Asia

• 14 January 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - CARDINAL TELESPHORE TOPPO NEW PRESIDENT OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF INDIA Trichur (Fides Service) – Cardinal Telesphore Toppo Archbishop of Ranchi has been elected President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, CBCI, whose members belong to the three different Catholic rites in India ...
• 14 January 2004
  ASIA/IRAN - OVER 162 CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE MATERIAL ASSISTANCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN BAM Bam (Fides Service) – While Iran lives a difficult political moment with a battle between reformers and conservatives with regard to drafting of lists of candidates for the next parliamentary elections, in and around t ...
• 14 January 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - “PEACE BEGINS AT HOME” FATHER BERNARD INAYAT TELLS FIDES AFTER A PEACE MARCH TO INDIA-PAKISTAN BORDER: FIDES SPEAKS TO IMAMS ABDUL KHABEER AZAD AND WAQAR-UL-HUSNAIN NAQVI Kasur (Fides Service) – To support peace in Kashmir and dialogue between India and Pakistan at levels an interreligious peace march and prayer vigil was held in the area of Kasur along the India-Pakistan border on Janu ...
• 13 January 2004
  ASIA/THAILAND - “POLITICAL MOTIVES BEHIND MUSLIM PROTEST IN THAILAND”, APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR IN THE SOUTH TELLS FIDES Surat Thani (Fides Service ) – A political protest reawakened old religious separatism, Reverend Peter Nichon Sarathit, Administrator Apostolic of Surat Thani diocese which covers southern Thailand, told Fides with ref ...
• 13 January 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - SYRO-MALABAR CATHOLIC CHURCH GRANTED FULL AUTONOMY FOR ELECTING BISHOPS IN ITS TERRITORY Trichur (Fides Service ) – The Synod of Syro-Malabar Bishops now has full autonomy for appointing bishops and creating Eparchies. This was granted by the Holy See with a decree which the Prefect of the Congregation for ...
• 13 January 2004
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - CATHOLIC BISHOPS FROM EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS MEET IN THE HOLY LAND TO SUPPORT HOLY LAND CHRISTIANS Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) – Catholic Bishops from Europe and the Americas are meeting Bethlehem and Jerusalem on 12-15 January 2004 for a conference entitled "The Universal Church in solidarity with the Church of the ...
• 12 January 2004
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - WITH REGULAR EVENING PRAYER IN THE CATHEDRAL 100 LAY PEOPLE PREPARE FOR MISSION TO BEAR WITNESS TO FAITH IN SOCIETY Seul (Fides Service ) – More than 100 lay people gather every evening for vespers at Myongdong cathedral in Seul. Regular participation in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours is the fruit of a successful initiative lau ...
• 12 January 2004
  ASIA/LAOS – CHRISTIAN MINORITY GROUPS IN REMOTE AREAS KEEP FAITH ALIVE THANKS TO RADIO VERITAS AND THE MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE Vientiane (Fides Service) –Hmong peoples living in remote mountain areas of Laos, mostly Catholics, listen to the Gospel and pray the Rosary thanks to Asia’s furthest reaching Catholic Radio service Radio Veritas, br ...
• 12 January 2004
  ASIA/IRAN – EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY: FIRST CARITAS CONVOY LEAVES TEHERAN TODAY, MAIN CHALLENGE NOW IS REBUILDING. Rome (Fides Service) – The violent earthquake which struck the Iranian city of Bam on 26 December killed 35.000 people, many died because of inadequate material used for building. Mud used in construction pulverised ca ...
• 9 January 2004
  ASIA/INDIA – CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS HARASSED BY ANTI-CHURCH PROPAGANDA AND VIOLENCE: SO CALLED “INCIDENTS” ARE VERY OFTEN ORGANISED EXTREMIST ATTACKS New Delhi (Fides) – While the Catholic Bishops of India meeting in Trichur Kerala to discuss the subject of “Church and Communication” warn of anti-Church propaganda and false information aimed at influencing publi ...
• 9 January 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN – ADDRESSING A GATHERING OF MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS PUNJAB CHIEF MINISTER PRAISES CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL INSTITUTES Lahore (Fides Service ) – “I was educated at the Foreman Christian College and no one ever forced me to become a Christian. Today I am a good Muslim”, Pervaiz Chaudhry, chief minister of the north east province of ...
• 8 January 2004
  ASIA/INDIA – THE MEDIA, CRUCIAL CHALLENGE FOR CHURCH IN INDIA IN THE PRESENT SOCIAL-POLITICAL SCENARIO: BISHOPS HOLD GENERAL ASSEMBLY Trichur (Fides Service) – “The Bishops of India are reflecting on the theme ‘Church and Social Communications’ because in the present social-political scenario the Christian community is faced with difficult chal ...
• 8 January 2004
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - PROTESTANT PASTOR SHOT DEAD: MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISTS SUSPECTED Islamabad (Fides Service) – A Protestant minister was shot dead on January 5 in Khanewal, in central Pakistan. Pastor Mukhtar aged 50, had ministered in Khanewal for14 years first with the Full Gospel Assemblies and th ...
• 8 January 2004
  ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - DEATH PENALTIES SUSPENDED: GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES CONCRETE STEPS TOWARDS ELIMINATION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Astana (Fides Service) – The first step towards its definitive abolition: a suspension of death penalties decreed at the end of 2003 by President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, has been welcomed by the people of K ...
• 7 January 2004
  ASIA/INDONESIA - EMERITUS BISHOP SOUDANT OF PALEMBANG DIES IN HOSPITAL. CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELISATION OF PEOPLES SENDS HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO LOCAL CATHOLICS Rome (Fides Service)- Belgian born Bishop Joseph Hubertus Soudant, s.c.i, in charge of the Catholic diocese of Palembang (Indonesia) between1963 to 1997, died on 29 December 2003 in hospital in Lanaken, Belgium. Palemban ...