At the end of the 53rd Week of Prayer for Christian unity, Francis calls on the faithful “not to devote ourselves exclusively to our own communities, but to open ourselves to the good of all, to the universal gaze of God who took flesh in order to embrace the whole human race and who died and rose for the salvation of all.”
Three Frenchmen and one Iraqi man linked to a Christian charity went missing on Monday, last seen near the French embassy in Baghdad. No ransom or claim have been made. The four are “experienced staff members who have been working with us for years,” said the charity’s director.
Francis met with Iraqi President Barham Salih. During the visit, discussions centred on “promoting stability and the reconstruction process, encouraging the path of dialogue” as well as “preserving the historical presence of Christians in the country, of which they are an integral part”.
The patient is a 30-year-old woman from Wuhan. It is not clear whether she is Japanese or Chinese. Fearing xenophobic reactions, the authorities are maintaining maximum confidentiality about those infected. Fear hasn’t stopped lunar New Year celebrations. Yesterday thousands of people watched the Tokyo Tower lit in red to usher in the Year of the White Rat.
Dr Liang Wudong is the first victim among medical staff. As of 11 am today, some 1,326 cases of infection have been reported, 729 in Hubei alone. The death toll has risen to 41, doubling in a single day. In Guangxi, a two-year-old girl is the youngest patient. Three cases have been confirmed in France, one in Australia and one in Nepal. Hospitals are having to cope with shortage of beds.
The Hindu student, Dileshwar Marawi, was in grade 9. His teachers describe him as “a good student, calm and quiet”. His family don’t blame the school, but some radical elements want to implicate the latter in the suicide.
