The Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah, the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith, will take place from Sunday 19 to Friday 24 August. Last year, some two million people took part in the celebration. For some Tunisian imams, Riyadh of using the revenues generated by the pilgrimage (about US$ 10 billion) to finance terrorism. They want to see “the obligation of this year's pilgrimage" cancelled.

The White House is pressuring allies (and others) to stop buying Iranian oil. China and India are also targeted. The US wants to “isolate streams of Iranian funding,” official says.  Tokyo, Seoul and New Delhi are looking at ways to save trading arrangements. Tehran is looking to Beijing to overcome the crisis.

In Nayya Sarabah, a village in Toba Tek Singh district, the community’s place of worship was closed two years ago. The faithful were ordered to remove all religious symbols and to meet in private homes. For a former member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, "Christians in Pakistan are being treated as criminals in their own homeland".

The Mumbai doctor is in Rome for the meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life. With respect to global responsibility, "Asking now poorer nations not to develop in the name of global warming and greenhouse gases is not fair”. The Diocesan Human Life Committee in Mumbai seeks to raise “the conscience level of youths to be heralds and prolife witnesses."

The president questioned the story of Genesis and called God "stupid". Bishops and priests have been repeatedly insulted for criticising some government policies. "Pray for him with compassion", said Mgr Socrates Villegas. “Disagreeing is never a license to insult,” noted Bishop of Kalookan.

Continuing to illustrate the Ten Commandments, Francis stressed that in the words: " I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" there is the fact that "the love of God precedes the law and gives it meaning ".