by Kamran Chaudhry

Puran Ram suffered discrimination since childhood, which made him feel dirty from birth. In Sanskrit, his name means "ancient legends and popular lore", but his classmates mocked him for it sounding like porn. One schoolmate left school "because he refused to study with me.” Others brought their own glasses to avoid drinking with him.

| 23/01/2020
| PAKISTAN
by Nirmala Carvalho

The Australian missionary and his 10- and 6-year-old sons were burnt alive as they slept in his car. The clergyman helped lepers, the poor, Dalits and tribal people. For the Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, the country urgently needs unity. The murders’ anniversary falls during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

| 23/01/2020
| INDIA

Huanggang, a city of 6 million residents, is on a lockdown. University of Hong Kong virologist Guan Yi warns the new coronavirus outbreak could be ten times worse as the 2003 SARS epidemic. So far 17 deaths have been reported out of 583 confirmed cases, 571 in China and 12 in Thailand, Korea South, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and Macau.

 

| 23/01/2020
| CHINA

Intervention of religious leaders at the World Forum to "generate global awareness for change". The Oxfam report highlighted that wealth remains highly concentrated at the top of the distribution pyramid: the wealthiest 1%, in mid-2019, held more than double the net wealth owned by 6.9 billion people.

| 23/01/2020
| VATICAN

The executive committee’s third meeting was held on January 21 and 22. Christian leaders re-launch appeal for the release of the two bishops kidnapped in Syria. The political and institutional situation in the area is worrying, from Lebanon to Iraq. Greater support for Christians in Palestine, victims of occupation and isolation.

| 23/01/2020
| CYPRUS - MIDDLE EAST

The panel of 17 judges ruled unanimously. Myanmar must protect the ethnic group, prevent killings and physical and mental damage as well as submit a report within four months. Aung San Suu Kyi says refugees have exaggerated the abuse against them.

| 23/01/2020
| NETHERLANDS – MYANMAR – GAMBIA
Editor's choices
 
While the country is getting ready to welcome Pope Francis in September, amendments have been proposed to assert the country’s Christian identity. For the Catholic Bishops' Conference, this is a “dangerous” step that “obscures ...
| 24/04/2024
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| 19/04/2024
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| 15/04/2024
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| 12/04/2024
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The Holy See has officially announced the long journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. Card Goh of Singapore hopes the pope will bring to his predominantly Chinese city, “renewed fervour to all Catholics [. . .], especially ...
| 12/04/2024
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by card. Anthony Poola *
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“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”