  ASIA/NORTH KOREA - “The people are hungry for food and peace”: Caritas Hong Kong reports after humanitarian mission in North Korea Hong Kong (Fides Service) - “In north Korea people are still struggling to survive and Caritas Hong Kong does all it can to alleviate the suffering of the people ”. Kathi Zellweger, head of international cooperation ...
• 1 April 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - “Forced conversions” and freedom of religious minorities: theme of electoral campaign - Bishops urge Catholics to fast and pray that the vote will be peaceful and transparent New Delhi (Fides Service) - Forced conversion and rights of minorities: in the electoral campaign in India - as general elections draw near 18 April - themes regarding the Christian community hold the stage. The Bharati ...
• 31 March 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - New nation wide plan to stop the advance of AIDS launched by fully committed local Catholic Church New Delhi (Fides Service) - A new nation wide plan to stop the advance of HIV/AIDS has been launched by the Catholic Church in India involving priests, religious, laity and seminarians, formation houses, religious congre ...
• 31 March 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Catholic schools mark “Pakistan Day”: commitment to build a modern, liberal and tolerant country Lahore (Fides Service) - Christian and Muslim Catholic school pupils recently made a public commitment to building a country which is open, liberal and tolerant. The commitment was taken by some 300 boys and girls on the ...
• 30 March 2004
  ASIA/MALAYSIA - Programme of new government led by Abdullah Badawi: eliminate corruption promote transparency, give special attention to ethnic and religious minorities Kuala Lumpur (Fides Service) - Eliminate corruption and promote transparency in public administration, start economic reforms, attention to ethnic and religious minorities, development in rural areas: these are the main ...
• 30 March 2004
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - A “new mission” in the Church and society: Korean Catholic Lay movement valorises contribution of the elderly Seoul (Fides Service) - Life does not end at 60, the age when many men and women retire from active working life: senior citizens have a lot to offer the Church and society with their experience, patience, wisdom and abi ...
• 30 March 2004
  ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Reconciliation and national harmony: Bishop elect Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili tells Fides about his mission Dili (Fides Service) - “I intend to intensify efforts to promote national harmony: in East Timor the Church has always striven to do this especially in times of difficulty and crisis. Today a greater effort must be mad ...
• 29 March 2004
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - In the name of truth, local Catholic Churches in Korea and Japan write a new history of their countries to heal wounds inflicted in the past and promote reconciliation Seoul (Fides Service) - To build bridges of reconciliation between the people of Korea and Japan the local Churches in these two Asian countries are about to publish a new History of Korea and Japan. During a recent plen ...