Putting aside his prepared speech, Pope Francis spoke about a married couple "in love" for 60 years. He stressed the importance of "patience" in times of crisis and infidelity. The fourth chapter "is the core of Amoris Laetitia". Those who reduce the apostolic exhortation to a "sterile casuistry of 'we can' and 'we cannot' ‘did not understand anything’." The sensitivity of the Forum should not be “labelled as a confessional in order to accuse - wrongly - of partiality. It is based instead on the dignity of the human person and therefore can be recognised and shared by everyone."
The Archbishop of Karachi, the first Pakistani cardinal in 24 years, expresses his best wishes for the end of Ramadan. He speaks about relations with Muslims and their positive reactions after his election as cardinal as well as about his hope for a visit by Pope Francis to Pakistan.
An Iranian government spokesman warns that Washington could pull out of any deal as it did with the Iranian nuclear agreement. State TV expresses scepticism and doubts. Online some people are more positive, praising the two leaders for their "courage". Others note that nuclear bombs do not fill the stomachs of the people.
The new high-speed railway line linking Kowloon to Guangzhou is set to be inaugurated in September. Mainland China has requested and obtained the right to control part of the terminus and train platforms. The mainland will be in charge of immigration, customs, health inspection, border control and security. Track maintenance will remain in Hong Kong.
A new service was launched on 11 June providing drivers dressed as Japan’s mythical shadow warriors or as bodyguards with concealed . . . water guns.
The new Chuanbei prison opened in 2012. Inmates can learn a trade, live in a better environment and received psychological assistance: a first in China. For one prisoner, “our lives at the new facility are so different, it’s like the distance between the sky and the earth”. However, some think it might just be façade.
