Egyptian authorities recently authorised 88 Coptic places of worship built without a permit. So far, more than 2,000 churches "of all denominations" have been retroactively approved. However, violence is back on the agenda after Sunday’s attack in Cairo. "Pray for us," urges Fr Rafic.

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister reported to the Parliamentary Select Committee. “My security officials were not informed,” he said. Some 263 people died in the 21 April attacks. President Sirisena has not invited the prime minister to Security Council meetings since October 2018.

Tension remain high following India’s security measures in the disputed territory. Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state with a Muslim majority. The former executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission calls for a referendum to decide the issue of sovereignty.

More than 60 per cent of the country's farmland goes to rice production, mostly during the rainy season, from late May to late September. Low water levels affect fluvial navigation. Hydroelectric dams hold back water, aggravating the situation for farmers and other residents.

India has decided to remake the region by splitting it into two areas: Muslim-Hindu Jammu-Kashmir, and Buddhist Ladakh. China’s Foreign Ministry has criticised Delhi's decision for undermining “China’s territorial sovereignty”, a step deemed “unacceptable” by Beijing.

At the resumption of catechesis after the summer break, Pope Francis comments on the first miracle described in the Acts of the Apostles.  The "game of looks" between the cripple, Peter and John.  The Church "place of liberation and healing".  The memory of Edith Stein and her courageous choices: "an authentic conversion to Christ", the "gift of her life against all forms of intolerance and ideological perversion".  Many pilgrims from Asia are present.