News

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  24 April 2026
  ASIA/HONG KONG - To be open to the Holy Spirit: Cardinal Chow's encouragement to the first seven catechists sent according to the indications of "Antiquum ministerium" Hong Kong (Fides News Agency) – “Be open to the Holy Spirit and give the mission of catechists a new, multifaceted, and profound meaning,” said Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong, in ...
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  24 April 2026
  ASIA/THAILAND - Catholic community of Surat Thani: "A beacon of hope and compassion in the region" Surat Thani (Fides News Agency) – "The effects of the devastating floods are still being felt in the diocese. As a local church, after providing emergency relief, we are now in a phase of long-term support, assisting p ...
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  24 April 2026
  AFRICA/ANGOLA - Sister Idalina Mareco: Leo XIV's visit, a sign of God's closeness Luanda (Fides News Agency) – “These were intense days full of joy, faith, and enthusiasm for all of us,” writes Sister Idalina Mareco of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) to Fides from Luanda, at the e ...
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  23 April 2026
  LEO XIV IN AFRICA - The Pope at the end of his long African journey: carry on the mission of Jesus’ first disciples with joy Malabo (Fides News Agency) – “As in the early centuries of the Church, Africa today is called to make a decisive contribution to the holiness and the missionary character of the Christian people.” These final words ...
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  23 April 2026
   ASIA/LAOS - The Church welcomes two new Laotian priests. Apostolic Vicar of Vientane:" an immense gift from God that instills hope" Thakhek (Fides News Agency) - It is a gift that instills hope for the future: the small Catholic Church in Laos (53,000 faithful throughout the country) has two new priests who, with their service, will be able to contri ...
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  23 April 2026
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Resumption of Sudanese airstrikes on Kordofan Khartoum (Fides News Agency) – The Sudanese air force has resumed bombing operations in Kordofan using piloted aircraft after a months-long hiatus. On Wednesday, April 22, Sudanese military aircraft flew over Kordofa ...
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  22 April 2026
  LEO XIV IN AFRICA - Salesian missionary Giusy Becchero: in the Pope's words, a delicate balance between prophecy and diplomacy, in closeness to the most vulnerable Malabo (Fides News Agency) – Yesterday, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Pope Leo XIV began the final leg of his apostolic journey to Africa with his arrival in Equatorial Guinea. “After 44 years, the Successor of Peter is a ...
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  22 April 2026
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - “True development is not based on GDP, but on the effective improvement of living conditions” Abuja (Fides News Agency) – “The incessant violent attacks and indiscriminate killings occurring throughout the country are inhumane and unjustifiable acts, and a grave affront to the sanctity of life,” stated the ...
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  22 April 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christian cemetery desecrated in Lahore Lahore (Fides News Agency) - A Christian cemetery was desecrated and several faithful, both men and women, were brutally attacked in Lahore. According to Aneeqa Maria Anthony, a lawyer of the organiztion ‘The Voice Soc ...
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  21 April 2026
  LEO XIV IN AFRICA - Pope in Equatorial Guinea: “The Church’s social teaching offers guidance to all who seek peace and justice” Malabo (Fides News Agency) – “It is always a joy to see places around the world where the Church is growing,” said Pope Leo XIV at a press conference on the flight from Luanda to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, the la ...
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  21 April 2026
  VATICAN - Between History and Transcendence: Urbaniana University hosts conference on "The Future of Desire" Rome (Fides News Agency) – The human heart, created “restless” by God, as Saint Augustine described it, and the yearning for peace that pervades nations in a time marked by “continuous wars”; desire as a key to ...
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  21 April 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Child marriages and the case of Christian Maria Shahbaz: Christian community calls for respect for laws protecting minors Lahore (Fides News Agency) – “It is urgent to implement child protection laws and an immediate review of the legislative gaps highlighted by the recent case of the Christian girl Maria Shahbaz is necessary. Existing ...
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  21 April 2026
  AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Fears of possible escalation of violence in Tigray Addis Ababa (Fides News Agency) – The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has announced the restoration of a regional parliament, the election of which was one of the triggers for the war in northern Ethiopia. In a ...
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  21 April 2026
  ASIA/CHINA - "Encounter with the Lord, a synodal journey": the first spiritual retreat of the Chinese bishops Wuhan (Fides News Agency) – A total of 23 bishops from nine Chinese provinces participated in the first spiritual retreat of 2026 from April 13 to 18, focusing on the theme “Encounter with the Lord, a Synodal journey ...
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  21 April 2026
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Divisions within the Wazalendo self-defense movement exacerbate insecurity Kinshasa (Fides News Agency) – A population caught between a rock and a hard place. This is how the inhabitants of the Lemera highlands/ Ruzizi plain, in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, live, ...