Giorgio Bernardelli

Over 800 delegates from more than 30 countries are attending the Congress that brings together the Churches of the entire continent, almost twenty years after the first meeting in Chang Mai. The vast majority of participants are lay people who will share their experiences until 30 November. Cardinal Francis: ‘Together for a deeper communion with God, creation and humanity’.

As AsiaNews reported, the ceremony for the prelate chosen by Bishop Shen Bin during the Vatican's Sede Vacante took place this morning. Leo XIV approved the appointment in August in accordance with the Agreement. Although confined to the Sheshan Seminary since 2012, the other auxiliary bishop, Ma Daqin, sent a message of unity to the Church of Shanghai via social media, quoting the great ‘patriarch’ Xu Guangqi.

With the approval of Leo XIV, Wang Zhengui was ordained this morning bishop of Zhangjiakou, a "new" diocese that replaces the sees of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi. Of the two underground prelates, one becomes auxiliary bishop, while the other (repeatedly subjected to restrictive measures) will retire. Meanwhile, in the name of patriotism, the Diocese in Shanghai held a “group viewing” of Xi Jinping's parade.

Leo XIV has appointed Fr D’Souza as the new director of the Vatican Observatory. A scholar of the origins of galaxies, he grew up in India fascinated by Matteo Ricci. He studied physics in Mumbai before specialising in Germany and the United States. Speaking to AsiaNews, he said: "We don't look to the sky to investigate God, but to the complexity and beauty of the universe,” which offers us “new reasons to praise God through a better understanding of his work.”

The report drafted for the late pope by a group of economists led by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has been released. The study calls for a new global initiative for the most indebted poor countries but also lays out the rules for fairer finance to avoid perpetuating the same problem.

A report by the Lowy Institute highlights that China is expected to receive this year some US$ 22 billion in interest on debt from countries that the UN classifies as most fragile. This figure is far higher than new loans China currently grants per year. For 54 countries, China holds more shares of bilateral debt than all the countries of the Paris Club put together. The numbers are significant also considering the appeal Pope Francis made for debt cancellation on the occasion of the Jubilee.

Hong Kong’s Card Stephen Chow said that the pope told him that he “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality.” This is unprecedented for a pontiff, linked to his long mandate as prior general of an order that, at the behest of Leo XIII (the pontiff whose name the new pope took) sent its own missionaries and bishops in Hunan until the expulsion decreed by Mao. Starting in the 1980s, the order rebuilt ties and presence in the Diocese of Changsha through the province of the Philippines.

From Bergamo, 60-year-old Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa brings the “Mother Church” back among the electors of a Pope for the first time in centuries. Living in Jerusalem for the past 35 years, the Franciscan friar has long been engaged in dialogue with both Judaism and Islam. He served for 12 years as Custos of the Holy Land. Throughout the many tragic episodes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—including the past two years—he has called for cultivating the freedom of peace, refusing to be crushed by hatred, and making the Gospel resound once again in the land of Jesus.

In Vietnamese churches, public memorial services are being held for the pontiff. On behalf of the communist authorities, a government official burnt incense in his memory at the headquarters of the Bishops' Conference. No cardinal from this lively and courageous Church will be at the conclave, but everyone remembers Francis’s suggestion that his successor will certainly go to Vietnam.

The authorities have announced “Detailed Rules” coming into effect on 1 May. Non-Chinese are asked to "respect independence and self-government" and obey the Party's instructions. Foreigners and Chinese are not allowed to take part in the same celebrations, while the number of books foreigners can bring in from abroad "for personal use" has been restricted. Extra tight control is the true face of sinicisation.

Born in German-speaking countries, today more than half of the missionaries belonging to the institute founded by Arnold Janssen are from Asia, and are also on the frontline in the existential peripheries of Europe today. Now the institute is being called to reflect on mission in today's world at an international conference In Rome from 27 to 29 March.

The Israeli academic and scholar of “intractable conflicts” talked to AsiaNews about the way the Gaza war is going and its consequences for Israeli society. Talking about peace today is considered a threat. Seventeen-year-olds “don't know what the Green Line is”. The families of the hostages are “the most important voice”.