Oman

| UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

First pastoral letter by Bishop Martinelli, who urges the faithful not to be "slaves, but sons". The faith must be transmitted "no longer by convention, but with conviction" by communicating "the reasons why one believes". The call for an 'intercultural' path that allows the different Church realities present in the Gulf to interact, to get to know each other, and to train for cooperation.

by Dario Salvi

The jubilee year opens today in the Church of Arabia 15 centuries (it was 15 October 523) after the massacre of the saint of Najran and his companions. Msgr Berardi: discover the "rich Christian past of the Arabian Peninsula". Vicar of the South: Promote awareness of the "most precious witness" of the Missionaries of Charity.

| 24/10/2023
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

Today's headlines: birthrates in South Korea drop again, below 250,000 for first time; Cantonese language targeted in Hong Kong over national security law; India grants Singapore exemption from its freeze on rice exports; More than one million Pakistanis have migrated to Gulf countries since April 2022.

| 30/08/2023
| ASIA TODAY
by Dario Salvi

For young Turks, the meeting offers an opportunity to "build a local Church" by meeting fellow Christians from other Turkish dioceses and vicariates. A young man from Yemen will arrive with the Gulf delegation. The Lebanese will mark the third anniversary of the tragic explosion of 4 August 2020 with adoration and prayers. The auxiliary bishop of Baghdad hopes that the Mideast might host WDY one day.

| 01/08/2023
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Vladimir Rozanskij

A summit between the Cooperation Council of the Gulf States and Central Asian countries was held in Jeddah. The aim: to broaden economic cooperation starting from religious commonality. Every year about 50,000 Saudi tourists visit the historical cities of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

| 24/07/2023
| CENTRAL ASIA-SAUDIA ARABIA

Yesterday, Supreme Leader Khamenei backs an agreement on condition that "the existing infrastructure of [Iran’s] nuclear industry should not be touched". Washington has denied any progress in negotiations. Iran is reportedly close to the 90 per cent threshold in uranium enrichment, deemed a red line for Israel.

| 12/06/2023
| IRAN – OMAN – UNITED STATES
by Dario Salvi

Iraq has drawn up a plan dubbed 'Development Road' that wants to connect the south with the Turkish border in the north. An almost 17 billion euro project that involves other partners from Iran to Qatar. In response to the 'Silk Road', the United States - with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and India - are studying a capillary network from Asia to Europe

| 06/06/2023
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
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“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”