Asia

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  26 March 2025
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Bishop Sumlut Gam: Cathedral in Banmaw "miraculously remains standing" after the fire Banmaw (Agenzia Fides) - The majestic building of Banmaw Cathedral, in Kachin State, northern Burma, set on fire in recent days by the Burmese army (see Fides, 17/3/2025) “is still there, miraculously standing,” the ...
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  25 March 2025
  ASIA/CHINA - Lent in Chinese Catholic communities: pilgrimages, vocational testimonies, and scrutiny for catechumens preparing to receive Baptism Beijing (Agenzia Fides) – ‘Scrutiny’ for catechumens preparing to receive Baptism, along with pilgrimages, works of charity, and sharing: this is how many Chinese Catholic communities intensely experienced the thir ...
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  25 March 2025
  ASIA/LAOS - A new Bishop for the small Church: the new Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane consecrated Vientiane (Agenzia Fides) - The small but vibrant Catholic community of Laos has joyfully welcomed its new bishop. Msgr. Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, a priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse, received episcopal ordinat ...
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  25 March 2025
  ASIA/INDONESIA - The Carmelites in Flores: rooted in pastoral, educational and spiritual service Ende (Agenzia Fides) - The Carmelite charism continues to expand in eastern Indonesia and will strengthen its service to the population on the island of Flores. Today, March 25, 2025, when the universal Church celebrat ...
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  24 March 2025
  ASIA/BAHRAIN - The community of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia welcomed the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: Spirit of harmony and interreligious collaboration Manama (Agenzia Fides) – The three-day visit of the Cardinal Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who arrived in Bahrain on Thursday 20 March, ended yesterday, Sunday 23 March. It was a significant mom ...
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  24 March 2025
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - A civil recognition to Cardinal Coutts for his service rendered to the nation Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - For his services to the nation in the field of interreligious dialogue and the promotion of harmony, as well as for his contribution to the social welfare of Pakistan and the protection of the ...
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  24 March 2025
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Lent and Ramadan are celebrated together at St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital in Hyderabad Hyderabad (Agenzia Fides) - The fact that in 2025 the Christian Lent and the Muslim Ramadan coincide was seen as an opportune moment to promote dialogue and exchange: Christians and Muslims in a time of spiritual reflect ...
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  22 March 2025
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Thirty years of commitment, prayer and hope for reconciliation and peace Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - On the main altar of the Cathedral of Seoul stands the symbol of the local Church for the Holy Year: the "Cross for Peace," handcrafted from barbed wire taken from the "Bamboo Curtain" in the Demi ...
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  21 March 2025
  ASIA/CHINA - New church in Yiwu named after Saint Joseph: Home to the world's largest wholesale market by Marta Zhao Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - The new church, recently inaugurated in Yiwu, in the diocese of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, is named after Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of missions in China. And the ...
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  21 March 2025
  ASIA - Ten Years of "Laudato Si'": Bishops call for action against "ecological debt" and "ecological conversion" Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - The upcoming tenth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis's encyclical "Laudato Si'" on Care for Our Common Home coincides with the Jubilee Year of Hope: therefore, the pastoral letter p ...
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  21 March 2025
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Camillians in the Philippines for 50 years: witnesses of hope in a world that often experiences desperation and suffering Cubao (Agenzia Fides) - "I have just returned from the Philippines, where the Camillians celebrated their 50th anniversary. I myself spent more than 30 years there, and my experience was beautiful and rich in many initia ...
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  20 March 2025
  ASIA/MYANMAR - In the war zone, among the Kachin, a life of suffering, displacement and faith Banmaw (Agenzia Fides) - "There is crying and despair in the diocese of Banmaw folloowing the destruction of St. Patrick's Cathedral, set on fire by the Myanmar army (see Fides, 17/3/2025). I have seen many faithful cry ...
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  18 March 2025
  ASIA/INDONESIA - A ‘common vision’ for humanity and peace: Interview with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations by Paolo Affatato Rome (Agenzia Fides) – “Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia and the signing of the Istiqlal Declaration last September were a crowning achievement of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the ...
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  17 March 2025
  ASIA/CHINA - Two churches dedicated to Saint Joseph reconsecrated and reopened in the diocese of Shanghai Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) – “Since the visible temple has been rebuilt, we must now also make the interior temple of our heart more spiritually alive”. This is the exhortation addressed by Joseph Shen Bin, Bishop of ...
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  17 March 2025
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Banmaw, fire destroys St Patrick's Cathedral Banmaw (Agenzia Fides) - The Cathedral of Banmaw, a town in the state of Kachin, in Myanmar, was destroyed by fire on Sunday 16 March, on the eve of the feast of St Patrick, the Saint to whom it is dedicated. The Cath ...