Asia

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  20 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Violence in Jerusalem, the Christian Youth of Palestine announces a prayer vigil for peace Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - The appointment is scheduled at 8pm on Saturday 24, eve of the feast of Our Lady of Palestine: all the Catholic parishes of Palestine, Israel and Jordan, will hold a prayer vigil in which youn ...
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  19 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Patriarch Twal: the "wall of Jerusalem" disfigures the face of the Holy City Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - The construction of a dividing wall between the Jewish and the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, "saddens us and disfigures the face of the Holy City. If this policy of separation continues, ea ...
• 19 October 2015
  ASIA/THAILAND - Appointment of Rector of the "Lux Mundi" Major Seminary in Bangkok Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On 18 September 2015 Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples appointed rev. Peter Charoen Vongprachanukul of the diocesan clergy of Ratchabur ...
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  16 October 2015
  ASIA/INDIA - Protestant Pastor killed in Jharkhand Bhopal (Agenzia Fides) - A Protestant Pastor was killed in the state of Jharkhand, eastern India. As reported to Fides by the Evangelical Fellowship network of India, Chamu Hasda Purty, 54, of the Independent Pentecosta ...
• 16 October 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Fifty Christians in Qaryatayn held hostage by jihadists have been released Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - At least fifty Christians in Qaryatayn taken hostage last August by jihadists of the Islamic State (Daesh) were released on Sunday 11 October, and were able to return to the villages of Zaydal ...
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  16 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Caritas Jerusalem: pilgrimages cancelled due to the blocks in the neighborhoods of the Holy City Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - All the security measures which have taken place by the Israeli authorities in Jerusalem - especially those inside the Old City - are causing the cancellation of pilgrimages, "which means the ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Over 1400 cases of blasphemy in a year Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - In 2014, 1,400 cases of blasphemy were registered in Pakistan: it is a peak, compared with the trend of recent years, which reveals a very worrying situation. This was reported by senior lawyer ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - New arrests and violence against Christians for alleged blasphemy Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – The arrests of Christians falsely accused of blasphemy continues. According to new cases one of the victims is the young Christian Naveed John, 24, accused and arrested in Sargodha, Punjab. Ac ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Religious leaders and Shimon Peres against sectarian violence Tel Aviv (Agenzia Fides) - The leaders of different faith communities and religious traditions met former Israeli President Shimon Peres to talk about the escalation of violence that is bloodying the Holy Land again. The ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Minister of Culture to Christians in Abu Dhabi: "We have learned a lot from you" Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) - Sheikh Nayan bin Mubarak al Nayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development of the UAE, spoke at the ceremony organized on the occasion of the completion of the restoration of the ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Peace and prosperity, the duty of every citizen Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) - "Every Pakistani citizen has a responsibility and a key role in building peace in Pakistan": said His Exc. Bishop Joseph Arshad, Bishop of Faisalabad, speaking at a recent seminar dedicated t ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/INDIA - Hindu extremists demand an anti-conversion law in Jharkhand Ranchi (Agenzia Fides) - Hindu extremist groups have begun a campaign to promote the adoption of a new "anti-conversion law" in the Indian state of Jharkhand, in north central India. As Fides learns, after the news of th ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - The Director of Caritas Jerusalem: the block of East Jerusalem feeds anger and feelings of revenge Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - "The imposition of Israeli checkpoints in Palestinian areas of Jerusalem represents a 'safety measure' that provides no security, but on the contrary increases anger and frustration, and thus ...
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  13 October 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Archbishop Hindo: who defines military operations against the jihadists as a "Holy War" is foolish Hassaké (Agenzia Fides) - "I have heard that senior officials of the Patriarchate in Moscow have blessed the Russian military operations against jihadi militias operating in Syria as a 'Holy War': I want to clearly say ...
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  13 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Blasphemy: bail for a Christian, final hearing for another case Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - There is good news for the Christian community in Pakistan: the Christian Pervaiz Masih, arrested in the district of Kasur on September 2 for alleged blasphemy (see Fides 03/09/2015), was granted ...