Bishop Aldo Berardi, head of the vicariate that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, comments on Pope Francis' decision to grant the Syro-Malabar Church jurisdiction over Indian migrants. "This is not a secondary element, it concerns areas that go beyond rituals" and will have to be defined. The problem of places of worship, relations with the State and interlocution with the Muslim world. "Too many voices" can create "confusion".
The 13th Usaid-sponsored trade forum with the five countries of the region was held in Almaty. Agreements were signed for 10.8 million dollars of credit for companies in strategic sectors, such as IT and green energy, which will provide work for over 8,000 citizens, with particular attention to women, young people, and the most marginalised groups.
The death toll reached 300, while the Taliban are unable to report the number of missing. Several residents said they have lost everything, while pneumonia and diarrhoea are spreading among children due to the lack of drinking water. The delivery of aid is complicated by the collapse of bridges and roads. The dry winter made the soil impermeable, causing landslides and flooding.
While the anniversary of the massacre of the students in Beijing will not take place on 4 June in Victoria Park, a group of individual Christians is calling on people to sign a prayer that will be published as an ad in the Christian Times. The text refers to the repression of that time, but also to the one currently underway in Hong Kong.
Francis pleads for peace again during this Wednesday general audience. Calling for a “definitive peace”, he slammed war, which “is always a defeat. Always.” He also mentioned "tormented Ukraine", Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and “all peoples who suffer war". Charity is the focus of his weekly catechesis, “for those who are not lovable, [. . .] even for one’s enemy.”
The situation is reported in a study by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which matters worse in the southern part of the country, especially in Bangsamoro. About 51.3 per cent are male, and 48.7 per cent are female. Through its educational establishments and institutes, the Church helps young people enter the labour force.
