South China Sea: Philippines and Indonesia back Washington against Beijing

With the transformation of the Christian basilica into a mosque, "Erdogan, this 21st century Caliph, has secured the support of a religious and fundamentalist electorate nostalgic of the Ottoman era". "A clear new message from political Islam to the West: dominate and subjugate, always and at all times!". The western world does not seem to understand provocation. A system of lighting and veils to hide Christian mosaics and frescoes. "Whenever Islamism comes to power in a democratic and secular state, it declares war on civilizations, cultures and other religions."

For Li Ruohan, a scholar from northern China, the "enthusiasts" over dialogue between Beijing and the Holy See should remember the teaching of Pius XI and John Paul II ("Do not have any illusions about communism"). The Chinese Communist Party is a successor to Marx-Leninism and its aim is to destroy religions.

During the Angelus, Pope Francis expressed the pain of the Holy See for the decision to turn Istanbul’s Christian basilica into a mosque. He mentions "four different types of ground" that receive "the Word of God ... Christ himself". For him, the Virgin Mary is a “perfect model of good and fertile ground ". Today is the International Day of the Sea.

The former European Central Bank president graduated from the Massimiliano Massimo Institute and La Sapienza University (in economics) in Rome. He has a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Premier Lee Hsien Loong has announced that he will leave office once the coronavirus emergency ends. Battle against the pandemic and the economic crisis are the main themes of the election campaign. The country is in recession. The prime minister's brother sides with the opposition.

A "rare honor" for the Philippines: in the only Catholic majority nation in Asia, there are only 17 churches with this title. The place of worship dates back to 1590, is dedicated to San Pedro Bautista and is managed by the Franciscans. The ceremony will take place by the end of the year, but there is still no certain date due to the ongoing pandemic.

The prelate notes that “In these tragic times of COVID lockdown there cannot be a lockdown of the fire of hunger” which “forced those poor to seek the crumbs of jade that fall from mega companies' bulldozers.” For him, “This mine tragedy is a grim reminder of the need for sharing God given natural treasures.” Indeed, “The treasures of Myanmar belong to the people of Myanmar.” Sadly, “This is not the first time of this merciless tragedy and if the relevant stakeholders do not respond with compassion and justice, this will not be the last time of this inhuman tragedy.”

After prison, Nguyễn Quốc Đức Vượng will be on three-year probation. For experts, this is the harshest verdict for online content offences. It is a sign of growing repression by the communist authorities. Recently, at least a dozen people have ended up in jail for their social media use.

Celebrating mass on the seventh anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa, Francis again decries "globalization of indifference". “War, of course, is bad, we know it, but we can't imagine the hell people live there, in those detention camps. And these people only came with hope to cross the sea."

At a press conference titled “Preparing the future, building peace in the time of COVID-19,” Card Turkson said: “As the world takes emergency measures to address a global pandemic and a global economic recession, both underpinned by a global climate emergency, we must also consider the implications for peace of these interconnected crises.”

The 16 postulants come from several dioceses across the nation, including the archdiocese of Pontianak, the diocese of Sanggau - both in the province of western Kalimantan - and the diocese of Malang in the province of East Java.

Work went on during pandemic despite "restrictions,” Catholic volunteer noted. Volunteers and some refugees helped to make masks and sanitisers. People in urgent need are “fragile,” said a priest in Bangkok. Health crisis has increased inequalities.

National security law “threatens to undermine freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and academic freedom. Freedom of religion and belief is also under threat. According to many reports, freedom of religion and belief in mainland China has suffered the most violent attacks since the Cultural Revolution."

Vietnam and the United States marked 25 years of diplomatic ties and six years of “comprehensive partnership”. The COVID-19 crisis has kept celebrations at a minimum, but not diminished cooperation. More than 30,000 Vietnamese are studying in the United States and will be the future "cultural ambassadors" between the two countries.