Ecclesia in Asia

In the Noto Peninsula, the Diocese of Nagoya witnessed the joy of the consecration of a new church in Wajima 20 months after a devastating earthquake razed the old one. As a sign of things to come, the new place of worship welcomed some 20 Filipinos who discovered a home amid the tragedy and show of solidarity for this small community.

AsiaNews editorial director Fr. Gianni Criveller comments on the Pope's words on China in an interview released in recent days: "He guarantees the continuity of previous choices, aware that there is time between now and the new expiry of the Agreement in 2028. But he also says he is listening to the “underground” communities that (rightly or wrongly) feel they have been sacrificed. So that the government's narrative is not the only one in this complex and painful ecclesial affair."

Bishop Moon of Cheju, chairman of the Bishops' Conference's Committee for Family and Life, met with Democratic Party lawmakers who are promoting a bill that the Church sees as a path towards unlimited abortions. The issue came to the fore in 2019 after a ruling by the Constitutional Court. For Bishop, “We must move towards respect for life.”

St. Andrew's School in Mumbai - where teachers of different religions work side by side - has promoted a trip in the name of the historic document signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and Imam al Tayyeb. Headmaster Fr. Magi Murzello: ‘A common religious response to the challenge of pluralism and the promotion of diversity as a value rooted in religious freedom.’

Hundreds of people attended the ordination of Fr Limon Biswas, a PIME missionary like Fr Antonio Marietti, who was the first to speak about Jesus in 1856 in Jessore, a village in the present-day Diocese of Khulna. Now he himself will leave as a missionary for Papua New Guinea. “I hope he will spread the Gospel with dedication and love,” said Bishop Boiragi.

An international symposium in Hong Kong marks the centennial of the consecration of six Chinese bishops in Rome in 1926, a milestone in the inculturation of Chinese Catholicism and the subsequent experience of native cardinals.

A few days before the big event in Tor Vergata, the Archdiocese's Justice and Peace Commission held its Youth Day. Kashif Anthony: ‘I want to see their conditions improve and help them work to contribute to the betterment of society and our country.’

The Vietnamese Catholic Church celebrated the 400th anniversary of the birth of its first martyr, who was killed at the age of 19, with a live-streamed event involving communities across the country and the diaspora, which was also attended by the Pope.

The bishop visited a community that has grown nearly eightfold thanks to a wave of young families who arrived following the events of 2020. God is with them as they have “a fresh start.” The challenge now is to find a Cantonese-speaking pastor.

In first ever, a training course organised in collaboration with a company in the sector explored not so much the ethical implications but the opportunities for the practical use of these tools in pastoral care. Participants said: ‘It can become an essential aid in improving preaching and pastoral care.’

The Plenary Assembly in Bohol elects the archbishop of Lipa to succeed Card David who has concluded his second term. The meeting is discussing how to continue the synodal journey in the Philippines. Noemi Saludo, a laywoman who contributed to the restoration of a hundred churches, is honoured.

The new coadjutor apostolic vicar of the Cambodian capital, appointed yesterday by Pope Leo, tells AsiaNews about the challenges facing the tiny local Church reborn after the persecution of the Khmer Rouge, who fifty years ago also killed Msgr. Samar, the only local bishop before him. The legacy of the martyrs, inculturation, encounter with Buddhists, but also individualism brought about by the spread of digital devices are among the pastoral priorities.