For Fr Paul Thabit Mekko, solidarity is the "key word" that inspires deeds and actions among the faithful concerned not only for the local reality, but also the whole country. In Karamles a new community centre will see the day by Easter, providing as place to meet and share. Hope for a new model of living together is rising in Mosul, once an IS stronghold.
In his Lenten Letter, the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong refers to wilderness and temptation in the distrust of people after the battle against the extradition bill. Many acts of selfishness have occurred alongside many acts of “generosity” by those who treat the sick and donate surgical masks and supplies "to those in need". Lent is a "training school”.
The Christian woman is in Paris where she asked to meet President Macron. Since release in 2019, she has been hosted in Canada. She claims to love Pakistan, but will be "in exile forever". The mayor of Paris gives her honorary citizenship.
The clashes have been raging for four days. Videos show the police standing by without intervening in beatings. Two mosques desecrated. Archdiocese spokesman: "India owes its freedom to non-violent struggle".
The most affected prisons are in Hubei, Shandong and Zhejiang. The central government admits errors, while dozens of officials are removed. The confined spaces favor propagation. Prisoners' relatives: spread of the virus due to overcrowding and poor hygiene.
Tests after their release from the hospital show the presence of the virus in the stool. Until now, the protocol did not provide for stool analysis. Control over the epidemic is more complicated. To date, there are 78,190 cases of infection and 2718 deaths in China. Out of over 45,000 hospitalized patients, about 20% are in serious condition. A group of scientists excludes the production of the virus in the laboratory: end of the conspiracy theses.
Eritrean singer Asayel Slay is targeted by the governor of the holy city of Islam. The video enhances their courage and defines them as "cotton candy". For the authorities "it offends customs and traditions" and "contradicts identity and traditions". The controversy between the artist's critics and defenders breaks out online.
“Who is the most important in the Church?” asks Francis. “The Pope, the bishops, the monsignors, the cardinals, the parish priests of the most beautiful parish churches, the presidents of lay associations? No! The greatest in the Church are those who become servants of all, those who serve all, not those with more titles.”
People protested against the arrival in Poltava region of 73 evacuees from China, including 45 Ukrainians as well as citizens of Norway, Israel, Belarus, Spain, Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Panama and other countries. Protesters blocked roads and threw stones at buses carrying the evacuees. The Church urged the faithful to not let “fear of disease cloud our mind and our conscience, our very humanity.”
Any new government needs least 112 votes in parliament. This is the first time the king is playing a crucial role. The political crisis follows rumours about a new alliance being formed. The prime minister had promised to hand over power to his ally Anwar. The early end of the government casts shadows on the transition.
Charged with espionage, the Hong Kong-based publisher was seized in Thailand in 2015. Under pressure, he gave up his Swedish citizenship. Communist China keeps cracking down on free voices. The sentence will likely spur Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
A member of a provincial middle class family, he ruled the country more than Nasser and Sadat. Unlike them, he did not die in office. Tried and convicted of killing protesters and dissidents, he was acquitted years later. He led the fight against Islamic extremism, and mended fences with the rest of the Arab world.
The monk spent at least 30 years in detention for defending religious freedom. In 2018 he was expelled from a monastery where he was under house arrest. For him, freedom in Vietnam “is like the drawing of a dessert: it looks delicious on paper, but you can't eat it”. State media did not report his death.
Two more victims today, but data is contested: a Qom MP speaks of at least 50 deaths alone in the holy city. Categorical denial of the authorities, but the toll remains uncertain. Several countries in the area close borders with the Islamic Republic. Qatar calls for voluntary isolation of passengers from Iran and South Korea.
Protests erupted between groups for and against the citizenship law. Among the victims, a rickshaw driver married for a month. A protester challenges a policeman by pointing the gun at his face. Trump announces three billion dollar military deals.
