North Asia

At the general audience, returning to his catechesis on the Family, Pope Francis asks all Christians to behave like the Good Shepherd, welcoming couples who are divorced and remarried and their children because they "are not excommunicated." They "can develop their belonging to Christ" through prayer, listening to the word of God and service to the poor, “participating in the liturgy." The Pope did not, however, mention participation in the Eucharist. A group of pilgrims from mainland China greet the Pope and sing the "Our Father" in Chinese.

Meeting thousands of participants in the international pilgrimage "Here I am Lord. Send me!", involving children and young people from about 20 countries, Francis thanks the altar servers and recalls that "it was God who made the first move. God’s actions were not impeded by his imperfections; it was God’s goodness alone that enables us to take up the mission, transforming us nto a totally new person and therefore one able to respond to the call of the Lord"

The Kremlin recently approved a decision to seize and destroy goods, including food under embargo. The latter was imposed last year in response to Western sanctions. Civil society groups and religious leaders suggest they be given to charities.

During the Angelus, Francis commented the Gospel of John. The crowds that followed Jesus for material bread did not understand their own "spiritual blindness". Christ "is gift and the one who gives it.” In light of the encounter with Him, the sufferings of human life “will be illuminated." Remembering the Pardon of Assisi, the “Father forgives everyone,” he “always forgives everything”.

Yesterday marked 1,000 years since the death of Prince Vladimir, who in 988 chose Christianity for Kievan Rus. For Putin, he led to the rise of Russia as a centralised state and the source of Russia’s development as a unique country and civilisation. For Poroshenko, his choice for Christianity was European in orientation. Meanwhile in Moscow, the prince’s controversial statue could be placed in a square in front of the former KGB headquarters, a symbol of past repression.

The Patriarchate and the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation signed an agreement that formalises cooperation between Church and State. According to the Orthodox primate, society’s woes stem from the destruction of values ​​and the economic collapse that occurred in the 1990s. Corruption costs the state more than US$ 600 million.

At the Angelus, Pope Francis recalls the Jesuit priest, the two Orthodox bishops and all those who have been kidnapped, calling on all present to join him in the recitation of a Hail Mary. Joined by the presence of two young people, he opens registration for WYD in Krakow and registers himself as teh first pilgrim online with a tablet. Commenting on today's Gospel: "Who among us does not have his" five loaves and two fish "? If we are willing to put them in the hands of the Lord, they will be a bit more love in the world to go around".

In his message to the Catholic Church in England and Wales for this year’s Day for Life, centred on the theme of ‘Cherishing Life and Accepting Death,’ Pope Francis said that “There is nothing progressive about solving problems by eliminating a human life." For him, “considering having a baby as a right is not a scientific achievement when the child should instead be welcomed as a gift; nor is it right to use humans as laboratory rats in order to save ostensibly others.”

This is not the first time that the old bishop and his priests speak out against the demolition campaign against crosses and churches, which has touched more than 400 buildings. During the protest, police tried to disperse the group, which sought to submit a petition. The faithful recite a Crown of the Divine Mercy is in support of the Chinese Church. In Lishui, churches are expected to be torn down by 31 August.

Jehovah's Witnesses were meeting in congress on 10-12 July in Krymsk, Krasnodar region. On the second day, Cossacks attacked the gathering as police stood idly by. For participants, the action violated “our right to religious freedom".

Speaking at a conference in India, the cardinal mentioned a private interview he had with the Holy Father. “Places of great suffering have become the centre of gravity of the Church," he said. Hence, "We take our responsibility very seriously”.

This is the thesis of Uri Avnery, leader of Gush Shalom, a major supporter of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. According to the great statesman and peace activist, Iran only wants to be a regional power in the Islamic world, able to trade with everyone, inspired by a sophisticated experience that goes back thousands of years. Iran, which faces backward-looking Gulf monarchies and emirates, could be a great ally against Daesh. Meanwhile in Israel Netanyahu, politicians and the media continue to blunder.