Bernardo Cervellera

Kurdish Islam has always been moderate and lived in peace with Christians, Yazidis, Zoroastrians ... But the fundamentalist pressures are shaking this coexistence. "With us there were no veiled women; now you see them here and there: they are paid by Saudi Arabia to wear the veil. Fundamentalism is the child of poverty." The war is sucking the resources of Kurdistan and enriching Turkey.

The war is drying up Kurdistan's budget: it must pay for the soldiers, the weapons, the police checks on the roads. Between war and new economic and social problems (oil prices, new refugees) it risks a crisis. And the young people, refugees and non-refugees, are struggling to find work. In the schools Kurdish is spoken, while the children of Mosul speak Arabic. People who evoke the most compassion are the elderly: nothing to do all day, a different climate from that to which they were accustomed, their existence turned upside down...

In the garden of the parish of Mar Elia beside the tents there are containers that serve as classrooms for the children and as a library. Another serves as a room for sewing. A children's choir. Fr. Douglas: "Taking care of refugees does not just mean thinking about eating, drinking, medicines, injections, vaccinations ... The displaced persons need to do something and to cultivate hope."

There are at least half a million people who have taken refuge in Kurdistan to flee from ISIS. In the Shlama Mall at Erbil: 350 people living in the skeleton of a building under construction, with draped sheets and blankets serving as walls. The ordination of a young man, also a refugee, shows that with the flight, there is something that has not been destroyed: the faith, the traditions, the priesthood.

The bust of the Chinese official, a great scientist and close friend of Ricci, will be unveiled on 24 January. Ricci's bust has already been placed in Xu's garden-mausoleum, a short walk from Shanghai's St Ignatius Cathedral. Many in China and around the world would like to see Ricci and Xu beatified at the same time. However, in Shanghai the Church is facing problems.

At Christmas God shows us that he has not tired of us. Despite so many wars, injustice, torture, persecution, God has not stopped trusting in man and comes to his aid. The world lives of sterile immobility and apocalyptic terror. With Jesus' birth the world began to change and there are witnesses of hope in Iraq, in Hong Kong, in the Middle East. The revolution of solidarity.

In the latest incident of its kind, the cross of a Protestant Church in Dingqiao was torn down on 19 December. Some members of the local congregation were injured trying to stop the destruction. On 18 December, the cross of a church of Nanle (Henan) was also destroyed and 4 million yuan saved by parishioners to build more churches were seized. The "Three Rectifications and One Demolition" campaign targets mainly sacred buildings.

Anonymous sources suggest Beijing could propose two names with the Vatican choosing one. Even Pope Benedict XVI called for an agreement with the government on episcopal appointments. The CCPA is however considered an important, untouchable "historic legacy". It is also a one of China's most Maoist and corrupt agencies involved in business dealings worth billions, spared so far, from Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign.

Settler provocations on the Esplanade of the Mosques are causing more violence, riots, and summary killings by police. Israel's security remains a constant feature as continued Palestinian frustration makes the situation explosive. Sympathy for Hamas and the Islamic state is growing among Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. The international community continues to neglect the issue. Pope Francis: "We need bridges, not walls!"

Fr Belisario de Jesus Montoya Cyrus, 29, is a Colombian priest from the diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro. A month ago, he left for Bangladesh. For him, the missio ad gentes should be part of every priest's baggage. Although the pain of separation is too much for his parents ("They cried as if I had been laid to rest in a coffin."), for him, this is the way to be "like Jesus" and experience the Church's universality.

A second instalment is sent with funds raised in September. The fate of East-West relations is being played out in the Middle East and Iraq. Pope Francis and the Synod issue an appeal. Governments are lukewarm. Aid is coming from around the world. A new international community is defeating the "globalisation of indifference."

The constitution says the people rule. However, the Party remains above the people and the constitution. Compared to Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08, Xi Jinping's overtures fall short off the mark. Reconciling market economics and centralisation, socialism and Chinese traditions is a challenge. Leaders continue to fear the Soviet scenario.