Asia

• 27 October 2014
  ASIA/TURKEY - Armenians discuss the election of a new patriarch Istanbul (Agenzia Fides) - The lengthy absence of Mesrob Mutafyan, the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch in Turkey, due to his illness, has fueled a debate in the country's Armenian religious community regarding whether the pa ...
• 27 October 2014
  ASIA/INDONESIA - First Interreligious Congress dedicated to "true brotherhood" Semarang (Agenzia Fides) - To live and give witness to "true brotherhood": was the aim of the interreligious Congress held in recent days by the Archdiocese of Semarang, in Central Java. This is a new and unique initiati ...
• 24 October 2014
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Ecology, "common ground" for the three Abrahamic religions Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - In a world marked by the upsurge of fundamentalism and ethno-religious sectarianism, ecology arises as a possible area of convergence and cooperation among the different religious traditions, ...
• 24 October 2014
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Asia Bibi’s sentence damages tolerance in Pakistan Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "Tolerance and forgiveness are two important values, which are present not only in Christianity but also in Islam, and in other religions in the world. We are working hard for religious harmony i ...
• 24 October 2014
  ASIA/INDONESIA - The Church supports the campaign against mining exploitation in Flores Flores (Agenzia Fides) - Thousands of priests, religious and laity of all the parishes, secondary school and university students on the island of Flores, the Catholic stronghold in Indonesia, gathered to challenge the mi ...
• 24 October 2014
  ASIA/IRAQ - Russian Orthodox organization to Iraqi President: free Tareq Aziz Moscow (Agenzia Fides) - The President of the Imperial Society of Palestine, Serghey Stapashin, sent a message to the newly-elected Iraqi President Fuad Masum to ask for the release of former Foreign Minister and Deputy ...
• 23 October 2014
  ASIA/IRAQ - Decree of the Chaldean Patriarch on priests and religious expatriates without the consent of their superiors Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) - "Before the ordained, the “Priest” announces the offering of his whole life to God and the Church. It is an offering grounded in the obedience to the superiors without any conservation". For ...
• 22 October 2014
  ASIA/INDIA - Appeal for minorities is shared in civil society New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - The recent appeal to the central government and state governments to take "urgent measures to put an end to the orchestrated campaign and motivated by hatred and Violence against religious min ...
• 22 October 2014
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Interreligious marriage canceled after threats to a young married couple Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - A Christian boy from Multan, Akram Masih, was arrested by the police in Multan for having forced a Muslim girl, Maria Bibi, of the District of Shiekhupura, to marry. The police broke into Akram� ...
• 21 October 2014
  ASIA/IRAN - Three evangelical Christians sentenced to six years imprisonment Tehran (Agenzia Fides) - An Iranian Islamic court has sentenced three leaders of the evangelical house church movement to six years imprisonment: Pastor Behnam Irani, Pastor Matthias Haghnejad, and Deacon Silas Rabbani o ...
• 21 October 2014
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Too many interests behind Asia Bibi’s case: the truth of the facts are covered up Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "There are too many interests at stake behind Asia Bibi’s case. Too many vested interests and too much pressure that, in the end, cover up the truth of the facts", said in an interview with Fid ...
• 21 October 2014
  ASIA/INDIA - The Franciscans prepare the Year for consecrated life New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - A Mission "in the Franciscan style" that passes through India; a special campaign to eradicate violence against women; a series of pastoral initiatives and of evangelization in different India ...
• 20 October 2014
  ASIA/VIETNAM - The Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh city: prayer and hope for the Vatican-Vietnam diplomatic ties Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "The meeting at the Vatican between Pope Francis and the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, strengthens our hopes in the future to see full diplomatic relations between the Holy Se ...
• 20 October 2014
  ASIA/JORDAN - Archbishop Laham: 4 thousand displaced Iraqi Christians all want to emigrate to the West Amman (Agenzia Fides) - There are already three thousand Iraqi Christian refugees from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain who have fled due to the offensive of the jihadists and have found refuge in Jordan, and in the next few ...
• 20 October 2014
  ASIA/TURKEY - Armenian community prays for ailing Patriarch Istanbul (Agenzia Fides) - Prayers continue to pour in for the recovery of Archbishop Mesrob II Matufyan, the Armenian Orthodox patriarch in Turkey who had to withdraw from the duties of the patriarchate due to his illne ...